‘Nowhere’ van Frank van der Salm: Technische perfectie om je in te verliezen

‘Nowhere’ van Frank van der Salm: Technische perfectie om je in te verliezen

Na 25 jaar fotograferen heeft Frank van der Salm geen retrospectief gemaakt, maar een expositie in het Nederlands Foto Museum, in samenwerking met Bas Vroege van Paradox, die vooruit kijkt. Zijn thema: de metropool. Want over de hele wereld is stedenbouw de expressie van onze tijd, vindt hij. ‘Nowhere’ – te lezen zowel als nowhere, nergens, als ‘Now here’, juist het hyperlokale – bestaat uit drie radicaal verschillende onderdelen. Een door kunstmatige intelligentie samengesteld videowall, een driemaal wisselende selectie foto’s Ă©n de monumentale publicatie ontworpen door Irma Boom.

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Sweet&Salt: Water and the Dutch

Sweet&Salt: Water and the Dutch

Sweet&Salt: Water and the Dutch is the title of book and an exhibition on the changing relationship between the Low Countries and that element which is so fundamental to the landscape and to the Dutch identity: water. Under pressure from climate change, the Netherlands are redefining their relationship to water, and in the process are subjecting the landscape to an extreme makeover. Crown Prince Willem-Alexander accepted the first copy of the book and opened the exhibition in the Kunsthal in Rotterdam in February 2012.

Here is the English edition of the book:

Cover photo by Han Singels, design by Marty Schoutsen of Opera.

You can order a copy here.

Risorgimento in industrial heritage

Risorgimento in industrial heritage

Torino is the capital of Italy’s celebration this year of the Risorgimento, the creation of the country 150 years ago. The city’s Fiat Lingotto factory is already famous, with its spectacular racetrack on the roof, but for this year’s festivities the city chose another impressive piece of its industrial past: the Officine di Grandi Riparazioni (OGR), where they used to repair the trains.

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Empathy at the Design Academy

Empathy at the Design Academy

The renowned Design Academy in Eindhoven opens its new academic year today with a fun, crazy, cool event on the theme of empathy. I’m moderating, guest speakers/artists are Merlijn Twaalfhoven, Frans de Waal, Roos Vonk, Lernert and Sander, Bas Raijmakers and Marianne Guldbrandson, and Rick Poynor. Lunch is designed by AndrĂ© Amaro and will no doubt be an event  in itself. Read the article…

Irene fills New York’s urban canyons

Irene fills New York’s urban canyons

An earthquake and a huge hurricane in one week: the east coast of the US is having a hard time. Buzzfeed.com posted 20 ‘photos’ of what New York City will look like tomorrow when hurricane Irene gets there. Water cascading down the subway steps, waves crashing into the Statue of Liberty at waist height, fleets of yellow cabs in the streets up to their gills in water. I’ll be interested to compare them to what really happens tomorrow. Especially since in my new book Sweet&Salt: Water and the Dutch I’ll be discussing New York’s forward-looking attempts to prepare for climate change and rising waters.  Read the article…