These ordinary looking stacks of square paper notes hold hidden surprises inside: each removed sheet reveals more and more of a secret Japanese structure, completely visible once all the pages are pulled.

The Omoshiro (roughly: “fun”) Block uses laser-cutting tech to craft the initial deck with its internal architecture. It is made by Triad, a firm in Japan that mainly makes professional architectural models for design firms.

In tihs case, they have replicated a series of classic buildings from around the country, including the  Kiyomizudera Temple in Kyoto and Asakusa Temple in Tokyo as well as the Tokyo Tower skyscraper.

Each block has 100 sheets or more, each uniquely shaped around the void to create the buildings within — in a way, they catalog their own order of usage, each edge profile reflecting the moment it was pulled. Subtly morphing hues between each layer reinforce the effect.

Currently, the blocks can only be bought in-store at Tokyu Hands in Osaka, along with other excavation-themed products and creations (like the book temple shown above).

Where do you put important notes to yourself or others in your home? They can easily be ignored when they are placed on a table or even taped to the door…but almost everyone can remember to turn out the lights when leaving the home, right?

That is the thought behind Studio Ninho’s Luminaria Post lamp. The lamp features a shade made of cork, allowing notes to be pinned to it. The concept is sort of genius: most of us (particularly those of us who are in charge of paying the electric bills) are used to shutting off the lights before we leave, and the design of this lamp basically forces one to see the notes pinned to it when shutting off the light.

The lamp comes in a very small package, in pieces that are extremely easy to fit together. The actual assembly of the lamp takes no more than a few minutes as it involves attaching the legs, screwing in the light bulb and pinning the cork shade to the cork piece housing the wires.

As if the simple lamp isn’t gorgeous enough on its own, the pins create tiny holes in the cork every time a memo goes up. These holes make a unique pattern in the cork for the light to shine through. Eventually, the light thrown from the Illuminaria Post lamp must look like the light from a star projector.

So ubiquitous they almost escape notice, the stuff of everyday streetscapes follows certain laws of man and nature alike. Pointing out the obvious, in this case, is far more unusual and surprising than noting more atypical or rare species.

Consider the behavior of benches, with their seasonal advertisements but otherwise relatively low-maintenance requirements versus the level of attention demanded by a “No Parking” or “Stop” sign.

Fire hydrants and mailboxes also have unique care instructions, conveying levals of authority but also communicating rhythms and patterns of certain kinds of traffic (postal or fire and rescue vehicles at regular or erratic intervals).

“Carmichael Collective is an ongoing project from Carmichael Lynch, a creative company based in Minneapolis, MN. Everything you see here is just creativity for creativity’s sake. If you like it, share it. And if you want to see more, follow it. Or, don’t. It’s totally up to you. After all, art is in the eye of the beholder.”

If you’ve been following the news these past months like everyone else, you’re probably incredibly shocked too at the complete disregard that bankers and other Wall Street establishments have shown your money. While these people have been throwing away hundreds of thousands of dollars on spa weekends, the artists and sculptors below have been doing something entirely different with their money. At least in this case if the economy hits them hard, they can sell their work, most likely for more than they put into it. This is just another amazing example of extraordinary artworks made from ordinary objects.

Rirkrit Tiravanija’s Relational Aesthetics

(found via j-no)

Rirkrit Tiravanija is a Buenos Aires-born Thai contemporary artist known for exploring the social role of the artist using relational aesthetics. He is most famous for installation art pieces where he cookes meals for gallery-goers, reads to them, or plays music for them. Rirkrit’s treatment of money, above, is a perfect example of this examination of human beings in their social context rather than in a private space.

Moneygami – Origami from Money

(found via close the world)

It is almost difficult to believe that this concept hasn’t been done before or replicated by more people. While the core concept is incredibly simple, the results are nothing short of amazing. Each of the pieces is formed by folding currency from a different country in such a way that the resulting miniature emphases the face of the leader on the note. Not only that, but each of the faces is given a unique hat or garb, representing the culture of the currencies’ country of origin.

Skyline Silhouette Money Cutouts

(found via spluch)

In a concept similar to the one shown above, this set incorporates the cultural heritage of each country into the note buy cutting it out in the shape of one of the countries’ popular skylines. Often with faces projected onto the skylines, the final pieces are beautiful works of art, immediately identifiable by the precise cutting of the skylines.

Money Sculptures by Justine Smith

(source: justine smith)

Justine Smith’s work is noted for here exploration of our relationships with, and responses to money, in political, moral, and social settings. On the one hand we have guns and grenades, representing the money used to fund wars and cause bloodshed around the world, and on the other, are intricate and beautiful flowers representing everything just and sacred.

The Most Expensive Wallpapers in the World

If you thought opening a bar or a restaurant was a bad financial decision, look again. Simply by adopting the ‘money on the wall’ theme, these bars have managed to convince patrons to write silly things on dollar bills and stick them on the walls. The result? Bizarre, beautiful, mindboggling, and certainly the most expensive bar decoration around, not only do these wallpapers attract more curious patrons, but they also fill the pockets of the sneaky saloon owner.