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With NASA announcing their streaming service NASA+ and also announcing it’s going to be free and also ad free, I’d just like to appreciate the lengths they go to make scientific knowledge and exploration as available as they possibly can.

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"The Shiver" by Sophia Volovik

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‘Milk and Chocolate’ by Alex Kalenova

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Normality is a paved road;

It’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow.

~ Vincent van Gogh

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I don’t even drink tea but i NEED these Van Gogh Tea Cups in my life... They even come with MATCHING SPOONS oh my goodness

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Anastasia Trusova on Instagram

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the japanese word for firefly is hotaro, which is thought to derive from ho taru, which literally means ‘to drip fire’. there are about two thousand species of firefly, but japan is notable for its two aquatic species, the genji and heike. only ten species are known to be aquatic in their larval stage. 

despite the swarm of fireflies (known as a firefly contest) seen here, their numbers in japan are dropping due to pesticide use, which kills the river snails that firefly larvae eat. (click pic or link for photo x, x, x, x, x, x, x. see also previous firefly posts)

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High seas or low seas.

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Pink Water Lilies by Claude Monet

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having a black cat, wearing long dark dresses and perfect arrows, spending time reading taro cards, collecting crystals, thinking about the new receipt of love potions, growing important herbs and flower ingredients in the room and being the modern urban witch

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From Conception to Birth 

‘The Miraculous Journey’ (2005 – 2013) consists of fourteen large-scale bronze sculptures that chart the gestation of a fetus from conception to birth. The colossal figures have been revealed outside the new Sidra Medical and Research Centre in Doha. The ambitious project was commissioned under the patronage of H. E. Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Al Thani, Qatar Museums Authority and Qatar Foundation. Conceived by the artist in 2005 and taking over three years to fabricate, the work’s completion was timed to coincide with the opening of Hirst’s first solo show in the Middle East: ‘Relics’ at ALRIWAQ exhibition space.

'The Miraculous Journey’ begins with the fertilization of an egg and ends with a fully formed baby. The colossal bronze figures range from 5 to 11 meters in height and the whole structure weighs 216 metric tonnes. They were individually cast in over 500 panels at Pangolin Foundry in the UK before being transported to Qatar. The scale of the sculptures required the foundry to weld a staggering total of 19 kilometers to stitch together the panels and Pangolin describe it as their largest project to date.

Hirst explained that the work came from, “a desire to create something monumental, whilst essentially human.” The work addresses some of the artist’s most enduring concerns and is simultaneously a celebration of life, and an exploration of the difficulties inherent in trying to express the profundities of our existences. Hirst states: “Ultimately, the journey a baby goes through before birth is bigger than anything it will experience in its human life. I hope the sculpture will instill in the viewer a sense of awe and wonder at this extraordinary human process, which will soon be occurring in the Sidra Medical Center, as well as every second all across the globe.”

'The Miraculous Journey’ is part of a visionary series of cultural initiatives patronized by H. E. Sheikha Al Mayassa Bint Hamad Al Thani, that aim to redress the traditional boundaries between eastern and western art in the Middle East. The introduction of Hirst’s bold and sometimes controversial work signals an important step in the growth of a cross-cultural dialogue between the UK and Qatar. Hirst’s contribution to the Doha landscape will invaluably enhance the city’s burgeoning international reputation as a cultural destination.

Source: by Damien Hirst. Follow the Artist here.