For most of the year, Namaqualand looks scorched by the sun. Then the rain arrives, and the desert detonates into color.
In the tiny town of Kagatika on the island of Paxos in Greece, a 400-year old ruin has been reinvigorated by an art installation by design duo Quintessenz.
Created for the WOW Design Competition, their series imagines a collection of fantastical machines that don’t quite exist anywhere, but feel like they should.
A rainbow colored kindergarten has nearly 500 pieces of colored glass that make it an inspiring place for young minds.
This lovingly illustrated series by Marko Rop shows the many colorful and even elegant insects of his homeland, Slovenia. From moths to beetles and butterflies, we see a full collection of colorful creatures.
Inside New Zealand’s Waitomo Caves, thousands of glow worms turn dark limestone ceilings into a living starry sky. See Shaun Jeffers’ stunning photos.
Off Le Morne Brabant in Mauritius, sand and silt pour over an ocean shelf, creating a stunning underwater waterfall illusion best seen from the air.
Inside the Muraka at Conrad Maldives, guests sleep five meters under the Indian Ocean beneath an acrylic dome, steps from the Ithaa restaurant.
It’s called a nudibranch, a tiny sea slug that comes dressed in electric blues, neon oranges, and frilly appendages that resemble underwater feathers.
Each piece is organized by hand, transforming simple materials into compositions that feel equal parts design experiment and visual meditation.
Take a look at some of the best photos from the Natural History Museum’s 2016 Wildlife Photographer of Year competition.