Edinburgh mask maker Lorraine Pritchard on Sunday, January 28, 2024 alongside some of her Venetian masks which will be worn and displayed at the Venice Carnival, which starts on Saturday February 3. Lorraine studied model making at Glasgow College of Building and Printing and Venetian mask making in Florence, Italy. She travels to Venice each year to be a “mask” herself, wearing different masks she has designed as a live exhibit of her work. (Photo by Jane Barlow/PA Images via Getty Images)

Built for over a million people, the city of Ordos was designed to be the crowning glory of Inner Mongolia. Doomed to incompletion however, this futuristic metropolis now rises empty out of the deserts of northern China. Only 2% of its buildings were ever filled; the rest has largely been left to decay, abandoned mid-construction, earning Ordos the title of China's Ghost City.

Blue Marlin is a semi-submersible heavy lift ship from Dockwise Shipping of the Netherlands. Designed to transport very large semi-submersible drilling rigs above the transport ship's deck, it is equipped with 38 cabins to accommodate 60 people, a workout room, sauna and swimming facilities. Blue Marlin and her sister ship MV Black Marlin comprise the Marlin class of heavy lift ship.

Working in graphite, gold leaf and mixed media assemblage, Yoann Lossel creates fantastic myth based worlds and scenarios. They have a beautiful graceful ambiance, full of spiritual timelessness and ancient rituals. He is a French painter and designer currently living in the Forest of Broceliande in Brittany, a landscape steeped in Celtic and Arthurian myth. Reflecting this environment – Yoann’s works take the viewer through mythic and imaginary lands, imbued with ancient tales and iconic mysteries.

Thailand`s Rangsit University is a private institution of higher education with the primary aim of creating graduates in different areas of study, focusing mainly on science, technology, design and management. But what makes this university renowned around the world is its colorful campus, with trees and bushes painted to beautify the campus. Though in 2011 the plants were significantly damaged in one of Thailand’s worst floods in five decades, they continue to enliven the atmosphere at the university.

Chocolate-lovers have gathered for the first Salon du Chocolat fashion show and festival in Brussels. The festival takes place in 19 cities worldwide, but this year marks the first Salon du Chocolat in Brussels. The main feature of the festival was a fashion show, where chefs and designers collaborated to create chocolate outfits. (Photo by Farrukh Younus/Implausibleblog)

The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s misfortunes have often eclipsed its good news, with ongoing armed conflicts and most recently an Ebola outbreak. Much of the world knows little of the country’s vibrant arts scene, and last weekend in the capital, Kinshasa, models showed off daring new looks dreamed up by local designers on the catwalk. (Photo by Olivia Acland/The Guardian)