Vanessa, thirty-five, had three children with an abusive husband. She “lost her mind, started doing heroin”, after losing the children, who were taken away and given to her mother. The drugs led to homelessness and prostitution. She grew up on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, but now spends her time in Hunts Point, “trying to survive everyday. Just doing whatever it takes”.

Retired teacher Geoff Ostling displays his tattooed skin at a portrait session at his home in Petersham on May 11, 2009 in Sydney, Australia. The 62-year old has pledged to donate his skin to the National Gallery in Canberra after his death. Ostling, who did not get his first tattoo until he was in his forties, is now covered in the artwork by artist eX de Merci from neck to ankle with the theme 'all the flowers of a Sydney garden'. (Photo by Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

“Photoswapped: Mum and dads switch heads with their children in freakiest photos you'll ever see. It is a position that many young children would love to be in. And now these strange and sometimes unnerving images show what it would actually be like if babies swapped roles, and heads, with their mother or father. The photos, created by top advertising photographer Paul Ripke, are so eye-catching that they have swept across the world online”. (Photo by Paul Ripke/Barcroft Media via Fame Pictures)

Italian architect Giovanni Pesamosca’s work is reaching scenic new heights. His cabin is perched on the edge of Foronon Buinz in Italy’s Julian Alps. The pre fabricated structure was placed at the spectacular location in memory of deceased climber Luka Vuerich, and is now providing free accommodation complete with jaw dropping panoramic views for up to nine people… the intrepid kind willing to make a long trek to 8303 feet (2531 meters) above sea level.

Street art started out as unintelligible words written on concrete walls with spray paint by gang members or silly kids. Now, however, it evolved into a unique form of art that might stun and inspire awe in the onlookers. For example, the artist that goes by the name 1010 specializes in creating optical illusions. His creations look like portals into other dimensions, without any hint that it might simply be a flat concrete wall painted over with multicolored paints. These pieces of art are so good that it is hard not to reach out into these ‘holes’ to find out whether or not they are real. (Photo by 1010)

“Catasta” wearing a latex hexus costume poses in the grounds of St Mary's Church during the “Whitby Goth Weekend”, North Yorkshire, on November 2, 2014. The event grew out of the punk scene in 1984 with its own style of music and fashion. The event in Whitby now attracts Goths from all over Europe and creates over 1 million pounds in revenue for local busnisess. (Photo by Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire)

The Grand National springs to mind as the yearly highlight of the “sport of kings” – thoroughbred steeds and their brave jockeys triumphing (or failing) over gruelling courses and high-fenced adversity. And now steeplechase enthusiasts can add another event to the annuls of great sporting occasions, namely the Stuttgart rabbit show jumping. Here: Rabbit showjumping at an animal fair in Stuttgart, Germany, on November 16, 2014. (Photo by Action Press/Rex Features)