Is there anyone else here?

Dear Bloggers Hello, are you still out there? Dear bloggers from the past, are you still around? Many have switched to Instagram, but I get the impression that some IG users have recently been leaving the platform or going into 'sleep mode.' I wonder if there is any interest in breathing new life into this platform. Instagram is slowly being dominated by AI, algorithms, and unwanted videos that are becoming increasingly annoying. I compare it to food: you have fast food and you have slow cooking. Nowadays, it seems that the faster the media, the better. Not for me, though. Artichokistan is still alive and kicking… Consider this post a trial balloon. I am eager to find out if any living soul can be found here who is looking at Blogger feed and reading posts ..we will see. So here you will find some recent works from Artichokistan...no AI, no algorithms, just Artichokistan..

I would appreciate any reactions!

"sous terre "

We usually only see half of the tree. The other half is hidden. In the realm of darkness. However, it is just as important as the visible (above-ground) part. The root system is just as large as a tree crown. And there, in the dark depths between the roots, the fascinating life of the thousands of tiny creatures is buzzing. An ecosystem of bacteria, fungi, nematodes, mites, earthworms and other creatures. Millions of mini creatures and even up to 1 kilometer of fungal threads can easily fit into a spoonful of soil. So small but so valuable for the trees.

The tree cannot subsist without them...

And therefore an ode to the invisible second half of the tree.

Avoidance of reality

Trouble...

....sometimes it is just not easy, even in Artichokistan.

Evolution I

The second one in the series...

(Also to be find in Singer Museum, Laren, The Netherlands till  June 25, 2017 )

Towers of Artichokistan

Lobster Scissors

Lobster Scissors 

Unknown species ......

I was away for some time ..... collecting  new species for Encyclopaedia Artichokistania......

Encyclopaedia Artichokistania (6)

The ruler of streams and rivers of Artichokistan aka TFGCB

The Flying Golden Crown Bird is the child of Avis and Corona, the youngest of his siblings to be born, through according to old myths this bird was ejected out from the beak of an ancient bird, often called, among the historians, as  NYIFAB (not yet identified flying ancient bird).

The bird is frequently depicted by Artichokistan artists in one of two poses: sitting on the branch gazing basically to the left or - surprisingly - to the right. The mysterious carvings visible in the background reveal some of the secrets of this ancient ruler.

Encyclopaedia Artichokistania (5)

Mensurae  triangulum 

The leaves are ruler-shaped, often with centimeter indications. These plants used to be very common nearby schools, today however pretty rare. The mathematician students are picking the leaves for school use (mainly by students studying geometry). The flowers are red, sometimes with a white stripe and blooming from August to September.

Some leaves have bevelled edge and so-called ink edge. Rare forms also with protractor-like leaves.

Encyclopaedia Artichokistania (4)

Flagus hollandii is the name of these flagsplants (they belong to the family of Flagaceae).  Very common species found on whole Dutch territory along the rivers and ditches. The flowers are being massively picked to decorate houses and streets during the celebrations. Approx. 3 meters high. Each country has similar plants, however, the colors of the flowers are different.

The sailors brought these plants into the other countries in the 16th and 17th century.

Encyclopaedia Artichokistania (3)

Very common in the darkest beech woods. The short hairy leaves often have very

different shape and color. The plant is called mouth-eye-herb because

the flowers resemble the mouths and the leaves the eyes. Flowering through whole

summer. As medicinal herb used for eye disease and / or bad breath.

(Eye-shaped leaves are blinking

 when you are in sight)

Encyclopaedia Artichokistania (2)

(free translation from artichokistanisch)

Heart herb Cordibus herbae 

This little plant is only visible to the people being in love. It has always been a symbol of love. The leaves are edible as salad (as elderly people say - love goes through the stomach ...) If you find these flowers you know for sure the person you love, loves you too.

Encyclopaedia Artichokistania (1)

Lantern Beetle

It is not too hard to imagine, these protrusions on the head resemble a lantern, is it?

Common species in the kingdom of Artichokistan.The beetle occurs in whole kingdom from East to West  and from North to South.  It isn't considered as pest, but rather as an beneficial species: brings light into your life. 

on the importance of trumpeting ...

Movable Personal Property

from a collection of the masterpieces of the antiquity department of Artichokistan Museum.....

Was it evolutionary cul-de-sac or  

more  like self-destruction due to 

over exaggerated technology ?

(key person)

the keys to sanity in a totally insane world

Architectural elements according to art-is-jokken

Organic architecture based on cell organelles.

Some of the architectural elements used in Artichokistan.