View allAll Photos Tagged Material_property
For Macro Mondays, theme stationery, used to highlight text, items whatever in documents, on paper, part of stationry since many years.
Public Art at Brooklyn Bridge Park
From the Public Art website:
On Elbows, 2022
Dozie Kanu (b. 1993, Houston, TX; lives and works in Santarém, Portugal) has created an ensemble of surreal objects that highlights the tensions between public and private aspects of the self. A vessel of black liquid that pulses at the rate of a human heartbeat and a chaise longue chair (typically associated with psychoanalysis) cast in concrete evoke self-reflection and also the murky depths of the individual and collective unconscious. The sofa’s “Texan Wire Wheels” rims (also referred to as “elbows” or “swangas”) reference the vibrant automobile “SLAB culture” of the artist’s native Houston. He describes the customization of cars within this tradition as a “free and playful fashioning of one’s own material property – gestures that I find deeply complex and layered given the relationship that Black Americans continue to navigate between ownership and agency.”
.Mars. - Initiative Earrings
The Initiative dice earrings come in 6 colors and 2 versions for each color, an opaque and a transparent version. All modify, so you can tweak the glow of the orb in the transparent ones to your desire. Also, material properties are applied, so if you turn on your advanced lighting model you will see more details.
This pack is available during this week's Crafty Weekend Sale for 70L.
Try them on at the .MARS. In-World STORE !
marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Skifija-Morana-Avatar/15900519
Morana is a goddess associated with seasonal rites based on the idea of death and rebirth of nature. She is an ancient goddess associated with winter's death and rebirth and dreams.
100% BENTO avatar. 100% original mesh.
Perfect for Halloween or Gothic, Vampire, Horror, Medieval game... or wherever your imagination will run.
Compatible to the body mesh from Belleza - Freya
but, You can use it the same way on any other avatar without using mesh body and wearing fully alpha transparency for your avatar.
Morana avatar contains:
- Death's head,
- skeleton hands (bento).
- short cloak with the hood,
- long dress.
- !Skifija HUD gloss(Morana) (it work for preferences graphics - Ultra)
Bone hands - bento, works with animations from all major producers, animations are not included.
You can also use the head of other manufacturers, this tested for тhe head from the Catwa.
As that would use the Devil's eyes.
Wear eye from the inventory. write to the chat command - anger
that would turn off the eyes of the devil, write to the chat command - no anger,
same for respiration:
Add, commands - respiration, no respiration.
In this version adds a HUD that gives you the opportunity to become an accomplice in the creative process and you can change the material properties of this dress. You will get interesting changes using the environment presets and various backlights.
Preset installation does not have a mandatory condition, a mandatory condition for preferences graphics - Ultra.
Tested with graphics settings - Ultra and external environment preset - Phototools- Absinthe Ligh.
Temporary installation designed by IlLab, the installation analyzes the power of bamboo, specifically focusing on the material's inherent properties and its potential applications by testing it during the prototyping phase of art planning.
"The process places particular emphasis on the unique material properties inspiring a wider range of construction applications in permanent architecture," reads an official press release about the installation, which will hover atop the area.
Biomimicry is a process of innovation and engineering, inspired by the forms, materials, properties, and functions of life. Over time, technology will evolve sufficiently that this process will reach its singularity, creating its own parallel nature.
😕Nowadays, although the services of a photographer are in great demand, there are people who have never gone to a photo shoot or refused them. 😢 Why does this happen? Why doesn't everyone use our service? 🤔
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😕Many even ignore such services. I think this often happens because of the depreciation of the photographer's work, although in fact most people are just scared. 😔
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😕Such fears are usually caused by insecurity and lack of self-love. That is why not using the services of a photographer is bad.
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In fact, a photo shoot is like a separate kind of self-care. 😌 You get not only beautiful photos🎑 at the end, but also wonderful emotions throughout the whole process. 😁 You can relax and it won't be like other services :)
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😕Do you use the services of a photographer? What is it? Be sure to leave your comments under the post, it will be interesting for me to read them! 😁
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Ph: @safronoviv_photo
Md: @kseniazhdanova
Mua: @makeup_style_irina
Loc: @wonderstudio
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#blackandwhite #eyelash #flashphotography #gesture #happy #lip #longhair #makeover #smile #style #NikonD800 #safronoviv_photo
Most people, when choosing a potential photographer, focus primarily on what the works in his portfolio look like.
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These photos are the photographer's business card.
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The better the portfolio, the easier it is to attract customers, the more likely it is to cooperate with the customer and the higher the price for services. It is logical that everyone wants to show themselves in the most favorable light. Realizing this, some people resort to tricks and use other people's photos in their profile, passing them off as their own. Unfortunately, such cases are not uncommon, and as a person who loves photography with all his heart, it terrifies me ...
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Dear photographers, beginners and already experienced, develop your own unique style, improve, treat the profession with love, you can be inspired by the works of talented photographers, but do not pass off their pictures as your own, be honest!
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And to you, dear subscribers, I recommend being more attentive and checking if possible the reality of the portfolio of the photographer you plan to work with.
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Ph: @safronoviv_photo
Md: @kseniazhdanova
Mua: @makeup_style_irina
Loc: @wonderstudio
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#blackhair #eyebrow #eyelash #eyewear #flashphotography #gesture #hand #lip #longhair #monochromephotography #NikonD800 #safronoviv_photo
What will happen next?
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Ruble, 💵 dollar, 💶 Euro - a record value for 4 years.
In 2016, in February, a case was already recorded. When the dollar broke the 79-ruble mark. But almost immediately fell to 76.5.
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What's going on get creative with baby airlines today? Oil is falling, and the ruble is already over 79. There are rumors that the Central Bank of Russia will only intervene if the ruble to the dollar is at least 85-90.
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Let's not forget about the panic all over the world. Coronovirus . Many educational institutions and factories are closed. People's work has stopped. The borders were closed, except for беларуси Belarus. They say if you work, you won't get sick. Both laughter and sin. This whole situation also has a very strong impact on the world and national economy.
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The shelves are empty. Buy porridge, and especially toilet paper. Antiseptics are brought in and sold out in an hour. Some kind of Apocalypse.🙅♂app
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As for the ruble, it's time to run to the Bank and buy currency. They hope that the ruble will become less, but it is not worth it. All the risks are that the ruble will reach the level of 83 in a few days.
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💬Share your thoughts about the course and coronovirus situations in the comments
#Face #Hair #Lip #Eyebrow #Beauty #Black_hair #Head #Skin #Long_hair #Hairstyle #Chin #Nose #Forehead #Model #Cheek #Eye #Photo_shoot #Fashion #Photography #Close-up #Flash_photography #Material_property #Brown_hair #Mouth #Darkness #Eyelash #Smile #Portrait #Portrait_photography #Jaw #Fashion_model #Step_cutting #NikonD800
Going to space equals stress. As launcher propellant tanks are filled with fuel, or spacecraft structural panels experience the strain of orbital ascent, they undergo major force loading in multiple directions at once.
ESA’s new Bi-Axial Test Facility – installed at the Agency’s Materials and Electrical Components Laboratory at its ESTEC technical centre in the Netherlands – replicates the bi-directional application of load, allowing higher-fidelity testing of candidate materials for space missions.
“This is a new add-on to our existing Instron hydraulic test system, which is able to apply up to 250 kilonewtons of force in a single direction,” explains ESA materials engineer Donato Girolamo, who commissioned the design of the new facility to fulfil space material testing requirements.
“This extra jig works somewhat like a car jack. It has four rotating arms connected to sliding clamps onto the sides of the test item. Then as the hydraulic load is applied these arms rotate and the clamps slide outwards, pulling the material out along all four directions, to apply loading in both the x and y axes.”
Such bi-axial testing is especially valuable for composite structures, widely used in space, which can possess differing material properties along different directions.
The custom-made tooling for the new facility was designed and built by Enduteq in the Netherlands.
The Bi-Axial Test Facility will begin by investigating the performance of solid rocket motor cases. It would also be suited to testing materials making up structural panels, as well as those for pressure chambers of all kinds, from propellant tanks to crewed modules.
“This expansion of our capabilities allows us to reproduce the real load conditions facing our test materials and structures more closely than ever,” remarks Tommaso Ghidini, heading ESA’s Structures, Mechanisms and Materials Division.
“This is one example of how we are continuously working to enhance our testing capabilities to better serve our customers, shrink uncertainty margins and improve the performance of European spacecraft and systems.”
Credits: ESA-D. Girolamo
Rest is an important component of success. If you rest well and get enough sleep, you will have more strength and energy for grandiose achievements. Have you decided to go to bed earlier, do you want to try on a new experience for yourself?
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The following recommendations can help you with this.
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📍Ventilate the bedroom, put aside your smartphone, laptop, watching TV at least an hour before the planned lights out;
Avoid drinks containing caffeine (they excite the nervous system and worsen the process of falling asleep), the alternative is herbal tea;
📍 Do not eat before going to bed (after eating, the body receives energy that needs to be spent);
📍 Eliminate intense physical activity in the evening (endorphins are produced in the blood, which are invigorating, as a result, it will be extremely difficult to fall asleep);
📍 Follow the daily routine;
📍 Set an alarm clock for falling asleep, train yourself to go to bed at a set time;
📍 Meditate before going to bed and include personal meanings in the morning (why will you get up today, what feats will you perform, what goals and desires do you have?);
📍 Dim the bright lights 2 hours before bedtime, turn on soft lighting;
📍 Create comfort for yourself: nice bed linen, comfortable mattress, high-quality pillows;
📍 Take a warm bath is a wonderful way to relax and tune in to a deep sleep.
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I hope that the suggested recommendations will help you get a healthy sleep back.
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Write in the comments that helps you personally. Tell us about your experience.
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#blackandwhite #eyebrow #eyelash #flashphotography #gesture #human #jaw #lip #lipstick #style #NikonD800 #safronoviv_photo
I have this since many years, but beside the BMW Logo for Germany, the sake cup and some chopsticks for Japan, this is pioneer knife is pretty well known for Switzerland. It even bears a Swiss flag.
Feel free to leave comments and
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye (1977- ) is a contemporary British portrait painter and 2013 Turner Prize finalist. Her lush, enigmatic portraits place Black figures into evocative settings and situations. The artist’s quickly wrought, intuitive compositions often feature simple, minimalist clothing and stark, moody backdrops. These choices highlight the figures’ rich inner lives and the material properties of her paints and brushstrokes.
'Appreciation of the Inches' exemplifies Yiadom-Boakye's deft tonal control, energetic brushstrokes, and spare application of paint. We view the figure's head casually turned in profile, hands relaxed at his sides. He appears in the middle of a conversation, possibly mid-laugh, caught in a moment of connectioin. He is entirely active and alive, speaking to a universal human experience.
This Yiadom-Boakye original painting was seen and photographed at San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA).
🍀This day is considered to be the day of the adoption of Christianity in Ireland, as well as a celebration of the cultural heritage of Ireland as a whole. Every year it is celebrated on March 17 in many countries of the world, and in Ireland itself this day is an official holiday. 😊 Many Christians go to church on this day, ⛪️ and epic walks with lots of fun are also held. 😜 I think that's why it's worth celebrating :)
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In general, we have quite a few holidays and reasons for fun in everyday life. Many families don't even celebrate March 8 or February 23. Just "not accepted". 😔 Do you think this is right? 🤔 Maybe it's time to give yourself more reasons to have fun?
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🍀What do you think? 😕 Share your opinion in the comments and be sure to tell us what other unusual holidays you and your family celebrate! 😁 It will be interesting for me to read every comment!
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Ph: @safronoviv_photo
MD: @_siberianna
Mua: @beautyunderwine
Author: @wonderstudio
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#chin #eye #eyebrow #hair #hand #lip #nose #photograph #skin #smile #nikond800 #safronoviv_photo
This post describes a simple flash diffuser solution I've been using a lot lately as a complement to my regular beauty dish style diffuser. The basic concept is nothing new: the diffuser is attached to the front end of the lens and wraps around the subject creating the equivalent of a small light tent.
This type of diffuser is sometimes referred to as "cup diffuser" since the main component is usually some sort of white plastic cup (Stephen was the first I saw describing this idea so I consider him to be the inventor).
Besides giving an extremely even and soft light this type of diffuser has another benefit since it makes it easier to get a well exposed background. A common problem with flash macro photography is that while the main subject is easy to expose properly, the background – being far away from the light source in relation to the foreground – becomes relatively dark or black (and if you expose for the background the main subject is over exposed or blown out). This becomes less of a problem with cup diffusers since the diffuser also acts as a shade, reducing the intensity of light hitting the main subject and thereby compensating for the fact that it's much closer to the light source than the background (which is lit by light coming from the flash directly).
I've been using this type of diffuser for at least a year or so but there are a couple of things that I've found inconvenient:
• Different lenses need different ways of mounting the diffuser. If it has a good fit on one lens, chances are it will fit badly on other lenses.
• Switching between diffusers is fiddly. I often want to be able to quickly switch between this type of diffuser and a beautydish style diffuser attached to the flash (better for skittish bugs and sometimes gives a more dynamic (less flat) light).
• Closely related to the previous point: mounting/unmounting the diffuser takes time. You either have to pack the gear with the diffuser attached (which often takes a lot of room in the camera bag) or spend precious time in the field mounting/unmounting it. And of course moving the diffuser from one lens to another becomes troublesome to the point where it might even put you off switching lenses.
• As you use this type of diffuser in the field they are often subject to quite rough treatment. Some solutions I've tried has worn out in a few hours.
The solution I've arrived at works by using several different small mounts, customized for each lens but with a standard fit for the protruding "light tent" part (referred to as the tent from now on). The mounts can be left permanently on the lens without interfering with different types of diffusers or making packing the equipment difficult. With the mount in place the tents can be mounted/unmounted using one hand in the matter of seconds. It's also very easy to make new tents if the old get worn or if you want a smaller/larger or differently shaped one.
Obviously this idea can be implemented in many different ways and the one I'm showing here is just one that happened to suit my needs in terms of size, diffuser material properties and availability.
For Macro Mondays, theme stationery, used to highlight text, items whatever in documents, on paper, part of stationry since many years.
I found acres of patterns like this out on the playa where the dendrites grow in the Mojave Desert. Polygons of shrinkage cracks form within a narrow range of diameters due to the material properties of the gypsite surface. This is how it looks from standing height. Low light at sunset adds some relief to the texture.
Here is a quick comparison image of a few CA bricks. The explanation below is not really proper science, but it might still be interesting to see what we can say about them....
First, some of the (simplified) physics:
Polarized light
A ray of light behaves as a wave. It has a direction in which it travels, but the wave also has an orientation perpendicular to that direction. The wave can be oriented horizontally, vertically or anything in between. (Imagine drawing an arrow on a sheet of paper. The paper can lie flat on the table, or you can lift it up and rotate it while the arrow keeps pointing in the same direction.)
Normal light has a mix of all these orientations. That orientation can be changed when light is reflected on a surface or when it is refracted in a material.
A polarizer filter blocks light waves in one of the orientations and lets the light waves in the perpendicular orientation go through. As a result, the background of my photos can be black or white. The polarised light is blocked (black) or allowed to pass through (white).
Refraction and dispersion
When we talk about “the speed of light” we generally refer to the speed of light in a vacuum. The speed of light travelling through a medium (any material) is different. Light travelling through anything other than a perfect vacuum will be slowed down by an interaction with whatever particles it encounters. The amount by which light slows in a given material is described by the refractive index. The value of that refractive index depends on the material properties (molecules) and the frequency (color) of the light.
If a ray of light enters a medium at an angle, the change of refractive index will cause a change in the direction in which the light travels. Because the refractive index depends on the frequency/wavelength, not all colors change their direction over the same angle (dispersion). The most common example of this is a prism. A ray of white light enters on one side, and a rainbow spectrum exits on the other side.
Birefringence (or double refraction) and photoelasticity
Birefringence is the optical property of a material having a refractive index that depends on the polarization and propagation direction of light. The light is refracted into two rays, each polarized with the vibration directions oriented at right angles (mutually perpendicular) to one another and traveling at different velocities. As a result, the two rays of light take a different path through the material, with a different speed and a different color dispersion.
Photoelasticity is the phenomenon of birefringence of polarized light by a transparent material under elastic stress. For these materials, the size of the refractive indices at each point in the birefringent material is directly proportional to the internal stresses at that point. Photoelasticity can be used as a non-destructive test to show internal stresses in transparent plastics. Areas with high levels of stress will show more colourful light fringes close to each other than the other areas.
Many crystals are naturally birefringent, but isotropic materials such as plastics and glass can also often be made birefringent by introducing a preferred direction through (for example by applying an external load, creating elastic stress). The injection molding process aligns the molecules of the plastic in the direction of the flow, which creates such a preferred direction through and creates the birefringent property of the material. As a result, it is not surprising that the effect occurs in transparent LEGO bricks. (Because colored bricks act as a color filter, the effect is only visible in the transparent-clear bricks. We cannot make a full rainbow using only red light)
Internal stresses in molded parts
When bricks are molded, liquid material is pushed into the mold. The material starts to cool down and solidify on the outside first. As the material cools it shrinks.
As long as there is an open connection to the mold pip, new material can flow in and fill up the space created by that shrinkage. When there is no open connection however, there is no inflow of new material. In such locations, the material in the center cannot shrink any more because it has to fill the volume between the walls that have already become solid. This causes internal stress. The material inside is “permanently stretched” to fill that void. Places where this is likely to occur are places where there are sudden jumps in the material thickness. On older bricks we find solid studs. When the walls of the bricks had hardened, the inside of the studs would still be warmer and liquid. As a result the studs experienced internal stresses. Often, they collapsed creating “pinholes” on top. In later molds the studs were made hollow to avoid this problem.
The setup of my accidental experiment
In everyday situations, normal mixed light passes through the transparent brick and gets refracted in mixed directions. The end result is that we usually do not see anything odd. The orientation has changed, but it is still a mix of all orientations.
By using a polarized light source (in this case the screen of my phone) we make sure that all light enters in the same orientation.
The light passes through the brick. Because the material is birefringent, the light rays are split into two rays with a different (perpendicular) polarisation. The two rays travel their different paths and have their colours dispersed differently. On leaving, their wave crests can be in phase and combine to give a bright colour. They can be out of phase giving less or no light. The phase condition depends on the wavelength (colour) and the viewing angle. This constructive and destructive interference between the rays of light causes the color bands.
The effects of this are not very apparent until we view the brick through a polarising filter. That filter lets only half of the rays through, and blocks rays with the perpendicular orientation. That makes the color bands visible. By rotating the filter we can change what we see and optimise our result for a nice photo.
So, what can we say about these bricks?
All the bricks in this photo are made from Cellulose Acetate (CA). CA is known to warp. This deformation is a result of internal stresses, so we can expect to get more spectacular results when looking at this material.
On the left there are two slotted bricks (Dogbone logo). On the second brick (number 8), the internal stress around the solid studs is clearly visible in the many fringes around the studs. The brick on the left of that (number 5) has collapsed studs. Bricks number 10 and 18 are hollow bricks (no internal tubes) and they feature the newer hollow stud design. The clear pattern around the studs is gone. The bricks still show a lot of internal stresses, and especially number 18 is very chaotic. As a result of the internal stress brick 18 (and 5) cracked. The internal stress became larger than the molecular binding.
A final thought...
Because LEGO bricks are birefringent, I now have to think about the possibility of making a Viking sunstone out of them… If they are birefringent enough, you can use them to find the sun in any weather and use that for navigation … I wonder if that works with these thin-walled parts… Probably not, but it should be fun to try :-P
Today I want to share with you a quote from an insanely talented man, one of the most famous masters of 20th century photography, Ansel Adams.
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According to him, "Photography is not something that you do, it's how you see the world"...
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This phrase makes you think about how each of us perceives the world around us? What emotions and stories does he convey through his photographs, what details, textures, moments, images does he attach importance to, how does he reveal his own world?
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Let's discuss 💬 this in the comments?
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Share your thoughts on how you see the world through the lens of a camera?
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Ph: @safronov_photo
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#photography #familyphotosessionofMoscow #thebestphotoofMoscow #lovestorymoscow #black #eye #eyeliner #eyebrow #eyelash #flashphotography #lip #lipstick #skin #smile #NikonD810 #safronoviv_photo
Operations image of the week:
ESA operates its Optical Ground Station (OGS) at the Teide Observatory on Tenerife, Spain, where a Zeiss 1 m-diameter telescope is used to survey and characterise objects near the ‘geostationary ring’ some 36 000 km above the equator. The telescope has Ritchey-Chrétien optics and highly efficient digital cameras.
The telescope can detect and track objects around geostationary altitudes down to 10–15 cm in size. With this performance, the ESA telescope is top-ranked worldwide.
The data provided by the telescope are a major input for space debris environment models.
The telescope is also capable of conducting photometric observations, to determine the ‘colour’ of objects. This enables the material properties of unknown objects to be characterised and provides valuable information on the potential origin of newly detected fragments.
In almost 60 years of space activities, more than 5250 launches have resulted in some 42 000 tracked objects in orbit, of which about 23 000 remain in space and are regularly tracked by the US Space Surveillance Network and maintained in their catalogue, which covers objects larger than about 5–10 cm in low orbit and 0.3–1 m at geostationary altitudes.
Only a small fraction – about 1200 – are intact, operating satellites today.
Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
Time, Space and Existence are universal abstract principles
embodying most Work. Sincere consideration of the fundamental
elements, Time and Space, unify them as properties of physical
Existence and lend thought to further development of position and
sequences in making. Mechanics of the arrangement, as in music,
suggest exposition, development and redefinition.
sequence
Time can be measured when patterned sequences are formed. These
cycles in Time are expressed through an Existence. Material charac-
teristics of dichroics and mirroring transmit and reflect. Movements
and light undulate through the Work.
The Work is also an additive process of unit grouping and organization.
The orchestration is reflected durations of the assembled components.
Time is a quality that can be manipulated like other dimensions of
Space; Mirrored, folded and cyclically repeated. Time divisions are the
day, season, year and era.
Position
The assemblage of mirrored and dichroic acrylic units is an
interpretation of ‘Time Space Existence’ through geometric and
spatial constructs. In using basic geometric forms, translated color
and unit orientation, complexity and less inherent rhythms emerge.
It develops a landscape grounded in mathematical concepts of
symmetry operations.
orientation
Generated upon reflection about a datum line, the Work establishes a
translated reflected pattern. The construction of the units account for
change in orientation and environment.
MANIFOLD was established by Karen Lemmert and David Naill as a
collaborative practice engaged in the development of conceptual
work within the physical landscape. They believe the dialog of
material properties to systems of construction takes place within
organized fields of energy that can be utilized by alignment of
tectonic constructions with manifolds of distillations and dispersals. – MANIFOLD
PLUS
Walking along the coasts, on sea cliffs hit by the wind and stormy
sea. Indistinct destiny.
Sailing. Far from the banks, in the Mediterranean Sea, into the Ocean.
The vessel gets under way, leaving the noise and the artificial light of
the mainland. Its only landmark, the horizon. And then consciousness
opens, projected to infinity, sensing a possible truth that demands
form and silence.
The negative, photography, is for me the natural unconditional
response to this experience. Profile of my journey into the world, it
represents the living space, image by image, through which a
collective memory could be interpreted.
I am the witness.
The sea is the trace of human movement; the ship is the history of
research, and conquest. Trade, slaves, pirates, emigrants are
characters of this tale, a story of love and separation, of ghosts and
monsters, suddenly emerging in my vision, and disappearing
afterwards. Images of distant lands, into the dark and into the light,
enigmatic lines of the unconditional absoluteness of existence.
THRU SANDHYA is an ancient Sanskrit word, moment of transition
between day and night, symbiosis instant with the elements, thought
and reflection on the state of things.
THRU SANDHYA is a possible answer for the soul, an invitation to
re-emerge from the bottom of the sea, to find air, rhythm, breath, again.
Be there, not anywhere else, transported, in transit, transformed. And
finally understand. – Ivana Boris
Shooting on the Streets of Buchs SG, Switzerland. Some experiments with long exposure ... doing bus trails.
A technician places a nearly 70 kg parachute designed for ESA and Roscosmos’s ExoMars 2020 mission inside the dry heater steriliser of the Agency’s Life, Physical Sciences and Life Support Laboratory, based in its Netherlands technical centre.
Mars is a potential abode of past and perhaps even present-day life. Accordingly, international planetary protection regulations require any mission sent to the Red Planet to undergo rigorous sterilisation, to prevent terrestrial microbes from piggybacking their way there.
The Lab’s Alan Dowson explains: “This is the ‘qualification model’ of the 35-m diameter main parachute for ExoMars 2020, basically a test version which allows us to finalise our sterilisation procedures ahead of the flight model chute’s arrival.
“This version has been threaded with thermal sensors, allowing us to see how long it takes to reach the required sterilisation temperature in all parts of the folded parachute, even in the hardest to heat points. Our target was to sterilise at 125 °C for 35 hours and 26 minutes, and the oven took about 44 hours to reach that temperature to begin with.”
The oven is part of the Lab’s 35 sq. m ‘ISO Class 1’ cleanroom, one of the cleanest places in Europe. All the cleanroom’s air passes through a two-stage filter system. Anyone entering the chamber has to gown up in a much more rigorous way than a hospital surgeon, before passing through an air shower to remove any remaining contaminants.
“If you imagine our clean room as being as big as the entire Earth’s atmosphere, then its allowable contamination would be equal to a single hot air balloon,” adds Alan. “Our ISO 1 rating means we have less than 10 dust particles measuring a tenth of one millionth of a metre in diameter per cubic metre of air.”
The mostly nylon and Kevlar parachute, packed into an 80-cm diameter donut-shaped unit, was delivered by Italy’s Arescosmo company. This qualification model will now be sent back there for testing, to ensure this sterilisation process causes no change to the parachute’s material properties.
Alan explains: “We will receive the parachute flight model later this spring for the same sterilisation process – identical to this version, except without any thermal sensors.”
ExoMars’s smaller first stage 15-m diameter parachute has already gone through sterilisation using the oven. This is the parachute that opens during initial, supersonic atmospheric entry, with the second, larger chute opening once the mission has been slowed to subsonic velocity.
The Lab has also tackled a variety of ExoMars instruments and subsystems, but this second stage subsonic parachute is the single largest item to be sterilised. The sterilisation process aims to reduce the overall mission ‘bioburden’ to a 10 thousandth of its original level.
Credits: ESA–M. Cowan
This is a Diamond from Miba Mine, Mbuji-Mayi, Kasaï-Oriental, DR Congo at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show.
fineart.ha.com/itm/minerals/miniature/diamond-miba-mine-m...
Diamond, Miba Mine, Mbuji-Mayi, Kasaï-Oriental, DR Congo, 3.5 x 2.5 x 2.2 cm (1.38 x 0.98 x 0.87 in), 35 grams, From the collection of Daniel "Dan" R. Kennedy.
This specimen is composed of two enormous, interconnecting Diamonds that measure up to a staggering 2.6 x 2.2 x 2.1 centimeters, collectively weighing a whopping 35 grams (172 carats), and are completely free of any damage or signs of previous attachment. Both crystals have a cubic habit and are rife with penetration twins and a spectacular rugged texture, which pairs very well with the specimen's strong adamantine luster. The Diamonds are translucent and have a dusky grey color but have a yellow tinge when viewed with backlighting and yellow fluorescence under short-to-medium wave UV light. This piece comes with a custom acrylic base and a wire stand that is plated in 14 carat gold.
Named after the "Société Minière de Bakwanga", the Miba mine produces 5 or 6 million carats per year, but only 6% of diamonds are of gemstone quality.
Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond as a form of carbon is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of electricity, and insoluble in water. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, but diamond is metastable and converts to it at a negligible rate under those conditions. Diamond has the highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any natural material, properties that are used in major industrial applications such as cutting and polishing tools. They are also the reason that diamond anvil cells can subject materials to pressures found deep in the Earth.
Because the arrangement of atoms in diamond is extremely rigid, few types of impurity can contaminate it (two exceptions are boron and nitrogen). Small numbers of defects or impurities (about one per million of lattice atoms) can color a diamond blue (boron), yellow (nitrogen), brown (defects), green (radiation exposure), purple, pink, orange, or red. Diamond also has a very high refractive index and a relatively high optical dispersion.
Most natural diamonds have ages between 1 billion and 3.5 billion years. Most were formed at depths between 150 and 250 kilometres (93 and 155 mi) in the Earth's mantle, although a few have come from as deep as 800 kilometres (500 mi). Under high pressure and temperature, carbon-containing fluids dissolved various minerals and replaced them with diamonds. Much more recently (hundreds to tens of million years ago), they were carried to the surface in volcanic eruptions and deposited in igneous rocks known as kimberlites and lamproites.
www.visittucson.org/tucson-gem-mineral-fossil-showcase/
"Every year the world-renowned Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase is like a time portal, a trip around the world, and a treasure hunt all rolled into one. Every winter, more than 65,000 guests from around the globe descend upon Tucson, AZ, to buy, sell, trade, and bear witness to rare and enchanting gems, minerals, and fossils at more than 50 gem show locations across the city. If you're planning a winter visit to Tucson, you won't want to miss this three-week-long event filled with shows, related events, a free day at the gem & mineral museum, and much, much more!
"Whether you’re looking for a $5 shimmering crystal necklace or a show-stopping $200,000 crystallized rock from an exotic location, the Tucson Gem, Mineral, & Fossil Shows have something for everyone."
www.visittucson.org/blog/post/gems-and-minerals/
The theme this year was Shades of Green- Experience the Magic. The theme for next year's show will be Red, White, and Blue Celebrate the Spirit of Minerals
xpopress.com/news/article/783/shades-of-green-70th-annual...
TGMS 2025
Tucson Gem Show 2025