Sigmund Jähn (German Astronaut)

Before I flew I was already aware of how small and vulnerable our planet is; but only when I saw it from space, in all its ineffable beauty and fragility, did I realize that human kind's most urgent task is to cherish and preserve it for future generations.  -  Sigmund Jähn

Megan Rumbelow

‘We have come to abuse and exploit this relationship with animals’ – Artist

This project focuses, in an enlightening way, on the highly cruel yet contested subject of animal testing. The images draw attention to the instinct and the character of each animal; however, they also begin to articulate the presence of beauty and spiritually in all creatures: great and small.

Alec Soth

The Last Days of W

This is the newest project by Alec Soth (exhibited at Paris Photo in November) and shows the subjectiveness of change and the realization that all things; good and bad, come to endings. It is another beautiful large format project by the US Photographer and it was primarily printed in a replica format to the New York Times newspaper, which sold out when Barack Obama won the election.

Professor Ramachandran

www.ted.com/index.php/talks/vilayanur_ramachandran_on_your_mind.html

Fantastic insight into the world of neurology

Synaesthsia

Marcia Smilack, Cello Music

Synaesthesia is a subject that has fascinated scientists and artists for centuries. Historically considered a myth or a sign of insanity, synaesthesia is now described as the mingling of the senses. Amongst the neurological community, the condition is now widely accepted, although there are still many different and debated theories to exactly what causes it. Often the greatest insights into the condition come from artists who directly use synaesthesia in their work.

Photography is a medium that easily lends itself to both the fields of realism and fantasy. Often when it does, one describes this as 'surrealism' or 'super realism'; this implies that the work transcends beyond our reality to express a deeper and more complete truth. The photographer Taryn Simon and her work, 'An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar' looks to suggest how her work voices a response that is as much about a public psyche, as to what her photographs are visually representing.

Taryn Simon

North American based photographer, Taryn Simon. 

Project: An American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar.