Kirsten Dirksen Films (May 28, 2023) – Caspar Schols built his first shapeshifting house in his mother’s backyard as her writing cabin that, by sliding a room-on-rails, could convert into a place to sleep under the stars.
He has since perfected his expandable home with 10 prototypes: his most recent model is robust enough to serve as a primary residence and has a bathtub and guest bed hidden in the floor. The house can be opened up – on sunny days, for nature-watching or just to sleep directly under the stars – with just a push.
The entire walls and ceiling of the house move, but anyone can propel this 3,000 kilograms (over 6000 pounds) room-on-rails because Schols created a system that is “super low friction”. To create a well-insulated home that has walls that move, Schols and his team designed the rails with wind labyrinths to trap the air and added brushes to any moving surface to prevent airflow.
DW Documentary (May 28, 2023) – NATO members are viewing Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine with grave concern, especially those on the alliance’s eastern flank. They’re joining forces with German troops right on the Russian border.
Germany is the leading or “framework nation” in what is called the NATO Battle Group Lithuania. With its alliance partners, German forces are serving “on the front line” – right on the Russian border. They’re guarding NATO’s northeast flank against any possible incursion and ensuring the Baltic states are supported during times of crisis and, if necessary, conflict.
In the spring of 2023, Germany’s military is in Rukla and Pabrade, among other places, for maneuvers. There it is practicing with NATO partners from Croatia, the Czechia and the Netherlands to handle a Russian attack on the Baltic states. In full agreement with the NATO motto “train as you fight,” practice and training are closely-oriented to a genuine threat.
The leader of the German contingent, Colonel Wolfgang Schmidt, points out the special historic significance and perceived peril in the Baltic. He says, “From historical experience, of course the perception of possible aggression – be it Russian or Belarusian – is far more intense here than in the Federal Republic of Germany.” He adds that not everyone has grasped the defense of “all that we stand for – modernity, freedom of opinion and speech and everything we describe as Western values begins here.” For a year, Schmidt says, the Ukraine has been fighting far more than their Russian attackers – they’re defending “our freedom,” too. This report follows a major exercise called “Griffin Lightning.” A platoon commander with the Dutch Armed Forces emphasizes the importance of maneuvers and cooperation among the multinational forces.
First Lieutenant Bent S. says, “We’re taking part in different exercises. Last week we were with the Norwegians. In a few weeks, the whole Battle Group will come together and we’ll train again with the Norwegians, Germans, Czechs and Croats. Nobody wants war, but if it really comes to it, we’ll be ready.” This documentary provides an exclusive look at NATO maneuvers in Lithuania, which are unfolding closer than ever before to a genuine military threat.
frevonyc presents ‘Altered Lands’, the first show by British artist Jake Wood-Evans on US soil, an exhibition curated by one of Europe’s most exciting independent galleries, Unit London.
Jake Wood-Evans presents a conscious shift from figure towards landscape. With Altered Lands Wood-Evans explores references from eighteenth and nineteenth-century English artists, examining how these artworks communicate notions of transience, nostalgia, and intangibility through a contemporary lens.
With a focus on John Constable, Benjamin Williams Leader, and the overlooked landscape works of Gainsborough, Wood-Evans continues to unravel the thread that weaves through his entire practice, using the familiar as a tool to uncover something new.
Unit London is one of London’s leading independent, artist-led galleries. It was founded in 2013 by two young British artists, Joe Kennedy, and Jonny Burt. They had a vision of creating a gallery that champions and supports the world’s most gifted emerging artists in a manner that is open, inclusive, and accessible.
The Local Project (May 28, 2023) – Retaining its heritage, Shift House is an architects family home that sees MAUD elegantly and subtly use the original structure’s form and character as the foundation for renovations.
Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Architects Family Home 00:45 – A Special Character Location 01:29 – The Ability to Experiment 02:00 – A Shift from Old to New 02:43 – The Material Palette 03:10 – A Focus on the Kitchen 03:39 – The Performance and Aesthetics of Good Design 03:53 – Linking the Outdoors with the Indoors 04:20 – Favourite Aspects of the Home 04:55 – Changing the Way of Living and Operating
Located on a tree-lined street, the architects family home is surrounded by the special character Freemans Bay. Due to this location, the architects renovations came with constraints that pertained to the form and development of the home. However, thanks to the structure’s position upon a ridge, MAUD was afforded the opportunity to build a two-storey addition that is concealed from the street front and does not cross any of the limitations.
Afforded the opportunity to experiment on their own home, the architect was able to try out methods of interior design that they otherwise would not. As such, the renovations to the architects family home included an addition of modern lower levels that connect to the rear gardens, while an upstairs room that affords an outlook beyond the site has been added. Seen throughout the architects family home there is an intentional use of colour to signal the change in eras.
First experienced within the original parts of the home, a muted palette has been used to bring life and character to the space, while in the newer additions there is a shift upon the emphasis of materiality and texture to match the modern years. Using recycled materials to link the new additions to the original home, MAUD shifts and moves the formal shapes of the original zones into the relaxed new additions. In the bathrooms, the use of saturated colours provides an immersive experience, showcasing the ritualistic approaches to bathing.
The Age Newspaper (May 28, 2023) – A walking guide to Paris. Under Mayor Anne Hidalgo, the city is becoming a paradise for pedestrians, with cars increasingly shut out of the city centre. Of course, Paris has always been a city made for strolling, from the long quais lining the River Seine to the elegant Haussmann boulevards. Here are three of our favourite walks through Paris’s most memorable neighbourhoods.
The 2nd arrondissement: avenues and arcades
Enjoy the eye-catching architecture and one of Paris’s best food streets.
The 5th arrondissement: medieval streets and mint tea
Paris’s oldest district dates back to Roman times and has plenty of treasures tucked into its narrow winding streets.
The 8th arrondissement: barefaced chic
To see Paris as she appears in the movies – rows of grand townhouses decorated with wrought-iron balconies, impeccably dressed dowagers walking their poodles – this is the destination of your dreams.
TOP 100 Travel Films (May 28, 2023) – Kaimana Regency contains over 500 separate offshore islands, spread over the five districts with coastlines. Kaimana District includes at least 280 islands, of which the largest are Pulau Namatota, Pulau Aiduma and Pulau Dramai.
There are at least 62 islands in Teluk Etna District, of which the largest is Pulau Kayumerah. Teluk Arguni Bawah District includes 31 islands. There are 14 islands in Buruway District, of which the largest are Pulau Adi (the regency’s largest offshore island, including the village of Manggawitu) and Pulau Kelimala. Kambrau District includes 4 islands.
May 28, 2023– Emma Nelson, Tessa Szyszkowitz and Enrico Franceschini on the weekend’s biggest stories. We speak to Tyler Brûlé in Tokyo, Hannah Lucinda Smith in Istanbul and get the latest from the Cannes Film Festival.
With the government on track to reach its borrowing limit within days, negotiators sealed an agreement to raise the debt ceiling for two years while cutting and capping certain federal programs.
Republicans have criticized recent estimates of what Black Americans are owed in reparations. But for Democrats, they pose deeper problems for a party eager to retain the allegiance of Black voters.
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