Haw Par Villa, also known as
Tiger Balm Gardens, was quite possibly the
weirdest theme park on the planet. The first park was built in Hong Kong in the 30s, soon followed by another in Singapore. Built by brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par, who made their fortunes selling
Tiger Balm, the park was really a sculpture garden devoted to all aspects of
Chinese mythology. Weirdest and most surreal of all was the section of the park which depicted the the
10 levels of
Buddhist hell, featuring demons
dismembering sinners, and is best described as "if Heironymus Bosch built a putt putt course."
posted by puny human
on Jun 20, 2011 -
30 comments
Babylon:
Surreal Babies "Babies hatch from eggs, bubble from cauldrons, are fished from rivers, emerge in the cabbage patch, sit atop clouds, and ride in zeppelins. They play instruments, drive automobiles, fly in balloons, harvest the fields; an anarchistic world of baby heaven. The postcards were a source of inspiration to many artists in the 1920s and '30s, in particular to both the Dadaists and the Surrealists. They were collected by Paul Éluard, André Breton, Salvador Dalí, Hannah Höch, Herbert Bayer, and Man Ray. The popular images excited inspiration in these artists because of their boundless inventiveness."
posted by puny human
on Mar 17, 2011 -
10 comments
