Katka Pruskova is a Czech-born computer scientist and photographer. On her quest to show us the amazing colorful world we live in, Katka has made an absolutely spellbinding video of blooming Amaryllis, Lilies, Zygocactus, Rose, Gladiolus, Tulip and Gardenia. I wish my countryman Carl Linnaeus could have watched this masterpiece with us. He would have been supercalifragilisticexpialidocious excited. Sit back, enjoy.
To make this masterpiece, Katka has used a technique called “time-lapse photography.” In a homemade studio (a cabinet, black cloth and two LED lamps), Katka placed her flowers (carefully picked in her mother’s garden) in front of a Canon 5D Mark II and shot 7,100 photos over 730 hours. Once converted into a video, played back at 30 frames (photos) per second, time appears to be moving faster. This is not an exercise for the wilting weeds of the photography world! It takes serious planning and after the hours of shooting there are days of post-production. Bravo!
French dramatist Jean Giraudoux once said: “The flower is the poetry of reproduction. It is an example of the eternal seductiveness of life.” I’m sure Katka would not disagree but with her time-lapse photography, she makes the flower luscious and sexy as well. Thank you, Katka!
Based in Paris, Iranian born Chayan Khoi is an artist known for his mysterious, futuristic, sometimes apocalyptic, images. He is an avid traveller fascinated by everything he encounters. This 50-year-old “cyber photographer” seeks to picture the beauty, diversity and unknown of the world. Below is “Return to the Jungle”, one of his most famous pieces and one of my favorites.
Two recent works, unveiled at yesterday’s vernissage of Chayan’s latest exhibition in Geneva, remind me of Mad Max, Fallout and Mutant Chronicles. The submarine is docked to what appears to be a hidden, arctic research station. The mechanical sharks zooming around the l’arc de triomphe are bizarre and frightening. How intriguing!
While I’m not sure what Chayan wants to communicate with these steampunkish pieces of beautiful stuff, I’m absolutely fascinated by how the frames, resembling some sort of command centres, leaves us with (at least) a remote feeling of being in control. Perhaps it’s a warning sign of what’s to come? Thank you for the heads-up, Chayan.
And, what in the world is the silver bullet pictured above? Made out of what appears to be a surfboard, metal and electronics, this is the first thing that caught my eye when stepping into Le New Garage. I’m a sucker for science fiction. Chayan’s spaceship (or perhaps it’s the submarine?), blinking in sync with the rest of the room, makes me feel at home.
I love scrapbooks. But I have never seen any like the ones pictured above. Reflecting his life as a nomad, traveling nine months each year, these piles of memories tell us the history of our friend and his sources of inspiration. In the days of social media, it makes me happy when someone goes beyond Instagram and 140 characters to tell their story.
Chayan Khoi is a cyber photographer extraordinaire. A man of many talents, working with images, frames and installations. His out-of-this-world beautiful stuff gives us insight into the limits of our own imagination. If you happen to be in Geneva this weekend, you don’t want to miss this opportunity. Le New Garage is open 14:00-20:00 and located here:
A couple of hours ago, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield handed over the keys to the International Space Station to Russian cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov. For the past five months, commander Hadfield has not just pulled the ropes of a billion dollar science vessel, but also brought the beauty and mystery of Space to a new generation. While orbiting the Big Blue Marble at 400 kilometers, the 53-year-old, music-loving, Maple-Leafs-fan has taken an astronomical step into cyberspace.
Sunrise in the Cupola. With no atmosphere to filter and diffuse the light, our star is incredibly harsh. 1:57 PM Thursday 14 March 2013. Photo credit: Chris Hadfield
In-between science experiments and spacewalks, Hadfield has used his Twitter feed, Facebook page and Nikon D3s camera to remind the millions of people populating the twitterverse and the blogosphere that we are all caretakers of Spaceship Earth. And good planets are hard to find.
From psychedelic cloud formations, to jet traffic over San Francisco, our space sailor’s mind-blowing photos and often-poetic captions have allowed me to re-live my childhood dream of becoming an astronaut. What a journey it has been! Here is a handful of my favorite photos. Which one do you like the most?
Syria, from a different perspective. 10:35 PM Friday 3 May 2013. Photo credit: Chris Hadfield
While the Newfoundland ice formed a heraldic dragon, these Pacific clouds look more like Woodstock, of Peanuts fame. 12:25 AM Friday 3 May 2013. Photo credit: Chris Hadfield
This river’s about to take a short cut. 10:34 AM Friday 26 April 2013. Photo credit: Chris Hadfield
Dry lake like a bunny, in the unmistakable Outback. 2:31 PM Thursday 18 April 2013. Photo credit: Chris Hadfield
Tonight’s Finale: I have no idea what this Brazilian outcrop looks like on the ground, but from orbit, it’s a brain. 1:33 AM Friday 12 April 2013. Photo credit: Chris Hadfield
Sometimes Mother Nature uses a protractor, like here in New Zealand’s South Island. 12:39 PM Thursday 11 April 2013. Photo credit: Chris Hadfield
Morning jet traffic over San Francisco. 9:47 PM Saturday 6 April 2013. Photo credit: Chris Hadfield
Geneva, Switzerland. Under that rock is the incredible CERN particle accelerator. Their AMS is mounted on Station. 12:05 AM Thursday 4 April 2013. Photo credit: Chris Hadfield
Like many of his 750,000 followers on Twitter, I wonder what Hadfield will do next, after packing up his camera gear and returning to planet Earth later tomorrow. Regardless of what happens, he will for a very long time be the coolest guy in outer space. I bet Neil would be proud. Thank you, Sir, for inviting us to your party. Live long and proser.
