Flowing out like the rings from the center of a tree, the veneers on this chest of drawers were carefully selected, perfected and oiled to create a remarkable effect.

The lightening of the wood as it pushes outward creates a compelling organic variant, and reinforces the impression that the whole piece was cut from a single tree. In reality, it was meticulously created using a combination of fumed oak, brown oak, oak, olive ash and ash.

Designer Edward Johnson says the inspiration was partly aesthetic, but also a nod to longevity — rings signify the passing of years, and his pieces are crafted to be durable as well. Small details, like a curved base and finger slots, play on the contrast of circular and rectilinear shapes.

Meanwhile, the “radiant desk takes on a sculptural asymmetrical design and is constructed from fumed and brown oak … veneers flow seamlessly from a semi-circular core that radiates out and down each side of the feature aerofoil shaped legs.”

The process can be painstaking. “Hundreds of thin strips of wood are cut in the workshop and joined back together using contrasting tones, resulting in sweeping lines and curves that envelop the furniture, bringing a soft, organic surface to the angular forms.”

Green space, installation art and public amenity are all distorted into something fresh and provocative with this strange creation, crashing together at the intersection of amusement and apocalypse.

Developed as part of the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in London by The Edible Bus Stop, a landscape firm that clearly has a sense of humor, the resulting scene is bit hard to parse at a glance.

A totaled car (presumably misled by the lines), smashed phone booth and colorful graffiti help set the stage, but it’s the yellow lines that rise up from the ground and take physical form that really lend the whole work an edge of comic surrealism. A smattering of green growing up through the pavement helps, too.

The temporary exhibition was titled Riot of Color conceived of as “a post apocalyptic interpretation of the after effects of the 2011 London riots.” The dark inspiration is evident, but perhaps overshadowed a bit by absurdity. (via Colossal)

In a weird ongoing war over the blackest black and pinkest pink in the world, a new contender has hit the market — and unlike Vantablack, anyone can purchase some to make really dark artwork (great for black holes!).

Stuart Semple’s blackest salvo to date in this pigment war is Black 2.0, which can create mesmerizing effects in real life that also translate to images and videos. In them, painted objects appear flat, or like voids rather than solids.

According to its creators, “its the most pigmented, flattest, mattest, black acrylic paint in the world,” a claim backed up by a lot of black-coated objects juxtaposed with lighter and brighter surroundings.

This pigment “was created in close collaboration with color chemists, specialists from the cosmetics industry and architectural coatings experts. It’s foundation is Stuart’s ‘Super-Base’ which enables this paint to hold more pigment than any other whilst drying to an anti-reflective, super flat finish.”

An implicit stab at the Vantablack exclusivity arrangement: “It has been developed in close collaboration with thousands of artists from all over the world. Their amazing insight, support and inspiration has formed this unique super-black paint for the benefit of all artists.”

Semple admits it’s not truly the blackest paint when compared to Vantablack, clarifying that it is just the blackest acrylic and blackest paint available to all artists, not just one who secured exclusive rights — note: this black is available to everyone but that artist (via MyModernMet).

Charged during the day and lighting up at night, this beautiful bicycle trail outside the town of Lidzbark Warmiski is designed to improve safety for riders out after dark.

Luminescent phosphor can hold emit light of various colors, but blue was selected to match the surrounding landscape and conjure associations with the sky (the source of the path’s power). Once deployed, the passive system recharges itself, obviating the need for connectivity or continual maintenance.

Though the technologies behind the effects differ, the path in Poland was inspired in part by the Starry Night bike path created in the Netherlands by Studio Roosegaarde. Both are proofs of concept, tests meant in part to demonstrate the potential and durability of this trail-blazing lighting strategy.

Other illumination options were considered, but this glow-in-the-dark approach was deemed both appealing and cost-effective by the Board of Regional Roads. Adjacent pedestrian paths are also bracketed by glowing blue lines and denoted for persons on foot with likewise-illuminated path signage underfoot.

A permanent installation opening as part of the Liverpool Biennial in England, this glowing skate park will be the first of its kind in the UK, enabling skaters of all skill levels to give it a shot by day or night.

Designed by Korean artist Koo Jeong A (photos by Thierry Bal & Gareth Jones), the minimalist structure borrows elements from skateboarding and BMXing traditions. Previous work by A includes another glow-in-the-dark park in France.

The park was developed in conjunction with Wheelscape Skateparks, a company that uses sprayed concrete to sculpt complex shapes that go beyond basic geometries of cast-in-place approaches.

“I devised extremely steep, sharp angles, which would be a challenge to the most courageous and skilled skaters,” says the artist. “It was as if they would be the great mountaineers that the rest of us would admire. And with its glow-in-the-dark surface, I hoped the Wheels Park would offer an experience of contemplation.”