Bracelet folded from a single sheet of polypropylene. No cuts. It could equally well be created in paper.

More work by Polly Verity can be found at www.polyscene.com

This was a pattern in a goodie bag of exchange gifts for the G4G7 Gathering for Gardiner Conference held annually in Atlanta. I didn't go, but when I saw the pattern I said to myself, “This reminds me of Ramin Razani’s stuff, which I love...I must contact Hans to get a PDF to ROBO it.” I sure wasn't going to manually cut-n-score this puppy! In fact, what's preventing me from making much of Razani’s work is that I’d have to redraw it from scan-scratch to make it ROBO-ready.

 

This took 1-1/2 hours to fold, but less than five minutes to minimally prepare the file for ROBO and then cut-n-score both sides. No X-Acto or scoring tool was used! Not even tweezers; only fingers.

 

Hans has many incredible sculptures, lamps, sliceforms, and other math- and art-related ephemera on his web site Glass Geometry.

The Summer Architecture Commissions are a new initiative of the Department of Contemporary Design and Architecture offering the opportunity for emerging and established architects to present their architecture to a broad audience in the Grollo Equiset Garden at NGV International. For 2015 John Wardle Architects (JWA) has developed the inaugural Commission.

 

Taking inspiration from the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, an iconic public performance venue in Melbourne, JWA’s playful steel, timber and textile structure will create a theatrical centrepiece offering shade, retreat and a place for performance and workshops.

 

Adaptable and evocative, the structure merges the digital and the handmade. The design utilises 3D modelling and cutting edge engineering and fabrication systems to achieve the generous span of a lightweight steel structure. Beneath this outer high-tech layer of precision-engineered steel is a low-tech layer of timber, and a mass array of 1350 hand folded polypropylene elements. These 3-D textile elements are individually suspended to create a textural pink skin that provides colourful shade by day and a unique nocturnal glow.

  

Bespoke lampshade created for the new Ginette Concept Store in Beirut

www.ginette-beirut.com

 

Made with modular frosted translucent polypropylene elements.

 

The superfuture blog has some other pictures of the store:

www.superfuture.com/supernews/?p=45558

The shadowy dark line of the Pennine skyline contrasts with the sunny ups and downs of the distant Lake District one. Another aspect from Billinge Lump - this time to the east with two major industrial sites in Greater Manchester smoking and steaming out from the mist and murk. I think that the main plume is from the Carrington factory that makes polypropylene. It was difficult to get my bearings as the city of Manchester was hiding in the fug a mile or so to the left of shot!

More sculptures by polyscene

During the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks, such as surgical masks and cloth masks, have been employed as a public and personal health control measure against the spread of SARS-CoV-2. In both community and healthcare settings, their use is intended as source control to limit transmission of the virus and personal protection to prevent infection. Their function for source control is emphasized in community settings.

The use of face masks (or coverings in some cases) has been recommended by American immunologist and NIAID director Anthony Fauci to reduce the risk of contagion. In the COVID-19 pandemic, governments recommend the use of face masks with a main purpose for the general population: to avoid the contagion from infected people to others. Masks with exhalation valves are not recommended, because they expel the breath of the wearer outwards, and an infected wearer would transmit the viruses through the valve. A second purpose of the face masks is to protect to each wearer from environments that can be infected, which can be achieved by many models of masks..Between the different types of face masks that have been recommended throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with higher or lower effectivity, it is possible to include: cloth face masks surgical masks (medical masks) uncertified face-covering dust masks certified face-covering masks, considered respirators, with certifications such as N95 and N99, and FFP filtering respirators with certifications such as N95 and N99, and FFP other respirators, including elastomeric respirators, some of which may also be considered filtering masks There are some other types of personal protective equipment (PPE), as face shields and medical goggles, that are sometimes used in conjunction with face masks but are not recommended as a replacement. Other kinds of PPE include gloves, aprons, gowns, shoe covers and hair covers. A cloth face mask is worn over the mouth and nose and made of commonly available textiles. Masks vary widely in effectiveness, depending on material, fit and seal, number of layers, and other factors. Although they are usually less effective than medical-grade masks,[citation needed] some health authorities recommend their use by the general public when medical-grade masks are in short supply, as a low-cost and reusable option. Unlike disposable masks, there are no required standards for cloth masks. One study gives evidence that an improvised mask was better than nothing, but not as good as soft electret-filter surgical mask, for protecting healthcare workers while simulating treatment of an artificially infected patient. Research on commonly available fabrics used in cloth masks found that cloth masks can provide significant protection against the transmission of particles in the aerosol size range, with enhanced performance across the nano- and micronscale when masks utilize both mechanical and electrostatic-based filtration, but that leakage due to improper fit can degrade performance.[10] A review of available research published in January 2021 concludes that cloth masks are not considered adequate to protect healthcare practitioners in a clinical setting. Another study had volunteers wear masks they made themselves, from cotton T-shirts and following the pattern of a standard tie behind the head surgical mask, and found the number of microscopic particles that leaked to the inside of the homemade masks were twice that of commercial masks. Wearing homemade masks also leaked a median average of three times as many microorganisms as commercial masks. But another study found that masks made of at least two layers T-shirt fabric could be as protective against virus droplets as medical masks, and as breathable. A woman sews a multi-layered woven cloth face mask on a sewing machine. Many people made cloth face masks at home during the pandemic. World Health Organization infographic on how to wear a non-medical fabric mask safely. A peer-reviewed summary of published literature on the filtration properties of cloth and cloth masks suggested two to four layers of plain-weave cotton or flannel, of at least 100 threads per inch. There is a necessary trade-off: increasing the number of layers increases the filtration of the material but decreases breathability. Decreased breathability makes it harder to wear a mask and also increases the amount of leak around the edge of the mask. A plain-language summary of this work,[16] along with a hand-sewn design, suggestions on materials and layering, and how to put on, take off, and clean cloth masks are available. As of May 2020, there was no research on decontaminating and reusing cloth masks. The CDC recommends removing a mask by handling only the ear loops or ties, placing it directly in a washing machine, and immediately washing hands in soap and water for at least twenty seconds. Cold water is considered as effective as warm water for decontamination. The CDC also recommends washing hands before putting on the mask, and again immediately after touching it. There is no information on reusing an interlayer filter. Disposing of filters after a single use may be desirable. A narrative review of the literature on filtration properties of cloth and other household materials did not find support for the idea of using a filter. A layer of cloth, if tolerated, was suggested instead, or a PM2.5 filter, as a third layer. A surgical mask is a loose-fitting, disposable mask that creates a physical barrier separating the mouth and nose of the wearer from potential contaminants in the immediate environment. If worn properly, a surgical mask is meant to help block large-particle droplets, splashes, sprays, or splatter that may contain viruses and bacteria, keeping them from reaching the wearer's mouth and nose. Surgical masks may also help reduce exposure of others to the wearer's saliva and respiratory secretions. Certified medical masks are made of non-woven material and they are mostly multi-layer. Filters may be made of microfibers with an electrostatic charge; that is, the fibers are electrets. An electret filter increases the chances that smaller particles will veer and hit a fiber, rather than going straight through (electrostatic capture). While there is some development work on making electret filtering materials that can be washed and reused, current commercially produced electret filters are ruined by many forms of disinfection, including washing with soap and water or alcohol, which destroys the electric charge.[30] During the COVID-19 pandemic, public health authorities issued guidelines on how to save, disinfect and reuse electret-filter masks without damaging the filtration efficiency. Standard disposable surgical masks are not designed to be washed. Surgical masks may be labeled as surgical, isolation, dental, or medical procedure masks. The material surgical masks are made from is much poorer at filtering very small particles (in range a tenth of a micrometre to a micrometre across) than that of filtering respirators (for example N95, FFP2) and the fit is much poorer. Surgical masks are made of a non-woven fabric created using a melt blowing process. Random control studies of respiratory infections like influenza find little difference in protection between surgical masks and respirators (such as N95 or FFP masks). However, the filtering performance of correctly worn N95/FFP2 type filtering respirators is clearly superior to surgical and to cloth masks and for influenza, work by the UK Health and Safety executive found that live virus penetrated all surgical masks tested but properly fitted respirators reduced the viral dose by a factor of at least a hundred. Tsai Ing-wen, President of Taiwan, wearing a surgical mask Surgical masks made to different standards in different parts of the world have different ranges of particles which they filter. For example, the People's Republic of China regulates two types of such masks: single-use medical masks (Chinese standard YY/T 0969) and surgical masks (YY 0469). The latter ones are required to filter bacteria-sized particles (BFE ≥ 95%) and some virus-sized particles (PFE ≥ 30%), while the former ones are required to only filter bacteria-sized particles. The effectiveness of surgical masks in limiting particle transmission is a function of material and fit. Since the start of the pandemic, scientists have evaluated various modifications to ear loop surgical masks aimed at improving mask efficacy by reducing or eliminating gaps between the mask and face. The CDC evaluated and recommends two such modifications to ear loop masks to reduce transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Under normal use, the CDC found that a surgical mask worn by a coughing individual blocked 41.3% of simulated cough aerosols (0.1–7.0 μm particle size) from reaching a second individual six feet away. However, by applying a knot and tuck technique,[a] 62.9% of particles were blocked. When the surgical mask was covered with a larger cloth mask, 82% of particles were blocked. When both the source and recipient wore masks, 84% of particles were blocked. The number increased to more than 95% when both parties either wore double masks (surgical mask with larger cloth mask) or used the knot and tuck technique. Il Another type of modifications was aimed to improve the comfort of the wearers. Early on in the pandemic, healthcare workers were required to continue wearing surgical masks for 12 or more hours a day. This caused the ear loops of the masks to chafe the back of their ears. Ear savers, plastic straps and hooks that go around wearer's heads, were invented to move the ear loops away from the wearer's ears. They could be made on demand by using 3D printing process. An N95 mask is a particulate-filtering facepiece respirator that meets the N95 air filtration rating of the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, meaning it filters at least 95 percent of airborne particles, while not resistant to oil like the P95. It is the most common particulate-filtering facepiece respirator. It is an example of a mechanical filter respirator, which provides protection against particulates, but not gases or vapors. Like the middle layer of surgical masks, the N95 mask is made of four layers[ of melt-blown nonwoven polypropylene fabric. The corresponding face mask used in the European Union is the FFP2 respirator. Hard electret-filter masks like N95 and FFP masks must fit the face to provide full protection. Untrained users often get a reasonable fit, but fewer than one in four gets a perfect fit. Fit testing is thus standard. A line of petroleum jelly on the edge of the mask. has been shown to reduce edge leakage in lab tests using mannequins that simulate breathing. Some N95 series respirators, especially those intended for industrial use, have an exhalation valve to improve comfort, making exhalation easier and reducing leakage on exhalation and steaming-up of glasses. But those respirators are not reliable for the control of infected people (source control) in respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, because infected users (asymptomatic or not) would transmit the virus to others through the valve. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there were shortages of filtering facepiece respirators, and they had to be used for extended periods, and/or disinfected and reused. At the time, public health authorities issued guidelines on how to save, disinfect and reuse masks, as some disinfection methods damaged their filtration efficiency. Some hospitals stockpiled used masks as a precaution, and some had to sanitize and reuse masks. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend the use of face shields as a substitute for masks to help slow the spread of COVID-19.[54] In a study by Lindsley et al. (7 January 2021) funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, part of the CDC, face shields were found to block very few cough aerosols in contrast to face coverings – such as cloth masks, procedure masks, and N95 respirators – indicating that face shields are not effective as source control devices for small respiratory aerosols and that face coverings are more effective than face shields as source control devices to reduce the community transmission of SARS-CoV-2. In a scoping review, Godoy et al. (5 May 2020) said face shields are used for barrier protection against splash and splatter contamination, but should not be used as primary protection against respiratory disease transmission due to the lack of a peripheral seal rather than as an adjunct to other facial protection. They remarked that face shields have been used like this alongside medical-grade masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. They cited a cough simulation study by Lindsley et al. (2014) in which face shields were shown to reduce the risk of inhalation exposure up to 95% immediately following aerosol production, but the protection was decreased with smaller aerosol particles and persistent airborne particles around the sides. A systematic review of observational studies on the transmission of coronaviruses, funded by the World Health Organization found that eye protection including face shields was associated with less infection (adjusted odds ratio 0.22; 95% confidence interval 0·12 to 0·39), but the evidence was rated as low certainty. Elastomeric respirators are reusable personal protective equipment comprising a tight-fitting half-facepiece or full-facepiece respirator with exchangeable filters such as cartridge filters. They provide an alternative respiratory protection option to filtering facepiece respirators such as N95 masks for healthcare workers during times of short supply caused by the pandemic, as they can be reused over an extended period in healthcare settings. However, elastomeric respirators have a vent to exhalate the air outwards and unfiltered, so the wearer must be attentive that he or she is not infected with SARS-CoV-2, to prevent a possible transmission of the virus to others through the vent. For the COVID-19 response when supplies are short, the US CDC says contingency and crisis strategies should be followed: Each elastomeric respirator is issued for the exclusive use of an individual healthcare provider, but must be cleaned and disinfected as often as necessary to remain unsoiled and sanitary. If there is no other option than to share a respirator between healthcare providers, the respirator must be cleaned and disinfected before it is worn by a different individual. Filters (except for unprotected disc types) may be used for an extended period, but the filter housing of cartridge types must be disinfected after each patient interaction. A powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) is a personal protective equipment in which a device with a filter and fan creates a highly filtered airflow towards the headpiece and a positive outflow of air from the headpiece. There is an increased risk for healthcare workers to become exposed to SARS-CoV-2 when they conduct aerosol-generating procedures on COVID-19 patients, which is why it is argued that such situations may require enhanced personal protective equipment (i.e., higher than N95) such as PAPRs for healthcare workers. In a systematic review, Licina, Silvers, and Stuart (8 August 2020) said field studies indicate that there was equivalent rates of infection between healthcare workers, who performed airway procedures on critical COVID-19 patients, utilizing PAPRs or other appropriate respiratory equipment (such as N95 or FFP2), but remarked that there is a need to further collect field data about optimal respiratory protection during highly virulent pandemics. Some masks include an exhalation valve to expel the breath outwards, but that current of air is not filtered. Certification (as N95 or FFP2) is about the mask itself and does not warrant any safety about the air that is exhaled. Putting tape over the exhalation valve can make a mask or respirator as effective as one without a valve. Scientists have visualized droplet dispersal for masks with exhalation valves and face shields, and concluded that they can be ineffective against COVID-19 spread (e.g., after a cough) and recommended alternatives. The use of face masks or coverings by the general public has been recommended by health officials to minimize the risk of transmissions, with authorities either requiring their use in certain settings, such as on public transport and in shops, or universally in public. Health officials have advised that medical-grade face masks, such as respirators, should be prioritized for use by healthcare workers in view of critical shortages, so they generally first and foremost recommend cloth masks for the general public. The recommendations have changed as the body of scientific knowledge evolved. According to #Masks4All, about 95% of the world population lives in countries where the government and leading disease experts recommend or require the use of masks in public places to limit the spread of COVID-19. Early in 2020, the WHO had only recommended medical masks for people with suspected infection and respiratory symptoms, their caregivers and those sharing living space, and healthcare workers.[71][72][73] In April 2020, the WHO acknowledged that wearing a medical mask can limit the spread of certain respiratory viral diseases including COVID-19, but claimed that medical masks would create a false sense of security and neglect of other necessary measures, such as hand hygiene. The early WHO advice on limited mask usage was scrutinized for several reasons. First, experts and researchers pointed out the asymptomatic transmission of the virus. Second, according to Marteau et al. (27 July 2020), available evidence does not support the notion that masking adversely affects hand hygiene: Dame Theresa Marteau, one of the researchers, remarked that "The concept of risk compensation, rather than risk compensation itself, seems the greater threat to public health through delaying potentially effective interventions that can help prevent the spread of disease." The WHO revised its mask guidance in June 2020, with its officials acknowledging that studies indicated asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic spread.[81] The updated advice recommended that the general public should wear non-medical fabric masks where there is known or suspected widespread transmission and where physical distancing is not possible, and that vulnerable people (60 and over, or with underlying health risks) and people with any symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 as well as caregivers and healthcare workers should wear surgical or procedure masks.[68] They stated that the purpose of mask usage is to prevent the wearer transmitting the virus to others (source control) and to offer protection to healthy wearers against infection (prevention). The WHO advises that non-medical fabric masks should comprise a minimum of three layers, suggesting an inner layer made of absorbent material (such as cotton), a middle layer made of non-woven material (such as polypropylene) which may enhance filtration or retain droplets, and an outer layer made of non-absorbent material (such as polyester or its blends) which may limit external contamination from penetration. On 21 August 2020, the WHO and UNICEF released an annex guidance for children.[83] For children five and younger, they advise that masks should not be required in consideration to a child's developmental milestones, compliance challenges, and autonomy required to use a mask properly, but recognized that the evidence supporting their cut-off age is limited and countries may hold a different and lower age of cut-off. For children 6–11, they advise that mask usage should be decided in consideration of several factors including the intensity of local viral transmission, (the latest evidence about) the risk of infection for the age group, the social and cultural environment (which influences social interactions in communities and populations), the capacity to comply with appropriate mask usage, the availability of appropriate adult supervision, and the potential impact on learning and psychosocial development, as well as additional factors involving specific settings or circumstances (such as disabilities, underlying diseases, elderly people, sport activities, and schools). For children 12 and older, they advise that masks should be worn under the same conditions for adults in accordance to WHO guidance or national guidelines. Regarding the use of non-medical fabric masks in the general population, the WHO has stated that high-quality evidence for its widespread use is limited, but advises governments to encourage its use as physical distancing may not be possible in some settings, there is some evidence for asymptomatic transmission, and masks could be helpful to provide a barrier to limit the spread of potentially infectious droplets.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Face_masks_during_the_COVID-19_pand...

soon this willbe a real chair. Maybe in a polypropylene sheet or in other material.

Christo Vladimirov Javacheff (1935–2020) and Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon (1935–2009), known as Christo and Jeanne-Claude, were artists noted for their large-scale, site-specific environmental installations, often large landmarks and landscape elements wrapped in fabric, including the Wrapped Reichstag, The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Running Fence in California, and The Gates in New York City's Central Park. Born on the same day in Bulgaria and Morocco, respectively, the pair met and married in Paris in the late 1950s. Originally working under Christo's name, they later credited their installations to both "Christo and Jeanne-Claude". Until his own death in 2020, Christo continued to plan and execute projects after Jeanne-Claude's death in 2009. Their work was typically large, visually impressive, and controversial, often taking years and sometimes decades of careful preparation – including technical solutions, political negotiation, permitting and environmental approval, hearings and public persuasion. The pair refused grants, scholarships, donations or public money, instead financing the work via the sale of their own artwork. Christo and Jeanne-Claude described the myriad elements that brought the projects to fruition as integral to the artwork itself, and said their projects contained no deeper meaning than their immediate aesthetic impact; their purpose being simply for joy, beauty, and new ways of seeing the familiar.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude met in October 1958 when he was commissioned to paint a portrait of her mother, Précilda de Guillebon. Their first show, in Cologne, 1961, showcased the three types of artworks for which they would be known: wrapped items, oil barrels, and ephemeral, large-scale works.[3] Near Christo's first solo show in Paris, in 1962, the pair blocked an alley with 240 barrels for several hours in a piece called Iron Curtain, a poetic reply to the Berlin Wall. They developed consistent, longtime terms of their collaboration. They together imagined projects, for which Christo would create sketches and preparatory works that were later sold to fund the resulting installation. Christo and Jeanne-Claude hired assistants to do the work of wrapping the object at hand. They originally worked under the name "Christo" to simplify dealings and their brand, given the difficulties of establishing an artist's reputation and the prejudices against female artists,[6] but they would later retroactively credit their large-scale outdoor works to both "Christo and Jeanne-Claude". They eventually flew in separate planes such that, in case one crashed, the other could continue their work. Within a year of Wrapped Coast, Christo began work on Valley Curtain: an orange curtain of fabric to be hung across the mountainous Colorado State Highway 325.[ They simultaneously worked on Wrapped Walk Ways (Tokyo and Holland) and Wrapped Island (South Pacific), neither of which came to fruition. The artists formed a corporation to benefit from tax and other liabilities, a form they used for later projects. Following a failed attempt to mount the curtain in late 1971, a new engineer and builder-contractor raised the fabric in August 1972. The work only stood for 28 hours before the wind again destroyed the fabric. This work, their most expensive to date and first to involve construction workers, was captured in a documentary by David and Albert Maysles. Christo's Valley Curtain was nominated for Best Documentary Short in the 1974 Academy Awards.[15] The Maysles would film many of the artists' later projects.Inspired by a snow fence, in 1972, Christo and Jeanne-Claude began preparations for Running Fence: a 24.5- mile fence of white nylon, supported by steel posts and steel cables, running through the Californian landscape and into the ocean. In exchange for temporary use of ranch land, the artists agreed to offer payment and use of the deconstructed building materials. Others challenged its construction in 18 public hearings and three state court sessions. The fence began construction in April 1976 and the project culminated in a two-week display in September, after which it was deconstructed. Christo and Jeanne-Claude planned a project based on Jeanne-Claude's idea to surround eleven islands in Miami's Biscayne Bay with 603,850 m2 (6,499,800 sq ft) of pink polypropylene floating fabric. Surrounded Islands was completed on May 7, 1983, with the aid of 430 workers and could be admired for two weeks. The workers were outfitted with pink long sleeve shirts with pale blue text written on the back reading “Christo Surrounded Islands”, and then in acknowledging the garment's designer, "designed and produced by Willi Smith". Their 1991 The Umbrellas involved the simultaneous setup of blue and gold umbrellas in Japan and California, respectively. The 3,100-umbrella project cost US$26 million and attracted three million visitors. Christo closed the exhibition early after a woman was killed by a windblown umbrella in California. Separately, a worker was killed during the deconstruction of the Japanese exhibit. Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped the Berlin Reichstag building in 1995 following 24 years of governmental lobbying across six Bundestag presidents. Wrapped Reichstag's 100,000 square meters of silver fabric draped the building, fastened with blue rope. Christo described the Reichstag wrapping as autobiographical based on his Bulgarian upbringing. The wrapping became symbolic of unified Germany and marked Berlin's return as a world city. The Guardian posthumously described the work as their "most spectacular achievement". In 1998, the artists wrapped trees at the Beyeler Foundation and its nearby Berower Park. Prior attempts had failed to secure government support in Saint Louis, Missouri, and Paris. The work was self-funded through sale of photographic documentation and preparatory works, as had become standard for the couple. Work began on the installation of the couple's most protracted project, The Gates, in New York City's Central Park in January 2005. Its full title, The Gates, Central Park, New York, 1979–2005, refers to the time that passed from their initial proposal until they were able to go ahead with it with the permission of the new mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. The Gates was open to the public from February 12–27, 2005. A total of 7,503 gates made of saffron-colored fabric were placed on paths in Central Park. They were five meters (16 ft) high and had a combined length of 37 km (23 mi). The mayor presented them with the Doris C. Freedman Award for public art.[30] The project cost an estimated US$21 million, which the artists planned to recoup by selling project documentation. Christo filled the Gasometer Oberhausen from March 16 until December 30, 2013 with the installation Big Air Package. After The Wall (1999) as the final installation of the Emscher Park International Building Exhibition, Big Air Package was his second work of art in the Gasometer. The "Big Air Package – Project for Gasometer Oberhausen, Germany" was conceived by Christo in 2010 (for the first time without his wife Jeanne-Claude). The sculpture was set up in the interior of the industrial monument and was made of 20,350 m3 (719,000 cu ft) of translucent fabric and 4,500 m (14,800 ft) of rope. In the inflated state, the envelope, with a weight of 5.3 tonnes (5.8 short tons), reached a height of more than 90 m (300 ft), a diameter of 50 m (160 ft) and a volume of 177,000 m3 (6,300,000 cu ft). The monumental work of art was, temporarily, the largest self-supporting sculpture in the world. In the accessible interior of Big Air Package, the artist generated a unique experience of space, proportions, and light. The Floating Piers were a series of walkways installed at Lake Iseo near Brescia, Italy. From June 18 to July 3, 2016, visitors were able to walk just above the surface of the water from the village of Sulzano on the mainland to the islands of Monte Isola and San Paolo. The floating walkways were made of around 200,000 polyethene cubes covered with 70,000 m2 (750,000 sq ft) of bright yellow fabric: 3 km (1.9 mi) of piers moved on the water; another 1.5 km (0.93 mi) of golden fabric continued along the pedestrian streets in Sulzano and Peschiera Maraglio. After the exhibition, all components were to be removed and recycled.[33] The installation was facilitated by the Beretta family, owners of the oldest active manufacturer of firearm components in the world and the primary sidearm supplier of the U.S. Army.[34] The Beretta family owns the island of San Paolo, which was surrounded by Floating Piers walkways. The work was a success with the Italian public and critics as well. The London Mastaba was a temporary floating installation exhibited from June to September 2018 on The Serpentine in London. The installation consisted of 7,506 oil barrels, in the shape of a mastaba, a form of an early bench in use in ancient Mesopotamia, with a flat roof and inward sloping sides. It sat on a floating platform of high-density polyethene, held in place by 32 anchors. It was 20 m (66 ft) in height and weighed 600 tonnes (660 short tons). The vertical ends were painted in a mosaic of red, blue and mauve, whilst the sloping sides were in red with bands of white. Simultaneously with the display of The London Mastaba, the nearby Serpentine Gallery presented an exhibition of the artists' work, entitled Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Barrels and The Mastaba 1958–2018. The exhibition comprised sculptures, drawings, collages, scale-models and photographs from the last 60 years of the artists' work. Christo and Jeanne-Claude announced plans for a future project, titled Over The River, to be constructed on the Arkansas River between Salida, Colorado, and Cañon City, Colorado, on the eastern slope of the Rocky mountains. Plans for the project call for horizontally suspending 10.8 km (6.7 mi) of reflective, translucent fabric panels high above the water, on steel cables anchored into the river's banks. Project plans called for its installation for two weeks during the summer of 2015, at the earliest, and for the river to remain open to recreation during the installation. Reaction among area residents was intense, with supporters hoping for a tourist boom and opponents fearing that the project would ruin the visual appeal of the landscape and inflict damage on the river ecosystem. One local rafting guide compared the project to "hanging pornography in a church." The U.S. Bureau of Land Management released a Record of Decision approving the project on November 7, 2011. Work on the project cannot begin, however, until the Bureau of Land Management issues a Notice to Proceed. A lawsuit against the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife was filed on July 22, 2011, by Rags Over the Arkansas River (ROAR), a local group opposed to the project. The lawsuit is still awaiting a court date.[ Christo and Jeanne-Claude's inspiration for Over the River came in 1985 as they were wrapping the Pont-Neuf and a fabric panel was being elevated over the Seine. The artists began a three-year search for appropriate locations in 1992, considering some eighty-nine river locations. They chose the Arkansas River because its banks were high enough that recreational rafters could enjoy the river at the same time. Christo and Jeanne-Claude spent more than $6 million on environmental studies, design engineering, and wind tunnel testing of fabrics. As with past projects, Over The River would be financed entirely by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, through the sale of Christo's preparatory drawings, collages, scale models, and early works of the 1950s/1960s. On July 16, 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management released its four-volume Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which reported many potentially serious types of adverse impact but also many proposed "mitigation" options. In January 2017, after the election of President Trump, Christo canceled the controversial project citing protest of the new administration as well as tiring from the hard-fought legal battle waged by local residents.

 

L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped

 

Continuing their series of monumental "wrapping" projects, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris is to be wrapped in 30,000 square meters of recyclable polypropylene fabric in silvery blue, and 7,000 meters (23,000 feet) of red rope, originally scheduled for autumn of 2020.[54] This was postponed a year to Saturday, September 18 to Sunday, October 3, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France and its impact on the arts and cultural sector worldwide. Following Christo's death, his office stated that the project would nevertheless be completed.

 

Reception

Christo and Jeanne-Claude's work is held by many major public collections. The artists received the 1995 Praemium Imperiale, the 2006 Vilcek Prize,[59] and the 2004 International Sculpture Center's Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award. Art critic David Bourdon described Christo's wrappings as a "revelation through concealment."[61] Unto his critics Christo replied, "I am an artist, and I have to have courage ... Do you know that I don't have any artworks that exist? They all go away when they're finished. Only the preparatory drawings, and collages are left, giving my works an almost legendary character. I think it takes much greater courage to create things to be gone than to create things that will remain."[ Jeanne-Claude was a firm believer in the aesthetic beauty of works of art; she said, "'We want to create works of art of joy and beauty, which we will build because we believe it will be beautiful.'"

 

Biographies

Christo

 

Young Christo

Christo Vladimirov Javacheff (Bulgarian: Христо Владимиров Явашев, [xrisˈtɔ vlɐˈdimirof jaˈvaʃɛf]) was born on June 13, 1935, in Gabrovo, Bulgaria, as the second of three sons to Tzveta Dimitrova (a Macedonian Bulgarian from Thessaloniki) and Vladimir Javacheff, who worked at a textile manufacturer. Christo was shy and had a predilection for art. He received private art instruction at a young age and the support of his parents, who invited visiting artists to their house.[65] Christo was particularly affected by events from World War II and the country's fluid borders. During evacuations, he and his brothers stayed with a family in the rural hills outside town, where Christo connected with nature and handicraft. While Bulgaria was under repressive totalitarian rule, and Western art was suppressed, Christo pursued realistic painting through the mid-1950s. He was admitted into the Sofia Academy of Fine Arts in 1953[68] but found the school dull and stifling. Instead, he found inspiration in Skira art books, and visiting Russian professors who were older than he and once active in Russian modernism and the Soviet avant-garde. On the weekends, academy students were sent to paint propaganda and Christo unhappily participated. He found work as a location scout for the state cinema and served three tours of duty during summer breaks. In 1956, he used an academy connection to receive permission to visit family in Prague, where the theater of Emil František Burian reinvigorated him. Amid fears of further Russian suppression in Hungary, Christo decided to flee to Vienna as a railcar stowaway. He had little money after paying the bribe, did not speak the language, had deserted during his Bulgarian military service, and feared being trapped in a refugee camp. In Vienna, he stayed with a family friend (who had not expected him), studied at the Vienna Fine Arts Academy, and surrendered his passport to seek political asylum as a stateless person. There, he supported himself with commissions and briefly visited Italy with the academy, whose program he found equally unhappy as the one before it. At the behest of a friend relocated from Sofia, he saved up to visit Geneva in late 1957. In violation of his visa, he continued to pursue commissions (whose works he would sign with his family name, reserving his given name for more serious work) and was transformed after visiting the Kunstmuseum Basel and Kunsthaus Zürich. In January 1958, he first began to wrap things, as would become his trademark, starting with a paint can. His collection of wrapped household items would be known as his Inventory. In February 1958, Christo left for Paris, having received a visa with the assistance of a Sofia academy connection. In 1973, after 17 stateless years, Christo became a United States citizen.[80] He died at his home in New York City on May 31, 2020, at 84. No cause of death was specified.[81] L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, a planned work by Christo and Jeane-Claude, is to go ahead posthumously in Paris in September 2021.

 

Jeanne-Claude

Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon (French: [ʒan klod dəna də gijəbɔ̃]) was born in Casablanca, Morocco, where her father, an army officer, was stationed. Her mother, Précilda, was 17 when she married Jeanne-Claude's father, Major Léon Denat. Précilda and Léon Denat divorced shortly after Jeanne-Claude was born, and Précilda remarried three times. Jeanne-Claude earned a baccalauréat in Latin and philosophy in 1952 from the University of Tunis.[5] After Précilda married the General Jacques de Guillebon in 1947, the family lived in Bern (1948–1951) and Tunisia (1952–1957) before returning to Paris.[ Jeanne-Claude was described as "extroverted" and with natural organizational abilities. Her hair was dyed red, which she claimed was selected by her husband.[84] She took responsibility for overseeing work crews and for raising funds. Jeanne-Claude died in New York City on November 18, 2009, from complications due to a brain aneurysm. Her body was to be donated to science, one of her final wishes.[85] When she died, she and Christo were at work on Over the River[86] and the United Arab Emirates project, The Mastaba.[5] She said, "Artists don't retire. They die. That's all. When they stop being able to create art, they die."

 

Marriage

Christo and Jeanne-Claude met in October 1958 when he was commissioned to paint a portrait of her mother, Précilda de Guillebon. Initially, Christo was attracted to Jeanne-Claude's half-sister, Joyce. Jeanne-Claude was engaged to Philippe Planchon.Shortly before her wedding, Jeanne-Claude became pregnant by Christo. Although she married Planchon, Jeanne-Claude left him immediately after their honeymoon. Christo and Jeanne-Claude' s son, Cyril, was born on May 11, 1960. Jeanne-Claude became an American citizen in March 1984.[19] The couple received permission to wrap the Pont Neuf, a bridge in Paris, in August and the wrapped the bridge in for two weeks in August 1985. The Pont Neuf Wrapped attracted three million visitors. Wrapping the Pont Neuf continued the tradition of transforming a sculptural dimension into a work of art. The fabric maintained the principal shapes of the Pont Neuf but it emphasized the details and the proportions. As with Surrounded Islands, workers who assisted with the installation and deinstallation of Pont Neuf Wrapped wore uniforms designed by Willi Smith.

 

The couple relocated to New York City, the new art world capital, in 1964. Christo began to make Store Fronts, wooden facades made to resemble shop windows, which he continued for four years. His largest piece was shown in the 1968 Documenta 4. In the mid-1960s, they also created Air Packages,[8] inflated and wrapped research balloons.[9] In 1969, at the invitation of the museum director Jan van der Marck they wrapped the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art while it remained open.[10] It was panned by the public and ordered to be undone by the fire department, which went unenforced.[11] With the help of Australian collector John Kaldor, Christo and Jeanne-Claude and 100 volunteers wrapped the coast of Sydney's Little Bay as Wrapped Coast, the first piece for Kaldor Public Art Projects.[12]

There are many smaller stories within the larger sweep of history. Christo, the Bulgarian-born artist who died on 31 May 2020, famous for his gigantic wrapping works at the scale of Paris’s Pont Neuf in 1985 and the Berlin Reichstag ten years later, first came into existence thanks to a hairdresser. When Christo was a young artist, this hairdresser, René Bourgeois, introduced him to rich ladies whose portraits he painted to survive. And it was within this context that he was introduced to Précida Guillebon who had a daughter named Jeanne Claude; a young upper class girl who would eventually become Christo’s wife, his accomplice, and the linchpin of his sprawling projects, whose name would end up appearing with his on their works. She died in 2009. Between 1958 and 1964 Christo lived in Paris, before going to spend the rest of his life in New York. The Centre Pompidou’s exhibition focuses on this particular period, which would determine the rest of his creative output, followed by two large rooms homing in on the “making of” the project that remains etched in memory but which lasted only two weeks (like all of his monumental works): the wrapping of the Pont Neuf. It was in 1958 that Christo, a young refugee from Eastern Europe who crossed the border hidden in the back of a truck, began wrapping objects. He was interested in their volume and he talks about this as a process of “mummifying”, a practice he performed unconsciously: “I don’t know why I wrapped things”. At the time it was interpreted as the actions of a nomad figuratively packing his bags. Christo went off to explore different directions, including the “Wall of Oil Barrels” which the influential art critic of the time Pierre Restany referred to as “cathedrals of an unknown religion”. This description also perfectly encapsulates the artist’s future monumental practice. On 18 September 2021 he was due to wrap the Arc de Triomphe in Paris over a period of two weeks. The project, the ultimate ephemeral cathedral to the cult of Christo, had to be delayed owing to rare birds nesting on top of the Napoleonic edifice.

 

judithbenhamouhuet.com/centre-pompidou-why-did-christo-wr...

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christo_and_Jeanne-Claude

Arcadia Lost Series

(James River Series)

ink and James River Water on polypropylene paper

30 x 60 inches

2018

A painting of the rescue by A. Cumming of Lenzie, Scotland. As someone who was there I am amazed at how accurately the artist (who was not there) portrayed the scene. The following is the story of this scene:

 

PART 1:

 

My mind drifted for a moment, drawn to the glass of ice cold water sat on my desk. The water tilted within the glass and then shuddered as the ship around it rolled on the wave and vibrated to the cavitation of the propeller. I glanced towards the black porthole. I had tightened the dogs on it earlier when the roll of the ship coincided with a high wave and momentarily our cabin view looked underwater, down into the ocean. I was a little weary. With the warm air and physical nature of our work I knew I should get some sleep before my duty watch started on the ship’s navigation bridge at midnight.

 

But I had to finish my Correspondence course. As only a second trip deck cadet, training as a Navigation Officer, I was almost the lowest of the low, and it was important my study at sea was completed on time. Our ship, “Wellpark”, was only three days from arrival in Kaohsiung in Taiwan and my work would have to be posted back to Nautical College in Glasgow on the other side of the world for marking. As luck would have it, we had speeded up a few days earlier from our normal cruising speed to our maximum of 15 knots, so that the ship could meet its dry-dock slot in Korea and still connect into a lucrative string of cargo charters thereafter. Dammit: I had even less time to finish my studies!

 

I could have excused myself. As I had just written in a letter to my mother it had already been a very eventful trip, a real experience for a young man keen to see the world. The journey itself from my home in the extreme north of Scotland to the south of Argentina had involved no less than seven separate flights over three days. And the weeks at sea crossing the lower latitudes of the South Atlantic, watching the albatross glide for days, before we moved into the warmer Indian Ocean and relaxed in its sunshine, had made it seem more like a cruise. After the mountainous waves we endured around South Africa we had time for fun after work, playing games on deck and organising our Crossing the Line Ceremony. Later we had passed through the Sunda Straits, passing tropical islands on both sides. Here we watched brightly coloured sailing boats dart between the islands, flying fish, and plumes of smoke erupt from a huge volcano. We were a happy ship and we were on a journey that had now taken us into the South China Sea.

 

It was 7.53 pm on Sunday 1st October when I had just focussed my mind back on my Correspondence course that suddenly the ship’s emergency alarms rang, and my life changed forever.

 

Immediately the tannoy blared, “This is not a drill!”. Still wearing my jeans and T-shirt, I scooped up my helmet and lifejacket and headed from my cabin, out through the water-tight door on to the main deck and up the two steel staircases to my emergency station on the poop deck next to the port lifeboat. All over the ship, cadets and men rose from what they were doing. Some were in the shower, some in the laundry, some eating, some relaxing and some fast asleep. All rose as one and ran to take up their posts at the three main emergency stations: by the port and starboard lifeboats and on the ship’s bridge.

 

As we gathered at our post, of course we were intrigued. What was happening? It was pitch dark outside and we could see nothing. Were we in danger of sinking and in trouble ourselves? Was there a fire on board? We relaxed as word filtered round it was a fishing boat that had fired off a distress flare, and we had time to laugh at the first-trip cadet who arrived at the emergency station in slippers and pyjamas.

 

And then we saw it…well, our keen eyes saw a flame, just a brief glimpse, distant in the black of the night out on the starboard (right) side of the ship. A roll was called and the senior cadets were selected to climb up into the port lifeboat with three officers, as we attended to removing the covers off the launching equipment and unshackling the boat for lowering.

 

40 minutes had elapsed from the sighting of the flare and the call to emergency stations, when we were ordered to lower the lifeboat to the water. Wellpark had closed in on the boat in distress but from where we were we could no longer see it. At 171 metres long, and a laden weight of over 40,000 tonnes, Wellpark had slowed but was still pushing into the waves at around 7 knots. In the wake of tropical storm ‘Lola’ the sea’s swell was high, there being roughly 15 feet (4.5 metres) between the peaks and troughs of the waves. Quickly the lifeboat was lowered until the tops of the passing waves ran below its hull. On a given signal the fore and aft quick release buckles were pressed to drop the boat onto the top of a wave. But disaster! The release buckle holding the front of the boat did not release, and the falling wave threatened to leave the rescue craft hanging vertically, and hurl its crew into the dark waters.

 

Desperately they hung on, until the waters rose once more under the boat. Then it thrust the rear of the boat upwards, slamming a cadet’s head against 100 kilos of lifeboat pulley blocks dangling from the ship. Only his helmet saved him from serious injury. In an instant the Second Officer grabbed an axe and swung at the jammed release catch. The steel rings parted and the boat dropped onto the wave. Quickly the Lister engine was put into gear and the Training Officer swung the tiller, accelerating the boat away from the ship, out onto the waves and into the surrounding darkness.

 

Up above, there had been excited activity since the Chief Officer spotted the red flare, four points on the port bow. Immediately Captain,Hector Connell, had been called to the ship’s command point on the bridge and all other staff had been called to Emergency Stations by alarm and tannoy. The Wellpark swung her bows towards the point of light in the darkness as the Radio Officer began to relay the distress signal. Hearing the distress call, “Manhattan Viscount”, 40 miles to the south advised she would come to assist. But the Russian cargo ship, “Zoia Kosmodiemanskaia”, and the British gas tanker, “Norman Lady” were much closer and they were going to arrive on the emergency scene much sooner.

 

Out on the sea, the lifeboat battled its way towards the boat in distress. Although accustomed to a life at sea, many of its crew began to suffer from sea-sickness as the small boat rose and fell on the large waves. Swallowed amongst them they often lost sight of the boat they had been sent to investigate, but the powerful beam of the Aldis signalling light shone from the Wellpark’s bridge wing to guide them. With radio instructions too, it helped show them the way. It was 20 minutes before they got close, and then out of the darkness they saw what appeared to be a grossly overcrowded wooden craft. The lifeboat manoeuvred in close, but had to hold off slightly to prevent being thrown against the larger craft by the waves. Although the crew reached out, the desperate people on the boat held back from jumping into the lifeboat, fearful that their rescuers could not be trusted. There were shouts and cries in the confusion, but amongst it someone demanded of the lifeboat crew what nation they were from. When the reply was given that they were British, Scottish at that, the word rapidly spread and without hesitation the first man jumped across the dark waters to the lifeboat. Quickly, in two more passes, about 15 men leapt from all angles for the boat, many landing heavily on the hard thwarts of the lifeboat as it bucked on the waves. Now the boat in distress was heeling over with the shift of humanity wanting to escape the deathtrap their boat had become. But with shouts of, “We’ll come back” the lifeboat withdrew and headed back to Wellpark. Huddled low in the center of the lifeboat one man told his saviours that there were over 300 refugees from South Vietnam crammed on the distress craft.

 

Looking down from the poop deck to the returning lifeboat I saw a large number of men and one boy. Having not yet seen the distress craft, I thought, what sort of small fishing boat carried such a number? We had rigged a rope pilot ladder down the vertical side of the ship. The lifeboat nosed in under the ship’s side, which had now been turned to provide some shelter. But still the lifeboat rose and fell on the ship’s swell so that when one man started up the ladder the lifeboat lifted suddenly on the next wave and chased him up the ladder. A man started to climb but only got half way before fear or exhaustion took over. Grimly he hung on before eventually carrying on to the top. We watched, helpless to do more, as one at a time they struggled up towards the ship, terrified one would drop down to the lifeboat or disappear into the blackness of the waves. Exhausted they collapsed to the deck where we sat them against the hatch coaming. The ship's cook and his staff dashed to the ship’s stores to gather blankets and to provide drinks for the rescued. Empty of its cargo, the lifeboat twisted and tossed on the waves and we saw many cadets heaving with sea-sickness. But sick as they were, none requested to leave his post.

 

Again the lifeboat left the ship’s side and headed off into to the dark. I crossed to the starboard side of the vessel and was on the maindeck as Wellpark tried to move closer to protect the refugee boat. Now the refugee boat moved in to the arc of light provided by the ship’s lights mounted high on her deck cranes. For the first time I saw the boat close up. And my eyes failed to comprehend what I was seeing. Here was this wooden boat 60 –70 feet (20 metres) long, packed from stem to stern with people stood shoulder to shoulder on its deck. Here they were riding out the aftermath of a tropical storm some 148 miles from the nearest land. There was a strong, farmyard type smell and I could hear the roaring of the boats engine. The craft was pointing towards the side of Wellpark, and I could tell its commander was frantically trying to get it to reverse away. Suddenly the boat crested a huge swell and was swept towards Wellpark. It’s pointed bow rose high above the Wellpark’s railings immediately above me. I was entranced, fixed to the spot, knowing I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. There was no escape and any second that boat would crash down on the very spot I occupied. But at the exact moment I thought death would come to me, somehow, the giant mouth of the sea sucked the refugee boat back over the Wellpark’s rails and back into the ocean. With relief I saw the boat pass down the side of the ship and back into the dark behind Wellpark. It was 9.00pm

 

As Wellpark was turned and moved to offer shelter for the rescue operation, the Russian ship “Zoia Kosmodiemanskaia” moved in perilously close. Her lights were so close, to us it seemed like she was trying to interfere, putting her bow between Wellpark and the refugee boat. Now we were beginning to understand what was happening and who we were trying to help. A Russian ship, from a Communist state might try to‘steal’ the refugees and take them back to Vietnam. If it had seemed like just one more interesting high point on our voyage, now we realized it really was a matter of life and death. Wellpark’s Captain ordered the Russian ship to keep her distance.

 

Tiny against the ocean, Wellpark’s 25 foot long lifeboat closed on the distress craft once more. This time about 20 men, women and children leapt into the boat. Some clasped the hands of its crew thanking them for what they were doing, kissing their hands in gratitude. This time the ship was closer and we found the lifeboat back on the port side at the bottom of the ladder after barely ten minutes. But now we realized we had to help these people reach the deck. We lowered ropes. Some had the strength to pull themselves up the vertical ladder some of the way; others we had to lift completely as they simply were too weak to climb. Focused on the job in hand I barely noticed the small crowd that was forming on the steel deck behind us. As the last was brought on deck we lowered more fuel to the lifeboat. Some cadets looked up at their colleagues on deck. They were physically weak from sea-sickness, but again they set off once more in to the night.

 

Up on the bridge the ships engine was stopped, started, slowed and speeded up on over 120 separate occasions as her Captain sought to provide shelter to the refugee boat. Constantly turning, and working to adjust to the erratic manoeuvres of the distress craft, and the ‘assisting’ ships, Hector Connell would later be praised for his masterly seamanship.

 

Now he commanded the lifeboat to follow the Wellpark. As the clock passed 10pm, on the deck we were ordered to get all available ropes from the rope store. This included the large floating polypropylene mooring ropes as well as smaller throwing ropes. We tied the bigger ropes together and passed them down to the lifeboat which took them in tow. It struggled to drag them over the waves and made slow progress to the distress vessel. They signalled that the refugees should tie the ropes to their boat, but the British crew could not make themselves understood. Part by luck and part intentionally, the lifeboat was steered so that the ropes fouled the distress craft’s propeller. Quickly we spun the ropes onto the winches and pulled the boat towards the Wellpark’s side. Passing down ropes we wanted the refugees to fix our ropes to the bitts on their boats deck. But the boat was relatively small compared to Wellpark and as it lifted and fell on the waves the ropes kept breaking or pulling off the fixings on the vessel. In all, working hard as a group of cadets, it took us an hour to get the distress craft tied securely to Wellpark so that the rest of the deck crew could start to haul the huge numbers of men, women and children up from the boat below.

 

Now I could see the mass of humanity covering every part of the simple wooden boat. So disciplined and trained were we that we acted naturally even though none of us had ever experienced, or trained for, such an event. As we organized ourselves into lifting teams to get the Vietnamese on deck I was tasked with searching everyone as they came on board. Of course I had no training for this. We told the poor people we had to search them, but the refugees did not seem to understand our English, and we resorted to comical sign language in a poor version of charades to eventually convey what we meant. But I was shocked at the reaction I got. The women and children in front of me put their hands in the air, in the way I had only seen soldiers in war films surrender. I was embarrassed and horrified to realize these people were frightened of me. Frantically I urged them to put their arms down, and cautiously they did so.

 

I was lost to time. But on we went, working under the ship’s floodlights, pulling on the ropes, hauling babies in baskets, children on ropes and helping the adults up the scrambling nets and ladders. I was unaware of what everyone else was doing, we were all doing our bit hidden within the crowd at the ship’s railings as the ship’s catering staff led the Vietnamese down towards the ship’s accommodation. Many just collapsed on to the steel deck where they were, just too weak to go on. Realising how dehydrated and starved these people were, the ships cooks and stewards quickly set about making gallons of soup and coffee and handed out all the bedding material they could. But this was a ship equipped and stored for 50 crew, not a population of 400. So starved and thirsty were the refugees that civilities like handing out portions of food gave way to handing out whole packets of cereals and any other foods that came immediately to hand.

 

It was ten minutes past midnight when the last refugee was pulled from the decrepit craft below. Now Wellpark slowly made way forwards. A large mooring rope was passed down to the lifeboat who landed two crew onto the craft. Unable to find a suitably strong fixing point they moved down in to its stinking hull and found a large beam to secure the tow rope to. As the lifeboat returned to the Wellpark’s port quarter, we cut the refugee craft free of the ropes binding it to the side of Wellpark so it would drift astern and take up its position on tow. But now the lifeboat struggled against the swell to pick up the falls so it could be lifted on board. Time and again the lifeboat approached but could not safely reach the ship for fear of being lifted by a wave to crash against the dangling pulleys. The sea seemed to have become rougher and it took until almost 2.00 a.m to hook up the lifeboat. Up it came, with its tired crew, but one of the davits jammed leaving the boat slewed on its mountings. We secured it there, allowing the crew to dismount awkwardly. There was a sober quietness, everyone was so exhausted. As Wellpark started to get back on course and up to speed. we started to gather our ropes and equipment back up. All around us the Vietnamese were quiet, lying on the ships deck in darkness, now the ship’s deck lights had been switched off for navigation.

 

I got changed into my uniform and climbed up to the ship’s bridge to start my watch at 4.00am. I took up position as lookout on the starboard bridge wing, looking down on the sleeping refugees curled up on top of No.5 hatch. Although our games nets enclosed the area, there was no protection from the elements, but the night was warm and humid. Some large waves started to come on board, rolling down the deck on the port side, as the ship rolled. The Captain ordered the ship to slow a little to protect the exposed people. From my high view point, I looked down and marvelled at the numbers of people, so quiet and peaceful. Were they dreaming sweetly, enjoying the luxury and safety of Wellpark’s steel decks? Or were they unconscious, utterly drained by their experience? I was tired too and I had to keep active to stay awake. Occasionally I looked back into the darkness behind the ship where the refugee boat snaked from side to side across Wellpark’s wake.

 

Suddenly there was a loud cracking noise, and I saw the black bulk of the refugee boat suddenly fall apart and disappear in to the dark. Just the stem post and a few beams remained attached to the rope, and they danced on the waters churned white by Wellpark’s propellor. The refugee boat had been lost at sea forever.

 

Other chapters of this story are here:

 

PART A www.flickr.com/photos/pentlandpirate/1438584566/in/set-72...

PART B www.flickr.com/photos/pentlandpirate/1438558408/in/set-72...

PART 2 www.flickr.com/photos/pentlandpirate/1437528215/in/set-72...

PART 3 www.flickr.com/photos/pentlandpirate/1461744696/in/set-72...

PART 4 www.flickr.com/photos/pentlandpirate/1460893557/in/set-72...

PART 5 www.flickr.com/photos/pentlandpirate/1437563459/in/set-72...

PART 6 www.flickr.com/photos/pentlandpirate/1438381480/in/set-72...

 

You can also join the Wellpark Reunion site here : wellparkreunion.ning.com/main/authorization/signIn?target...

  

Read more at www.shipsnostalgia.com/guides/MV_Wellpark

   

In the Philippines, the most common method of planting seaweed is tying propagules on long rope lines fastened to stakes at each end. Seedlings are tied on the rope at regular intervals with polypropylene raffia, referred to as soft ties in the trade. These are the yellow straw you see in this pic. Having the guy wear a red shirt and an amusing blue umbrella cap was glamour heaven-sent.

 

Hilutungan Island, Cordova, Cebu, the Philippines

 

more pics and journeys in colloidfarl.blogspot.com/

A carpet is a textile floor covering consisting of an upper layer of "pile" attached to a backing. The pile is generally either made from wool or a manmade fibre such as polypropylene, and usually consists of twisted tufts which are often heat-treated to maintain their structure.

The term "carpet" derives from Armenian "karpet" (կարպետ), "kar" meaning a "knot" or "stitch". Sometimes the term "carpet" is used interchangeably with the term "rug". The hand-knotted pile carpet probably originated in the Caucasus between the 3rd and 2nd millennium BC. Cilician Armenia which had intensive trade relations with Venice, brought carpets to all of Europe, where they were primarily hung on walls or used on tables. Only with the opening of trade routes in the 17th century were significant numbers of Persian rugs introduced to Western Europe. Historically the word was also used for table and wall coverings, as carpets were not commonly used on the floor in European interiors until the 18th century.

(by Wikipedia)

Brian Jungen, Vienna, 2003, white polypropylene plastic chairs, 125 x 850 x 130 cm. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.

 

A skeleton of a baleen whale made entirely out of cut up pieces of plastic lawn furniture. Very cool considering the environmental crisis we face over the indiscriminate dumping and rapid accumulation of plastics in the planet's oceans.

Folded from a 7.5" octagon

L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, a temporary artwork for Paris, was on view for 16 days from Saturday, September 18 to Sunday, October 3, 2021. The project was realized in partnership with the Centre des Monuments Nationaux and in coordination with the City of Paris. It also received the support of the Centre Pompidou. The Arc de Triomphe was wrapped in 25,000 square meters of recyclable polypropylene fabric in silvery blue, and with 3,000 meters of red rope.

 

In 1961, three years after they met in Paris, Christo and Jeanne-Claude began creating works of art in public spaces. One of their projects was to wrap a public building. When he arrived in Paris, Christo rented a small room near the Arc de Triomphe and had been attracted by the monument ever since. In 1962, he made a photomontage of the Arc de Triomphe wrapped, seen from the Avenue Foch and, in 1988, a collage. 60 years later, the project was finally concretized.

From one sheet. Just folded, no cuts or glue

more paper and origami sculpture here: www.polyscene.com

The Château Frontenac is a grand hotel in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, which is operated as Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1980. Prior to the building of the hotel, the site was occupied by the Chateau Haldimand, residence of the British colonial governors of Lower Canada and Quebec. The hotel is generally recognized as the most photographed hotel in the world, largely due to its prominence in the skyline of Quebec City

 

The Château Frontenac was designed by American architect Bruce Price, as one of a series of "château" style hotels built for the Canadian Pacific Railway company (aka CPR) during the late 19th and early 20th centuries; the newer portions of the hotel—including the central tower—were designed by William Sutherland Maxwell. CPR's policy was to promote luxury tourism by appealing to wealthy travelers. The Château Frontenac opened in 1893, six years after the Banff Springs Hotel, which was owned by the same company and similar in style. Another reason for the construction of the Chateau Frontenac was to accommodate tourists for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, however the hotel was not finished in time.

 

An early postcard of the hotel, circa 1910, before later expansions and the construction of the central tower

 

The Château Frontenac was named after Louis de Buade, Count of Frontenac, who was governor of the colony of New France from 1672 to 1682 and 1689 to 1698. The Château was built near the historic Citadelle, the construction of which Frontenac had begun at the end of the 17th century. The Quebec Conference of 1943, at which Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Mackenzie King discussed strategy for World War II, was held at the Château Frontenac while much of the staff stayed nearby at the Citadel.

 

Although several of Quebec City's buildings are taller, the landmark hotel is perched atop a tall cape overlooking the Saint Lawrence River, affording a spectacular view for several kilometers. The building is the most prominent feature of the Quebec City skyline as seen from across the St. Lawrence.

 

In 1944, Château became the action center of the Quebec Conferences of World War II.

 

In 1953, this hotel was used as the filming location for Alfred Hitchcock's film I Confess, featuring Montgomery Clift and Anne Baxter.

 

In 2001, the hotel was sold to Legacy REIT, which is partially owned by Fairmont, for $185 million. When Canadian Pacific Hotels was renamed Fairmont Hotels and Resorts in 2001, the hotel became Fairmont Le Château Frontenac.

 

In 2011, the hotel was sold to Ivanhoé Cambridge, and work began on replacement of the main tower's copper roof, at the cost of $7.5 million. An image of the roof was printed on polypropylene safety netting and hung from scaffolding to hide the refurbishing project from view.

 

On June 14, 1993, Canada Post issued 'Le Château Frontenac, Québec' designed by Kosta Tsetsekas, based on illustrations by Heather Price. The stamp features an image of Château Frontenac, which was designed architect Bruce Price in 1893. The 43¢ stamps are perforated 13.5 and were printed by Ashton-Potter Limited

 

Source: Wikipedia Freee Encyclopedia

 

Photo taken looking up the hill towards the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec.

Trying out some recent folds in box frames. Really enjoying trying to get exactly the right number of repeats and size to fit snuggly.

More sculptures by polyscene

A Sinclair C5 from 1985 - an early attempt at an electric vehicle - seen at Cockermouth show. Made of durable polypropylene and easy to store in a shed its quite possible there are more of these surving than some of the successful cars of the period. Originally, entering the market at under £400 and failing to sell in numbers, mint boxed versions were valued at up to £5000 a decade later.

I was the only visitor at the art gallery when she came out from her office and asked if I needed some information about the exhibition.

 

I was looking at Sara Bjarland's Venetian blinds hanging from the ceiling all the way down to the floor and I just had to laugh. It reminded me how frustrated one can get when something goes wrong with the blinds and one can never get them to work properly again.

 

Eveliina, 29y/o--working in art management--was a friendly hostess. She pointed out that the pieces of tyres on the floor were actually ceramics. It was amazing how real they looked !

 

"Ceramic casts of exploded tyres, collected from the roadside and now spread around the room, are like fossils from an age when the internal-combustion engine was the world’s pulse and life ran on wheels."

 

Way into our conversation, I suddenly asked Eveliina if she would like to participate in my photo project.

She wondered a bit, asking where it would be shown. I briefed her and she agreed. We made a few pictures inside and then I suggested we step outside for better light.

I am glad we did because the picture in front of the gallery is my favourite.

 

When we were done with the photo-shooting I asked if she would have a message to share and she said:

"It might sound a cliché, but I think people should care about each other."

I agree, it's an important message we must never forget.

 

"Eveliina, what advice would you give to your younger self?"

"I would give the same advice to the younger me as I would give to the current me: don't worry too much."

 

"What does life mean to you?"

"I think we are here now, and then, at some point, we are not, and that's okay."

 

"What inspires you in life? What do you love about yourself?"

"Art and people inspire me, and that's what I have a passion for. If there's one thing I'd say I love about myself is the fact that I am passionate towards the art around me and being there for the people around me."

 

"What do you like to do in your spare time / hobbies?"

"More art, meaning visiting galleries, museums, performances. When working in the art field, work and hobbies intertwine."

 

I gave Eveliina my Flickr name and she looked it up on her smartphone. She immediately found my albums of Strangers and started to browse through them.

 

"This is the first time I've been asked to participate in such a project," she said with a smile, and I was happy she liked the idea.

  

About the exhibition:

"In Crumple, fail, faint, fall, time is powerfully present; it has passed through the objects and all that remains is the unwanted, the rejected and the fragile. She uses familiar objects to construct an integrated whole that acts like a faded photograph from a not-too-distant era. Bjarland turns our gaze to look back at the landscape we have left behind. Venetian blinds hang from ceiling to floor like dead office plants. Ceramic casts of exploded tyres, collected from the roadside and now spread around the room, are like fossils from an age when the internal-combustion engine was the world’s pulse and life ran on wheels. And the infamous white, polypropylene-plastic Monobloc chairs from the 1980s are like bones from dreams that died out. Ultimately this is not about the objects or the material itself, but about human beings in change, about how they grow out of their clothes like a snake sheds its skin, about how the party fizzles out, and about how anxiety builds as they slowly, but surely recognize that they are stuck and cannot get out."

 

sinne.proartibus.fi/en/event/sara-bjarland-3/

  

This is my 831st submission to The Human Family group.

Visit the group here to see more portraits and stories: The Human Family

Shoulder Strap for easy carry, with strap or with out, check my website www.trevorhannant.com

CAMERA BEAN BAG.70% of weight filled with PLASTIC PELLETS for extra support,

Support my 500 lens no problems

made from a High quality poly/cotton fabric printed with a camouflage pattern. The bag is also fully lined in all compartments.

The bean bag comes with an attached Polypropylene Strap Webbing (25 mm wide, olive green colour) handle for easy carrying and has 3 separate compartments, with 20mm Velcro Tape and 10 mm Press Studs Snap Fasteners PRYM.

Each one is fully lined and filled with “Poly plastic pellets” and mixed with poly balls, total weight of bean bag is approx 900 grams, 700 grams of that is taken up with poly plastic pellets, the plastic pellets gives extra support and stability the rest is made up with poly balls and the material.

This bean bag is invaluable in bird hides, where it can be rested on the window ledges and avoid camera shake and also car windows, the weight of the bag is also ideal to carry around all-day. To have a bean bag just filled with poly balls is not heavy enough or stable, the plastic pellets in these bags gives that extra weight and support. It is lightweight, but stable on the surface.

This is really a great convenience for a photographer taking photos in the CAR, BIRD HIDE.

The quality of each bag is made to the highest standard and individually made in the UK.

 

HRH Prince Laurent of Belgium presented the European Paper Recycling Award and this Paper Sculpture Prize to the Paper Chain Forum

 

From one sheet of paper, scored and folded, no cuts or glue

Very rough sea today, so I spent most of my time over at Donmouth Nature reserve capturing the weather impacts from the “Beast From The East “ and the impacts its had on the coastline though popped down to the harbour before heading home, I only managed to capture some shots around Footdee and Aberdeen Beach coastline, only vessel that I could get access to at the harbour was Pacific Leader, I have captured her many times before though never on this berth .

 

Vessel PACIFIC LEADER (IMO: 9648362, MMSI: 564871000) is an offshore tug/supply ship built in 2014 and currently sailing under the flag of Singapore.

 

PACIFIC LEADER has 97m length overall and beam of 20m. Her gross tonnage is 5179 tons.

 

M/V Pacific Leader

 

Brake Horsepower 10,616 BHP

Clear Deck Space 912 m2

Deadweight 5,000 - 5,258 tonnes

Deck Cargo Capacity 2,500 tonnes

  

General Information

 

Built: JMU Japan, April 2014

Flag: Singapore

Call Sign: 9V7283

IMO No.: 9648362

Classification: DNV +1A1 Fire fighter(I) Offshore service vessel(Supply) SPS Clean

DYNPOS(AUTR) E0 SF

 

Dimensions

Length, overall: 97.29 metres

Length, BP: 86.552 metres

Breadth, moulded: 20.00 metres

Depth, main deck: 9.00 metres

Design draft: 6.40 metres @ 4500 DWT

Maximum draft midship: 6.80 metres @ 5263 DWT

GT: 5179 tonnes

NT: 1554 tonnes

Capacities

Deadweight (maximum): 5258 metric tonnes

Clear Deck Area: 912 m2 (57m x 16m)

Deck Strength: 10 t/m2 Aft of frame 30, 5 t/m2 Fwd of frame 30

Deck Cargo: 2500 tonnes

Ship Fuel: 494 m3

Cargo Fuel: 825 m3 @ 100%

Potable Water: 732 m3

Ballast Water: 1146 m3

Drill Water: 382 m3

Brine / DMA / Glycol / Liquid

Mud:

1799 m3, Sg 2.5 t/m3 flash point above 60°C.

NLS(Noxius Liquid Substances)

Drilling Brine: 1034 m3

Dry Bulk: 340.8 m3, Sg 2.6 t/m3 - 5 tanks

Ship's Stores: Freezer (-25°C.) - approximately 31 m3

Cold Room (+4°C.) - approximately 26 m3

Provisions store - approximately 52 m3 ~ 12°C

Machinery

Main Engines: 4 x 1,980 kW = 7,920 kW (10,616 BHP) @ 720 rpm, MAN Diesel & Turbo

6L27/38 TIER II compliant

Propulsion: 2 x 2,500 kW (2 x 3,351.21 BHP) Inovelis POD GE, Azimuth

Bow Thrusters: 3 x 965 kW (3 x 1,294 BHP) electric motor driven tunnel type, CPP, frequency

controlled

Emergency Generators: 1 x 365 kW @1800 rpm / 450V / 3ph / 60Hz (also harbour generator), TIER II

compliant

 

Deck Machinery

Tuggers: Rolls Royce Brattvaag 2 x 10 t @ 0 - 20 m/min, capacity 240 m of 20 mm dia.

wire each , electric drive

Capstans: Rolls Royce Brattvaag 2 x 10 t @ 0 - 15 m/min, vertical type warping head,

electric drive

Windlass: Rolls Royce Brattvaag 2 x combined mooring winch/anchor windlasses

Cable lifter, mooring drum and warping end electric drive

Duty on cable lifter nominal 11.9 t @ 0 - 12 m/min, max pull 17.8 t

Mooring drum, declutchable rope drum with band brake, dia. 530 mm, flange

dia. 1360 mm, drum length 600 mm, stowing capacity 270 m of 52mm dia

polypropylene 8 strand rope, duty on 1st layer 12 t @ 0 - 12 m/min, light line @

0 - 40 m/min

Fixed warping end on drum shaft, dia. 560 mm, length 500 mm, approximately

11 t pull

Bow Mooring: See windlass. Roller type chain stopper with lashing arrangement for dia. 50

mm K3 chain cable.

Smit Towing Bracket: 1 x 200 t

Crane Capacity: Heila 1 x 5t @ 15 metres radius, knuckle boom crane

 

Electronics

 

Main Radar: Furuno FAR-2837S-D ARPA Radar, S Band, 23.1"

Auxiliary Radar: Furuno FAR-2817-D ARPA Radar, X Band, 23.1"

Auto Pilot: Tokyo Keiki PR6344A-22

Gyro Compass: 3 x Tokyo Keiki TG-8000/8500 Type S

Magnetic Compass: Tokyo Keiki SH - 165 A1 Reflector Type

Echo Sounder: Furuno FE-700, dual frequency 50Hz and 200Hz

DGPS : Furuno GP-150

Anemometer : 2 x Gill WindObserver 2

Speed Log: Furuno Doppler Speed Log DS-80

Communications: Furuno MF-HF (SSB) Transceiver integrated with DSC/Watch Receiver.

Furuno Inmarsat-C (no.1) - Felcom 18 (Integrated with EGC)

Furuno Inmarsat-C (no.2) - Felcom 18

Watch System: Furuno BRR-500

Navtex Receiver: Furuno NX-700A

Weather Fax: Furuno FAX-410

Satellite Communication: FBB: Sailor 500

VSAT: Sailor 900

AIS: Furuno FA-150

Satellite Navigation: Furuno GP150

Voyage Data Recorder(VDR): Furuno VDR VR-3000

VHF: Furuno FM-8900S Semiduplex VHF

Electronic Chart Display: 1 set - Furuno FMD-3300

VRU: SMC IMU-007

BNWAS: Furuno BR-500

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).[8] The disease was first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, the capital of China's Hubei province, and has since spread globally, resulting in the ongoing 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic.[9][10] As of 26 April 2020, more than 2.89 million cases have been reported across 185 countries and territories, resulting in more than 203,000 deaths. More than 822,000 people have recovered.[7]

 

Common symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath and loss of smell.[5][11][12] While the majority of cases result in mild symptoms, some progress to viral pneumonia, multi-organ failure, or cytokine storm.[13][9][14] More concerning symptoms include difficulty breathing, persistent chest pain, confusion, difficulty waking, and bluish skin.[5] The time from exposure to onset of symptoms is typically around five days but may range from two to fourteen days.[5][15]

 

The virus is primarily spread between people during close contact,[a] often via small droplets produced by coughing,[b] sneezing, or talking.[6][16][18] The droplets usually fall to the ground or onto surfaces rather than remaining in the air over long distances.[6][19][20] People may also become infected by touching a contaminated surface and then touching their face.[6][16] In experimental settings, the virus may survive on surfaces for up to 72 hours.[21][22][23] It is most contagious during the first three days after the onset of symptoms, although spread may be possible before symptoms appear and in later stages of the disease.[24] The standard method of diagnosis is by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) from a nasopharyngeal swab.[25] Chest CT imaging may also be helpful for diagnosis in individuals where there is a high suspicion of infection based on symptoms and risk factors; however, guidelines do not recommend using it for routine screening.[26][27]

 

Recommended measures to prevent infection include frequent hand washing, maintaining physical distance from others (especially from those with symptoms), covering coughs, and keeping unwashed hands away from the face.[28][29] In addition, the use of a face covering is recommended for those who suspect they have the virus and their caregivers.[30][31] Recommendations for face covering use by the general public vary, with some authorities recommending against their use, some recommending their use, and others requiring their use.[32][31][33] Currently, there is not enough evidence for or against the use of masks (medical or other) in healthy individuals in the wider community.[6] Also masks purchased by the public may impact availability for health care providers.

 

Currently, there is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for COVID-19.[6] Management involves the treatment of symptoms, supportive care, isolation, and experimental measures.[34] The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)[35][36] on 30 January 2020 and a pandemic on 11 March 2020.[10] Local transmission of the disease has occurred in most countries across all six WHO regions.[37]

 

File:En.Wikipedia-VideoWiki-Coronavirus disease 2019.webm

Video summary (script)

 

Contents

1Signs and symptoms

2Cause

2.1Transmission

2.2Virology

3Pathophysiology

3.1Immunopathology

4Diagnosis

4.1Pathology

5Prevention

6Management

6.1Medications

6.2Protective equipment

6.3Mechanical ventilation

6.4Acute respiratory distress syndrome

6.5Experimental treatment

6.6Information technology

6.7Psychological support

7Prognosis

7.1Reinfection

8History

9Epidemiology

9.1Infection fatality rate

9.2Sex differences

10Society and culture

10.1Name

10.2Misinformation

10.3Protests

11Other animals

12Research

12.1Vaccine

12.2Medications

12.3Anti-cytokine storm

12.4Passive antibodies

13See also

14Notes

15References

16External links

16.1Health agencies

16.2Directories

16.3Medical journals

Signs and symptoms

Symptom[4]Range

Fever83–99%

Cough59–82%

Loss of Appetite40–84%

Fatigue44–70%

Shortness of breath31–40%

Coughing up sputum28–33%

Loss of smell15[38] to 30%[12][39]

Muscle aches and pains11–35%

Fever is the most common symptom, although some older people and those with other health problems experience fever later in the disease.[4][40] In one study, 44% of people had fever when they presented to the hospital, while 89% went on to develop fever at some point during their hospitalization.[4][41]

 

Other common symptoms include cough, loss of appetite, fatigue, shortness of breath, sputum production, and muscle and joint pains.[4][5][42][43] Symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea have been observed in varying percentages.[44][45][46] Less common symptoms include sneezing, runny nose, or sore throat.[47]

 

More serious symptoms include difficulty breathing, persistent chest pain or pressure, confusion, difficulty waking, and bluish face or lips. Immediate medical attention is advised if these symptoms are present.[5][48]

 

In some, the disease may progress to pneumonia, multi-organ failure, and death.[9][14] In those who develop severe symptoms, time from symptom onset to needing mechanical ventilation is typically eight days.[4] Some cases in China initially presented with only chest tightness and palpitations.[49]

 

Loss of smell was identified as a common symptom of COVID‑19 in March 2020,[12][39] although perhaps not as common as initially reported.[38] A decreased sense of smell and/or disturbances in taste have also been reported.[50] Estimates for loss of smell range from 15%[38] to 30%.[12][39]

 

As is common with infections, there is a delay between the moment a person is first infected and the time he or she develops symptoms. This is called the incubation period. The incubation period for COVID‑19 is typically five to six days but may range from two to 14 days,[51][52] although 97.5% of people who develop symptoms will do so within 11.5 days of infection.[53]

 

A minority of cases do not develop noticeable symptoms at any point in time.[54][55] These asymptomatic carriers tend not to get tested, and their role in transmission is not yet fully known.[56][57] However, preliminary evidence suggests they may contribute to the spread of the disease.[58][59] In March 2020, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) reported that 20% of confirmed cases remained asymptomatic during their hospital stay.[59][60]

 

A number of neurological symptoms has been reported including seizures, stroke, encephalitis and Guillain-Barre syndrome.[61] Cardiovascular related complications may include heart failure, irregular electrical activity, blood clots, and heart inflammation.[62]

 

Cause

See also: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2

Transmission

Cough/sneeze droplets visualised in dark background using Tyndall scattering

Respiratory droplets produced when a man is sneezing visualised using Tyndall scattering

File:COVID19 in numbers- R0, the case fatality rate and why we need to flatten the curve.webm

A video discussing the basic reproduction number and case fatality rate in the context of the pandemic

Some details about how the disease is spread are still being determined.[16][18] The WHO and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say it is primarily spread during close contact and by small droplets produced when people cough, sneeze or talk;[6][16] with close contact being within approximately 1–2 m (3–7 ft).[6][63] Both sputum and saliva can carry large viral loads.[64] Loud talking releases more droplets than normal talking.[65] A study in Singapore found that an uncovered cough can lead to droplets travelling up to 4.5 metres (15 feet).[66] An article published in March 2020 argued that advice on droplet distance might be based on 1930s research which ignored the effects of warm moist exhaled air surrounding the droplets and that an uncovered cough or sneeze can travel up to 8.2 metres (27 feet).[17]

  

Respiratory droplets may also be produced while breathing out, including when talking. Though the virus is not generally airborne,[6][67] the National Academy of Sciences has suggested that bioaerosol transmission may be possible.[68] In one study cited, air collectors positioned in the hallway outside of people's rooms yielded samples positive for viral RNA but finding infectious virus has proven elusive.[68] The droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.[16] Some medical procedures such as intubation and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) may cause respiratory secretions to be aerosolised and thus result in an airborne spread.[67] Initial studies suggested a doubling time of the number of infected persons of 6–7 days and a basic reproduction number (R0 ) of 2.2–2.7, but a study published on April 7, 2020, calculated a much higher median R0 value of 5.7 in Wuhan.[69]

 

It may also spread when one touches a contaminated surface, known as fomite transmission, and then touches one's eyes, nose or mouth.[6] While there are concerns it may spread via faeces, this risk is believed to be low.[6][16]

 

The virus is most contagious when people are symptomatic; though spread is may be possible before symptoms emerge and from those who never develop symptoms.[6][70] A portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms.[71] The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) says while it is not entirely clear how easily the disease spreads, one person generally infects two or three others.[18]

 

The virus survives for hours to days on surfaces.[6][18] Specifically, the virus was found to be detectable for one day on cardboard, for up to three days on plastic (polypropylene) and stainless steel (AISI 304), and for up to four hours on 99% copper.[21][23] This, however, varies depending on the humidity and temperature.[72][73] Surfaces may be decontaminated with many solutions (with one minute of exposure to the product achieving a 4 or more log reduction (99.99% reduction)), including 78–95% ethanol (alcohol used in spirits), 70–100% 2-propanol (isopropyl alcohol), the combination of 45% 2-propanol with 30% 1-propanol, 0.21% sodium hypochlorite (bleach), 0.5% hydrogen peroxide, or 0.23–7.5% povidone-iodine. Soap and detergent are also effective if correctly used; soap products degrade the virus' fatty protective layer, deactivating it, as well as freeing them from the skin and other surfaces.[74] Other solutions, such as benzalkonium chloride and chlorhexidine gluconate (a surgical disinfectant), are less effective.[75]

 

In a Hong Kong study, saliva samples were taken a median of two days after the start of hospitalization. In five of six patients, the first sample showed the highest viral load, and the sixth patient showed the highest viral load on the second day tested.[64]

 

Virology

Main article: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2

 

Illustration of SARSr-CoV virion

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, first isolated from three people with pneumonia connected to the cluster of acute respiratory illness cases in Wuhan.[76] All features of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus occur in related coronaviruses in nature.[77] Outside the human body, the virus is killed by household soap, which bursts its protective bubble.[26]

 

SARS-CoV-2 is closely related to the original SARS-CoV.[78] It is thought to have a zoonotic origin. Genetic analysis has revealed that the coronavirus genetically clusters with the genus Betacoronavirus, in subgenus Sarbecovirus (lineage B) together with two bat-derived strains. It is 96% identical at the whole genome level to other bat coronavirus samples (BatCov RaTG13).[47] In February 2020, Chinese researchers found that there is only one amino acid difference in the binding domain of the S protein between the coronaviruses from pangolins and those from humans; however, whole-genome comparison to date found that at most 92% of genetic material was shared between pangolin coronavirus and SARS-CoV-2, which is insufficient to prove pangolins to be the intermediate host.[79]

 

Pathophysiology

The lungs are the organs most affected by COVID‑19 because the virus accesses host cells via the enzyme angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which is most abundant in type II alveolar cells of the lungs. The virus uses a special surface glycoprotein called a "spike" (peplomer) to connect to ACE2 and enter the host cell.[80] The density of ACE2 in each tissue correlates with the severity of the disease in that tissue and some have suggested that decreasing ACE2 activity might be protective,[81][82] though another view is that increasing ACE2 using angiotensin II receptor blocker medications could be protective and these hypotheses need to be tested.[83] As the alveolar disease progresses, respiratory failure might develop and death may follow.[82]

 

The virus also affects gastrointestinal organs as ACE2 is abundantly expressed in the glandular cells of gastric, duodenal and rectal epithelium[84] as well as endothelial cells and enterocytes of the small intestine.[85]

 

ACE2 is present in the brain, and there is growing evidence of neurological manifestations in people with COVID‑19. It is not certain if the virus can directly infect the brain by crossing the barriers that separate the circulation of the brain and the general circulation. Other coronaviruses are able to infect the brain via a synaptic route to the respiratory centre in the medulla, through mechanoreceptors like pulmonary stretch receptors and chemoreceptors (primarily central chemoreceptors) within the lungs.[medical citation needed] It is possible that dysfunction within the respiratory centre further worsens the ARDS seen in COVID‑19 patients. Common neurological presentations include a loss of smell, headaches, nausea, and vomiting. Encephalopathy has been noted to occur in some patients (and confirmed with imaging), with some reports of detection of the virus after cerebrospinal fluid assays although the presence of oligoclonal bands seems to be a common denominator in these patients.[86]

 

The virus can cause acute myocardial injury and chronic damage to the cardiovascular system.[87] An acute cardiac injury was found in 12% of infected people admitted to the hospital in Wuhan, China,[88] and is more frequent in severe disease.[89] Rates of cardiovascular symptoms are high, owing to the systemic inflammatory response and immune system disorders during disease progression, but acute myocardial injuries may also be related to ACE2 receptors in the heart.[87] ACE2 receptors are highly expressed in the heart and are involved in heart function.[87][90] A high incidence of thrombosis (31%) and venous thromboembolism (25%) have been found in ICU patients with COVID‑19 infections and may be related to poor prognosis.[91][92] Blood vessel dysfunction and clot formation (as suggested by high D-dimer levels) are thought to play a significant role in mortality, incidences of clots leading to pulmonary embolisms, and ischaemic events within the brain have been noted as complications leading to death in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. Infection appears to set off a chain of vasoconstrictive responses within the body, constriction of blood vessels within the pulmonary circulation has also been posited as a mechanism in which oxygenation decreases alongside with the presentation of viral pneumonia.[93]

 

Another common cause of death is complications related to the kidneys[93]—SARS-CoV-2 directly infects kidney cells, as confirmed in post-mortem studies. Acute kidney injury is a common complication and cause of death; this is more significant in patients with already compromised kidney function, especially in people with pre-existing chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes which specifically cause nephropathy in the long run.[94]

 

Autopsies of people who died of COVID‑19 have found diffuse alveolar damage (DAD), and lymphocyte-containing inflammatory infiltrates within the lung.[95]

 

Immunopathology

Although SARS-COV-2 has a tropism for ACE2-expressing epithelial cells of the respiratory tract, patients with severe COVID‑19 have symptoms of systemic hyperinflammation. Clinical laboratory findings of elevated IL-2, IL-7, IL-6, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interferon-γ inducible protein 10 (IP-10), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), macrophage inflammatory protein 1-α (MIP-1α), and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) indicative of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) suggest an underlying immunopathology.[96]

 

Additionally, people with COVID‑19 and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have classical serum biomarkers of CRS, including elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), D-dimer, and ferritin.[97]

 

Systemic inflammation results in vasodilation, allowing inflammatory lymphocytic and monocytic infiltration of the lung and the heart. In particular, pathogenic GM-CSF-secreting T-cells were shown to correlate with the recruitment of inflammatory IL-6-secreting monocytes and severe lung pathology in COVID‑19 patients.[98] Lymphocytic infiltrates have also been reported at autopsy.[95]

 

Diagnosis

Main article: COVID-19 testing

 

Demonstration of a nasopharyngeal swab for COVID-19 testing

 

CDC rRT-PCR test kit for COVID-19[99]

The WHO has published several testing protocols for the disease.[100] The standard method of testing is real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR).[101] The test is typically done on respiratory samples obtained by a nasopharyngeal swab; however, a nasal swab or sputum sample may also be used.[25][102] Results are generally available within a few hours to two days.[103][104] Blood tests can be used, but these require two blood samples taken two weeks apart, and the results have little immediate value.[105] Chinese scientists were able to isolate a strain of the coronavirus and publish the genetic sequence so laboratories across the world could independently develop polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests to detect infection by the virus.[9][106][107] As of 4 April 2020, antibody tests (which may detect active infections and whether a person had been infected in the past) were in development, but not yet widely used.[108][109][110] The Chinese experience with testing has shown the accuracy is only 60 to 70%.[111] The FDA in the United States approved the first point-of-care test on 21 March 2020 for use at the end of that month.[112]

 

Diagnostic guidelines released by Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University suggested methods for detecting infections based upon clinical features and epidemiological risk. These involved identifying people who had at least two of the following symptoms in addition to a history of travel to Wuhan or contact with other infected people: fever, imaging features of pneumonia, normal or reduced white blood cell count, or reduced lymphocyte count.[113]

 

A study asked hospitalised COVID‑19 patients to cough into a sterile container, thus producing a saliva sample, and detected the virus in eleven of twelve patients using RT-PCR. This technique has the potential of being quicker than a swab and involving less risk to health care workers (collection at home or in the car).[64]

 

Along with laboratory testing, chest CT scans may be helpful to diagnose COVID-19 in individuals with a high clinical suspicion of infection but are not recommended for routine screening.[26][27] Bilateral multilobar ground-glass opacities with a peripheral, asymmetric, and posterior distribution are common in early infection.[26] Subpleural dominance, crazy paving (lobular septal thickening with variable alveolar filling), and consolidation may appear as the disease progresses.[26][114]

 

In late 2019, WHO assigned the emergency ICD-10 disease codes U07.1 for deaths from lab-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and U07.2 for deaths from clinically or epidemiologically diagnosed COVID‑19 without lab-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection.[115]

  

Typical CT imaging findings

 

CT imaging of rapid progression stage

Pathology

Few data are available about microscopic lesions and the pathophysiology of COVID‑19.[116][117] The main pathological findings at autopsy are:

 

Macroscopy: pleurisy, pericarditis, lung consolidation and pulmonary oedema

Four types of severity of viral pneumonia can be observed:

minor pneumonia: minor serous exudation, minor fibrin exudation

mild pneumonia: pulmonary oedema, pneumocyte hyperplasia, large atypical pneumocytes, interstitial inflammation with lymphocytic infiltration and multinucleated giant cell formation

severe pneumonia: diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) with diffuse alveolar exudates. DAD is the cause of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and severe hypoxemia.

healing pneumonia: organisation of exudates in alveolar cavities and pulmonary interstitial fibrosis

plasmocytosis in BAL[118]

Blood: disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC);[119] leukoerythroblastic reaction[120]

Liver: microvesicular steatosis

Prevention

See also: 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic § Prevention, flatten the curve, and workplace hazard controls for COVID-19

 

Progressively stronger mitigation efforts to reduce the number of active cases at any given time—known as "flattening the curve"—allows healthcare services to better manage the same volume of patients.[121][122][123] Likewise, progressively greater increases in healthcare capacity—called raising the line—such as by increasing bed count, personnel, and equipment, helps to meet increased demand.[124]

 

Mitigation attempts that are inadequate in strictness or duration—such as premature relaxation of distancing rules or stay-at-home orders—can allow a resurgence after the initial surge and mitigation.[122][125]

Preventive measures to reduce the chances of infection include staying at home, avoiding crowded places, keeping distance from others, washing hands with soap and water often and for at least 20 seconds, practising good respiratory hygiene, and avoiding touching the eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.[126][127][128] The CDC recommends covering the mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing and recommends using the inside of the elbow if no tissue is available.[126] Proper hand hygiene after any cough or sneeze is encouraged.[126] The CDC has recommended the use of cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, in part to limit transmission by asymptomatic individuals.[129] The U.S. National Institutes of Health guidelines do not recommend any medication for prevention of COVID‑19, before or after exposure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, outside of the setting of a clinical trial.[130]

 

Social distancing strategies aim to reduce contact of infected persons with large groups by closing schools and workplaces, restricting travel, and cancelling large public gatherings.[131] Distancing guidelines also include that people stay at least 6 feet (1.8 m) apart.[132] There is no medication known to be effective at preventing COVID‑19.[133] After the implementation of social distancing and stay-at-home orders, many regions have been able to sustain an effective transmission rate ("Rt") of less than one, meaning the disease is in remission in those areas.[134]

 

As a vaccine is not expected until 2021 at the earliest,[135] a key part of managing COVID‑19 is trying to decrease the epidemic peak, known as "flattening the curve".[122] This is done by slowing the infection rate to decrease the risk of health services being overwhelmed, allowing for better treatment of current cases, and delaying additional cases until effective treatments or a vaccine become available.[122][125]

 

According to the WHO, the use of masks is recommended only if a person is coughing or sneezing or when one is taking care of someone with a suspected infection.[136] For the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) face masks "... could be considered especially when visiting busy closed spaces ..." but "... only as a complementary measure ..."[137] Several countries have recommended that healthy individuals wear face masks or cloth face coverings (like scarves or bandanas) at least in certain public settings, including China,[138] Hong Kong,[139] Spain,[140] Italy (Lombardy region),[141] and the United States.[129]

 

Those diagnosed with COVID‑19 or who believe they may be infected are advised by the CDC to stay home except to get medical care, call ahead before visiting a healthcare provider, wear a face mask before entering the healthcare provider's office and when in any room or vehicle with another person, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, regularly wash hands with soap and water and avoid sharing personal household items.[30][142] The CDC also recommends that individuals wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the toilet or when hands are visibly dirty, before eating and after blowing one's nose, coughing or sneezing. It further recommends using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol, but only when soap and water are not readily available.[126]

 

For areas where commercial hand sanitisers are not readily available, the WHO provides two formulations for local production. In these formulations, the antimicrobial activity arises from ethanol or isopropanol. Hydrogen peroxide is used to help eliminate bacterial spores in the alcohol; it is "not an active substance for hand antisepsis". Glycerol is added as a humectant.[143]

  

Prevention efforts are multiplicative, with effects far beyond that of a single spread. Each avoided case leads to more avoided cases down the line, which in turn can stop the outbreak in its tracks.

 

File:COVID19 W ENG.ogv

Handwashing instructions

Management

People are managed with supportive care, which may include fluid therapy, oxygen support, and supporting other affected vital organs.[144][145][146] The CDC recommends that those who suspect they carry the virus wear a simple face mask.[30] Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been used to address the issue of respiratory failure, but its benefits are still under consideration.[41][147] Personal hygiene and a healthy lifestyle and diet have been recommended to improve immunity.[148] Supportive treatments may be useful in those with mild symptoms at the early stage of infection.[149]

 

The WHO, the Chinese National Health Commission, and the United States' National Institutes of Health have published recommendations for taking care of people who are hospitalised with COVID‑19.[130][150][151] Intensivists and pulmonologists in the U.S. have compiled treatment recommendations from various agencies into a free resource, the IBCC.[152][153]

 

Medications

See also: Coronavirus disease 2019 § Research

As of April 2020, there is no specific treatment for COVID‑19.[6][133] Research is, however, ongoing. For symptoms, some medical professionals recommend paracetamol (acetaminophen) over ibuprofen for first-line use.[154][155][156] The WHO and NIH do not oppose the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen for symptoms,[130][157] and the FDA says currently there is no evidence that NSAIDs worsen COVID‑19 symptoms.[158]

 

While theoretical concerns have been raised about ACE inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers, as of 19 March 2020, these are not sufficient to justify stopping these medications.[130][159][160][161] Steroids, such as methylprednisolone, are not recommended unless the disease is complicated by acute respiratory distress syndrome.[162][163]

 

Medications to prevent blood clotting have been suggested for treatment,[91] and anticoagulant therapy with low molecular weight heparin appears to be associated with better outcomes in severe COVID‐19 showing signs of coagulopathy (elevated D-dimer).[164]

 

Protective equipment

See also: COVID-19 related shortages

 

The CDC recommends four steps to putting on personal protective equipment (PPE).[165]

Precautions must be taken to minimise the risk of virus transmission, especially in healthcare settings when performing procedures that can generate aerosols, such as intubation or hand ventilation.[166] For healthcare professionals caring for people with COVID‑19, the CDC recommends placing the person in an Airborne Infection Isolation Room (AIIR) in addition to using standard precautions, contact precautions, and airborne precautions.[167]

 

The CDC outlines the guidelines for the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic. The recommended gear is a PPE gown, respirator or facemask, eye protection, and medical gloves.[168][169]

 

When available, respirators (instead of facemasks) are preferred.[170] N95 respirators are approved for industrial settings but the FDA has authorised the masks for use under an Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA). They are designed to protect from airborne particles like dust but effectiveness against a specific biological agent is not guaranteed for off-label uses.[171] When masks are not available, the CDC recommends using face shields or, as a last resort, homemade masks.[172]

 

Mechanical ventilation

Most cases of COVID‑19 are not severe enough to require mechanical ventilation or alternatives, but a percentage of cases are.[173][174] The type of respiratory support for individuals with COVID‑19 related respiratory failure is being actively studied for people in the hospital, with some evidence that intubation can be avoided with a high flow nasal cannula or bi-level positive airway pressure.[175] Whether either of these two leads to the same benefit for people who are critically ill is not known.[176] Some doctors prefer staying with invasive mechanical ventilation when available because this technique limits the spread of aerosol particles compared to a high flow nasal cannula.[173]

 

Severe cases are most common in older adults (those older than 60 years,[173] and especially those older than 80 years).[177] Many developed countries do not have enough hospital beds per capita, which limits a health system's capacity to handle a sudden spike in the number of COVID‑19 cases severe enough to require hospitalisation.[178] This limited capacity is a significant driver behind calls to flatten the curve.[178] One study in China found 5% were admitted to intensive care units, 2.3% needed mechanical support of ventilation, and 1.4% died.[41] In China, approximately 30% of people in hospital with COVID‑19 are eventually admitted to ICU.[4]

 

Acute respiratory distress syndrome

Main article: Acute respiratory distress syndrome

Mechanical ventilation becomes more complex as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) develops in COVID‑19 and oxygenation becomes increasingly difficult.[179] Ventilators capable of pressure control modes and high PEEP[180] are needed to maximise oxygen delivery while minimising the risk of ventilator-associated lung injury and pneumothorax.[181] High PEEP may not be available on older ventilators.

 

Options for ARDS[179]

TherapyRecommendations

High-flow nasal oxygenFor SpO2 <93%. May prevent the need for intubation and ventilation

Tidal volume6mL per kg and can be reduced to 4mL/kg

Plateau airway pressureKeep below 30 cmH2O if possible (high respiratory rate (35 per minute) may be required)

Positive end-expiratory pressureModerate to high levels

Prone positioningFor worsening oxygenation

Fluid managementGoal is a negative balance of 0.5–1.0L per day

AntibioticsFor secondary bacterial infections

GlucocorticoidsNot recommended

Experimental treatment

See also: § Research

Research into potential treatments started in January 2020,[182] and several antiviral drugs are in clinical trials.[183][184] Remdesivir appears to be the most promising.[133] Although new medications may take until 2021 to develop,[185] several of the medications being tested are already approved for other uses or are already in advanced testing.[186] Antiviral medication may be tried in people with severe disease.[144] The WHO recommended volunteers take part in trials of the effectiveness and safety of potential treatments.[187]

 

The FDA has granted temporary authorisation to convalescent plasma as an experimental treatment in cases where the person's life is seriously or immediately threatened. It has not undergone the clinical studies needed to show it is safe and effective for the disease.[188][189][190]

 

Information technology

See also: Contact tracing and Government by algorithm

In February 2020, China launched a mobile app to deal with the disease outbreak.[191] Users are asked to enter their name and ID number. The app can detect 'close contact' using surveillance data and therefore a potential risk of infection. Every user can also check the status of three other users. If a potential risk is detected, the app not only recommends self-quarantine, it also alerts local health officials.[192]

 

Big data analytics on cellphone data, facial recognition technology, mobile phone tracking, and artificial intelligence are used to track infected people and people whom they contacted in South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore.[193][194] In March 2020, the Israeli government enabled security agencies to track mobile phone data of people supposed to have coronavirus. The measure was taken to enforce quarantine and protect those who may come into contact with infected citizens.[195] Also in March 2020, Deutsche Telekom shared aggregated phone location data with the German federal government agency, Robert Koch Institute, to research and prevent the spread of the virus.[196] Russia deployed facial recognition technology to detect quarantine breakers.[197] Italian regional health commissioner Giulio Gallera said he has been informed by mobile phone operators that "40% of people are continuing to move around anyway".[198] German government conducted a 48 hours weekend hackathon with more than 42.000 participants.[199][200] Two million people in the UK used an app developed in March 2020 by King's College London and Zoe to track people with COVID‑19 symptoms.[201] Also, the president of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid, made a global call for creative solutions against the spread of coronavirus.[202]

 

Psychological support

See also: Mental health during the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic

Individuals may experience distress from quarantine, travel restrictions, side effects of treatment, or fear of the infection itself. To address these concerns, the National Health Commission of China published a national guideline for psychological crisis intervention on 27 January 2020.[203][204]

 

The Lancet published a 14-page call for action focusing on the UK and stated conditions were such that a range of mental health issues was likely to become more common. BBC quoted Rory O'Connor in saying, "Increased social isolation, loneliness, health anxiety, stress and an economic downturn are a perfect storm to harm people's mental health and wellbeing."[205][206]

 

Prognosis

Question book-new.svg

This article relies too much on references to primary sources. Please improve this by adding secondary or tertiary sources. (March 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

The severity of diagnosed cases in China

The severity of diagnosed COVID-19 cases in China[207]

Case fatality rates for COVID-19 by age by country.

Case fatality rates by age group:

China, as of 11 February 2020[208]

South Korea, as of 15 April 2020[209]

Spain, as of 24 April 2020[210]

Italy, as of 23 April 2020[211]

Case fatality rate depending on other health problems

Case fatality rate in China depending on other health problems. Data through 11 February 2020.[208]

Case fatality rate by country and number of cases

The number of deaths vs total cases by country and approximate case fatality rate[212]

The severity of COVID‑19 varies. The disease may take a mild course with few or no symptoms, resembling other common upper respiratory diseases such as the common cold. Mild cases typically recover within two weeks, while those with severe or critical diseases may take three to six weeks to recover. Among those who have died, the time from symptom onset to death has ranged from two to eight weeks.[47]

 

Children make up a small proportion of reported cases, with about 1% of cases being under 10 years, and 4% aged 10-19 years.[22] They are likely to have milder symptoms and a lower chance of severe disease than adults; in those younger than 50 years, the risk of death is less than 0.5%, while in those older than 70 it is more than 8%.[213][214][215] Pregnant women may be at higher risk for severe infection with COVID-19 based on data from other similar viruses, like SARS and MERS, but data for COVID-19 is lacking.[216][217] In China, children acquired infections mainly through close contact with their parents or other family members who lived in Wuhan or had traveled there.[213]

 

In some people, COVID‑19 may affect the lungs causing pneumonia. In those most severely affected, COVID-19 may rapidly progress to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) causing respiratory failure, septic shock, or multi-organ failure.[218][219] Complications associated with COVID‑19 include sepsis, abnormal clotting, and damage to the heart, kidneys, and liver. Clotting abnormalities, specifically an increase in prothrombin time, have been described in 6% of those admitted to hospital with COVID-19, while abnormal kidney function is seen in 4% of this group.[220] Approximately 20-30% of people who present with COVID‑19 demonstrate elevated liver enzymes (transaminases).[133] Liver injury as shown by blood markers of liver damage is frequently seen in severe cases.[221]

 

Some studies have found that the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) may be helpful in early screening for severe illness.[222]

 

Most of those who die of COVID‑19 have pre-existing (underlying) conditions, including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease.[223] The Istituto Superiore di Sanità reported that out of 8.8% of deaths where medical charts were available for review, 97.2% of sampled patients had at least one comorbidity with the average patient having 2.7 diseases.[224] According to the same report, the median time between the onset of symptoms and death was ten days, with five being spent hospitalised. However, patients transferred to an ICU had a median time of seven days between hospitalisation and death.[224] In a study of early cases, the median time from exhibiting initial symptoms to death was 14 days, with a full range of six to 41 days.[225] In a study by the National Health Commission (NHC) of China, men had a death rate of 2.8% while women had a death rate of 1.7%.[226] Histopathological examinations of post-mortem lung samples show diffuse alveolar damage with cellular fibromyxoid exudates in both lungs. Viral cytopathic changes were observed in the pneumocytes. The lung picture resembled acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).[47] In 11.8% of the deaths reported by the National Health Commission of China, heart damage was noted by elevated levels of troponin or cardiac arrest.[49] According to March data from the United States, 89% of those hospitalised had preexisting conditions.[227]

 

The availability of medical resources and the socioeconomics of a region may also affect mortality.[228] Estimates of the mortality from the condition vary because of those regional differences,[229] but also because of methodological difficulties. The under-counting of mild cases can cause the mortality rate to be overestimated.[230] However, the fact that deaths are the result of cases contracted in the past can mean the current mortality rate is underestimated.[231][232] Smokers were 1.4 times more likely to have severe symptoms of COVID‑19 and approximately 2.4 times more likely to require intensive care or die compared to non-smokers.[233]

 

Concerns have been raised about long-term sequelae of the disease. The Hong Kong Hospital Authority found a drop of 20% to 30% in lung capacity in some people who recovered from the disease, and lung scans suggested organ damage.[234] This may also lead to post-intensive care syndrome following recovery.[235]

 

Case fatality rates (%) by age and country

Age0–910–1920–2930–3940–4950–5960–6970–7980-8990+

China as of 11 February[208]0.00.20.20.20.41.33.68.014.8

Denmark as of 25 April[236]0.24.515.524.940.7

Italy as of 23 April[211]0.20.00.10.40.92.610.024.930.826.1

Netherlands as of 17 April[237]0.00.30.10.20.51.57.623.230.029.3

Portugal as of 24 April[238]0.00.00.00.00.30.62.88.516.5

S. Korea as of 15 April[209]0.00.00.00.10.20.72.59.722.2

Spain as of 24 April[210]0.30.40.30.30.61.34.413.220.320.1

Switzerland as of 25 April[239]0.90.00.00.10.00.52.710.124.0

Case fatality rates (%) by age in the United States

Age0–1920–4445–5455–6465–7475–8485+

United States as of 16 March[240]0.00.1–0.20.5–0.81.4–2.62.7–4.94.3–10.510.4–27.3

Note: The lower bound includes all cases. The upper bound excludes cases that were missing data.

Estimate of infection fatality rates and probability of severe disease course (%) by age based on cases from China[241]

0–910–1920–2930–3940–4950–5960–6970–7980+

Severe disease0.0

(0.0–0.0)0.04

(0.02–0.08)1.0

(0.62–2.1)3.4

(2.0–7.0)4.3

(2.5–8.7)8.2

(4.9–17)11

(7.0–24)17

(9.9–34)18

(11–38)

Death0.0016

(0.00016–0.025)0.0070

(0.0015–0.050)0.031

(0.014–0.092)0.084

(0.041–0.19)0.16

(0.076–0.32)0.60

(0.34–1.3)1.9

(1.1–3.9)4.3

(2.5–8.4)7.8

(3.8–13)

Total infection fatality rate is estimated to be 0.66% (0.39–1.3). Infection fatality rate is fatality per all infected individuals, regardless of whether they were diagnosed or had any symptoms. Numbers in parentheses are 95% credible intervals for the estimates.

Reinfection

As of March 2020, it was unknown if past infection provides effective and long-term immunity in people who recover from the disease.[242] Immunity is seen as likely, based on the behaviour of other coronaviruses,[243] but cases in which recovery from COVID‑19 have been followed by positive tests for coronavirus at a later date have been reported.[244][245][246][247] These cases are believed to be worsening of a lingering infection rather than re-infection.[247]

 

History

Main article: Timeline of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic

The virus is thought to be natural and has an animal origin,[77] through spillover infection.[248] The actual origin is unknown, but by December 2019 the spread of infection was almost entirely driven by human-to-human transmission.[208][249] A study of the first 41 cases of confirmed COVID‑19, published in January 2020 in The Lancet, revealed the earliest date of onset of symptoms as 1 December 2019.[250][251][252] Official publications from the WHO reported the earliest onset of symptoms as 8 December 2019.[253] Human-to-human transmission was confirmed by the WHO and Chinese authorities by 20 January 2020.[254][255]

 

Epidemiology

Main article: 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic

Several measures are commonly used to quantify mortality.[256] These numbers vary by region and over time and are influenced by the volume of testing, healthcare system quality, treatment options, time since the initial outbreak, and population characteristics such as age, sex, and overall health.[257]

 

The death-to-case ratio reflects the number of deaths divided by the number of diagnosed cases within a given time interval. Based on Johns Hopkins University statistics, the global death-to-case ratio is 7.0% (203,044/2,899,830) as of 26 April 2020.[7] The number varies by region.[258]

 

Other measures include the case fatality rate (CFR), which reflects the percent of diagnosed individuals who die from a disease, and the infection fatality rate (IFR), which reflects the percent of infected individuals (diagnosed and undiagnosed) who die from a disease. These statistics are not time-bound and follow a specific population from infection through case resolution. Many academics have attempted to calculate these numbers for specific populations.[259]

  

Total confirmed cases over time

 

Total deaths over time

 

Total confirmed cases of COVID‑19 per million people, 10 April 2020[260]

 

Total confirmed deaths due to COVID‑19 per million people, 10 April 2020[261]

Infection fatality rate

Our World in Data states that as of March 25, 2020, the infection fatality rate (IFR) cannot be accurately calculated.[262] In February, the World Health Organization estimated the IFR at 0.94%, with a confidence interval between 0.37 percent to 2.9 percent.[263] The University of Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM) estimated a global CFR of 0.72 percent and IFR of 0.1 percent to 0.36 percent.[264] According to CEBM, random antibody testing in Germany suggested an IFR of 0.37 percent there.[264] Firm lower limits to local infection fatality rates were established, such as in Bergamo province, where 0.57% of the population has died, leading to a minimum IFR of 0.57% in the province. This population fatality rate (PFR) minimum increases as more people get infected and run through their disease.[265][266] Similarly, as of April 22 in the New York City area, there were 15,411 deaths confirmed from COVID-19, and 19,200 excess deaths.[267] Very recently, the first results of antibody testing have come in, but there are no valid scientific reports based on them available yet. A Bloomberg Opinion piece provides a survey.[268][269]

 

Sex differences

Main article: Gendered impact of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic

The impact of the pandemic and its mortality rate are different for men and women.[270] Mortality is higher in men in studies conducted in China and Italy.[271][272][273] The highest risk for men is in their 50s, with the gap between men and women closing only at 90.[273] In China, the death rate was 2.8 percent for men and 1.7 percent for women.[273] The exact reasons for this sex-difference are not known, but genetic and behavioural factors could be a reason.[270] Sex-based immunological differences, a lower prevalence of smoking in women, and men developing co-morbid conditions such as hypertension at a younger age than women could have contributed to the higher mortality in men.[273] In Europe, of those infected with COVID‑19, 57% were men; of those infected with COVID‑19 who also died, 72% were men.[274] As of April 2020, the U.S. government is not tracking sex-related data of COVID‑19 infections.[275] Research has shown that viral illnesses like Ebola, HIV, influenza, and SARS affect men and women differently.[275] A higher percentage of health workers, particularly nurses, are women, and they have a higher chance of being exposed to the virus.[276] School closures, lockdowns, and reduced access to healthcare following the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic may differentially affect the genders and possibly exaggerate existing gender disparity.[270][277]

 

Society and culture

Name

During the initial outbreak in Wuhan, China, the virus and disease were commonly referred to as "coronavirus" and "Wuhan coronavirus",[278][279][280] with the disease sometimes called "Wuhan pneumonia".[281][282] In the past, many diseases have been named after geographical locations, such as the Spanish flu,[283] Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, and Zika virus.[284]

 

In January 2020, the World Health Organisation recommended 2019-nCov[285] and 2019-nCoV acute respiratory disease[286] as interim names for the virus and disease per 2015 guidance and international guidelines against using geographical locations (e.g. Wuhan, China), animal species or groups of people in disease and virus names to prevent social stigma.[287][288][289]

 

The official names COVID‑19 and SARS-CoV-2 were issued by the WHO on 11 February 2020.[290] WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained: CO for corona, VI for virus, D for disease and 19 for when the outbreak was first identified (31 December 2019).[291] The WHO additionally uses "the COVID‑19 virus" and "the virus responsible for COVID‑19" in public communications.[290] Both the disease and virus are commonly referred to as "coronavirus" in the media and public discourse.

 

Misinformation

Main article: Misinformation related to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic

After the initial outbreak of COVID‑19, conspiracy theories, misinformation, and disinformation emerged regarding the origin, scale, prevention, treatment, and other aspects of the disease and rapidly spread online.[292][293][294][295]

 

Protests

Beginning April 17, 2020, news media began reporting on a wave of demonstrations protesting against state-mandated quarantine restrictions in in Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky.[296][297]

 

Other animals

Humans appear to be capable of spreading the virus to some other animals. A domestic cat in Liège, Belgium, tested positive after it started showing symptoms (diarrhoea, vomiting, shortness of breath) a week later than its owner, who was also positive.[298] Tigers at the Bronx Zoo in New York, United States, tested positive for the virus and showed symptoms of COVID‑19, including a dry cough and loss of appetite.[299]

 

A study on domesticated animals inoculated with the virus found that cats and ferrets appear to be "highly susceptible" to the disease, while dogs appear to be less susceptible, with lower levels of viral replication. The study failed to find evidence of viral replication in pigs, ducks, and chickens.[300]

 

Research

Main article: COVID-19 drug development

No medication or vaccine is approved to treat the disease.[186] International research on vaccines and medicines in COVID‑19 is underway by government organisations, academic groups, and industry researchers.[301][302] In March, the World Health Organisation initiated the "SOLIDARITY Trial" to assess the treatment effects of four existing antiviral compounds with the most promise of efficacy.[303]

 

Vaccine

Main article: COVID-19 vaccine

There is no available vaccine, but various agencies are actively developing vaccine candidates. Previous work on SARS-CoV is being used because both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 use the ACE2 receptor to enter human cells.[304] Three vaccination strategies are being investigated. First, researchers aim to build a whole virus vaccine. The use of such a virus, be it inactive or dead, aims to elicit a prompt immune response of the human body to a new infection with COVID‑19. A second strategy, subunit vaccines, aims to create a vaccine that sensitises the immune system to certain subunits of the virus. In the case of SARS-CoV-2, such research focuses on the S-spike protein that helps the virus intrude the ACE2 enzyme receptor. A third strategy is that of the nucleic acid vaccines (DNA or RNA vaccines, a novel technique for creating a vaccination). Experimental vaccines from any of these strategies would have to be tested for safety and efficacy.[305]

 

On 16 March 2020, the first clinical trial of a vaccine started with four volunteers in Seattle, United States. The vaccine contains a harmless genetic code copied from the virus that causes the disease.[306]

 

Antibody-dependent enhancement has been suggested as a potential challenge for vaccine development for SARS-COV-2, but this is controversial.[307]

 

Medications

Main article: COVID-19 drug repurposing research

At least 29 phase II–IV efficacy trials in COVID‑19 were concluded in March 2020 or scheduled to provide results in April from hospitals in China.[308][309] There are more than 300 active clinical trials underway as of April 2020.[133] Seven trials were evaluating already approved treatments, including four studies on hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine.[309] Repurposed antiviral drugs make up most of the Chinese research, with nine phase III trials on remdesivir across several countries due to report by the end of April.[308][309] Other candidates in trials include vasodilators, corticosteroids, immune therapies, lipoic acid, bevacizumab, and recombinant angiotensin-converting enzyme 2.[309]

 

The COVID‑19 Clinical Research Coalition has goals to 1) facilitate rapid reviews of clinical trial proposals by ethics committees and national regulatory agencies, 2) fast-track approvals for the candidate therapeutic compounds, 3) ensure standardised and rapid analysis of emerging efficacy and safety data and 4) facilitate sharing of clinical trial outcomes before publication.[310][311]

 

Several existing medications are being evaluated for the treatment of COVID‑19,[186] including remdesivir, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir/ritonavir, and lopinavir/ritonavir combined with interferon beta.[303][312] There is tentative evidence for efficacy by remdesivir, as of March 2020.[313][314] Clinical improvement was observed in patients treated with compassionate-use remdesivir.[315] Remdesivir inhibits SARS-CoV-2 in vitro.[316] Phase III clinical trials are underway in the U.S., China, and Italy.[186][308][317]

 

In 2020, a trial found that lopinavir/ritonavir was ineffective in the treatment of severe illness.[318] Nitazoxanide has been recommended for further in vivo study after demonstrating low concentration inhibition of SARS-CoV-2.[316]

 

There are mixed results as of 3 April 2020 as to the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID‑19, with some studies showing little or no improvement.[319][320] The studies of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine with or without azithromycin have major limitations that have prevented the medical community from embracing these therapies without further study.[133]

 

Oseltamivir does not inhibit SARS-CoV-2 in vitro and has no known role in COVID‑19 treatment.[133]

 

Anti-cytokine storm

Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) can be a complication in the later stages of severe COVID‑19. There is preliminary evidence that hydroxychloroquine may have anti-cytokine storm properties.[321]

 

Tocilizumab has been included in treatment guidelines by China's National Health Commission after a small study was completed.[322][323] It is undergoing a phase 2 non-randomised trial at the national level in Italy after showing positive results in people with severe disease.[324][325] Combined with a serum ferritin blood test to identify cytokine storms, it is meant to counter such developments, which are thought to be the cause of death in some affected people.[326][327][328] The interleukin-6 receptor antagonist was approved by the FDA to undergo a phase III clinical trial assessing the medication's impact on COVID‑19 based on retrospective case studies for the treatment of steroid-refractory cytokine release syndrome induced by a different cause, CAR T cell therapy, in 2017.[329] To date, there is no randomised, controlled evidence that tocilizumab is an efficacious treatment for CRS. Prophylactic tocilizumab has been shown to increase serum IL-6 levels by saturating the IL-6R, driving IL-6 across the blood-brain barrier, and exacerbating neurotoxicity while having no impact on the incidence of CRS.[330]

 

Lenzilumab, an anti-GM-CSF monoclonal antibody, is protective in murine models for CAR T cell-induced CRS and neurotoxicity and is a viable therapeutic option due to the observed increase of pathogenic GM-CSF secreting T-cells in hospitalised patients with COVID‑19.[331]

 

The Feinstein Institute of Northwell Health announced in March a study on "a human antibody that may prevent the activity" of IL-6.[332]

 

Passive antibodies

Transferring purified and concentrated antibodies produced by the immune systems of those who have recovered from COVID‑19 to people who need them is being investigated as a non-vaccine method of passive immunisation.[333] This strategy was tried for SARS with inconclusive results.[333] Viral neutralisation is the anticipated mechanism of action by which passive antibody therapy can mediate defence against SARS-CoV-2. Other mechanisms, however, such as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and/or phagocytosis, may be possible.[333] Other forms of passive antibody therapy, for example, using manufactured monoclonal antibodies, are in development.[333] Production of convalescent serum, which consists of the liquid portion of the blood from recovered patients and contains antibodies specific to this virus, could be increased for quicker deployment.[334]

  

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronavirus_disease_2019

Minolta X-700 Minolta 50mm 1:3.5 MC Macro Celtic 1:1 Extension Adox HR-50 LegacyPro EcoPro 03/31/2024

Additive color photograph. Olympus OM-PC, 28/3.5 Zuiko, Ilford HP5+ in APH-09 1:50, 11' @ 20°C

The Summer Architecture Commissions are a new initiative of the Department of Contemporary Design and Architecture offering the opportunity for emerging and established architects to present their architecture to a broad audience in the Grollo Equiset Garden at NGV International. For 2015 John Wardle Architects (JWA) has developed the inaugural Commission.

 

Taking inspiration from the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, an iconic public performance venue in Melbourne, JWA’s playful steel, timber and textile structure will create a theatrical centrepiece offering shade, retreat and a place for performance and workshops.

 

Adaptable and evocative, the structure merges the digital and the handmade. The design utilises 3D modelling and cutting edge engineering and fabrication systems to achieve the generous span of a lightweight steel structure. Beneath this outer high-tech layer of precision-engineered steel is a low-tech layer of timber, and a mass array of 1350 hand folded polypropylene elements. These 3-D textile elements are individually suspended to create a textural pink skin that provides colourful shade by day and a unique nocturnal glow.

  

Karen Rentz cutting fabric for homemade cloth masks with polypropylene furnace filter inserts to prepare for going out in public during the Covid-19 pandemic in hard-hit Michigan, USA

More sculptures by polyscene

I'm not sure when oil cartons like this (along with the cardboard cans with metal top and bases) stopped being common, replaced by plastic bottles, but despite the claims in the advert, I'm sure they were harder for customers to pour without spillage than the bottles. In 1963 it was probably garage / forecourt staff often doing the pouring, but equally there were many more home mechanics and oil changes were required much more regularly.

 

It's interesting here how Fina suggested that garage owners could simply burn the polypropylene-lined paper cartons to dispose of them, as an alternative to putting them in the refuse to be collected. These kinds of cartons were a predecessor of today's Tetra-Pak and similar which I believe mainly use polythene (polyethylene) layers, and for aseptic uses, an aluminium layer too. Efforts have been made to improve recyclability, but it requires a more complex process due to the multiple layers.

 

The Fina branding here is smart and simple, using the version of the logo introduced in 1960. Petrofina House, at 75–79 York Road, London, was built in 1957 and refurbished in 2009—adjacent to both Guy's & St Thomas's Hospital, and the former Eurostar terminal at Waterloo International Station. I don't know what date Fina moved out (to Epsom), but possibly early 1980s.

Polypropylene space divider inspired in Erwin Hauer's 201 architectural screen

Tessellation of Jeannine Moseley's rose buds possible

 

More sculptures by polyscene

Polypropylene is a tough, flexible plastic used for most Bionicle weapons and minifigure parts that might break easily if they were a more rigid plastic. The plastic’s flexibility allows for it to be used as a “living hinge”, as in the book pictured here. Because it cannot be fully transparent, colors like 48 Transparent Green (pictured) look nearly opaque in PP, sometimes being mistaken for their solid counterpart color. PP often turns whitish along the edges as it wears. It is used for as varied applications as large buckets and pick-a-brick cups, and even the polybags that parts and small sets come in!

More sculptures by polyscene

Strobist: Grid/snoot is approximately 2 inches long. Translucent extruded polypropylene with two black side pieces. Velcro attachment not yet made, so held on with asparagus band.

polypropylene sail, acrylic paint.

A Giant Chess Board made of Polypropylene Plastic Squares fitted together and laid on the floor !

HTT !

More frosted polypropylene scored by CraftRobo. If I used paper instead I think the inner twists would hold this fold together more successfully - here the fingers are needed to squeeze from the sides a little to keep the twists in place.

 

More sculptures by polyscene

More sculptures by polyscene

Polypropylene / Synthetic rubber

www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/90291330/#/60265163

A view from the spinning room at the ropery, Chatham Dockyard. this is the spreader or first scutcher where the bales of fibre (Here it is polypropylene) are opened and placed on the machine, the bundles of fibre are pulled and made into parallel lines by the pins. It goes through a number of machines, and eventually is spun into yarn. the pins are about 16cm long, and are sharp. The fibre does jam, when the safe shear pins shear, and all comes to a stop. As can be seen someone has to get up there to clear the stoppage! Is there dust? Oh yes!!

folded from one sheet - this is the other side of the tiled scallops

 

More sculptures by Polly can be found at www.polyscene.com

Many modern hoopers make their own hoops out of PVC piping, or polypropylene tubing (known as polypro). The polyethylene hoops, and especially the polyvinyl chloride hoops, are much larger and heavier than hoops of the 1950s. The size and the weight of the hoop affect the style of the hooper. Heavier, larger hoops are more often used for beginner dancers and easier tricks, while lighter, thinner tubing is used for quick hand tricks. These hoops may be covered in a fabric or plastic tape to create more of a visual image and distinguish between the hoop and dancer

The Monobloc chair is a lightweight stackable polypropylene chair, often described as the world's most common.

 

Based on original designs by the Italian designer Vico Magistretti in 1967, variants of the one-piece plastic chair went into production with Allibert Group and Grossfillex Group in the 1970s. Since then, millions have been manufactured in countries including Russia, Taiwan, Australia, Mexico, the United States, Italy, France, Germany, Morocco, Turkey, Israel and China. Many design variants of the basic idea exist.

The Monobloc chair is named because it is injection moulded from thermoplastic polypropylene, the granules being heated to about 220 degrees Celsius, and the melt injected into a mold. The gate of the mould is usually located in the seat, so ensuring smooth flow to all parts of the tool. The chairs cost approximately $3 to produce, making them affordable across the world.

 

Social theorist Ethan Zuckerman describes them as having achieved a global ubiquity:

The Monobloc is one of the few objects I can think of that is free of any specific context. Seeing a white plastic chair in a photograph offers you no clues about where or when you are.

 

Wikipedia

We had a trip to London in January (yes I know I seem to be behind as usual) with some friends. Main purpose was to see the Ansel Adams exhibition at the Maritime Museum and William Klein ' / Moriyami at Tate Modern. The Adams was outstanding, the Klein I thought provoking and the Moriyami missable!

These were taken around Canary Wharf, I didn't know what the boat (or are they ducks - see comment) invasion is all about. However Shurlee has investigated and found this:

Playing with a toy boat in the bathtub as a kid is an activity that has stood the test of time. So, it's no surprise that media architect Claudio Benghi and artist Gloria Ronchi, of Aether & Hemera, joined forces to develop this awesome take on such a simple concept. Voyage is an extensive journey of illuminated 'paper boats,' floating across the surface of London’s Canary Wharf. The artists say that their artistic vision is to "provoke memories, explore aesthetic interactions, and to elicit feelings of connective human experiences in a required-to-participate audience."

Passers-by can't help but notice the watery landscape filled with the vibrant rainbow rows, which is unusually organized for a fleet of 300. To master the shape, which is formed out of polypropylene sheets, Benghi and Ronchi planned out the perfect geometry and structure by using special computer software. They maintained an organized installation by connecting the boats, with threads, to the ones nearby, and several threads are also anchored to the riverbed. Finally, each design is weighted so as to not tip over in a blur of sinking ships.

Illuminated by LED lights, the lighting creates an enchanting atmosphere where the artists say everyone is invited to "make the transition from reality to imagination." The site-specific installation encourages viewers to think back on those bathtub days when pirates roamed the soapy seas and to experience the freedom of traveling anywhere their imaginatiosn will take them.

ken_davis on Flickeflu