Friday, October 20, 2017

Bob Gysin + Partner - House with a studio, Zurich 2010. Photos...

Daniele Marques - Urban villas, Lucerne 2011. Photos...

crossconnectmag: Saltworks by Motoi Yamamoto Yamamoto... crss















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Saltworks by Motoi Yamamoto

Yamamoto Motoi (born in Onomichi, Hiroshima in 1966) is an internationally renowned artist who calls his native Japan home. Motoi is known for working with salt, often in the form of temporary, intricate, large-scale installations. Salt, a traditional symbol for purification and mourning in Japanese culture, is used in funeral rituals and by sumo wrestlers before matches.

Motoi forged a connection to the substance while mourning the death of his sister, at the age of twenty-four, from brain cancer, and began to create art out of salt in an effort to preserve his memories of her. His art radiates an intense beauty and tranquility, but also conveys something ineffable, painful, and endless.

“Drawing a labyrinth with salt is like following a trace of my memory. Memories seem to change and vanish as time goes by; however, what I seek is to capture a frozen moment that cannot be attained through pictures or writings,” Motoi has said.


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crossconnectmag: Saltworks by Motoi Yamamoto Yamamoto...















crossconnectmag:

Saltworks by Motoi Yamamoto

Yamamoto Motoi (born in Onomichi, Hiroshima in 1966) is an internationally renowned artist who calls his native Japan home. Motoi is known for working with salt, often in the form of temporary, intricate, large-scale installations. Salt, a traditional symbol for purification and mourning in Japanese culture, is used in funeral rituals and by sumo wrestlers before matches.

Motoi forged a connection to the substance while mourning the death of his sister, at the age of twenty-four, from brain cancer, and began to create art out of salt in an effort to preserve his memories of her. His art radiates an intense beauty and tranquility, but also conveys something ineffable, painful, and endless.

“Drawing a labyrinth with salt is like following a trace of my memory. Memories seem to change and vanish as time goes by; however, what I seek is to capture a frozen moment that cannot be attained through pictures or writings,” Motoi has said.


Cross Connect Mag // Facebook - Twitter - Instagram

posted by Margaret via & via

Liechti Graf Zumsteg - Two family house, Windisch 2001. Via,...

Extrastudio - House conversion, Azeitão 2016. Located in a...

The Only Music That Really Eases Stress and Pain

Stress is absolutely everywhere. Even when you feel like you’re thriving in one or more areas of your life, there’s always going to be stress somewhere else. One way that people choose to reduce stress is by listening to music, specifically, putting their very favorite tunes on repeat.

Listening to the favorite hits does make people feel better. But research has found that your favorite music may not be the best choice to ease stress and pain.

Listening, Fast and Slow

Even if faster tunes makes you feel better or upbeat, only the slower tunes help reduce stress and anxiety.

Slower beats have a meditative effect. Faster beats can’t really induce this same kind of feeling. Instead, they usually encourage more alert and concentrated thinking. This is useful for other situations but not stress reduction.

A study conducted by Monash University showed that slower classical music could help reduce “anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure”.[1] The brain’s response to classical music may even help ease symptoms of depression as well as more day-to-day anxiety and stress.

Slower musical beats can alter brainwave speed, inducing a state that’s more meditative or hypnotic. Cognitive scientists and researchers in music therapy have spent a lot of time studying how musical rhythms impact our brainwaves and emotional states. This is why so many cultures (including most religious services) make slower, ceremonial music a big part of important rituals.[2]

Listening to music on headphones has also been shown to reduce stress and anxiety in hospital patients who need surgery. It can help reduce both physical pain and emotional distress of patients with chronic and postoperative pain.[3]

Soothing Tunes Don’t Have to Be Boring

Slow tunes, especially slow classical music, may sound boring for some listeners though. When you force yourself to listen to slow tunes that you can’t enjoy, it won’t reduce your stress but give you tension instead. You don’t need to force yourself to listen to relaxation music that you don’t like.

If you don’t already love many slow tunes, I’d recommend this Spotify playlist “Soothing Strings”. The music is calming but isn’t boring to anyone who isn’t used to listening to slow tunes.

Here are also a handful of YouTube tracks that you might try out:

Start exploring your favorite genres to find tracks you might like to use to ease your anxiety. As you explore more and more music, you’ll find ever more effective tracks personalized to your tastes. Don’t force yourself to use music that you actively dislike but keep an open mind as you listen and pay attention to how rhythms and melodies affect your mood. You may even surprise yourself.

Featured photo credit: Picjumbo via picjumbo.com

Reference

The post The Only Music That Really Eases Stress and Pain appeared first on Lifehack.



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crossconnectmag: Isolated Island with Strange Plant Life is “The... crss



















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Isolated Island with Strange Plant Life is “The Most Alien-Looking Place on Earth”

Nestled within the blue waters of the Indian Ocean is Socotra, a small island that’s an offshore territory of Yemen. Located 220 miles from the mainland, the isolated environment is home to many unique flora and fauna—in fact, 30% of its plant life doesn’t grow anywhere else. This has appropriately earned it the nickname “the most alien-looking place on Earth.”

Socotra is a UNESCO-certified World Natural Heritage Site and boasts three geographical terrains: coastal plains; a limestone plateau with caves; and the Haghier Mountains. At only 83 miles long and 28 miles north to south, that’s a lot of variety in a relatively small place. Rainfall is limited, which accounts for unique plant species such as the dragon’s blood tree with its red sap and umbrella-shaped top, in addition to giant succulent and cucumber trees.

Like its rich flora, Socotra is also home to endemic fauna. Several species of birds can only be found on the island, and over 90% of the reptiles are specific just to this land—including legless lizards. Bats are the only mammals native to Socotra, although non-native feral cats have found their way to the wonderfully strange locale.

While you can visit Socotra, it’s definitely a trip for those who don’t mind roughing it. Infrastructures are limited with minimal public transportation—they instead offer an eco-friendly bicycling alternative as well as motorbike tours that let you ride across this intriguing land.


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Posted by Andrew

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crossconnectmag: Isolated Island with Strange Plant Life is “The...



















crossconnectmag:

Isolated Island with Strange Plant Life is “The Most Alien-Looking Place on Earth”

Nestled within the blue waters of the Indian Ocean is Socotra, a small island that’s an offshore territory of Yemen. Located 220 miles from the mainland, the isolated environment is home to many unique flora and fauna—in fact, 30% of its plant life doesn’t grow anywhere else. This has appropriately earned it the nickname “the most alien-looking place on Earth.”

Socotra is a UNESCO-certified World Natural Heritage Site and boasts three geographical terrains: coastal plains; a limestone plateau with caves; and the Haghier Mountains. At only 83 miles long and 28 miles north to south, that’s a lot of variety in a relatively small place. Rainfall is limited, which accounts for unique plant species such as the dragon’s blood tree with its red sap and umbrella-shaped top, in addition to giant succulent and cucumber trees.

Like its rich flora, Socotra is also home to endemic fauna. Several species of birds can only be found on the island, and over 90% of the reptiles are specific just to this land—including legless lizards. Bats are the only mammals native to Socotra, although non-native feral cats have found their way to the wonderfully strange locale.

While you can visit Socotra, it’s definitely a trip for those who don’t mind roughing it. Infrastructures are limited with minimal public transportation—they instead offer an eco-friendly bicycling alternative as well as motorbike tours that let you ride across this intriguing land.


More unique art:

Instagram || Twitter || Facebook

Posted by Andrew