Kurshaka

“I never want to see another picture of ________.” Industry veterans share their pet peeves on themes in contemporary photography. In this series they present their “rule” along with five photographs that break the rule in an effort to show that great work is the exception to the rule.

Tokyo Compression. Courtesy Bruce Silverstein Gallery

Rule Setter: Roger Thompson, Senior Editor, Don’t Take Pictures
Rule Breaker: Michael Wolf

I never want to see another set of subway photos. From the forlorn images of empty subway stations to blurry shots of speeding trains juxtaposed with still figures in the foreground, the genre of underground commuting life has more than run its course.

Or so I thought until l saw Michael Wolf’s images from his Tokyo Compression series on view at Bruce Silverstein Gallery.

Videos of Tokyo commuters went viral some years ago and periodically refresh in our newsfeeds. People are crammed into over-packed cars like sardines and illustrate the desperation of contemporary work life—be on time or be out of a job. The videos are startling and feature subway workers with bright white gloves packing people tighter and tighter into overstuffed cars so that the doors can close. The videos are at once ridiculous and horrific.

Wolf’s images zoom in on the chaos and highlight the desperation of the people inside. Commuters’ faces are pressed up against the glass of the subway cars, many with eyes closed, quietly enduring the indignity of the situation. The subway car windows, packed with human heat, perspire in the stale air, and the glass is bespeckled and streaked with moisture, obscuring the human lives inside. If a face is not utterly distorted by being smashed against glass, it disappears behind the streaking moisture of the foggy window. The result is an unsettling portrait of life and a rumination on notions of success and labor. Wolf captures the vulnerability of the human body in these images, but perhaps most of all, he demonstrates the shared suffering that results from the unchecked power of a workaday world.
—Roger Thompson

Tokyo Compression. Courtesy Bruce Silverstein Gallery

Tokyo Compression. Courtesy Bruce Silverstein Gallery

Tokyo Compression. Courtesy Bruce Silverstein Gallery

Portrait of a Reputation, Francesca Woodman

Wind gauge, Michael Pederson (@miguelmarquezoutside)

Modern Toss

Field Trip Acropolis, Tod Papageorge

Hose, Jürgen Teller

Word on the street, Patrick Joust

Laser tag

Maximum security, JR

Temptation of Death, Boris Mikhailov

Hong Kong Polytechnic

Word on the Street

Dead at 81, photog Terry O'Neill

The dead and the dying, Patrick McCormack

Something happening somewhere

Blooms, Carolina Rodríguez Fuenmayor

San Francisco

Our domestic pets make us laugh on a daily basis, but animals in the wild can have their funny moments, too. Now in its 5th year, the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards recently announced the hilarious winning photos for 2019. The funny images were chosen from over 4,000 entries from 68 different countries, revealing that silly playfulness is universal amongst animals.

The annual contest is run in collaboration with The Born Free Foundation, a charity that helps to “Keep Wildlife in the Wild.” The organizers aim to highlight the importance of wildlife conservation through comedic moments of these free roaming animals, encouraging people to do what they can so that future generations can enjoy these beautiful creatures, too.

The title of Overall Winner went to photographer Sarah Skinner, who captured a hilarious moment between a lion cub and an adult lion in Botswana, titled Grab life by the…! “As the male stood and started walking off, one of the young cubs, who is blind in one eye ran toward the male, leaping up toward him,” Skinner recalls. “Rather than leaping onto his back as we expected, the cub’s focus instead appeared to be directed toward be the adult male’s nether regions, with claws fully protracted!”

Skinner’s prizes include a safari in the Maasai Mara in Kenya, along with the unique handmade trophy from the Wonder Workshop in Tanzania, an Airport Advantage bag from THINK TANK, and an iPad preloaded with the Affinity Photo’s award-winning software. “It certainly warms my heart to know that this image will spread some laughter and happiness around the world,” she says. “I am happy to report that this cub continues to thrive in the pride, having seen her again in October this year.”

Other winning photos include a shocked otter by Harry Walker, a pair of bickering birds by Vlado Pirsa, and a surfing penguin by Elmar Weiss. There’s even a 4-part photo series titled First Comes Love by Elaine Kruer—it captures the love story of two Cape Squirrels in South Africa who seemingly went on a journey from courtship to a wedding!

Check out this year’s hilarious winning photos below and find out more about the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards online.

The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards recently announced the hilarious winning photos for 2019.

The winning photos were chosen from over 4,000 entries from 68 different countries.

The contest aims to highlight the importance of wildlife conservation by showcasing these animals in a positive light.

The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards.

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The post Adorably Hilarious Winners of the 2019 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards appeared first on My Modern Met.

Keith Williams (previously) has a knack for wowing viewers with his time-lapse woodworking videos. One of Williams’ recent projects entailed using offcuts that contain knots. In his hands, the geodesic dome becomes a multi-faceted showcase for the unique patterns, colors, and textures formed by these organic irregularities.

“In the 27 years of my woodworking business, I have never thrown away a knot,” Williams tells Colossal. “Many people see knots as a defect, but to me knots are the visual representation of a trees struggle to thrive. Not all little limbs become big branches, but their combined efforts on behalf of the tree as a whole should be celebrated.”

Step inside Williams’ Oddball Gallery workshop and see more in-progress projects on his YouTube channel.

 

You can’t get there from here, Paolo Pettigiani

Chicago-based duo Luftwerk (previously) partnered with architect Iker Gil and sound designer Oriol Tarragó for “Geometries of Light,” two coordinated installations celebrating the architectural forms of Mies van der Rohe. Both displayed in 2019, the shows were separated by one continent and approximately eight months; the German Pavilion display was on view in February 2019, and the second installation took place this fall at the Farnsworth House outside of Chicago.

The concept was was inspired by the structure’s apparent weightlessness, as it “seemingly floats perfectly on its pedestal”, Petra Bachmaier of Luftwerk tells Colossal. After an initial site visit to Barcelona in 2018, the artists decided to use “a specific tool to accentuate the clarity of the architecture with the laser level, a tool mainly used for construction sites to keep things level,” explains Backmaier. (Bosch Powertools provided the bluetooth-enabled three-plane lasers for both installations.)

For both sites, the designers were inspired by the history and context of each location. The German Pavilion was built in 1929 and demolished a year later; in 1986 it was rebuilt based on drawings. With bright red lines cutting through rooms and wrapping around walls, “Geometry of Light heightens the illusion of physical and material boundaries,” says Bachmaier. This effect also reflects the morphed history of the building, and retracing its form, from physical to two-dimensional drawing, to physical once again.

In the autumnal installation at the Farnsworth House, the artists explored the relationship between the architecture and its rural setting. “It uncovers the forgotten history of the site and remnants of earlier landscape by revealing the underlying geometries that relate the renowned house to its river floodplain, topography and key trees that no longer exist,” the artists tell Colossal.

Explore more of Luftwerk’s site-specific installations on their website and Instagram, as well as projects by Gil and Tarragó.

Moebius

Going underground, Mike Goldwater

Romeo is bleeding, Ted Pim

Different poses, Dennis Hopper

It’s a small world, Diego Speroni

Photographer Yener Torun has an eye for color. While many consider the urban landscape a drab environment, Torun thinks differently. The Turkish photographer, who studied architecture, spends his time wandering the streets of Istanbul to find unique examples of rainbow-hued buildings and prove that urban living can be colorful.

Torun creates his compositions with surgical precision. Each angle is exact and the results are so surreal that they seem plucked from a film. Given the graphic quality of his work, it should come as no surprise that Torun had an interest in design long before he picked up a camera. By merging all of his interests, he’s seen his work progress and his Instagram following explode—he now has nearly 200,000 followers watching his every move.

Now, Torun is stretching himself and moving beyond Istanbul to explore some of Turkey’s other cities. Ankara, Izmir, and Antalya are just some of the other urban settings where Torun has been able to find technicolor architecture. By sharing his work online, he is transforming expectations of Turkey. Focusing on colorful contemporary architecture rather than Turkey’s historical monuments, Torun is providing an often unseen vision of the country.

“It’s possible to find something inspiring in almost every corner of the city,” Torun tells My Modern Met. “You won’t be discovering something pretty every time, but you’ll find something original nonetheless. And even if some of the discoveries are some sort of atrocities, it’s a satisfying feeling to find the best angles to transform them into works of art.”

“I think my work offers an alternative vision of Istanbul—or even Turkey—and helps people to form a more profound perception of it. What I show in my photographs are not very common things and I’m aware that my approach is somewhat idiosyncratic, but these photographs have the shock value to make people realize that there’s a lot more than they know about this city and its dynamics.”

For Torun, each photograph is also a representation of himself, making his work extremely personal. He hopes that through his work, he inspires other creators to take risks and experiment with new projects. As his success shows, you never know what you might find.

Yener Torun is known for his spectacular architectural photos of colorful buildings in Istanbul.

Now he’s begun traveling around Turkey to discover rainbow-colored buildings in different cities across the country.

Through his work, he proves that the urban landscape doesn’t have to be drab.

He’s also showing a whole new side to Turkish cities beyond the historical monuments.

Yener Torun: Website | Facebook | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Yener Torun.

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The post Colorful Photos of Turkey’s Rainbow-Hued Architecture appeared first on My Modern Met.

Denim jackets have been a wardrobe staple ever since they were popularized by silver screen stars such as James Dean and Steve McQueen in the 1950s. Today’s jean jackets come in a number of different styles and colors, but Colombian textile designer Ana Maria Restrepo (of Amarpo) adds personality to the simple garment by customizing them with colorful embroidery.

Inspired by her Latin American roots, Restrepo’s upcycled garments celebrate the colorful beauty of Colombia’s nature. She uses a combination of embroidery and crochet to hand-stitch colorful florals and other nature-inspired motifs to the shoulders, arms, backs, and fronts of each jacket. Each statement piece is just like a wearable piece of art and allows wearers to show off their unique style.

Love adding personality to your outfits? Check out some of Restrepo’s custom embroidered jackets below and see more of her colorful creations on Instagram.

Textile designer Ana Maria Restrepo artistically adds personality to simple denim jackets by customizing them with colorful embroidery.

 

Inspired by her Latin American roots, each vivid garment celebrates the beauty of Colombia’s colorful flora.

Ana Maria Restrepo / Amarpo: Website | Facebook | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Ana Maria Restrepo / Amarpo.

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The post Latin American Embroidery Artist Covers Denim Jackets in Colombia’s Colorful Flora appeared first on My Modern Met.