“Un Tour de Manège” (A Ride on a Fairground Carousel) is an enchanting animated short film by Les Manèges, four young French filmmakers from Gobelins in Paris. The film is a metaphoric fairy tale in which a magical carousel takes a little girl on the ocean voyage of a lifetime. It’s a story about childhood fears of early separation from the mother, and of being thrust all alone into the vast ocean of life.
On the little girl’s voyage she’s cast adrift in the ocean where other carousels abound, some inhabited by boys with threatening wolves, and where she must navigate dangerous whirlpools with the assistance of fluttering insects. In the end, the girl is magically saved and returned to the soothing arms of her mother, at which point she secretly turns to the audience and mischievously winks to let us know that in spite of the dangers, she had quite enjoyed herself.
This piece includes a number of pastel watercolor illustrations from the film, as well as the enchanting animated short, “Un Tour de Manège.”
Please visit my website to view the colorful illustrations and this wonderful film:
“Between” is a 4-minute short experimental film by the German filmmaker Tim Bollinger. The film has been described as a dark, surreal piece that travels through grounds and walls and into moments stuck in time. As Bollinger describes it, “It’s a journey through worlds of the subconscious, allowing us to catch sinister glimpses of the human psyche’s ambivalence.” Its complex combinations and the resulting visions evoke a stroll in between different senses, caught up in an endless loop within our inner life, where the exit is the only entrance.
This piece includes a number of color photographs from the film, as well as the surreal experimental short, “Between.”
To view the photographs and the short film please visit:
Steven Wiltshire (born in 1974) is an accomplished architectural artist who has been diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder. Wiltshire’s work has been the subject of many television documentaries; neurologist Oliver Sacks praised his artistic work in the chapter “Prodigies” in his book “An Anthropologist on Mars.” Stephen Wiltshire’s many published art books include “Cities” (1989), “Floating Cities” (1991) and “Stephen Wiltshire’s American Dream” (1993).
Wiltshire is presently working to complete his last drawing in a series of city panoramas, this time of his spiritual home, New York City. Wiltshire’s collection of already completed works depicting some of the world’s most iconic cities already includes London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Rome, Madrid, Frankfurt, Dubai and Jerusalem. A 20-minute fly-over Manhattan this past weekend provided the memory for a 20-foot panorama of the city that he’s drawing throughout this week at Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute. Viewers can watch his progress on a live web cam or by visiting the Institute while he works from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday, Oct. 26 to Friday, Oct. 30, 2009.
This piece includes a number photographs, a slide show of Stephen Wiltshire's work, a video of Wiltshire's current work drawing the panorama of New York City and a live web cam of him at work on the panorama.Steven Wiltshire (born in 1974) is an accomplished architectural artist who has been... more
“Drift Away” is a beautiful, but sadly melancholy 4-minute short film directed by Jean-Julien Pous and produced by Sophia Shek. During the course of the film, a gracious and ethereal young woman slowly and silently glides all alone through the busily teeming streets of Hong Kong. During the earliest part of the film, it’s somewhat difficult to discern exactly what’s going on, or even what the movie’s theme might be, except possibly a visual rendering of the emotional deadness of anomie and anhedonia in contemporary urban life. The attractive young woman’s eyes acutely capture everything around her, but only the movie’s camera can catch her own eyes.
Sadly, it’s probably true that only when you’re really able to lose yourself in something or someone else, only then will you finally become capable of an emotional investment in yourself, another person and/or the world around you. Lacking that, the despairing message for people left with a desolately barren life in the midst of the intensely seething modern world is something like: “Pour your misery down, pour your misery down on me.”
This piece includes a number of color photographs from the film, as well as the beautiful short film, “Drift Away.”“Drift Away” is a beautiful, but sadly melancholy 4-minute short film directed by... more
“All Hail to Taxi Cabs!” is a superb collection of beautiful photographs taken of taxi cabs from all around the world. From our own experiences as passengers riding in the cabs cruising around our towns and cities, many of the photographs of taxis presented here are both old and rare, and can elicit both feelings of nostalgic reminiscence and memories from earlier times in our lives.
But these remarkable photographs reflect a deeper emotional perspective, that of the often isolated life of the taxicab driver. “Are you talkin’ to me? Well, I’m the only one here,” said Travis Bickle in “Taxi Driver.” This last line has seldom ever been quoted, yet it stands as perhaps the truest line in the film. In a sense, taxi drivers represent people with desperate needs to make some kind of contact, to share or mimic the effortless social interactions they see all around them, but in which they can’t or don’t really participate. This feeling of utter loneliness is at the center of the film “Taxi Driver.” We have all felt as alone as Travis. Fortunately, most of us are better at dealing with it.
This piece includes a number of stunning, thought-provoking color photographs, as well as a remarkable slide show of additional photographs.“All Hail to Taxi Cabs!” is a superb collection of beautiful photographs taken of... more
"As exaggerated as many popular depictions of psychopaths often are, many nevertheless do pose a genuine danger to others. So what makes psychopaths the way they are?
Scientists are now working toward uncovering the roots of this disorder in the brain. Their research could lead to ways to intervene against the disorder and hopefully prevent it from manifesting.
But answers remain elusive, in part because it's no easy (or safe) task to study the brain of the typical psychopath.
"Psychopaths are often big trouble for those around them," said clinical psychologist Joseph Newman at the University of Wisconsin. "If we can find out what underlies their problems, we might be able to identify what kinds of interventions might be able to work for them."
"Criminal psychopaths are about three times more likely to commit violence than other offenders and about two-and-a-half times more likely to commit other antisocial acts such as lying and sexual exploitation," Newman explained.
"Although not all psychopaths are violent, their kind of behavior is very destructive socially, and hurts our trust of other people," he added. "And many people in prison who might otherwise be treated sympathetically aren't given the chance they deserve because people have trouble distinguishing them from true psychopaths."
Scientists investigating the disorder commonly agree that psychopaths are often marked by the following traits:
* Lack of empathy, guilt, conscience or remorse
* Shallow experiences of feelings or emotions
* Impulsivity and a weak ability to defer gratification and control behavior
* Superficial charm and glibness
* Irresponsibility and a failure to accept responsibility for their actions
* A grandiose sense of their own worth
"There are people who are impulsive, at high risk of substance abuse, who are high in emotionality, whom many people call psychopaths, but that is more what we'd call an externalizing syndrome," Newman said. Many scientists researching psychopathy see it as an emotionally cold disorder.
Past research, including studies with twins, suggest there is a genetic predisposition to psychopathy. Still, it remains uncertain how much their environment influences the development of the disorder. "Just because one has a predisposition doesn't mean that they have to end up behaving that way," Newman said.
It remains hard to get to the root of psychopathy, since the most recognizable group of psychopaths are criminals, "and bringing prisoners out to get their brains scanned puts a lot of people in risk, so it's very complicated to do," Newman said.
Still, understanding the roots of psychopathy in the brain hopefully will lead "to an ability to identify and negate the problem,," Newman said. "By finding out what predisposes someone toward psychopathy and how these vulnerabilities interact with the environment to give rise to a full-blown case of the disorder, I believe one might be able to prevent the unfortunate development of psychopathy.""As exaggerated as many popular depictions of psychopaths often are, many nevertheless... more
“Moments” is a stunning short film by filmmaker Will Hoffman, in collaboration with New York City’s Radio Lab. At first glance, the film is simply a mere collection of ordinary moments, such as: a falling teardrop, an escaped balloon, a dive into a pool, a school bus. But far from being just a series of mundane images, “Moments” ends up delivering a cascade of visual poignancy that makes you realize how universal these glimpses are. It’s so very powerfully engaging, like taking your whole life and strolling it past a long hall of mirrors.
The film is evidence that even the smallest things we see every day, when carefully framed, can ache with ignored beauty. There is an infinite potential of unrealized moments in the experiences of our everyday lives, which points to the over-arching importance of living neither in the distant past nor in the far reaches of the future, but rather in our everyday experiences of the here-and-now.
This piece presents a number of stunning color photographs and the amazing HD short film, “Moments."“Moments” is a stunning short film by filmmaker Will Hoffman, in collaboration... more
“So Deep In Your Room” is the new short film by Jacob Mendel, a work that continues and extends the themes of some of his earlier films, such as “The Waking Artist”and “Rooms.” “The Waking Artist” followed the life of a desolate, joy-deprived man who was incapable of feeling or showing any sense of exuberance, while “Rooms” portrayed life as little more than reminiscent echoes of the past.
Mendel describes “So Deep In Your Room” as a morally decadent tale about failed love triangle, told in a multi-screen cinematic narrative. This stark film noir emphasizes a moral ambiguity about sexual feelings and love, representing a life of extreme asceticism, through cold-hearted, dark imagery of the collapse of Eros (love) into Thanatos (death).
This piece includes a number of photographs and the short film, “So Deep In Your Room.”“So Deep In Your Room” is the new short film by Jacob Mendel, a work that... more
This photograph is an awe-inspiring tribute to a quiet passion for the generous art of caring. In its almost minimalist reflection of two hands gently entwined in the darkness, caring becomes the very aesthetics of everyday life. This image provides us with an almost silently unrevealed, yet at the same time solidly strong visual narrative of mutually reciprocal, unquenchable devotion between the older and the younger, the stronger and the more tender. It captures a magical portrait of a nuanced and richly caring sense of being compassionately human.This photograph is an awe-inspiring tribute to a quiet passion for the generous art of... more
“Mindplotter” is an amazing 1/2 min. hardcore animated motion design short film, which the directors describe as a symbol of the creative process for all filmmakers in the field of animation. For them, the act of emerging creativity involves being able to switch between two stages, inspiration and creation. Creativity is represented as the duality and interpenetration of the internal and outer world, consisting of both a calm and beautiful sea creature confronted with the menacing violence generated by a metallic fighting machine. “Mindplotter” conceives of creativity as the interaction of peaceful introspection with aggressive acts into the external world, violently staking its claim to artistic innovation.
However, while it professes to understand creativity as a mutually interactive duality, rather than in terms of polar opposites, the film’s view of artistic creativity as one that aggressively establishes itself by destroying the old order of things is in fact a polarized one. “Mindplotter” disregards the many possibilities of more peaceful declarations of creative discovery. In this way, the film fails to pay attention to or recognize the fact that by choosing to go down one road, the course of dark and destructive aggressiveness, there were an infinite number of other paths not taken, paths that might well have turned out to be as good or even better.
This piece includes a number of colorful illustrations from the film, as well as the stunning hardcore animated motion design short film, “Mindplotter.”“Mindplotter” is an amazing 1/2 min. hardcore animated motion design short film,... more
“The Chimney Sweep” is a wonderful stop-motion animation by Joseph Mann, set high atop an Edinburgh roof. It’s a delightful animated short, but it’s also so very much more than that. “The Chimney Sweep” quickly and deeply engages the viewer in reflections about issues of developing caring, mutually reciprocal relationships with another. The film quietly provides a gentle illustration of both our needs for the other and the other’s similar wishes, needs for a co-constructed personal involvement that is distinctively characterized by a sense of caring, mutual recognition.
This piece includes a number of beautiful illustrations and the HD animated short, “The Chimney Sweep.”“The Chimney Sweep” is a wonderful stop-motion animation by Joseph Mann, set high... more
“Maestro” is an emotionally touching short film by Matthew Peter Frederick. The film shows the feelings of tormented struggle experienced by a young aspiring musician who is stifled by the modern day schooling system as he tries to find his way to make his mark. It shows how rigidly linear thinking and demands seek to prevent access to the many other paths one might take in life’s journey. This short film is presented in a sense of gratitude to those who yearn to seek a different way of finding personal fulfillment, as well as of making new, enriching contributions to the lives of others.
This piece is an admiring recognition for all of them.
Includes a number of color photographs and the short film, “Maestro.”“Maestro” is an emotionally touching short film by Matthew Peter Frederick. The... more
The psychological capacity to be alone, as opposed to feeling lonely, is said to be the foundation for a sense of the self or of who we are. In addition, it nourishes growth promoting introspective thought, imagination and creativity. The media composition presented here today, which is comprised of photographs, a short film and a photo-gallery, represents the beginning of developing a small composition that portrays the differing experiences of loneliness, solitude and being alone. The piece will be modified each day, with a final set of writings, photographs, a short film and a photo-gallery appearing here by January 1st.The psychological capacity to be alone, as opposed to feeling lonely, is said to be... more
Yesterday, The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Wall Street Journal all led with front page stories about yet another horrible day for stocks that sent one clear message: Investors are freaked out. Another grim milestone was reached yesterday as the broad Standard & Poor's 500-stock index plunged 6.7 percent and reached its lowest level since 1997. The Congressional bailouts have failed miserably. The WSJ pointed out that if the index were to finish the year with yesterday's numbers, it would mark "the worst annual percentage drop in its 80-year history."And today's not looking any better!!
Now in Japan, the CEOs of failed and bankrupt banks and corporations take shame seriously. When Japanese CEOs make mistakes, they're expected to make a big show of tearily flogging themselves in public (figuratively). But what's going on here in America?
American corporate CEOs get to screw up as bad as they want and walk away with millions, with nary a tear nor even a nice tip to the bellhop on the way out the door. They problem is that in this country, CEOs are only too happy to trade the scorn of the public for a pile of money.
This article includes a number of great photos and two very darkly satirical videos.Yesterday, The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Wall Street... more
Young children three and four years-old, and many older children (as well as some teenagers), report having imaginary companions. Imaginary friends can provide emotional stability, feelings of competence and a sense of enhanced social perception.
But what happens to one’s imaginary friends when childhood imaginary companions fade away, are rejected or dismissed when real-world opportunities for social interaction become more available and appealing to the child? Where do the poor little imaginary friends go when they die? Are they really gone or dead, or are they still sadly hanging around down here, watching as the real world goes around and passes them by? The animated short film "An Imaginary Life" addresses that very question. At first, this film seems to be light-hearted and humorous, but the issues with which it deals are universally serious ones, matters of rejection, life and death.
This article includes a number of photographs and images, as well as the wonderful animated short film, “An Imaginary Life."Young children three and four years-old, and many older children (as well as some... more
"The Switch" is an acclaimed independent film that received Tropfest short film awards at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. The guiding theme for the 2007 Tropfest competition was the concept of a “slice”, which the juried films portrayed with a variety of techniiques, ranging from incorporating slices of food in a film, to a more subtle psychological "slicing up" of a film's characters, to even slicing the movie screen in half.
"The Switch" weaves an unusual story that reveals the painful experience of a grievously fated intimate attraction. Specifically, the film traces the course of a serendipidous encounter between two people whose surface disparities form the basis of their strong mutual attraction, while a more fundamental difference between them ensures that the yearnings both harbor for the most intimate level of love with each other will be doomed. However, the ending of this film expresses an important message to more attentive viewers about the relational importance of the experience of surprise.
This piece includes a number of photographs and the Tribeca Film Festival award-winning, humorously bittersweet short film, "The Switch.""The Switch" is an acclaimed independent film that received Tropfest short film awards... more
"Left Unsaid" is an experimental short-film that focuses upon the issue of loss, in particular the feelings of loss experienced by children upon their first major encounter with the self-limitations imposed by the external world. This detailed article includes a number of beautiful photographs and the remarkable, thought-provoking short-film, "Left Unsaid.""Left Unsaid" is an experimental short-film that focuses upon the issue of loss, in... more
“Remains to Be Seen” is an unfamiliar, haunting tale from the beyond. This very strange piece is accompanied by a number of stunning photographs. In addition, it presents an original short-film, which is both beguiling and unsettling.“Remains to Be Seen” is an unfamiliar, haunting tale from the beyond. This very... more
This article is dead on and I think I've figured out why she looks so silly to us.
She is 100% a creature of the late 80s, early 90s. Her use of language and gestures is straight out of 1990. And that's when it hit me.
Alaska is 10 maybe 15 years behind. Trends that are set here run their course and then we're on to something else. But those trends and ideas take a while to propagate to Alaska.
So along now comes Palin using words straight out of a game called "Bullshit Bingo". If you don't know what it is Google "Bullshit Bingo" or go here : http://www.bullshitbingo.net/cards/bullshit/
You'll find not only a great game at work but also, amazingly Palin's words.
Stated simpler, there was an idea back in the early 90s that you didn't really have to know subjects very deeply. That all you really had to know was the "Lingo". So for example, you could walk into a meeting, throw out a bullshit line like, "We're going to effort mission critical issues bringing customer relations management on board to more fully monetize the objective."
People would nod their heads, you'd be put in charge, just wonderful.
Problem is that people finally realized they were promoting morons and this was costing them a lot of money. And that brought an end to the good ol' days ... in the lower 48.
But watching Palin, it's dawned on me. She's no clue that we've been there, done that. We see these folks coming a mile away so now when we run into them and they spout off some bullshit, we say, "Cool. Exactly, how do you intend to do that ?. Give me details." At which point they give you that far away, "I just got caught making a poopie" look.
That's when we find that Sarah Palin's depth is ... surprise ... not there.
But she is a Bullshit Bingo player's dream. Last night watching the debate the tension was palpable as several players had only one more square to fill before Palin finally said "quasi-cave" thus causing my neighbor to cover her final square and shout, "Bullshit !" giving her the final win of the night.This article is dead on and I think I've figured out why she looks so silly to us.... more
Actually, now that I've had some more time to think about it from the perspective of a quick character study, while looking more closely at the very interesting photographs of this guy, perhaps I should have described him as “alluring,” rather than “seductive.” “Alluring” suggests, I think, a less cold-hearted stance toward/with others, while “seductive” implies intentionally hard-hearted and calculated schemes to take advantage of others. But the “bare-chested masculine confidence” is certainly a fitting description of the aura he projects.
This is a very handsome, muscular fellow, who most men and women would probably find to be quite attractive. The guy recently won a national title, Mr. America, Mr. American Glamour, Mr. Fascination, or some title like that. Well, at least I know for darn sure that I'm correct about the Mister part. In almost all of the photographs of him, this manly man looks you straight in the eye. In that sense he creates an impression of invitation, with an implication of closeness.
On the other hand, his gaze has a certain vacant quality, conveying a decidedly disinterested air. In other words, there exists a paradox of social attachment or closeness, accompanied by an opposite message of social distance. I'm wondering if this social ambivalence might be somewhat characteristic of people who are celebrities, as well as of people who want or are trying to be celebrities. Anyway, at the very least my comments here have attempted to establish an underlying point that there's nothing improper about looking closely at men who are alluring and very attractive. It's more a matter of how you think about it.
Anyway, this piece presents a number of superb photographs of this stunning fellow. It also include a music video-essay comprised of additional remarkable pictures of him. I won't tell you exactly what music I chose to accompany the video, except to say that I think it's uniquely apt. But you'll just have to watch it to find out.Actually, now that I've had some more time to think about it from the perspective of a... more
