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I have tickets to a Charles Lloyd Concert at the Musical Instrument Museum. I am a member. I wanted to familiarize myself with the Museum before the concert so I toured it. It is an incredible treasure in my backyard. A target rich environment for photographers.
The sign reads:
Khong mon (gong chime)
Thailand, mid-20th c.
Bronze, wood, glass, cowskin
Typically played at Thai funerals,
these tuned gongs are mounted on a
frame decorated with the figure of a
thep kinnaree, a woman-swan hybrid
from Thai mythology.
MIM began with a vision to create a musical instrument museum that would be truly global. Realizing most musical museums featured historic, primarily Western classical instruments, MIM’s founder Bob Ulrich (then CEO of Target Corporation) was inspired to develop a new kind of museum that would focus on the kind of instruments played every day by people worldwide. A focus on the guest experience shaped every aspect of the museum’s development. From the beginning, our goal has been to deliver a musical experience that is enriching, inspiring, interesting, and fun.
Today, MIM has a collection of more than 7,500 instruments from more than 200 world countries and territories. The galleries reflect the rich diversity and history of many world cultures. But music and instruments also show us what we have in common—a thought powerfully expressed in our motto, music is the language of the soul.
MIM’s immersive exhibits foster an appreciation of diverse cultures and the craftsmanship and traditions of instrument makers from the past to the present. A visit to MIM is also about experiencing the sensory nature of music and how it affects our emotions. Through state-of-the-art, interactive media, guests can see the instruments, hear their sounds, and observe them being played in their original contexts.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_Instrument_Museum_(Phoenix)
Musical Instrument Museum
MIM
Song
Instead of a kiss
Baby this is a
Song
Instead of a kiss
For all of you who ache, who long
For nights like this
Song
Instead of a touch
Darlin' this is a
Song
Instead of a touch
To all of you who wait so long
And need so much
It is for those who like to cling
It is to those, to those I sing
Here is a song instead of a clutch
Instead of a moon
Instead of a soothing touch
In the afternoon
It is for those who like to cling
It is to those, to those I sing
Here is a song instead of a clutch
Instead of a moon
Instead of a soothing touch
In the afternoon
Visit to the Stahls Automotive Foundation in Chesterfield, Michigan on August 14, 2018. Stahls Automotive Foundation
All of my classic car photos can be found here: Car Collections
Press L for a larger image on black.
A little bit of Texas glimpsed on my Canadian campus today.
Of course xgray is the Master: www.flickr.com/photos/xgray/4791970032/
Snow-chilled Chardonnay. Curves-adjusted for the group Sliders Sunday.
EF 85mm f/1.8 II USM on a 1D
[ 0.067 sec (1/15) | f/1.8 | FLength 85 mm | ISO 400 ]
Im fat, but not too fat, but I'm fat. ok?
NOT naked. Just shirtless. Which means it is a miracle. Because I dont usually show my body. Not my thing.
My pro account is over, I want to cry :(
Day 229
'V' Bomber Avro Vulcan B.2 XJ780 displaying at the Shoreham Airshow, 26th June 1977.
Back then both the Vulcan and Victor were still operational with the Royal Air Force as our primary Bomber and Aerial Tanker force respectively.
Along with the Valiant, the Vulcan and Victor were all conceived during the 'Cold War', capable of dropping a Nuclear bomb on Moscow.
The Valiant was withdrawn in the mid 1960's after suffering metal fatigue issues but the Vulcan soldiered on as our primary Strategic attack bomber, with the Victor swapping roles becoming our designated Tanker fleet until the advent and introuduction of the VC-10.
The Vulcan came to the end of it's service life in the early '80's but not before performing it's swansong during the Falklands War of 1982 by bombing the runway at Port Stanley - the famous 'Black Buck' series of raids.
Only one 'flying' Vulcan survives today - XH558 which it is hoped will be back in the air again for this year's show season.
Scanned 35mm transparency
an attempt to fly is what happens when you don't have helium and think your balloon will fly anyway. It did not fly. I had to hit it to bounce it in the air for each shot.
Created for Textures Only ~ Competition #82
Original image by Kevin
Texture 1 - texture 2 - texture 3 thanks to SkeletalMess
Posts thanks to lrargerich
51/365 Photo Manipulations Project
**This is my art work, not your free stock resource. Please respect my license.
If posting to your website or bog, please credit me as the artist.**
Heading to S.Korea, 5 months after N.Korea
I was once 3mins away to South Korea last Sept (the right picture) but of course... impossible to cross through.
Tomorrow, 8:45am Fly to Seoul
look forward to seeing the brand new T3 Beijing airport.(shame..)
look forward to seeing the "American colony" as North Koreans called
look forward to glancing North Korea from South Korea side
look forward to staying with local Korean family
look forward to shopping as crazy as I can (lol)
look forward to experiencing Korean version of lunar new year
look forward to.......
seeing you guys soon!
Engineer,
hapless architect
of unspeakable grief
when the world itself dangled
from your studied motions--
We hope you now know
how mind the wheel
going forward.
to the late Metrolink engineer who took 25 souls away from us last week, and gravely mutilated dozens more, in Los Angeles; he simply wasn't paying attention.
I've been thinking about my life when I reviewed 2013 and same time I was thinking about new year's resolutions.
I work hard whenever needed at the office or even being volunteer, I pride myself meeting deadlines, bring order to chaos. I am energized by challenges, I know I am good at solving the problems.
I am always counted on. I am the caregiver and protector of my family.
However I forgot how to have fun like when I was a kid, not thinking about being responsible for many things.
I was still a fun mother before I started working with Architects in real life.
Architectural industry environment is same as design industry, most of the times people are very critical.
I am sure something to do with being a designer but also most of us are under paid not as much as what social status stands.
I don't really meet happy Architects except my office. I feel what I do is just another job it pays the bills but I love the people I work with, they are more like family to me.
I can still make my girl friends laugh but I forgot how to act around men.
I mean the ones I care I get a bit intense and making a lot of things out of scale.
So when the things does not work as much as I hoped, I withdraw and stop dating anyone be what I do best. Be a good Mom, be a fun co-worker and be a goofy girl friend.
Actually I should accept what it is and be blessed with being surrounded by loving caring friends, co-workers and family.
so what's your new year resolution?
this is my third time to go to fuji rock. I saw some familiar people and things there, so glad they didn't change a lot, even zero. I think for me, it's not just a music festival, it's mostly like a musicland which is people like to get together just for simple event - MUSIC.
I believe that everyone was born to ROCK, which is totally in different ways. maybe you were born to JAZZ or born to POP. I don't know, all of you have own taste of music, your personal style of rock n roll.
like CSS's song Music Is My Hot Hot Sex │ for all of you
- dear May Kino, finally I saw CSS! they are awesome, and you have no idea how they are popular in Japan!! just fantastic!!!! :D btw, Luísa Hanaê Matsushita was a special guest of Primal Scream, that was the most exciting thing of the festival!!!
"Always listen to your mom"
Project 365 - A one year daily shot
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No, she's not dead. I'll explain.
Every time I take a picture of my mother she makes a mention to an old photograph (very well taken, by the way) that she loves so, so much! She told me: "– I don't like my face anymore...my arms are fat...my hands are huge..." and a sequence of bad adjectives to herself.
Mom, you're still gorgeous. You have the same smile, the same bright. You become more mature, wiser and developed your intuition, that's one of the things in your personality that impresses me most.
The only thing that impress me more than your intuition is our connection. How often do we look each other and we knew exactly what both were thinking? (I lost the count)
I've never totally agreed with this, but I'm so thankful for you stopped your carreer to be nearest. And I don't need to say that you are the best cook I've ever met.
Mom, go take care yourself, go sightseeing, go to travel and go out to dance (that you love so much). But don't care about you apearence so much. Look from this point of you: you had to get stronger to be able to take care of us, to protect us, to teach us....and you really did a great job. :)
I love so much.
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Everest Basecamp – mount everest, who does not know this mountain. The highest mountain in the world with a height of 8.848 meters (29,028 ft). who always wanted conguered mountain climbers climbers reliable. This mountain is deadly for novice climbers, so for those of you who are still a beginner, do not try to try to conguered this mountain. not necessarily because of his conguered climbers can reliably especially novice climbers.
The following is the Everest base camp
At Everest Base Camp, climbers will Often spend 4-8 weeks, acclimatizing to the altitude. During that time, the “Icefall Doctors” will set up ropes and ladders in the notoriously unstable Khumbu Icefall. Seracs, crevasses and shifting blocks of ice of make the icefall one of the most dangerous sections of the route. Many climbers and Sherpas have been killed in this section. To reduce the risk, climbers will usually begin Reviews their ascent well before sunrise when the freezing Temperatures glue ice blocks in place.Camp I
Above the icefall is Camp I at 6.065 m (19,900 ft) Camp 1 is mostly a temporary camp with most climbers just spending one night at this camp.Camp II
Base Camp II, Advanced Base Camp (ABC) is established at 6,400 m (21,300 ft). The Western Cwm is a are relatively flat, Gently rising glacial valley, marked by huge lateral crevasses in the center roomates Prevent direct access to the Upper Reaches of the Cwm. Climbers are forced to cross on the far right near the base of Nuptse to a small passageway known as the “Nuptse corner”. The Western Cwm as the topography of the area geneally cuts off wind from the climbing route. The high altitude and a clear, windless day can the make the Western Cwm unbearably hot for climbers.Camp III
From ABC, climbers ascend the Lhotse face on set of ropes up to Camp III, on small ledges situated at Approximately 7,200 m to 7,400 m. From there, it is another 500 meters to Camp IV on the South Col at 7.920 m (26,000 ft). From Camp III to Camp IV, mountaineers are faced with two additional obstacles: The “Geneva Spur” and the “Yellow Band”. The Geneva Spur is an anvil shaped rib of black rock named by a 1952 Swiss expedition. Fixed ropes help climbers in scrambling over this snow covered rock band. The Yellow Band is a section of sedimentary sandstone. The route from the base of the Lhotse face to the Summit is almost always completely fixed with static line.Camp IV
On the South Col, climbers are very close to 8,000 m and can only spend limited time at those altitudes even with supplemental oxygen. Climbers typically only have a maximum of two or three days they can tolerate at this altitude for making peak bids. Clear weather and low winds are important factors when Deciding on a summit attempt. If weather does not cooperate within Reviews These short few days, climbers are forced to move down, many all the way back down to Base Camp.
From Camp IV, mountaineers Reviews their summit push will start from 8 pm to 2 am with the hope of reaching the summit (still another 1,000 meters above) within 10 to 12 hours. Climbers will first reach “The Balcony” at 8,400 m (27,700 ft), a small platform where they can rest and gaze at peaks to the south and east in the early dawn light. Continuing up the ridge, climbers are then faced with a series of impressive rock steps the which usually forces them to the east into waist deep snow, a large amount of sudden grave hazard. At 8,750 m (28,700 ft), a small table-sized arena of ice and snow marks the South Summit.
From the South Peak, mountaineers go after the knife-edge along the Southeast Ridge the which is known as the “Cornice traverse” where snow griping to irregular rock. This is the most bare part of the climb as a misstep to the left would send one 2,400 m (8,000 ft) down the southwest face while to the immediate right is the 3,050 m (10,000 ft) Kangshung face. At the end of this traverse is an imposing 12 m (40 ft) rock wall called the “Hillary Step” at 8.760 m (28.750 ft).
Tenzing and Hillary were the first mountaineers to rise this step and they did it with prehistoric ice climbing equipment and without fixed ropes. Now, climbers will ascend this step using fixed ropes Previously set up by Sherpas. Once above the step, it is a comparatively easy climb to the top on fairly angled snow slopes – though the exposure on the ridge is extreme especially while traversing very large cornices of snow. After the Hillary Step, climbers must traverse Also a very loose and rocky section that has a very large entanglement of fixed ropes that can be troublesome in bad weather. Climbers will typically spend less than a half-hour on “top of the world” as they Realize the need to descend to Camp IV before darkness sets in, afternoon weather Becomes a serious problem, or supplemental oxygen tanks run out.
That Everest base camp you will visit when you are mountain climbing Everest. if you are big enough guts, you should climb this mountain. but if you are in doubt it is better not try to climb this mountain.
by New Hotel Travel in ift.tt/1q2Vh1i
Decided to try a farmer's bridge (containing a right of way footpath) over the M40 today (25/01/2025) for some sunny shots of the Oxford services and football traffic (Everton were travelling to Brighton).
All went well until our presence on the bridge was challenged by a rather irate member of the adjacent farm who couldn't believe I was standing up to her when she demanded we clear off. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't long before the big man arrived and after some in-depth explaining seemed satisfied our intentions weren't threatening. He even waved as he passed us again.
Anyway, drama aside, around 15 coaches from Merseyside passed us, plus a trio of Parry's and countless Tubes and Airlines.
Amtrak 303, the second train of the day from Chicago, rolls off the MacArthur Bridge at Gratiot St and makes its jaunt through the switches that will take it to the St Louis Amtrak Station.
AMT303 02 (SB Lincoln Service)
IDTX SC-44 #4620
St Louis, MO
February 2nd, 2020
some people are genuinely nice generous people :)
i like to find people like that :) it gives me faith that not everyone is mean :P
i'm quite pleased how this one turned out after editing, captures their personalities well... :)
One of the monuments of Ukrainian poet and writer, erected in the Russian capital - Moscow. The authors of the monument are sculptor L. Yu Sinkevich, A. and M. Ya Fuzhenko Gritsyuk. Monument inaugurated on 10 June 1964. After the restoration has been returned to its original location March 7, 2014.
Variations on a theme «...with a film across Moscow»
Photo from series: «Just Moscow»
Camera: Canon EOS 55
Lens: Canon Zoom Lens EF 70-210mm
Film: Fomapan 100 Classic (expired 03/2007)
Photo taken: 20/03/2016
Scanned copy of the original negative, without any processing.
In the mode «as is»
(All of the pictures from this film shown on the standard process D-76, scanned without modifications and filters in RAW-TIFF application VueScan, invert in Lightroom. Any adjustments, customizations, modifications were not carried out.)
A break from carving to finish the last of the drawing on the new "OVERLOOK" print…to be a colored woodcut, printed from 4-5 blocks, size roughly 28" x 46". The sky above the mountains will grown taller in the color blocks.
Here we go again back to Fifty Years ago this week and starting off with a trip to the Isle of Wight and a visit to Bembridge and Britten-Norman's BN-2 Islander production line where a real mixture was found including 4X-AYC
www.flickr.com/photos/29288836@N00/49304884467/in/photoli...
along with numerous primer painted examples with Class B registration marks and some simply with a construction number only.
There also was their BN-3 Nymph G-AXFB, a foray into the single engine monoplane market that came to naught
Back to the mainland and at Gatwick a Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer G-APHX was present (see Keith Harper's photo of her:
www.flickr.com/photos/egbj/8297415247/in/photolist-9xuJ65...)
On the 24th of April 1970, Heathrow produced a West German Luftwaffe Hansa Jet 16+06 - a strange looker with their unique forward swept wings
(see Ken Meegan's shot of her now preserved:
www.flickr.com/photos/namcys11/49516838403/in/photolist-2...)
plus an Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-134 CCCP-65639
A day later Pakistan International's Boeing 720 AP-ATQ (recorded incorrectly by me as AP-APQ) - check out Carl Ford's image of her:
(www.flickr.com/photos/53277566@N06/16407342111/in/photoli...) was present along with an Olympic Airways Boeing 707.
Alitalia's DC-8 I-DIWA was also in (see Manuel's vintage photo of her:
www.flickr.com/photos/10264618@N03/2127784514/in/photolis...)
A USAF C-47 was seen dropping into Northolt which I found out years later was an HQ USAFE VC-47 0-51116 and apparently 1970 was the last year USAF C-47's were seen in Europe
On the 28th April, Belgian Air Force C-119 Flying Boxcar CP-30/OT-CBJ was a nice find while passing through Gatwick and then later, seen passing overhead Heathrow, USAF MAC's Lockheed
C-141A Starlifter 65-9400 routed Clacton-Woodley-Strumble for the USA
Also in at LHR that day were a pair of Scandinavian Airline System's DC-8's LN-MOG and SE-DBB.
Czechoslovakian CSA's ILyushin Il-62 OK-ZBC arrived and another aging piston treat was Martinair's lovely old Douglas
DC-6 PH-MAM (see Ken Fielding's great photo of her:
www.flickr.com/photos/kenfielding/17013455367/in/photolis...)
and a Yugoslavian Ilyushin IL-18 YU-AIB
A day later Dutch MS.760 Paris PH-MSV arrived from Germany on a medical task carrying a donor kidney, yet another PanAm 747 N733PA arrived and last but not least,
West German Luftwaffe's Lockheed Jetstar 11+01 arrived and parking Northside.
The latter I managed to get a reasonable photo of courtesy of some fellow ATC colleagues and a BAA Austin Champ:
www.flickr.com/photos/29288836@N00/15094146398/in/photoli...
50Y_015
State Road 71 has massive blockages due to trees and power lines. This is a major transportation route North /South. Sometimes both lanes were shut down for clearing or repair. This section of the trip added an extra hour. I did not mind. The multiple stoppages gave me a chance to haul out the full frame and start snapping.
This is just a snippet of the destruction in this part of the state.
Taken with my cell phone.
More to come.
© Zoë Murdoch - All Rights Reserved. use without permission is illegal!
Requiem For Fiction
~ Image No: 8.
Through all beings spreads the one space:
the world's inner space.
Silently fly the birds
all through us.
O I who want to grow,
I look outside, and it is in me that the tree grows!
~ Rilke
Welcome to Chiberia-
I'm excited to start editing through some of these photographs from this week in Chicago. Here's one from blue hour Tuesday Night. Blue hour occurs 30min-1hr or so after sunset on clear days. It's an especially fun time to shoot in the city. The city lights begin to turn on. casting the city in a warm orange hue, while the rest of the landscape takes on the shades of blue hour.
It was a pretty cold time, waiting for the lights to show up, but I think it was worth it. Hope you like it.
As always, I would love to hear what you think of the image.
Connect with me on my Facebook Page
আমার হাতে লাগানো শিউলি গাছের প্রথম ফুল ...
উৎসর্গ করলাম তোমায়---------
======================================================================================
© All rights reserved
According to CopyRight Law, Please don't copy, edit or use this image on websites, blogs or other media. However if you are interested in using any of my images, please feel free to contact with me .
======================================================================================
Photographer :-
© Sanhita Bhattacharjee
Kalyanpur,Tripura (India) .
Hello guys ,
tomorrow am travailing to Lebanon for one month and a half . .
i will be active but not that much
Nshooofkom 3alla 5eer enshalla
if you want any thing just send me a pm
i re uploded this shot ^_^
taken in LEBANON
edit by : El ray
To go with your new sewing machine cover, here's a cute little extra! I used the Oh Frannson! tutorial over on Sew Mama Sew. A pin cushion with a thread catcher and a place to hang some scissors, a marking pen, etc.
So, I did a test flight with a new spaceplane design. The original plan was just to get into orbit and see how much delta-v would be left. I turned out to be quite a lot of delta-v, 2600 m/s, so I (or rather, Valentina Kerman) went for a fly-by of Duna. I even managed to fly a maneuver that got me both a Duna encounter and then a Kerbin encounter for my return trip.
However, then I had to do a correction burn to avoid Ike, Duna's moon. I checked my map screen and there was still an encounter on the way back, which I naturally assumed was the Kerbin encounter I had setup earlier. So Valentina got out of Duna's sphere of influence, ready to return home. Then we both realized our nice Kerbin encounter had been changed to an Eve encounter. Somehow, in my maneuver to avoid Ike, I ended up with a gravity assist from Duna that changed my return encounter to hit a different planet. Imagine the odds of that happening!
Well, so Valentina became the first Kerbal to look at both Duna and Eve with her own eyes. Then she ran out of fuel, trapped on an orbit around the sun.
Of course I couldn't leave her there, so I sent an unmanned refuelling mission. Now I really had to learn rendezvous and docking, and in interplanetary space! To cut a long story (and mission) short, my first two refuelling craft didn't carry enough fuel for Valentina to get home, so I had to send a third one with a much larger fuel capacity.
Then Valentina returned home. What started out as a simple test flight turned into a mission that cost her 16 years of her life.
As a nice side effect, I gained 899 science points from this mission.
All over the capital, the Arirang adverts (« Grand mass gymnastic and artistic performance », « Welcome to Pyongyang » and so on) warn the profane…Between August and October, takes place one of the biggest and most impressive performances in the world. The tone is set : even the Beijing Olympics ceremony can’t compete with the mass games organized by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The show is held several times a week and welcomes tourists from all over the World, including the US, in one of the most isolated and despised country on earth. The well-called « mass games » are designed to emphasize group dynamics rather than individual performances as the supreme emblem of communism. Prepared by hundred of thousands performers all along the year, after their classes for the youngest of them, they are entirely dedicated to the NK’s leader Kim Jong Il and his deceased father Kim Il Sung, considered as the « Eternal president » and « sun of the 21st century »…
In the surroundings of Pyongyang's May Day giant Stadium, two girls are running to perform for the Arirang show. They are already dressed in their gymnastic outfits, as well as some 100,000 others who participate to the performance. They all come to honour their self-proclaimed « dear leader » Kim Jong Il, after a very hard and gruelling training, since their earliest age. Yet, it has been many years that Kim Jong Il has not shown up, formally for business reasons. But officials now admit the western medias’ assertions of illness. Anyways, Kim Jong Il or not, the mass games are held every year in Pyongyang, as a means for the regime to show to the entire world the country’s strength and good shape. To reach this sole purpose, not less than 100,000 people are involved in a choreographed show of simultaneous dancing and gymnastics. Many symbols are displayed by thousands of trained athlets, whether they are adults or even children. Hand over their heart, the young pupils sing in chorus "We are the happiest children in the world", one of the famous propaganda songs in North Korea. Many dancers make movements either with ribbons or colourful flowers named « kimjonglias » after the leader Kim Jong Il. All along the show, a live band plays a ceremonious music.
On the background, some 20,000 young koreans sit on the terraces, facing the spectators. They flip coloured cards at a high speed to form a fresco of animated and detailed images, changing from one to another. Each time they turn the page to create a new giant picture, they cry out. It creates a awe-inspiring atmosphere, as the shout is mixed with the noise of thousands of pages turned at the same moment. The figures are stunning : to compose these images, 2000 children are needed to make only one soldier, 20,000 for a north korean flag. Hiding a much more grim reality, the panels represent Pyongyang enlightened by night, wheat fields ready for harvest, scientists at work, atoms as symbols of the nuclear bomb and others for the reunification of two Koreas. One of the North Korea’s myths (history according to them) is recounted by the means of a huge image made by thousands of children. It represents the two pistols reportedly used by Kim Il Sung, when he founded the Anti-Japanese People’s Guerrilla Army in 1932. When the pistols appear, the audience applauses loudly. Among them, many soldiers attend the show as the ultimate award after years of good and faithful service.The thousands and thousands of boys and girls involved create a giant mass movement in the stadium which leaves the public stunned. These talented performers are used to that kind of performance: in North Korea they have to dance, sing, jump and spin around as many times as there are celebrations, always in praise of their leaders. There are mainly two sorts of shows. The first one is the classical artistic show, named "Arirang" after the famous korean folk song (whose story sometimes changes, but most often recounts the legend of a disappointed woman who hopes that her lover will return to her –metaphor of the break-up with South Korea). The second one is a more political show, which was untitled in 2008 "Prosper our country" and intended to show the country’s greatest achievements and its struggle against the foreign oppressors.
The show continues in the same way for one hour. Thereafter, the thousands of people present vanish in the dark and silent streets of Pyongyang, which contrast with the flood of lights and music in the stadium. Within the space of a few hours, it gives us a a strange feeling, between the real and unreal, of another universe both terrifying and fantastic.
Dans toute la ville, les publicités d’Arirang (« Grande représentation gymnastique et artistique de masse », « Bienvenue à Pyongyang » etc.) mettent le profane en garde …Entre août et octobre, a lieu l’une des plus grandes et impressionnantes représentations au monde. Le ton est donné : pas même la cérémonie des Jeux de Pékin ne peut rivaliser avec les mass games organisés par la République Démocratique Populaire de Corée (RDPC). Le spectacle se tient plusieurs fois par semaine et accueille des touristes du monde entier, y compris des Etats-Unis, dans l’un des pays les plus isolés et méprisés sur terre. Les biens nommés mass games (« mouvements de masse») sont conçus pour mettre en avant les dynamiques de groupe plutôt que les performances individuelles comme emblème suprême du communisme. Préparés par des centaines de milliers d’artistes tout au long de l’année, après les cours pour les plus jeunes d’entre eux, les jeux sont entièrement dédiés au leader de la Corée du Nord, Kim Jong Il, et feu son père Kim Il Sung, considéré comme l’ « Eternel président » et « soleil du 21ème siècle »…
Aux environs du Stade géant May Day de Pyongyang, deux filles courent pour participer au spectacle de Arirang. Elles sont déjà en costume de gymnastique, tout comme quelque 100 000 autres qui participent à la représentation. Tous viennent pour honorer leur autoproclamé « cher leader » Kim Jong Il, après un très difficile et éprouvant entraînement, depuis leur plus jeune âge. Pourtant, cela fait plusieurs années que Kim Jong Il ne s’est pas montré, formellement pour des raisons professionnelles. Mais des officiels admettent les assertions des médias occidentaux sur sa maladie. Quoi qu’il en soit, Kim Jong Il ou pas, les jeux de masse ont lieu chaque année à Pyongyang, comme moyen pour le régime de montrer au monde entier la puissance et bonne santé du pays. Pour atteindre ce seul but, pas moins de 100 000 personnes sont engagées dans une chorégraphie de danses et gymnastiques synchronisées. De nombreux symboles sont affichés par des milliers d’athlètes entraînés, qu’il s’agisse d’adultes ou même d’enfants. Main sur le cœur, les jeunes élèves chantent en chœur « Nous sommes les enfants les plus heureux du monde », l’une des chansons de propagande les plus connues en Corée du Nord. De nombreux danseurs font des mouvements avec des rubans ou avec des fleurs colorées appelées « kimjonglias », du nom du leader Kim Jong Il. Tout le long du spectacle, un orchestre joue une musique solennelle.
À l’arrière-plan, quelque 20 000 jeunes coréens sont assis sur les gradins, faisant face aux spectateurs. Ils retournent des cartes colorées à une grande vitesse pour former une fresque d’images animées et détaillées, changeant de l’une à l’autre. Chaque fois qu’ils tournent la page pour créer une nouvelle illustration, ils crient. Cela crée une atmosphère impressionnante, le cri étant mêlé avec le bruit de milliers de pages tournées au même moment. Les chiffres sont stupéfiants : pour composer ces images, 2000 enfants sont nécessaires pour faire un seul soldat, 20 000 pour un drapeau de la Corée du Nord. Cachant une réalité bien plus dure, les panneaux représentent Pyongyang éclairée la nuit, des champs de blé prêt à être récolté, des scientifiques au travail, des atomes comme symboles de la bombe nucléaire et d’autres pour la réunification des deux Corées. L’un des mythes de Corée du Nord (ou histoire selon eux) est relaté au moyen d’une image gigantesque faite par des milliers d’enfants. Elle représente les deux pistolets que Kim Il Sung aurait utilisés quand il a fondé l’armée de guérilla populaire anti-japonaise en 1932. Lorsque les deux pistolets apparaissent, le public applaudit bruyamment. Parmi eux, de nombreux soldats assistent au spectacle comme récompense ultime après des années de bons et loyaux services. Les milliers et milliers de garçons et de filles participant créent un mouvement de masse géant dans le stade, qui laisse le public ébahi. Ces artistes talentueux sont coutumiers de ce type de représentation : en Corée du Nord ils doivent danser, chanter, sauter et virevolter autant de fois qu’il y a de célébrations, toujours à la gloire de leurs chefs. Il existe principalement deux sortes de spectacles. Le premier est le spectacle classique artistique, appelé « Arirang » d’après la célèbre chanson folklorique coréenne (dont l’histoire quelques fois change, mais qui raconte le plus souvent la légende d’une femme déçue qui espère que son amant lui reviendra –métaphore de la séparation avec la Corée du Sud). Le second est un spectacle plus politique, qui était intitulé en 2008 « Que prospère notre pays » et qui tentait de montrer les plus grandes réalisations du pays et sa lutte contre les oppresseurs étrangers.
Le spectacle continue de cette façon pendant une heure. Ensuite, les milliers de personnes présentes disparaissent dans les rues sombres et silencieuses de Pyongyang, ce qui contraste avec le déluge de lumières et de musique dans le stade. En l’espace de quelques heures, cela nous donne un étrange sentiment, entre le réel et l’irréel, d’un autre univers à la fois terrifiant et fantastique.
© Eric Lafforgue
anahnu lomdim ve szarim szirim yafim. a przez to okienko obok doktor Tomal czasem wychodzi. bo my wszyscy jestesmy tu fajni.
I decided that a year on flickr with no SPs I needed to be brave and take
myself far, far out of my comfort zone to do this. I have never been happy
in front of the camera even though I love being behind it, this means there
are never any photos of me when I need one! I cannot tell you what a major
leap this is, even if I am still hiding behind my camera .... one step at a
time I think!
Nacnud (Duncan) had a link to an Isley Brothers song Summer Breeze ... this one was on the playlist and made me smile when I heard it www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1DDgNCLD84&a=ouMBR6LxDcM&...
I admire people who have the confidence to do really good SPs. Kellyk09 is
amazing at them! Take a look :) www.flickr.com/photos/kak3/
Techinically it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be doing this. Using a
wide'ish aperture to get the light without flash it still rendered me out of
focus (I must have moved despite trying countless times not to) .....
actually its no bad thing having the soft focus because I have hardly any
make-up on ... believe me I need some! I had my hair done today and the
hairdresser (Tracy, she is SO lovely) curled it a little and its full of
bounce which is a nice change!