A sublime Persian horoscope crafted from lapis lazuli and gold leaf by hand for Prince Iskandar. The Prince was named after Alexander the Great and was the grandson of Tamerlane, the Turkman Mongol conqueror. This horoscope shows the positions of the stars and planets in the sky at the moment of Iskandar’s birth on 25thContinue reading “Art: The Horoscope of Prince Iskandar (1411)”
Tag Archives: Philosophy
Book Review: Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn
Jon Kabat Zinn is a Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and is the founder of a stress reduction technique called MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction), which is used in hospitals and medical centres throughout the world. He is a student of Thich Nhat Hanh and a life-long teacher andContinue reading “Book Review: Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn”
Book Review: A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman
Another book from Scandinavia this time from debut novelist Fredrick Backman. Originally in Swedish, A Man Called Ove is a universally appealing narrative about a curmudgeonly old man who seems to encounter infuriating people and annoying situations at every turn, when all he wants is to be left in peace. Since being published, A ManContinue reading “Book Review: A Man Called Ove by Fredrick Backman”
How slow-growing lichen opens up the vast universe
The Lichenologist from Matthew Killip on Vimeo. Hidden within this remarkable short film The Lichenologist is the slowly-growing story of the unassuming and vividly beautiful botanical wonder of lichen. Kerry Knudsen has the auspicious title of Curator of Lichens at the University of California. He dispels common misconception between lichens and mosses. The latter beingContinue reading “How slow-growing lichen opens up the vast universe”
360 degree VR film of Tokyo: A hyper-creepy and darkly enjoyable feast
【360° Movie】Tokyo Light Odyssey (Full) from WOW inc on Vimeo. If Pink Floyd and Stanley Kubrik were to have a baby in 2017 – this is what it would look like. Be taken on a sublime journey of immersive 360 degree Tokyo in a most unsettling mood. The immersive short film is filled with theContinue reading “360 degree VR film of Tokyo: A hyper-creepy and darkly enjoyable feast”
Amazing Human-Crustacean Architectural Collaborations
If you thought that the Auckland or NYC property market was hot right now, spare a thought for the tiny and unpredictable housing market of the hermit crab. They have a complex and sometimes cooperative and sometimes aggressive strategies for occupying shells aka homes for their fragile little bodies. Some of these strategies involve hostileContinue reading “Amazing Human-Crustacean Architectural Collaborations”
An interesting holistic model for health according to the eight tentacles of the Octopus, Te Wheke in Māori culture
The Maori (the indigenous people of New Zealand) which includes myself, have a very different way of defining health outcomes compared to western medicine. Te Wheke (the octopus) is often used as a symbol to define integrative and holistic health. This holistic approach to health encompasses ten elements in Maori life. Funnily enough this holisticContinue reading “An interesting holistic model for health according to the eight tentacles of the Octopus, Te Wheke in Māori culture”
Seawalls: Artists for Oceans in Quirky Napier, New Zealand
On a recent cycling trip to Napier, the Polish Bear and I were astonished to find the most amazing street art in the side alleys, shop fronts and carpark walls. Art Deco Napier is a place full of surprises. Seawalls Napier: Bringing the oceans to the streets Sea Walls: Murals for Oceans is a groundbreakingContinue reading “Seawalls: Artists for Oceans in Quirky Napier, New Zealand”
Linden Frederick: Night swimming through urban landscapes
Linden Frederick paints ultra-realistic everyday scenes during the nocturnal hush of the evening. In the real world many of these buildings would be unremarkable, but in the hands of Frederick these shabby homes and plain looking commercial buildings take on a different form at dusk and night, there is a mysterious imagining of the building’sContinue reading “Linden Frederick: Night swimming through urban landscapes”
Marshall Berman: All that is solid melts into air
To be modern is to find ourselves in an environment that promises us adventure, power, joy, growth, transformation of ourselves and the world – and at the same time that threatens to destroy everything we have, everything that we know, everything that we are. Marshall Berman, “All that is solid melts into air’.
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