Apr

Cinemagraphs Reveal Beauty In and Out of Focus

by Bruce Goldstone on April 21, 2014

A cinemagraph shows Central Park in focus through a pair of glasses, revealing the beauty of corrected and uncorrected vision. (Image © Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg)

Is clarity always best?
© Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg

Natural Vision vs. Corrected Vision

Autumn leaves flutter in and out of focus in a striking image from Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg’s series of optical animations.

The effect is enchanting. But my reaction to this poetic series is perhaps atypical.

Am I the only one who gazes at this work and sees a powerful argument for the beauty of both corrected and natural vision?

The Secret Life of Photos

Beck and Burg have captivated the web since they created a new style of animated photograph to capture the excitement of Fashion Week in New York city. They call their moving creations cinemagraphs.

A cinemagraph of Anna Wintour at a fashion show, illustrating the beauty of correct vision and natural vision. (Image © Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg)

Cinemagraphs can capture both rapid and subtle movements.
© Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg

The technique stitches together photos to create a simple but persuasive illusion of movement.

Each cinemagraph is a single compelling burst. Like the contrasting images in a fine haiku, stillness and motion battle for the viewer’s attention.

A cinemagraph of a taxi reflected in a cafe window, illustrating the beauty of corrected and natural vision. (Image © Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg)

The ghost of a taxi in a silent reflective loop.
© Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg

You can see many more examples of the impressive and flexible technique at the artists’ site, Ann Street Studio.

Sight and Insight

A pair of spiffy Giorgio Armani eyeglass frames inspired the team to create a series of cinemagraphs in and around New York City.

But what really speaks to me in these shots isn’t how perfectly they capture the hum and throb of city life.

Instead, I’m reminded of the emphatic reaction I had to my first pair of glasses, one of my earliest “Oh, I see” moments. Though, in this case, it was more of an “Oh, I won’t see” moment.

A cinemagraph of Times Square's flashing lights, illustrating the beauty of corrected and natural vision. (Image © Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg)

Times Square in and out of focus.
© Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg

I was about eleven when I got my first glasses. I hated them.

The aviator-style frames were fashionable enough for my fifth-grade aesthetic. But the glasses made me question the whole idea of corrective optometry. Sure, the world looked different. But is different always better?

I didn’t think so. I liked seeing the world my way, blurry though it was.

Each morning, I dutifully put my glasses on so my parents wouldn’t think they’d wasted their money.

A cinemagraph showing some reading The New York Times, illustrating the beauty of corrected and natural vision. (Image © Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg)

Sharpening a morning routing.
© Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg

Then at school, I’d stash them in my desk and the world would return to normal. My normal.

I was used to seeing the world in a lovely Impressionist haze, free of hard edges and crisp details. Doctors and teachers insisted that their world was a better place, but I wasn’t convinced.

I liked my world the way it was. As far as I was concerned, nothing about it needed correcting.

A cinemagraph of the New York Skyline, illustrating the beauty of corrected and natural vision. (Image © Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg)

There’s beauty in the blur.
© Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg

The magical melding of the lights on the Manhattan Bridge in this cinemagraph reminds me of how energetically I defended my right to see the world my way.

In Favor of Focus

My battle against glasses lasted the better part of a year.

Of course, eventually I gave in. There was no exact moment of defeat. It was more of a gradual acquiescence.

In the end, the benefits of seeing where you’re going became, well, apparent. And being able to read the chalkboard turned out to be helpful, too.

And by the time I got to driving, I was a firm convert to the 20/20 world.

A cinemagraph of Grand Central Station commuters, showing the beauty of corrected and natural vision. (Image © Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg)

Crisp and chaotic commuter commotion becomes an ice ballet when blurred.
© Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg

But once in a while, I still enjoy taking a vacation from focus. Without corrective lenses, the world returns to a softer, more comforting place.

Or at least that’s how it seems until I bump headfirst into something.

I’m grateful to Jamie Beck and Kevin Burg for this series of cinemagraphs, which depicts the eloquent balance between natural and corrected vision.

If you want to create your own cinemagraphs, check out this helpful tutorial.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Bruce Goldstone Comments

The World's Photography/USA

Apr

Creative Thinking Busts 5 Myths About Public Parks

by Bruce Goldstone on April 14, 2014

A park caravan, illustrating how creative thinking can redefine public parks. (Image © Kevin Van Braak)

This portable park can park almost anywhere.
© Kevin van Braak

Redefining Parks and Other Public Spaces

Sunny day in central park, illustrating a model for public parks that creative thinking is expanding. (Image © Songquan Deng/Shutterstock)

A picture perfect park,
but not all parks have to look like this
© Songquan Deng/Shutterstock

After a long winter, public parks are once again greening up. On the first nice day, they beckon city dwellers to gather, relax, and play.

The model city park offers a grassy lawn, cozy benches, ballfields, and meandering paths.

But creative thinking is redefining what city parks can and will be. And the innovative projects that result have shattered these five common myths about what makes a park a park.

Myth #1: Parks Have to Be on the Ground

For years, we all pretty much assumed that parks had to be on the ground. After all, parks need soil, and that’s where soil is found.

But then parks began to reach for higher ground.

High Line in New York City, illustrating how creative thinking has redefined public parks. (Image © pio3/Shutterstock)

Looking for the park? Look up!
© pio3/Shutterstock

The High Line in New York City has transformed about 1.5 miles of abandoned elevated freight rails into an aerial greenway.

The High Line in New York City, illustrating how creative thinking is redefining public parks. (Image © duckeesue/Shutterstock)

The High Line gardens highlight plants that self-seeded the rails
when they were abandoned.
© duckeesue/Shutterstock

Once considered an unsightly neighborhood blight, this long, narrow strip of park has changed how visitors think about parks.

The High Line is hugely popular with both locals and visitors, offering unique city views. Even the bustling traffic below looks good when viewed from above.

Similar projects have reclaimed railways and routes around the world, including the Bloomingdale Line in Chicago, the Promenade Plantée in Paris, and the Parkland Walk in London.

But up isn’t the only direction parks can go. What about down?

An abandoned trolley terminal that might become a public park, illustrating how creative thinking is redefining public parks. (Image © TheLowline)

Will this abandoned trolley terminal in Brooklyn . . .
© TheLowline

Proposed design for The Lowline, illustrating how creative thinking is redefining public parks. (Image © TheLowline)

. . . become the world’s first underground park?
© TheLowline

Supporters of the Lowline hope to use solar technology to transform an empty terminal into an underground oasis.

Myth # 2: Parks Don’t Move

Once you build a park, it generally stays put. But some clever artists have developed mobile parks.

Designs like Kevin van Braak’s caravans put parks on the go. He thought outside the box by putting a park inside a box.

A mobile green caravan, illustrating how creative thinking can redefine public parks. (Image © Kevin van Braak.)

A portable park on wheels
© Kevin van Braak

Each traditional-looking camper is packed with surprises: artificial grass and flowers, trees, stuffed animals, and audio of bird sounds (see top picture). A barbecue makes this pocket park perfect for impromptu social gatherings wherever it stops.

Moving parks come in many sizes, too. This green-cycle, spotted on the streets of Chicago and photographed by artist Noah Scalin, brings a little bit of park with it wherever it goes.

A combination bike and lawn, illustrating how creative thinking can redefine public parks.

A pedal-powered park
© Noah Scalin

Myth #3: Parks Are Permanent

A park should be a forever thing, right? Not necessarily.

On Park(ing) Day each year, creative thinkers transform mundane parking spaces into temporary public parks. These mini-parks are designed to last for just a single day.

Park(ing) Day gardens, illustrating how creative thinking can redefine public parks. (Image © Rebar)

These parking spaces are for people, not cars.
© Rebar

Make your own plans now for this year’s event, which will take place on Friday, September 19th, 2014.

Myth #4: Green Spaces Have to Be Green

The grassy lawns and leafy trees of our mind’s-eye park may not make sense in every climate or situation.

Last fall, Container Park opened in downtown Las Vegas. Inspired by industrial shipping containers, the multi-purpose environment offers a combination of commerce and relaxation, including a huge 33-foot spiral slide for kids and their adults.

Container Park in downtown Las Vegas, illustrating how creative thinking can redefine public parks. (Image © Bruce Goldstone)

Extravagantly playful, Las Vegas’s newest park captures the city’s spirit.
© Bruce Goldstone

The park may lack greenery, but it does have green, in the form of a 55-foot metal praying mantis that shoots flames. Designed by Kirk Jellum and Kristen Ulmer, this impressive insect first appeared at Burning Man, before it found a permanent home here.

Watch enthusiastic drummers bring the mantis to life at dusk.

If the video doesn’t display, watch it here.

Myth #5: Parks Are for Daytime

Speaking of parks and bugs, check out the giant spider by Louise Bourgeois lurking in a Tokyo park.

A Louise Bourgeois spider sculpture in a Tokyo park, illustrating how creative thinking can redefine public parks. (Image © Vincent St. Thomas/Shutterstock)

Curious beasts may seem to come alive in this Tokyo park at night.
© Vincent St. Thomas/Shutterstock

The spooky spider proves that sunlight isn’t an essential part of enjoying parks. In fact, many parks, like the Reserva Ecológica in Buenos Aires, host nighttime tours when the moon is full.

Nocturnal visits offer plenty of “Oh, I see” moments, though a lot of them don’t involve your eyes. As darkness takes away your vistas, it can also sharpen your attention to an astonishing variety of smells, sounds, and textures.

Putting Park Myths Out to Pasture

Nifty new notions have challenged stick-in-the-mud views of parks. If you Google “what is a park?” you’ll find this definition: “a large green area in town, used for recreation.”

Sounds great, Google, but kind of restrictive, isn’t it?

Because creative thinking has shown us that public parks don’t have to be large, or green, or stuck in the same spot of town all the time. Parks are really only limited by the vision and imagination of the people who think them up.

You can get involved, too! The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, dedicated to transforming former rail lines into trailways for people, is one example of a group putting these innovative ideas into action. Sustainable Cities Collective is a great resource for news and information on green building and improving urban environments.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

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Clever Ideas/Innovations

Apr

Richard Renaldi Poses Strangers . . . and Questions

by Bruce Goldstone on April 7, 2014

Portrait from Richard Renaldi's Touching Strangers, a project that creates and captures fleeting relationships. (Image © Richard Renaldi).

Touching Strangers Creates and Captures Fleeting Relationships

Two kids and two adults perch on a bed in an anonymous Florida hotel in Richard Renaldi’s striking photographic portrait.

Their body language shifts every time you look back. Are they relaxed or tense? Friendly or feuding? A hidden piece of information explains why the subtext is so hard to read: these people aren’t an actual family. In fact, they just met moments ago.

Renaldi’s project Touching Strangers investigates the complex chemistry of fleeting relationships. What happens when people who don’t know each other pose as friends, lovers, or family members?

Do appearances reflect reality? Or maybe they create it?

Sometimes When We Touch

The basics of the project are simple: Renaldi finds two or more strangers and asks them to pose together. The eloquent, complex results are on display at Aperture Gallery in New York City through May 15, 2014.

Asking strangers to assume intimate poses creates an obviously unnatural situation. Nerves and awkwardness are a common first response, and are frequently reflected in subtle body language in the final portrait.

Yet many of the portraits create an uncanny sense of reality. How can this relationship be a put-on?

Even though the relationship is artificially constructed, by the time Renaldi snaps the photo, the relationship may not be fake after all. This insight became an “Oh, I see” moment for both Renaldi and the participants.

Getting to Know You

Renaldi uses a large format 8-by-10-inch-view camera for his portraits, in part because he prefers the quality of the resulting images, and in part because the process itself takes time, and time creates comfort.

Unlike a quick digital snapshot, the large format camera requires a slower pace. While Renaldi is setting up, the subjects have time to talk and relax. By the time he begins taking pictures, some of the strangeness of the situation is already worn off.

In May, Aperture Foundation will publish Touching Strangers, a large-format book documenting the project.

In the Afterword, Renaldi shares how he began to understand the value of the slowed-down photographic process in creating space for a personal connection to take place:

“On completing one of these photographs, there was often the feeling that something rare and unrepeatable had just occurred.”

Stranger Things Have Happened

This video of Renaldi at work shows how his constructed poses swiftly segue from distance and discomfort into real, if temporary, relationships.

If the video does not display, watch it here.

Come Together

Renaldi delights in combining subjects from different backgrounds to create his instant families.

The juxtapositions arouse human, and humane, questions. What’s a family, anyway?

Which pairs are lovers? Which pairs are friends? Can you always tell the difference?

I’m a Stranger Here Myself

The Touching Strangers project has been enthusiastically received as word of mouth has spread, and, not surprisingly, a lot of people want to get involved.

Richard Renaldi, author of Touching Strangers, a project that creates and captures fleeting relationships.

Renaldi has received many requests from people who want to recreate his process and find their own “Oh, I see” moments.

Now, he’s found a way to include his fans contributions. All you need is a camera and the courage to say “Hello” to some complete strangers.

Using Twitter, people who’d like to join the project can send their own pictures of strangers to hashtag #TouchingStrangers.

Richard will check the feed regularly and select favorite photos to be displayed alongside his own at the Aperture exhibit.

As the Touching Strangers project evolves, Richard Renaldi has found surprisingly rich ways to preserve the flash and spark in fleeting relationships.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Bruce Goldstone Comments

Clever Ideas/The World's Photography

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Topics

Author Archives: Bruce Goldstone

Cinemagraphs Reveal Beauty In and Out of Focus

Natural Vision vs. Corrected Vision

The Secret Life of Photos

Sight and Insight

In Favor of Focus

Creative Thinking Busts 5 Myths About Public Parks

Redefining Parks and Other Public Spaces

Myth #1: Parks Have to Be on the Ground

Myth # 2: Parks Don’t Move

Myth #3: Parks Are Permanent

Myth #4: Green Spaces Have to Be Green

Myth #5: Parks Are for Daytime

Putting Park Myths Out to Pasture

Richard Renaldi Poses Strangers . . . and Questions

Touching Strangers Creates and Captures Fleeting Relationships

Sometimes When We Touch

Getting to Know You

Stranger Things Have Happened

Come Together

I’m a Stranger Here Myself