a PHOTO a day: one photo, many stories

Photo by Natalia Fioroni

Ballet I may not know, but beauty I may know, and Ballet is beautiful. There is some kind of grace in every second of its movements that your eyes can't help but to trace, and your heart to tickle with an unknown joy. I haven't been to a live show, but I always admired it from distance. I remember when I was a kid, my mother signed me up for a Gymnastic class, that was in fact some kind of a basic ballet course. That's because I live in a coutry- Iran- that any kind of dance is considered to be a violation of the Islamic regulations, or as they say: it's HARAM. So they had to hide it under names and more names. I used to like it and princing around while showing it off to everyone I knew. I guess I was born an attention whore.
Anywho, I don't like this photo because of the Ballet or the photographer's great technique. I like the idea of the Ballet dancer as both a puppet and a puppeteer; A puppet who pulls her own strings while trying to keep her balance. It's a great metaphore of how the rules we apply in our life, will eventually rule our life if we let them. Every great technique is a tyranny in itself if one doesn't master it enough to be able to change, add, or apply her own rules to it. And till she gets there, she is just a pupil, if not a slave of her ignorance. No matter how picture-perfect she looks, she is just a puppet trying to maintain a balance.

An idea a day: kill the heat and save your life

It's crazy hot in almost everywhere in the world. When times get crazy people would do crazy stuff to get even. In this weather, from munching on a lot of ice cream to call in sick and sleep all day long. As long as we are on the subject of technology, I thought I shouldn't be so shortsighted and look at the good in it too. If you are lucky enough to have a decent air conditioner like I do, you are good. But if not you can make a half decent one at home. A fan, some tubing and a water pump, and a cooler is all you need. It's a rescue not a miracl. It's not my idea, but it's something I think one can elaborate based on personal experience and science grade at school.
What I like about quick fixes and DIY is that it demands your creativity more than it cost you anything. You suddenly feel like you are not defined with how much money you have, but your ability to actually use very little of it to really change things. Some people feel the need for change all their life, but they only wait till they have all the money so they can take matters in their hand. The sad truth is the day they die, they would say to themselves: "What did just happen?" Well maybe it was just a very hot day and their heart couldn't take the wave due to some technicality; Maybe too much coffee too. Anyhow, it cost them to die.

a VIDEO a day: Beauty and the beast

Tehran Zoo from Arash Khakpour on Vimeo.

I know Arash for a while now. He is such a beautiful person inside out. I remember the last conversation we had was about love, poetry, Rumi, intellectualism, and other beautiful things. Until he sent me a link to this experimental video he made. I haven't got the chance to talk to him about it yet, but I'm surprised. What the hell were you thinking Arash? Living in Tehran is a wildlife you didn't have to go to the zoo to capture it. Is it really? Iran is an endless open source with plenty of subjects as of the world in itself for making a piece of decent video art or two.
Oh, what the hell. I'm sure he knew what he is doing. He is devoting his life to his art. But I will ask him and then I'll get back to you with his ideas. It's always the best if you don't know the artist personally when you're doing a critic. Seriously, why?