Hasta La Gadget!

This is sort of strange. People in Korea are looking at masterpieces of Western art on a TV screen — and not from the comfort of their laptops. It’s all part of something called Rêve et Réalité (Dream and Reality), a Samsung-sponsored exhibition that brings some of the world’s most celebrated works to Seoul’s Hangaram Museum via four, 46-inch LEDs. The expo, on display until September, features some of the greatest hits from Claude Monet, Jean F. Millet and, most notably, Van Gogh, whose Starry Night has never been on display in Korea (and, as far as we’re concerned, still hasn’t). Televised docents provide background info on the artists, whose paintings are all transmitted via a giant Smart TV video wall that blurs out all semblance of texture and nuance — much like that bottle of absinthe we’re about to pound.

Samsung brings Van Gogh ‘paintings’ to Korea via Smart TV, makes us reach for the absinthe originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 09:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We all have cute childhood photos. But would they still be so adorable today? Five of our grown-up Gizmodo readers remade their childhood and family photos for this week’s Shooting Challenge. And yes, you’re more adorable than ever. More »

A number of artistically inclined robots showed up at this year’s Maker Faire, but The Drawing Machine really stood out among the competition.

Winner of a Maker Faire Editor’s Choice ribbon, Harvey Moon’s Drawing Machine takes any black and white JPEG image and transforms it into a robot-drawn work of art. The machine is controlled by custom software that runs on an Arduino, and due to a degree of randomization in the code, each piece ends up being completely unique.

Moon didn’t expect to be at Maker Faire this weekend — Make magazine invited him to attend the event just two weeks prior.

Check out the video above to find out more about how The Drawing Machine works.

Look closely at that blue blob up above and you’ll realize it’s made up of 500 butterflies, each one meticulously cut from photovoltaic cells. The hundreds of insects collect the sun’s rays as they flutter around a giant glass bulb that turns into a churning mass of light after dusk. The Virtue of Blue chandelier is a stunning work of art by Dutch designer Jeroen Verhoeven that draws connections between the beauty and power of nature and the importance of sustainable energy… or, you know, just something trippy to stare at while you sip a few cocktails at the Blain|Southern gallery in London.

Solar-powered butterfly chandelier is a fluttering mass of art and light originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 May 2011 07:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Turn the lights off, crank up your Music for Airports LP, and clear your appointments for the rest of the afternoon — it’s time to get your relaxation on with Flottille, tiny paper snowflakes that unfold as they’re exposed to water. French artist Étienne Cliquet uses a computer to design the machine-cut pieces, folds them by hand, and then gingerly dips them into the water with a pair of tweezers. The shapes expand slowly and hypnotically, likely the result of absorption through capillary action — not quite self-folding origami, but it’ll do in a pinch. Cliquet hopes they’ll shine some light on the “disturbing potential of micro and nanotechnology.” Fine, but what about the disturbing potential of origami-based technology?

Flottille unfolding origami is anti-nanotechnology, pro-chilaxing (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 18:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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