One of my research areas is romantic relationships, and part of that involves watching video after video of couples having arguments. Sounds interesting, and it is. But when you've been sitting in the lab for three hours straight, interest gives way to something darker. Watching couples fight is grim work. It's a gentle reminder of the dysfunction inherent in human relationships, and the difficulty in breaking the cycles of communication that we've grown accustomed to.

In The Rules of Attraction, Lauren likes to look at pictures of sexually transmitted infections before she goes to parties - it's her way of making sure she isn't tempted to sleep with anyone. Well, this is the relationship version. These couples are stable. They've all been dating for at least a year, and a lot of them report high satisfaction with their relationships. It's strange and disconcerting to think that they're happy. Is this happiness? Because I don't want it to be.

But then there are moments of beauty, although they seem rare and momentous at times. But they're there, and they make my heart melt. I think doctors call that mitral stenosis. I should probably get that checked out.

 

 

 

- Max Wanger

look around you.
look behind you.
sometimes the world is beautiful.

Karman vortices (Selkirk Island): Each of these swirling clouds is a result of a meteorological phenomenon known as a Karman vortex. These vortices appeared over Alexander Selkirk Island in the southern Pacific Ocean. Rising precipitously from the surrounding waters, the island's highest point is nearly a mile (1.6 km) above sea level. As wind-driven clouds encounter this obstacle, they flow around it to form these large, spinning eddies.

Whirlpool in the air (Greenland): This image shows a spinning formation of ice, clouds, and low-lying fog off the eastern coast of Greenland.

Kamchatka Peninsula:  The eastern side of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula juts into the Pacific Ocean west of Alaska. In this winter image, a volcanic terrain is hidden under snow-covered peaks and valley glaciers feed blue ice into coastal waters.

 

Jordan: Meandering wadis combine to form dense, branching networks across the stark, arid landscape of southeastern Jordan. The Arabic word "wadi" means a gully or streambed that typically remains dry except after drenching, seasonal rains.

 

Icefall, Lambert Glacier, Antarctica: The Lambert Glacier in Antarctica, is the world's largest glacier. The focal point of this image is an icefall that feeds into the Lambert glacier from the vast ice sheet covering the polar plateau. Ice flows like water, albeit much more slowly. Cracks can be seen in this icefall as it bends and twists on its slow-motion descent 1300 feet (400 meters) to the glacier below.

Aleutian Clouds: These cloud formations were seen over the western Aleutian Islands. Their color variations are probably due to differences in temperature and in the size of water droplets that make up the clouds.

Pictures from Earth as Art.

Dust is a collaborative project between Ujin Lee and Tom Edwards. It's amazing. I've been searching for an explanation of how they do it but I've come back empty-handed. I'm guessing some sort of complex dust bomb. Or a genetically engineered dust bunny. Who knows. Not me. I love these pictures though.

 

This morning there was a treat in my inbox: Architect's Brother by Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison. This series portrays a desolate world, and one which seems devoid of life. But then he comes. Dressed in a suit and humming with determination, he sets about trying to restore natural life: re-anchoring the clouds, sowing seeds, and encouraging the rain to come again. Ridiculous yet poignant, his wordless toil and old-world techniques evoke a strange sense of hope for the future of this land.

 

 

 

 

 

The eerie surrealism of these pieces remind me of Shaun Tan's The Arrival.

 

Too awesome. They have lots of other great stuff on their website.

- Thanks David. You totally made my day.

Emory Douglas (the former Minister of Culture for the Black Panther Party) gave a public lecture this evening. It was great. He was great. He took us on a journey through his work, regaling us with the events that inspired each piece. Our two hours with him passed in an instant.

His work is a shining example of the potential of art to change societal attitudes (and, ultimately, THE WORLD).

When animals are placed within 'human' contexts, their displacement creates a strange juxtoposition between what is considered ours and theirs. We cannot help but endow them with human experience (as well as emotion), and in doing so we challenge what we typically deign as acceptable or real.

Who am I kidding. I just like animals.

 

(Josh Keyes)

 

 

(Karen Knorr)

This polaroid is from http://jblyth.com/blog.html, which houses an amazing collection of visual inspiration. I love the mystery of this photo - it seems so neutral and devoid of emotion, yet you know it's there - you just can't see it.

After breakfast this morning, Ben and I walked to Lim Chhour to get some juice. I know what you're thinking: juice is delicious. I was thinking this also.

We stood at the fridge for some time, basking in the fluorescent wash of milk tea and isotonic drinks. I was perking up at the prospect of returning to bed, juice-box in hand, when Ben suddenly yelped "HOLY SHIT." I turned around to see him pointing excitedly at something around the corner.

This is the point in the story where I wish I hadn't been hungover. This is the point in the story where I skipped over to him, expecting something exciting like more juice options, or a discarded mountain of bubble wrap.

Instead, I saw this:

What the hell, Lim Chhour. What the hell.

Ben thinks it was waiting to be chopped up and sold, since the meat section is just behind. This is disgusting on so many levels. We could have done all sorts of unhygenic things to it, and thousands of unsuspecting people would have bought their meat chunks before dying of poison thirty hours later. I mean. Wait. What?

Kseniya recently won Ukraine's Got Talent with this sand animation detailing Germany's invasion of Ukraine during World War II .

Her movements are infused with emotion, pushing her performance beyond the realms of mere animation: We are witnesses not only to the narrative, but to the experience of her creating and reacting to it. Mesmerising.

Valentine and I recently made our way to Misery's studio for a wee chat over some cheap red wine. It was lovely. I took some photos.