Blackfield, an installation by London-based artist Zadok Ben David, brings together 2-dimensional illustration and a 3-dimensional display and experience. Each one of these 12,000 cut and painted stainless steel botanical specimens were "planted" in a layer of sand on the gallery floor. The designs were modeled after old textbook illustrations with one side painted a solid black and the reverse in bright hues.

It's amazing how stark the contrast between the two sides is—the bold black looks like a graphic illustration, while the colorful flip-side almost convinces us of a delicate field of foliage. And the effect is only achieved by navigating around the display. The specimens are pretty and delicate individually, but grouped together seem a bit intimidating and slightly dangerous.

Originally on display in 2008, a circular version of Blackfield is currently on display at Artclub 1563 in Seoul through February 2012.

Some other hand-picked posts you might enjoy on our Design Blog:

A Soft City of Liquid Bricks by Raum
Modern Ceramic Heads: Planter and Vase Collection
Designs and Installations by Peter Kogler: Playing with Perceptions of Space

Via This is Colossal