20 sep 2012

Karst wellspring


What Exactly is Karst?
Karst is a landscape formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks including limestone, dolomite and gypsum. It is characterized by sinkholes, caves, and underground drainage systems . Nearly all surface karst features are formed by internal drainage, subsidence, and collapse triggered by the development of underlying caves Rainwater becomes acidic as it comes in contact with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the soil. As it drains into fractures in the rock, the water begins to dissolve away the rock creating a network of passages. Over time, water flowing through the network continues to erode and enlarge the passages; this allows the plumbing system to transport increasingly larger amounts of water This process of dissolution leads to the development of the caves, sinkholes, springs, and sinking streams typical of a karst landscape



19 sep 2012

Borderline


The Inner German border was the frontier between the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1990. Not including the similar but physically separate Berlin Wall, the border was 1,393 kilometres long and ran from the Baltic Sea to Czechoslovakia.


It was formally established on 1 July 1945 as the boundary between the Western and Soviet occupation zones of Germany. On the eastern side, it was made one of the world's most heavily fortified frontiers, defined by a continuous line of high metal fences and walls, barbed wire, alarms, anti-vehicle ditches, watchtowers, automatic booby traps and minefields. It was patrolled by 50,000 armed GDR guards. The border was a physical manifestation of Winston Churchill's metaphorical Iron Curtain that separated the Soviet and Western blocs during the Cold War.

17 sep 2012

Shadow Storytelling


Wayang Kulit in Central Java is probably one of the oldest continuous traditions of storytelling in the world, and certainly among the most highly developed. The ancient Indonesian art of shadow play is a unique combination of ritual, lesson, and entertainment. Lacy shadow images are projected on a taught linen screen with a coconut oil lamp or electric light. The Dalang, or shadow artist, manipulates carved leather figures between the lamp and the screen to bring the shadows to life.

Wayang kulit is widely acknowledged as one of the points of origin for modern film and theatre, certainly in Malaysia and the neighbouring regions.. It is believed that while there is clear technical evolution that led to modern day filmmaking, the art of wayang kulit has contributed immensely to the film appreciation in the region.




4 sep 2012

Turn-Around



The Documentary film of the Netherlands has long been renowned world wide. The most prominent Dutch directors, especially those who started their careers before World War II, came from a documentary background, for instance Joris Ivens and Bert Haanstra. Since the early 1970s, however, documentary production aimed at a theatrical release has declined, perhaps due to a shift towards television

Documentaries still play an important part in Dutch film industry. The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, held annually in November, is considered one of the largest documentary film festivals in the world.



Camargue




A natural history film or wildlife film is a documentary film about animals, plants, or other non-human living creatures, usually concentrating on film taken in their natural habitat. Such programs are most frequently made for television, particularly for public broadcasting channels, but some are also made for the cinema.
Most programs or series focus on a particular species, ecosystem or scientific idea (such as evolution). Although most take a scientific and educational approach, some anthropomorphise their subjects or present animals purely for the viewer's pleasure.


Although almost all have a human presenter, the role varies widely, ranging from explanatory voiceovers to extensive interaction or even confrontation with animals.

2 sep 2012

Interactive Scene Machine



 
The Scene Machine Live (TSML) is/ was an interactive installation that presents the public with an accessible way into the film collection of the EYE Film Institute Netherlands. The ‘machine’ contains over a thousand intriguing Dutch film clips from the EYE collection: in colour and black and white, encompassing fiction and non fiction.


TSML allows users to access unique film clips in a simple and intuitive way. Users can choose from a number of pre-arranged themes or put together their own theme by making a selection from more than 200 key words including “love”, “bicycle”, “music”, “night” and “sorrow”. The TSML’s clever technology makes it possible to play different clips alongside each other and gives rise to all kinds of surprising connections between the images. .



Early Dutch Clip



A clip or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, mostly produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Although the origins of music videos date back much further, they came into prominence in the 1980s, when MTV based their format around the medium. Prior to the 80s, these works were described by various terms including "illustrated song", "filmed insert", "promotional (promo) film", "promotional clip" or "film clip".



31 aug 2012

Display of the Tropics



The Tropenmuseum (English: Museum of the Tropics) is an anthropological museum One of the largest museums in Amsterdam, the museum accommodates eight permanent exhibitions and an ongoing series of temporary exhibitions, including both modern and traditional visual arts and photographic works. The Tropenmuseum is owned and operated by the Royal Tropical Institute, a foundation that sponsors the study of tropical cultures around the world.
The museum houses 175,000 objects, 155,000 photographs and 10,000 miscellaneous drawings, paintings, and documents. It inherited 15,000 of these from the Ethnographisch Museum Artis. These objects are split up into many collections. The museum houses collections for many geographical areas such as Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia & North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. The photography collection consists mainly of historical photographs of the former Dutch Colonies from 1855–1940. The museum released a large number of photographs under a Creative Commons licence to the Wikimedia Commons.





29 aug 2012

Two Drops of Water



The Darkroom of Damocles (Dutch: De donkere kamer van Damokles) is a war novel by the Dutch writer Willem Frederik Hermans, published in 1958. An immediate success since it was first published, the novel has been printed in numerous editions and is one of the greatest World War II novels. The book has been translated into English twice, in 1962 by Roy Edwards, and again in 2007 by Ina Rilke. It was adapted into the 1963 film Like Two Drops of Water, directed by Fons Rademakers.
It was entered into the 1963 Cannes Film Festival and was selected as the Dutch entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 36th Academy Awards

28 aug 2012

Duchy of Uzes




The history of Uzès:
The first dwellers here established a base around the source of the Eure. The Romans, attracted by the spring's flow, drew upon it to provide fresh water to the rapidly expanding town of Nîmes, and a 50 km-long aqueduct was designed and built during the first century AD… but that is another story!
From the fifth century, Uzès started to grow, and the town was host, until the 19th century, to a powerful bishopric, regrouping up to 200 parishes.

Steeped in Protestant religion, the city took sides with the French Reformation movement and suffered greatly during the Religious Wars, with a great many churches and temples being destroyed. Amongst these was the Cathedral of Saint-Théodorit, which was rebuilt in 1632, retaining its original bell tower. The picturesque Fenestrelle tower, with its round bell tower, dates back to the 12th century and remains one of the city's most iconic symbols.

During the 16th century, the count Antoine de Crussol was bestowed the title of Duke and in 1632, Uzès became the 1st duchy of France. The castle, symbol of Uzès (and inhabited to this day by the de Crussol family, is a harmonious blend of architecture and ornaments from different periods of French history: it features thousand-year old caves, feudal towers (the Tour de Bermonde, the Tour du Roi and the Tour de l'Evêché), ramparts, a Renaissance façade featuring Ionic, Doric and Corinthian elements, an 18th-century façade… The castle’s apartments house fascinating collections of furniture and ornaments. From the top of the Tour Bermonde, you can enjoy superb views over the Uzège.