The deadly Ebola virus is spreading rapidly in West Africa and the main concern is its spread from its point of origin and be carried possibly to other countries, including the Middle East.
Turkish artist Erdal Inci clones himself (digitally!)
Turkish photographer Erdal Inci has created a series of GIF “selfies”, digitally manipulating images of himself whilst engaged in simple action so that he becomes, in effect, an army of street performers. Mesmerizing visuals and a brilliant way to keep production costs down.
Like a carefully choreographed colony of ants, watch him/them stumble across a street, march through an Istanbul plaza, and race around a stairway – slim figures in dark clothing making marvelous patterns of movement and mass.
Inci starts with simple snapshots which he next transforms into animated loops. His typically black and white format capitalizes on the medium’s weaknesses, as GIF image palettes are limited to 256 colors, and best suited for visuals with well-defined “edges”.
Public spaces and the waterfront are his preferred settings – he has a short video of (“cloned”) seagulls in flight over the Bosphorus, below:
So now that he’s grabbed our attention, to what purpose can his visuals be used? Could they amplify conservation efforts? Can they raise awareness to the importance of shared urban spaces (such as Istanbul’s Gezi Park and Beirut’s Jesuit Gardens)?
Or is it enough that, immune from politicization, the curious images simply exist?
All images from Erdal Inci’s website
Wraparound wall of plants livens up Istanbul’s bespoke Nopa restaurant
An Istanbul-based design firm has teamed up with one of the fathers of vertical gardens to liven up a bespoke restaurant in the city. Autoban and Patrick Blanc from France lined an wall with lush greenery, giving the space something of a jungle aesthetic that stands in direct contrast with some of the cold hard materials inside.
Egyptian fertility blessing became dog (star) days of summer curse
As we witness another super-moon and other celestial wonders, we might be reminded of folk tales of werewolves and beliefs that moon phases and astrological birth signs have influence over our lives.
Humans of Iraq – by Brandon Stanton and the UN
HONY caption: “There were dozens of them and only four of us. They took all my sheep.” (Dohuk, Iraq)
Bernard Khoury’s Brutalist rooftop penthouse overlooks ‘cannibalized’ Beirut
Bernard Khoury is one of Lebanon’s most sought after architects, and now he has built his own home – a rooftop penthouse bam smack in the middle of Beirut.
Super moon in the Middle East
This year’s lineup of five “supermoons” may put a sky-watcher to sleep. There were the new moons of January and February, followed by one on July 13th. So if you glimpsed one of those, did you catch another on August 10th (and the final act that happens on September 8th)?
Because last night’s moon was the closest the cheesy orb has ever been to Earth this year.
You likely learned about moons many moons ago. It’s a cycle that looms large in Islamic religion, and serves as a natural time clock for female fertility. It goes through phases every 29.5 days moving from full to half moon to crescent to new. And – with the same reliability as sunrises and sets – the cycle repeats.
So what’s a Super Moon? It’s an astronomical mash-up of two distinct lunar aspects. When a full moon is coincidental with the moon orbiting at its closest point to Earth, astronomers describe it as a “perigee full moon”. A perigee is the point in outer space where an object traveling around the Earth is closest to Earth’s surface, and they routinely happen whether or not the moon is full.
According to the Weather Network, lunar perigees differ depending on measured orbit, ranging from 356,400 to 370,400 kilometers from Earth. A perigee full moon is specifically when the full moon happens closest to the minimum of that range. They typically occur every 13-14 months, but could some years have produced up to six Super Moons.
Last night’s Super Moon – at 356,896 km away, his year’s truest perigee full moon – occurred when full moon and perigee happen less than half an hour apart from one another.
It’s not always easy to gauge the size of the moon as we watch it in the sky (which is apparently one possible reason for the famous ‘moon illusion’), but being closer generally makes a perigee full moon look around 14 per cent bigger than an apogee full moon, and it gives off about 30 per cent more light as a result.
Parking Full Moon myths such as werewolves, lunatics and a jump in babies being born, what can you really expect? It could cause higher than usual tides – not good news for people in the path of Hurricanes Julio, Halong and Genevieve.
It will reduce your star-gazing if you happen to be camping at Jordan’s Wadi Rum, Egypt’s Sharm El Sheik or Israel’s Mitzpe Ramon .
To make sure your own skies will be clear for Super Moon viewing, tune in to your local weather forecast.
Image of moon over Egypt desert from Shutterstock
Climate change means unexpected rain increase for Iran and Iraq?
The prospect of climate change sparking food and water shortages in the Middle East is less likely than previously thought, with new research by an Australian climate scientist suggesting that rainfall will be significantly higher in key parts of the region.
ISIS captures Mosul Dam threatening floods with death and destruction
Sunni fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) took over Iraq’s largest hydroelectric dam last Sunday, along with three towns and an oilfield according to the commander of the Peshmerga Kurdish fighters who had been defending the facility. Facing minimal opposition, ISIS seized control of Mosul Dam after a 24-hour battle. Workers remain inside the facility.
150 graffiti artists create a giant open air gallery in Tunisia
More than 100 graffiti artists were invited to Tunisia as part of the Djerbahood project – an inventive rehabilitation initiative that uses street art to turn a dusty village into an inspiring open air gallery.
Social gas mask: because why let chemical warfare get in your way?
An Israeli industrial designer has created the world’s first “Social Gas Mask” whose sleek space-age form allows for less hindered swapping of facial expressions. In a crisis (which is pretty much any time a gas mask is needed), who wouldn’t want better visible access to other people’s faces?
Ditch your razor or sugar wax instead?
Personal grooming can be murderous! That’s the takeaway message of a two-century-old crime and modern women are taking note, inciting others to join their cause on Instagram, Facebook and Tumblr.