Places Archive

Powerful, powerful images.  It’s crazy because I think about the Ebola scare that happened a few months in the USA, but I hardly hear anything about it now – even though it’s still taking lives all across Africa! To learn more about the work that Water Missions is doing, check here.

| I first got the idea for the film when I read an article about a blackout in LA in 1994 where people called 911 reporting these strange clouds floating in the sky, those clouds where in fact the Milky Way. It made me think about how the lights from cities have made many of us lose our connection to the night sky. We live in a fast paced man-made world whereby it is all too easy for us to become disconnected from the natural world around us, isolated from what is actually real. There are many other aspects of the human condition that this film could touch upon which could make its’ intentions appear somewhat complicated, but is essence the film’s agenda could not be more simple; to inspire people to get away from the city lights, go somewhere quiet on a star-filled night and simply look up.

 

Remarkable textures and visuals combined with an introspective monologue makes for a resonating piece of art. Combine this with this video, and you have a deadly combination of exploration and adventure.

| Without any apparent story, other than what you may fill in by yourself, the idea of the film is primarily to show a glimpse of the fantastic and beautiful nature that surrounds us on our neighboring worlds – and above all, how it might appear to us if we were there.

(photo credit: Reuters)

——
“I, too, sing America.
I am the darker brother.
They send me to eat in the kitchen
When company comes,
But I laugh,
And eat well,
And grow strong.
Tomorrow,
I’ll be at the table
When company comes.
Nobody’ll dare
Say to me,
“Eat in the kitchen,”
Then.
Besides,
They’ll see how beautiful I am
And be ashamed–
I, too, am America.”
Langston Hughes

Continuing in the theme of all things space-related, I present you with Solus – a short story of loneliness, adventure, and self sacrifice (as told by the folks at Identity Visuals). Simple, short, and look into how even in the biggest places, having one friend can make all the difference.

It’s no secret of mine that most of my daydreams consist of the open air and everything that extends beyond it.  This video made me feel small, but also made realize how incredibly large our world is, how insignificant some of our problems are in the big picture.  Go ahead and turn the volume low on the video above, and pair it with this monologue by Carl Sagan.  It’s said that he spoke these words after seeing this photograph of Earth, the farthest photograph ever taken of Earth, by the Voyager 1 space probe.

The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta is one of the largest hot air balloon events in the world that takes place each year, sending droves of hot air balloons into the open skies.  This year Knate Myers  was fortunate enough to capture the scene in an incredible timelapse that takes the experience to an entirely different level. Have a look!