Charley Harper 1922-2007

In a style he called ‘minimal realism’, Charley Harper captured the essence of his subjects with the fewest possible visual elements. When asked to describe his unique visual style, Charley responded: “When I look at a wildlife or nature subject, I don’t see the feathers in the wings, I just count the wings. I see exciting shapes, color combinations, patterns, textures, fascinating behavior and endless possibilities for making interesting pictures. I regard the picture as an ecosystem in which all the elements are interrelated, interdependent, perfectly balanced, without trimming or unutilized parts; and herein lies the lure of painting; in a world of chaos, the picture is one small rectangle in which the artist can create an ordered universe.” (via Wikipedia)

Quite simply breathtaking. ‘Universe’ by Kroitor and Low combines impeccable film-making with scientific wonder. One the films makers Roman Kroitor went on to found the IMAX system of film-making.

 While the film is cited as a major inspiration for Stanley Kubrick’s ’2001: A Space Odyssey’ its maker is cited as the origin of one of science fiction’s most memorable concepts. During a conversation between Kroitor and Warren S. McCulloch the film-maker argued against the concept of living things simply being highly complex machines;

 ‘Many people feel that in the contemplation of nature and in communication with other living things, they become aware of some kind of force, or something, behind this apparent mask which we see in front of us, and they call it God.’

Floating Mountains in China

National Geographic veteran Michael Yamashita "I was lucky enough to shoot the mountains that were the inspiration for the floating peaks of the (Avatar) movie’s Pandora. They’re in Wulingyuan National Park in Zhangjiajie of China’s Hunan Province, a 266-square- mile preserve that includes a stone forest of 3100 quartz sandstone pillars, lush valleys, dense forests, a mountain lake, caves, waterfalls and streams."

Tentsile tent- The World's most versatile tent

"Araneina epeira"

Araneus is a genus of common orb-weaving spiders.
Araneus was formerly called epeira and it remains a pseudonym.

Geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor (1880 - 1963) and meteorologist Charles Wright (1887 - 1975) in the entrance to an ice grotto during Captain Robert Falcon Scott's Terra Nova Expedition to the Antarctic, 5th January 1911. The ship 'Terra Nova' is in the background. (Photo by Herbert Ponting/Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge/Getty Images)

Collage work by Juan Gatti