Book of Notice

[nationalgeographicdaily]

Aerial View, New York City Photo: Navid Baraty

Watching the pace and flow of New York City from above is amazing. The constant stream of yellow taxis lining the avenues, the waves of pedestrians hurriedly crossing with the change of traffic signals, little figures disappearing into and emerging from the subway stations, the chorus of honking horns and sirens. It’s all so rhythmic and strangely soothing to watch. It makes me feel incredibly small.

[jessja-blog]

It usually isn't until I'm removed from the situation or set far apart that I notice overall rhythms and patterns such as social structures. 

[philnoto]

Finn and Jake!

[jessja-blog]

A realistic take on my favorite cartoon series! It's both fun yet a little disconcerting to see these cartoon characters realistically portrayed.

[shoebiedoo]

I was browsing around on Pinterest and I came across a neat tutorial on how to do some needle weaving.

[jessja-blog]

Beautiful textures, patterns, colors. Brings to mind that distinction between high and low art, though needle weaving is as compelling an artistic platform as any other. 

[jessja-blog]

I love when art and science intersect. Named "a chemist's calendar," this device exemplifies the fact that art and science are not mutually exclusive. 

[usagov-blog]

Image description: Picasso or Panda? Giant panda Tian Tian gets his paws dirty with non-toxic water-based paint at the National Zoo. Painting is one among many activities that fall under Animal Enrichment—a program that provides physically and mentally stimulating activities and environments for the Zoo’s residents.

Art produced by many of the Zoo’s mammal and bird residents will be available for purchase at the National Capital chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) Art Show, which will take place spring 2012.

Photo by Smithsonian’s National Zoo

[jessja-blog]

Love it! Underlines my belief that art should be accessible to all.

[mpdrolet]

Divingtower Study II 

Marius Rustad

[jessja-blog]

Stunning!

[jessja-blog]

A 1955 piece by Lotte Reiniger. Now the settings are in full color (though the characters are still black silhouettes) and the story-telling has changed (narrator, sound, not so many transitions). Lotte masterfully incorporates color and non-paper material (cels?). Although this piece is beautiful and captivating to watch, I think I prefer her silent animations a little more. All of Reiniger's works are masterpieces.

[theartofanimation]

Alyssa Monks: Dark water

[jessja-blog]

A mixture of playful and unsettling images. Water is essential to life and has such contrasting sides to it. Water is fun and deadly at the same time. The water and fog's texture is quite beautiful. 

[jessja-blog]

Lotte Reiniger's films are some of the most beautiful animation in history. Cut-out silhouette animation has its own character of movement. Since everything is told through silhouette, all the actions are that much stronger. The details and textures are extraordinary, and the metamorphoses and transitions are sublime. And made in 1926!

[jessja-blog]

Chillingly chillingly beautiful and thought-provoking. Scratch that, it was mind-blowing. In fact, this animation pretty much stopped my brain for a while. 

[jessja-blog]

IVP 3 Changes...

Going home for Thanksgiving made me reevaluate my IVP 3. While I observed movement and people in the airport, I realized what was so much more compelling to me was my time with my family and reconnecting with family abroad (Taiwan). This brought about a desire to explore my own family as a social structure... combining influences from flight pattern/airport mapping....

(Had this post saved at the end of Thanksgiving break, but forgot to post it until now! So it might seem strange chronologically...)

[calivintage]

rei shito photographed by the sartorialist.

[jessja-blog]

Her clothes are lovely, but even lovelier are her movements and expression. The street fashion photography movement has definitely been a recent phenomenon. The idea that street fashion IS high fashion. I still ponder that concept since street fashion photography still is very selective about what it considers great street fashion, almost as selective as high fashion itself. But this photograph is indeed lovely.

[inlovewithaudreyhepburn]

[wehadfacesthen]

Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina (Billy Wilder, 1954)

via inlovewithaudreyhepburn

[jessja-blog]

One of my top 5 movies. I love the stylistic choice to go with black and white. Colorized black and white films make me a little sad - the cinematography, lighting, and entire visual scheme is based off creating a compelling black and white image. It brings to mind the strange paradox we have. The black and white v. color as realism paradox. I think there is another strange contradiction in that we welcome black and white still photography while preferring color film/video. 

[nationalgeographicdaily]

Manhattan Solstice Photo: Robinson McClellan

Celebrating a “Manhattan Solstice” - when Manhattan’s street grid lines up with the setting sun - in front of the American Museum of Natural History. On this day, New York City’s vast edifice becomes “Manhattanhenge,” dedicated to sun worship!

[jessja-blog]

So this is what happened in the photo I took from my earlier post! Magical.

[leprincesanspantalon]

[wehadfacesthen]

Teen party, 1940s

[jessja-blog]

Oh how time changes social structures. It's interesting how some things are so familiar and exactly the same while others have drastically changed. 

[omgthatdress]

Kosovar bride - so beautiful!

[jessja-blog]

Absolutely beautiful! I love discovering other cultures' concepts of beauty - reveals just how narrow a lot or our definition of beauty is. The process is just as important and beautiful as the end result.

[helen-likes]

Sonja Vordermaier Street lamp forest a collection of 30 european streetlamp

[emmyc]

I want to live in a world like this

[jessja-blog]

Whimsically yet hauntingly beautiful. It's amazing how changing the context makes us see an often overlooked object with new eyes.