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31 photos of sculptures that will make you think so many deep thoughts.

Right now in Sydney, Australia, you can walk down a beautiful beach and see dozens of jaw-dropping, mind-bending sculptures.

Billed as the "world's largest annual free-to-the-public outdoor sculpture exhibition," "Sculpture by the Sea" was started 18 years ago on a budget of just $11,000 and now draws over 500,000 visitors a year. These amazing photos were taken by Lisa Maree Williams.

Despite the idyllic setting, the sculptures are — like most art — intended to make you think deep thoughts.

While it's impossible to know which deep thoughts the artists were going for (and it's rude to ask), these are my best guesses. Your deep thoughts may vary. Unlimited deep thoughts per customer.

1. "The Bottles" by RCM Collective

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Stop throwing plastic bottles into the ocean, or one day they'll gain sentience and seek revenge on your terrified children.

2. "Transmigration" by Jeremy Sheehan

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Dumping chemicals in the ocean poisons fish, which leads, ultimately, to rickety birds.

3. "Half Gate" by Matthew Asimakis, Clarence Lee, and Caitlin Roseby

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

We can make our prisons more humane. Just maybe don't make it so easy to escape.

4. "The Navigator" by Calvert and Schiltz

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

There's nothing more soothing than riding a hyena into the sea. Nothing.

5. "Open" by Peter Lundberg

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Let's talk to each other more. Preferably through giant stone holes, if possible.

6. "Outside-in" by William Feuerman

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

If I see the sculpture, does the sculpture ... see me?

7. "Surfer's Paradise" by James Rogers

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Life's too short to always speak into the correct end of the megaphone.

8. "Space Time Continuum v4" by Clayton Thompson

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

The universe is, like, big, man.

9. "Fun" by Naidee Changmoh and "Fabrication" by Veronica Herber

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Get that baby an agent!

10. "Voyagers I & II" by Margarita Sampson

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Again, be kind to the birds, even if they're slow-moving and flightless.

11. "Cairn" by Morgan Jones

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

A moment of silence, please.

12. "The Thing Which Has Come Here" by Masayuki Sugiyama

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Obsidian sea monsters deserve love too.

13. "Meditation" by Seung Hwan Kim

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Please be more careful when stacking the chairs.

14. "Divided Planet" by Jörg Plickat

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Love is kinda neat.

15. "Cradle of Form" by Elyssa Sykes-Smith

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Don't play a big game of Jenga on top of a mountain.

16. "Harbour" by Chen Wenling

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Outdoor yoga is the slam.

17. "Forest" by Deborah Sleeman

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

If you keep putting poison into the air, we'll basically be left with tiny chickens, fish tails, and mushrooms made of metal, in terms of nature.

18. "Keep Safe/Keepsake" by Sandra Pitkin

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Seriously. If you keep putting poison into the air, we're going to have to take all the trees and put them in boxes so you idiots can't hurt them anymore. Remember this Joni Mitchell song? That was a warning. We will seriously make the tree museum happen.

19. "Dust" by Norton Flavel

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Maybe giants don't do jazz hands.

20. "The Bell" by Ruth Liou

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Why do lighthouses have to be so tall, anyway?

21. "Intuitive Sense of Connection" by Andrea Vinkovic

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

We humans may fight, hurt, even kill each other, but at the end of the day, we are all one medium-sized lattice ball.

22. "Wind Blowing" by Koichi Ishino

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

When you trust fall into the sea, everyone wins.

23. "Cycle of Life" by Ron Gomboc

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

"The Lion King" still holds up pretty well.

24. "Lonis" by Robert Hague

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Aren't we all the king of the world? Sometimes?

25. "Crate Poems" by Alessandra Rossi

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Maybe a bottle isn't the best delivery mechanism for a message after all.

26. "Conspicuous Consumption" by Benson Sculpture

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Maybe let's not waste so much paper all the time?

27. "Open Home" by Kate Carroll and "Fabrication" by Veronica Herber

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Do I really need to knock down that wall to build a home office? Do I really need the extra space?

28. "Middleground" by Philip Spelman

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Relationships are hard work.

29. "Acoustic Chamber" by Arissara Reed and Davin Nurimba

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Listen to your heart when he's calling for you.

30. "Wave 2" by Annette Thas

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Seriously. Stop throwing plastic into the ocean.

31. "The Bridge" by Linda Bowden

Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images.

Be good to one another. And enjoy the sunset!

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Popular

Dad's heartfelt lunch message shows how simple, everyday acts can change lives

You can make a huge difference by using O Organics.

via Meg Sullivan (used with permission) and Canva/Photos

A volunteer hands out food in a food bank and Meg Sullivan shares her dad's kind gesture.

When we consider people who have had a positive impact on the world, we often think of those who have made grand gestures to improve the lives of others, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Greta Thunberg, or Mahatma Gandhi. Unfortunately, that type of effort is out of reach for the average person.

However, O Organics would like to remind everyone that they can positively impact the world through small, consistent acts of kindness that add up over time. Much like how a small creek can create a valley over the years, we can change lives through small, consistent acts of kindness.

O Organics is dedicated to the well-being of all by nourishing people everywhere with delicious organic foods grown by producers who meet USDA-certified organic farming standards.

Upworthy's Instagram page recently posted a touching example of everyday kindness. Meg Sullivan shared how her father, Tom, peeled oranges for her lunch just about every day from kindergarten through high school. But on the final day of her senior year of high school, he sent his 17-year-old daughter unpeeled oranges with a touching note about how she’d have to start peeling them for herself.



“It’s Time Baby Girl,” he wrote on a wikiHow printout on how to peel an orange with a drawing of himself crying. For the father, this daily ritual was about more than just making lunch; it was about showing that he cared by going the extra mile. “I could have put money on her lunch account,” Tom told Today.com. “But it’s one of those little things I thought was important, that she knows somebody’s taking the time to take care of her.”

The small, daily gesture taught Megan an essential lesson in kindness.

The post reminded people how their fathers’ small acts of kindness meant so much to them. “My dad peeled my oranges until I graduated high school, too. Now, I peel my daughter’s oranges and will for the next 7 plus years,” Katie wrote in the comments. “Love this. My dad peeled mine, too. When I moved out, he gave me an orange peeler gadget,” Mary added.

o organics, albertson's giving backO Organics has a wide array of foods and flavors covering almost everything on your shopping list.via Albertson's

Did you know that every time you go to the supermarket, you can also change the world through small gestures? O Organics not only allows you to feed your family delicious and nutritious organic food, but each purchase also gives back to help people and communities facing food insecurity.

Through contributions from customers like you, O Organics donates up to 28 million meals annually. The company’s contribution is essential when, according to the USDA, 47.4 million Americans live in food-insecure households.

O Organics has a wide array of foods and flavors covering almost everything on your shopping list. “Over the years, we have made organic foods more accessible by expanding O Organics to every aisle across our stores, making it possible for health and budget-conscious families to incorporate organic food into every meal,” Jennifer Saenz, EVP and Chief Merchandising Officer at Albertsons, one of many stores where you can find O Organics products, said in a statement.

O Organics now offers over 1500 items, from dairy products such as eggs and milk to packaged meats and breakfast staples such as cereal bars, granola and oatmeal. You can also enjoy affordable organic produce with O Organics’ fresh salads and fruit.

Everybody wants to make the world a better place. With O Organics, you can feed your family healthy, organic food every time you go to the market while paying it forward by contributing to the company’s efforts to end food insecurity nationwide. That’s a small, daily gesture that can amount to incredible change.

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Pop Culture

Mom leaves a 'heartbreaking' gift to flight passengers sitting next to her baby

"That's a mom trying so hard."

@callmebelly/TikTok

An excellent reminder to show kindness and patience.

Listening to a baby cry during a flight might be aggravating, but it’s nothing compared to the moans, groans, and eyerolls that the baby's parents must endure from other passengers when it happens. No matter what tips and tricks are used to try to soothe a little one’s temperament while 30,000 miles in the air, crying is almost inevitable. So, while having to ease their own child’s anxiety, moms and dads also must suffer being the pariah of the trip. What a nightmare.

Recently, one mom was apparently trying so hard to avoid upsetting her fellow flight members that she went above and beyond to essentially apologize ahead of time if her baby began to cry on its first flight. It was a gesture that, while thoughtful, had folks really feeling for how stressed that poor mom must be.

In a clip posted to his TikTok, one of the passengers—Elliot—explained that the mom handed out small care packages to those nearby.

“She’s already so busy and took the time to make these bags for everyone,” Elliot said, before panning the camera to reveal a Ziplock bag full of candy, along with a note that made him “want to cry.”

The note read: “It’s my first flight. I made a deal to be on my best behaviour—but I can’t make any guarantees. I might cry if I get scared or if my ears start to hurt. Here are some treats to make your flight enjoyable. Thank you for being patient with us. Have a great flight.”

@callmebelly♬ BIRDS OF A FEATHER - Billie Eilish

Like Elliot, those who watched the video felt some ambivalence at the well intentioned act. Many felt remorse that she would feel the need to appease people in this way.

“This is so sweet but also … kind of breaks my heart that we live in a world in which parents feel the need to do that.”

“Because jerk people have shamed parents into believing that they need to apologize for their kids' absolutely normal behavior. What a gem of a mom.”

“You know that sweet mom worried about this trip so much.”

“That poor mom probably spent nights awake … nervous about that flight, thinking of ways to keep strangers happy.”

"That's a mom trying so hard."

Many rallied behind the mom, arguing that making others feel more comfortable with her child being on board was in no way her responsibility.

“No mom should be apologizing. Adults can control their emotions … babies not …. Hugging this mom from a distance.”

“Dear new parents: no you don’t have to do this. Your babies have the right to exist. We all know babies cry. We know you try your best.”

Luckily, there are just as many stories of fellow passengers being completely compassionate towards parents with small children—from simply choosing to throw on their headphones during a tantrum (instead of throwing one themselves) to going out of their way to comfort a baby (and taking the load of a parent in the process). These little acts of kindness make more of an impact than we probably realize. Perhaps if we incorporated more of this “it takes a village” mindset, flying could be a little bit more pleasant for everyone involved.

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Culture

People not recognizing Tony Hawk as Tony Hawk is the most hilarious and wholesome thing ever

The skateboarding legend is regularly asked if he's related to Tony Hawk.

Tony Hawk/Twitter, @srileyvart/Twitter

My best friend lives in San Diego. One day a few years ago, her teenage son came home and told her he'd made a new friend at the skate park. He talked about how they had struck up a conversation, the guy had given him some pointers, and they'd chit-chatted about this and that. "He was really cool," her son said. Then he showed her a selfie they'd taken together.

Yeah, his "new friend" was the skateboarding icon Tony Hawk. True story. Tales of Tony Hawk not being recognized as Tony Hawk—even for people who actually know who Tony Hawk is—have become the stuff of legends. The 56-year-old made a name for himself in the skateboarding world decades ago and is credited with bringing the sport into the mainstream. Even in 2020, he was listed among the Top 10 skateboarders of all time. He's had his own video game, cameos in film and television shows, his own clothing line—everything, apparently, but a recognizable face.

The "people not recognizing Tony Hawk as Tony Hawk" thing is so common it's become a meme of its own. Hawk himself jokes about it all the time, sharing hilarious interactions he has with people on his Twitter account.

This one from a couple of years ago has re-gone viral:

Which is just one of many similar stories. Hawk told Business Insider that it happens often, but he only shares the interactions that are the funniest.



Now the meme itself results in some funny interactions with people.


People's funny reactions to the meme are becoming their own meme: "I will know Tony Hawk when I see him."




Part of what makes the whole thing so delightful is that Tony Hawk himself is so delightful. He's down-to-earth, friendly, doesn't take himself too seriously, does a lot of connecting out in the community, and is just a genuinely likable guy.


And to top it all off, he's still a heck of a skater. Though he retired from the pro circuit in 1999, he still skateboards for fun and charity. In fact, he recently landed a 720—two full 360-degree turns in the air off a ramp—which isn't easy for even a young skater to pull off, and then auctioned the board to raise money to help build more public skateparks. (He did say it might be his last time pulling off that trick, but who knows. Good for him for pushing the age envelope.)

Tony Hawk—skating legend, father of five, nice guy to all, supporter of community parks, and man that everyone adores but nobody recognizes—thanks for being such a ray of sunshine in our world. May we know you when we see you, or at least be entertaining enough to make your Twitter account if we don't.


This article originally appeared four years ago.

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Science

Innovative farm in Virginia can grow 4 million pounds of strawberries on less than one acre

This method uses 97 percent less land and up to 90 percent less water than conventional farming.

Photo credit: Canva

A new way to grow strawberries with less land, less water, and more berries.

Strawberry farm harvests aren't something most of us calculate on a regular basis (or ever at all), but the numbers from a strawberry farm in Richmond, Virginia, are staggering enough to make it worth an old-school word problem. If the average American eats 8 pounds of strawberries a year, and an average strawberry farm yields approximately 20,000 pounds of berries per acre, how many people could a 200-acre strawberry field feed?

I won't make you do the math. The answer is 500,000 people. But what if a crop that size, providing enough strawberries for half a million people, could be grown on just one acre instead of 200? It's possible. You just have to go—or rather grow—up, up, up.

Indoor vertical farm company Plenty Unlimited knows a lot about growing up. In fact, it's their entire business model. Instead of the sprawling fields that traditional farming methods require, vertical farms have a much smaller land footprint, utilizing proprietary towers for growing. Plenty has used vertical farming methods to grow greens such as lettuce, kale, spinach and more for years, but now it boasts a vertical berry farm that can yield a whopping 4 million pounds of strawberries on a little less than an acre.

Growing indoors means not being at the mercy of weather or climate inpredictability (barring a storm taking out your building), which is wise in the era of climate change. Unlike a traditional greenhouse which still uses the sun for light, Plenty's indoor vertical farms make use of the latest technology and research on light, pinpointing the wavelengths plants need from the sun to thrive and recreating them with LED lights. Plenty farms also don't use soil, as what plants really need is water and nutrients, which can be provided without soil (and with a lot less water than soil requires). Being able to carefully control water and nutrients means you can more easily control the size, taste and uniformity of the berries you’re growing.

If that sounds like a lot of control, it is. And that idea might freak people out. But when a highly controlled environment means not having to use pesticides and using up to 90% less water than traditional farming, it starts to sound like a solid, sustainable farming innovation.

Plenty even uses AI in its strawberry farm, according to its website:

“Every element of the Plenty Richmond Farm–including temperature, light and humidity–is precisely controlled through proprietary software to create the perfect environment for the strawberry plants to thrive. The farm uses AI to analyze more than 10 million data points each day across its 12 grow rooms, adapting each grow room’s environment to the evolving needs of the plants – creating the perfect environment for Driscoll’s proprietary plants to thrive and optimizing the strawberries’ flavor, texture and size.”

Plenty even has its own patent-pending method of pollinating the strawberry flowers that doesn’t require bees. Even just the fact that this enormous crop of strawberries will be coming from Virginia is notable, since the vast majority of strawberries in the U.S. are grown in California.

strawberry fieldTraditional strawberry farming takes up a lot of land.Photo credit: Canva

Plenty's Richmond farm is currently growing strawberries exclusively for Driscoll’s.

“Partnering with Plenty for the launch of the Richmond Farm allows us to bring our premium strawberries closer to consumers in the Northeast, the largest berry consumption region in the U.S.,” Driscoll’s CEO Soren Bjorn said in a press release. “By combining our 100 years of farming expertise and proprietary varieties along with Plenty’s cutting-edge technology, we can deliver the same consistent flavor and quality our customers love — now grown locally. This new innovative farm is a powerful step forward in continuing to drive category growth in new ways for our customers and consumers.”

Is Plenty’s model the farm of the future? Perhaps it’s one option, at least. The more we grapple with the impact of climate change and outdated, unsustainable farming practices, the more innovative ideas we’ll need to feed the masses. If they can get 4 million pounds of strawberries out of an acre of land, what else is possible?

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Modern Families

Widower beautifully recreates late wife's pregnancy photos with their 1-year-old daughter

A heartbreakingly beautiful reminder of the gift of life.

X&V Photography/Facebook

In the summer of 2020, Yesenia Aguilar was walking on a sidewalk five minutes from home in Anaheim, California when a drunk driver jumped the curb with her Jeep and struck her. The vehicle narrowly missed her husband, James Alvarez, who was walking beside her. Aguilar was 35 weeks pregnant at the time.

Tragically, Aguilar died at the hospital, but the couple's baby, Adalyn Rose, was delivered via cesarean section and survived. For the next year, Alvarez poured himself into being a good dad to Adalyn while processing the grief and trauma of witnessing his wife be killed right in front of him. The story was widely covered in the news and many people have followed Alvarez as he shares his life with Adalyn on social media. A year after the accident, Alvarez shared photos of Adalyn's first birthday and it people deeply.

With the help of X & V Photography, Alvarez recreated a photoshoot he and Aguilar did not long before the accident. Aguilar was dressed in a pink gown, with her baby bump featuring prominently in the photos. In the new shoot, Alvarez dressed Adalyn in a pink dress as well and posed her in the places her mother was in the previous one.

The effect is sadly touching and achingly beautiful—a reminder of the gift of life.

It's hard to imagine what range of emotions this shoot brought up for Alvarez.

It's also hard to imagine how Adalyn will process the whole story when she's old enough to understand.

But what a beautiful tribute to the woman who gave her life before hers was taken.


"Adalyn, I know if your mommy was here, she would have been the happiest person alive," Alvarez wrote in an Instagram share of the photo shoot. "She would be so excited to celebrate your birthday. That's why, I'm making sure I fulfill her wishes and wish the happiest birthday ever baby. Your mommy and daddy loves you."


It's the hardest thing to make beauty out of tragedy, but these photos prove it's possible. Happy birthday, little Adalyn.


This article originally appeared four years ago.

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Motherhood

Mom admits she isn't perfect in a hilarious 'back-to-school’ sign she made for herself

She was done before the first day even started.

via Pexels

First day of school can be exhausting … but for who?

It’s back-to-school time and that means new school supplies, a trip to Target for clothes and social media channels flooded with photos of kids holding chalkboards. Over the past decade, back-to-school photos with kids standing on their doorsteps with signs with their name, grade, year and teacher have been ubiquitous on social media.

There’s nothing wrong with the photos, they’re a cute way for parents and kids to mark the passage of time. For most parents, it’s a way to remember that it all goes by way too fast. However, for the “perfect” parents out there who like to flaunt their Instagrammable lifestyle, they’re another way to show off their “flawless” first days on social media.

In an attempt to show parents they don't have to fall for the myth of perfection on social media, Jeni Bukolt—a mother of two boys age 8 and 12 from Waxhaw, North Carolina—posted a first-day photo of herself looking burnt out and wearing sunglasses. School hadn’t even begun yet.

"Mom's first day of school,” the handmade sign read. "I am 42 years tired. I'll probably miss a school 'theme' day. I really like sleep. Please don't ask me to volunteer. But I will buy you supplies."

"I make signs for my kids each year but lately I've thought about how I always feel behind, as though I'm failing (in some way)," Bukolt told Today. Clearly, other parents feel the same because it was a hit with a lot of them on Instagram.

A lot of comments were from parents who thought the photo was a breath of fresh air during a stressful time of year. "Brilliant, you speak for millions!" cathycole wrote. "May we all survive the drop off/pick up lane," merakifitnessandpole added.

"I thought maybe if I can create a lighthearted moment, some other moms will laugh and understand we're all in this kind of struggle together. Like, let's have empathy for each other," Bukolt told Good Morning America.

Bukolt hopes her post builds an “empathy bridge” between parents. She’d also like to shine a little reality on the parents who feel judged on social media.

"I also feel like when you look at social media, there's all these, [picture perfect] worlds,” she added. “It's not the true story. And some people think like, 'Oh, they have it better or they're perfect,' and this is an opportunity to say no, we're all real human beings ... we're all in the struggle together."

But of course, there were some humorless parents who thought her post wasn’t supportive of teachers or her two sons. So Bukolt made a follow-up where she explained that she was just having fun.

“For the keyboard warriors… yes I do have a job, yes I love my kids and no, I don’t hate teachers. Back to work. Have a great day!” she wrote.

Parenting is hard and we all fall short of glory at times. Kudos to Bukolt for making us feel a little less alone and letting us know that some folks have already accepted their imperfections on the first day.

"If other moms can get a good laugh about it, then that makes my heart happy," she said.


This article originally appeared three years ago.

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