Tag Archives: Asia

Asian Art: The “Exquisite Stylisation” Of Japanese Woodblock Prints”

From Christie’s Magazine (June 4, 2020):

The Tokugawa dynasty would rule until 1868, and the era became known as the Edo period…It was a time of peace and prosperity, and the arts flourished. Particularly splendid were the ukiyo-e (‘woodblock prints’) — works known for their unusual viewpoints, abrupt cropping, exquisite stylisation, and patches of vivid, unshaded colour.

Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), Kanagawa oki nami ura (In the Well of the Great Wave off Kanagawa), from the series Fugaku sanjurokkei (Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji).
Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), Kanagawa oki nami ura (In the Well of the Great Wave off Kanagawa), from the series Fugaku sanjurokkei (Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji).

Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806), Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849) and Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) belong in the pantheon of all-time great artists,’ says Anastasia von Seibold, senior specialist in Japanese Art at Christie’s.

The introduction of colour: nishiki-e

Printing in more than one colour was tricky: it wasn’t until the 1740s that green and pink were tentatively introduced. A huge breakthrough came in 1765, when Suzuki Harunobu (1724-1770) mastered a process that accommodated an array of colours.

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Top New Travel Videos: “Istanbul” By Eliane Hajj

Filmed and Edited by: Eliane Hajj

Istanbul, formerly known as Byzantium and Constantinople, is the most populous city in Turkey and the country’s economic, cultural and historic center. Istanbul is a transcontinental city in Eurasia, straddling the Bosporus strait (which separates Europe and Asia) between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea. Its commercial and historical center lies on the European side and about a third of its population lives in suburbs on the Asian side of the Bosporus. With a total population of around fifteen million residents in its metropolitan area, Istanbul is one of the world’s largest cities, ranking as the world’s fifth-largest city proper and the largest city in Europe.

 

Travel: “The New York Times Style Magazine” – The Silk Road (May 2020)

For years, Silk Road travelers made the grueling trek past towering mountain ranges and ancient cities now lost to time. Centuries later, one writer attempts to retrace the journey.

T Magazine - The New York Times

 

This year, T’s spring Travel issue is devoted to just five stories, each an account of its writer’s journey along a different section of the Silk Road — the ancient network of trade routes that until the 15th or 16th century spanned some 4,000 miles of the globe, from Central Asia across the Middle East to Southern Europe, and formed a vital conduit for both new commodities and new ideas. While venturing to faraway places might seem like a distant possibility now, a year after this issue began to take shape, as we reckon with the global pandemic, these pieces are a powerful reminder of our innate desire to move and explore.

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Timelapse Travel Videos: “Kyrgyzstan” In Central Asia By Mattia Bicchi (2020)

Filmed and Edited by: Mattia Bicchi

With this video, I want you to explore in ultra-high definition and through the technique of Timelapse, the incredible and variety of landscapes in this almost unknown country in Central Asia.

During the first part of the trip I explored with Visit Karakol and landscape photographers, Albert Dros, the south region around Lenin Peak, Arslanbob and Sary-Chelek, in the second part I hiked few days around Karakol Valley, visiting Ala-Kul an alpine lake at 3.500m and Sary-Jaz Valley close to China’s borders. My goal with this film is to inspire you to visit and explore this beautiful country, so I hope you will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed working on it.

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Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic and also known as Kirghizia, is a country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is a landlocked country with mountainous terrain. It is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west and southwest, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east.

Interviews: Indonesian Cookbook “Coconut & Sambal” Author Lara Lee

Monocle 24 The MenuLara Lee, the author of the new cookery book ‘Coconut & Sambal’, shares one of her favourite recipes.

About Coconut & Sambal

Coconut & SambalBe transported to the bountiful islands of Indonesia by this collection of fragrant, colourful and mouth-watering recipes.

‘An exciting and panoramic selection of dishes and snacks’
– Fuchsia Dunlop, author of The Food of Sichuan


‘Start with Lara’s fragrant chicken soup, do lots of exploring on the way whilst dousing everything with spoonfuls of sambal, and end with her coconut and pandan sponge cake’
 Yotam Ottolenghi, author of SIMPLE

Coconut & Sambal reveals the secrets behind authentic Indonesian cookery. With more than 80 traditional and vibrant recipes that have been passed down through the generations, you will discover dishes such as Nasi goreng, Beef rendang, Chilli prawn satay and Pandan cake, alongside a variety of recipes for sambals: fragrant, spicy relishes that are undoubtedly the heart and soul of every meal.Lara uses simple techniques and easily accessible ingredients throughout Coconut and Sambal, interweaving the recipes with beguiling tales of island life and gorgeous travel photography that shines a light on the magnificent, little-known cuisine of Indonesia.

What are you waiting for? Travel the beautiful islands of Indonesia and taste the different regions through these recipes.

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Timelapse Travel Videos: “Genesis 8K – Discover Japan” By Daisuke Shimizu

Filmed and Edited by: Daisuke Shimizu

Discover Japan Series 3nd: This is an 8K Timelapse and Hyperlapse video that I shot in Japan for about two years. Japan has experienced many earthquakes, disasters, and wars. And we have overcome the challenges each time. And now I’m being influenced by COVID-19. Japan is moving toward a new era. I expressed this feeling as an 8K image.

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Future Of Urban Housing: Stackable “OPod Tube Houses”, Hong Kong 2020 (Cybertecture Architects)

OPod Housing No.1 James Law Cybertecture Hong Kong 2020 Urban HousingComprised of 21 units of OPod Tube Houses, stack on 2 levels, the project is deployed on an unused urban plot in To Kwa Wan District of Hong Kong. Being a modular and flexible architecture, OPod Housing No.1 is able to be set up in less than 3 months, providing accommodation to 20 sets of residents with shared common kitchen and a co-living courtyard.

OPod Housing No.1 is social housing project providing accommodation to citizens of Hong Kong struggling to afford housing.

OPod Housing No.1 James Law Cybertecture Hong Kong 2020 Urban Housing

Each OPod Tube House is 140 sq.ft in size with private toilet and shower, food preparation area and living room with sofa bed. To facilitate a modern sustainable  lifestyle, the OPod Tube Houses are equiped with wifi and home automation for better management of resources. The project is scheduled to complete construction and open in 2020.

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New Aerial Travel Videos: “Serenity” Above Europe By Vadim Sherbakov (2020)

Created and Directed by: Vadim Sherbakov

“Serenity” is a non-narrative short drone film, produced with the unique camera angle, facing straight down at -90º at the wonderful texture of earth landscapes. Because of this and the subjects it captures, you can watch this film both horizontally or vertically. Here is a horizontal version, but you can see the vertical one, on my Instagram or IGTV.

The film itself is a 3 minutes blend of total tranquility and calmness that allows you to escape reality for just a short while. Shot in different places on earth such as Iceland, Norway, Spain, Portugal, Belarus and Russia, it shows the unique and gorgeous landscape at an unusual angle. So bring up the volume or put on headphones and immerse in it.

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