A Smashed and Splintered Music

Finally, the man with the broken trumpet began to blow, signaling the third and final movement of the fifty-minute performance. This was the most beautiful, lyrical, chord-based section, and as their flawed machine began to soar triumphant, I forgot that these instruments were broken. The orchestra’s crescendo stretched on until the piece closed with a short passage from a single clarinet player, fragile in that huge space. This was David Lang’s remarkable Symphony for a Broken Orchestra, a score written to accommodate the various the infirmities of damaged instruments from Philadelphia’s public schools.

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Two immature bald eagles battle it out in the skies above Llano…

 

Two immature bald eagles battle it out in the skies above Llano Seco, which is part of the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge Complex in California. Aggressive hunters and scavengers, these young eagles are fighting over a duck clutched in their talons. What an incredible sight! What’s your favorite eagle sighting? Photo courtesy of Steve McDonald.

 

Foodie Matches Anything Edible with Its Perfect Pantone Swatch

Pantone Art With Food by Lucy Litman

Food and design go together more often than we think. Lucy Litman shows us how both literal and delicious this can be with her #pantoneposts project. The premise is simple yet visually striking—and it’ll probably make you hungry. Using Pantone swatches, Litman matches the colorful squares with foods of the same hue.

Like many creative endeavors, Litman began #pantoneposts as a side project. What started with Fruit Loops cereal (as a way to unwind after “frustrating days” at work) quickly became a way for her to celebrate the beauty of foods found in nature. You might think that vibrant purples and bright corals would be hard to find, but Litman shows that what grows from the ground can be just as brilliantly hued as processed fare.

Working with food runs deep for Litman. “Food has always been what’s inspired me most in my life,” Litman explained to Civil Eats. “My grandparents grew up in farming families, and my favorite memories growing up are planting and harvesting vegetables in their backyard. I was always amazed by nature and the idea that a tiny seed could produce such bountiful and vibrant food … the colors and variety of food continue to amaze me.”

Lucy Litman continues her ongoing Pantone art with food project called #pantoneposts.

Pantone Art With Food by Lucy Litman

Through it, she matches colorful foods with their corresponding swatch.

Pantone Art With Food by Lucy Litman
Pantone Art With Food by Lucy Litman
Pantone Art With Food by Lucy Litman

The project demonstrates that things from the nature can be as a colorful as processed fare…

Pantone Art With Food by Lucy Litman
Pantone Art With Food by Lucy Litman
Pantone Art With Food by Lucy Litman
Pantone Art With Food by Lucy Litman
Pantone Art With Food by Lucy Litman

… but she does include that too.

Pantone Art With Food by Lucy Litman
Pantone Art With Food by Lucy Litman
Pantone Art With Food by Lucy Litman

Getting hungry yet?

Pantone Art With Food by Lucy Litman
Pantone Art With Food by Lucy Litman
Pantone Art With Food by Lucy Litman
Pantone Art With Food by Lucy Litman
Pantone Art With Food by Lucy Litman

Lucy Litman: WebsiteInstagram
h/t: [Design You Trust]

All images via Lucy Litman.

Related Articles:

Baker Uses Cookies As Confectionary Canvases for Colorful Art

Delightful Pantone Color Dessert Tarts

Intriguing Human Pantone Swatches

Artist Matches Pantone Swatches to Everyday Life

Tiny Objects Perfectly Paired with Matching Pantone Swatch

The post Foodie Matches Anything Edible with Its Perfect Pantone Swatch appeared first on My Modern Met.

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4 Ways Small Business Can Become More Efficient Through Cloud Computing

In today’s business world, it is important that business have access to what they need when they need it. Whether through phones, tablets or computers, there is a need for convenience and reliability as far as access to information is concerned. Cloud computing facilitates all these. Without a doubt, it has transformed how several businesses operate.

For those who are entering the arena for the first time, it is important to note that cloud computing is an umbrella term that includes:

  • Cloud storage
  • Cloud hosting
  • Software as a service
  • Cloud backup

By migrating the cloud, your business can use this technology to enhance your operations in a couple of ways. In essence, cloud computing guarantees several benefits.

Enhanced collaboration

cloud computing collaboration

Provided there is reliable internet access, it is possible to access cloud-based programs any time using a couple of devices. For a business with remote employees, nothing facilitates greater collaboration than this.

In today’s economy, we have a substantial number of small and medium-size businesses which rely on remote productivity as a critical aspect of their operation. Using various cloud-based software, different teams in various locations can collaborate on the same documents without the need to email attachments, schedule calendars, and share task lists.

This reduces the need for physical meetings. Participants only need to sign up for the services and pick up their tasks online without the need to install new programs or download other software.

Secure data backup

Businesses have always relied on data. The only difference is that businesses are more dependent on data now than before.

Losing essential data can be detrimental to a business or an organization. For smaller businesses, you might not have the resources or time to implement an effective backup strategy.

With cloud computing, you can easily retrieve the latest version of your data in case of an onsite system failure. Such system can also come handy in case of a disaster, such as fire.

Remember, you have the option of using cloud-based services to back up your business data automatically. In case of any unforeseen interruptions, your business will be back up and running in a couple of minutes.

Several firms offering cloud services provide geo-redundant backup. That implies that your data is saved in multiple centers across various locations to enhance data security.

Improved reliability

We all understand that cloud-based services are often more reliable compared to promised services. This is particularly true in instances where the servers and other hardware components used in service delivery are aging.

Cloud service providers boast of dedicated and highly experienced IT staff. When it comes to resolving various IT issues, you can rely on such team to provide better services in terms of reliability and speed.

For any business, nothing is more important than knowing that there is a team you can always rely on in case of anything. With the kind of support offered by cloud service providers, you won’t always have to worry about your data.

Better resource management

small business cloud computing

When you opt for cloud service, one huge burden lifted off of your shoulder is that of hosting the servers. Since the servers will be located off-site, you can sit back knowing that their management is an experienced IT staff.

Since there is easier access to resources as needed when dealing with the cloud, there will be less time involved in starting these services. It is also clear that several smaller businesses have limited IT experts and resources.

Outsourcing cloud computing services give them an opportunity to concentrate on the other aspects of their business while cloud service providers handle the rest. For smaller businesses that are out to edge or rival the big names in the market, cloud computing provides an opportunity to be more competitive and claim their fair share of the market.

Don’t ignore the details

While it is true that cloud computing comes with multiple benefits, it will not be fair to ignore the possible setbacks that can come with this technology. Just like any other technology, it takes time to set up and adapt to a new system. You will need to train your personnel, even in the slightest ways possible.

In addition to that, there is also the need to establish a very effective troubleshooting system during and after the system is launched. Always remember to never ignore security risks when considering cloud computing services. The rate of cyber crimes is at an all-time high.

If you are going to use any cloud service provider, make sure that they have all the answers to any security concerns you have. Try to understand the contingency plans they have in place in case of a security breach. Only after that should you sign on the dotted lines.

See Also: How Cloud Technology Can Help Your Business Grow

The post 4 Ways Small Business Can Become More Efficient Through Cloud Computing appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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6 Reasons Why an E-Commerce Website Needs a Blog

You’re reading 6 Reasons Why an E-Commerce Website Needs a Blog, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Increasing traffic to your site is the key to success! Blogging is one way of routing humungous traffic to your site. Unfortuitously, while all brands comprehend the viability of the first part, they gail to grasp the vitality of the second! They give in to the idea that engaging in direct sales is their secret to generating sales. Nurturing your Email list, handling inventory, and calling to acquire customers, will only take you up to a certain point. If you dedicate all your precious time struggling to convert customers,  you will soon start overlooking the reasons for customers to actually unearth your brand in the first place. This is where blogging comes in to play!

As for any web-based business, an e-commerce website is in dire need of a blog that could speak for their offerings online,. And in all the positive ways possible that paid advertising won’t be able to accomplish. We understand that running a full-term business is exhausting to say the least, and a blog must be the last thing on your mind. But did you know that 92% of E-commerce businesses with a successful running blog, acquire most of their customers through their blog? With the ubiquitousness of blog in this era, failing to include a blog on your e-commerce website is like choosing not to get it endorsed when there were opportunities up for grasp.

If you are still not persuaded enough to incorporate a blog to your e-commerce website, here are 6 reasons to change your mind:

Blogging builds credibility

Ever heard of a business that claims to have had dressed thousands in your vicinity but in reality, you never saw anyone wearing the brand? Same is the case with online businesses. Since a website is an intangible medium where you cannot find real people to glean reviews from, blogging saves the day for you by subsiding the fact that you do not have real people talking on your forum. Testimonials are an exception, since they also contribute to building credibility, but still cannot parallel the benefits of blogging. Through a blog, you not only build credibility for your eCommerce web development, but extend a value addition to your target market that can be done by purchasing your products online.

It helps in growing your market

Blogs are not meant for lead generation. They exist for lead nurturing. Blogs provide informational content to your users, and if the content happens to trigger their interest, they might as well provide a lead or subscribe to the blog to stay abreast of latest updates.

Blogging for e-commerce websites could also lead to building lasting relationships with your customers. When you write about the value that your products bring to your customers, you create an invisible connection. This spark works in myriad ways, and lets your e-commerce brand etch a lasting impression in the minds of your consumers.

Works for business generation

Adding a blog to your e-commerce website opens up paths towards incremental customer reach. You already know that a blog post builds the much needed credibility for your brand. In addition to allowing you to flaunt your product to a wider audience through your blog, a blog cultivates the effort by sharing it on your social profiles. By promoting your product offerings on your blog, you actually answer queries of your target market. This makes the entire sales process easier to complete.

Blog content will boost your SEO efforts

Blog content is a great way of supporting your SEO efforts. When you instill keywords in your SEO content, you actually lure the search engine crawler towards you. Thus, boosting your chances of visibility against industry-specific keywords. When your page starts showing against popular search terms, the chances of customers landing on your e-commerce website increases. This enhances your overall business generation.

A Blog is a multi-marketing channel in itself

A blog is not a place where you only talk about your products; your blog can work as a multi-marketing channel for you. It allows you to link its posts with social forums and on blogs that you post on other websites. This helps build the overall online credibility for your content. This diversely spread content will pave way for incremental traffic landing on your e-commerce website. This leads to better business generation in the long run.

It’s a way to scale your content marketing efforts

Through targeted blog posts, you can launch campaigns that help in streamlining your marketing efforts towards a certain event. For example, Christmas related blogs are put up on various e-commerce websites to allow customers to land on websites through targeted keyword searches. By reading the relevant content, they get a chance to make valuable purchasing decisions.

Call-to-action

Alternatively, there are eCommerce developers that exist to help you set up your blog. You can get in touch with them if you have a similar idea in your mind.

You’ve read 6 Reasons Why an E-Commerce Website Needs a Blog, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

>

6 Reasons Why an E-Commerce Website Needs a Blog

You’re reading 6 Reasons Why an E-Commerce Website Needs a Blog, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Increasing traffic to your site is the key to success! Blogging is one way of routing humungous traffic to your site. Unfortuitously, while all brands comprehend the viability of the first part, they gail to grasp the vitality of the second! They give in to the idea that engaging in direct sales is their secret to generating sales. Nurturing your Email list, handling inventory, and calling to acquire customers, will only take you up to a certain point. If you dedicate all your precious time struggling to convert customers,  you will soon start overlooking the reasons for customers to actually unearth your brand in the first place. This is where blogging comes in to play!

As for any web-based business, an e-commerce website is in dire need of a blog that could speak for their offerings online,. And in all the positive ways possible that paid advertising won’t be able to accomplish. We understand that running a full-term business is exhausting to say the least, and a blog must be the last thing on your mind. But did you know that 92% of E-commerce businesses with a successful running blog, acquire most of their customers through their blog? With the ubiquitousness of blog in this era, failing to include a blog on your e-commerce website is like choosing not to get it endorsed when there were opportunities up for grasp.

If you are still not persuaded enough to incorporate a blog to your e-commerce website, here are 6 reasons to change your mind:

Blogging builds credibility

Ever heard of a business that claims to have had dressed thousands in your vicinity but in reality, you never saw anyone wearing the brand? Same is the case with online businesses. Since a website is an intangible medium where you cannot find real people to glean reviews from, blogging saves the day for you by subsiding the fact that you do not have real people talking on your forum. Testimonials are an exception, since they also contribute to building credibility, but still cannot parallel the benefits of blogging. Through a blog, you not only build credibility for your eCommerce web development, but extend a value addition to your target market that can be done by purchasing your products online.

It helps in growing your market

Blogs are not meant for lead generation. They exist for lead nurturing. Blogs provide informational content to your users, and if the content happens to trigger their interest, they might as well provide a lead or subscribe to the blog to stay abreast of latest updates.

Blogging for e-commerce websites could also lead to building lasting relationships with your customers. When you write about the value that your products bring to your customers, you create an invisible connection. This spark works in myriad ways, and lets your e-commerce brand etch a lasting impression in the minds of your consumers.

Works for business generation

Adding a blog to your e-commerce website opens up paths towards incremental customer reach. You already know that a blog post builds the much needed credibility for your brand. In addition to allowing you to flaunt your product to a wider audience through your blog, a blog cultivates the effort by sharing it on your social profiles. By promoting your product offerings on your blog, you actually answer queries of your target market. This makes the entire sales process easier to complete.

Blog content will boost your SEO efforts

Blog content is a great way of supporting your SEO efforts. When you instill keywords in your SEO content, you actually lure the search engine crawler towards you. Thus, boosting your chances of visibility against industry-specific keywords. When your page starts showing against popular search terms, the chances of customers landing on your e-commerce website increases. This enhances your overall business generation.

A Blog is a multi-marketing channel in itself

A blog is not a place where you only talk about your products; your blog can work as a multi-marketing channel for you. It allows you to link its posts with social forums and on blogs that you post on other websites. This helps build the overall online credibility for your content. This diversely spread content will pave way for incremental traffic landing on your e-commerce website. This leads to better business generation in the long run.

It’s a way to scale your content marketing efforts

Through targeted blog posts, you can launch campaigns that help in streamlining your marketing efforts towards a certain event. For example, Christmas related blogs are put up on various e-commerce websites to allow customers to land on websites through targeted keyword searches. By reading the relevant content, they get a chance to make valuable purchasing decisions.

Call-to-action

Alternatively, there are eCommerce developers that exist to help you set up your blog. You can get in touch with them if you have a similar idea in your mind.

You’ve read 6 Reasons Why an E-Commerce Website Needs a Blog, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

>

5 Ways to Keep Moving Forward When You’re Scared to Death

You’re reading 5 Ways to Keep Moving Forward When You’re Scared to Death, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Fear is the most powerful factor that prevents you from being able to realize your full potential. Most often, it’s a result of your own thoughts and imagination, instead of actual real world causes. In other words, you’re afraid of a fantasy – something that doesn’t exist.

You may be going down an untrodden path, but don’t lose faith. Don’t listen to your fears and also of those around you. Don’t let your shortcomings and setbacks make their way into your present frame of mind. And most importantly, never give up on what matters to you.

It’s okay to feel a bit uncomfortable, a little confused. It’s totally fine if you don’t know what lies ahead or whether you can handle it. As long as you keep moving slowly and steadily, you’ll figure out what you need to know. As you get more and more involved in what you’re doing, you’ll lose track of your fears and realize that things are not as bad as you had imagined. In fact, they’re much better.

Here are 5 ways to steer your life around all the unnecessary fears and uncertainties in life, and keep moving forward.

1. Envision what you want and declare it

Whether you’re afraid or there are actual real-world barriers, if you want to achieve something, you must envision it and declare it. This will enable you to stay focused on what you want. It’s impossible to accomplish anything or get anywhere if you haven’t declared it as your sole mission.

The first step is to understand that what you want is already a huge part of you. For example, if you ‘want to’ run a marathon, you’re already a marathon runner. You just need to take the next step, and run.

Whatever you want to do, imagine yourself doing it, and declare it out loud, “I will …”. Do this the first thing in the morning for a couple of minutes everyday and you’ll begin to see the difference within a 2-3 weeks.

“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it.” – William Arthur Ward

2. Know the consequence of staying where you are

Fear stops us from leaving our comfort zone, and persuades us to maintain status quo.

However, inaction based on fear only leads to laziness and lack of confidence. Initially, it will stop you from achieving. Eventually, it will stop you from doing anything.

Just as your present is based on your past, your future is dependant on what you do today. The fear of failure can be immense but it’s nothing compared to the regret of missed opportunities that you’ll encounter in future. Life is movement. Don’t stay where you are hoping that things will improve on their own.

“Life Is Like Riding a Bicycle. To Keep Your Balance You Must Keep Moving” – Albert Einstein

3. Believe in yourself

The foundation of every successful venture is self-belief.

What you believe will strengthen or weaken you. We tend to think that success depends on where we live, or a certain level of accomplishment, or a bunch of external factors; it’s simply a mindset. Success is a habit that is developed through powerful beliefs and thoughts.

What you think about your life will influence your feelings, your actions and your achievements.

Growing your self-belief takes time and requires practice. Spend a couple of minutes everyday thinking about the top 2-3 achievements of your life. They can even be about simple things such as how you learnt to drive, cook, paint, or anything that you love doing. If you are capable of accomplishing them, you’re definitely capable of doing greater things.

“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford

4. Take it slow, but keep going

Focus on taking one step at a time, and giving it your best shot every time. Don’t think too much about the end or the future. Just keep going.

When you focus only on one step at a time, things appear to be much more doable, and you won’t get overwhelmed by the long journey ahead. Every once in awhile, look back at how far you’ve travelled to stay motivated.

However, you’ve got to start today. Don’t wait for the right time or the perfect plan. There are no such things.

Remember that nothing will ever result in a 100% failure. You may experience occasional setbacks and might need to do course correction. The good news is that each setback can be fixed with a minor adjustment, and you can keep going.

Every step you take will make the next one easier, and what once seemed unreachable, will be standing right in front of you.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – old Chinese proverb

 

5. Be open to change

When we set out to achieve something, we tend to have a preconceived plan, an imagination of how we’ll accomplish it, and what we’ll encounter along the way. As we work towards our dreams, we find that the reality is not as expected and that we’ve to face unforeseen obstacles.

The key is to keep an open-mind that fosters learning new things and refining our journey based what you learn. However, under no circumstances, be willing to compromise or change your goals.

“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” – Confucius

Wrapping up

Don’t be afraid to face your fears. They’re not as scary as you imagine them to be. They’re certainly not here to stop you from realizing your dreams. They’re only there to tell you that what you’re doing is really important and worth fighting for. Take each day as it comes.

“Do one thing every day that scares you”. – Eleanor Roosevelt

You’ve read 5 Ways to Keep Moving Forward When You’re Scared to Death, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

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1940s Streets of Chicago Captured through the Eyes of a Young Photographer

street photography Chicago John Vachon

In the throes of World War II and the Great Depression, the American government created the Farm Security Administration to help impoverished farmers get on their feet. As part of the process, they formed a now legendary set of photographers—Dorothea Lange and Walker Evans among others—to document life for these everyday Americans.

At just 21 years old John Vachon joined the FSA, first as a messenger while attending college. He later took up photography after being inspired by the documentary photography team. Like fellow FSA photographer Edwin Rosskam, Vachon arrived in Chicago in 1941. While Rosskam covered the experience of African Americans in the city’s Southside, Vachon, still a rookie photographer, took a different approach.

His pulled back view belies his status as a young photographer gaining experience, but there is a fresh, spontaneous approach to his photography that makes the work uniquely his. Vachon’s Chicago vacillates between the home of well-heeled ladies on shopping trips to depictions of abject poverty, as men sit slumped on sidewalks or stand outside the local bar. From the glossy exterior to the gritty underbelly, the young photographer deftly captures the multi-faceted face of 1941 Chicago.

FSA photographer John Vachon was in his early twenties when he traveled to Chicago to document living conditions in the city.

John Vachon 1940s Chicago street photography
John Vachon 1940s Chicago street photography
old photos of Chicago John Vachon
street photography Chicago John Vachon
photos of Chicago in the 1940s
photos of Chicago in the 1940s
street photography Chicago John Vachon
photos of Chicago in the 1940s
John Vachon 1940s Chicago street photography
photos of Chicago in the 1940s
photos of Chicago in the 1940s

His 1941 images depict a multifaceted city, bursting with vibrance while also containing a gritty underbelly.

street photography Chicago John Vachon
black and white photos of Chicago
street photography Chicago John Vachon
old photos of Chicago John Vachon
old photos of Chicago John Vachon
old photos of Chicago John Vachon
old photos of Chicago John Vachon
old photos of Chicago John Vachon
black and white photos of Chicago
street photography Chicago John Vachon
fsa photography chicago 1940s
fsa photography chicago 1940s
fsa photography chicago 1940s

h/t: [Design You Trust]

All images via the Library of Congress.

Related Articles:

Yale University Unveils 170,000 Fascinating Photos Documenting the Great Depression and WWII

The Story Behind the Iconic ‘Migrant Mother’ Photo that Defined the Great Depression

Interview: Legendary Photographer Spends 70 Years Documenting American History

Once-Censored Photos of the WWII Japanese Internment Camps Are Finally Revealed

Striking B&W Photos Capture the Black Experience in 1940s South Side Chicago

The post 1940s Streets of Chicago Captured through the Eyes of a Young Photographer appeared first on My Modern Met.

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Photographers Gain Entry into Traditional African Village Where Every House Is a Work of Art

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

Nestled at the base of a hill, overlooking the Savannah, lies Tiébélé—an African village in Burkina Faso. First settled in the 15th Century, the 1.2-hectare commune is home to the Kassena people, their chief, and royal court—together making up one of oldest ethnic groups in Burkina Faso. In 2009, photographer Rita Willaert and travel blogger Olga Stavrakis were lucky enough to be some of the few people ever allowed to visit the isolated site.

Willaert’s photos document the villagers’ untouched, unique way of living, where local traditions have been protected for centuries. Stavrakis recounts their experience, explaining how before they arrived they were even given a dress code: “We were told in advance that we must not wear anything red and we may not carry an umbrella. Only the chiefly noble family is permitted that privilege and to do so would constitute a great affront to our hosts.”

Although a royal village might sound opulent, this village is anything but. The Tiébélé royal residence is made up of a series of small clay houses that are hand-painted in different geometric patterns and symbols using clay paints. These patterns are one of the visual indicators that differentiates the royal homes from that of the “ordinary people.” Another difference is the huts’ door sizes: the chief for example, has the house with the smallest door, for protection. While most of the structures are homes, some of the most elaborately decorated are mausoleums, where the dead are laid to rest.

Inside the royal clay homes are simple kitchens kitted out with just a few clay and iron pots. “Most meals are cooked in one pot over a brazier,” explains Olga, who says meals usually consisted of “a starch foofoo or thick paste like porridge which is then dipped into a sauce of vegetables and peppers. The richer the family the more goes into the sauce.”

You can find more images from the team’s West-African adventures on Willaert’s Flickr, and read more about their experiences on Stavrakis’ blog, Travel with Olga.

The African village of Tiébélé is home to the Kassena people—one of oldest ethnic groups in Burkina Faso.

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

The village’s chief and royal court live in small clay houses that are hand-painted in different geometric patterns that symbolize a person’s importance.

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

While most of the structures are homes, some of the most elaborately decorated are mausoleums, where the dead are laid to rest.

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

Artistic African Village Burkina Faso

Photo: Rita Willaert

Rita Willaert: Flickr
Travel with Olga: Website
h/t: [Messy Nessy]

All images via Rita Willaert.

Related Articles:

You Can Stay Overnight in This Bird Nest Villa Built Above the African Wilderness

Interview: Photographer Captures Honest and Open Spirit of Children in Africa

Eye-Opening Aerial Photos Explore the Division Between Wealth and Poverty in South Africa

Genius Beehive Fences in Africa Naturally Protect Farms From Raiding Elephants

The post Photographers Gain Entry into Traditional African Village Where Every House Is a Work of Art appeared first on My Modern Met.

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Powerful Bronze Sculptures Tell the Story of European Migrants in Search of Utopia

Bronze Sculptures by Fredrik Raddum

Oslo-based Norwegian artist Fredrik Raddum is known for his imaginative figurative sculptures and installation art, which often explore political themes. His previous work mixes tragedy with humor, depicting surreal, dystopian cartoon figures that encourage the viewer to “think beyond the initial encounter.” Raddum’s most recent collection of bronze sculptures—titled Hacienda Paradise – Utopia Experiment—was exhibited earlier this year at Galleri Brandstrup, and sheds light on a true story of human immigration that’s now referred to as “The Galapagos Affair.”

In search of their new Eden, a group of world-weary Europeans left their homes to live on the Galápagos Islands in the 1930s. The first of the island expats to arrive was Friedrich Ritter, a German physician, and his younger lover, Dore Strauch, who settled on one of the most remote islands, Floreana. Next came the Wittmer family from Germany, and soon after came Baroness Eloise von Wagner, who arrived from Paris with her “two companions.” It wasn’t long after they arrived that the Baroness and one of her lovers disappeared. The case remains a mystery to this day.

Raddum’s sculptures show the pioneers in surreal, mysterious circumstances. In one piece, a bird tries to fly away with the brass body of a man. In another, a female figure stands atop two human heads, and seems to exhale a strange golden liquid. One giant turtle-shaped piece depicts the island legend of a turtle who could read the minds of the visitors. In Raddum’s piece, the shell is used as a place to make a fire. According the the artist, the exhibition reminds us that “we can change our surroundings, but we cannot escape from ourselves.”

If you’re a murder mystery fan, The Galapagos Affair story was made into a movie, directed by Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller. You can also find more of Raddum’s work via his website and Instagram.

Artist Fredrik Raddum’s bronze sculptures tell the story of Europeans who left their homes and fled to the Galápagos Islands in the 1930s.

Bronze Sculptures by Fredrik Raddum
Bronze Sculptures by Fredrik Raddum

Their new utopia soon turned sinister when two of the pioneers went missing. The case remains a mystery to this day.

Bronze Sculptures by Fredrik Raddum
Bronze Sculptures by Fredrik Raddum
Bronze Sculptures by Fredrik Raddum
Bronze Sculptures by Fredrik Raddum
Bronze Sculptures by Fredrik Raddum

Fredrik Raddum: Website | Instagram
h/t: [Gaks Designs]

All images via Fredrik Raddum.

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