Vintage Stamps for World Cup Countries

My life the last week has revolved almost entirely around football and the World Cup. Posting photos and stories from South Africa on Twenty Ten, arranging the last-minute details for my flight to Johannesburg on Saturday morning and watching as many matches as I can handle. I enjoyed this artistic approach to the World Cup fever by Karen Horten. She gathered together vintage stamps from the countries: "Most of the postage stamps below are from between 1900 through the mid-1930s, with a few as recent as the early 1970s."

These are some of my favorites, but there are lots more here (via constantwanderlust: dailydesigndiscoveries)

Then It Happens

I’m not responsible for my photographs. Photography is not documentary, but intuition, a poetic experience. It’s drowning yourself, dissolving yourself, and then sniff, sniff, sniff – being sensitive to coincidence. You can’t go looking for it; you can’t want it, or you want get it. First you must lose your self. Then it happens.

— Henri Cartier-Bresson (via spaceships: south-paw)

A World Cup weekend

The World Cup is off to a great start and South Korea has probably been my favorite so far. In 2006 I was watching in Seoul and couldn't believe the enthusiasm of the Korean fans, crowded onto the streets to watch the matches and celebrate together. They were probably quite happy about the great start yesterday, visualized above by The Guardian's Twitter replay, which shows the reactions on Twitter for each game (via Ardy)

I celebrated the kick off to the 2010 tournament in Amsterdam at the Tropenmuseum, along with the opening of the exhibition Africa Scores!

Germany plays today and I will be cheering along. Unfortunately Biergarten Die Heimat, which hosted fantastic screenings for the 2008 European Cup, is no longer open. Two nice alternatives are Biergarten De Goede Hoop and Trouw. Viel Glück Deutschland!

Snowbound

The beautiful multimedia production Snowbound by Lisa Robinson (for Fotofest) begins with the sound of crunching snow. As we stand now in the thick of summer, humid and cloudy here in Amsterdam, I loved this peek into the quiet season  of winter.

For five long winters, Lisa M. Robinson photographed in snow from New York to Colorado. The resulting color photographs become almost monochromatic in the snow and ice, distilled to their essential parts not unlike the deepest states of meditation.

While on the surface, these images seem to have captured moments in time, there is an implied suggestion of time passage and life cycles. Within the heart of a spare winter, other seasons emerge. These scenes suggest, upon contemplation, the temporal nature of all things. In the midst of seeming emptiness, layers of life and contrast slowly emerge.

(via mediastorm)

The Countdown Begins

Just one week left until the 2010 World Cup kicks off in South Africa. I'll be heading to Johannesburg during part of the championships (yea!) to work with the journalists from Twenty Ten, who will be providing a uniquely African view of the event with multimedia productions, articles, radio broadcasts and lots of beautiful photography.

The above image is from a photo series by the South African photographer Simone Scholtz called Transformations, which captures the evolution of Black Stars fans from average Ghanaians to painted supporters ready to cheer their team on.

The Streets of Tokyo

[vimeo vimeo.com/7892412 w=500&h=400] This video by Vincente + Sara of the streets of Tokyo is serene, lovely and full of slow movement. It makes me want to visit again, to see again the small things hidden within the bustling city. But I actually debated whether to post this video because it's essentially a promotion for Zara, which was one big chaotic mess last time I was there. Here's to the hope that good advertising erases a blah experiences (via GOOD).

der:die:das:

der:die:das: is a new magazine out of Zurich "which examines items, objects and various 'things' from everyday life, trying to get to the bottom of their meaning to newly orchestrate them. Next to their meaning in everyday life the items will be put in an art- and design-discourse, in order to reveal the bizarre and the established all at once." "der:die:das: calls for the new in everyday life and the ordinary in the novel and assembles the various perceptions of different disciplines in art and design by various artists, designers and authors in one magazine. According to the alphabet the things will be selected, dissected and analysed." (via thepostfamily)

A Bit of Reading

Those of you who have been following my blog for awhile know that I like reading. I usually keep track of the books I read by season, but I haven't seem to posted a reading list since August last year. It was a busy fall/winter/spring and here are some of my favorites.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. A present from my older sister that was inspirational and caused me to do a lot of reflecting. Highly recommended.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. A mystery thriller that sucked me in from the first pages. A gift from a great friend and perfect for the wintertime.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. A historical mystery that scours the streets of post-war Barcelona. Absolutely beautiful.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. I think this is a youth novel, but no matter. A story that immerses you in a one-of-a-kind adventure with four extraordinary kids.

An interview with Anne Schwalbe

The photographs of Anne Schwalbe are subtle observations of quiet scenes, capturing subjects that seem to transcend a specific time/place/situation. I imagine this gives a viewer the opportunity to connect with the image in a very personal way, to do something with the image in their own moment. Intrigued by her images, I was inspired to do a short interview and hear more about her background and her inspiration.

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Could you give a short history of yourself? Anne Schwalbe:  I grew up in Berlin. I developed my first black and white print in the 6th class. After school I wanted to do an apprenticeship at a photo shop, but nothing worked out. I decided to give up photography and study German Studies and Cultural Studies. That was not the right thing for me. During these studies I began to do photography at a little Lab for young people in Berlin. In 2003 I started to study photography at the Ostkreuz School for Photography with Ute Mahler and Werner Mahler in Berlin. Since then I work solely on photography.

The Sonic Blog described your work as 'typically German'. Do you think there is a 'typical German style'? How does your work fit into it? Anne Schwalbe:  I think there is a typical German style, but I never had the feeling that I really fit into it. Nevertheless, the Sonic Blog said that he feels that my photography is somehow typically German in a way he cannot label more clearly. I like this comment, especially that he can't describe my work.

What are some things/people/moods that inspire your work? Anne Schwalbe:  Emptiness, abstract things, monochrome paintings, sculptures, nature, silence, fun, to be in the middle of the nowhere together with people I like.

Nature is recurrent in your photos. Where does this interest come from? Anne Schwalbe:  I grew up in a town, but I really need to be in the nature. In a city there are too many cars, people, noise and not enough trees, silence and empty space.

I really like how you focus on the details and get really close; showing a lot by showing just a little. What is the motivation for this? Anne Schwalbe:  Thank you. It just developed. It was not my plan. I am interested in these things.

How do you think people experience your photography? Anne Schwalbe:  So many people, so many ways.

The Backstory

Several productions give a closer glimpse of the photographers who won World Press Photo awards this year and the stories behind their photos. Pietro Masturzo discusses his career in 'Talking about Photography' and video interviews present a firsthand account from the photographers. Highlights include Charles Ommanney, Eugene Richards, Kent Klich, Gareth Copley, Olivier Laban-Mattei and Malick Sibidé.

Photo by Pietro Masturzo

Die Stadt. Vom Werden und Vergehen

While in Berlin last weekend, I attended the opening of the exhibition Die Stadt. Vom Werden und Vergehen (The City. Becoming and Decaying) at C|O Berlin in partnership with Ostkreuz. The exhibition features photography by 18 Ostkreuz photographers who have 'embarked on a search for the essence of present-day urban realities'. It was a long-term project that covered 22 cities around the world, depicting urban growth and decay. The exhibition runs until 4 July. Above image: Pactrick B. Mitchell, Leland Hotel, Detroit, USA, 2009 by Dawin Meckel/Ostkreutz

Thirteen Words

...beautiful and without a 1 to 1 translation in English. 1. Waldeinsamkeit (German): the feeling of being alone in the woods

2. Ilunga (Tshiluba, Congo): a person who is ready to forgive any abuse for the first time, to tolerate it a second time, but never a third time

3. Taarradhin (Arabic): a way of resolving a problem without anyone losing face (not the same as our concept of a compromise – everyone wins)

4. Litost (Czech): a state of torment created by the sudden sight of one’s own misery

5. Esprit de l’escalier (French): a witty remark that occurs to you too late, literally on the way down the stairs…

6. Meraki (Greek): doing something with soul, creativity, or love

7. Yoko meshi (Japanese): literally ‘a meal eaten sideways’, referring to the peculiar stress induced by speaking a foreign language:

8. Duende (Spanish): a climactic show of spirit in a performance or work of art, which might be fulfilled in flamenco dancing, or bull-fighting, etc.

9. Guanxi (Mandarin): in traditional Chinese society, you would build up good guanxi by  giving gifts to people, taking them to dinner, or doing them a favour, but you can also use up your guanxi by asking for a favour to be repaid.

10. Pochemuchka (Russian): a person who asks a lot of questions

11. Tingo (Pascuense language of Easter Island): to borrow objects one by one from a neighbour’s house until there is nothing left

12. Radioukacz (Polish): a person who worked as a telegraphist for the resistance movements on the Soviet side of the Iron Curtain

13. Selathirupavar (Tamil): a word used to define a certain type of absence without official leave in face of duty

And one more to make 14:

The Samoan word for cowardice is peamoku - or unfinished tattoo.

(via constantwanderlust: thehermitage)

I Heart Oregon

I'm enjoying an afternoon of complete laziness and taking the chance to catch up on my favorite blogs. Bless Google Reader for not counting the number of unread posts after 1000 (just indicating '1000+'). I have seen a million things that I want to reblog, but this print from Amy Ruppel topped the chart. I have a small craving for the Oregon springtime, although I'm not likely to fly in again until late autumn. I will content myself here in Amsterdam with some trips to Berlin, escapades around Holland and a trip to South Africa in June. Sprinkled with several visits from my siblings, that should be sufficient (via unruly things).

Imagining America

Most Chinese were intensely curious about foreign life, and they liked to ask certain questions … People tended to have extreme views of the US, both positive and negative, and they became fixated on fantastic details that they had heard … In China, I came to think of the United States as essentially imaginary: it was always being created in people’s minds, and in that sense it was more personal for them than it was for me. The questions reflected Chinese interests, dreams, and fears—even when people discussed America, the conversation was partly about their home. … A Chinese person with options would never choose to live in a place like southwestern Colorado. The American appetite for loneliness impressed me, and there was something about this solitude that freed conversation. I learned there’s no reliable small talk in America; at any moment a conversation can become personal … Many Americans were great talkers but they didn’t like to listen … Leslie and I learned that the most effective way to kill our end of a conversation was to say that we were writers who had lived in China for more than a decade.

— Returning to America from a life in China, an article by Peter Hessler on returning to the US after living in China for 15 years (via the pandas)