Seize the moment of excited curiosity on any subject to solve your doubts; for if you let it pass, the desire may never return, and you may remain in ignorance.
William Wirt
Vending Machine Graveyard
This storage area in Tamamura, Gunma-ken, Japan is a graveyard for vending machines. It remind me of a less benign version of Sean Tan’s universe. What other consumption graveyards lurk out there?
Kowloon Walled City
The fortress-like Kowloon Walled City of Hong Kong owes its origin to the fact that the land (originally a military fort) was not part of the British agreement with the Chinese at the founding of Hong Kong.
It developed into a ‘no-man’s-land’ following WWII and a tightly compacted city resulted with buildings up to 10 stories high. Streets were 1-2 metres wide with fluorescent lighting to compensate for the lack of sunlight in the lower levels (http://io9.com/#!5512888/the-walled-city-where-sunlight-couldnt-reach). It is thought that 33,000 people resided within the Walled City in 1987 with a population density of approximately 1,255,000/km2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kowloon_Walled_City).
The Kowloon Walled City was demolished in the early 1990s and a park was built on the site — including a scale model of the Walled City.
Rooted in the earth
Rooted in the Earth commemorated people nominated as deserving a public tribute in the form of living flowers in London parks in 2009. It was a Bank of America 2009 CREATE Art Award commission by artist Joshua Sofaer and was part of CREATE, an annual arts festival across East and South East London.
The five ‘carpet bed’ displays covered over 140 square meters in London parks and included more than 55,000 individual plants.
Tower Hamlets, Museum Gardens E2 9PA
FRANK WHIPPLE
nominated by Julia Gregory
Waltham Forest, Ridgway Park E4 6XQ
FLORRIE BEDWELL
nominated by Stella Creasy
You can find pictures of the other four tributes statements about the people nominated at http://www.rootedintheearth.co.uk
star compass from the knowledge of Pius “Mau” Piailug
Pius “Mau” Piailug (1932-2010) was venerated as a master of non-instrument wayfinding. Mau’s traditional navigational system used clues using the sun and stars, winds and clouds, seas and swells, and birds and fish to determine position away from sight of land. He was born on the island of Satawal (Federated States of Micronesia) and learned navigation passed down through generations of oral teaching. This is a representation of a star compass used to teach navigation.
Satawalese name | Traditional name | Astronomical name |
Tupul | Setting | |
Tan | Rising | |
Wuliwulifasmughet | North star | Polaris |
Mailapailefung | Little Dipper | Ursa Minor |
Wylur | Big Dipper | Ursa Major |
Igulig (“Whale”) | 1) Cassiopeia (head of whale) 2a) Almach & 2b) Mirach (body of whale) 3a) Hamal & 3b) Sharatan (whale’s tail) |
1) Cassiopeia 2a) Gamma Andromedae & 2b) Beta Andromedae 3a) Alpha Arietis & 3b) Beta Arietis |
Murn | Vega | Vega |
Marigaht | Seven Sisters | Pleiades |
Uul | Aldebaran | Alpha Tauri |
Paiifung | Tarazed | Gamma Aquilae |
Mailap | Altair | Alpha Aquilae |
Paiyur | Alshain | Beta Aquilae |
Earlier | Orion | Orion |
Sarapool | Corvus | Corvus |
Tumur | Scorpius (Top 6 stars) | Scorpius |
Mesario | 1a) Shaula & 1b) Antares |
1a) Lambda Scorpii & 1b) Alpha Scorpii |
Luubw | Southern Cross (rising or setting) | Crux |
Machemeias | Southern Cross (at 45° over SE horizon) | Crux |
Wuliwuliluubw | Southern Cross (upright) | Crux |
Machemelito | Southern Cross (at 45° over SW horizon) | Crux |