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Oldest Regularly Used Ashkenazi Synagogue Opens to the Public (photos)
Plymouth Synagogue in Plymouth, England is the oldest Ashkenazi synagogue in regular use in the English-speaking world. It will soon be open to the public. Check out these photos from Wednesday, September 3, 2008. Plymouth Synagogue in Plymouth, England is the oldest Ashkenazi synagogue in regular use in the English-speaking world. It will soon b... more
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Giant Spider Takes Liverpool (photos)
Photos from Liverpool, England on Wednesday, September 3, 2008.
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Venice from the Air (photos)
Photos from Venice, Italy during the Venice Film Festival on September 1, 2008.
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First Steel Rises at 9/11 Memorial (photos)
Photos from Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, September 2, 2008.
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The amazing pictures of an artist dangling horizontally out of a skyscraper
Dangling horizontally out of a skyscraper, this hovering figure looks set to fall to his doom.
But this 'jumper' hasn't just lost it all on a game of chance - this is performance art with a difference.
Chinese artist Li Wei has produced an unsettling series of self-portraits involving his face reflected in mirrors in public places, and photographs of himself crashing into walls and sidewalks.
His work is a mixture of performance art and photography that creates illusions of a sometimes dangerous reality.
Creating hair-raising performances to convey his continual sense of lost gravity, Wei has taken his work all over the world from Italy, Spain, Korea and the USA.
"My work and artistic experience are characterised by a unique specificity and particularity," says the 37-year-old artist from Beijing.
"My artistic language is universal and deals with themes about contemporary politics and society using symbols understood by everyone in every part of the world.
"I am fascinated by the unstable and dangerous sides of art and I hope my works reflect these aspects.
Wei's photos, which sell up to $8,000 (£4,200), depict him free falling from tall buildings-pictures that resemble the famous photograph of the French artist Yves Kline hurtling out a window.
"My favourite pieces are the 'Mirror' and the 'Li Wei falls...' series," he says.
"I began my career in the late 1990s, and is most like my Mirror 2000 series, which includes over 40 site-specific performance pieces.
"Using a large mirror, three feet square, with a hole in the centre large enough to accommodate my head and neck, I place my head through the hole and "project" my image onto various historical and urban environments.
"The philosophy that emerges from my work shows the independence of the spiritual values of Chinese artists and the internal peace of a culture."
The artist loves the reaction that his work evokes from people who pass it on the street.
He said: "The first reaction is astonishment. Some people think they are full of sense of humour. They are curious about how I did this.
"Sometimes I am in real danger - I have to hang myself high with steel wires and people do get a little worried for me - but I am fine."
Li Wei sees his art as both a mission to set the scene for the perfect photograph and a perfect performance.
"Each photograph lies with a performance", he said.
"For me, how to express myself and the process is more important. I don't care much about if that's performance or photography."
And he has no intention of letting up with his work and is aiming to go as high as possible.
Li said: "I'll continue creating works in high places.
"I incorporated gravity as one of my main elements. My work and artistic experience are characterised by a unique specificity and particularity.
"My artistic language is universal and deals with themes about contemporary politics and society using symbols understood by everyone in every part of the world.
"Li Wei falls to..' which has led my work to be recognised as the perfect metaphor for the Chinese conquest of the world.
"In these, my body crashes like a meteorite in different contexts." Dangling horizontally out of a skyscraper, this hovering figure looks set to fall to his doom. ... more -
Oasis Live at the WaMu Theater, Seattle, WA
Liam Gallagher steps into the spotlight at the band's first performance of a brief U.S. tour in Seattle on August 26, 2008.
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The Annotated Big Lebowski : Photos
White Russians, bowling alleys and viking fantasies
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America's other convention: Best of the Burning Man 2008 photo galleries
While Democrats and Republicans were talking about the American Dream at their conventions, more than 45,000 other Americans were living out their dream at a wild, technicolor futureworld convention in the Nevada desert — the annual Burning Man festival.
The Burning Man dream evolves and endures every year.
This year a 10-story recycled-steel skyscraper was the center of controversy (and definitely the coolest art installation) on the playa.
A blinding eight-hour dust storm that could have halted the festival instead became the "white-out of 2008" legend that burners talked about for the rest of the week — and will for years to come.
Burning Man is a social experiment as well as an art festival and though it has become far more produced than in the past, it is still one amazing photo op. While Democrats and Republicans were talking about the American Dream at their conventions, more than 45,000 other Americans were livi... more -
Longtime Rolling Stone Photographer Mark Seliger Teams Up With Willie Nelson
Most people know Mark Seliger as the famed photographer who shot some of Rolling Stone’s most memorable covers over the last three decades. (That one of Jerry Seinfeld posing as an Elvis impersonator? That was him.) But for the last few years, Seliger has also moonlighted as the frontman for the country-rock group Rusty Truck. Most people know Mark Seliger as the famed photographer who shot some of Rolling Stone’s most memorable covers over the last three dec... more
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Michael Jackson at 50: His Three Decade Career in Photos
Michael Jackson turns 50 years old today. Jackson has spent most of those years under heavy scrutiny in one of the more intense public spotlights in music history. Click below for an in-depth gallery of Jackson images, including little or never seen early shots of Michael and his siblings care of the Michael Ochs archive. Plus check out classic Rolling Stone features on the King of Pop. Michael Jackson turns 50 years old today. Jackson has spent most of those years under heavy scrutiny in one of the more intense public... more
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Great New “Burn After Reading” Photos!
Great new photos from Focus Features‘ upcoming Coen Brothers comedy/drama “Burn After Reading” has been released. With an all-star cast of Brad Pitt, George Clooney, John Malkovich, and Frances McDormand, the new photos are definitely worth checking out! Great new photos from Focus Features‘ upcoming Coen Brothers comedy/drama “Burn After Reading” has been released. With an all-star cas... more
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Obama speech watched in Times Square (photos)
Photos of people gathered in Manhattan's Times Square on Thursday, August 28, 2008 to watch Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illinois) make his nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention. Photos of people gathered in Manhattan's Times Square on Thursday, August 28, 2008 to watch Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illinois) make h... more
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Paragliding in the Golan Heights (photos)
Photos from Mevo Hama on Thursday, August 28, 2008.
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New Ann Summers Flagship Store Launched (photos)
Photos of models posing to promote the launch of the new Ann Summers flagship store at Marble Arch in London, England on Friday, August 29, 2008. Photos of models posing to promote the launch of the new Ann Summers flagship store at Marble Arch in London, England on Friday, Augus... more
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Outside Lands Festival : Photos
Radiohead, Tom Petty, Wilco, Beck and Lupe Fiasco rock San Fransisco's historic Golden Gate Park.
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Random Notes: Madonna, Anthony Kiedis, Amy Winehouse and Lily Allen
The Jonas Brothers, Rod Stewart, Paramore and the Week in Rock
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Victoria's Secret Angels Launch Supermodel Obsessions (photos)
Photos of Victoria's Secret Angels Doutzen Kroes and Adriana Lima attending the launch of the Supermodel Obsessions collection at Victoria's Secret at Herald Square on August 26, 2008 in New York City. Photos of Victoria's Secret Angels Doutzen Kroes and Adriana Lima attending the launch of the Supermodel Obsessions collection at... more
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Obama Fights McCain (photos)
Check out the photos of Presidential candidate look-a-likes in New York City.
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Bali Fashion Week Opens (photos)
Photos from Jimbaran in Bali, Indonesia on Monday, August 25, 2008.
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