A High Flying Artist

For seven days, a giant nest 50 metres up one side of the Weena Tower in Rotterdam has been home for Dutch artist Benjamin Verdonck. He’s recently descended from his lofty abode but as these images reveal, it would have been no mean task getting his nest up there in the first place. And if you’re going to spend a week sitting on a collection of twigs, obviously you’d make sure you had a nice grey suit to wear…




Verdonck apparently built his nest over six weeks using, he says, “the crowns of 23 silver birches, one birch, one willow, two straw bales, one bucket of spit, three bags of sand, 12 buckets of glue and 19 canso polyurethane foam.” That’s a lot of spit by anyones standards.

After making a “risk analysis” and guaranteeing “access for the emergency services” Verdonck attached his new home to the tower and remained there for seven days, occasionally flinging feathers down onto the street. We’re not sure if his droppings went the same way.

"Flying Over Water"

PETER GREENAWAY

The exhibition at the Malmö' Konsthall "Flying Over Water" features the British artist and film director Peter Greenaway and is a continuation of his 1997 exhibition at Fundacio Joan Miro in Barcelona, in which he explored the Icarus myth. The theme has interested Greenaway for a long time; it entices us to dream, to go beyond ourselves and attempt to achieve the impossible. Icarus, the first casualty of human flight, is the link between different opposites: water and air, sky and sea, to fly or to drown, ambition and failure. His story is permeated by uncertainties and questionmarks.

"Flying Over Water" is both ironic and amusing. Using an in-depth, many-sided and aesthetic approach, Peter Greenaway explores and presents all the different aspects of the Icarus myth. Approximately thirty stations present an ingenious mapping of Icarus' aerial journey from its first conception to the fall. What Greenaway asks himself - and the public - includes subjects ranging from the quality' of the feathers (which bird gave its life so that Icarus could fly?), the wind conditions, and the physical attributes of icarus (to be able to fly is it better to be a marathon endurance runner or a muscular sprinter?), to the splash when he fell from the sky into the sea.

"Flying Over Water" is an overwhelming lesson in the art of seeing, achieved by displaying objects and events in an unexpected and provocative way. Greenaway guides the observers' eyes, sharpens their perceptions and awakens their attention. Peter Greenaway seduces our senses in order to lead us to what is essential in an installation that is both visual and physical in nature.

How do artists fare on the silver screen?

Photograph: Getty

By Jessica Lack

Jake and Dinos Chapman are making a feature film and speculation is rife regarding its subject matter. The Independent suggested it might be a comedy about the art world. How tantalising - a lacerating satire on the British art scene over the past 20 years. And with the Chapmans' unrivalled talent for biting the hand that feeds them, it's hard not to imagine a scene in which art world notables are hung out to dry like rotting corpses on a blackened tree. Yet, if we know one thing about the Chapmans, it's that they are predictably unpredictable. Conjecture is futile.

By choosing to direct a film, they are following an increasingly popular route for artists. Ever since the dadaists saw the potential for experimenting with the silver screen, artists have been tempted to make feature films. Salvador Dalí collaborated with the filmmaker Luis Buñuel on Un Chien Andalou - infamous for the gory eye-slicing scene - and L'Age d' Or, which sees a grim-faced Max Ernstplay a bandit chief.

For some artists the appeal of film is financial - particularly in the case of Dali. Paradoxically Andy Warhol found film to be a respite from the commercial demands of the art world for his silk-screen idols. Yet, the financial aspect is perhaps why fewer directors are lured the other way. The notable exception is Peter Greenaway, whose installations have all the suspense of the cinema. His magnum opus, Flying over Water at the Malmö Konsthall in Sweden, felt like a frightening thriller, with metal baths bolted to the floor as cascades of water plunged into the gallery.

It is not a seamless transition, though. For every Steve McQueen (who just won the camera d'Or at Cannes for Hunger), there's a Tracey Emin with her frankly boring film Top Spot. There is a danger that artists treat the feature film like a video installation, forgetting that their audience sit through the entire two hours and will want a decent script and story line. Whatever the Chapmans come up with, it will certainly be worth seeing just how their warped vision of the world translates onto screen.

Pioneers of the New Frontier

by Eric Kohn

A few days ago, YouTube film manager and Wonderland Advisory Board member Sara Pollack took a nice long look at the way digital distribution has been kickstarting filmmaker careers in unique bottom-up strategies that Hollywood can't touch. She mentioned a few examples, each of which showcased a different approach. The key here isn't the setting of precedents so much as the importance of experimentation: Each artist was willing to subject themselves to uncharted terrain in order to reach audiences that would otherwise seem unattainable. Here's a quick overview of the bolder ones whose efforts paid off.




Eccentric California artist M dot Strange didn't want to sell his soul to Hollywood after his far-out animated work We Are the Strange premiered at Sundance. Instead, he continued to build a devout group of fans who follow his every move on YouTube and elsewhere. Check out M dot's revealing lecture, where he recaps the whole experience, at a recent appearance in Berlin.

Sara Pollack: Noises Off

Never mind Cannes. All film-makers need for that blockbuster is a laptop

I'm on my way out of the Cannes Film Festival, where I've spent the past week helping film-makers who want to put their work online. Between watching a ton of short films and spending many hours in my hotel room in front of my computer, I've managed to spend some time reading the film-industry press. Every day brings article after article worrying about why movies are having such a hard time at the moment. Is it down to fear of a recession in the US? Is it because the dollar is too weak?
It's hard to say for sure. But one thing's clear: this is not a time when studios want to spend big unless they're sure they're going to get their money back. If you're making Indiana Jones, you might be in luck, but otherwise you're going to have a hard time.
This is where the internet comes into its own, with its economics of free distribution and unlimited choice. There are more than 1.2 billion people online. Hundreds of millions of videos are watched on YouTube every day. And whether you're a major film studio or an independent film-maker, that offers you an opportunity you can't ignore.
You've no idea what it feels like if you've been struggling to get anyone to pay any attention to your work to suddenly have something seen by 300,000 people online, not just as passive viewers but as active participants, leaving ratings, comments and video responses. It gives film-makers an amazing focus; because there's so much material on the internet, they have to think hard about who their audience is and how to target them.
We're starting to see ever more sophisticated uses of the medium, from major studios as well as indepen-dent film-makers. Of course, most people simply put their finished work on YouTube to promote their films and to make some money from advertising. But many are putting experimental ideas on the site to gauge the reaction and refine their plans, while others have used viewer feedback to determine where in the world to arrange showings when distribution budgets are tight. The point is that film-makers are involving the viewer in every stage of the process – from ideas-generation, to editing, to distribution.
Movie-making has always been about collaboration. But the new kinds of interactivity we're seeing are blurring the division between fans and film-makers. Look at m.strange's We Are the Strange, which viewers have translated into 17 different languages; look at
Four Eyed Monsters, which is about the couple who made it and how they met on a social networking site, and which has drawn so many video responses from viewers that they've edited their favourites into a follow-up film.
The mainstream is catching on. After its success online, Four Eyed Monsters got a DVD release, and after 32 million views, an amateur nature film called Battle at Kruger has been adapted for an hour-long National Geographic special.
We now live in a world of amateur film-makers, where the ubiquity of video camera phones and cheap recording equipment has opened up opportunities for everyone to create. The ingredients of raw talent – an ear for dialogue, an eye for the perfect shot and the creative brilliance to craft something that touches and inspires the viewer – are increasingly all that are needed to shine through.
And as more people become aware of the talent emerging and blossoming online, there's no doubt that one day we'll see a blockbuster mainstream cinema release originate from a 90- second clip online.

Dean Kamen's Robot Arm

Dean Kamen showed some video of the impressive, mind-controlled prosthetic robot arm he's invented.

Kamen's arm, dubbed "Luke" is an incredibly sophisticated bit of engineering that's lightyears ahead of the clamping "claws" that many amputees are forced to use today. The arm is fully articulated, giving the user the same degrees of movement as a natural arm, and is sensitive enough to pick up a piece of paper, a wineglass or even a grape without mishap.

avatar

The theme of Microsoft Advance '08 is "Connected Entertainment" -- mobile, music, TV/video, gaming. The big Live Search announcement will be covered live tomorrow.
Today, filmmaker James Cameron's producing partner at Lightstorm Entertainment, Jon Landau, said the abundance of digital information and the ability to use technologies opened up a whole new window that Cameron didn't know existed.
James Cameron started making films when they were photochemical emulsions. Now, films are digital.
"The essence of storytelling stays the same," said Cameron. "Intense CG (computer-generated) scenes with multiple shots doesn't change that. My greatest horror was the best thing we created would end up like the Ark of the Covenant and be put in a warehouse somewhere. I will make all my films in 3-D. I've been banging on the door at Microsoft since I introduced Windows Media 9 with LL Cool J and Bill Gates in 2002. Now I tell them, this is what you guys need to be doing. I'm going to continue to surf that wave."
His new film, Avatar, features a man who tries to become a miner by combining his being with an alien during an interplanetary war in which aliens can manifest themselves through human bodies — avatars.
"'Avatar' will make people truly experience something," said Cameron."One more layer of the suspension of disbelief will be removed. All the syn-thespians are photo-realistic. Now that we've achieved it, we discovered CG characters in 3D look more real than in 2D. Your brain is cued it's a real thing not a picture and discounting part of image that makes it look fake."
Part of the movie is subtitled because it takes place on an alien planet.
Avatar will have a human heart beating at its narrative center. It's an emotional journey of redemption and revolution; the story of a wounded ex-marine, who's thrust into an effort to settle and exploit an exotic planet rich in bio-diversity. He eventually crosses over to lead the indigenous race in a battle for survival.
Cameron has created an entire world, a complete ecosystem of phantasmagorical plants and creatures, and a native people with a rich culture and language. The film has a December 2009 release date.
"I don't know whether it will be a great film from a narrative and critical standpoint," said Cameron. "The experience of Avatar will be an experience unlike any other movie."
He started with Microsoft Research looking at the way people see. The project soon moved out of the realm of speculation.
"'Avatar' is the single most complex piece of filmmaking ever made," said Cameron. "We have 1,600 shots for a 2.5 hour movie. It's not with a single CGI character, like King Kong or Gollum. We have hundreds of photo-realistic CG characters. We were Microsoft's sandbox for filmmaking beyond the cutting edge."
During the film, he would grab chairs, gather his team, and talk about what they were doing wrong, how to do it better. That just isn't done on a film set.
The heart of the film technology is a digital asset management system created by Microsoft, which was praised by Cameron and Landau for understanding the arts and filmmaking. The system can track every cloud and every blade of CGI grass in the film.
Cameron noted that Titanic was about how technology let us down. He has always tried to be on cutting edge of what's going on. The Abyss featured the first photo-realistic CG character. Then "The Terminator" combined CG and human actors. "True Lies" pushed the bar even higher with composite technology.
In "Titanic" as a filmmaker, I struck the perfect balance of technology and the human heart," said Cameron. "I haven't forgotten that lesson with Avatar. It's the best lesson for any filmmaker."
Cameron also noted the radical changes in film distribution and made a prediction for the future:
"I'm on the fourth screen. The giant screen. Then it scatters down to other screens. It gets more interesting as more means of digital distribution become available to us. The interesting thing is the actual movie business is going strong. If you valued up revenues of what's lost to piracy, movies are doing better now than they ever have. You can have an HD screen in your home.
He noted, "Windows organized things spatially. That gave it its power. But we're not displaying things spatially. What could happen is now that the digital cinema revolution has taken place is the killer app is 3D. Dreamworks has announced all its animated films will be made and projected in 3D. Gaming will be changed by 3D. Consumer electronics people will need to make players for stereo-enabled monitors. Future versions of Windows should be fully stereoscopic. Smaller devices already are 3D-enabled without glasses. If you play "Avatar" on a 50-inch monitor, you're in the game."
Cameron said, "This is the ultimate immersive media. It's my fundamental belief that when you're viewing media in stereo, more neurons are firing, learning rates are higher. Engagement levels are higher. As advertisers, you need to think about how you're going to use this new dimension. How will you use the deeper levels of engagement?"

A call to tiger uppercut Crystal Castles in the FACE!!!

Magnetic Fields Drawings

Flint Weisser , a soon-to-be Pratt minted MFA, created a series of beautiful drawings by capturing the complex interactions of magnetic fields. Each piece consists of magnets bolted to steel plates and covered with a thin film of nickel particles sandwiched in plastic. The nickel particles act like iron filings to align themselves to the magnets' fields. It's fascinating to see the invisible electromagnetic world brought to our eyes in these glowing lines and shapes.

Dinosaur Mummy Found

The amazing discovery of one of the finest and rarest dinosaur specimens ever unearthed -- a partially intact dino mummy found in the Hell Creek Formation Badlands of North Dakota was made by 16-year-old fossil hunter Tyler Lyson on his uncle's farm.

Scientists on Monday announced the discovery of what appears to be the world's most intact dinosaur mummy: a 67-million-year-old plant-eater that contains fossilized bones and skin tissue, and possibly muscle and organs.
Preserved by a natural fluke of time and chemistry, the four-ton mummified hadrosaur, a duck-billed herbivore common to North America, could reshape the understanding of dinosaurs and their habitat, its finders say.

Nicknamed Dakota, the hadrosaur is one of only five naturally preserved dinosaur mummies ever discovered. Unlike previous dinosaur mummies, which typically involve skin impressions pressed into bones, Dakota's entire skin envelope appears to remain largely intact.

Largest squid ever caught

Scientists at the national museum of New Zealand, Te Papa, have recently completed dissections of several enormous squids, including pieces of a colossal squid -- the largest invertebrate ever caught. The female specimen weighs more than 1,000 pounds and measures 26 feet long.

The squid's resemblance to fiction's monsters of the deep, including its dinner-plate-size eyes, has attracted global interest. Scientists now believe the cephalopods can grow even larger, to more than 45 feet long, with a corresponding increase in weight.

The colossal squid is not to be confused with the giant squid, which is longer but less massive. The colossal squid pictured is almost twice as heavy as the largest giant squid discovered.

Psychiatric Service Dog

A psychiatric service dog is a specific type of service dog trained to assist their handler with a psychiatric disability. Although assistance dogs classically help with physical disabilities, there are a wide range of psychiatric issues that an assistance dog may be able to help with as well.

Often, people with depression build a support network of family, friends and their doctor as part of their first steps towards recovery. Their support team can be expaned to include an unexpected, but important companion - their dog.

About Panic Disorder

Panic Disorder is a serious condition that around one out of every 75 people might experience. It usually appears during the teens or early adulthood, and while the exact causes are unclear, there does seem to be a connection with major life transitions that are potentially stressful: graduating from college, getting married, having a first child, and so on. There is also some evidence for a genetic predisposition; if a family member has suffered from panic disorder, you have an increased risk of suffering from it yourself, especially during a time in your life that is particularly stressful.

Please remember that only a licensed therapist can diagnose a panic disorder. There are certain signs you may already be aware of, though.

One study found that people sometimes see 10 or more doctors before being properly diagnosed, and that only one out of four people with the disorder receive the treatment they need. That's why it's important to know what the symptoms are, and to make sure you get the right help.

Many people experience occasional panic attacks, and if you have had one or two such attacks, there probably isn't any reason to worry. The key symptom of panic disorder is the persistent fear of having future panic attacks. If you suffer from repeated (four or more) panic attacks, and especially if you have had a panic attack and are in continued fear of having another, these are signs that you should consider finding a mental health professional who specializes in panic or anxiety disorders.

Panic disorder is highly treatable, with a variety of available therapies. These treatments are extremely effective, and most people who have successfully completed treatment can continue to experience situational avoidance or anxiety, and further treatment might be necessary in those cases. Once treated, panic disorder doesn't lead to any permanent complications.

Without treatment, panic disorder can have very serious consequences.

The immediate danger with panic disorder is that it can often lead to a phobia. That's because once you've suffered a panic attack, you may start to avoid situations like the one you were in when the attack occurred.

Many people with panic disorder show 'situational avoidance' associated with their panic attacks. For example, you might have an attack while driving, and start to avoid driving until you develop an actual phobia towards it. In worst case scenarios, people with panic disorder develop agoraphobia -- fear of going outdoors -- because they believe that by staying inside, they can avoid all situations that might provoke an attack, or where they might not be able to get help. The fear of an attack is so debilitating, they prefer to spend their lives locked inside their homes.

Even if you don't develop these extreme phobias, your quality of life can be severely damaged by untreated panic disorder. A recent study showed that people who suffer from panic disorder:

are more prone to alcohol and other drug abuse
have greater risk of attempting suicide
spend more time in hospital emergency rooms
spend less time on hobbies, sports and other satisfying activities
tend to be financially dependent on others
report feeling emotionally and physically less healthy than non-sufferers.
are afraid of driving more than a few miles away from home
Panic disorders can also have economic effects. For example, a recent study cited the case of a woman who gave up a $40,000 a year job that required travel for one close to home that only paid $14,000 a year. Other sufferers have reported losing their jobs and having to rely on public assistance or family members.

None of this needs to happen. Panic disorder can be treated successfully, and sufferers can go on to lead full and satisfying lives.

Most specialists agree that a combination of cognitive and behavioral therapies are the best treatment for panic disorder. Medication might also be appropriate in some cases.

The first part of therapy is largely informational; many people are greatly helped by simply understanding exactly what panic disorder is, and how many others suffer from it. Many people who suffer from panic disorder are worried that their panic attacks mean they're 'going crazy' or that the panic might induce a heart attack. 'Cognitive restructuring' (changing one's way of thinking) helps people replace those thoughts with more realistic, positive ways of viewing the attacks.

Cognitive therapy can help the patient identify possible triggers for the attacks. The trigger in an individual case could be something like a thought, a situation, or something as subtle as a slight change in heartbeat. Once the patient understands that the panic attack is separate and independent of the trigger, that trigger begins to lose some of its power to induce an attack.

The behavioral components of the therapy can consist of what one group of clinicians has termed 'interoceptive exposure.' This is similar to the systematic desensitization used to cure phobias, but what it focuses on is exposure to he actual physical sensations that someone experiences during a panic attack.