Tag Archives: Views

Travel: A Walking Tour Of Rouen, Northern France

Filmed on March 11 2023: Rouen, capital of the northern French region of Normandy, is a port city on the river Seine. Important in the Roman era and Middle Ages, it has Gothic churches, such as Saint-Maclou and Saint-Ouen, and a cobblestoned pedestrian center with medieval half-timbered houses. The skyline is dominated by the spires of Cathédrale Notre-Dame, much-painted by Impressionist Claude Monet. 

The old city, on the right bank of the Seine River and surrounded by a natural amphitheatre of hills, has so many historical buildings that it has been called a ville-musée (museum-town). Indeed, much of this area was designated a preservation zone. Despite its variety of architectural styles (from early Gothic to late Flamboyant) and its lack of symmetry, Rouen cathedral is considered one of the finest Gothic churches in France. Damaged during World War II, it has been admirably restored. The immense facade, covered with lacelike stonework, stands between two dissimilar towers, the left dating mostly from the 12th century, and the right from the 15th century. Its Tour de Beurre has a carillon of 55 bells. The central lantern tower (13th–16th century), with a late 19th-century spire, is the highest church tower in France (495 feet [151 metres]). 

Filmed and edited by:

UHD Walking Adventures

Travel And Photography: One-Week In Iceland (4K)

Tales of Justin (February 28, 2023) – Iceland, an island nation in the North Atlantic Ocean, lies between Europe and North America. The country is situated on a strategic location between North America and Europe, about 840 km north west of the United Kingdom and about 460 km south east of Greenland‘s coast. The closest bodies of land in Europe are the Faroe Islands (530 km).

The island lies just south of the Arctic Circle at the northern end of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR), where the tectonic plate of Eurasia meets the North American Plate, causing a lot of volcanic activity in the region. Iceland’s extraordinary landscape offers hot springs and geysers, icefields and volcanoes, glaciers and wild waterfalls.

Iceland has 30 active volcanic systems, of which 13 have erupted since the settlement of island in AD 874, only about 20 percent of the country is habitable.

Architecture: Biomorphic Home Design By Julius Roy

Biomorphic architecture is a style of architectural design that emphasizes natural shapes and patterns. As such, biomorphic architecture is inspired by organic forms like plants, animals, or the natural elements.

THE BLACK HOUSE [ I ]

Just like white, black is not in the strict sense of the term a color, however it is associated with it from a psychological point of view, black conveying just like a color a symbolism. Scientifically, black refers to black holes and nothingness. In optics, black absorbs all wavelengths and is therefore characterized by its apparent absence of color, unlike white which is obtained by returning all the wavelengths it absorbs in equal parts. In the West, black is associated with mourning, sadness and despair, fear and death. 

THE LABRADORITE HOUSE [ I ]

Labradorite is a mineral synonymous with security and regeneration. Discover its unique reflections that will remind you of the beauty of the polar skies and equip yourself with this strong energy shield to protect yourself from external negative energies.

Design Artist: Julius Roy

Top 2023 Art Exhibitions: Sholto Blissett – Rubicon

Sholto Blissett Rubicon I, 2022 oil on canvas 78 3/4 x 118 1/8 in. (200 x 300 cm.)
SHOLTO BLISSETT: RUBICON
January 25-February 22, 2023

Bodies of water act as both borders and conjunctions, where societies are delineated and defined. Further contradictory meanings bubble through to the surface as Blissett’s imagined landscapes become psychological spaces for meditation where the river is an obstacle to be crossed and considered.

Installation view of Sholto Blissett: Rubicon (January 25-February 22, 2023) at Alexander Berggruen, NY. Photo: Dario Lasagni

In Rubicon, Blissett’s upland rivers are framed by bridges that run perpendicular to the body of water. The artist’s central placement of the bridges, Roman architectural embellishments in linear perspective, and urge to repetitively revisit similar yet increasingly foreboding environments reveals an attempt to organize or frame the scene. Yet, this organization is a fiction as from this positioning, the bridges cannot encompass the swell, the rugged topography, and the cloud-blemished skies. While bridges connect lands and cultures, from this frontal viewpoint, the ends of the arches depicted in Blissett’s paintings are rendered inaccessible

Aerial Views: Antalya In Southwestern Turkey (4K)

World in 4K – Antalya is a Turkish resort city with a yacht-filled Old Harbor and beaches flanked by large hotels. It’s a gateway to Turkey’s southern Mediterranean region, known as the Turquoise Coast for its blue waters. Remnants remain from Antalya’s time as a major Roman port. These include Hadrian’s Gate, built to honor the Roman emperor’s visit in 130 A.D and 2nd-century Hidirlik Tower, with harbor views. 

Humor: Most ‘Liked’ New Yorker Cartoons In 2022

A selection of The New Yorker's instagram cartoons.
By Colin Stokes December 15, 2022

The New Yorker (December 15, 2022) – Over the past year, The New Yorker has participated in this sublime tradition by generously sharing a large number of cartoons on our  Instagram  accounts, and we have been gratified to see that many people have “liked” them. We are so glad that we were able to bring some cheer into your life. To anyone who has not clicked Like on every post: well, let’s just say that we hope you get coal in your stocking.

I'll Be Fine All Alone In The Dark by Harry Bliss

I’ll Be Fine All Alone In The Dark by Harry Bliss

Youre Creeping Everyone Out Drawing by Joe Dator

by JOE DATOR

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Views: NASA Unveils ‘Earth System Observatory’ (ESO)

NASA Goddard (December 2022) – NASA is developing the Earth System Observatory, the core of which is five satellite missions providing critical data on climate change, severe weather and other natural hazards, wildfires, and global food production.

These observations will address the most pressing questions about our changing planet. Taken together as a single Observatory, NASA will have a holistic, 3D view of Earth to better understand how our planet’s complex systems work together and improve our capability to predict how our climate may change.

NASA’s Open Source Science strategy is the key to bringing the data from these missions together into a single observatory to help understand the earth as a system and accelerate our ability to use this understanding. These observations will better inform decision-makers on how our planet is changing, with greater precision on previously unimaginable scales – from entire continents down to individual trees, from atmosphere to bedrock.

Tours: Plas Newydd House Snowdonia, North Wales

National Trust – Set on the shores of the Menai Strait, visitors to the gardens at Plas Newydd in Wales can take in the sea air and enjoy views of Snowdonia.

The gardens, dating back to the 16th century, owe much of their dramatic beauty to landscape designer Humphry Repton who in 1798, who planted trees to make the most of the views. Repton’s legacy influences the way the National Trust cares for the gardens today.

Discover ornate courtyards, a vibrant rhododendron garden and a tree house – features when the 6th Marquess of Anglesey lived at Plas Newydd with his family. You’ll also pick up a gardening tip to help you keep your flower beds happy and healthy over winter. The gardens at Plas Newydd are only open at weekends during the winter.

Home Tours: The ‘Dolphin Sands Studio’ In Tasmania

The Local Project – At the end of an undulating path is Dolphin Sands Studio, a small cabin that floats atop the dunes and looks out to The Hazards mountain range and the Peninsula beyond. From the open deck of the cabin, the doors open up to the main living spaces of the studio cabin.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Tiny Cabin on a Hidden Beach 00:31 – The Location of Dolphin Sands 00:45 – A Walkthrough and Around the Cabin 01:04 – The Spacial Components 01:24 – Conceived as a View Finder 01:59 – Utilising as Few Materials as Possible 02:20 – Room for Two 02:48 – Providing Protection 03:05 – The Triangular Form 03:28 – The Architects Proud Moments

Consisting of a kitchen, living space and bedroom – with an adjacent bathroom – the cabin home holds everything the occupants need in one space. Located on a hidden beach in Tasmania, Australia, Dolphin Sands Studio by Matt Williams Architects has been conceived as a viewfinder – giving the occupants unmatched views across the bay. Completing the architecture and interior design, the architect worked alongside the builder to consider how the triangular form of the remote cabin could embrace its surroundings.

This was done by employing a large south-southeast facing window and using as few materials as possible to create a calm space for the occupants. Built on an exposed site, Dolphin Bay Studio embraces its surroundings by inserting itself as one with the landscape. Conceived as a solid tent, the cabin home allows for protection from the elements while maintaining an immediacy with the landscape.

Employing sustainable materials, Matt Williams Architects establishes that the materials work in tune with the weather while not taking away from the experience of living in the unique beach cabin. Capturing the golden sunrise every morning, the position of the cabin home allows the occupants to completely embrace the spectacular views and become one with the community. Though Dolphin Sands Studio is small in scale, the location and proximity to the bay brings external space for the occupants to enjoy.

With a desire to reduce the impact on the terrain, as well as flora and fauna, the architect and builder created a minimally impactful home that inserts itself into the bay. Also offering an escape from the worries of everyday life and the bustling cityscape, the cabin is a uniquely designed home that considers more than its occupants. With an offer of serenity, sustainability and waterside living, Dolphin Bay Studio pushes towards what is possible when designing and living sustainably.