NEW VIEW blog
Good [Monday] morning,
I've spent the weekend setting up a new blog/magazine!
The plans are ambitious, but there is still a long way to go.
VIEW it, follow it and let me know what you think!
Have a wonderful week!
I've spent the weekend setting up a new blog/magazine!
The plans are ambitious, but there is still a long way to go.
VIEW it, follow it and let me know what you think!
Have a wonderful week!
Unlikely Degrees
Think you don’t need a degree to stick a burger into a bun? McDonald’s might prove you wrong:
McDonald’s has recently announced the launch of a two-year foundation degree course in business management, accredited by Manchester Metropolitan University. With all the recent buzz around the subject of higher education, the company claims to pioneer alternative ways of employee training. However, this statement proves to be wrong on multiple levels, as the degree course offered by the fast-food restaurant chain, weird as it may sound, is not the first of its kind. The Harrods department store already launched their educational programme earlier this year, and if all those stories make you shrug your shoulders in confusion – think twice!
It might not be long until you find yourself set in a classroom, studying the Meal Deal Math before fitting your mortarboard for the official Checkout ceremony. Just think of all the great possibilities this opens – why push too hard on your GCEC, dreaming of Oxford, when you could get you degree in English and Literature from Waterstone’s, Tourism from British Airways, Fashion from Primark and still have time to catch the weekend make-up classes in Boots? And while Apple would surely come up with some exciting apps for your studies, you might need to use the more traditional learning methods if you fancy a degree from Royal Mail. And if your choice falls on one of the mobile phone companies, by all means go for it, but be prepared that your tutor might occasionally be not available.
The list of unlikely educational institutions goes on and on, nonetheless, the first generation with their honor degrees from the University of McDonalds is soon to enter the world.
Melanie Abrahams
Yesterday I had a chance to interview an incredibly inspiring person who stands behind the renaissance one and Tilt and has curated several spoken word events and worked with a number of aspiring talents in the world of literature and performance! The interview with Melanie Abrahams will be available on the Ideas Tap website shortly.
The stone, and the send and the setting sun...
I was a part of it (and my happy face can actually be seen in the last scene:):
Praying for Peace with Amma (News Story Exercise)
Thousands of people from all over the world came to Alexandra Palace this morning to receive a personal blessing from one of the most eminent contemporary spiritual leaders.
Amma’s visit to the UK is a part of the European tour marked by a series of public programmes offering a range of activities, all free of charge and open to everyone.
The day began with a short meditation, followed by darshan, when every visitor gets an opportunity to receive a personal blessing, which takes a form of “a tender, motherly embrace”. The evening programme will start at 7pm and include a spiritual talk, devotional music and puja – ritual ceremony to harmonize your life and bring peace to the world around us. This will be followed by another darhan session, which will continue into the morning until everyone has been received.
The event organizers from Friends of Amma UK say that it is hard to predict the number of visitors, but they are prepared to receive up to 10000 people each day. Through her life, Amma is believed to have embraced more than 30 million people, and the event organizers promise to do everything possible to make sure every visitor gets Mother’s blessing.
Amma’s Europe Tour 2010 included eight countries, but there are visitors from all over the world who came to great her in London today. Thomas traveled from Germany last week because his friend said that attending Amma’s darshan has been “a life changing experience”. He remains open-minded in his expectation for this day, but hopes “it will give me new directions and help to make certain decisions”. Imna from Spain attended Amma’s public programme in Barcelona two years ago and says that “it just is so nice! You can’t express this feeling with words – you need to come and experience it yourself”.
Students' Demonstration
... I've heard a guys shouting 'look out!', and as I turned my head, a flying object landed heavily on it. The next thing I remember, I am inside the building where a policeman is looking straight into my eyes and asking if I want to go home? I'm telling something about going back and taking photos... There is a warm smile on his lips and a rain of broken glass around us.
This might sound a bit more dramatic than it should, considering that I am currently feeling alright and headache could even be written off as a sign of a general fatigue.
Thanks for you concerns!
Enjoy the pictures!
This might sound a bit more dramatic than it should, considering that I am currently feeling alright and headache could even be written off as a sign of a general fatigue.
Thanks for you concerns!
Enjoy the pictures!
Sidebar an article about the Child Prodigies (Catch 22 exercise)
Five People who made it in their teens:
You are young and it feels like you have got entire life ahead of you to achieve whatever it is you are aiming for? And while there is no reason to give up on your ambitions, if you plan to make it big, this might be about the time to start.
Here is a list of people who made it in their teens:
1. Lady Gaga:
The Fame Monster taught herself piano when she was only four years old. As a little girl she used to sing along her mini plastic tape recorder, making her first steps on the way to becoming Beautiful, Dirty, Rich!
2. Michael Jackson:
The youngest among his sibs, Michael joined the family quintet Jackson 5 at the age of five and became a leading soloist of the band at 11.
3. Dido:
Her parents decided to enrol their daughter at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama after little Dido stole a recorder from school at the age of five. There she had to master her music skills to be able to play recorder, piano and violin before reaching her teens.
4. Bjork:
Released her first album when she was 11, after studying classical piano for more than six years. Bjork formed her own girl punk band as a 14 year-old girl.
5. Laura Marling:
Learned to play guitar as a child and was titled a folk veteran (according to NME) at the age of 20.
Press-meeting with Matilda Eager-Cooper (Catch 22 exercise)
Matilda Egere-Cooper is a London-based journalist, photographer and educator at Catch 22 Academy.
Born and bred in the US, she admits that, “the American side of me is very outspoken and bold and I'm not afraid to ask certain questions”, while “The English side of me means that I don't mind being a little bit truthful when I need to”.
Trained as a journalist, Matilda was named Write of the Year in 2007, but she does not limit her professional practice to writing, willingly exploring other form of creative expression. Specializing in music journalism, Matilda often supports her sharp written reports with bright photographic visuals.
Another line in her resume states “blogger” and Matilda has been publishing her work online for more than five years. She says this is an essential practice for aspiring journalists, as “it keeps the juices flowing”. Earlier this year Matilda has updated to a new blog called The Cultural Expose, in which she is looking at the London art scene. She also runs a web publishing company responsible for producing city travel guides, as well as a social club creating opportunities for people to socialize in London.
Busy as she is, Matila is full of creative plans for upcoming year, as she admits that this “keeps me on my toes, keeps me fresh, keep me in the loop with things”.
photomonth in London
I believe you are familiar with the feeling, when there is too much on offer, you end up taking non. It's like coming to a restaurant and getting the menu in three volumes - most likely you will end up dining elsewhere.
photomonth invaded London with more than 200 hundred shows which, contradictory to the festival title, are taking place over three month. Today I finally made a deliberate visit to the city centre to see as many exhibitions as I can cover in one go! For those who might not know (and is too lazy/busy to press on the link), photomonth is the East London Photography Festival, so I made a circle around the Liverpool Street Station area, starting from Aldgate and finishing in Schroders.
If you know me relatively well, you will be aware that I am generally quite critical about contemporary artistic practices, so I will make it clear: from five exhibitions I've paid a visit to, I didn't like four. It is my strong belief that digital cameras should not be used after after dark without a flesh and, if must, by no means the results should be printed on a scale larger than a real size - looks awful! And I am very suspicious about conceptual approach to photojournalism and documentation of military conflicts, as even though there are some strong creative ideas behind many of them, more often than not, they do not deliver the message. Full stop.
However, Nadav Kandar's beautiful prints from Yangtze - The Long River can still be seen until the 13th of November in FLOWERS Gallery. Enjoy!
photomonth invaded London with more than 200 hundred shows which, contradictory to the festival title, are taking place over three month. Today I finally made a deliberate visit to the city centre to see as many exhibitions as I can cover in one go! For those who might not know (and is too lazy/busy to press on the link), photomonth is the East London Photography Festival, so I made a circle around the Liverpool Street Station area, starting from Aldgate and finishing in Schroders.
If you know me relatively well, you will be aware that I am generally quite critical about contemporary artistic practices, so I will make it clear: from five exhibitions I've paid a visit to, I didn't like four. It is my strong belief that digital cameras should not be used after after dark without a flesh and, if must, by no means the results should be printed on a scale larger than a real size - looks awful! And I am very suspicious about conceptual approach to photojournalism and documentation of military conflicts, as even though there are some strong creative ideas behind many of them, more often than not, they do not deliver the message. Full stop.
However, Nadav Kandar's beautiful prints from Yangtze - The Long River can still be seen until the 13th of November in FLOWERS Gallery. Enjoy!
Postcards for sale
ANNOUNCEMENT: Postcards with my photography from a trip to China last winter are now available for sale in my Etsy shop!
For guidance on UK GBP prices, shipment, other places to buy those items and any other queries, please contact me directly!
For guidance on UK GBP prices, shipment, other places to buy those items and any other queries, please contact me directly!
Rock and Popcorn
Bon Jovi fans from around the globe who didn't make it to New Jersey this summer to experience one of the year's most historic series of concerts will now get a second chance, as the forever-young musician and his band hit the screens later on this month. The show which drew 200,000 fans on the band's home turf will go on a tour, appearing in more than 200 cinemas around Europe for one night only. Bon Jovi – The Circle Tour will feature footage from the band's four-night stand at New Meadowlands Statium, with a preview of a new music video 'What Do You Got' for a cherry on top.
For those among us with more conservative tastes for entertainment the prospect of watching the legendary music band rocking the stadium, while sat comfortably in a cinema sofa with a pack of popcorn, might seem a bit bizarre, but the event organizers assure that this is a growing trend.
For more information, please visit www.cinerock.net
For those among us with more conservative tastes for entertainment the prospect of watching the legendary music band rocking the stadium, while sat comfortably in a cinema sofa with a pack of popcorn, might seem a bit bizarre, but the event organizers assure that this is a growing trend.
For more information, please visit www.cinerock.net
Put your cover where your MOUTH is!
Mouth London is a new free publication, written, submitted and created by young people for young people. From now on I will be writing, photographing and drawing for the magazine and today was my first assignment - the front cover for the issue one (start big!).
The biggest challenge was the layout, as designers decided to place their logo (which, by the way, is a massive black circle!) right in the middle of the front cover, so I had to improvise around the hole!
Not having as much time as I would like to, I decided respond to the subject of London by referencing the portrait of the young queen Elisabeth on a five-penny coins, as well as some of the classical paintings and (subsequently) the work of Tom Hunter (who is having a show next month and is a head-speaker for Vision10, which, of course, makes it all very relevant). Here is the result (just imagine a huge black spot in the middle of it or wait until the paper is out and grab your free copy!):
Not having as much time as I would like to, I decided respond to the subject of London by referencing the portrait of the young queen Elisabeth on a five-penny coins, as well as some of the classical paintings and (subsequently) the work of Tom Hunter (who is having a show next month and is a head-speaker for Vision10, which, of course, makes it all very relevant). Here is the result (just imagine a huge black spot in the middle of it or wait until the paper is out and grab your free copy!):
Short Film Competition
With a selection of nearly three dozen shorts from twenty five countries all around the globe this year’s short film competition program has something for every taste. Consisting of documentary, narrative and animated short films (as well as a number of cross-genre examples), stretching the notion of short from a couple of minutes up to over a half an hour, the selection might be a challenge to judge, but certainly a treat to watch.
Traditionally seen as a platform for emerging talents making their first steps into the industry, this year’s competition program is a reminder that the short film is a genre on its own. Award-winning actress Hafsia Herzi presents her directional debut Le Rodba, while established feature-film director Carlos Cuaron needs less than ten minutes to tell a playful story of a couple making an attack on a fast-food restaurant to save their marriage. The cast as well has some acclaimed names and is a special treat for those interested in Tunisian cinema scene, as Mouna Noureddine plays a leading role in the Wave and Anissa Daoud appears in the Album.
In contrast with the main documentary competition, the majority of the short films in this genre address less widely-discussed issues, drawing attention to the subjects underrepresented in the current media. UK director Peter King presents an insightful story of the isolated Karosta region in post-soviet Latvia. The film combines a photographic approach to filming the half-demolished city together with short encounters with its inhabitants. As we are guided through the place by one of the young residents of Karosta, the story becomes more personal, thus more universal, allowing each viewer to relate to the subject.
On the contrary, animated short films selected for the festival tend to follow the recently established practice of addressing the sociopolitical issues in the genre of cartoons. Made in China is a motion-painting comment on the recycling of the world history into a range of mass-produced goods. Esterhazi is looking at the events related to the fall of Berlin Wall in 1989 from the perspective of a rabbit who makes a curious comment that ‘without the Wall Berlin is not so cosy anymore’. Tussilago tells a story of the West German terrorist Norbert Krocher’s ex-girlfriend from the time they met until the day she was arrested.
It is fair to note that the festival presents a fairly diverse selection of short films from all over the world, giving a broad overview on the different film schools and cinematic trends. I was pleasantly surprised to see a high number of Iranian shorts united by their innovative and brave approach to filmmaking. Predictably enough, the majority of them address the questions of social injustice and women rights. However, by offering a fresh look on those issues they invite us to join the discussion on the current socio-political situation in Iran. The creators of The Pool Party use the metaphor to talk about social inequality, while Ask the Wind is set as a detective story in which carelessly loosened veil leads to a murder. It is interesting to see that many Iranian filmmakers create highly conceptual artistic pieces, and, even though there is enough room for further development, I believe that those films are promising sketches for high future achievements.
With such a great diversity, I found it curious to see that at least half a dozen of films present a look on the world from the perspective of a child. A Gentle Push is a metaphor for a series of tragic events that collapse on little Robbie one afternoon, but turn out to be an essential step in the boy’s growing-up. An image of a whale dying on a seashore is beautifully incorporated into the film soundtrack, gradually building an atmosphere of upcoming tragedy. The story of Richard rebelling against his sister’s dream to become a bodybuilder, Muscles offers an intimate look at femininity from the perspective of a little boy.
Fabio Yamaji whose short film Divino Freestyles was included in the festival selection affirmed that “short films are a great opportunity for experimenting, taking risks and be creative” and every film presented at the festival is a confirmation to this statement.
Traditionally seen as a platform for emerging talents making their first steps into the industry, this year’s competition program is a reminder that the short film is a genre on its own. Award-winning actress Hafsia Herzi presents her directional debut Le Rodba, while established feature-film director Carlos Cuaron needs less than ten minutes to tell a playful story of a couple making an attack on a fast-food restaurant to save their marriage. The cast as well has some acclaimed names and is a special treat for those interested in Tunisian cinema scene, as Mouna Noureddine plays a leading role in the Wave and Anissa Daoud appears in the Album.
In contrast with the main documentary competition, the majority of the short films in this genre address less widely-discussed issues, drawing attention to the subjects underrepresented in the current media. UK director Peter King presents an insightful story of the isolated Karosta region in post-soviet Latvia. The film combines a photographic approach to filming the half-demolished city together with short encounters with its inhabitants. As we are guided through the place by one of the young residents of Karosta, the story becomes more personal, thus more universal, allowing each viewer to relate to the subject.
On the contrary, animated short films selected for the festival tend to follow the recently established practice of addressing the sociopolitical issues in the genre of cartoons. Made in China is a motion-painting comment on the recycling of the world history into a range of mass-produced goods. Esterhazi is looking at the events related to the fall of Berlin Wall in 1989 from the perspective of a rabbit who makes a curious comment that ‘without the Wall Berlin is not so cosy anymore’. Tussilago tells a story of the West German terrorist Norbert Krocher’s ex-girlfriend from the time they met until the day she was arrested.
It is fair to note that the festival presents a fairly diverse selection of short films from all over the world, giving a broad overview on the different film schools and cinematic trends. I was pleasantly surprised to see a high number of Iranian shorts united by their innovative and brave approach to filmmaking. Predictably enough, the majority of them address the questions of social injustice and women rights. However, by offering a fresh look on those issues they invite us to join the discussion on the current socio-political situation in Iran. The creators of The Pool Party use the metaphor to talk about social inequality, while Ask the Wind is set as a detective story in which carelessly loosened veil leads to a murder. It is interesting to see that many Iranian filmmakers create highly conceptual artistic pieces, and, even though there is enough room for further development, I believe that those films are promising sketches for high future achievements.
With such a great diversity, I found it curious to see that at least half a dozen of films present a look on the world from the perspective of a child. A Gentle Push is a metaphor for a series of tragic events that collapse on little Robbie one afternoon, but turn out to be an essential step in the boy’s growing-up. An image of a whale dying on a seashore is beautifully incorporated into the film soundtrack, gradually building an atmosphere of upcoming tragedy. The story of Richard rebelling against his sister’s dream to become a bodybuilder, Muscles offers an intimate look at femininity from the perspective of a little boy.
Fabio Yamaji whose short film Divino Freestyles was included in the festival selection affirmed that “short films are a great opportunity for experimenting, taking risks and be creative” and every film presented at the festival is a confirmation to this statement.
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