By Jessica Stewart on March 20, 2024
“Huli Tribesman” ©Roberto Pazzi. All rights reserved. Finalist, People
“This portrait features a Huli wigman tribesman. The Huli are an Indigenous Melanesian ethnic group who reside in the Hela Province of Papua New Guinea. There are over 250,000 Huli, making them one of the largest cultural groups in Papua New Guinea.”
The finalists capture beauty from all corners of the world.
The 60 finalists of the 21st annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contesthave been revealed. Selected from more than 30,000 submissions from 128 countries and territories, these finalists are now in the running for the Grand Prize, as well as the Reader’s Choice Award. Spread across six categories—Travel, People, American Experience, Natural World, Drone/Aerial, and Artistic—the finalists captured beauty from all corners of the world.
“Sunset at Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto” © Nina Kloss. All rights reserved. Finalist, Travel
“Kiyomizu-dera, also known as the “Temple of the Pure Water Spring,” is a historic Buddhist temple nestled in Kyoto, Japan. With a rich history spanning over 1,250 years, the temple is situated halfway up Mount Otowa, amid Kyoto’s scenic Higashiyama mountain range. Dedicated to Kannon, a deity symbolizing mercy and compassion, Kiyomizu-dera attracts numerous visitors each year. I was lucky that I managed to time my visit to Kyoto with the peak of sakura season. For one week in spring, when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, the temple extends its opening hours until dark, offering a mesmerizing view of the pagoda and over 1,500 cherry blossoms set against the setting sun.”
Whether taking portraits of tribesmen in Papua New Guinea or observing a man scaling an enormous palm tree, these photographers were singled out for their technical skill and creativity. Standouts include Olav Thokle‘s image of a cheetah and her four young cubs surveying the landscape and Sritam Kumar Sethy‘s close-up detail of a boy’s face covered in yellow powder during Holi. […]
“Archie at Club Ebony” © Rory Doyle. All rights reserved. Finalist, People
“Archie Beckworth looks up at the recently remodeled Club Ebony in Indianola, Mississippi. The club was made famous by Indianola hometown hero B.B. King.”
More: 60 Finalists Announced From Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest
MARCH 27, 2024 GRACE EBERT
“The days keep getting longer.” All images © Peter Frederiksen
Peter Frederiksen pinpoints the most ridiculous, exaggerated moments in cartoons and animated shows to dramatize them further into absurdity.
Chicago-based artist Peter Frederiksen (previously) pinpoints the most ridiculous, exaggerated moments in cartoons and animated shows to dramatize them further into absurdity. Cropping a single outlandish action or event, Frederiksen uses free-motion machine embroidery to stitch stylized compositions that, out of context, emphasize their dark humor.
“Some locks won’t hold”
Recent works include a Looney Tunes-style mishmash of feet and fists that burst through a bulging door in “Some locks won’t hold” and the tongue-in-cheek archery challenge of “Going easy on myself.” Often focusing on escalated tensions, the embroideries accentuate moments of high anxiety in a nostalgic, comforting childhood medium.
Frederiksen has started to switch to digital jacquard weavings for larger pieces. […]
“Interrogation of desire”
How do we live with trauma? A retired policeman reflects on his emotional weight.
Police officers often witness things outside the normal range of human experience – violence, brutality and traumatic death that many of us never see.
For most it is accepted as just part of the job and, although traditionally officers have not been encouraged to share their feelings, what is the emotional cost? How does dealing with trauma on a regular basis, change us as human beings? High profile atrocities like the murder of George Floyd in the US, and Sarah Everard’s murder in the UK, have also led to scant understanding and sympathy for policemen and women dealing with the day-to-day realities of policing.
In “He wears a Mask, and his Face Grows to Fit it”, retired policeman Guy Gardener reflects on the horrors he witnessed during his 30 year career in British policing and how he learnt to cope with the emotional fall-out of the job. Now 70, he recorded this candid interview with his son, also called Guy who was making a feature for his audio production course at Goldsmith’s College, University of London. Guy the son discovered a great deal about his father’s long policing career – stories and feelings that had never been shared before – and he contrasted the reality with an upbeat period recruitment film.
New Storytellers presents the work of new radio and audio producers, and this series features the winners of the Charles Parker Prize 2022 for the Best Student Radio Feature. The judges praised Guy’s feature saying that it was ‘interesting to hear this perspective in a beautiful interview. The stories the policeman told were ‘very vivid’ and the programme was a ‘powerful listen – a bit gruesome but not in a bad way.’
Producer: Guy Gardener
A Soundscape production for BBC Radio 4
Source: BBC Radio 4 – New Storytellers, He Wears a Mask, and His Face Grows to Fit It
MARCH 27, 2024 GRACE EBERT
“Aureus” (2022). All images © Jon Foreman
Using found leaves, stones, and sand, Foreman assembles swirling gradients and organic motifs that radiate across forest floors and beaches.
Nature’s subtle irregularities and variations are fodder for Jon Foreman (previously). Using found leaves, stones, and sand, the Wales-based artist assembles swirling gradients and organic motifs that radiate across forest floors and beaches. He precisely arranges each composition by size and color, relying on basic geometric principles to transform a humble material and unconventional backdrop into stunning artworks. Considering the constructions last just a short time before they’re blown or washed away, head to Foreman’s Instagram to see them in pristine condition.
“Stone Knitting” (2024)
“Aqua Exemplaria” (2024)
More: In Sand and Stone, Jon Foreman Sculpts Hypnotic Gradients and Organic Motifs — Colossal
The People of the British Isles study at the University of Oxford produced a map of the fine-scale genetic structure of Britain. It was the first map of its kind of anywhere in the world.
The study also revealed remarkable genetic evidence that sheds light on the nature of migrations from continental Europe into the UK.
This video is part of the Settlers exhibition at Oxford University Museum of Natural History.
http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk/settlers
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