For a stunning series entitled Blackwater, Hawaii-based diver and photographer Joshua Lambus takes beautiful photos of luminous aquatic creatures against a perfectly black background that enables us to better appreciate just how incredibly awesome they are.

Lambus says, “Now being underwater I’m inundated with stories, struggles, triumphs. Seeing our fragile ecosystem inch ever closer to the verge of destruction pushes me to continue my work, not only for artistic value, but for a far greater purpose. I hope to tell a story and ask for help for those without a voice.”

Here’s hoping we’ll see some of these enchanting cephalopods in our dreams tonight. 

Visit My Modern Metropolis to view more of Joshua Lambus’ astonishing Blackwater series and then head over to his own website to check out more of his photographic work.

Never has a droid been so colourful or tentacular. LEGO wizard Matt Armstrong, aka Monster Brick, created these incredibly awesome RU-KRAZY!? and R2-Cthulhu LEGO R2-D2 sculptures. Visit Matt’s Monster Brick Flickr account to view more of his fantastic LEGO creations.

[via Nerd Approved]

If you ask us (and we’re so glad you did), there’s no such thing as a home decked out with too many tentacles. The “Octo-Labra” and the Octopus Punch Bowl, both offered by The Source Collection, seem like they would add the sort of of high-end natural elegance that you just can’t get by asking a live octopus to hold your candles or your punch. We know they’re intelligent creatures, but that doesn’t mean we’d trust them not to wander off with our lights and beverages. In fact, they might actually do it on purpose just to save themselves a trip to the store.

[via Laughing Squid]

For a series entitled Bottom Feeders, New York-based ceramic artist Mary O’Malley created a variety of wonderful porcelain teacups, saucers, teapots, and vases adorned with and inhabited by a variety of “porcelain crustaceans.” Mary’s pieces don’t appear to be made by hand. Instead  they look as though they spent ages on the ocean floor where they were overtaken and inhabited by all sorts of undersea creatures before being brought to the surface for display.

If you head over to Mary O’Malley Etsy shop you’ll find many original pieces from the Bottom Feeders series available for purchase. They’re perfect for your next underwater-themed high tea or a meeting of your local Lovecraftian cult book club.

[via Colossal]

From the Department of Awesome Animal Hybrids come Octopussy and Seahorse 2, two more wonderfully weird and tentacular paintings created by San Francisco-based artist Robert Bowen (previously featured here).

Both are currently available here as signed, limited edition prints.

[via OMG Posters!]

It’s Tentacle Day on Geyser of Awesome!

The 30th annual Weifang International Kite Festival recently took place in Weifang city, located in Shandong province in eastern China. Weifang is known as the “kite capital of the world” because it is considered to be the birthplace of kites themselves. “Legend has it that kites were invented in China 2000 years ago and introduced to the West by Marco Polo.”

“As an internationalized event of the proud folk tradition, the Weifang International Kite Festival attracts numerous Chinese and foreign kite masters every year. The tantalizing stunts and spectacles of competing kites amuse thousands of visitors, as well as their distinctive models, colors, styles and the particular flying techniques perfected in different countries.”

We’re captivated by the incredible variety of awesome kites that were flown at this year’s festival - from teams or horses to an assortment of be-tentacled underwater creatures, monsters, tigers, bears and, of course, the splendid traditional dragons.

Visit designboom to learn more about the Weifang International Kite Festival and Weifang’s colourful kite-making history.

These awesome and incredibly detrailed animal sculptures are the work of Canadian artist Ellen Jewett. They feel like creatures who’ve managed to wander out of people’s dreams and into this world.

To Ellen, sculpting has always been about life; biological narratives, emotions, movement, balance and observations about life’s subtleties and overtures. Her aesthetic ranges from the hyper-real, to the surreal,fantastic, and the grotesque. Ellen’s creative process is truly her own, she enjoys making and engineering original material combinations to suit her needs.

Ellen’s beautiful sculptures are available for purchase through her Etsy shop, including custom order pieces.

[via Laughing Squid]