Set in neglected parts of the city, scratched into deteriorating surfaces, expressive portraits loom large, often created with nothing more than a chisel. Alexandre Farto, better known as Vhils, creates art through destruction in a process some might consider vandalism – but this is street art, so what else is new? Vhils first caught the public eye when one of his portraits appeared beside a work by Banksy at London’s Cans Festival in 2008, and since then, he’s been taking his work to the next level.

The portraits splash the faces of anonymous city residents onto concrete, brick, plaster and other surfaces on buildings and walls throughout the world, particularly in the artist’s home city of Lisbon, Portugal. Nobody else is creating large-scale urban artwork quite like this.

The process literally cuts through the outermost layers of wall surface, often utilizing scraps of faded billboards to provide contrast with the rougher surfaces hidden underneath. Sometimes, a little bit of paint is strategically used to highlight the image. Some of the works are even applied on top of much older murals completed way back in the ‘70s and ‘80s after the Carnation Revolution, as if the remains of the older ones are fertilizing new growth.

“As a kid, I remember seeing how these murals would peel,” says Vhils in an interview with The Atlantic. “I started thinking about how my work could use the layers of the past to reflect the city, to show people living in it and how their identity was lost, or forgotten. I started to paint these billboards white, then carve away the negative spaces. It’s not illegal, because that sort of advertising was illegal already. Carving these walls, peeling away these layers, it’s like contemporary archaeology.”

Vhils divides the images into three colors to create a three-dimensional effect, scratching out the darkest parts of the portraits and highlighting the lightest. Electric drills and chisels make the process easier on hard walls, and in one extreme example, the artist even used explosives to break away some of the plaster, capturing the process for a music video called M.I.R.I.A.M. Follow Vhils on Instagram to catch his latest works.

Raising funds for an feline-focused area non-profit group, these architect-designed cat dwellings span the spectrum from adventure spaces to cozy nooks for your furry friends to explore or sleep within. If you also enjoy supporting canines, it is well worth checking out these 14 architect-designed doghouses likewise built to support a charitable purpose.

With proceeds going to FixNation, the Giving Shelter fundraiser (with photographer Grey Crawford) drew an impressive array for architects, firms and designers, including RNL, NAC, DSH, HOK, Wolcott, Lehrer, Space Int’l, Formation Association, Perkins + Wil, and Standard Architecture and Design.

With tunnels, tubes, ramps and platforms from wood, metal, fake grass and the materials used to make scratching posts, participating designers showed off the huge range of possibilities for catering to domestic cats, in some cases integrating elements of human functionality (with pieces doubling as furniture) as well.

Their robust materiality and construction is intended to make the shelters able to be placed outdoors. More photos from the live benefit can be found via Fixnation and Flickr.

Architects for Animals “Giving Shelter” is an awareness raising initiative. “The one-night event in Los Angeles benefitted FixNation, a 501c3 organization dedicated to helping community cats in need. Participating architectural design firms designed, built, and donated creative outdoor shelters.”

“These shelters were on display to the public at a one night event at the Herman Miller Showroom in Culver City. FixNation and Architects for Animals offered this unique exhibit and cocktail reception that combines the love of architecture with the love of animals. Attendees enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and wine from the open bar while viewing the original shelter designs.”

More on the non-profit benefiting from the series: “FixNation is a non-profit organization committed to cats, and to supporting Trap-Neuter-Return. We provide a free, full-time spay/neuter clinic for cats with two full-time veterinarians capable of sterilizing as many as 100 cats per day. We also provide low-cost, affordable spay/neuter services for tame pet cats. We loan out humane traps and equipment to the public free of charge, provide training on how to humanely trap feral cats and kittens, and offer guidance and information on long-term care and management for feral colonies. We are located in the heart of the San Fernando Valley and have been operational as a non-profit since 2007.”