choice

Thought behind the thought

Choice is the latest buzzword. Everyone seems to be talking about it. Of course, it is important to exercise your choice, in every matter concerning your self. We do have a right to act as per our wish. But isn't  it our responsibility of making the right choice, and also the responsibility to see that it does not affect someone else?. Many a times, we forget that there are other issues involved, and other people too, who probably do not get the space to exercise their choice because we have exercised ours!

About Design
'My Choice' a short film that has become a rage on social networking sites today conveys to women, the message of being control of their own lives , especially Indian women, who see their rights  trampled upon in all walks of life. This film has inspired an amazing advertisement for 'Amul' that captures the spirit of the film, and adds that layer of subtle humour that 'Amul ads' have always  been known for.

From the first Amul hoarding that was put up in 1967, Amul advertisements have never falied to put a smile on one's face. Their tongue in cheek commentary on social and political events has brightened up many a day.The round-eyed, chubby cheeked moppet who is the protagonist in these ads has over the years taken many 'avataars', all of them equally appealing.

It all began in 1966 when Sylvester daCunha, then the managing director of the advertising agency, ASP, clinched the account for Amul butter. The butter, which had been launched in 1945, had a staid, boring image, primarily because the earlier advertising agency which was in charge of the account preferred to stick to routine, corporate ads.In India, food was something one couldn't afford to fool around with. It had been taken too seriously, for too long. 

Sylvester daCunha decided it was time for a change of image.The year Sylvester daCunha took over the account, the country saw the birth of a campaign whose charm has endured fickle public opinion, gimmickry and all else.

one of the first amul hoardings

In 1969, when the city first saw the beginning of the Hare Rama Hare Krishna movement, Sylvester daCunha, Mohammad Khan and Usha Bandarkar, then the creative team working on the Amul account came up with a clincher -- 'Hurry Amul, Hurry Hurry'. Bombay reacted to the ad with a fervour that was almost as devout as the Iskon fever.

That was the first of the many topical ads that were in the offing. From then on Amul began playing the role of a social observer. Over the years the campaign acquired that all important Amul touch.

Here are some 'Amul Hits' that have entertained, as much as enlightened!

Sc strikes down Sec 66A ! - March'15

Proposal to revive Mumbai’s night life ! – Feb’15

Kejriwal’s landslide Delhi win !

Indo-US ties sky rocket! – Jan’15

And some archival ones too!

On Railway Minister Laloo Parasd Yadav's proposed populist Rail Budget - July'04

On Wimbledon Champions 2004: Men's Singles winner-Switzerland's Roger Federer & Women's Single winner-Russian Maria Sharapova - July'04

Controversy surrounding Adam Gilchrist accusing Sachin Tendulkar of not having a sporting attitude & being a liar, in his about to be released autobiography - Oct'08

India's nuclear strength. 1998

During the period when FSI was being misused. 1982

On compulsory sterilisation introduced during Indira Gandhi regime. 1976

Do visit the site links for more...

Credit and Source of information
http://www.amul.com/m/amul-hits?s=2015

http://www.amul.com/m/amul-topical-story

sandstorm

Thought behind the thought
Sandstorms fill the sky with swirling sand, raised from the dunes on the earth. Just like the thoughts that lay quietly piled up in the mind and are raised in a swirl by some very powerful gust of wind. The air so fills up with millions of particles of sand, that it is impossible to see anything around you. And so with the million thoughts that swirl in the mind at times. The minds pace is so laden with thoughts that it is difficult even to find your own self in the thought-storm!

About the art
Sand is a powerful medium to express thoughts too. Sand sculptures may be static, but convey a lot of meaning. And when sand turns in to a medium for performing art, it is simply amazing. As demonstrated by Israeli Sand artist Ilana Yahav.

Give peace a chance by Ilana Yahav     source: https://youtu.be/WWepVUYn54s

Sand art, into which Ilana has put all her energies and talents, is a unique and minimalist art form in which she uses only that which God blessed her with: sand, hands and soul. It is this very simplicity that fascinates her and which makes it so challenging and exciting to her and to her audience. “I was always captivated by the ability of hand gestures to express emotions such as anger, compassion, and love… Just as in dance, such movements create emotions that play a major role in the creation.” 

Ever since you left by Ilana Yahav     source: https://youtu.be/4-1W-lhz0DE

“The experience of direct contact with sand enthralled me already as a child.” Ilana says: “It was a happy childhood along the shores of the Mediterranean, which I would visit every day on my way to school. I would draw a personal story, a kind of living diary in the sand. I would draw quickly, trying to finish it all before the wave would come and wipe everything out. I was totally spellbound. I would stand and watch until the drawing disappeared, realizing that everything is transient and temporary…”
Credit and source of information
http://sandfantasy.com/

tomorrow and today

Thought behind the thought

Today and Tomorrow, like two siblings are forever connected, yet maintain their own identities. The judgemental older brother blames the younger one for everything, and the younger one hardly cares! He is so busy living his life and making his mistakes! If only they came together! Life would be so much better for all the value they would both bring to it. Enthusiasm and adventure on one hand, wisdom and maturity on the other!

About the art

The special bonding between siblings has inspired a lot of art, and these oil paintings done on Copper vouch for the same.

 Iris and Edward by Lauren Palte

Sonia and Sister by Lauren Palte

Untitled  by Lauren Palte

Untitled  by Lauren Palte

Tilley and siblings by Lauren Palte

This is what the artist Lauren Palte has to say about this amazing work in a very innovative medium

"In this project, oil paint that is dissolved in solvent is poured onto a horizontal sheet of copper. The non-porous surface of copper causes the paint to flow, pool and disperse across the surface. The luminous ground shines through the thin layers of paint.

The importance of the medium and a search for exploratory processes of painting underpin this project. But the formal concern of light and transparency that is offered by the copper surface ties into my interest in x-rays of paintings, in particular recent autoradiographs of works by Dutch Masters, Vermeer and Rembrandt. X-ray images of such paintings reveal things that would otherwise remain invisible to the unaided eye. These images present an opportunity to engage with the changeability of technique present in paintings. The human forms that were whole in the original paintings become ghostly shadows in x-ray.

This project brings together x-ray images of paintings with fragments from well-known paintings and personal images from my family album. While diverse in their origin, the activity of painting seeks a moment of recognition or empathy with the painted figure; searching for lost moments, hidden in memory or behind new layers of paint."


Credit and source of information
http://laurenpalte.com/

mind games

pool

Thought behind the thought
We have all been through this! When we first learn how to swim, and till we gather the courage to venture anywhere beyond 5 feet deep, we find comfort and safety at the shallow end of the pool. Here, we can try to float our body for a while, but safely touch our feet to the ground, if we can't! The confidence that comes with the knowledge that you are not going to drown shows in the way we splash with abandon there. 
But eventually, we do take the plunge, reinforce our confidence and make a serious attempt to overcome our fears our drowning. Once we befriend the water and stretch our capacities, the deep end does not seem that far or deep enough. It is at the deep end then, that we surface with grace, humbled by the enormity of the challenge that we took up and met!

About design
Swimming pools are not just places where we could have fun swimming, they are also fun to design! And it shows, in all these images of amazing pools around the world.

The pool at San Alfonso Del Mar, Chile is probably the largest pool in the world being 3000 feet long, and descending 115 feet deep as you cover the length.

The 'Infinity Pool" at Rangali Islands, Maldives seems to have no edges and visually merges with the beautiful vast ocean that it is built next to.

The pool at Ubud Hanging gardens in Bali,  Indonesia gives you a two fold, terraced experience of being above the valley as you swim, or being one with the amazing greenery in the valley.

The underground pool at Umaid Bhavan Palace , India designed lavishly beneath the 345 room palace, that was the largest private residence in the world!

A set of three pools (with cold, warm and hot water) at Intercontinental Hotel, Hongkong.

The Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa in Iceland is fed by super heated mineral rich water vented from the ground near a natural lava flow and is claimed to have healing properties.

The infinity pool at Sky park at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore  is perched at 55 stories above the ground level, offering an incredible swimming experience.

The Nemo 33 pool in Brussels, Belgium was formerly the deepest pool in the world at 108 feet. It is used for recreation , filming and diving instruction and has a system of underwater caves with temperature maintained at a constant 96 deg F.

The Ocean dome in Miyazaki, Japan is an indoor artificial beach with a simulated sky roof, artificial sand and also the world's largest wave pool.

The design of swimming pools also requires amazing technology to support it. Whether it is a temperature controlled pool atop a structure or underground , it is a feat of technology as much as it is a feat of imaginative design! Swimming pool design is therefore as much science as it is art, a challenging creative exercise!


Credit and Source of information
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/design/g594/worlds-18-strangest-pools/?

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