La mano del desierto (the hand of the desert) is not actually abandoned as most of the things you can find in this blog...It's a piece of art, and it's hard to tell if a piece of art is ever abandoned.
Nevertheless, the sight of this surrealistic giant hand in this very special location, the driest desert of Atacama, in Chile just moves me the same way as abandoned things do.
The artist behind it is the Chilean sculptor Mario Irarrázabal. the hand was constructed at an altitude of 1,100 meters above sea level. The work has a base of iron and cement, and stands 11 meters tall. The sculpture was inaugurated on March 28, 1992.
Mario Irarrázabal also made similar sculptures in Punta del Este, in Uruguay in 1982, in the city of Madrid in 1987, and in Venice 1995.
coordinates : 24°09'30.04"S 70°09'23.65"W
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pictures sources : 1 2 3 4
text source : 1
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This collection of rusted anchors, also called the cemetery of anchors is located on the island of Tavira, near Barril beach in the region of Algarve, Portugal. As you can see from their perfect alignment, they were not abandoned, but rather put in this place on purpose.
A story exists to explain their presence. It's the story of an active tuna fishing activity who sustained hundred of families for centuries, along with all the plants that go wit such activity.
At a certain point the resource was over fished, and couldn't sustain the fishing activity anymore. The tuna fishermen and the fishing industry is long gone now, it's been replaced by hotels and tourists. This strange cemetery is now a reminder of the past, when tunas were a living resource.
coordinates : 37°05'12.17"N 7°39'41.26"W
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pictures sources : 1 2 3
text source : 1 2
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I previously mentioned about Carhendge, here is another "replica" of Stonehenge based on fridges. It's not technically speaking abandoned, but it's based on scraped material.
Another modern take on Stonehenge exists outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico, constructed out of junked refrigerators, known as 'Fridgehenge'. The site was created by the artist Adam Jonas Horowitz
coordinates : 35°41'35.40"N 105°58'27.10"W
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The installation might have been removed in 2007.
pictures sources : 1 2 3
text source : 1
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Cadillac Ranch is a public art installation and sculpture in Amarillo, Texas, U.S. It was created in 1974 by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels, who were a part of the art group Ant Farm, and it consists of what were (when originally installed during 1974) either older running used or junk Cadillac automobiles, representing a number of ...
...evolutions of the car line (most notably the birth and death of the defining feature of early Cadillacs; the tail fin) from 1949 to 1963, half-buried nose-first in the ground, at an angle corresponding to that of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
The piece is a statement about the paradoxical simultaneous American fascinations with both a "sense of place" — and roadside attractions, such as The Ranch itself — and the mobility and freedom of the automobile.
Probably the best imitation of Cadillac ranch was the Airstream ranch, a similar installation, but based on airstream RV along Interstate 4 near Plant City, Florida. It was unfortunately removed.
coordinates : 35° 11' 14.83" N 101° 59' 13.77" W
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pictures sources : 1 2 3 4
text source : 1
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This monument has recently been everywhere on internet, but very few pictures, or info were available. Finally after some research I found it's location and sculptor. This very hypnotic giant sculpture is located in Podgaric, Croatia. Created in 1967 by sculptor Dušan Džamonja, it's dedicated to the Revolution in Moslavina.
A bit more info about renown sculptor Dušan Džamonja (Macedonian: ????? ??????) (born January 31, 1928 in Strumica, Kingdom of Yugoslavia; today Republic of Macedonia) is a contemporary Croatian sculptor of Macedonian origin.
Džamonja's work shows a tendency toward technical and formative experiments, reducing form to the dynamic and intense shapes of symbolical meaning. This study of new forms has led him to use new materials, especially steel and glass, in his sculptures. He is a recipient of numerous awards and is an academician with both Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts and Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.
coordinates :45°38'26.89"N 16°46'40.31"E
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pictures sources : 1 2 3
text source : 1 2 3
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Carhenge is a replica of England's Stonehenge located near the city of Alliance, Nebraska on the High Plains. Instead of being made from stones (as is the case with the original Stonehenge), Carhenge is constructed of vintage American automobiles, all covered with gray spray paint. Built by Jim Reinders, it was dedicated at the June 1987 summer solstice. In 2006, a visitors' center was constructed to service the site.
Carhenge consists of 38 automobiles arranged in a circle measuring about 96 feet (29 m) in diameter. Some are held upright in pits five feet (1.5 m) deep, trunk end down, and arches have been formed by welding automobiles atop the supporting models. The heelstone is a 1962 Cadillac. Three cars were buried at Carhenge. Their "gravestone" is a car that reads: "Here lie three bones of foreign cars. They served our purpose while Detroit slept. Now Detroit is awake and America's great!"
coordinates : 42°08'31.62N 102°51'28.45"W
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pictures sources :
what about the plastic animals?
ronald c saari
roger edwards
plexoft
text source :
wikipedia
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Architect and sculptor Robert Bruno’s steel house/sculpture in Lubbock, Texas. Bruno spent 23 years building this strange home that looks like a giant pig out of 110 tons of steel.
Robert began his sculptural home in 1973, with a very fluid and organic plan. Trained as a sculpture, he moved to Lubbock from Mexico to teach at Texas Tech. A bit dismayed by the flat local landscape, he soon discovered an anomaly at Ransom Canyon. Even as you near the canyon, you can't truly see it, as it is carved into the flat landscape. But here you will find a vista with more drama, while keeping all of the incredible vast Texan sky. This proved to be a perfect setting for his home.
Over the years, the look and structure of Robert's home has changed dramatically. Originally intended to be 1 story, he kept adding on, carving away, adjusting walls, etc. All of the walls in the home are either welded metal, or original glass/stained glass creations. All designed to optimize light and his visual experience. Walls were removed to increase visual vistas, stained glass added to create contrast to the rusted metal (with a subtle nod to his love of catholic iconography and visual language, as well as the old churches of Mexico). Not limited to expressions in glass and metal, Robert also created a beautiful wooden entry table of fluid lines and delicate grace. And he does it all himself, setting this home apart from a typical architectural project with other draftsmen and craftsmen contributing. (unlike another famed architect known for his fluid organic style.
coordinates : 33°31'50.44"N 101°40'36.90"W
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pictures sources :
robert bruno website
sociothought
text source :
neatorama
detourtravels
