#traveled and studied art in usa

[beyourselfchulanmaria]

《回憶不總是美好的》

是的，回憶不總是美好的，但只要看美好的部分，你才會有氣力走完一生。應當要寫本回憶錄的 lol 只是覺得還沒老到需要寫，或是怕老人失智症會提早到來，屆時再來寫吧!

我的50歲生日當時是在美國，身邊沒有任何家鄉的好友和我愛的家人，這是我去學藝術時並沒有意識到的事；雖然我相當能夠適應孤單，但在重要的日子卻看不到親朋好友... 真的感覺五味雜陳。

相片中的Redding小鎮的火車站、森林和保育溼地河岸全是我一個人經常流連的地方，就連黑天雙眼看不見五指時我都有辦法找到回家的路。每當我感覺難過和不安時，總是走在這些綠影和有水流聲的路上，靜靜地審慎思考著。我很思念家鄉時(homesick)會坐在久久都沒火車經過也沒半個人影的車站吹冷風和掉眼淚，還記得有一次好不容易遇到一班車到站，有個下車的乘客給我一本書：摩門教徒傳教的小冊子，而我還給他一個像小叮噹Doraemon(ドラえもん)那麼大的笑容。hahaha

最下面那張相片是回到台灣後在我居住的高雄-柴山-老人健走的地方。LOL 我有沒有變更老? 我想我的心並沒老，但我在很小的時候就已經有個老靈魂住在我的心靈(I have a very oldddd soul lives in my mind since I was child started. 😏)，只有我的父親觸碰得到，我超想念我爹的無論在任何地點和秒殺的時間裡，都能感覺到爹與我同在。♫ ◠‿◠ 💗 Lan~*

[txttletale]

https://twitter.com/ZakugaMignon/status/1739703106466627976?t=6BRheBvMK4MlCt5gXaj4ig&s=19

this is a comically misleading graph lol (copy-pasted it below)

like you look at this and obviously think 'wow training an AI model is so much more carbon-intensive than planes or cars' -- but if you look at the actual units being chosen, they're fucking stupid. like, why is the air travel one the only one measured per passenger? the AI model will presumably be used by more than one person. fuck, even the average car will often be transporting more than one person! why is the car the only one that has its lifetime use and manufacturing cost combined when the AI model only has its manufacturing cost and the plane only has the cost of a single flight divided per passenger?

these are absolutely fucking nonsensical things to compare, and obviously chosen in ways that make AI look disproportionately bad (and air travel look disproportionately good, for some reason?). i'm not even touching the profoundly Fucked political implications of measuring the CEO emissions of 'a human life'

but let's, just for funsies, assume that these are reasonable points of comparison -- in 2021, 9 million cars were made in the USA. for the environmental impact of training AI to be even equal to the effects that those cars will have over their lifetimes (which this graph obviously seeks to imply), there would have to be over a million AI models trained in that time. which--hey, hang on a minute, that reminds me, what the fuck is 'training an AI model'! AI models come in all kinds of sizes -- i don't think the machine learning model that the spiderverse animators used to put the outlines on miles' face cost as much to train as, say, DALL-E 3! there is no indicator that this is an 'average' AI model, or whether this is on the low or high end of the scale.

so having just had that above question, i went to look at the original study and lol, lmao even:

the 626,000 lbs figure is actually just the cost of that one specific model, and of course the most expensive in the study. there's no convincing evidence that this is a reasonable benchmark for most AI training -- for all this study's extremely limited set of examples tells us, this could be an enormous outlier in either direction!

so yeah, this is officially Bad Data Visualization, & if you originally saw this and thought "oh, it looks like AI art really has a huge environmental impact!" then, like, you're not stupid -- the person making this chart obviously wanted you to think that -- but i recommend taking some time when you look at a chart like this to ask questions like 'how was this data obtained?' and 'are these things it makes sense to compare on the same scale?', because there's a lot of misleading charts out there, both purposefully and through sheer incompetence.

[thegreatstoryteller]

The Great Shift: 4th of July

The Great Shift a lot of countries differently. However, nothing could dampen the experience of Americans celebrating their Independence Day! Whether they are born and raised in the USA or a first generation trying their hand at the land of the free, the American spirit persist even in the strangest of scenarios.

Mario (Long Island, New York)

I can’t fucking believe it! All my life I’d dreamed of stepping up to the plate and playing ball! My old man said I was too much of a fat ass to do much more than work for the family when I got older. Something about having more cannolis than brains! But look who is laughing now! I guess I should start over. My names Mario Anatolli. Born in Long Island just off the coast of New York for you out of towners, 19 years ago. My family has been here for a long time, and sorta got into organized crime real early. Most guys in my family end up working for some shithead or dead, but not me. I had bigger dreams. Traveling places, meeting people, and most of all baseball! I memorized player stats, trivia, and dreamed of playing in Yankee Stadium one day. Then out of no where the Great Shift happened.

I ended up swapping bodies with this guy out in Miami during Spring Training! He was on the Miami Dolphins or I guess I am now. Turns out a bunch of nobodies who don’t know how to play baseball kind of ruin a team. Except me! I was the most knowledgeable guy on the team with one hell of a body! I’m about 5 inches taller with abs now! Not to mention handsome as hell! I’ve got guys and girls lining up for my autograph and my number! I’ll be doing a homecoming to Yankee Stadium soon, hopefully have time to catch up with the folks! I hear dad’s now in some accountants body being bullied by mom who is this handsome bouncer now. Times sure are changing! Hope they’re proud of the man their boy became!

Do-yun (Los Angeles, California)

I have to admit. I wasn’t used to swimming before the Great Shift and now I can’t get enough of it. As a first generation Korean immigrant to the states, I have to say it was hard settling down into such a new environment. Not a lot of places to go where people looked like me, bits of open discrimination because of my basic behavior, and even outward hostility at times. But I made the best of what I could. I even founded a Korean American community center that helped teach people English! That’s where I met my wife and we were lucky to have two beautiful boys. My wife works as a nurse at the nearby hospital and my youngest just graduated high school about to attend Stanford! While my oldest was studying art abroad in Paris!

Then the great shift happened. Going from a father in his 40s to a 22 year old fitness influencer was another huge adjustment to say the least. Only this time all the changes were a lot easier this time around. People wanted my attention a lot more for pictures and asked if I could be in their Tik Toks. I’ve always been good at adapting so now I’m embracing my new social media life! My sons have shifted to guys closer to my own age and so has my wife! To our surprise we ended up in Los Angeles, where we are now living in what  a lot of people are calling an Influencer House. I’m still picking up on the lingo for this younger generation. We’ve got a more interesting family dynamic for sure, but our family will learn to live with these changes and come out stronger together! Not to mention my wife is a lot more... active in her new male fitness vlogger form. I love this country. 

Dakota - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

It’s so wild being this tall! I’ve always been a bit small, growing up in the less developed and more rural areas around Iowa. My family like to move around a lot as my dad worked some odd jobs here and there between some seasonal labor stuff, but he always managed to put food on the table. We come from a mixed background! My dad is Caucasian and Black, while my mom is part Native American and Mexican! My brothers and sisters all kinda look different with me as the youngest, being the smallest. I guess that’s what inspired me to work the way I did. Tried to make my way through college studying agriculture and managed to buy a small farm that I used to grow up near. I was really starting to make some good progress when the Great Shift happened.

I found myself in such a huge body! I’m 6′9 now! Apparently this Austrian bodybuilder is pretty big online, no pun intended! My new name was Ike and I couldn’t help but admire my massive frame as soon as I realized I wasn’t dreaming. Everything from my long strong arms to my powerful sturdy legs were just so enticing! Even my huge size 17 feet were just the absolute best! Anyway I digress. Turns out modeling, acting, and sponsorships are a good way to fund a farm and pay off your student debts! So I’ve been running multiple small gigs trying to capitalize off my good looks to save up for a good cause!

Luke - Ann Arbor, Michigan

I was an older soul, pulled out of retirement during The Great Shift. Former Army Medic, who thought his best days were behind me when the world began to spin and I found myself in this handsome young man. To go from an ailing man in your 70s to a fit male model of a man in his 30s is such a rush. Many thing don’t work like you expect them to at my age and now everything about my body felt... sensitive. Not to mention becoming a whole nother race is an experience in itself.

Unfortunately I didn’t have time to confront my personal surprise or shock. I realized I had been taken to a hospital in the midst of a world wide body swap. Countless people were coming in for days with injuries and illnesses that I hadn’t been trained on in years. But I did what I could. There was a severe lack of medical professionals in the area and I was people’s best bet at survival! I managed to reset dislocated shoulders, put broken arms in casts, and learned to do invasive surgery in a few days!

My most important job though was telling people about their new medical history and keeping them informed. A surprising amount of men in men’s body knew very little about healthcare outside of their immediate body. Teaching people about their new allergies, physical limitations, and even some who now could get pregnant or required abortions, all of it was a learning experience for me as much as them sometimes. I’m happy to be in good health right now and I’m lucky to be able to share what I know with the people who need it. I hope everyone has a safe Independence Day today! Cherish the body you’re in and use it well!

[scotianostra]

On March 10th 1998, Alberto Morrocco, the Scottish painter noted for his murals and portraits in oil and watercolours, died.

Alberto Morrocco was born on 14th December 1917 in Aberdeen to Italian parents in 1917. He attended Gray’s School of Art from the prodigious age of fourteen, tutored by James Cowie and Robert Sivell, and won the Carnegie and Brough travelling scholarships, affording him opportunity to paint and study in France, Italy and Switzerland in the late 1930s.

After serving in the army between 1940-46 he devoted his time to painting. His subject matter varied from the domestic interior, landscape, imaginings of Italian life, still life and many commissioned portraits. Combining his talent with abundant energy he became one of the most dominant figures in the Scottish artworld in the second half of the 20th century.

He participated in many group exhibitions both at home and abroad and works are held in major collections including: The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art; Royal Scottish Academy; Scottish Arts Council; West Riding County Council; Newark on Trent Municipal Museum; Liliie Art Gallery, Milngavie, Glasgow; Robert Fleming Holdings Ltd; Vincent Price Esq, USA ; Icelandic Glasgow, Paisley, and Perth Art Galleries; he Universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Dundee, Glasgow, Leicester, Stirling and St. Andrews; City of Art Centre, Edinburgh; Bank of Scotland. His work is to be found in private collections throughout Europe, the Far East and America.

[dcllsvalley-a]

( layout ib : @/stcpidcupid )

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ༝ ˚ ₊ ‧ ୨୧ . . . MEET THE MEMBERS OF VALLEY OF THE DOLLS !

Are you a new Toymaker who wants to learn the Valley of the Dolls members? Are you trying to pick a bias? Well, you're in luck! Here is where you can learn about the prettiest dolls of STARBORN CREATIVE and REDRUM RECORDS!

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ༝ ˚ ₊ ‧ ୨୧ . . . GWAN SUN-HUI, known professionally as SUNHUI, was born on April 27th, 1995 in Changwon, South Korea. Ever since she was little she was surrounded by music as she was raised in Seoul, South Korea since she was two years old. Both her parents are in the music and entertainment industry, her mother is a producer for one of Korea's biggest music companies, SM Entertainment, while her father is the voice of a well-known Korean music radio show. Growing up she did involuntary training from her mom in hopes that Sunhui would be able to debut and rise to stardom. She was around 15 when she had a falling out with both her parents who kept telling her she had no talent and wouldn't make it anywhere in the entertainment industry; ultimately they forced her out of the house. She then got a job at a small cafe where she met NOA who had told her about REDRUM RECORDS auditioning. The words of her parents echoed in her head as she booked an audition with the motivation to prove them wrong.

STAGE NAME › Sunhui

FULL NAME › Gwan Sun-Hui

BIRTHDAY › April 27th, 1995

BIRTHPLACE › Changwon, South Korea

NATIONALITY › Korean

ETHNICITY › Korean

TRAINING PERIOD › 7 years

POSITION ›  Sub Vocalist, Main Rapper, Sub Dancer

REPRESENTATIVE FEAR(S) › Thanatophobia (fear of death) + Aichmophobia (fear of sharp objects in general) / Trypanophobia (fear of sharp objects in a medical setting)

FACE CLAIM › Kim Bora / SuA (Dreamcatcher)

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ༝ ˚ ₊ ‧ ୨୧ . . . LEE NOA, known professionally as NOA, was born February 12th, 1996 and is the youngest of four children. Growing up, she typically got whatever she asked for as her parents are wealthy CEOs of a joint tech company in the United States and South Korea. She originally went to a prestigious arts academy in the United States as she lived there for six years to live with her father after her parents got divorced. When she turned 17, she returned to South Korea to spend a few years with her mother and brothers. During her first few months back, she had seen promotions for auditions for an entertainment company REDRUM RECORDS and decided to audition while not telling her family as she believed she wasn't going to be chosen.

STAGE NAME › Noa

FULL NAME › Lee Noa

BIRTHDAY › February 12th, 1996

BIRTHPLACE ›  Busan, South Korea

NATIONALITY ›  Korean-American

ETHNICITY › Korean-American

TRAINING PERIOD ›  Seven Months

POSITION ›  Main Dancer, Lead Vocalist

REPRESENTATIVE FEAR(S) › Somniphobia (fear of sleep) + Taphophobia (Fear of being buried alive / suffocation)

FACE CLAIM › Kang Seulgi (Red Velvet)

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ༝ ˚ ₊ ‧ ୨୧ . . . YOON HYOJIN, known professionally as LILITH, was born on April 15th, 1997. As the oldest sibling of four children, and because her parents were not around much due to constantly traveling for work, she and her siblings learned to care for themselves and each other. In 2017, all four siblings traveled to New York, USA, in order to finish their studies closer to their parents. While there, Hyojin learned about STARBORN CREATIVE and auditioned for the United States branch of the company. After only one year of training, Hyojin moved back to South Korea with her siblings and soon debuted in Valley of the Dolls.

STAGE NAME › Lilith

FULL NAME › Yoon Hyojin

ENGLISH NAME › Sidney Yoon

BIRTHDAY › April 15th, 1997

BIRTHPLACE › Anyang, Gyeonggi, South Korea

NATIONALITY › Korean-American

ETHNICITY › Korean

TRAINING PERIOD › One year

POSITION ›  Leader, Main Dancer, Lead Rapper

REPRESENTATIVE FEAR(S) › Chronophobia (fear of time) + Chronomentrophobia (fear of clocks)

FACE CLAIM › Kim Hyunjung / Seola (WJSN)

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ༝ ˚ ₊ ‧ ୨୧ . . . BAE WILLOW, known professionally as WILLOW, was born on May 10th, 1999. As an only child born to a working class family, she was spoiled as much as her parents were able to provide for her. After seeing EXID perform Up & Down, she decided to become an idol and auditioned for STARBORN CREATIVE in 2015. She trained there for three years before debuting in Valley of the Dolls.

STAGE NAME › Willow

FULL NAME › Bae Willow 

BIRTHDAY › May 10th, 1999 

BIRTHPLACE › Seoul, South Korea 

NATIONALITY › Korean 

ETHNICITY › Korean 

TRAINING PERIOD › Three years 

POSITION › Main Vocalist, Main Visual 

REPRESENTATIVE FEAR(S) › Achluophobia (fear of darkness) + Claustrophobia (fear of being in constricted, confined spaces) 

FACE CLAIM › Lee Gahyeon (Dreamcatcher)

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ༝ ˚ ₊ ‧ ୨୧ . . . QIAN BIYA, known professionally as BIYA, was born on November 19th, 1999. She was the only child that her parents had after years of trying. Growing up, her family was never in a good standing financially. She was homeschooled for the majority of her education as her parents couldn't afford to send her to a proper school for her education. It wasn't until she turned 15 that she started taking up small jobs around her city in order to help her family with payments. A small clip of her singing was uploaded and she was eventually contacted by BIGHIT talent scouts and trained under the company after being told she would be paid well if she joined. After three years, with no advancements, she left the company quietly and joined XECOMPANY, now named REDRUM RECORDS where she trained for a little over a year and debuted as one of the six members of VALLEY OF THE DOLLS.

STAGE NAME › Biya 

FULL NAME › Qian Biya

BIRTHDAY › November 19th, 1999

BIRTHPLACE › Shanghai, China

NATIONALITY › Chinese

ETHNICITY › Chinese 

TRAINING PERIOD › Three years [BIGHIT] ; One and a Half Year [XECOMPANY]

POSITION ›  Lead Vocalist, Fake Maknae, Center, Sub Rapper

REPRESENTATIVE FEAR(S) › Monophobia (fear of being left alone) + Scopophobia (fear of being watched / stared at)

FACE CLAIM › Ning Yizhuo / Ningning (aespa) 

( tw. mentions of running away + faking one's death, implied grooming )

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ༝ ˚ ₊ ‧ ୨୧ . . . TATIANA JANG, known professionally as TATI, was born as Esperanza Jinsol Jang in Cancún, Mexico, to a happy couple and two older siblings on September 20th, 2001. Growing up, she aspired to be like her older sister Reyna and repeatedly followed her to her dance lessons. There, she met a teacher, Darío Hernández, who constantly showered her with praises and ideas to run away from home with him to South Korea, where he told her they could become famous. Despite her parents' (rightful) suspicions, Esperanza listened to Darío, faking her death by leaving behind a set of clothes near a river before running away to Korea with Darío under the name Tatiana in 2015.

Once arriving to Korea, Darío had her work at a restaurant to help pay for their shabby apartment, while he taught classes at a dance studio nearby. She later started busking on the streets and was eventually scouted by STARBORN CREATIVE. Despite the substantial amount of money that was promised, Darío refused to let her go, threatening to leave her stranded in Korea without money if she left him. Tatiana escaped in the middle of the night and begged STARBORN CREATIVE for a place to stay as she trained, which they gave and had Darío arrested and extradited back to Mexico; however he refused to speak of Tatiana and her whereabouts.

Tatiana trained for three years under STARBORN CREATIVE before debuting in the girl group Valley of the Dolls as the maknae, main vocalist, and dancer of the group Tati, still under her false name.

STAGE NAME › Tati

FULL NAME › Tatiana Jang

KOREAN NAME › Jang Aera

BIRTHDAY › September 20th, 2001

BIRTHPLACE › Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico

NATIONALITY › Korean-Mexican

ETHNICITY › Korean

TRAINING PERIOD › Three years

POSITION ›  Maknae, Main Vocalist, Dancer

REPRESENTATIVE FEAR(S) › Philophobia (fear of falling in love)

FACE CLAIM › Park Sujin / Swan (Purple Kiss)

[skzhera]

Hera’s background.

EARLY LIFE- TILL JOINING THE COMPANY.

Hera’s parents:

Her mother was born in India, completed her primary education in India itself, and later moved to the UK for her further studies, independently.

Hera’s father was born in the UK to a completely Indian family. His family moved a whole bunch which resulted in his primary education being all over USA and UK. Later, in college was when he met Hera’s mother.

Hera’s father, Changbin’s Mother and Lee Know’s father studied in the same primary and school and were known to be the best of friends. Coincidentally, they all got into the same university for their higher education. That was also where they met their own partners.

(To summarise, Hera’s parents, Lee Know’s parents and Changbin’s parents were quite close knit since before their kids were born.)

The Lee’s and Seo’s loved the little things they learnt about the Armani’s’ Indian culture and had a strange list of habits they had picked up from each other. Throughout their years together, they had been to India a couple of times, wanting to learn more about their colourful and beautiful history. In fact, they had even learnt their language, Marathi, as to speak better whenever they visit India.

The three families had settled in the USA for almost seven years when Lee know was born. Just four months later Changbin was born to the Seos’. The three families brought up the boys like real brothers. Not a thing more or less, not a second apart. The boys were around four when the Armani’s announced their pregnancy with their first baby. Without a doubt Hera was the little princes all three families wanted, and the three of them were attached by their hip ever since. Sadly, when Hera was around two months old, her parents passed away in a tragic accident. Both the boys’ families were in absolute distraught. Lee Know and Changbin painfully unaware of how their little best friend would be brought up with her parents. Without a single thought, the Seo’s took her in and nothing changed for the three of them.

Ever since then, they went to same school, same classes, had similar interest and most importantly, cared about Hera like no one else. It was an unspoken pact between the two of them, to care for Hera like none other.

In school, at around first grade was when the three families befriended the Bang’s as a new half Korean family that had moved near their block, from Australia. Now the trio had become a group of four. Soon they met a quite little mischievous genius by the name of Seungmin and developed an instant liking towards him. Then they met the other Lee’s, Felix’s family and by the end of their schooling years, their group was complete after they met a lovely boy by the name of Hyunjin. Besides school, they had a couple other friends by the names of Yunho, Soobin, Mingi, Seonghwa, Gaon, Yeonjun, Wooyong, Jungsu and so many others, but their little trio was indestructible, through all the tests of time.

For further studies, they even travelled together to the UK when Chris left to join an entertainment company in Korea. Till the very minute he left, he tried convincing his friend circle to join the company. It was only once Lee know finished his education, he had managed to convince Changbin to audition for the same company. By this time though, almost of all their friends had left UK and joining some company, or at least knew where or what they wanted to do with their lives. Hera and Seungmin, on the other hand, did not know what to do. They were quite sure that they did want to join the entertainment industry the way their friends did. Hera was an incredibly skilled artist and wanted to purse a career in fine arts but somewhere at the back of her mind, she wanted to own her very own tattoo parlour with Changbin. Seungmin was blessed with an angelic voice and took training under a professional, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to join the boys just yet.

Gradually, by the end of their education the Kims’ and Seos’ managed to change their minds and at least have them audition for the company. That was how Hera joined the great infamous JYP.

PRE-DEBUT/TRAINEE LIFE

Hera was blessed with beautiful voice and the three of them had even trained for dance professionally together, but her real liking lied towards rapping and playing the drums. Her and Changbin would spend countless hours together, on top of his car, listening to music growing up. That was how Hera auditioned and got selected. It was since childhood that Changbin had always toyed with the name 3racha, but he never really knew what or how he wanted to work towards it.

Once auditioned and accepted, the group of seven was inseparable around the company, all the trainees knew of them and nothing seemed to have caused any sort of problems between them. The boys specialised in their areas of liking and so did Hera, alongside training. They met a number of other groups through their years of training and made countless more friends. Chris introduced two new adorable members to their gang. Them being Jeongin and Han. Gradually, Han, Bang Chan Changbin and Hera began hanging out and Changbin decided to throw the idea of 3racha. They were all in. The boys and Hera spent countless hours working on their music. But just as they proposed the idea of their group debut on Soundcloud to JYP, he rejected the idea, saying he did not like the idea of a rap group with just a single female member and that was not something JYP’s label would stand. BUT he forgot that they were not the ones to listen to him. Hera still forced the boys to launch their group on Soundcloud but without her. She became their honorary member.

That was until one little fact began bothering them. It was when all their staff would try to separate them apart. They would force Hera to go on diets that would make her unhealthy and the boys were not about it. But not to worry, Neither was Hera. She ate what she wanted, did whatever she liked, and was what set them apart, they were infamous for being revolting and rebellious. The staff began noting on it and started pushing them further apart, till a point then Chris finally decided to have a chat with JYP himself. He asked him if he could put a group together for their debut.

DEBUT WITH STRAY KIDS

Through the countless retorts, snap backs, taunts and discouraging remarks from her own company, Hera had stably decided to be a part of Chan’s group and in 2018, they had successfully debuted as Stray Kids.

Almost instantly she became well known in the industry for being the only female member of an otherwise, all boys band. Besides that people were very quick to comment on how insanely talented this new group was. On stage as well as off stage, she was always faced with criticism and backlash for her skills, talents, charm, good looks, or simply for being the only girl, but not once did any of the boys let her feel alone. If they sensed any kind of disagreement between the staff and her, she would always handle it professionally, if not Chan being the amazing leader would always save the situation.

Behind their backs, they were constantly fighting off dating allegations and other rumours that were quick to spark up. Hera being Hera, loved to stirp up every single time the media would come up with something new.

Because Lee Know, Changbin and Hera basically grew up as a single unit, they knew their friendship was something the Korean media would have a field time over. Every now and then, their handsy touching, their constant flirting, them picking on each other apart or them simply existing, would spark up rumours they would love to instigate. Honestly, only Chan and JYP knew what they had signed up for, putting these three together. They were the definition of notorious rebels.

[mybeingthere]

John Kelly has been described variously as an awkward bugger (Fergal Gaynor, 2007) and a free radical (Guangzhou Triennale, 2008), and whilst these observations are no doubt true his awkward radical behaviour leads to some interesting results.

John Kelly was born in 1965. His father, from Cork, and mother from Bristol, the family immigrated to Australia the same year. Due to his birth, heritage and circumstance John now holds three passports and therefore is an Englishman, an Australian and an Irishman. Kelly has lived in all three countries and for the past two decades has resided in west Cork, Ireland. His work has been collected into the Yale Center for British Art, USA, the National Gallery of Australia, the Crawford Gallery, Ireland and the Guangdong Museum in Guangzhou China, MONA, Tasmania, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Art Gallery of New South Wales, etc.

In 1985 Kelly obtained a Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts Painting) from RMIT University, Melbourne, where he also completed his Masters of Arts in 1995. As a winner of the 1995 Anne & Gordon Samstag International Visual Arts Scholarship, he travelled to London to study as an Affiliate Student at the Slade School of Art from 1996 to 1997.

As a painter, sculptor and printmaker Kelly engages across mediums and also writes, having written for Art Monthly (Australia & UK) and Circa magazine (Ireland), The Jackdaw (London) and Daily review (Australia). In 2017 he was nominated for a Walkley Award for Arts Journalism.

[k00253353]

Research images and art that interested me

Looking at these prints and etchings in this print book really highlighted the idea for me to do the small observational paintings on the a5 paper. It inspired the idea to emulate the mixed media of both painting and print.

It feels surreal that these etchings and print are almost hundreds of years old. Some of them feel extremely modern or even ahead of their time. A favourite Ive picked out is Yoshijiro Urushibara.

Born in 1888 as Yoshijiro in Tokyo, Urushibara Mokuchu pursued the study of woodblock printmaking. In 1910, he seized the opportunity to travel to London as part of a group of craftsmen, showcasing the Japanese 'mokuhanga' technique at a British-Japanese exhibition. The Meiji government systematically supported exhibitions of Japanese handicrafts and art in Europe and the USA as part of Japanese exports

(source https://www.artelino.com/articles/urushibara-mokuchu.asp)

[4eternal-life]

Michael Kenna  /English photographer, b. 1953

Northern England 1983-1986 [SIGNED]

PUBLISHER: Paso Robles, California: Nazraeli Press, 2021 EDITION: 1st Edition

© 2023 Vincent Borrelli, Bookseller

"This book is an early vignette from Michael Kenna's far-reaching photographic odyssey. Some of these photographs, made almost forty years ago, are familiar, even famous, but many have never been seen before. They have been lying in wait, stored in a series of negative files. Normally, Kenna travels extensively and is not able to keep up with printing his extensive collection of negatives. It took the Covid pandemic and lockdown for him to search through his archives, rediscover these long-forgotten images, and print them in his darkroom. These photographs reveal a Northern England from Kenna’s youth that, for the most part, no longer exists."

Kenna was born in the small industrial town of Widnes in northwest England. The youngest of six children, Kenna grew up in a poor, working-class, Irish-Catholic family. He attended a seminary school for seven years with the intention of becoming a priest, after which he studied at the Banbury School of Art and later at the London College of Printing, before moving to the USA in the late seventies. The adjoining counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire, where Kenna photographed in the early eighties, have much in common regarding their industrial development. Fiercely competitive, they share a border, a spine of mountains known locally as the Pennines, which helps to produce rain. The rise of a powerful cotton and wool industry, and the building of innumerable mills, canals, railways, chimneys and terraced worker houses, have been attributed in part to these high levels of precipitation. The local textile industry proliferated until the second half of the twentieth century, when there was a sudden, rapid decline and eventual decimation. It was during this precise time period that Kenna returned to the area to photograph, during the day and also at night. Kenna's early photographs of England launched his career and brought him international acclaim; yet it wasn’t until last year, 2020, that he revisited this particular body of work to find many unprinted images.

[vlkphoto]

Scrambled Eggs to Bugs Bunny

Léger & Gregory murals bookend the expanse of the United Nations General Assembly Hall. New York City, NY.

Swept panorama.

Mural, East Wall (Scrambled Eggs) Mural, West Wall (Bugs Bunny) The United Nations General Assembly Hall is flanked by two large murals designed by French artist Fernand Léger (1881 – 1955).  In the artist’s early works he created a personal form of cubism, which gradually evolved into a more figurative, populist style. He took imagery from the modern age including consumer materials and is sometimes considered the first Pop-Artist. While in New York, he was struck by the advertisements on Broadway which influenced some of his work, such as colours outlined in black. He practised, studied, and taught at the Sorbonne in Paris, at Yale University, Connecticut, and in Oakland, California, and returned to France in 1945. His work was featured at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2013. The mural on the east wall consists of red, white and dark blue organic shapes on a dark grey background. Upon seeing the mural in 1952, President Harry S. Truman from USA, referred to it as “Scrambled Eggs,” thus dubbing a long-standing nickname for the work. The mural on the west wall is a free-form creation in blue, white and orange on a dark grey base. US President Harry S. Truman called it “Bugs Bunny” upon seeing it in 1952, thus dubbing a long-standing nickname for the work. For these two murals, Leger was unable travel to the United States himself. Leger made the designs and prepared two maquettes of the murals but then gave them to his former student, Bruce Gregory, who traveled and executed the two murals.   Bruce Gregory (1917 – 2002) was an accomplished artist and teacher. He was exhibited in several museums including, MoMA in New York City, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA, and Foster Harmon Galleries of American Art, Naples & Sarasota, FL. The mural was an anonymous gift through the American Association for the United Nations and was presented to the UN on 31 December 1952. Donor Region: Others (Institutions, Foundations, Individuals) Donor: Anonymous (through American Association for the United Nations) Classification: Paintings & Works on Paper Materials: Mixed Medium: Mixed media on plaster on metal mesh Location (Building): General Assembly (GA) Location floor: 2nd Floor Donation Date: September 19, 1952/December 19, 1952 Artist or Maker: Fernand Léger and Bruce Gregory Dimensions: 34 x 34 ft.

[beyourselfchulanmaria]

My memories 我的回憶

有人說：寒冷的地方，荷蓮較不易生存；但我曾在美東北照料過這一池的荷蓮，她們盛開與凋零一如季節更迭之無情，卻不只一次訴說著美麗豈止是『出汙泥而不染』。

除了蘭花之外，荷蓮是我最愛的花卉之一。

當年那筆藝術講學金雖然對求學飢渴的我來說來得正是時候，卻也是今生一次最辛苦和最殘酷的一課：「天下沒有白吃的午餐。」 同時，我也將這一課完整傳授給我的子女；他們是我做為戰士的泉源，因此我不能倒下。人生不是賺到而是學到。

ℒan ~*  

[cmpstn]

Evelyne Axell

Evelyne Axell was a Belgian pop artist known for her politically charged erotic paintings that transcended the boundaries of what was her socio-political reality. 

Born in the 30s and lived through the 60s

She studied pottery after high school then switched to drama, initially beginning a career as an actress. She married Jean Antoine, a film director who specialized in art documentaries for Belgian television…. Now, Axell was not her given name… her given name was Devaux. (father Andre Devaux)... She changed her name to Axell for acting career purposes. She worked as an interviewer in a documentary about avant garde artists, a television announcer, performed in a variety of theatrical and televised plays, and starred in several movies, one being the provocative Le Crocidile en peluche that she wrote herself. 

Side note: she had a baby somewhere in between all of this. I have to make note of that because it’s a reminder of how magnificent women are…

carrying on…

After some time she then quit her career as an actress and went on to pursue painting. 

Not trying to be an encourage-er of quiters… but lets normalize this. Lets normalize changing directions when you are no longer fulfilled or satisfied with what you’re doing.

 I’m assuming Evelyne had a strong desire to create, whatever it was she was supposed to be creating was a journey within itself she was trying to figure out… or maybe it was just about exploring… leaving no stone unturned. 

So, apparently surrealist painter Rene Magritte, was a friend of her husband’s, and she was able to gain him as a mentor. They visited with each other 2 times a month over the course of a year and worked on developing and improving her oil painting technique. 

Evelyne and her husband travelled a lot for work.  On one of these trips she went to London with Antoine while he was putting together a production to spotlight pop artists. She met a few of these artists in their studios and became so influenced and enamored that she started to form her own style of Pop art, being one of the first Belgian artists to explore this style of painting. 

She faced difficulties getting her paintings shown in galleries and in hopes of being taken more seriously as a female artist, she began using the androgenous name Axell professionally.

Like just Axell.. Period. And signing her paintings as Axell.

Her work is an intoxicating mix of art historical- and self-reference, formal originality, and a playful sense of political awareness. She was a protofeminist who was aware of the discrimination of women at that time and was mocking about certain things.

Her signature was the spherical blue glasses that she wore and often showed up in her artworks. She merged herself with a number of figures she depicted.

Her artwork speaks about the body and sensuality, about social limitations, taboos and their transgression in ways that invite the viewer to think outside the traditional borders of their social, political, or religious context. Axell's work is not just pioneering feminist art; it's the "outstanding quality" of it: her striking use of fresh, contemporary colors; her notable application of unusual materials, her surprising use of jutting layers to build highly original works that evade clear definition; and lastly, her refusal to be pinned in by art movements, be it pop or nouveau réalism, or even the surrealism of her one-time teacher Magritte, whose influence is apparent in her early work.

Axell's life was tragically cut short in a fatal accident outside of Ghent, Belgium, in September 1972. However, her legacy lives on, and her final piece, "L’herbe folle," is a testament to her creative brilliance. Axell's art continues to inspire and provoke conversation about social and political issues today.

Credits below:

[artmialma]

Arthur Henry Knighton Hammond (1875-1970)  British

The Artist's Model

Hammond studied art in evening classes at the local school of art in Nottingham.

Hammond moved to London in 1900, which was followed by meteoric success with numerous commissions.

Hammond exhibited at The Royal Academy as well as at Manchester and Stockport.

From 1924, Hammond showed with the Beaux Arts Gallery in London, The Fine Art Society, Frost & Reed, Goupil and many others. From 1933, he exhibited almost continuously at the Pastel Society.

Hammond visited the USA, painting dynamic interiors of the Dow Chemical Plant in Michigan and travelled throughout Europe and the British Isles.

Augustus John was quoted as saying "That man is the greatest painter in watercolours of our time".

[the-al-chemist]

Cleopatra Sara Rai Hexley

Cleo Hexley transferred to Hogwarts School from Ilvermorny for her NEWTs, with dreams of becoming a magical art historian and anthropologist. It soon transpired, however, that the majority of Cleo’s peers were more interested in her face than her mind. After she grew tired of being the face of the Egwu fashion house, Cleo embarked on a career as a tour guide for Globus Mundi Wizarding Travel Agents, where she was able to use her looks, charms, and knowledge, all at once.

Profile

Born: 24th May 2000 (Gemini)

Hometown: New York, New York, USA/Camden Town, London, England

Nationality/Ethnicity: Mixed White British/British Indian, born and raised between America and the U.K.

Blood status: Half-Blood

Gender identity: witch (she/her)

Sexuality: bicurious.

Personality

Myers-Briggs Type: ENFP (Campaigner)

Strengths: clever, charming, curious, quick-witted, creative, hard-working.

Weaknesses: nosy, stubborn, defeatist, hates to be wrong, vain/proud, insecure.

Interests/hobbies: history, art history, psychology, anthropology, fashion, writing, reading, painting.

Appearance

Height: as an adult, 5’9”

Weight: as an adult, 58kg

Hair: dark brown, almost black, thick, wavy-curly.

Eyes: brown with a ring of green around pupil.

Skin: brown.

Defects: none.

Style: Varies - Cleo receives many gifts of clothing from wizarding fashion outlets, which means that she is easily able to keep up with the latest trends. At home, she will wear whatever she feels most comfortable in, which is usually either lounge/sportswear or loose-fitting clothes made from light, floaty materials.

Faceclaim: Simone Ashley

Witchcraft

Wand: Cherry and Wampus Cat Hair

This very rare wand wood creates a wand of strange power, most highly prized by the wizarding students of the school of Mahoutokoro in Japan, where those who own cherry wands have special prestige. The Western wand-purchaser should dispel from their minds any notion that the pink blossom of the living tree makes for a frivolous or merely ornamental wand, for cherry wood often makes a wand that possesses truly lethal power, whatever the core.

Animagus form: none.

Patronus: bat.

Boggart: the floor beneath her turns into a view from a great height.

Riddikulus: none - Cleo has found that the best way to get rid of her Boggart is to jump/step on it.

Amortentia (what does she smell?): Cleo has never smelt amortentia before.

Amortentia (what does she smell like?): amber, ink, wisteria, speculoos.

Magical abilities: Occlumency.

At Ilvermorny

Ilvermorny House: Thunderbird

Best subjects: Magical Theory, History of Magic, Ancient Studies

Worst Subjects: Flying (Cleo has an extreme fear of heights!)

At Hogwarts

Hogwarts House: none, temporary student.

Best subject(s): History of Magic, Muggle Studies

Worst subject(s): none - Cleo arrived in the N.E.W.T. year and only chose subjects that she enjoyed/was good at.

N.E.W.T. Subjects: History of Magic, Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies, Astronomy, Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts.

Quidditch position: none.

After Hogwarts

July 2018-February 2019: Apprentice at the Department of Magical Artefacts, British Ministry of Magic

December 2018-January 2021: Model and muse for the Egwu fashion house.

March 2021-present: tour organiser, Globus Mundi travel agency.

Relationships

Family:

Jacob Hexley (father) and Angelica Cole (mother) - Cleo’s parents separated when she was very young, but maintain a somewhat cordial relationship, if only for her sake. Cleo spent her childhood between her parents’ homes and is close with both of them, but sometimes feels as if they have too high expectations for her - she is not as academic as her father, nor is she as brave as her troll-trainer and former Quidditch champion mother, neither of whom were particularly happy with her decision to leave her career in magical artefact restoration barely after it had begun.

Sara Kowalski-Hexley (grandmother) - Cleo’s grandmother Sally is always hard to read. Though somewhat distant, she is generally affectionate to Cleo, even if she occasionally seems to put up walls around herself.

Artemis Hexley (aunt) - Cleo has only met her aunt a handful of times, but she has heard plenty of stories about her from her father.

Quentin Kowalski (second cousin) - cousin Quentin is a Quidditch prodigy, the youngest ever Chaser to make the US National team. He has tried to encourage Cleo onto a broom many times, never with much success.

Friends:

Rylie Hopper-Lee - Rylie was tasked with looking after Cleo when she first arrived at Hogwarts, and the two bonded over their love of art, history, ancient runes, and ice cream @thatravenpuffwitch

Danielle Parkin - Dana was the first person to make a point of introducing herself to Cleo, and after discovering a mutual love of trashy romance novels, became book sharing buddies @lifeofkaze

Zadie Taylor-Allen and Victoire Weasley - Cleo and Victoire vaguely knew each other through their families, and both she and Zadie were always pleasant to Cleo during her time at Hogwarts, unlike one of their friends…

Andre Egwu - Cleo was ‘discovered’ by the head designer of the Egwu fashion house at sixteen, and after agreeing to the occasional fashion shoot to get a bit of extra pocket money, eventually signed up to work for him as a full-time model, having grown tired of no one taking her seriously in the field she was working in. Though he is somewhat judgemental, Cleo appreciates Andre’s ability to see and say things as they are, and he quickly became a sort of surrogate uncle figure to her.

Love interests: None, yet.

Pets: Cleo’s father owns a few owls, but she has no pets herself.

Rivals:

Rory McTavish - Rory is just the worst, honestly. Cleo doesn’t understand what Rylie sees in him.

Reva Amari - Reva and Cleo have absolutely nothing in common, and so a close friendship was never on the cards. Unfortunately, Reva seemed to take Cleo’s disinterest personally. @lifeofkaze

Duncan Ludwig - Duncan and Cleo immediately got off on the wrong foot after Duncan decided to prank her shortly after arriving at Hogwarts. He was nothing but friendly to her after that, but Cleo hasn’t been able to trust him since. @usernoneexistent

Ancestry: as the daughter of Jacob Hexley, Cleo is the descendent of Jim and Héloïse Hexley, Ophelia Burke, and Jacob and Queenie Kowalski. Via her French lineage, she is a direct descendant of Morgan Le Fay.

[rabbitcruiser]

Skyscraper Appreciation Day

Take a trip to the grandest skyscraper in your area and appreciate the architectural marvel, or appreciate an entire skyline from just outside a city.

Climb to the highest of man-made heights in observance and celebration of Skyscraper Appreciation Day!

History of Skyscraper Appreciation Day

Skyscraper Appreciation Day was initiated and founded by Dr. Tom Stevens. Interestingly, it was created so that the general public could admire the structural and architectural brilliance of skyscrapers. Furthermore, it also celebrates the triumph of reason, as well as man’s ability to construct industrial masterpieces that go far beyond expectations.

This important day is situated on the anniversary of the birth of one of architecture’s most important and famous names, William Van Alen. Back in 1883, this native of Brooklyn, New York was born and, after studying in Paris, Van Alen would eventually go on to design the famous, art-deco style Chrysler Building, which is one of New York City’s most iconic and well-known landmarks.

In today’s world, skyscrapers continue to push the limits of architecture, offering a wide range of features. For instance, Taipei 101, is the world’s tallest and largest green and sustainable building, while The Shard in London has a unique layout of a “vertical city”, where a person could theoretically live and never leave!

Skyscraper Appreciation Day offers a wide range of opportunities to learn more, join in on events, and generally have a soaring celebration in honor of these architectural feats!

How to Celebrate Skyscraper Appreciation Day

It might be a whole lot of fun to celebrate Skyscraper Appreciation Day by undertaking one or more of the following activities:

Visit a Skyscraper

In honor of Skyscraper Appreciation Day, an interesting activity would be to venture to a skyscraper, whether close to where you live or far away, and marvel at its architectural beauty. Cities all over the world can be visited in celebration of the day, giving a nod of appreciation to these feats of architectural mastery. Consider visiting one of these famous skyscrapers from around the globe:

Burj Khalifa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Built in 2010, this one will stand as the tallest building in the world for more than a decade, at 2722 feet, holding at least 19 records.

One World Trade Center, New York City, USA. Officially the tallest building in the western hemisphere, this one was built in 2014 and stands at 1776 feet, as a nod to the year that the US gained her independence.

The Petronas Tower, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Not just a single, but a double, this one holds the record for the tallest twin tower in the world, joined by a skybridge at the 41st and 42nd floors.

Gran Torre Santiago, Santiago, Chile. The tallest building in South America was opened in 2013 and offers a postmodern style for its 62 floors.

Host a Skyscraper Themed Party

Have a skyscraper themed day where friends, family members or coworkers are encouraged to dress up as famous skyscrapers from around the world. This type of event is likely to get off the ground more for those who work at an architectural firm or with building contractors, but people with regular jobs can certainly try it out as well!

Learn Fun Facts About Skyscrapers

A super way to pay honor and respect on Skyscraper Appreciation Day would be to learn some fun facts to share in raising awareness for the day. Kids and adults alike will be interested in these bits of trivia about skyscrapers:

The world’s first skyscraper is considered to be the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, built in 1885.

The world’s fastest skyscraper elevator is located in the Shanghai Tower in China.

Certain skyscrapers can actually affect the weather, creating wind tunnels when multiple skyscrapers are built near each other.

Create a Skyscraper Themed Photo Collection

Folks who are avid travelers to cities, or who are photographers, might want to take this opportunity to sort through all of those favorite skyscraper photos and add them to the “Photos” section of the Skyscraper Appreciation Day Facebook page.

Source

[hannahz-scstudyabroad]

Day in the life: Classes in Prague 2/15/2023

Normally, I would love to share my travels through this blog but today I wanted to share a day in my life with classes.

There are some academic differences when coming to Europe, the main thing for me was that classes meet once a week but for three hours (with one 15 minute break). When applying for classes I decided the best thing for me and what I wanted to get out of studying abroad was to try to fit my classes so that I could have extended weekends to travel. Thus, I decided to take three classes on Tuesday and one on Thursday.

Once I got here though, I realized even though I love having one day dedicated to classes, it is a really tough day to get through. 

My first alarm is set for 6:45am, then I snooze until my second alarm comes at 7am. Today my first class is at Anglo American University (AAU) at 815 am. I get ready, do my ablutions, and make a cup of coffee to bring with me. I am out of the apartment by 740 am. The public transport is amazing with options of both a tram and a metro. To get to AAU, it is a 10 minute walk to the green line of the metro, then ride 4 stops, then you are right there on campus! The crazy thing about the metro here though is how deep the metro actually is, the escalator going down is super freaky. Honestly, the closest comparison in the USA is the Washington DC Metro, but Prague is even deeper. 

Once I got to AAU, I had my first class of the day, European History II. The class is an introductory class that has the exact credit translation for my Non-US History requirement which is perfect, except the only time the class is offered is 8:15am. Additionally, I am the only student that is on a semester exchange in this class, the rest are full-time AAU students from all over the world. I ended up sitting next to a girl from Israel! The class was a lecture for the first hour, where we discussed the Renaissance and then we took a 15 minute break, where students could grab a coffee at the cafe below, which was exactly what I did (only way to survive a 10 hour class day). The discussion is super interesting as we all since all students got to express their opinions. 

The class got out early so I had an hour to get to my class, which was my Food and Brewing Class at the CEA Center. The walk is so beautiful between my two classes, with my passing over the bridge and walking through Old Town Square. 

Since I had extra time, I decided to sit on a bench in Old Town Square and journal for a little bit. I am trying to write daily in my journal to my boyfriend, Jack, to make it seem that the 4,810 miles between us is not as far as it actually is.  

My next two classes are with Ashley which is awesome. Both of my CEA classes are not general education classes, rather they are both culturally based classes. Today in our Food and Brewing class we went to a local Czech restaurant to try the food and drink some beer (yes, I said that right, I drank beer in class). 

I got the Pork Schnitzel and a Pilsner, which is a Czech beer. It was interesting to see the cultural differences between both cultures. Coasters need to be already set out by the customer for drinks and tipping culture is not a thing at all here, at most 10% tip for exceptional service. The food was absolutely delicious. To compare, the schnitzel was like a chicken fried steak and it was served with mashed potatoes and pickles (my favorite). 

After my Food and Brewing Class, I had my Golden City of Prague class, which is very interesting because it is an architecture and art history class that is specific with Prague and the Czech Culture. Honestly, I learned so much in this class. We go to the classroom for an hour and then go on a field trip for the rest of the class to different places in Prague that we discussed in class.

 Today, we toured Prague Castle, specifically the Cathedral.

The whole complex was insane. Prague was considered the center of Europe during part of the Medieval Era and seeing different mosaics on the cathedral from that era was so insane to me. 

The other thing that interested me was how little crowds there were. It is just so insane how a city like Prague has not gotten as much international attention when it comes to tourism and history. It is one of those cities where everyday there is something new to learn and discover. Honestly, Prague is the exact picture of a European city that I have always thought growing up and not only am I fortunate to be able to experience this city and live here for 4 months, I am fortunate to be able to learn and gain a different perspective on the educational aspect as well. 

This blog post took a detour through a “love letter to Prague” but after the Prague Castle, it was time to take the tram back to my apartment in Prague 2, around a 15 minute ride and I got home around 6pm. Even though the day was long, it speeds by every week because of all the new, interesting information that I am learning in all of my classes. 

I am loving it here, studying and indulging in all aspects of the city. It is amazing. 

Also, I know I am a little bit late with this blog post but don’t worry… There is one based on my travels coming by the end of the weekend! I went to two different countries the past two weekends and can’t wait to share those adventures with you all!