On Farming – Call for Submissions

 

I came across this “Call for Submissions” by way of flickr.  The first proposed issue for publication looks promising…  In this era of globalization and with an optimistic view towards the potential of the butterfly effect  - why not consider a look and offer your own insights.

From the web site:

 

ISSUE #1: ON FARMING

The first edition of [bracket] is centered around the theme of farming. Once merely understood in terms of agriculture, today information, energy, labour, and landscape, among others, can be farmed… More here.

 

[bracket] is a collaboration of Archinect and InfraNet Lab, and is composed of a collection of diverse editors and an open-source contributing membership.

[bracket] is an annual publication documenting issues overlooked yet central to our cultural milieu that have evolved out of the new disciplinary territory at the intersection of architecture, landscape, urbanism and, now, the internet. It is no coincidence that the professional term architect can also now refer to information architects, and that the word community can also now refer to an online community. [bracket] is a publishing platform for ideas charting the complex overlap of the sphere of architecture and online social spheres.

 

http://www.brkt.org/

After a more famous Wall Street

  

After a more famous Wall Street, originally uploaded by Matt Niebuhr.

The photograph above is of Custom Stamping and Manufacturing – owned and operated by the Stoudt family for over 45 years.

In light of the rather dramatic actions of the past few weeks with regard to America’s credit market melt down – I’d like to post this photograph. I made this photograph In the context of knowing about a very famous Strand photo of Wall Street 1915.

To compare the formal qualities are fairly obvious, what matters to me is the symbolism. It seems to be that these are the places we should hold in high esteem. These are the places where things are still made, here things are transformed from intangible ideas to tangible elements.

It’s easy to see – and Strand shows us quite plainly it seems to me in his photograph – the smallness of the individual against a looming, shadowy and opaque  ”American” icon – namely Wall Street. Some 90+ years later and we find ourselves yet again faced with trying to understand what looms behind the window of Wall street. It’s time to pull back the curtains and shed some light on the subject.

James Nachtwey

 

“The TED Prize was created as a way of taking the inspiration, ideas and resources that are generated at TED and using them to make a difference. Although the winners receive a prize of $100,000 each, that’s the least of what they get. The real prize is that they are granted a WISH. A wish to change the world. “