Magical Images That Prove Levitation Is Possible

Magical Images
That Prove Levitation Is Possible

By Katherine Brooks
06/25/2014

“Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward," Leonardo da Vinci famously mused.

Artists have long been fascinated with the prospects of flying and floating, from da Vinci's sketches of flying machines to Marc Chagall's dreamy paintings. And as advancing technology has catapulted art into the 21st century, the dream of "tasting flight" has become that much more real. Take for example, the mesmerizing art of levitation photography.

Black Balloon Antics by Damon Dahlen

We have photographer Damon Dahlen to thank for this hypnotic moving image, a kaleidoscope of visual trickery and aesthetic awe. He's the mind behind an entire series of levitation photographs that seems to achieve the impossible. Men and women defy gravity with magical ease -- dancing, falling, hovering and soaring in midair. The stunning acts are captured in GIF form, bringing the act of flying to new and more beautiful heights.

To create his levitation objets d'art, Dahlen engages in a complex process of puzzling together static photos one after another. "I generally shoot the levitating person (a person in frame, resting on a stool or a ladder) and then a base shot. I then lay the levitation photo over the base photo and remove what the person is resting on," he explained. His moving images -- the GIFs -- are a bit more complicated, and can take anywhere between a couple of hours to a several days to complete. He has to repeat the process above over and over again, shooting several photographs, and taking into consideration speed and emphasis as the images come together in a frenzy of motion.

"I love the fact that the GIF has unlocked the middle ground between photo and video," Dahlen added. "It's no longer a medium that is just used for quick hits of funny parts of videos. With the powerhouse that photoshop has become and the realization that this new ability can allow artists to play in spaces that were not possible before makes the possibilities seem endless."

His results, featuring dark marionettes and ethereal music box dancers, seem well worth the exhaustion. Take a peek at Dahlen's hypnotic GIFs below and let us know your thoughts on his levitation style in the comments.

What Did She Say?

Peace

 

Let Me Pull Some Strings

 

A Sudden End

 

Untitled

Flail Nowhere

Strobe Death

Why Walk When You...

Smooth, Stop, Repeat

Just Blink

Shortest Distance Between Two Points...

Give Me A Banana, NOW!

Hairiffic!

I Know This Is Possible

Music Box Dancer

Pink Pumps

It's Me!

Ghostly Maneuvers

Stomp

The Eye

Look Over There




 Stormy End!

One Way Or The Other

Stunning Portraits of Mixed-Race Families

Stunning Portraits
of
Mixed-Race Families

By David Rosenberg

 

Doyle Family, 2010

Citizenship: American. Ancestries: African, American Indian, Creole, Cuban, French, Irish. Languages: English, Spanish, French. Live in New York.

Cyjo

Fascinated by the evolution of identity, the photographer  Cyjo, who styles her name CYJO, has created a series of portraits that examines how race, ethnicity, and heritage contextualize a person as an individual, and how they coexist within the framework of a family.

Cyjo identifies herself as a Westerner of Korean ethnicity (she was born in South Korea and raised in the United States) and photographed the series “Mixed Blood” from 2010–13 in both New York and Beijing. She has explored the dynamic between individual and collective identities in her previous work via a more abstract approach, but, with “Mixed Blood,” she uses the more literal approach of portraiture.

Over time, as humans migrate and change environments, the definition of identity has evolved to adjust to a broader definition of race and ethnicity. Cyjo pointed out that, in 2000, the United States Census for the first time allowed people to choose more than one identifier when noting their race. Almost 7 million people chose to count themselves as mixed race, a number that has continued to grow over the past decade and a half.

Chandola Family, 2013

Citizenships: Indian, Korean. Ancestries: Indian, Korean. Languages: English, Korean, Mandarin, Hindi. Live in Beijing.

Cyjo

 Snodgrass Family, 2013

Citizenships: American, Chinese. Ancestries: German, Han Chinese, Irish. Languages: English, Mandarin. Moved back and forth to China since 1999.

Cyjo

 Valter Family, 2010

Citizenship: American, German. Ancestries: African-American, American Indian, Bahamian, French, German. Languages: English, German, French, Spanish. Live in New York.

Cyjo

Throughout “Mixed Blood,” Cyjo wanted to portray the ever-changing definition of race and to examine the uniqueness of the individual within their families.

“The format for ‘Mixed Blood’ had the individuals together but standing separately (with the exception of select mothers and babies) which allowed the individual and group identities within the family unit to be more clearly observed,” she said.

Cyjo found some of the families she photographed in the series through friends, and others she found through happenstance, something she said helped to form a narrative for the work.

“The organic process of accumulating a group brought a sense of random sincerity as opposed to a fixed image or expectation that could occur if people were specifically researched and then chosen to be a part of the project,” she added. “The accident of inclusion allows for the outcome or end product to be more of a surprise and that excites me.”

Separating the individuals within each portrait, with parents on the left and children on the right, also makes it easier for the viewer to compare and contrast each family. It is also possible to get a glimpse into the family’s living environment, another example of how cultures are shared. Although Cyjo set up the portraits, she said there is still an element of spontaneity in the images, seen through subtle body positions or expressions of the participants.

Kishimoto Family, 2013

Citizenships:Chinese, Japanese. Ancestries: Han Chinese, Japanese, Xibo Chinese. Languages: Mandarin, Japanese, English. Live in Beijing.

Cyjo

Casarosa Family, 2010

Citizenships: American, Italian, Korean. Ancestries: Italian, Korean. Languages: English, Italian, Korean. Live in New York.

Cyjo

Cyjo said one of the reasons she began the series was a curiosity about exactly what “mixed ethnicity” currently represents, noting that as countries such as China continue to modernize, how the mix of new culture will blend with longstanding traditions will be interesting to follow. While there are people who fear cultural blending, Cyjo said the idea of a global identity and our definition of self, culture and race is rooted in life experiences and personal choices.

“But the bigger question is how will cultures and people maintain their individuality?” she asked. “What will be those cultural differences aside from language and food that will make a culture unique? There’s so much more we can learn from each other, especially from our differences.”

Huang Rierson Family, 2013

Citizenships: American, Belgium. Ancestries: French, Hakka Chinese, Han Chinese, German, Irish, Scottish. Languages: Mandarin, French, English. Live in Beijing.

Cyjo

James Family, 2010

Citizenship: American. Ancestries: American Indian, Chinese, Dutch, English, Filipino, German, Irish, Japanese, Prussian. Languages: English, French, Pidgin English (a mix of English, Hawaiian, Chinese, Japanese, and Filipino). Live in New York.

Cyjo

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Original Article Here:
 http://www.slate.com/blogs/behold/2014/06/24/cyjo_mixed_blood_is_a_series_of_portraits_of_individuals_and_families_of.html

 

The Hapa Project

The Hapa Project is a multiracial identity project created by artist Kip Fulbeck. The project embodies a range of mediums, including a published book, traveling photographic exhibition, satellite community presentations, and online communities

Fulbeck began the project in 2001, traveling the country photographing over 1200 volunteer subjects who self-identified as Hapa (defined for the project as mixed ethnic heritage with partial roots in Asian and/or Pacific Islander ancestry)

Each individual was photographed in a similar minimalist style (directly head-on, unclothed from the shoulders up, and without jewelry, glasses, excess make-up, or purposeful expression)

After being photographed, participants identified their ethnicites in their own words, then hand-wrote their response to the question “What are you?”

Over 1200 volunteer participants were photographed at dozens of shoots throughout California and Hawaii, as well as Illinois, New York, and Wisconsin

The Hapa Project was created to promote awareness and recognition of the millions of multiracial/multi-ethnic individuals of Asian/Pacific Islander descent; to give voice to multiracial people and previously ignored ethnic groups; to dispel myths of exoticism, hybrid vigor and racial homogeneity; to foster positive identity formation and self-image in multiracial children; and to encourage solidarity and empowerment within the multiracial/Hapa community

Fulbeck notes a main objective “… was to make the book I wish I owned when I was a kid. I never knew anyone else like me, going through things I went through, not fitting in, always having to choose sides … ”

“Identity is a personal process and I’m adamant that it should be a personal decision, not one made by a community, a government or others”

Fulbeck also states that despite its utilization of common racial classifications, The Hapa Project is fundamentally a project about identity rather than race: “It’s about identity using race as a starting point.”  He argues that race in itself is not biologically determined, but socially created:

“For the record, race is not a scientifically sound assumption. For example, there is no DNA difference between human beings. We are all African. Biologically, race does not exist. It is a social and cultural construct … ”

“The U.S. is a country with a long history of social genocide (Native Americans, African slavery, etc.) and this was all due to the seeming differences we attributed to race. Yes, it is very convenient to categorize people according to race. It is also extremely inaccurate”

The project has exhibited throughout the U.S. and abroad

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Editta Sherman - The "Duchess of Carnegie Hall"

Editta Sherman

The 

"Duchess of Carnegie Hall"

Bill Cunningham dressed his muse Editta Sherman in a vintage dress and feathered hat he had made himself to echo the spirit of Grand Central Terminal's ornate rooftop sculpture

Cunningham had amassed a collection of 500 outfits and shot more than 1,800 locations, including Bowery Savings Bank   and 21 Club

Editta Sherman (July 9, 1912 – November 1, 2013) was an Italian-American photographer, often referred to as the "Duchess of Carnegie Hall", since she lived and worked in Carnegie Hall Artist Studios for over 60 years. 

 

Originally formed as a diverse artist enclave and bohemian work-live rental studios to financially support Andrew Carnegie's struggling concert hall, Sherman's home from the 1940s until 2010 allowed her to be part of a unique artistic community of neighbors. Her life's work consists of thousands of historical large format 8×10 negative camera portrait images taken of celebrities, writers, poets, models, sports heroes, politicians, and many others (including many of the famed former tenants of Carnegie Hall).

 

Life

Sherman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the oldest of eight children born to Nunzio and Pierna Rinaldo, immigrants who moved to the United States from Italy in 1910. Her father operated a photography studio in New Jersey where she learned the art at a young age. Editta was married in 1935 to Harold Sherman, a sound engineer and inventor, as well as her business partner. He died at the age of 50 years old, after suffering blindness and diabetes, leaving Editta with five young children to bring up as a single mother. She and her husband were instrumental in raising charity funds for the American Theatre Wing during World War II by volunteering to take portraits of Hollywood stars to aid in the American war effort.

Sherman was a muse of Andy Warhol who filmed her with filmmaker Paul Morrissey in the 1970s. She also appeared in the Abel Ferrara film Ms. 45 in 1981. She was a model as well as photographer and was photographed by Francesco Scavullo and symbolized aging gracefully at age 60 years old in his book "On Beauty" in the 1970s. A decade-long collaboration with her longtime friend and neighbor, William J. Cunningham, a New York Times fashion photographer, resulted in the Fashion Institute of Technology/Penguin Books 1978 publication of their book Facades, visually detailing 200 years of fashion and New York City architecture. In November 1967 Kodak Films sponsored a solo exhibit of Editta's celebrity portraits in a three-week public show at Grand Central Terminal, in New York City.

Sherman lived in Carnegie Hall until July 2010, and continued to work there until September 2010, having become an icon for renter's rights and affordable housing for the elderly in fighting eviction against the City of New York, the current owner of Carnegie Hall. All former residents have now relocated, and The Carnegie Hall Corporation plans to demolish the commercial and residential studios — which in their 1950s Bohemian heyday numbered as many as 170 — to create educational and rehearsal space for the hall. The $200 million project is to be completed in 2014.

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Bill Cunningham (American photographer)

Bill Cunningham

(American photographer)

 

-

William J. Cunningham (born March 13, 1929) is a fashion photographer for The New York Times, known for his candid and street photography.

 

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Bill Cunningham, Editta Sherman on the Train to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, ca. 1972.
New-York Historical Society, Gift of Bill Cunningham.

Born in Boston, Cunningham dropped out of Harvard University in 1948 and moved to New York City, where he initially worked in advertising. Not long after, he quit his job and struck out on his own, making hats under the name "William J." This business folded when he was drafted. After serving a tour in the U.S. Army, he returned to New York and started writing for the Chicago Tribune.

 Bill Cunningham, Paris Theater (built 1947), ca. 1968-1976.
New-York Historical Society, Gift of Bill Cunningham.

During his years as a writer he contributed significantly to fashion journalism, introducing American audiences to Azzedine Alaïa and Jean-Paul Gaultier. 

While working at the Tribune and at Women's Wear Daily he began taking photographs of fashion on the streets of New York. After taking a chance photograph of Greta Garbo, he published a group of impromptu pictures in the Times in December 1978, which soon became a regular series. His editor, Arthur Gelb, has called these photographs "a turning point for the Times, because it was the first time the paper had run pictures of well-known people without getting their permission."

Cunningham photographs people and the passing scene in the streets of Manhattan every day, focusing on their genuine usage of clothing to express personal style. He is known not to overly photograph celebrities (like a paparazzi would) or people that use fame to showcase clothing they didn't originally pick themselves (sponsored, free clothing). Most of his pictures, he has said, are never published. His personal independence philosophy was cited by CNN: "You see if you don’t take money, they can’t tell you what to do, kid." 

Designer Oscar de la Renta has said, "More than anyone else in the city, he has the whole visual history of the last 40 or 50 years of New York. It's the total scope of fashion in the life of New York." He has made a career taking unexpected photographs of everyday people, socialites and fashion personalities, many of whom value his company. According to David Rockefeller, Brooke Astor asked that Cunningham attend her 100th birthday party, the only member of the media invited.

In 2008 he was awarded the Officier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture.

In 2010, filmmaker Richard Press and Philip Gefter of The Times produced Bill Cunningham New York, a documentary about Cunningham. The film was released on March 16, 2011. It shows Cunningham traveling through Manhattan by bicycle and living in a tiny apartment in the Carnegie Hall building. The apartment has no closet, kitchen, or private bathroom, and is filled with filing cabinets and boxes of his photographs. The documentary also details his philosophy on fashion, art, and photography, as well as observes his interactions with his subjects while taking photos.

He was featured on BBC Two's The Culture Show in March 2012.

Bill Cunningham:
Words of Wisdom

Bill Cunningham: Facades, is on view at the New York Historical Society from March 14 through June 15, 2014.

Mosquito 🦟 Repellent 🌿Plants

5 Easy to Grow

Mosquito 🦟 Repelling Plants

Before reaching for the chemical sprays, try planting these easy-to-grow plants which have natural mosquito-repelling properties…

By Eartheasy.com Posted Apr 28, 2011

As the outdoor season approaches, many homeowners and outdoor enthusiasts look for ways to control mosquitoes. With all the publicity about the West Nile virus, mosquito repelling products are gaining in popularity. But many commercial insect repellents contain from 5% to 25% DEET. There are concerns about the potential toxic effects of DEET, especially when used by children. Children who absorb high amounts of DEET through insect repellents have developed seizures, slurred speech, hypotension and bradycardia.

There are new DEET-free mosquito repellents on the market today which offer some relief to those venturing outdoors in mosquito season. But there are also certain plants which are easy to grow and will have some effect in repelling mosquitoes from areas of your home and garden.

Here are five of the most effective mosquito repelling plants which are easy to grow in most regions of the US:

1. Citronella

Citronella is the most common natural ingredient used in formulating mosquito repellents. The distinctive citronella aroma is a strong smell which masks other attractants to mosquitoes, making it harder for them to find you. Although citronella is used in many forms, such as scented candles, torches and citronella ‘scented’ plants, the living plant is more effective because it has a stronger smell.
Citronella is a perennial ‘clumping’ grass which grows to a height of 5 – 6 feet. It can be grown directly in the ground in climate zones where frost does not occur. If grown in the garden or near the patio, it should be planted in the ‘background’, behind small decorative flowers and shrubs. In northern climate zones citronella can be grown in a large pot or planter, ideally with casters, so it can be rolled indoors during winter.
Gardening centers usually sell citronella as small plants in pots, ready to transplant to a larger pot or into raised garden beds on the ground. Once established, new plants can be propagated in early spring by splitting large clumps into smaller sections and replanting the new ‘starts’ in pots or other areas of the garden. Citronella plants are considered low maintenance, like most grasses, and they do best in full sun and well-drained locations. Periodic applications of nitrogen-rich fertilizers will ensure vigorous growth, but this treatment only needs to be applied once a year, preferably in early spring.
When purchasing citronella, look for the true varieties, Cybopogon nardus or Citronella winterianus. Other plants may be sold as ‘citronella scented’, but these do not have the mosquito repelling qualities of true citronella.

2. Horsemint
Also known as Beebalm, Horsemint is an adaptable perennial plant which repels mosquitoes much the same as citronella. It gives off a strong incense-like odor which confuses mosquitoes by masking the smell of its usual hosts.
Horsemint is a fast growing, shade-tolerant and drought-resistant plant which reaches a height and width of 2 – 3 feet. It does well in dry, sandy soil and can tolerate salty conditions, which is why it is often found in coastal and beach areas. Horsemint seeds can be sown indoors in trays for later transplanting, or sown directly into the ground in late summer in colder climate zones. Midwest and Eastern growing zones are favoured for growing horsemint.
Mature horsemint plants can be divided in spring and fall by dividing into small sections and transplanting into permanent locations. Horsemint can also be planted in pots for moving indoors in cold climate zones.
Horsemint leaves can be dried and used to make herbal tea. Its flowers will also attract bees and butterflies to your garden.


3. Marigolds
Commonly grown as ornamental border plants, marigolds are hardy annual plants which have a distinctive smell which mosquitoes, and some gardeners, find particularly offensive. Marigolds contain Pyrethrum, a compound used in many insect repellents.
Marigolds prefer full sunlight and reasonably fertile soil. Although marigolds can be planted from seed, starter plants are inexpensive and readily available at most garden centers. Although an annual, marigold will often reseed itself in favourable conditions, or the gardener can easily collect seeds for future germination. Established plants will need to be thinned, and flowers should be dead-headed to promote additional blooms.
Potted marigolds can be positioned near entrances to your home and any common mosquito entry points, such as open windows. The smell may deter mosquitoes from going past this barrier. While marigolds can be used as border plants around the patio, we do not advise putting marigolds on the patio table since the bright blooms may attract wasps.
Besides repelling mosquitoes, marigolds repel insects which prey on tomato plants, so you may want to plant a few marigolds in your tomato bed for added protection.

4. Ageratum
Also known as Flossflowers, Ageratum emits a smell which mosquitos find particularly offensive. Ageratum secretes coumarin, which is widely used in commercial mosquito repellents.
Ageratum is a low-lying annual ornamental plant which reaches heights of 8 – 18”, and is easily recognized by its blue flowers, although there are varieties with pink, white and violet blooms. This plant will thrive in full or partial sun and does not require rich soil. It is often displayed in rock gardens where low-lying plants are favoured.
Although the leaves of Ageratum can be crushed to increase the emitted odor, it is not advisable to rub the crushed leaves directly on the skin.

5. Catnip
Catnip is a natural mosquito repellent. In August 2010, entomologists at Iowa State University reported to the American Chemical Society that catnip is ten times more effective than DEET, the chemical found in most commercial insect repellents. According to Iowa State researcher Chris Peterson, the reason for its effectiveness is still unknown. “It might simply be acting as an irritant or they don’t like the smell. But nobody really knows why insect repellents work.”
In the laboratory, Peterson put groups of 20 mosquitoes in a two-foot glass tube, half of which was treated with nepetalactone, a biologically active characteristic constituent of catnip. After 10 minutes, only an average of 20 percent – about four mosquitoes – remained on the side of the tube treated with a high dose (1.0%) of the oil. In the low dose test (0.1%) an average of 25% – five mosquitoes – stayed on the treated side. When the same tests were conducted using DEET (diethyl-meta-toluamide), approximately 40 to 45% – eight to nine mosquitoes – remained on the treated side. A ten-fold higher concentration of DEET was required to obtain results similar to those of the Catnip.

Catnip, Nepeta cateria, is very easy to grow. This perennial herb is related to mint, and grows readily both as a weed and a commercially cultivated plant in most areas of the US.
While catnip will repel mosquitoes in close proximity to the plant, some people apply crushed catnip leaves or catnip oil for more robust protection. Bear in mind, however, that cats will respond to you similarly as they would respond to the plant itself. Cat owners may want to choose an alternative plant for repelling mosquitoes.
While the plants mentioned in this article have been shown to have mosquito-repelling properties, there are environmental variables that can mitigate their effectiveness. 

A breeze may direct odors in the opposite direction if advancing mosquitoes, reducing the plant’s effectiveness. New formulations of non-toxic mosquito repellents are commercially available, and are advised for people who want to enjoy the outdoors without the annoyance of persistent mosquitoes.

Visit Eartheasy’s online store to buy non-toxic pest control and mosquito repellent products.

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