A love story began in a cafeteria at the Federal Reserve.

Akerlof & Yellen Met in the Cafeteria at the Federal Reserve & Married After Less Than a Year

From Heavy.com

Akerlof and Yellen’s love story began in a cafeteria at the Federal Reserve. In 1977, Yellen was working as a research economist for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. According to the Washington Post, Yellen accepted the job after she was denied tenure at Harvard University, where she taught from 1971 to 1976.

Akerlof was temporarily working for the Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C. As Reuters reported, Akerlof had been assigned to the organization’s research division. He and Yellen first crossed paths in the Fed’s cafeteria during the fall of 1977 and it didn’t take long for sparks to fly.

Yellen and Akerlof tied the knot in June 1978, less than a year after meeting. Akerlof had accepted a position at the London School of Economics and wanted Yellen to come with him. He explained their whirlwind romance to the Nobel Foundation:

We liked each other immediately and decided to get married. Not only did our personalities mesh perfectly, but we have also always been in all but perfect agreement about macroeconomics. Our lone disagreement is that she is a bit more supportive of free trade than I. We decided to get married hastily, not only because we had so little doubt about each other, but also for practical reasons. I had already accepted a professorship at the LSE for the coming year and if we were to avoid being separated, Janet would also need to get a job in England too. Luckily, she also was given a tenure-track lectureship at the LSE.

Yellen and Akerlof moved to England in September 1978. They returned to California in August 1980, where Akerlof was still on the faculty at UC Berkeley. Yellen also became a full professor at the university.

The Couple’s Son, Robert, Became an Economics Professor

Akerlof and Yellen have one child together. Their son, Robert Akerlof, was born in June 1981. Robert followed in his parents’ footsteps and pursued a career in economics.

The younger Akerlof earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University before choosing MIT as the place to conduct his postdoctoral research. He currently is an associate professor of economics at the University of Warwick, which is located in Coventry, England. According to his faculty bio, Robert Akerlof’s research is focused on social interaction.

George Akerlof may have reflected on his own fatherly experience when he was writing his 1998 research paper “Men Without Children.” As the Institute for Family Studies summarized, Akerlof theorized that marriage and fatherhood helped men to “settle down.” He wrote that “marriage begins a period in which men devote themselves to the acquisition of human capital whose returns will later be used to support the marriage.” The Institute for Family Studies reported that in the paper, Akerlof also cited evidence that “low marriage rates contribute to single men’s elevated rates of crime, drug addiction, unemployment, mortality, and other problems.”

2020年12月9日2020年12月9日

Yellen Resigns From Fed Board After Being Passed Over To Keep Top Post

It has been my great privilege and honor to serve in the Federal Reserve System.

over the course of three eventful decades–as a member of the board of Governors as President of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, and, most especially, as Vice Chair and Chair of the board.

I am enormously proud to have worked alongside many dedicated and highly able women and men, particularly my predecessor as Chair, Ben S Bernanke, whose leadership during the financial crisis and its aftermath was critical to restoring the soundness of our financial system and prosperity of our economy.

As I prepare to leave the Board, I am gratified that the financial system is much
stronger than a decade ago, better able to withstand future bouts of instability and continue supporting the economic aspirations of American families and businesses. I am also gratified by the substantial improvement in the economy since the crisis. The economy has produced 17 million jobs, on net, over the past eight years and, by most metrics, is close to achieving the Federal Reserves statutory objectives of maximum employment and price
stability. Of course, sustaining this progress will require continued monitoring of, and decisive responses to, newly emerging threats to financial and economic stability.

The Federal Reserve has been and remains a strong institution, focused on carrying out its vital public mission with integrity, in a professional, non-partisan manner.I am confident that my successor as Chair, Jerome H. Powell, is deeply committed to that mission and I will do my utmost to ensure a smooth transition.

Related news:Yellen Resigns From Fed Board After Being Passed Over To Keep Top Post

Fed Chair Janet Yellen on Monday submitted her resignation from the Federal Reserve Board. Earlier this month, President Trump named Jerome Powell to be the next Fed chair.

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen today announced that she will resign from the Federal Reserve Board once her successor, Jerome Powell, is sworn in.

Yellen is the first woman to serve as Fed chair. While her term as Fed chair ends in February, Yellen could have stayed on the board until 2024, serving out her 14-year term as a Fed governor. Instead she’ll follow the practice of previous Fed leaders and leave the board once Powell becomes chairman.

Powell’s nomination by President Trump marked the first time in decades that a president hasn’t reappointed a chief of the central bank for a second term. The Senate Banking Committee is set to hold a hearing on Powell’s nomination next week, but a vote has not been scheduled.

In a letter of resignation to Trump, Yellen said she is “gratified that the financial system is much stronger than a decade ago,” and that the economy has improved substantially. Also in the letter, she pointed out that 17 million jobs have been added since the financial crisis and that the Fed is close to achieving it goals of “maximum employment and price stability.”

2020年12月9日

Earth Photo winners announced

From BBC

A project on abandoned spaces reclaimed by nature has won the 2020 Earth Photo competition.

The winning series, by French photographer Jonathan Jimenez aka ‘Jonk’, includes images of a coffee shop and theatre in Abkhazia, a hotel in Portugal and a swimming pool in Italy. The work was chosen from more than 2,600 submissions.

Pulitzer-Prize-winning photojournalist Marissa Roth, who chairs the competition, said of Jonk’s work: “We chose Jonk’s compelling photographs as the overall winner because of the high degree of skill and vision they represent, and also because they exemplify Earth Photo by straddling the duality of human co-existence with nature.”

Forestry England and the Royal Geographical Society selected the winners in six categories from a shortlist of 50 photographs and four films.

The competition attempts to showcase the best in environmental visual media and aims to encourage discussion about the world and its inhabitants.

Yanrong Guo won the People category for her image, titled Miss, taken of a pipe-smoking man in Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, the largest settlement of Yi people in China.

Yi Sun won the Nature category for his work Dryland Farming, Study 7, which depicts an aerial view of interlaced tractor lines carved into a Spanish farm suffering from drought.

Charles Xelot won the Changing Forests category for Dead Tree #1, which shows a contorted grey trunk, two years after a forest fire, caused by humans, destroyed the landscape.

Joe Habben won the A Climate of Change category for an image which documents the effects of high water in Venice.

The video category was won by Sean Gallagher for Cambodia Burning, a short film revealing the effects of rampant deforestation in the country.

An exhibition of the winners and shortlisted entries will be on display in Forestry England forests, including Grizedale in the Lake District, Dalby Forest in the Yorkshire Moors, Moors Valley Country Park and Forest in Dorset, between now and spring 2021. The exhibition will also be on display at the Royal Geographical Society in London in early 2021.

2020年12月8日

John Lennon: I was there the day he died

From BBC

Forty years ago, on 8 December 1980, the former Beatle John Lennon was shot dead as he returned to his home at the Dakota apartment building in New York. The BBC’s Tom Brook was the first British journalist to report live from the scene. Here he recounts how Lennon’s death has haunted him ever since.

In New York as I go about my daily routines I am constantly reminded of John Lennon, of both his life – and death.

I now live just four blocks from the Dakota – I go past the building virtually every day and whenever I go to my gym on West 63rd Street it is part of a complex which also houses a hotel – the very hotel Lennon’s killer, Mark David Chapman, stayed in on his first night in New York.

Lennon also continues to define my career. I have been a broadcast journalist for more than 40 years. In that time I have filed more than 3,000 stories for BBC outlets and have interviewed most of the big names in the movie industry.

But all people want to know about when they meet me is what it was like to cover John Lennon’s death.

Well, I have to admit it was a huge story but the logistics of the reporting were actually quite simple. I commandeered a public phone booth in sight of the Dakota, fielding questions from BBC Radio Four Today presenter Brian Redhead, among others, in London, and providing the latest developments.

When I wasn’t doing that I was interviewing some of the hundreds of Lennon fans who were congregating in the street.

Everyone around me was crying, some of the fans were hysterical. I was a big Lennon follower myself.

The other day I looked back at the photograph on my first official BBC ID card from that era – it’s a scary sight and I’m amazed the corporation ever gave me a job!

But I definitely looked like a John Lennon fan. So, yes, I was emotionally pained that night too but I managed not to choke up on air.

People always ask me to describe what it was like at the Dakota in the immediate aftermath of his death.

I will never forget one young woman who said: “I feel like I’ve just been punched in the stomach.” I think her words summed it up perfectly.

Two years after the former Beatle died I returned to the Dakota to interview Yoko Ono – she had just begun to comment on Lennon’s death – she still spoke of him in the present tense.

She told me: “He’s still alive, he’s still with us, his spirit will go on, you can’t kill a person that easily.”

That is perhaps what is most noteworthy 40 years after Lennon died – just how much his spirit is still alive in terms of the millions of young people who are now migrating to his music.

In the run up to this anniversary I have spent the past few days speaking to some of them.

They tell me they are drawn to Lennon’s music, his lyrics and his particular brand of idealistic pacifism, which they think brings some comfort in these pandemic times.

But to be objective, I know not everything in relation to Lennon was wondrous. He could be mean and nasty – and he admitted that he abused women.

None of this has really affected his legacy – if anything his stature as a musician has grown since he died.

I think what I liked most about Lennon was that he had an authentic voice. Not just musically.

He did and said some controversial things but he he wasn’t a fake – he was always his own person.

He was one of the most significant figures in 20th Century pop culture history, a true British original and I find myself four decades after he died still fascinated by him.

Talking Movies is broadcast on BBC World News and the BBC’s News Channel.

2020年12月8日

Biden to nominate Janet Yellen as US treasury secretary

From BBC

US President-elect Joe Biden has named ex-Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen as his nominee for treasury secretary.

If confirmed by the Senate, she would be the first woman ever to hold the post.

She was among several women chosen for top economic positions. The Biden transition team said others were set to break racial barriers if confirmed.

Mr Biden has pledged to build a diverse administration. He earlier appointed an all-female senior press team.

His transition team said his picks for senior economic roles would help “lift America out of the current economic downturn and build back better”.

Mr Biden has also announced the formation of a Presidential Inaugural Committee ahead of his swearing-in on 20 January. The committee will be responsible for organising inauguration-related activities.

Who is Janet Yellen?

Chair, Board of Governors, 2014–2018
Vice Chair, Board of Governors, 2010–2014
President, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, 2004–2010
Governor, Board of Governors, 1994–1997

Ms Yellen had been widely tipped for the nomination in media reports prior to Monday’s announcement.

The 74-year-old economist has served as head of America’s central bank and as a top economics adviser to former President Bill Clinton.

She is credited with helping steer the economic recovery after the 2007 financial crisis and ensuing recession.

As chair of the US Federal Reserve, Ms Yellen was known for focusing more attention on the impact of the bank’s policies on workers and the costs of America’s rising inequality.

Mr Trump bucked Washington tradition when he opted not to appoint Ms Yellen to a second four-year term at the Fed. Starting with Bill Clinton in the 1990s, presidents kept on bank leaders appointed by their predecessors in an effort to de-politicise the bank.

Since leaving the bank in 2018, Ms Yellen has spoken out about climate change and the need for Washington to do more to shield the US economy from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a tweet following Monday’s announcement, Ms Yellen said: “We face great challenges as a country right now. To recover, we must restore the American dream – a society where each person can rise to their potential and dream even bigger for their children.

“As Treasury Secretary, I will work every day towards rebuilding that dream for all.”

President of the European Central Bank Christine Lagarde praised Mr Biden’s choice, writing in a tweet: “Her intelligence, tenacity and calm approach make Janet a trailblazer for women everywhere.”

Republican Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee Chuck Grassley said that he expects Ms Yellen to “get a favourable view” during confirmation hearings before his committee.

2020年12月4日

In 2020, AP photographers captured a world in distress

Behold, a world in distress:

A 64-year-old woman weeps, hugging her husband as he lay dying in the COVID-19 unit of a California hospital. A crowded refugee camp in Lesbos, Greece, engulfed in flames, disgorges a string of migrants fleeing this hell on Earth. Rain-swept protesters, enraged by the death of George Floyd in police custody, rail against the system and the heavens.

This is the world that Associated Press photographers captured in 2020, a world beset by every sort of catastrophe — natural and unnatural disaster, violent and non-violent conflict.

And, in every corner of that world, the coronavirus.

There are the living: Women cover themselves head to toe with chadors, protective clothing and gas masks to prepare a body for burial in Iran. An octogenarian couple kiss through plastic in Spain.

Agustina Canamero, 81, and Pascual Perez, 84, hug and kiss through a plastic film screen to avoid contracting the coronavirus at a nursing home in Barcelona, Spain, on June 22, 2020. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

There are the dead: Relatives, traveling by night and by boat, travel down a Peruvian river to bring a body home for burial. Row upon row of new graves are dug in the largest cemetery in Latin America.

And there are those who negotiate the grim space between life and death — among them, 16 Italian doctors and nurses exhausted from their labors, their faces haunted and haunting.

Amid the pandemic, it was sometimes easy to overlook the world’s other turmoil — and its tragedies. A loving uncle carries his 11-year-old niece away from the devastation of a massive explosion in Beirut — her neck was broken, and her older sister died. In Syria, emergency workers pull the body of a boy killed in a government airstrike from the wreckage.

Wildfires gave the American West an eerie glow; a volcano eruption clouded the sky over Manila.

Across the United States, photographers documented an epic and bilious presidential campaign. An exultant Joe Biden, projected on a massive monitor under fireworks after he accepted the Democratic presidential nomination. A dejected Donald Trump, after a sparsely attended rally in Oklahoma.

And perhaps the most appropriate image of 2020? It was captured during the waves of protests and riots in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. A protester strides past a burning building in Minneapolis; in his hands he holds the American flag.

The flag is upside down — the international signal of distress.

Protesters storm the San Francisco de Borja church, which belongs to the Carabineros, Chile’s national police force, in Santiago, Chile, on Oct. 18, 2020, the first anniversary of the start of anti-government mass protests over inequality. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

President Donald Trump holds a Bible as he stands outside St. John’s Church across Lafayette Park from the White House in Washington on June 1, 2020, after law enforcement officers used tear gas and other riot control tactics to forcefully clear peaceful protesters from the area. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Cuban singer Cimafunk hugs a woman during a music conga through the streets of Cuba’s Old Havana neighborhood during the 35th Havana International Jazz Festival on Jan. 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

Josefa Ribas, 86, who is bedridden and suffers from dementia, is attended to by nurse Laura Valdes during a home care visit in Barcelona, Spain, on April 7, 2020. Ribas’ husband, Jose Marcos, fears what will happen if the coronavirus enters their home and infects them. “I survived the post-war period (of mass hunger). I hope I survive this pandemic,” he said. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Swarms of desert locusts fly into the air from crops in Katitika village in Kenya’s Kitui county on Jan. 24, 2020. In the worst outbreak in a quarter-century, hundreds of millions of the insects swarmed into Kenya from Somalia and Ethiopia, destroying farmland and threatening an already vulnerable region. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

Sneakers and a Los Angeles Lakers jersey with the number 8 worn by NBA star Kobe Bryant hang at a memorial for Bryant in Los Angeles on Feb. 2, 2020, a week after he was killed in a helicopter crash. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

A woman wearing a mask to protect against infection from COVID-19 is reflected in a tinted chapel window, along with a metal casing said to contain the remains of St. Dimitrie of Basarabov, the patron saint of the Romanian capital, in Bucharest, Romania on Oct. 25, 2020. The feast of St. Dimitrie of Basarabov, which usually lasts for a week and draws up to 100,000 people, was cut way back this year due to the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Andreea Alexandru)

An emergency crew recovers the body of a boy killed in a government airstrike in the city of Idlib, Syria on Feb. 11, 2020. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

A reveler dressed in a Spider-Man costume strikes a pose at the “Ceu na Terra” or Heaven on Earth street party in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Feb. 22, 2020, during the Carnival celebration. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

One-year-old Yazan has his oxygen mask removed after heart surgery at the Tajoura National Heart Center in Tripoli, Libya, on Feb. 27, 2020. Yazan’s perilous trek from his small desert hometown culminated in a five-hour surgery. He is one of 1,000 children treated by Dr. William Novick’s group since it first came to Libya after the 2011 uprising. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

A model wears a creation for the Givenchy fashion collection during Women’s fashion week Fall/Winter 2020/21 presented in Paris on March 1, 2020. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

A child wearing a mask to protect against the coronavirus rests on the bank of the Yangtze River in Wuhan in central China’s Hubei province on April 16, 2020. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Rescue workers and local residents search for survivors in the wreckage of a plane that crashed with nearly 100 people onboard in a residential area of Karachi, Pakistan, on May 22, 2020. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

People stand in their balconies during a nationwide confinement to counter the coronavirus in Barcelona, Spain on March 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Martina Papponetti, 25, a nurse at the Humanitas Gavazzeni Hospital in Bergamo, Italy, poses for a portrait at the end of her shift on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic on March 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

South African National Defense Forces patrol the Men’s Hostel in the densely populated Alexandra township east of Johannesburg on March 28, 2020, enforcing a strict lockdown in an effort to control the spread of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

A protester carries a U.S. flag upside down as he walks past a burning building in Minneapolis on May 28, 2020, during a protest over the death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into his neck for several minutes. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally in Toledo, Ohio, on Jan. 9, 2020. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Workers move a coffin with the body of a victim of COVID-19 as other coffins are stored waiting for burial or cremation at the Collserola morgue in Barcelona, Spain, on April 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Arif Mirbaghi plays a double bass in his backyard during mandatory self-isolation to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Tehran, Iran, on April 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

2020年12月3日2020年12月3日

what is installation art history artists

By My Modern Met Team on December 1, 2020

To say that 2020 was a year like no other is an understatement. World events, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the Black Lives Matter protests, shaped the way we lived. And, as a consequence, they also shaped the way we saw and consumed art. With many museums and galleries closed for extended periods, artists were more resourceful than ever in getting their messages across. This was particularly true of installation artists.Many artists chose to focus their practice around what was happening in the world, and this often meant striking out on their own. From Dustin Klein‘s spontaneous light projections on the Robert E. Lee Monument to Jammie Holmes‘ powerful airplane banners with the last words of George Floyd, artists were not afraid to use their art to highlight social issues. Some, like flower designer Lewis Miller, even used their skills to give thanks to the brave healthcare workers putting their lives on the line during the pandemic.And while much art was centered around world events, there were also other incredible art installations that managed to come to life, giving people a break from the divisive and depressing realities of the world. From interactive sculptures in the desert to underwater sculptures in the Great Barrier Reef, these installations reflect the incredible creativity of today’s contemporary artists.

2020 was marked by art installations that commented on extraordinary world events.

Photo: Banksy

My wife hates it when I work from home by Banksy

Staying at home in lockdown didn’t make legendary street artist Banksy any less productive. He managed to find a space right in his own home to create an installation that exemplified how the whole world was going a little stir crazy. In this piece, which he captioned “My wife hates it when I work from home,” his rats run amok and wreak havoc in the bathroom.

From marking off the days in quarantine to using a roll of toilet paper to get a little exercise, these rats were all of us. And in posting this, Banksy once again showed how he’s able to use humor and irony to get through a tough situation. This wouldn’t be Banksy’s only artistic contribution related to COVID-19. He also painted artwork for a local hospital and his rats took over a subway car with a warning to wear your masks and sanitize your hands.

Photo: courtesy of Jammie Holmes and Library Street Collective

George Floyd Banners by Jammie Holmes

The senseless murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers sparked outrage across the globe. Many artists used their craft to ensure that what happened to Floyd would not be forgotten, including Jammie Holmes. The artist organized airplanes to fly across five major U.S. cities carrying banners with Floyd’s last words. The results are an in your face, undeniable look at the pain one man suffered that had rippling effects felt by millions. In reflecting his words to the public, Holmes forced us to think about what we can do to ensure this does not keep happening.

“I hope that people will be reminded of the power we can have to be heard and that coming together behind a unified message is key for real change,” Holmes said. “Like countless silenced and fearful young Black men, I have been the victim of police misconduct on a number of occasions in my life. Our mothers are burying us way too early. My fiancée shouldn’t worry every time I’m headed out of the house on my own. Yes, I carry a pistol, Mr. Officer. I carry it to protect myself from you by any means necessary. At some point, you will realize you can’t kill us all.”

Photos: courtesy of Dustin Klein

Reclaiming the Monument by Dustin Klein

In the wake of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s deaths, widespread protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement happened across America. And in many cities, old Confederate monuments were forcibly removed or ordered taken down by the legislature. In Richmond, Virginia the last remaining of these was the Robert E. Lee Monument. So while the city decided what measures to take, light projection artist Dustin Klein took matters into his own hands.

For several months, Klein projected images of Black victims of police violence on the face of the monument as a way to transform the meaning of the statue. As the faces of these victims took center stage, the public was allowed to use the space to mourn and gather their thoughts. Klein then extended the project to also include the faces of important Black citizens throughout history—such as Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman—as a way to acknowledge the great contributions they’ve made to our country. Klein’s project is a reminder that the best art can often come spontaneously from matters that move us.

Photo: Brian Adams

Bending Arc by Janet Echelman

Artist Janet Echelman is known for her large-scale installations using twine. Her work in St. Petersburg, Florida is no exception. Measuring 72 feet tall and spanning 424 feet, Bending Arc is a focal point of the new Pier Park. Flowing and billowing in the wind, the installation is even more magical at night when it’s lit up.

While the visual of the installation is impressive on its own, the work took on new meaning for Echelman when she discovered that it is located in an area that was important during the Civil Rights Movement. People gathered here in peaceful protest against the segregation of local municipal pools, which continued locally even after it was deemed unconstitutional. Upon learning this, Echelman decided on the title Bending Arc in a nod to a quote by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—”the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.“

Flower Flash by Lewis Miller Design

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the public have been showing their appreciation for front-line healthcare workers. Floral designer Lewis Miller had his own unique way of giving thanks by placing his Flower Flash installations in strategic locations across New York. One stop included New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where roses, lilies, and cherry blossoms were placed in an ornate arrangement.

Though Lewis’ team was eventually asked to remove the flowers by hospital security, they made the most of it by handing out the flowers to the nurses, doctors, and healthcare workers who passed by. The positive reaction they had shows that even the most simple gestures can be the most powerful.

There were other installations that don’t focus on the pandemic or Black Lives Matter, but they certainly highlight the creativity on display in 2020.

Photo: courtesy of Jason deCaires Taylor

Coral Greenhouse by Jason deCaires Taylor

Sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor never disappoints with his underwater sculptures, and his latest installation in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is no exception. After years of planning and installation, Taylor didn’t let the pandemic get in his way—he was able to open this new underwater park on schedule. Working with the local community, Taylor conceived the Coral Greenhouse. In this installation, the youth are in charge of running a laboratory to investigate the ocean. And as always, the setup makes a wonderful artificial reef for marine life.

“One of the overriding objectives was that we wanted young people to be inspired by marine science and fascinated by it,” Taylor told My Modern Met. “And want to have an active interest in the health of the reef and to be able to explore it in a fun and dynamic way. One of the big objectives was to create this space encompassing many areas, to be not only a space for art and culture but only about marine science and to use it as a portal or access point to explore the Great Barrier Reef.”

Photo: courtesy of Kate MccGwire

Discharge by Kate MccGwire

Sculptor Kate MccGwire views the use of repurposed materials as central to her creative practice. Her installation Discharge is an incredible example of how creative reuse can produce striking results. The London-based artist used around 10,000 pigeon feathers to create an explosion trickling from a bookcase.

By carefully sorting the feathers she collected, MccGwire was able to create this dynamic curve filled with abstract shapes. The result is at once mesmerizing and yet could be off-putting for viewers once they realize what the material is. This dual reaction is something the artist looks for, as she attempts to show the public how unexpected materials can be transformed into something aesthetically pleasing and beautiful.

Photo: ImagenSubliminal (Miguel de Guzmán and Rocío Romero)

To a raven and the hurricanes which bring back smells of humans in love from unknown places by Petrit Halilaj

When Madrid’s Palacio de Cristal reopened after the initial COVID-19 lockdown, they started with a bang. Kosovar artist Petrir Halilaj put on an incredible display with his installation To a raven and the hurricanes which bring back smells of humans in love from unknown places. Inspired by the mating rituals of bowerbirds, he filled the space with enormous, oversized flowers.

The flowers were made in collaboration with Halilaj’s life partner, Álvaro Urbano; and, in fact, the entire piece is meant to be a celebration of love. By declaring their love openly, they are starting a wider dialogue about acceptance and identity.‘

“Mirage” by eL Seed (Photo: Lance Gerber)

Desert X AlUla

Early in 2020, before most of the world was shut down, 14 artists traveled to the Saudi Arabian desert to create their own art oasis. Desert X AlUla is groundbreaking for Saudi Arabia, with a diverse lineup of young artists that included many women. Each artist was asked to use the desert as their canvas, and they all delivered.

Many created interactive pieces that invited visitors to engage with the art. From installations that visitors could swing on to artificial puddles that were meant to be jumped upon, each artwork is a reflection of its artist. Some, like eL Seed even took direct inspiration from the surroundings. His work Mirage is based on a 7th-century love story from the area.

“When I arrived in AlUla, I realized it would be impossible for me to compete with the environment,” eL Seed shared. “So I decided to create a work that would blend into the desert. Jameel and Butheyna were never able to be together. That’s also a mirage. Love is universal. It unites us all.”

Photo: courtesy of Arnaud Lapierre

AZIMUT by Arnaud Lapierre

Venice is already beautiful and, by harnessing its beauty, designer Arnaud Lapierre created a memorable installation. Using strategically placed mirrors that rotate, Lapierre’s AZIMUT reflects back fragments of the surroundings. Each mirror contains an unexpected detail of Venice’s historic architecture, which allows viewers to observe them in a new manner.

Unfortunately, this installation was cut short due to the pandemic, but the power of the piece lives on through photos and videos.

2020年12月2日

Unseen photos provide a sensitive look at America’s early ‘working girls’

From CNN

women in sexual professions have always distinguished themselves from other women, from the mores of the time, by pushing the boundaries of style. The most celebrated concubines and courtesans in history set the trends in their respective courts. The great dames of burlesque — Sally Rand, Gypsy Rose Lee — boasted a signature style on- and offstage, reflecting broader-than-life personalities.

Dita von Teese on the eternal allure of a well-dressed gentleman

Given that photography was still an emerging technology, an emerging creative medium, when these “working girls” posed for William Goldman in the 1890s at a Reading, Pennsylvania brothel, the entire exercise transcends their initial business liaison. The instantaneous concept of click-and-shoot was still decades away. To be photographed required sitting very still. The women featured in Goldman’s collection obviously caught his eye. Not just anyone is asked to be the subject of artistic documentation.