The UN General Assembly begins against the backdrop of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Will progress be achieved? Plus: Israel and Turkey’s rapprochement, the latest on the investigation of Donald Trump, Switzerland’s defence deal for F-35 fighter jets and a report from Pitti Fragranze in Florence.
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Art Events: Hilma Af Klint At Swedenborg In London
The Temple: immersive virtual reality experience
Hilma af Klint dreamt of a spiral-shaped building to house her most important works. According to her notebooks, she wanted it to be built on an island in Sweden but the idea never materialized, and the temple remained an imaginary creation – until now.
More than a century later, af Klint’s vision has been translated into an immersive VR experience. It takes you on a cosmic journey from the Milky Way, through spirals in nature and into a few of the artist’s most important paintings, some of them even coming alive.
Hilma af Klint sometimes referred to her temple as a church for a new era and at other times called it a museum. The exact meaning remains open to interpretation. At the same time, her paintings were clearly intended to lead the viewer to levels of awareness beyond that of everyday life. Was it really a physical building she had in mind? Or was it a spiritual site – something existing in another dimension?
Perhaps her temple, simultaneously spiritual and physical, could not be realised because she did not have access to the right medium. She had no knowledge about the technological possibilities that were to come, and the idea remained on paper. Today things are different. Hilma af Klint’s temple, inspired by the teachings of Christian Rosenkreutz, has arrived with the help of VR. You are invited to enter another world.
Hilma af Klint The Temple was conceived by Daniel Birnbaum and Kurt Almqvist and directed by Marika Stolpe. The experience was produced by Acute Art and published by Stolpe Publishing. Creative Director – Rodrigo Marques. Music – Andrew Sheriff.
Watch video below for more on Hilma af Klint:
Design: Laneway Glass House In NSW Australia
Pointing towards the future of urban living, Laneway Glass House is an extended terrace house and a designer’s own inner-city home. Collaborating with Brad Swartz Architects, Henry Wilson reconfigures the spatial plan of an existing residence, establishing an exemplar contemporary space.
Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to Laneway Glass House 00:21 – The Architect and The Home Owner 00:47 – An Inner-City Location 01:25 – A Rear Lane Addition 01:43 – The Original Brief 02:21 – Flipping The Typical Terrace House 02:56 – The Creation of An Efficient Floor Plan 03:20 – The Spiral Staircase 03:56 – Utilising Materials In Unique Ways 04:20 – The Kitchen 05:01 – Taking Inspiration from Maison de Verre 06:00 – The Architect and The Home Owner’s Favourite Aspects
Settled onto a Darlinghurst laneway branching off Oxford Street, Laneway Glass House is a designer’s own inner-city home that aligns with its built context; a compact terrace house set among others of its kind. Organically brought together, Henry Wilson and Brad Swartz Architects quickly acknowledged the opportunity to build on the site, creating a rear lane addition that would serve as a prototype for similar developments in the future.
Materials are uniquely applied to the residence, suggesting the individual character of the project. In contrast to regular dwellings, this is a designer’s own inner-city home that sees materials used to articulate natural forms and subvert expectations for a compact space. In the kitchen, travertine is employed in a standard size without grout lines, enabling a broad, sophisticated and slab-like presentation. A designer’s own inner-city home, the contemporary kitchen is a room of cleans lines and volumes.
A commercial-like, monolithic space, the kitchen features stainless steel and presents as a formation of blocks slotted together to create a cohesive whole. Fisher & Paykel’s products are easily incorporated into the space – the Integrated Refrigerator seamlessly blends into the joinery and the Minimal Oven and Induction Hob complement the kitchen’s sleek aesthetic.
Paying homage to the Maison de Verre in Paris, glass blocks are employed to reflect and refract natural light whilst maintaining the private interior of a designer’s own inner-city home. Integrated into the façade, the blocks present Laneway Glass House as a shining jewel, sitting upon an otherwise mundane road.
Walking Tour: Maribor In Northeast Slovenia (4K)
Maribor is a Slovenian city set amid wine-region hills on the Drava River. On Glavni Trg, the old town’s main square, the Renaissance-style Town Hall (Mariborski rotovž) dates from 1515. On nearby Grajski Trg square, 15th-century Maribor Castle houses a frescoed Knights’ Hall and the Regional Museum of Maribor, with extensive displays of local artifacts. To the southwest, Mariborsko Pohorje is a prominent ski resort.
Views: ‘Diamond G Ranch’ Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Arguably the finest mountain ranch retreat in the Rocky Mountain West. Diamond G doesn’t just claim to have it all. It, in fact, does! Privacy – It lies at the end of the road, virtually surrounded by state and federal lands. Access – It is accessible year-round and lies about 17 miles from Dubois and about one hour and 15 minutes from the Jackson Hole Airport.
Fishing – It has an estimated 5 miles of the Dunoir River on private land with immediate access to 2.5 more miles on public land that is rarely accessed by the public. The Dunoir is a world-class trout fishery with trout in the 20 plus inch category. Wildlife – Bear, elk, moose, antelope, mountain lion, coyote, wolverine, multiple bird species, and both bighorn sheep and mountain goats are often seen in the adjacent national forest. It is one of the richest, wildest places for wildlife we have ever seen.
Scenery – Absolutely breathtaking with a lush riparian corridor flanked by timbered and open mountains rising to over 11,000 feet topped by dramatic rock formations and three major peaks – Ramshorn, Coffin Butte and Pinnacles. Improvements – Comfortable lodge and guest quarters, operating facilities, and staff quarters all in an authentic western vernacular.
Containing over 5,000 deeded acres – This is not just a small inholding in the national forest. When you come up the private road and see the ranch laid out before you, it is the real deal. There is virtually nothing else that one would want to own.
Droughts: Fixing Water Waste On American Farms
The western U.S. is experience a megadrought so severe, it is the driest two decades in at least 1,200 years. And no sector has felt the impact more than agriculture, which takes up about 70% of the world’s freshwater. With water resources becoming more scarce, several companies are working to improve irrigation efficiency and help sustain food production in a future where extreme climate may be more common.
Chapters: Ch. 1: 2:08 The West’s drought Ch. 2 4:48 Water in agriculture Ch. 3 8:02 Smarter irrigation Ch. 4 11:08 Indoor farming Ch. 5 13:11 Future technologies
Wildlife Views: Filming Wolf Pups In Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota
In a race against time, the crew works to microchip a pack of wolf pups and return the pups to their den as quickly as possible—all while setting up their cameras in time to capture some truly heart-melting shots. Witness the wildlife of North America as you’ve never seen it before on #AmericaTheBeautifulSeries, narrated by Michael B. Jordan.
Filmed in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota. Voyageurs National Park is in northern Minnesota, near the Canadian border. It covers a vast area and is known for its forests, waterways and huge, island-dotted Rainy, Kabetogama and Namakan lakes. The Ellsworth Rock Gardens, created by artist Jack Ellsworth, are a series of abstract sculptures on a terraced outcrop. The remote Kettle Falls area has a dam and a red-roofed hotel, both from the early 20th century.
City Walks: Amsterdam In Western Netherlands (4K)
Amsterdam, city and port, western Netherlands, located on the IJsselmeer and connected to the North Sea. It is the capital and the principal commercial and financial centre of the Netherlands.
To the scores of tourists who visit each year, Amsterdam is known for its historical attractions, for its collections of great art, and for the distinctive colour and flavour of its old sections, which have been so well preserved. However, visitors to the city also see a crowded metropolis beset by environmental pollution, traffic congestion, and housing shortages. It is easy to describe Amsterdam, which is more than 700 years old, as a living museum of a bygone age and to praise the eternal beauty of the centuries-old canals, the ancient patrician houses, and the atmosphere of freedom and tolerance, but the modern city is still working out solutions to the pressing urban problems that confront it.
360° Island Views: Walking Tour Of Capri, Italy (4K)
Island of Capri, Italian Isola di Capri, Latin Capreae, island near the southern entrance to the Bay of Naples, Campania regione (region), southern Italy. It lies opposite the Sorrento peninsula, to which it was joined in prehistoric times.
Since the second half of the 19th century, Capri has gradually become one of the most popular resorts in southern Italy, famous for its magnificent scenery and the mild climate in which vegetation flourishes despite a general lack of water. The flora is among the most varied in Italy, and large numbers of migratory birds rest there for days. The name of the island has two possible origins, either capra (“goat”) or kapros (“wild boar”).
There are fine bathing beaches and numerous hotels and villas, and Capri is connected with Naples and Sorrento by frequent steamer and hydrofoil services. Besides tourism, agriculture (vineyards, olives, citrus fruits) and fishing are carried on. An undersea aqueduct bringing fresh water from the mainland to support all these activities was completed in 1978.
Filmed in September 2022. VR Headset Is Recommended For Ultimate Immersive Experience!
Cultural Views: A Journey Into The Republic Of Malta
Jaafar Abdul Karim travels through one of the smallest countries in Europe: Malta. The Romans, the Arabs, the British and the French have all left their mark here. A sunny country with a multicultural heritage. Jaafar Abdul Karim starts his journey in the capital, Valetta.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the city has been extensively restored and renovated. Architect Konrad Buhagiar played a major role in this. He shows Jaafar Valetta’s most beautiful places, where old and new architecture come together. In Siggiewi, the presenter meets Marilu Vella and the two cook a very special local dish: pastizzi. The dumplings are a favorite snack of the Maltese.
The island nation has been a member of the EU since 2008. And here – in a tax haven – people like to show off what they’ve got. But Malta also has its dark sides: At the end of 2017, a murder shook Maltese politics and plunged the country into a crisis. Journalist Daphne Galizia uncovered one of Malta’s biggest corruption scandals. Shortly after, she was the victim of a car bomb.
Deeply shaken by this story, Jaafar takes the ferry to Gozo. The second largest island in the Maltese archipelago is only 14 kilometers long, but it has two large opera houses. Jaafar Abdul Karim finds out why from the artistic director John Galea. This Mediterranean island is one of the sad hotspots in the refugee crisis.
Tens of thousands of people have drowned in recent years trying to reach Europe. Time and again, ships that have rescued survivors from the Mediterranean dock there. Jaafar Abdul Karim talks to survivors and Maltese photographer Darrin Zammit Lupi, who has captured moments of the refugee drama in pictures.
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