From Above by Dimitar Karanikolov
Dimitar Karanikolov graduated from Architecture at UACEG, Sofia. Since 2008 he runs MESHROOM an architectural visualization / CG art studio based in London. Here is a selection of his images From Above taken in places like Venice, Sofia and Myanmar.
(Source: behance.net)
After the Battle of Shiloh in 1862, many Civil War soldiers’ lives were saved by a phenomenon called ‘Angel’s Glow.’ The soldiers, who lay in the mud for two rainy days, had wounds that began to glow in the dark and heal unusually fast. In 2001, 2 teens won an international science fair by discovering the soldiers had been so cold that their bodies created the perfect conditions for growing a bioluminescent bacteria, which ultimately destroyed the bad bacteria that could’ve killed them. Source Source 2 Source 3
Soaring Murals of Plants on Urban Walls by Mona Caron
Muralist Mona Caron has continued her worldwide Weeds series, with colorful renderings of humble plants growing ever taller on buildings from Portland and São Paulo to Spain and Taiwan. The San Francisco-based artist often partners with local and international social and environmental movements for climate justice, labor rights, and water rights, and selects plants, both native and invasive, that she finds in the cities where she paints.
(Source: thisiscolossal.com)
Apo Anno
One of the most famous and revered mummies of the Philippines and among the Kankanaey people from the Cordillera, Apo Anno is seen as both a revered ancestor and a demigod according to Kankanaey legend.
According to oral tradition, Apo Anno was born from a human father, a hunter named Togtogaka, while his mother was Kuyapon, a Tomongao (mountain spirit) who took on a human form during the time when Apo Anno was conceived. However Kuyapon’s father rejected the child because of his human scent thus he was given to Togtogaka by Kuyapon to raise the child as he wasn’t accepted by his grandfather. Togtogaka took his son and brought him home to his wife whom he couldn’t bear a child with. Both raised the child as their own and thus Anno was seen as a gift to the childless couple by the goddess.
The people of Nabalicong have memories passed down orally throughout the community of the disappearance of Apo Anno’s preserved body. To support their memories documents have also proven the disappearance from somewhere around 1918 to 1920 when the Americans started to erect structures in the Benguet region.
After his disappearance soon after there is evidence of him being shipped to the U.S. where he was put on exhibits. One of those exhibits according to Linda De Leon in her article “The Mummies of Benguet” published in the Philippine Panorama on August 8, 1976, was that Apo Anno was exhibited in a museum in Seattle, Washington sometime in the late 1940’s.
In 1984, Ms. Conception Cortes donated the mummy to the National Museum in Manila. She reported that she purchased the mummy in 1973 and that the mummy belonged to the late Don Antonio Jimenez of Vigan, Ilocos Sur.
Sometime in the 1960’s a letter from a museum in the USA came to Benguet seeking the assistance of the municipal government of Buguias and Kabayan to help in locating the kin of Apo Anno so that his remains may be brought home. However, no action happened with regard to the letter since the expected descendants did not follow up the case due to fear and due to their inability to understand the paper works they had to accomplish.
In 1995, Mr. Sario Copas then councilor of Buguias passed a resolution in the municipal council for the recovery of the Apo Anno. However, the resolution was not heard. It was only in 1998 during a seminar-workshop on the conservation of Benguet mummies held in the Benguet Provincial Capitol that Mr. Copas who became a provincial board member reasserted the return of Apo Anno to Buguias. From there, the staff of National Museum in Manila gave the reassurance that the matter would be discussed with their Director. Mr. Copas filed the petition at the provincial board, and the Provincial Resolution No. 98-527 dated October 28, 1998 was passed and unanimously endorsed by the provincial board, and then approved by then Governor Raul Molintas.
Apo Anno was eventually returned to the people of Benguet in the same year. In May 1999, the mummy was officially sealed away from public view where he can live out his afterlife and finally peacefully rest.
(via philippinespics)
For those who still have interest in ancient Baybayin (my blog post on the topic remains one of my most reblogged posts here on tumblr), I’m posting here excerpts of my copy of the September 1963 issue of Panitik Silangan (Translation: Literature of the East). It is perhaps one of the few old publications I know that used Baybayin in almost 90% of its pages. I bought my copy from an old antique shop in Intramuros five years ago. It aptly reflects the zeitgeist of the time, as nationalist sentiments was at its height in the 60s. Just a year before the publication was released, in 1962, President Diosdado Macapagal moved the Independence Day commemoration from July 4 to June 12 recognizing the First Philippine Republic established by Emilio Aguinaldo. Hence, the passion of the people then to study the marks of our past, like Baybayin. The publication itself is a great reference not only on Baybayin but that generation’s perception of it. For example, the publication refers to the script as “Abakada,” not “Alibata” as wrongly suggested, and there was clearly a grassroots movement dedicated to teaching the script to students free of charge.
The publication also offers some potentials to Baybayin, like making it into an art form (See Pitak ng Sining). I remember Kristian Kabuay, an acquaintance and a known proponent of Baybayin online who is also a Filipino-American, who succeeded in making Baybayin into a calligraphic art form. These potentials and more are showcased in this publication, including some test questions that teachers can use for their students, as well as the Baybayin translation of Jose Rizal’s Mi Ultimo Adios.
A word of caution though, like what I’ve said before, the endurance of a script is always tantamount to its practicality and flexibility. Unfortunately, Baybayin stopped evolving since the early years of the Spanish colonization, making it incompatible with modern Filipino language in its entirety, and thus impractical in usage, especially in communicating complex messages.
Therefore, what we can only do is appreciate it by learning indigenous scripts that have inspired it and have endured the test of time, such as the Mangyan script, among others.
That being said, enjoy these scans!
(via philippinespics)
Miniature Calendar Tatsuya Tanaka
Everyone must have had similar thoughts at least once. Broccoli and parsley might sometimes look like a forest, or the tree leaves floating on the surface of the water might sometimes look like little boats. Everyday occurrences seen from a pygmy’s perspective can bring us lots of fun thoughts.
I wanted to take this way of thinking and express it through photographs, so I started to put together a “Miniature Calendar” These photographs primarily depict diorama-style figures surrounded by daily necessaries. Just like a standard daily calendar, the photos are updated daily on my website and SNS page, earning it the name of “ Miniature Calendar”.
Images and text by Tatsuya Tanaka
Fairlytale Scandinavian Green Roofs
Scandinavians are serious about their green roofs. They’ve had them for a while now and it doesn’t look like they’re going anywhere. They even have a competition every year to determine the best green roof project in Scandinavia by the Scandinavian Green Roof Association! But there is a reason why Scandinavians like these green roofs so much… They are not only a beautiful feature for a house, but they also offer numerous social, environmental and financial benefits. They absorb rainwater, reduce winter heating costs, reduce summer air-conditioning costs, provide insulation, and are long lasting - just to name a few.
Images and text via