Image Formats - Milindo Taid

Danxia Landform, Gansu, China

Jul 17

When I first ran across the Danxia landforms a couple of years ago, I did a double take. What appeared to be accomplished pastels were actually the revelations of the forces of soil and rock erosion. This petrographic geomorphology apparently consists of red coloured sandstones and conglomerates of the ‘Cretaceous age’. On that geological note, take a look.

Justin James Muir: Portrait photographer and ‘A Book Of Beards’

Jul 11

Portrait photographer Justin James Muir conceived the ‘Book of Beards’ after he moved to West Chester, Pennsylvania, USA, where he perceived what he called a ‘bold beard culture’. His friend Mike, who is featured on the cover suffers from cancer, and all the proceeds from the ‘Book of Beards’ go to cancer aid along with covering Mike’s medical bills. Take a hairy look.

Homo Shopus: The Buyological Urge

Jul 06

Vancouver, Canada based Adbusters have been culture jamming for quite some time now, and they describe themselves thus – “We are a global network of culture jammers and creatives working to change the way information flows, the way corporations wield power, and the way meaning is produced in our society.” No mean challenge to take on, especially with late capitalist manifestations of corporate power excesses and top down flows of information. I have been an Adbusters follower for many years now, and what drew me first to them was their more than unconventional approach to magazine layout and design (everything that the ‘Time’ is not, if you know what I mean), and of course with convincing content that I find resonances in, it did become a regular fix. Here is a sampling of Adbusters posters dubbed ‘Homo Shopus: The Buyological Urge.’ Take a look.

Jennifer Maestre: Sculpting with Pencils!

Jul 04

Jennifer, a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art and Design got inspired by sea urchins. What followed was an obsessive love affair with pencils as a medium, not for illustration but for sculpting! Take a look at her sharp sculpting skills.

Lewis Hine (Sociologist & Photographer): Child Labour 1908-1924

Jul 01

I encountered sociologist Lewis Hine’s hard hitting body of photographic work (from the early 20th C) quite a few years back, and the images stayed on. Like Eugene Smith much later, Hine’s camera was a camera with a conscience, powerful enough to be a catalyst for social reform. Documenting the end of innocence of children employed in factories, cotton mills, coal mines and households across the USA. 1908-1924.

Clive Cooper: Watermelon Sculptor!

Jun 29

An artist has to find expression, whatever be the medium. Art enthusiast, and now rather well known sculptor Clive Cooper makes his living as a full-time government clerk out of Vancouver, Canada, where he pursues sculpting as a hobby and as a means to supplement his income by providing his sculptures for weddings and parties. Halloween as one would expect, is always a busy time for him. Working with a remarkably difficult and ephemeral medium, he makes short work of it. Take a look.

Royal College of Art: Design Products: Foldboat

Jun 26

Design students Max Frommeld and Arno Mathies were both studying for their Masters degrees in the Design Products programme at the Royal College of Art when they conceived the Foldboat. In a paper furniture workshop they started to understand origami techniques and they wanted to use these techniques to create a functional product. The boat is folded from a 8ft by 5ft piece of plastic and can be transformed from a flat sheet to a rowing boat by a single person in under three minutes using only three components. ‘You just fold it, clip it together then push it out into the water.’ If this was made affordable, the Foldboat could be of considerable use in flood prone areas.

Sony World Photography Awards: Shortlisted Entries

Jun 23

1. Thai monks amidst lanterns.

America Revealed: Incredible Satellite Imagery

Jun 19

Incredible satellite images reveal what the USA looks like from the skies, and how its transport and communication infrastructures work to power the nation on a daily basis. (Pizza delivery included) :-)

1. These lines show the unpublicised transportation of dead bodies, some clearly being repatriated to their home states from America’s retirement mecca state of Florida.

Mitch Dobrowner – Fine Art Photography

Jun 19

Inspired by Ansel Adams in his early years, American fine art photographer Dobrowner produces imagery which is ‘painterly’ more than anything else. I am not sure whether that is good or bad, but the end results are grand indeed. The decision to not engage with colour comes from the lineage of Adamsian photographic practice, and also the broad sweep of Dobrowner’s vistas puts the viewer in a unique privileged position. Take a look.