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100 Surreal Oversized Installations

These Exhibits are Literally a Big Deal

— May 17, 2012 — Eco
When it comes to art, there is certainly something to be said about subtlety; still, unapologetically surreal, oversized installations, like those featured here, have their charms as well.

For one thing, such installations need not to appeal to some culture-savvy, hip intellectualism in order to garner attention. They can do this and do, but one doesn’t need to know the full oeuvre of art history to appreciate the installations and exhibits.

In contrast, the over-the-top, dream-like surrealism of the pieces immediately and viscerally entices one’s sense of curiosity and wonder. Though some may decry this as pedestrian or gimmicky, an assertion like this would overlook the purity of such a reflexive reaction. The installations featured here are simply fun to look at.
6.9
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
100
Village-Adorning Grass Carpets
Village-Adorning Grass Carpets
Gaelle Villedary's 'Tapis Rouge' is Creative and Contemporary
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99
Enormous Edible Acknowledgments
Enormous Edible Acknowledgments
Cadbury Makes Giant Chocolate Thumbs up for 1 Million Followers
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98
Enlarged Misfit Exhibits
Enlarged Misfit Exhibits
Ji Lee ‘Squozen' Focuses on Outsiders
<
97
Enormous Motto Murals
Enormous Motto Murals
ABOVE's Sticks and Stones Mural is Hugely Inspirational
<
96
Giant Tomahawk Tricks
Giant Tomahawk Tricks
The Prank 2012 Film is a Swing and Hit
<
95
Anti-Smoking Autos
Anti-Smoking Autos
This Car Covered in 200,000 Cigarettes is an Impactful Installation
<
94
Crushed Globe Installations
Crushed Globe Installations
David Byrne's Tight Spot Entices People Through Sight and Sound
<
93
Canopy Creeping Sculptures
Canopy Creeping Sculptures
'Creature' by Frank Havermans Casts Shadowy Effects From the Rooftop
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92
Supersized Inflated Spiders
Supersized Inflated Spiders
Adam Lee Breaks Records with the Largest Balloon Sculpture Ever
<
91
Artistic Retail Laboratories
Artistic Retail Laboratories
The Fendi "Fatto a Mano for the Future" Project is Transformative
<
90
Marine Animal Napping Stations
Marine Animal Napping Stations
Kick Back in the 'Figurative Office Siesta Cubicle' by Mari Guixe
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89
Quirky Inner-City Installations
Quirky Inner-City Installations
The Charles Long 'Pet Sounds' Series Livens up Madison Square Park
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88
Oversized Cut-Out Artwork
Oversized Cut-Out Artwork
John Cerney Creates Massive Installations
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87
Fiery Flame Installations
Fiery Flame Installations
The Nicholas Hanna Candle Light Project Radiates Beauty
<
86
Gigantic Street-Level Promotions
Gigantic Street-Level Promotions
The Firm Access Agency Envisions Creating Large LEGO Sculptures
<
85
Illuminated Social Media Signs
Illuminated Social Media Signs
The 'I like Naples' Installation Illuminates the City
<
84
Giant Flower Towers
Giant Flower Towers
The AORA Tulip System Generates Electricity for 35 Homes
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83
Enormous Elephant Playgrounds
Enormous Elephant Playgrounds
Phill by Nuca Studio Entertains Kids While Parents Enjoy Dinner
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82
Levitating Mountain Installations
Levitating Mountain Installations
'Castle of Vooruit' by Ahmet Ögüt is a Floating Frenzy
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81
Gigantic Glass Installations
Gigantic Glass Installations
Shanghai's Museum of Glass by Tilman Thuermer Sparkles and Shines
<
80
LED-Lit Sculptures
LED-Lit Sculptures
Monica Bonvincini Debuts the 'RUN' Sculpture for the 2012 London Olympics
<
79
Photo-Flooded Room Installations
Photo-Flooded Room Installations
Erik Kessels Barrages a Space with Pools of Images
<
78
Disturbing Interactive Animal Depictions
Disturbing Interactive Animal Depictions
The ROA Instillation Isn't for the Faint of Heart
<
77
Controversial Carbon-Based Art
Controversial Carbon-Based Art
Chris Drury's 'Carbon Sink' Installation is Raising Eyebrows
<
76
Mystifying Maze Artwork
Mystifying Maze Artwork
The Serge Salat 'Beyond Infinity' Installation is Disorientating
<
75
Gorgeous Giant Gowns
Gorgeous Giant Gowns
The Redddress by Aamu Song is Rich in Color and Big in Size
<
74
Bulging Basketball Courts
Bulging Basketball Courts
The Inges Idee Basketballfeld Has Been Morphed by a 3-D Program
<
73
Rainbow Illusion Art
Rainbow Illusion Art
The Deconstructing Ways Project Takes Streets Apart to Create New Ones
<
72
Collapsing Ceiling Installations
Collapsing Ceiling Installations
Tremor Laquearia by Remon de Jong Makes Artful Earthquake Scenes
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71
Vomiting House Art
Vomiting House Art
Chris Whiteburch's The Purge Explores the End of the World
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70
Collaborative Stop-Motion Sculptures
Collaborative Stop-Motion Sculptures
The MOBIUS Art Installation Required Interaction & Animation
<
69
Giant Rotating Heads
Giant Rotating Heads
Metalmorphosis by David Cerny Spews Water From Its Mouth
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68
Colossal Faucet Sculptures
Colossal Faucet Sculptures
Simon McGrath's 'Who Left The Tap On' Installation is Surreal
<
67
Immense Magnum Installations
Immense Magnum Installations
Guns by David Cerny Shows the Needlessness of Violence
<
66
Reality-Rendered Google Maps
Reality-Rendered Google Maps
Aram Bartholl Augments Reality in Three Cities
<
65
Leaf-Carpeted Lanes
Leaf-Carpeted Lanes
The London's Leafy Tarmac Looks Intentionally Applied
<
64
Drawing Bouncing Balls
Drawing Bouncing Balls
Ada by Karina Smigla-Bobinski is Inspired by Ada Lovelace
<
63
Nimbus Room Installations
Nimbus Room Installations
Berndnaut Smilde Creates Real Clouds in the Name of Art
<
62
Fluid Fuchsia Installations
Fluid Fuchsia Installations
The David Tajchman 'Surprise Surprise' Sculpture is Dream-Like
<
61
Perception-Popping Planes
Perception-Popping Planes
The SimmINN Flight Simulation Center in Stuttgart, Germany is Dynamic
<
60
Floating Isle Sculptures
Floating Isle Sculptures
The 'Is Land' Installation is Lost After Someone Cut the Strings
<
59
World-Colliding Craters
World-Colliding Craters
The Big Dig is a Giant Hole in the Earth That Blurs International Borders
<
58
Shape-Shifting Metallic Structures
Shape-Shifting Metallic Structures
Artists Nils and Sven Volker Pay Homage to Light and Air
<
57
Ginormous Telescopic Paper Structures
Ginormous Telescopic Paper Structures
Pratt Gaud Exhibition 2012 Presents Amazingly Crafted Art
<
56
Pinscreen Public Sculptures
Pinscreen Public Sculptures
'Be a Pin Up!' Encourages Passers-by to Imprint Poses
<
55
Crashed Plane Sculptures
Crashed Plane Sculptures
Jordan Griska's Grunman Greenhouse Installation Feeds Low Income Families
<
54
Humongous Beach Chairs
Humongous Beach Chairs
Stuart Murdoch's Installation Rings in the British Summer Time
<
53
Meteor-Inspired Spaces
Meteor-Inspired Spaces
24 Degree Studio's 'Crater Lake' Encourages Social Interaction
<
52
Reflective Marketing Campaigns
Reflective Marketing Campaigns
The Riviera Hotel Uses Mirrored Stickers for Promotion
<
51
Eerily Icy Installations
Eerily Icy Installations
The Baptiste Debombourg Aérial Serves as a Reminder of History
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50
Human Form Art Installations
Human Form Art Installations
Yorkshire Sculpture Park Presents Recent Jaume Plensa Sculptures
<
49
Undulating Poem Piles
Undulating Poem Piles
Cloud Collective's Poetic Morphology is a Beautiful Landscape of Letters
<
48
Swing-Powered Light Posts
Swing-Powered Light Posts
The Giraffe Street Lamp Generates Kinetic Energy
<
47
Living Classical Paintings
Living Classical Paintings
The Green Wall of Van Gogh is Full of Flowers
<
46
Slithering School Slides
Slithering School Slides
TUM University Playground Gets Students to Class with One Drop
<
45
Frozen Room Explosions
Frozen Room Explosions
Los Carpinteros' Show Room Installation Shows Destruction From Every Angle
<
44
Watercolored Wormlike Walkways
Watercolored Wormlike Walkways
Wormy Tent Walkways by Family and PlayLab Use Space Cleverly
<
43
Ominous Spiked Installations
Ominous Spiked Installations
Ma Yansong Designs an Interesting Piece of Globetrotting Art
<
42
Forest-Camouflaged Statues
Forest-Camouflaged Statues
Vestige by Rob Mulholland Explores Humans' Relationship With Nature
<
41
Jenga-Inspired Eateries
Jenga-Inspired Eateries
The Innuendo Restaurant by Bluarch Architecture Features Grid-Like Accents
<
40
Disintegrating Wall Art
Disintegrating Wall Art
Monika Grzymala Creates Stunning and Sticky Art Using Tape
<
39
Insect Infestation Installations
Insect Infestation Installations
Rafael Gómezbarros Covers Alonso Gallery in a Swarm of Ants
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38
Indoor Quicksand Installations
Indoor Quicksand Installations
Castor & Pollux 'Disconnect' Explores Spatial Reality
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37
Colossal Bird Structures
Colossal Bird Structures
The Clemson Clay Nest is the 80-Ton Wonder of the Avian World
<
36
Staggeringly Misplaced Animal Scupltures
Staggeringly Misplaced Animal Scupltures
Adrián Villar Rojas's Beached Whale Statue is Striki
<
35
Warped Everyday Objects
Warped Everyday Objects
Michel de Broin Challenges People's Expectations and Accepted Norms
<
34
Fallen Moon Captures
Fallen Moon Captures
These Photos by Leonid Tishkov and Boris Bendikov are Stunning
<
33
Overcast Crystal Installations
Overcast Crystal Installations
Cloud Terrace by Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot is Enchanting
<
32
Weaved Bamboo Installations
Weaved Bamboo Installations
Cicada by Marco Casagrande is a Reminder of the Simple Life
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31
Playground-Inspired Installations
Playground-Inspired Installations
Carsten Höller Places a Three-Story Slide in the NYC New Mu
<
30
Stacked Stick Structures
Stacked Stick Structures
The Wood Pallet Facade by Stephane Malka is Bold and Dynamic
<
29
Fast Falling Installations
Fast Falling Installations
Aeneas Wilder's Structure Raises Questions of Gravity and Construction
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28
Fantastic Foamy Art
Fantastic Foamy Art
Cloud City by Tomas Saraceno is a Hybrid World for Spiders and People
<
27
Crocheted Public Parks
Crocheted Public Parks
Suzanne Tidwell Makes Scarves for the Trunks of Trees in Seattle
<
26
Suspended Stalactite Ceilings
Suspended Stalactite Ceilings
Water Cathedral by GUN Arquitectos is a Beautiful Public Space
<
25
Trashy Music Artifact Installations
Trashy Music Artifact Installations
'Waste Landscape' by Morin and Eliard Makes Use of Unsold CDs
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24
Parasitic Cabin Installations
Parasitic Cabin Installations
The Manifest Destiny! Project Encourages Unorthodox Dwellings
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23
Surreal Glowing Foliage
Surreal Glowing Foliage
Bruce Munro's Forest of Light Illuminates with Changing Colors
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22
Reflective Eyeball Sculptures
Reflective Eyeball Sculptures
The Architect's Eye Installation Mirrors its Stunning Surroundings
<
21
Faux Forest Exhibits
Faux Forest Exhibits
The Wood Art Installation is Filled With Thought-Provoking Trees
<
20
Bark-Bending Installations
Bark-Bending Installations
'The Patient Gardener' is a Steadily Changing and Evolving Exhibition
<
19
Fascinating Fish Sculptures
Fascinating Fish Sculptures
The Richard Howie School Installation is a Whirlpool of Creatures
<
18
Offbeat Jungle Gyms
Offbeat Jungle Gyms
Monstrum Playgrounds Creates Ridiculously Imaginative Recreation Areas
<
17
Beautiful Beehive Buildings
Beautiful Beehive Buildings
The Buzz Around the Recycled Pellet Pavilion by Avatar Architettura
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16
Projected Typographic Installations
Projected Typographic Installations
Tsang Kin-Wah Presents Font Videos Concerning Serious Issues
<
15
Floral-Infused Floor Installations
Floral-Infused Floor Installations
Echoes-Infinity by Shinji Ohmaki is Subtly Interactive
<
14
Eco-Friendly Woven Installations
Eco-Friendly Woven Installations
Super Nature Design Wraps Wild Animals to Send Out a Message
<
13
Livable Sculptural Installations
Livable Sculptural Installations
The Eco-Desert Retreat is Part Art and Part Sustainable Abode
<
12
Razor Sharp Art Installations
Razor Sharp Art Installations
The Mending Project by Beili Liu Features 1,500 Suspended Scissors
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11
Water Cooler Installations
Water Cooler Installations
The Waving Wall of Chalkwell Depicts Embedded H2O in Products
<
10
Marvelously Monstrous Street Art
Marvelously Monstrous Street Art
Filthy Luker Brings Eccentricity to Everyday Scenes
<
9
Overgrown Outdoor Offices
Overgrown Outdoor Offices
The Natural Systems Domination Installation Encourages Healthy Workers
<
8
Suspended Newspaper Sculptures
Suspended Newspaper Sculptures
Recycled Shadow was Created in Response to Paper Waste
<
7
Giant Mushroom Seating
Giant Mushroom Seating
The reOrder Installation Shows the Scale of the Brooklyn Museum's Entrance
<
6
Manmade Cloud Installations
Manmade Cloud Installations
Berndnaut Smilde's Nimbus II is Magical and Whimsical
<
5
Chimera Capsule Architecture
Chimera Capsule Architecture
'A Room for London' by Sanzpont Embraces the City's Seasons
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4
Giant Bunny Sculptures
Giant Bunny Sculptures
Florentijn Hofman's Big Yellow Rabbit Looks Like a Huge Plush Toy
<
3
Public Hammock Houses
Public Hammock Houses
Flederhaus by Heri & Salli is a Vertical Park of Repose
<
2
Illuminated Landscape Installations
Illuminated Landscape Installations
Starry Night by Lee Eunyeol Expresses Private Outdoor Spaces
<
1
Gravity-Defying Installations
Gravity-Defying Installations
German Artist Cornelia Konrads Explores the Temporality of Objects
<