Sunday, June 30, 2013

Video Short Film "OVERVIEW" ~ The Overview Effect, Interviews With Five Astronauts Who Experienced The Phenomenon Known As 'The Overview Effect'

Watch "OVERVIEW" on YouTube or Vimeo (19 min) Directed by Guy Reid. The Overview Effect, first described by author Frank White in 1987, is an experience that transforms astronauts' perspective of the planet and mankind's place upon it. On the 40th anniversary of the famous 'Blue Marble' photograph taken of Earth from space, The film's producers, The Planetary Collective, present a short film documenting
astronauts' life-changing stories of seeing the Earth from the outside -- a perspective-altering experience often described as the Overview Effect. Common features of the experience are a feeling of awe for the planet, a profound understanding of the interconnection of all life, and a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment.

'Overview' is a short film that explores this phenomenon through interviews with five astronauts who have experienced the Overview Effect. The film also features insights from commentators and thinkers on the wider implications and importance of this understanding for society, and our relationship to the environment.

CAST
• EDGAR MITCHELL -- Apollo 14 astronaut and founder of the Institute of Noetic Sciences
• RON GARAN -- ISS astronaut and founder of humanitarian organization Fragile Oasis
• NICOLE STOTT -- Shuttle and ISS astronaut and member of Fragile Oasis
• JEFF HOFFMAN -- Shuttle astronaut and senior lecturer at MIT
• SHANE KIMBROUGH -- Shuttle/ISS astronaut and Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army
• FRANK WHITE -- space theorist and author of the book 'The Overview Effect'
• DAVID LOY- philosopher and author
• DAVID BEAVER -- philosopher and co-founder of The Overview Institute

Planetary Collective: http://www.planetarycollective.com/
Overview Microsite: http://www.overviewthemovie.com/
Human Suits (original score): http://www.humansuits.com/


For more information:
The Overview Institute: http://www.overviewinstitute.org/
Fragile Oasis: http://www.fragileoasis.org/

All Images Credits NASA (Flickr Site) and NASA Photos

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Video short films "The Underwater Art of Jason de Caires Taylor ~ "Human Nature" and "Living Breathing Coral Reefs" (Pioneering Marine Conservation and The Natural Beauty of the Underwater World with the Museo Subaquatico de Arte, Cancun's Underwater Museum)











Taylor’s art is like no other, a paradox of creation, constructed to be assimilated by the ocean and transformed from inert objects into living breathing coral reefs, portraying human intervention as both positive and life-encouraging.

Video: Human Nature

Video: Jason deCaires Taylor and Museo Subaquatico de Arte

Jason de Caires Taylor's  pioneering public art projects are not only examples of successful marine conservation, but inspirational works of art that seek to encourage environmental awareness, instigate social change and lead us to appreciate the breathtaking natural beauty of the underwater world.

Video: Cancun's Underwater Museum (CNN story)






Taylor is currently based in Cancun, Mexico, where he is the founder and Artistic Director of the Museo Subaquatico de Arte (MUSA).

Numerous publications and documentaries have featured his extraordinary work, including the BBC, CNN, USA Today, the Guardian, Vogue, New Scientist and the Discovery Channel, yet nothing can quite do justice to the ephemeral nature of his art; for each actual visit to his sites is both unique and subject to the dynamic, fluctuating environment of the ocean.

Video: Mega Structures (Discovery Channel story)

Image Credit and Website of Jason de Caires Taylor

Born in 1974 to an English father and Guyanese mother, Taylor grew up in Europe and Asia, where he spent much of his early childhood exploring the coral reefs of Malaysia. Educated in the South East of England, Taylor graduated from the London Institute of Arts in 1998 with a BA Honours in Sculpture and went on to become a fully qualified diving instructor and underwater naturalist. With over 17 years diving experience under his belt, Taylor is also an award winning underwater photographer, famous for his dramatic images, which capture the metamorphosing effects of the ocean on his evolving sculptures.


In 2006, Taylor founded and created the world’s first underwater sculpture park. Situated off the coast of Grenada in the West Indies it is now listed as one of the Top 25 Wonders of the World by National Geographic. His latest creation is MUSA (Museo Subaquatico de Arte), a monumental museum with a collection of over 450 public sculptural works, submerged off the coast of Cancun, Mexico; described by Forbes as one of the world’s most unique travel destinations. Both these ambitious, permanent public works have a practical, functional aspect, facilitating positive interactions between people and fragile underwater habitats while at the same relieving pressure on natural resources.







Thursday, June 27, 2013

Video "House of the Sun" by Dan Douglas (2013, 2 min) ~ Sunrise at Maui's Haleakala, World’s Largest Dormant Volcano

Click here to watch the 2 minute Video. Arriving before sunrise to capture “The most beautiful sunrise in the world.” People gather from around the globe to witness this kaleidoscope of shifting colors – known as the “House of the Sun”. During four hours of shooting, more than 5,000 images were captured from 4 cameras setup on different motion control systems. Maui's Haleakala, the size of this volcano is massive, Manhattan could fit inside. 

Image Credits: Dan Douglas

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Video short film "Dr Easy" adapted from the SciFi novel "The Red Men"


Watch: "Dr. Easy"  a short film adapted from Matthew De Abaitua’s novel "The Red Men". "Dr Easy" is written and directed by Jason Groves, Chris Harding and Richard Kenworthy (the Shynola collective). Dr. Easy is an artificially Intelligence enhanced medical robot programmed for compassion in an Orwellian vision of contemporary society: surveillance, automation, biotechnology, and their implications for our humanity. Actor Tom Hollander, plays the lead human character Michael, a broken man with a gun surrounded by armed police. A robot with a medical degree and enhanced artificial intelligence is dispatched – but can it save him? Holed up in the siege house, armed with a double barrel shotgun, his tongue shot out by snipers, Michael’s only hope of escaping this deadly situation lays in the metallic hands of the film’s titular android. 

Cinematography by Barry Ackroyd ("The Hurt Locker", "United 93")
Visual FX by Jellyfish Pictures (Star Wars Rogue One)
Directorial collective Shynola


Monday, June 24, 2013

Video: animated short film: "Little THUNDER" "Petit TONNERRE" "Apje'ji'jg GAGTUGWAW" by Nance Ackerman and Alan Syliboy

Watch "Little THUNDER", "Apje'ji'jg GAGTUGWAW" , "Petit TONNERRE"
Directed by Nance Ackerman
Art by Alan Syliboy (all copyrights)
This animated short film inspired by the Mi'kmaq legend "The Stone Canoe"uses humour to tell the story of Little Thunder, as he reluctantly leaves his family and sets out on a cross-country canoe trip to become a man.

All Image Credits: Alan Syliboy
All Image Credits: Alan Syliboy



Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Video: Book "Walls of Freedom": Crowd Funding The Egyptian Revolution, Portrayed and Painted By Egyptian Street Artists (A Collaboration of 50 Photographers, 30 Artists and 20 Writers)

Video (ends July 10/13) Indiegogo Crowd Funding the Street Art Book "Walls of Freedom" - a powerful portrayal of the Egyptian Revolution, telling the story with striking images of art that turned Egypt’s walls into a visual testimony of bravery and resistance. The book "Walls of Freedom" takes a closer look at the most influential artists who have made their iconic marks on the streets.

For the past one and a half years, Basma Hamdy and Don Karl, as the curators of Walls of Freedom, have been collaborating with 50 photographers, 30 artists and 20 authors. Since the beginning of the revolution, they been involved in Egypt’s thriving urban art scene, working closely with a network of its leading artists on mural projects, events and exhibitions. They started to work on this book in order to professionally document the Egyptian Street Art explosion. During their amazing journey, they have worked with many artists, capturing their art, their vision and their stories - collaborating with Activists, Egyptologists and Historians to accurately tell the story of the changing role of expression in public space.


This survey of Egyptian street art is also enriched by images of the revolution taken by acclaimed photographers and activists. Spanning major Egyptian cities like Cairo, Alexandria and Luxor it is a day-to-day reflection of the volatile and fast-shifting political situation.


With contributions by experts in many fields, ‘Walls of Freedom’ not only places the graffiti of the revolution in a broader context, it also examines the historical, socio-political and cultural backgrounds which have shaped the movement.

Video honouring "We are all Khaled Said" and the people of Egypt 

Khaled Said, Egyptian Internet activist, rapper and blogger, was brutally beaten to death by two policemen on 6 June 2010 in Alexandria. His death triggered massive protests and the Facebook page “We are all Khaled Said” became one of the main catalysts of the revolution. Khaled Said, has become a symbolic figure and the face of the revolution in Egypt. Khaled Said's portrait is immortalized in Egypt in countless graffiti, street art murals and stencils in cities like Alexandria and Cairo. On Monday, September 19th, Khaled Said was posthumously awarded the Human Rights Award 2011 together with Slim Amamou from Tunisia in Berlin.

Why you should support the "Walls of Freedom" ~ Who Are We?

The impact of getting this project funded is huge. The curators believe that what is being created is something much more than a graffiti book. This book captures the art, thoughts, dreams and beauty of the revolution. They have collected everything from newspaper clippings to hand-drawn sketches, and sourced photographs from both amateur and professional photographers. The essays range from expert commentary to personal accounts. They did not leave a stone unturned, but dug deep into context, meaning and analysis.



"There are many giant publishers out there who may value commercial content over depth, isn't that what sells after all? NO! Lets prove them wrong. Lets make this book epic! Because if we do we are changing the way publishing works, we are prioritizing content, we are proving that people want something beautiful AND meaningful! Everyone who agreed to work with us on this project believed in it, and we know you will believe in it too! Some photographers have risked their lives to get some of the shots that will be published in this book. Artists have been arrested and harassed and continued to paint walls through tear gas and battles. These people deserve to have their voices heard. Egyptians have been fighting for freedom and social justice, and they continue to do so, this book tells their story but its really everyone's story. Anyone who values freedom will relate to this book and the stories in it and will be inspired."











Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Videos Timbukto "T160K Libraries in Exile" - Join The Movement To Save and Restore This Exiled "World Heritage Library" Hiding In A Conflict Zone (Dr. Stephanie Diakité and Dr Abdel Kader Haidara)

CBS Video (Feb 6/13), CNN Video Coverage (May 2013), Video Diakite UO Talk (March 2013). Dedicated to the protection, preservation and study of the ancient manuscripts of Timbuktu, the long-term vision is the return of the manuscripts to their home in Timbuktu and to apply the vast knowledge they contain to the peace process in Mali and in other places in Africa. T160K was co-founded by Stephanie Diakité, JC-JD/MBA/Phd and Abdel Kader Haidara.

Help preserve this global cultural heritage from immanent loss and become part of the great learning adventure of Timbuktu. In 2012, under threat from fundamentalist rebels, a team of archivists, librarians, and brave couriers evacuated an irreplaceable trove of manuscripts from Timbuktu at great personal risk. The manuscripts have been saved from immediate destruction, but the danger is not over. A massive archival effort is needed to protect this immense global heritage from loss. Though removed from immediate threat, the manuscripts are still jam packed in footlockers used for their evacuation and the current environment of this precious world heritage is significantly more humid than Timbuktu, and there are already signs of damage and exposure to moisture.

Donations will fund the preservation efforts required to store the manuscripts in an archival, moisture-resistant manner during their exile from Timbuktu.  If physical harm from the current packing situation continues, and if mold and mildew due to increased humidity spread in the corpus, the damage will be unimaginable. By contributing, you are directly funding the archival materials and labor required to save these works. In recognition of your support, we can ensure that your name or a personal dedication will be associated with these works in perpetuity, and we will provide you with a token of your contribution to keep as an enduring memento. This is a legacy that will continue to enrich our world, with the potential to advance the causes of peace and good governance in Africa and the world literally for generations. 

Play The Game: T160K Libraries In Exile 
(the library is now safely hidden but play this game to learn more about the continuing danger of wet and mould ... Keep the raindrops form hitting the books)

Read  UN News Center Timbukto Library More Damaged Than Originally Estimated (June 2013) and watch UN Video of June 8/13 Anthony Banbury visit to Mali - Timbuktu

US Library of Congress Timbukto Ancient Manuscripts

Images and Read the Ancient Manuscripts from the Desert Libraries of Timbuktu

View the Timbukto Ancient MAPS, In Space and Time

Read Smithsonian article (Dec 2006) and Time article "The Lost Treasure of Timbuktu"  (Sept 2009)

Read the Harper's Magazine article  (Feb 2013) and Christian Science Monitor Article (2008)

Read The Guardian's article (Jan 2013) and StarAfrica.com (June 11/13)

Read New Republic Article (April 2013) and The Next Web's article (June 8/13)


~~ Dr. Abdel Kader Haidara's message of encouragement ~~
 original French on the T160K web site

Supporting this campaign by contributing financially means that you are joining us in saving a piece of the culture of humankind.

Join us today in supporting the campaign and sharing information all around you. History will remember forever that you were there, that you contributed to the preservation of this world heritage; the Timbuktu manuscripts.

The T160K campaign is a joint initiative of Abdel Kader Haidara, Dr. Stephanie Diakite, and the T160K organization. The main objective of this campaign is to raise funds in support of the Timbuktu manuscripts that were evacuated to Bamako through the efforts of the SAVAMA DCI and its partners.

The efforts of Dr. Abdel Kader Haidara and Dr. Stephanie Diakité led to the creation of T160K for the conservation of the manuscripts of Timbuktu in exile.

 Since the beginning of the Malian crisis until the date of this message (May 31, 2013), we have received no assistance from any institution whether state or private. In addition, we thank SAVAMA DCI and its partners who enabled the evacuation of all of our manuscripts to the cities in the south of the country and supported their storage until now. 
Dr. Abdel Kader Haidara
ONG SAVAMA-DCI
Bacco-Djicoroni ACI, près du consulat du Sénégal.
Rue : 627, Porte: 1260, Appartement: A26 – Bamako, Mali



All Image Credits T160K

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Video Documentary Film "the Shift of Ages" featuring Grand Elder of the Mayan people, Alejandro Cirilo Perez Oxlaj “Wandering Wolf"

Click here to watch by donation pay-per-view and play-it-forward (so others can view for free)  Commissioned on behalf of the Maya nation, the Shift of the Ages is the first official discourse to the world from the Mayan Council of Elders, intended to dispel misconceptions and replace them with the positive story about this incredible period of time for humanity. The Shift of the Ages is a dramatic documentary film that reveals the story of the Mayan culture and its sophisticated prophecies of time, as told for the first time by the Grand Elder of the Mayan people, Alejandro Cirilo Perez Oxlaj. Known as “Wandering Wolf,” Don Alejandro is the elected Grand Elder of the living Maya, former Ambassador in the Guatemalan Government, and mystical Aj Q’ji, or timekeeper of tradition.

The film, shot over the course of seven years and in more than six countries, follows Wandering Wolf from his early days as a shoeshine boy on the streets of Guatemala through his coming of age and acceptance of his spiritual destiny. The Shift of the Ages follows him on an epic quest to recover the Sacred Staff of Authority, an ancient object at the heart of this global awakening and subject of a 500 year old ancestral conflict that ultimately ends in the downfall of Valentin Mejillones, an Aymaran elder in Bolivia who abused the good will of the Mayan people for his own political gain.

The Mayans were superb mathematicians and astronomers who devised one of the most accurate calendars known to man. They speak of a year “zero,” which was thought by some scholars to be 2012. Wandering Wolf explains, however, how the Mayan calendar is cyclical, not linear like that of Westerners who try to interpret it. He teaches us how this “zero” time period is what the Mayans refer to as the “change of the suns,” and clarifies this as a transition process, not a singular day or event.

Indigenous wisdom passed down to Wandering Wolf is shared for the first time in a way that expresses the role human consciousness plays in connecting to the universe. We come away assured this is a time of great opportunity to heal ourselves and our planet from wounds of the past.

Set against the backdrop of the end of the Mayan Long Count calendar, the film is a tightly woven tapestry of human drama and cultural history that takes you on an adventure into the heart of the Maya, their ancient spiritual traditions and sophisticated culture. The Shift of the Ages beautifully illustrates the power of the human spirit.

 Known as the Voice of the Jungle and Messenger of the Maya, Wandering Wolf invites us to embark with him on a journey through time and spirit...where ancient prophecies are fulfilled and a new day is dawned. Sharing his vision to restore the indigenous voice and unite the human family, Wandering Wolf asks us to please heal our relationships with each other, and our Mother Earth. Shift of the Ages is Wandering Wolf's story, and also your story.

The film is meant to be an educational tool and the funds raised through pay-per-view and play-it-forward, along with donations made on the donation page, make a meaningful difference in the outreach and support of their mission.

About the Mayan peoples.
About Mayan Calendar
About Mayan Time

About the filmmakers:Steve Copeland, Joseph Giove, Myles Connolly, Grandmother Elizabeth Araujo of Continental Council of Elders and Spiritual Guides of the Americas, Chief Phil Lane , Q’orianka Kilcher , Cris Borgnine , Herwig Maurer


Thursday, June 6, 2013

Video Animated Short: Nunavut Animation Lab: "I Am But a Little Woman" by Gyu Oh

(4.5 min) Video "I Am But a Little Woman" by Gyu Oh - an inspired Inuit poem first shared to paper in 1927, this animated short evokes the beauty and power of nature, as well as the bond between mother and daughter. As her daughter looks on, an Inuit woman creates a wall hanging filled with images of the spectacular Arctic landscape and traditional Inuit objects and iconography. Soon the boundaries between art and reality begin to dissolve.
Inuit Broadcasting Corporation, National Film Board of Canada's Prairie Studio, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Nunavut Film Development Corporation, National Screen Institute, Government of Nunavut, The Banff Center

Video Documentary Film "Being Caribou" by Leanne Allison & Diana Wilson

(72 min) Video "Being Caribou" by Leanne Allison & Diana Wilson, husband and wife team Karsten Heuer (wildlife biologist) and Leanne Allison (filmmaker and environmentalist) follow a herd of 120,000 caribou on foot across 1500 km of Arctic tundra. In following the herd's migration, the couple hopes to raise awareness of the threats to the caribou's survival. Along the way they brave Arctic weather, icy rivers, hordes of mosquitoes and a very hungry grizzly bear. Dramatic footage and video diaries combine to provide an intimate perspective of an epic expedition. National Film Board of Canada. 

Video Animated Short: "Loon Dreaming" by Iriz Pääbo (a film without words)

(7 min) "Loon Dreaming" opens with loons gracefully riding the waves, then suddenly we see the world through the eyes of spectacular bird flight. We dive down deep into the waters in pursuit of fish, launch skyward from the water and fly high over the world. The creative use of digital technology mixes magic to transform forests into colour filled aurora borealis.

 The quote at the beginning of the film is from the novel "À la recherche du temps perdu" (In Search of Lost Time) Remembrance of Times Past by Marcel Proust.

"The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes; in seeing the universe through the eyes of another, one hundred others - in seeing the hundred universes that each of them sees."

A film without words. The director's musical background permits a unique approach of developing music and animated visuals in unison instead of the traditional approach of creating the one first and adding the other to suit. "Loon Dreaming" won Best Shortfilm at the Montreal Film Festival 2002, the Fedex Best Canadian Short Film Award and  Best Animation at the Yorkton Festival Golden Sheaf Awards in 2003.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Video: The Origins Project - The Science of Storytelling and The Storytelling of Science (featuring Bill Nye, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Richard Dawkins, Brian Greene, Ira Flatow, Neal Stephenson, Tracy Day, and Lawrence Krauss)


Watch Part One and Part Two. ASU's "The Origins Project" presentation on the science of storytelling and the storytelling of science. The Storytelling of Science features a panel of esteemed scientists, public intellectuals, and award-winning writers including well-known science educator Bill Nye, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, theoretical physicist Brian Greene, Science Friday's Ira Flatow, popular science fiction writer Neal Stephenson, executive director of the World Science Festival Tracy Day, and Origins Project director Lawrence Krauss as they discuss the stories behind cutting edge science from the origin of the universe to a discussion of exciting technologies that will change our future. They demonstrate how to convey the excitement of science and the importance helping promote a public understanding of science. 

Video Credit: Black Chalk Productions
Photo Image Credit: NASA

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Video Animated Short: "How People Got Fire" by Daniel Janke

Watch "How People Got Fire" by Daniel Janke (16 min). In the village of Carcross, in the Tagish First Nation, Grandma Kay invites the local children into her kitchen and tells them the traditional tale of how Crow brought fire to people. As the story unfolds in this animated short, we also meet 12-year-old Tish, an introspective, talented girl who feels drawn to the elder’s kitchen. Here, past and present blend, myth and reality meet, and the metaphor of fire infuses all in a location that lies at the heart of this Native community’s spiritual and cultural memory.
National Film Board of Canada

Video Animated Short: A Mi'gmaq Story "Maq and the Spirit of the Woods" by Phyllis Grant

"Maq and the Spirit of the Woods" by Phyllis Grant (8 min).

This animated short tells the story of Maq, a Mi’gmaq boy who realizes his potential with the help of inconspicuous mentors.

When an elder in the community offers him a small piece of pipestone, Maq carves a little person out of it.

Proud of his work, the boy wants to impress his grandfather and journeys through the woods to find him.

Along the path Maq meets a curious traveller named Mi’gmwesu. Together they share stories, medicine, laughter and song.

Maq begins to care less about making a good impression and more about sharing the knowledge and spirit he's found through his creation.

Part of the National Film Board of Canada's Talespinners collection, which uses vibrant animation to bring popular children’s stories from a wide range of cultural communities to the screen.

Listen to The Mi'gmaq Song in Mi'gmaq, French and English

Video Short Documentary: Cirque Du Soleil "The Cirque: An American Odyessy" by Nathalie Petrowski

Watch the Full Film/Download or Buy: "The Cirque: An American Odyessy" by Nathalie Petrowski (50 min). This short documentary chronicles the Cirque du Soleil’s 1988 United States tour. As the fledgling Quebec circus sets up its big top in New York City, where it garners rave reviews, circus artists discuss what it means to be a part of this success and the price they pay for taking part in the American Dream. National Film Board of Canada
 Cirque Du Soleil website