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I use d D300 with a Tamron 11-17mm lens. I had a shoot through umbrella to Cr, using a SB800. Post process with Capture NX2 and CS3 for adjustments.
Stats: ISO 250, f/11, 1/80 sec. -1EV shot in manual mode. I forget the flash settings
Used to sit here for a quite a while then it suddenly vanished. Last time and first time I saw a Peugeot was a 505 sedan. But back then, I didn't have a camera.
Here's more proof that I can't throw anything away. OK, so I do throw things away, but I'm becoming more consistent with my recycling habits.
Here, I have a used detergent container holding our "collection" of USED BATTERIES. Now I just have to figure out WHERE to drop these off!
See what Earth911.com says about single-use batteries:
Using a 30 second shutter speed and light by the full moon allowed for me to create this very different image, you can even see some stars. Annoyingly because it was 'dark' i didn't notice the bag of dog crap at the foot of the steps.
Using small batch format production we as independent operators deliver uniquely integrated beauty, wellbeing and environmentally conscious products. PURE is Sodium Laurel Sulphate and Paraben free and is created without dyes or synthetics. We only use high quality essential oils to scent and each product is made in small batches to ensure quality. Through the use of natural, botanical ingredients, free of harsh chemicals and preservatives we deliver health and beauty products to the eco minded health conscious consumers through hotels, spas and retail locations throughout North America.
(If you'd like to use any of these photos for anything pls contact Kris Krüg first - kriskrug@gmail.com or 778. 898. 3076. Thank you! (c) (r) (tm) 2016)
Using an abandoned stripper pit on the Warrick/Vanderburgh county line for some full moon shots.
The reeds are ever so slightly illuminated by the parking lights of Toms Jeep.
Used to have to hike to get to the top of Whistler Mountain...this was about the last time it happened - May of 1986 ... the boot pack up little whistler
This was a story I wrote years ago...
There's a long traverse up in the Whistler alpine area this year that leads from the top of the Saddle to Shale Slope. Shale Slope has lots of tracks on it but the big bumps that in recent years usually cover the run have yet to form. Skiers are getting up to the alpine on the Harmony Chair because the Peak Chair hasn't yet opened for the season. It's amazing what the lack of the Peak Chair does to the skiability of the alpine.
With only the Harmony lift open it's a fairly long traverse to Shale. Skiers actually have to work a little to get there and it's obvious that only a few skiers are willing to put in the work.
Once upon a time there was no Harmony Chair and no Peak Chair and the alpine area had a totally different character. Whistler Bowl, Glacier Bowl, Shale Slope, and West Bowl were not bump runs. On the right days they were back-country runs where skiers could convince themselves, with only a little effort, that they were up on an unserviced mountain, far away from civilization.
The T-bars have been around since Whistler opened. The early developers of the mountain rightly realized that access to the alpine was something that made Whistler special and the T-bars allowed access to that area. Skiers could ride to the top of the T's and then either ski down right beside them or, if the sign line was open, venture further. It was called the sign line because the sign said, "Attention. If you proceed beyond this point you leave the Whistler Mountain patrolled area. Steep slopes, hazardous terrain and uncontrolled avalanche danger. When skiing above this point you do so at your own risk." The sign meant what it said.
There was a very well-used low traverse that cut across Glacier Bowl and Whistler Bowl and finally cut across Shale Slope about three-quarters of the way up that run. It was often a pretty challenging traverse because there were lots of rollers and skiers had to commit to pretty high speeds along the route in order to stay high. It usually got pretty interesting as it snaked around the corner underneath Don't Miss.
If there were no slower skiers in front (because the traverse was almost always only wide enough for one skier at a time) and the skier was prepared to let the skis run it would take a little less than ten minutes to get to Shale Slope.
There was a high traverse as well and it, obviously, started and stayed higher than the lower traverse. It allowed for longer runs down Glacier and Whistler Bowl and required more effort, but that extra effort was usually rewarded by more untracked and more turns.
Skiers who really wanted the alpine experience got off the T-bar, traversed to the sign line, took off their skis, and hiked, yes, hiked, up Little Whistler. Hiking up Little Whistler took thirty to forty minutes. Unless the sign line had just opened there was usually a well-defined staircase cut into the snow made by previous skiers but it was still a grunt. Most who hiked up stopped for a few minutes to sit on the rocks at the top of Little Whistler, catch their breath, and socialize.
The Roundhouse used to seem a long way away from up there. As soon as hikers put on their skis and turned the corner at the top of Little Whistler to start the relatively flat traverse along the top of the mountain they felt like they were really in the mountains, away from the ski area, on their own. There were no buildings and no lifts to be seen. There was no ski area noise. There were no snivel stations. It was glorious
Skiers could choose to traverse along and drop into Glacier Bowl from the top, or continue along and drop into Whistler Bowl, or ski Burnt Stew (which had a hellishly long exit before the mountain cleared the traverse and began grooming it), or continue to West Bowl. Really adventurous types might head for Piccolo, Flute, or Oboe.
Because it required work to get there not a lot of people made the effort which meant that those who did were rewarded by lots of uncut powder lines. Depending on the day it could take four or five hours before all the obvious lines were skied and less popular, hidden lines could be found for days.
One of the best days in Whistler's alpine was the staff party the spring before the Peak Chair went in. The mountain closed, as it often does, in a blizzard. It snowed all the next day too but then the day after that, the day of the staff party, the weather cleared. It was a beautiful day. The party was held at Pika's and the T-bars were open.
The entire alpine was blanked by twenty-five centimeters of light, dry, uncut powder. A consensus decision was made that there would be no low traverse cut that day. When the sign line dropped, to the chant of "No low, no low, no low!" staff started cutting the high traverse. The first in line dropped into Glacier Bowl and cut lovely turns down the slope. Face shots all the way. Those behind continued on to find their own fresh. Because many staff were more interested in the party going on at Pika's than in skiing there were only around a hundred and fifty people skiing the bowls. They got fresh tracks all day long on uncut white slopes under a big blue sky. Those who were there will probably remember that day for the rest of their lives.
The next year the Peak Chair was running. Anyone who has waited in the Peak Chair corral for the lift to open knows what that scene is like and what happens to the alpine once the lift starts unloading public at the top on a powder day. Skiers riding up the Red Chair (which isn't even red anymore) who look over and see the Peak Chair opening know it's not even worth heading for the lift because everything will be skied out before they even get to the chair. The alpine area has become one big bump run. There are so many bumps up there that they now have to groom the Saddle.
The opening of the Harmony Chair provided even easier access to the alpine and allowed more skiers to get up there even faster. It also seemed to allow skiers to notice the area to the south. Piccolo and Flute now have a highway leading to them. Flute sports bumps when it hasn't snowed recently. Soon, rumor has it, there will be sleeping and eating yerts (a yert is a kind of mountain hut), a hot tub, and doubtless generators chugging away, at the bottom of Flute somewhere. This facility sounds like it will not be for the Gore-Tex and duct tape crowd but rather the corporate types from Fort Worth who can afford it. Is this the thin edge of the wedge? If they're going to run a hot tub they should be able to run Super Nintendo play stations. Why not get the corporate partners involved? Maybe they can be called the Nintendo 64 Yerts. Maybe one day there'll be a movie theatre on the top of Blackcomb, a climbing wall on Decker, a Nike store at the bottom of the Cakehole...
The alpine area continues to be developed. It has little of the back-country feel it once had. This was perhaps inevitable and from a certain perspective it is probably a good thing. People who never, ever would have made the climb can now stand on Whistler Peak and look over at the dramatic black pillar called the Tusk. They too can enjoy being at the top of the mountain. For many (judging by the line-up on the Peak Chair, especially on a sunny day) it's the best place on the mountain to be.
In a way it's just a matter of degree anyway. How much is too much? Whistler Peak was really only a back-country adventure when skiers like Stefan Ples were hiking from the valley to ski it. The T-bars began the development. The Peak and Harmony chairs just continued it. Doubtless there were those who considered the T-bars almost sacreligious when they first went in. And yet, in providing high-speed lift access right to the Peak, the alpine area changed in a fundamental way. It became just another part of the ski area, like all the rest, but with fewer trees. Ultimately it was just too good to last, too wonderful to remain the terrain of those willing to work for it. It became a victim of itself.
Nothing is certain in the life except change. What happened to the alpine is a lot like what happens to some small towns. People are attracted by the laid-back people and small-town feel. The empty parking lots, uncrowded stores, and absence of bylaws are charming. They move so they can enjoy the lifestyle. More and more people move in for the same reasons and then, one day, the very thing they moved for has disappeared.
Used a flash and a Better Beamer. It really brings out the detail and gives that sparkle in the eye.
Captured using a Sony Xperia ZR in my bedroom (ooh er, missus).
I'm very interested in fibonacci and geometry in art, architecture and photography. Obviously an idea that has been explored in numerous creative disciplines, but I want to see how I can use it.
Usei o Cobertor de Orelha (Top Beauty) e o Charmosa (Marina Ruy Barbosa - Hits).
Não gostei muito do Charmosa, precisou de 3 camadas pra ficar legal e a cor não é lá essas coisas, no vidro parecia bem mais bonito. :/
Used my old digital point and shoot today.
Came across some old pictures, this in particular :')
They got me choked up and teary-eyed.
So stressed.
So sick of some stuff.
So confused, so emotional.
And no, I'm not sorry.
I'll explain tomorrow.
Currently Spinning: "Beware Cougar" - The Academy Is...
Usei este esmalte ontem para tirar as fotos da formatura.
Sinceramente? Não curti! =( Mas como tinha feito a unha de madruga, fiquei com preguiça de remover e colocar outro! Pelo menos ele cumpriu a função de ser discreto. =]
Mas, achei muito grosso por causa dos brilhos inclusos nele e deixa a mão toooda cheia deles! Um OH para limpar! =X Também não curti o furta-cor, achei meio brega na unha. Deveria ter passado 2 camadas só, ou ter usado por cima de um branquinho. Aí acredito que valeria a pena! Vivendo e aprendendo! rs
[3 mãos, nutri base pró-fortalecimento (Colorama) e cobertura brilhante e secagem rápida (Avon)]
=***
Hta.
Não deixem de conferir:
New appliances so decided to use some things that have been hanging around and set the laundry room up. It was just as it was when we unloaded the truck moving in 6 years ago. About time! This will help us decide if we put anything permanent in this space.
using a prism on-the-lens filter, i had a bit of luck capturing this. two separate bird flocks zoomed through the frame, with me barely focusing and setting the correct exposure. it was all over in a split second. after this frame i took another one, with the reflections all straightened but no birds - it's dull and cold compared to this one.
printed from a 645 tmax 400, developed in Fomadon R09. paper used is fiber 24x30 from Foma.
We used to play 20 questions in the car when I was a kid, in those long ago olden days before cars came with TVs in the headrests...the second question was always 'Is it bigger than a bread box'? I'm not sure we even knew what a bread box was, 'cause I don't think we had one... but that phrase keeps popping into my mind nowadays... it's about women and girls and body image, and the struggles we go through... Why can't I stop stressing about my body, and is it too big, or too flabby, or I'm putting the wrong foods in, or I'm not exercising enough, or SHE must be a happy person 'cause she's so damn skinny, and really, truly, who gives a BLEEP if I'm bigger than a bread box!
So this is made in defiance, to be stuck on the fridge when I'm eating well, and when I'm not eating well, and with shoulders squared back, and chin in air I say, "I AM bigger than a bread box!"
it's a magnet for sale at my etsy shop! see profile for details!
This is an illuminated leaf from a Book of Hours for the Use of Rome that was produced in Paris, France, c.1420.
The text is from the Hours of the Virgin, from the Hour of Vespers.
The size of the leaf is 211m x 156mm (8 1/4ins. X 6 3/20ins.).
PROVENANCE: -
1. From an imperfect Book of Hours that was Lot 43 in Sotheby’s Western Manuscript and Miniatures sale on 5th. December 1995, purchased by Neumann-Walter of Leipzig.
2. This leaf purchased by the seller from Neumann-Walter in November 2000.
3. Since December 1995, leaves from the Book of Hours have appeared on the market: -
Sotheby’s – December 1997, Lot 19 – Three separate leaves with text from parts of Lauds and the Office of the Dead (not Use of Paris or any common Use). (£1,840 including buyers premium.
Sotheby’s – June 2001, Lot 12 – Four leaves foliated 4-5 and 11-12, texts from Matins and Sext. (£2,880 including buyers premium).
Maggs – European Bulletin 21 (1997) Item 38 (with black and white plate) at £675.
Maggs – European Bulletin 22 (1998) Item238 (with black and white plate) at £750.
Pirages – Catalogue 40 (1997?) Item 7 (with black and white and colour plates) at $850.
Pirages – Catalogue 41 (1998) Item 48 (with black and white plates) two leaves (one is folio 30) at $1,400 and $1,750.
GENERAL COMMENTS: -
This is one of the finest text leaves from a Book of Hours that anyone could wish to possess. The book from which it came was described in Sotheby’s catalogue thus “The core of the manuscript is the residue of a first class Book of Hours of princely quality, both in its script and border decoration.
THE LEAF IS IMMACULATE, MAGNIFICENT, AND REPRESENTS ILLUMINATION AT ITS VERY, VERY, BEST.
used here, here [pdf], here
we had a fifth person at lunch, but only ed knew who.
copyright © 2007 sean dreilinger
view ed, texting the mystery woman in canada - _MG_8441 on a black background.
Argonne high-energy physicist Peter Winter is reusing old MRI magnets, like the one seen above, to benchmark instrumentation for new high-energy physics experiments. Read more »
Photo by Mark Lopez / Argonne National Laboratory.
31130D
I use the Cokin P-series filter system with neutral density, graduated neutral density, polarizer, soft focus, star cross, sepia, and a variety of other filters. The quality of the Cokin plastic/resin filters is adequate. However, I also have a few higher quality glass filters (polarizer and infrared) for the times when I need higher quality images.
I also use the Cokin P-series lens hood (shown mounted on a Vivitar 28mm f/2.8 lens).
Youth at risk of substance-use and mental-health concerns will have more support with the launch of a new, Integrated Youth Services Initiative. The initiative will work with five British Columbia communities - Kelowna, North Vancouver and West Vancouver, Campbell River, Prince George and Abbotsford - to develop service centres for youth. The centres are part of a provincial network of easily accessible youth mental-health, substance-use, primary-care and social-service centres hosted by local non-profit organizations.
Read more: news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2016HLTH0053-001061
Used a 36mm macro ring, shutter speed was 1/250, aperture 8. Weather had been quite good lately, so I took this shot in the later afternoon of a nice late summer (or early autumn) sunshiny day.
Used similar color scheme before but wanted to try it again with an outline that had a little more perpendicularity to it. The whole wall is to be re-done. In the meantime though, I couldn't bring myself to buff STR820's 2D sculpture as it ended up making for an interesting background.
Using a macro lens is helpful to see the progress after the setup. Few weeks after the setup the Glossostigma fully covered the front. The roots goes down to the bottom of the soil. Different kind of creatures you can see here as well as some debris build up between the soil granules.
Captured using a modified Canon Mark II, 8 inch RC. Ten minute sub exposures, total exposure time 8.5 hours.
Thanks for looking.
Clear Skies
Terry
Date of Shoot 14th, 15th and 16th July 2010
Camera: modified Canon 5D Mark II
51x10 min sub exposures with 20 each flats and dark frames.
Scope: Astro Tech RC 8" using AT 2" Field Flattener.
Auto-guided with Orion Auto Guider on TMB 80SS
Mount: CGE PRO GEM (pier mounted)
Image Acquired using Nebulosity II, stacked with Deep Sky Stacker and processed with Photoshop CS3.
The Thinktank Science Museum at Millennium Point, a multi-use meeting complex on Curzon Street in the Eastside, Birmingham, West Midlands.
The Birmingham Collection of Science & Industry was started in the mid-19th century, initially consisting of collections of weapons from the gun trade and the Birmingham Proof House. The Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery opened in 1885, including science collections. In 1951 the Museum of Science and Industry opened at Elkington Silver Electroplating Works, Newhall Street. Over the following years, the museum acquired individual artefacts, as well as entire collections, that were related to local industry and the history of science and technology.
Birmingham City Council decided in 1995 to relocate the museum when it was given an opportunity by the Millennium Commission to construct a new building. At the time, the old building was falling into a state of disrepair, and many of the artefacts were no longer in working order. The former museum closed in 1997, and Thinktank opened on 29 September 2001 as part of the £114-million Millennium Point complex. It was funded by Birmingham City Council, supported by the Millennium Commission. The area adjacent to the building is designated Eastside City Park. While many objects were put on display at Thinktank, others were stored at the Birmingham Museum Collection Centre, and some were brought out of storage.
Although the previous science museum was free to enter, Thinktank charges an entrance fee. In 2005 the museum underwent a £2 million upgrade, including the installation of a planetarium. By 2007 it had received over 1 million visitors. In April 2012, Birmingham Museums Trust took over governance and management responsibility for Thinktank, along with eight other sites.
In March 2015, a new "Spitfire gallery" opened, relating the displayed aircraft to their production, locally. Among the new exhibits are a leather flying helmet previously belonging to Helen Kerly, one of only two British civilian women commended for flying during the Second World War.
The museum shares the Millennium Point building with Birmingham City University, and is situated in the Eastside district. It lies near Aston University and the Gun Quarter – which was for many years the centre of world's gun-manufacturing industry. Immediately opposite are The Woodman, a public house, and Curzon Street railway station - both listed buildings.
Using Pam's fabulous February Lady Sweater. My gauge with this Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece is 21-22 st on 4.5mm needles and I just used the numbers for the second size and it fits my 8.5-year old perfectly. Used 3 hanks with some leftover.
Various Artists
Wednesday 6 - Friday 8 November, Check listing for times
Various Locations
Various Locations
Street Talks is a series of quickfire public talks, part of the Re@ct: Social Change Art Technology Symposium. Rather than your typical poster session, these talks will take place on the streets of Dundee in various locations. Free speech is essential to political and social change – these artists are quite literally taking it to the streets to share their creative practices.
Luisa Charles & Elke Reinhuber –Wednesday 6th November, 2pm, Slessor Gardens
Luisa Charles – discusses the intersections of disability and design, and how novel bespoke design practices could offer a solution to designing for all needs, where universal design could not. These design ideologies, that include co-design, individual centred design, mass customisation, and mass personalisation, are exemplified by case studies from pop culture design media, such as the Fixperts and BBC’s Big Life Fix. She analyses the social, technological, and economical shifts that are required for these practices to become mainstream, and the capability of bespoke design to cause enough disruption within the design economy to create a shift in capitalism.
Elke Reinhuber – The Urban Beautician moved recently from the speckless city state of Singapore, where she already developed her retirement plans, across the South China Sea, to protest-ridden Hong Kong. There, she observed how much effort the cleaners put up to keep these megapolises scrubbed and tidy. As they are frequently overlooked, the Urban Beautician captured some of them during their relentless daily routine. While they have adapted themselves to their particular duties, their skills are hardly ever honoured or even acknowledged. Paying homage to their Sisyphean challenge, they can be positioned now anywhere through Augmented Reality and venerated as perpetualised sculptures of our everyday heroes.The Urban Beautician tries to improve neglected details in our urban environment with interventions in public space and performances to camera. Since more than a decade she cares for things most people are oblivious to.
Ibarieze Abani and Daisy Abbott & Anders Zanichkowsky – Thursday 7th November, 1:30pm, Albert Square, by McManus Gallery Steps
Ibarieze Abani and Daisy Abbott – Transmedia storytelling uses multiple delivery channels to convey a narrative in order to provide a more immersive entertainment experience (Jenkins, 2009). Transmedia activism can be very broadly defined as using storytelling to “effect social change by engaging multiple stakeholders on multiple platforms to collaborate toward appropriate, community-led social action” (Srivastava, 2009). Activism depends on participation and collaboration within a community to avoid unsustainable or inappropriate top-down interventions. A similar concept, transmedia mobilization, uses transmedia storytelling to engage “the social base of a movement in participatory media making practices across multiple platforms” (Constanza-Chock, 2013) and also requires interaction from diverse voices from within the community.
Anders Zanichkowsky –“I Am in Your Hands: Smartphones and the erotics of the future”Social media artist and queer anarchist Anders Zanichkowsky will present excerpts and reflections from his current Grindr project, “Queen of Hearts,” as well as other recent projects reading Tarot cards on hookup apps and go-go dancing for a remote audience on Instagram. During this talk, Anders will use the same social media platforms that are the subject of his presentation, inviting you into the theory behind the work, and into the work itself. Equal parts cultural criticism, performance art, and experimental public speaking, this street talk will level the hierarchy of physical presence over virtual appearance, and scandalously suggest how thirst traps and sexting with strangers can indeed point us towards a radical future of queer intimacy and counterculture.
Mohammad Namazi & Matteo Preabianca – Friday 8th November, 1:30pm, Wellgate Centre, Victoria Road entrance
Mohammad Namazi – An Archive of Audio Disobedience, intervenes into the public realm, and collaborates with individuals, to construct a live-event. The event manifests through utilising a net-based sound archive, capable of involving participants in a collective form of sound-action, -publication, -demonstration, -performance, and -play.
The archive comprises various audio effects, sound segments, words, and computer-generated speeches – to stage a critical symphony, rooted in and derived from, socio-political concerns.
Matteo Preabianca – Mantra Marx is the eighth album for the NonMiPiaceIlCirco! Project. NonMiPiaceIlCirco! is a musical project that has been on since 2004, the year of the first album. Since then, the line-up has been in a constant change, with Matteo Preabianca the only member from the beginning. So they took The Capital from the shelf to read again. But who remembers it, especially young people? Let’s get rid of guitars and songs to give a didactic approach to the music. 25 tracks, one for each of the First Book’s 25 chapters. They use the lyrics as Hinduist mantras, where repetition is the key for a deep understanding of our life, and Marx as well. Its music, besides being lo-fi and badly made, is just an excuse. The lyrics are a summarized version of the aforementioned book, spoken by 25 different Mandarin native voices, completely unaware of the reason behind the recording. Still time to die as a Marxist(?). Developed and recorded in China.
About the Artists
Daisy Abbott is an interdisciplinary researcher and research developer based in the School of Simulation and Visualisation at The Glasgow School of Art. Daisy’s current research focusses on game-based learning, 3D visualisation, and issues surrounding digital interaction, documentation, preservation, and interpretation in the arts and humanities. She also collaborates with artists on works aiming to explore the nature of digital interactivity and digital art.
Luisa Charles is an interaction designer, multidisciplinary artist, and filmmaker. Having been exhibited in the Science Museum, Science Gallery London, London Design Festival, and various film festivals, amongst others, her work spans many themes across science and technology, social politics, and personal narratives. She specialises in installation design and physical computing, experience design, fabrication, and videography, and her work often comes under the umbrella of speculative and critical design. Her work focuses heavily on research processes, and forms itself organically through investigation and experimentation.
Ibarieze Abani is a recent Masters graduate in Serious Games and Virtual Reality at the Glasgow School of Art, where she has carried out projects about cultural heritage, gender inequality, transmedia storytelling and climate policy. She is an advocate of the capabilities of interactive digital media as a tool for opening up dialogues surrounding large scale themes such as climate justice, social justice and intersectionality. She has a keen interest in working with people using digital media to make meaningful and tangible differences on a societal scale.
Mohammad Namazi (b. 1981. Tehran) is an artist, educator and researcher based in London. Mohammad works through means of de-construction, collaboration, process, unlearning, and telematics systems within social and cultural realms. The studio operates as a research-lab for inter-disciplinary projects that can span video, sound, liveevents, graphics, photography, sculptural structures, and internet-based projects. He received his doctorate from UAL research in 2019, and currently teaches as visiting lecturer at Wimbledon, and Chelsea College of Arts. Mohammad is a member of research cluster Critical Practice.
Matteo Preabianca- Music and Languages…Music and Languages? How come? Matteo starts playing violin when he was a child, but he did not like it, especially when he tried to beat it on the table. It did not make any good sound. So, better drumming, right? Meanwhile playing and spending a lot his mum’s money to buy records he realised even speaking other languages was not so bad. Especially when he invented his own. Step by step, he turned into a music and languages teacher.
Elke Reinhuber is not your average artist, because she became a specialist on choice, decision making and counterfactual thoughts in media arts. Currently, Reinhuber teaches and researches at the School of Creative Media, CityU Hing Kong and is affiliated with the School of Art, Design and Media at NTU in Singapore. In her artistic practice, she investigates on the correlation between decisions and emotions and explores different strategies of visualisation and presentation, working with immersive environments, mixed reality, imaging technologies and performance. In addition, her alter ego, the ‘Urban Beautician’ is pursuing a life which Elke didn’t follow.
Anders Zanickowsky is an American artist and activist who uses platforms like Grindr and Instagram as actual sites for performances about desire, uncertainty, and vulnerability. He is committed to José Esteban Muñoz’s concept of queer futurity in which artists refuse the oppressive confines of the present and reach instead towards what can only be imagined. He has an MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2019) and was a resident with The Arctic Circle program in Svalbard (2016). Since 2008 he has worked in movements for housing justice, prison abolition, and HIV/AIDS.
Photography Kathryn Rattray
Copyright © 2009 Ruggero Poggianella. All rights reserved.
Please, do not use my photos without my written permission.
Il Convento dell'Ordine di Cristo (portoghese: Convento de Cristo), o più semplicemente Convento di Cristo a Tomar, in Portogallo, fu originariamente una fortezza appartenente ai cavalieri templari costruita nel XII secolo. In seguito alla dissoluzione dell'Ordine dei templari, avvenuta nel XIV secolo, il ramo portoghese dell'ordine si trasformò nell'Ordine del Cristo che finanziò le grandi scoperte del quindicesimo secolo.
Il Convento è uno dei monumenti storici ed artistici più importanti del Portogallo, e fa parte dei Patrimoni dell'umanità dell'UNESCO dal 1983.
Nel 1118 due cavalieri francesi, Hugues de Payns e Geoffrey de Saint Omer, ottennero dal re cristiano di Gerusalemme Baldovino II il benestare per fondare un'istituzione religiosa che avesse come scopo la cura della moltitudine di pellegrini che affluivano ogni anno in Terra Santa per pregare davanti al Santo Sepolcro.
Dieci anni dopo la confraternita venne legalizzata dal Papa con la Bolla pontificia Omne datum optimum. Nel frattempo l'Ordine del Tempio era già di fatto divenuto un'importante congregazione di "monaci-cavalieri". La decisione papale, che comportava un'infinità di benefici ed esenzioni, era inoltre un'eccezionale lettera di presentazione per monarchi e governanti europei: gli appartenenti all'Ordine, denominati Templari, conobbero una vertiginosa ascesa e diventarono, grazie anche a una grande disponibilità finanziaria, una presenza chiave nella politica europea del Medioevo.
Il castello dei templari di Tomar venne costruito da Gualdim Pais, capo provinciale dell'Ordine dei Templari, attorno al 1160. Alla fine dello stesso secolo il castello venne scelto come quartier generale dell'Ordine in Portogallo. Il castello di Tomar fece parte del sistema difensivo creato dai templari per difendere i confini del neonato Regno Cristiano dall'aggressoine dei Mori, che in quel periodo (metà del dodicesimo secolo) arrivava approssimativamente al fiume Tago.
La famosa chiesa rotonda (rotunda) del castello venne eretta nella seconda metà del dodicesimo secolo. La chiesa, come altri edifici religiosi templari in tutta Europa, seguiva il progetto della Cupola della Roccia a Gerusalemme, che i crociati ritenevano erroneamente il Tempio di Salomone. Anche la Chiesa del Santo Sepolcro, anch'essa a Gerusalemme, venne usata come modello.
Secondo gli storici cristiani il castello di Tomar resistette nel 1190 agli attacchi del califfo Yaqub al-Mansur, che aveva già conquistato le fortezze del sud. Una targa nei pressi dell'entrata ricorda questi eventi.
Sede dell'Ordine di Cristo
L'ordine dei templari venne soppresso in quasi tutta l'Europa nel 1311-1312 per volere di papa Clemente V, istigato da Filippo il Bello, ma in Portogallo i suoi adepti, i beni, ed in parte la vocazione, vennero trasmessi al nuovo Ordine di Cristo, creato nel 1319 da Dionigi I. L'Ordine di Cristo si spostò a Tomar nel 1357.
Uno dei più importanti Gran Maestri dell'Ordine fu Enrico il Navigatore, che lo guidò dal 1417 fino alla morte, avvenuta nel 1460. Il principe Enrico diede enorme impulso alle spedizioni pionieristiche portoghesi durante l'era delle grandi scoperte. Nel convento il principe Enrico ordinò la costruzione di vari chiostri ed altri edifici. Sponsorizzò anche miglioramenti urbanistici nella stessa città di Tomar.
Un'altra persona famosa legata all'Ordine di Cristo fu Manuele I, che divenne Maestro dell'Ordine nel 1484 e re del Portogallo nel 1492. Sotto il suo regno vi furono numerosi miglioramenti al convento, soprattutto l'aggiunta di una nuova navata alla chiesa circolare e le decorazioni effettuate con pitture e sculture.
Il successore di Manuele I, Giovanni III, demilitarizzò l'ordine, trasformandolo in un ordine religioso con una regola basata sugli insegnamenti di Bernardo di Chiaravalle. Ordinò anche la costruzoine di un nuovo chiostro nel 1557, uno dei migliori esempi di architettura del Rinascimento in Portogallo.
Nel 1581, dopo una crisi di successione, la nobiltà portoghese si radunò nel convento e riconobbe ufficialmente Filippo II di Spagna (Filippo I del Portogallo) come re. Fu l'inizio dell'Unione Iberica (1581-1640), durante la quale il Regno del Portogallo e di Spagna furono uniti. L'acquedotto del convento venne costruito durante il regno spagnolo.
Arte ed architettura
Il castello ed il Convento di Cristo mostrano esempi di stile romanico, gotico, manuelino e rinascimentale.
Il castello di Tomar venne costruito attorno al 1160 in un punto strategico, sopra una collina e vicino al fiume Nabão. Possiede delle mura difensive esterne ed una cittadella (alcáçova) con una torre principale all'interno. L'uso della torre centrale, eretta a scopo residenziale e difensivo, venne introdotto in Portogallo dai Templari, e quella di Tomar è tra le più vecchie dello stato. Un'altra novità introdotta dai templari sono le torri rotonde che dominano le mura esterne, più resistenti agli attacchi di quelle quadrate. Quando venne fondata la città molti residenti vivevano in case situate all'interno delle mura difensive.
Chiesa rotonda
La chiesa rotonda romanica del castello (charola, rotunda) venne costruita nella seconda metà del dodicesimo secolo dai templari. La chiesa ha una struttura poligonare a sedici lati all'esterno, con contrafforti, finestre rotonde ed un campanile. All'interno ha una struttura ottagonale connessa alla galleria (deambulatorio) tramite archi. In generale la forma ricorda quella della Cupola della Roccia e della Chiesa del Santo Sepolcro di Gerusalemme.
I capitelli delle colonne sono in stile romanico (fine del dodicesimo secolo) e mostrano motivi animali e vegetali, oltre alla scena di San Daniele tra i leoni. Lo stile dei capitelli mostra influenze degli artisti che lavorarono alla Vecchia Cattedrale di Coimbra, contemporanea alla chiesa rotonda.
Gli interni sono finemente decorati con sculture e dipinti gotici/manuelini, aggiunti durante un restauro promosso da Manuele I a partire dal 1499. I pilastri dell'ottagono centrale e delle mura del deambulatorio hanno statue policrome dei santi e degli angeli sotto un baldacchino fastoso, mentre muri e soffitto del deambulatorio mostrano dipinti gotici raffiguranti la vita di Cristo. I dipinti sono attribuiti al lavoro del pittore di corte di Manuele I, il portoghese Jorge Afonso, mentre le sculture sono dell'artista fiammingo Olivier de Gand e dello spagnolo Hernán Muñoz. Un mosaico raffigurante il martirio di San Sebastiano, del pittore portoghese Gregório Lopes, venne creato per la chiesa rotonda ed attualmente è esposto presso il Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga di Lisbona.
Navata manuelina della chiesa
Durante la guida di Enrico il Navigatore (prima metà del quindicesimo secolo) venne aggiunta una navata gotica alla chiesa rotonda del convento, trasformando quindi la vecchia chiesa rotonda nell'abside di quella nuova. Dal 1510 Manuele I ordinò la ricostruzione della navata nello stile del tempo, un misto tra gotico e rinascimentale in futuro chiamato stile manuelino dagli storici d'arte.Gli architetti coinvolti furono il portoghese Diogo de Arruda e lo spagnolo João de Castilho.
Vista dall'esterno la navata rettangolare appare ricoperta da abbondanti motivi manuelini, tra cui alcuni gargoyl, guglie gotiche, statue e "corde" che ricordano quelle usate sulle navi durante l'era delle grandi scoperte, oltre ad una croce dell'Ordine di Cristo ed allo stemma di Manuele I, la sfera armillare. La finestra della casa capitolare (Janela do Capítulo), un'enorme finestra visibile dal chistro di Santa Barbara sulla facciata occidentale della navata, contiene numerosi motivi manuelini: il simbolo dell'Ordine di Cristo e di Manuele I, oltre a corde coralli e motivi vegetali. Una figura umana nella parte inferiore della finestra rappresenta probabilmente il progettista, Diogo de Arruda. Questa finestra rappresenta uno dei lavori migliori del convento tra quelli in stile manuelino. Sopra si trova una piccola finestra circolare ed una balaustra. La facciata è divisa da due corde annodate. I contrafforti ad angoli arrotondati sono decorati con giarrettiere giganti che alludono all'investitura di Manuele I avvenuta dall'Ordine della Giarrettiera per mano di Enrico VII d'Inghilterra. L'entrata della chiesa è costituita da una magnificente porta laterale, decorata anch'essa con motivi manuelini e da statue della Vergina Maria con il bambino, e dei profeti del vecchio testamento. Questo portone venne progettato da João de Castilho attorno al 1530. All'interno la navata manuelina è unita alla chiesa rotonda romanica attraverso un grande arco. La navata è coperta da un apprezzabile volta a coste ed ha un coro sfortunatamente distrutto dall'invasione delle truppe Napoleoniche all'inizio del diciannovesimo secolo. Sotto il coro si trova una stanza usata come sagrestia.
Scala a chiocciola nel chiostro di Giovanni III.
Il Convento di Cristo ha un totale di otto chiostri, costruiti nel quindicesimo e sedicesimo secolo.
Claustro da Lavagem (Chiostro della Lavanderia): chiostro gotico a due piani costruito attorno al 1433 da Enrico il Navigatore. Gli indumenti dei monaci venivano lavati in questo chiostro, da qui il nome.
Claustro do Cemitério (Chiostro del Cimitero): anche questo costruito da Enrico il Navigatore, è in stile gotico ed è il luogo di sepoltura di templari e monaci dell'Ordine. L'elegante doppia colonna di archi ha ottimi capitelli con motivi vegetali, e le mura del deambulatorio sono decorate con mosaici del sedicesimo secolo. In una tomba (circa 1523) riposa Diogo da Gama, fratello del navigatore Vasco da Gama.
Claustro de Santa Bárbara (Chiostro di Santa Barbara): costruito nel sedicesimo secolo. La finestra della casa capitolare e la facciata occidentale della navata manuelina sono ben visibili da questo chiostro.
Claustro de D. João III (Chiostro di Giovanni III): iniziato sotto Giovanni III, venne terminato durante il regno di Filippo I del Portogallo (anche re di Spagna sotto il nome di Filippo II). Il primo architetto fu lo spagnolo Diogo de Torralva, che iniziò nel 1557 i lavori che sarebbero stati portati a termine dall'italiano Filippo Terzi. Questo splendido chiostro a due piani collega il dormitorio alla chiesa, ed è considerato uno dei principali esempi di Manierismo in Portogallo. I due piani sono collegati da quattro scale elicoidali situate nei quattro angoli.