It was in the early 1960's, long before "recycling" and "reusing" became fashionable, when David Wasserman began digging trash cans in Eisenhower Park, Long Island, looking for "the right shade of red or green or yellow" to complete another Tin Can artwork. For years, he refused for any kind of public showing except for a website set up by his son, Steven, back in 1997. In the Spring of 1999, Wasserman agreed to let his son arrange an exhibition of his tin can art at the Tennessee State Museum. Sadly, he died of complications related to Parkinson's disease during the preparations for that show. The exhibit opened on December 7, 1999 and was held over until March 10, 2000. Here are five of Wasserman's most impressive creations, shown with exclusive high-resolution versions as taken by his son.
The Circus Poster (above) is a 72 inches x 48 inches tin masterpiece made from ginger ale cans and cut from many dozens of cans of Pathmark Orange Soda (see detail). According to Steven Wasserman, after this monumental work was completed his mom took a vow never to drink orange soda again.
Based on a real baseball card and sized 21 inches x 30 inches the Baseball Card was Wasserman's first attempt to reproduce the human form out of tin cans and a great homage for legendary baseball player Willie Howard Mays of the New York and San Francisco Giants.
According to Steven Wasserman, the owner of a leading New York art gallery offered his father a show if he would produce a dozen or more similar tin can "baseball cards." The gallery man was turned down because the purpose here was "to explore all the possibilities and challenges of creating 2-dimensional art out of metal" and that was already achieved.
Cartooning was Wasserman's commercial specialty. TAXI, a monumental 72 inches x 42 inches tin can cartoon, was made after a series of realistic pieces. Check out Bride and Groom below (48 inches x 72 inches).
Number 16 (below) is a 63 inches x 48 inches piece based on a photograph of the 1908 Vanderbilt Cup Race winner. The work is displayed in the lobby of the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville.
Want more of Wasserman's art? Contact Steven Wasserman and order a 8 1/2" x 10" 28 pages catalog with 43 full color reproductions and commentary by Bobby Hansson, Steven Wasserman, and Lois Riggins-Ezell (available "in limited quantities"). Following are 5 more fascinating examples of contemporary tin can projects and artists.
The Red Bull Art of the Can: Commercial interests meet art
It's not always a very good thing when business, commercial interests and pure art are mixing with each other but sometimes the results just speak for themselves. The Red Bull Art of the Can Competition is an international juried art competition in which International tin can artists use the Red Bull can as their primary medium. From spectacular Red Bull Snowboarder (above) to Red Bull Satellite and c130 aircraft (below) this show takes the raff up with nearly everything about tin can art technique.
For many more photos of The Red Bull Art of the Can works, including high-res where you can clearly see details (such as this Purse and that Catfish) see artofthecan photostream on flickr.
The Urban WoodsWalker: Pop Art Aluminum Can Hand Necklace
M.A. Enriquez, also known as Urban WoodsWalker has already been reviewed on cultcase with her spectacular "MONA" - a "Trash Chaos Vessel" made from newspapers and junk mail (see The Art of Junk: 7 Creative Approaches to Trash Reuse). Her used aluminum necklaces are made of beverage cans. The cans are washed and then the hands are cut out. According to Enriquez the hands remind her of Mexican Milagros (also known as ex-votos or dijes) - religious folk charms that are traditionally used for healing purposes. The above 1 3/4" x 1 3/4" item is named "Pop Art Aluminum Can Hand Necklace RESERVED FOR BRUCE". You can get yourself an "extremely similar" one such as the "Pop Art Aluminum Can Hand Necklace" shown below but not the Bruce one. There are no sharp aluminum metal edges, if you are asking yourself.
Enriquez's work is for sale at her etsy shop. She runs her own blog urban-woodswalker.blogspot.com and is the Admin of the especially originally named flickr group Fan>TAB>ulous Aluminum & Tin Can ART (Strongly recommend).
Orlando Forge Metal Studio: Blacksmith's Tin Can Art
The Orlando Forge Metal Studio in Belmont, NY makes custom forged steel, decorative and functional ironwork using "the time-honored tools, techniques, and traditions of the blacksmith". Charles Orlando who founded Orlando Forge Metal Studio has been working as a blacksmith for over twenty years. He taught and demonstrated blacksmithing techniques to blacksmiths and ferries across the United States and Canada and teaches regularly at the John C. Campbell Folk.
Amongst Orlando's other metal art works are reused tin can and other painted tin objects such as clocks, toys and musical instruments. Orlando's tin can works are included in the revised edition of Bobby Hansson's Fine Art of the Tin Can, 2005 (see Amazon). For more of his work see the Tin Can Art Gallery.
Janet Cooper: From Bottle Caps to Tin Can Dolls
In the 1980s Janet Cooper turned rusty bottle cap collection into a jewelry business and sold jewelry to stores, galleries and museum shops in the USA, Europe and Asia and sold it four years ago. Today, Massachusetts artist and curator Janet Cooper reuses mostly vintage cans to make unique somewhat 2D somewhat 3D figures such as the above.
Cooper's work also includes tobacco tags and other memorabilia items and has been showcased in folk art and contemporary craft museums. More reused art from Janet Cooper here.
VintageBeadShop: Vintage Tin Can Art Nursery Model
Most pieces at the etsy VintageBeadShop are either genuine antique, vintage, or made from the original old tooling from the early 1900's by family run shops that have been handed down through several generations. All are USA made -100% solid, pure brass. The above piece has a bit of a long title which kind of explains most of what we need to know about it: Vintage Shabby Chic Tin Can Art Nursery with Baby Doll Vanity Highchair Playpen Rocking Bassinet.
Here are just a few scraps: With the exception of "a few spots on the felt in the playpen and "some tiny rust spots on a few of the pieces" this set is promised to be in excellent condition for it's age as it was kept stored in china cabinets. Some measurements: Baby Doll: 4 3/4" L X 2" W from fingered hands to tiny little toes. Rocking Bassinet: 5" L X 5 1/2" H. Highchair with Movable Tray: 5 1/2" Tall X 2 1/2" W. More about this extraordinary set right here.
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The Art of Can: Reusing Tin Cans as Art
Shine in the Dark: From Light Graffiti and Light Writing to Bachelor Party Installations and Activist LED Signs
Compared to the traditional paint-and-stencil graffiti, light graffiti (also known as light art, light writing and light painting), may seem minor to some of you if not entirely esoteric. Yet, this emerging concept, described by the Guardian as a new wave of ephemeral street art, is a most fascinating zeitgeist phenomena. Light graffiti can also be described as an organic, environment-friendly yet non-vandalistic channel for self expression in public. In most cases, no public space is being "liberated" for more than 30 seconds. Here, wall paint is replaced with flash lights and laser pointers, street walls - with megapixels. Naturally and as expected, where creativity, innovation and buzzy weather meet major companies (and their finest creative teams and branding divisions) can also be found. They are here because their job is to tag along the hype but with their corporate media power they also fuel the trend and make it stronger. The result: a new colorful scale of innovative human expressions such as the following selection of seven light art projects.
1. Lichtfaktor
The German collective Lichtfaktor has been well known for pioneering lightart photography since 2006 after, according to Wired.com, Marcel Panne - a video mixer with a background in photography - was approached to produce new material for an event themed "Energy in Motion". In the past two years major brands such as Absolut Vodka, Mark Ecko, Audi, Phillips and PlayStation have already paid Panne and his partners David Lüpschen and Tim Fehske to participate in a few innovative print campaigns. The above image, for example, is of a set recently shot in London and Brighton for British TV channel current.
In March this year the first ever Lichtfaktor TV commercial was released and included some of the most high-budget light art images ever created. The commercial was made for the BEKO ALL-STAR brand in Istanbul and includes music by Jingle Jungle. See selected snapshots above or just watch the whole clip here:
2. Illum
Conceived in summer of 2007 Illum is the brainchild of Sean Nelson and Chuck Grimmett - senior high school students from Amherst, Ohio, USA with a strong passion for photography art experimentation. Focusing on long exposures and different kinds of light art, light graffiti and light writing the Illum portfolio includes astonishing nature shots, self-brand signatures such as above, winter images and more.
Nature and Light Art shot
Circles
Winter shot
Urban shot
3. The Path of Light
Another creative two-man project started in Aalborg, Denmark in summer 2007 is The Path of Light. Using "the cityscape as a playground and flashlights as toys" Long Shutter and his (unanimous) are officially inspired by the works of Lichtfaktor. With pieces such as Satan's car, Turning on the lights (above) and Thoughts away (below) The Path of Light let their imagination "fill the streets with flowers and creatures" giving life to static environments.
The following is a recent stop-motion clip released by The Path of Light:
4. robokon_gt
Also with his own personal vision for car photography robokon_gt's "Getting chased..." and "The chaser becomes the chased..." (above) are excellent examples of how composition and motion vectors can be used cleverly within this medium. Other sets from this artist such as Gabe vs Gabe! and Feb light graffiti 010 (below) show a sense of humor is also on the checklist.
5. MRI
Ryan Warnberg and Michelle McSwain from Queens Brooklyn, USA turned their light art fascination into a local New York metro area business branded MRI, also known as M::R::I. Other than peculiar brand signatures such as the above ("m r i i n m n") the couple go with the slogan "Long exposures. Bright lights." and make unique kaleidoscopic portraits with original look and their own slightly sexy style. Version and Saint (below) are two excellent examples.
Above: items from the Version set. Below: Saint
If you happen to plan an odd drunken bachelor party or are otherwise interested in your own personal light session you are welcome to pick up your favorite email application and contact Ryan (the weird one) or Michelle (the pretty one). Worried about technical aspects of the production? There’. According to the MRI fellows Cameras, lights, cables and other must have accessories are all included. All you have to bring for a successful light event is yourself and your wildest ideas. See also the MRI Light Painting blog.
6. Luke Doyle
Luck Doyle from Oxford, UK uses acid purple lights to manipulate human figures into glowing super high-res light art photos. The above, titled Light people in bed, is in my humble opinion a true light art masterpiece. Click for image for a higher-resolution version or here for huge super high-res one. Another interesting set by Doyle that utilizes his branded purple is Glowing guitar. Super high-res version here.
7. Graffiti Research Lab: Night Writer
Another emerging method of using light to make your voice heard is using low-power led technology. Graffiti Research Lab, a division of the Eyebeam R&D OpenLab run by a couple of NYC-based artists who like projecting light beams onto buildings, had developed the LED Throwies as an inexpensive way to create a less temporary draw in light.
Consisting of a lithium battery, a 10mm diffused led and a rare-earth magnet taped together, The Throwie's functionality was recently extended by the Night Writer – a cheap easy way to make 12-inch glowing letters setup. With Night Writer letters are placed up on an iron or steel surface forming the coolest low-budget neon-style sign or a shockingly prominent activist electronic billboard - make your own choice. Just two important notes before you consider setting your Night Writer up:
The first one is that according to the GRL folks it's hard to conceal a 10-foot pole.
In addition: please note the NYPD vans are ferromagnetic. The GRL are also a prominent player in the fields of architectural light graffiti and projection bombing - another two forms of lightart utilizing more advanced yet still pretty simple accessories. Here the creation takes the form of realtime or pre-planned sequences of light, feed through high-powered digital projectors and projected on public buildings and walls. Check out WebUrbanist for more architectural graffiti and projection bombing on urban surfaces.
The Art of Junk: 7 Creative Approaches to Trash Reuse
The concept of "recycling" usually refers to the breaking down of used items into raw materials and then using those materials to make new items. In contrast, the concept of "reuse" includes both using an item again for its original function, as well as for "new-life reuse" where it is used for a brand new function. "ReUsing is similar to Recycling, only we aren't getting rid of things, we are finding new uses for them" explains INSPIRE, administrator of The ReUse Project group on Flickr that serves as an International hub for reuse artists. The following are 7 outstanding examples of creative approaches to the art of junk.
1. Two-and-a-half Dimensional Eggcubism Paintings by Enno de Kroon
Leading both recycling art and cubism into the 21st century Enno de Kroon from The Netherlands uses ordinary egg crates instead of canvas to make spectacular "two-and-a-half" dimensional paintings in a style he defines as Eggcubism. "The waves of the eggcartons limit the viewer's perception" explains de Kroon, making him "aware of his positioning towards the image." Classroom is a mega in-progress Eggcubism painting on which de Kroon has been working over the past 4 months. "I don't know the exact size of painted surface, but it has to be at least in the order of 40-50 square meters" he estimates. Above is a snapshot of the Classroom March 27 stage: Acrylic paint on eggcrates, 217 x 245 x 10 cm.
Lichtekooi (left angle shot): Acrylic on eggcarton, 29,5 x 30,5 cm, 2004. Collection Bouman Foundation, 
Schooldays (right angle shot): Acrylic on eggcrates, 2007. Dim. app. 90 x 60 x 10 cm. Collection of the artist. More Eggcubism art here or on de Kroon's official website http://www.ennodekroon.nl
2. Creative Ecodesign by Mario Caicedo Langer
Ecodesign creative expert Mario Caicedo Langer from Bogotá, Colombia makes toys, props and accessories from trash, ordinary day-to-day objects, computer parts and other reused elements. Above: The Attack of the evil Scorpions.
Decorative element for Cyclus Ecodesigns.
MOUSER 2.0 Toy made of plastic pieces.
Desk accessory made of PVC, and other plastic pieces. It has clamps and magnrtic clips. More reused ecodesign by Mario Caicedo Langer here.
3. The Heidelberg Project by Tyree Guyton
Two people have told the tragic story of the Michigan car industry better than everyone else: The second (chronologically) was Michael Moore in his groundbreaking 1989 documentary Roger & Me that illustrated the devastating impact of the closing of several GM auto plants in Flint, Michigan. The first was Tyree Guyton of The Heidelberg Project. Named after the street on which it exists in Detroit, Michigan, The Heidelberg Project was started by Guyton in 1986 and has since become one of the most influential art environments in the world.
Tyree was raised on Heidelberg Street and, at the age of 12, witnessed the tragic effect of the Detroit riots where vivid neighborhoods and live communities became segregated urban ghettos characterized by poverty, abandonment, and despair. With the help of his wife, Karen and his grandfather and mentor Sam ("Grandpa") Mackey, Guyton began cleaning up vacant lots on Heidelberg and Elba Streets. Soon they began using the refuse they collected to transform the street into a massive art environment turning the street, sidewalks and trees into a vast installation.
In 1991 and again in 1999, despite its international recognition as an art installation masterpiece, the city demolished parts of the Heidelberg Project. The rest of it is still there, serving as a source of inspiration for many artists and social activists.
The "Dotty Wotty" House has been in Tyree's family since 1947 and is considered the most famous house in the Heidelberg Project. This is where Tyree was first inspired to paint. The dots represent two things: His Grandfathers love of jellybeans, and the unity of all people.
In Detroit, a huge dot used to be painted onto a building designated for demolition. Tyree has taken the dot and made it his emblem, using it a great deal in his artwork. The above dotted bus, for example, can't run but it's so cool.
This house is located at one of the entrances to the Heidelberg Project. The animals used to be on the inside but are being relocated and glued to the outside. According to Tyree Guyton this is "to protect the house".
The penny car is dotted with a miraculous mosaic of coins. It honors the great motor city of Detroit, the state of Michigan and the entire American car industry "that once stood strong". A bit broken down and beat up, indeed, but still a fine example for this cultcase list.
Vacuum cleaner forest. Just think of all the dust these folks have busted. Don't they deserve a medal? Here is a short video glimpse of the project. For more about the Heidelberg non-profit organization and how it raises funds to keep art education in elementary schools see www.heidelberg.org.
4. Newspapers and Junk Mail Vessel by UrbanWoodsWalker
After spending decades as a "gun for hire" in a variety of positions including illustrator, graphic designer, animator and art educator UrbanWoodsWalker from Chicago, USA has finally turned to creating her own art. Though notably obsessed about detail she challenged herself to "use nothing thought of as having any lasting value". In other words, the art of UrbanWoodsWalker is made out of pure trash: objects found in the woods, garbage dumpsters, sidewalks, and recycling bins are reborn into art.
"MONA", measuring 5.5" wide by 4.25" wide, and 3.5" deep, is made from newspapers and junk mail and belongs to the "Trash Chaos Vessel" series. The vessel cannot be washed or used for food but it has a lot to say about modern society, hyper-media era, over stimulating culture and bombardment of visual noise.
To avoid fading of the inks and dyes on the paper MONA was given several coats of a gloss UV protective sealant. A tiny handmade clay human head is added as a bonus at the bottom of the interior. If you like her you can get MONA for $40.00 at esty.com. More reused art from UrbanWoodsWalker here.
5. Fused Plastic Bags by The Creative JAR
"Take recycled plastic bags and thread - add some scraps inside - fuse them together, sew them up - add a button - what do you get?" The Creative JAR's answer stands for awesomely cool reused fused plastic bag.
Wife, mother, daughter, worker, creator, crafter, artist and designer: this dame from Nashville, Tn, USA must be as hyperactive and busy as she is talented.
6. Junk Art by Steve Oatway
Australian junk artist, painter and art-director Steve Oatway helps to make the world cleaner and more beautiful through Junk Art – a formation of sculptures from found objects or junk found in the "most remote" Australian locations. "By the time I was 15 I learnt to fight and fight I have" writes Oatway on his site, explaining his major motives: "through alcoholism, asthma and a disabled son, who is my shining light for without him I have no heart".
Above: Knight’s Tale - metal horse sculpture, H190 x W240 x D160 cm, built from car chassis and abandoned junk which was harvested from the discarded junk piles found on farming properties. Below: Harley sculpture and horse.
More Oatway's Junk Art here.
7. Tin Can Dolls and Party Dress by Janet Cooper
In the 1980s Janet Cooper turned rusty bottle cap collection into a jewelry business and sold jewelry to stores, galleries and museum shops in the USA, Europe and Asia and sold it four years ago. Today, Massachusetts artist and curator Janet Cooper reuses vintage bottle caps and tin cans, tobacco tags and other memorabilia items as art and craft. Her work has been showcased in many folk art and contemporary craft museums.
Above: Tin can works: Made from Vintage Tin Cans. Below: Assemblage party dress made with materials from Cooper's travel. Fabric, Paper Images and Decorations. More reused art from Janet Cooper here.
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Live Fast, Die Young: 20 Great Artists that Never Reached 30
The phrase Live fast, die young and leave a good-looking corpse, originally spoken by actor John Derek in Nicholas Ray's Knock on Any Door (1949), emphasizes how unfulfilled promises have always been fascinating and intriguing for many of us. While some great artists lived up to their full potential, sometimes through decades of fruitful careers, others have passed away long before that, leaving many of us wondering which masterpieces might have lost along with their elder years. Following are 20 great artists that enlightened our souls with their art for a short time, but signed-off to rest in peace before reaching the age of 30.
1) Jean Vigo
French film maker Jean Vigo contributed to poetic realism in film in the 1930s and influenced the French New Wave of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He died of Tuberculosis on October 5, 1934 when he was 29.
More about Jean Vigo
Picture: lucidscreening
2) Egon Schiele
Austrian painter Egon Schiele is well known for his twisted body shapes repeating in many of his paintings and drawings. Schiele became one of the notable exponents of Expressionism but died of Influenza on October 31, 1918 when he was 28.
More about Egon Schiele
Picture: myspace
3) Janis Joplin
In 2004 American singer and songwriter Janis Joplin was ranked by the Rolling Stone magazine #46 on a list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. She was a heroin addict and died of heroin overdose on October 4, 1970 when she was 27.
More about Janis Joplin
Picture: herbgreenefoto
4) Kurt Cobain
American musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter Kurt Cobain was co-founder of the Seattle based rock band Nirvana and their leading singer. Even though there are many different versions for what really happened with that shotgun on April 5, 1994 the official version is that Cobain shot himself to death when he was 27.
More about Kurt Cobain
Picture: justnevermind
5) Brian Jones
British musician Brian Jones was a founding member, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist of British rock band The Rolling Stones. Jones drowned in his own private swimming pool in Sussex, England on 3 July 1969 when he was 27.
More about Brian Jones
Picture: preciousstones
6) Jim Morrison
American singer, poet, songwriter, writer and (frustrated) film director Jim Morrison, also known as The Lizard King and Mr. Mojo Risin', was the founder, leading singer and lyricist of the legendary rock band The Doors. Considered by many as the greatest, most charismatic and influential figure in rock history, Morrison ended up with very few friends and a heart attack while bathing in a Paris hotel room on July 3, 1971. He was 27.
More about Jim Morrison
Picture: dailymail.co.uk
7) Jimi Hendrix
American guitarist, singer and songwriter Jimi Hendrix is considered as one of the greatest and most influential guitar artists in rock music history. According to Dr. Bannister who attended the star at the time of his death Hendrix was drowned in his own vomit, almost entirely red wine served at an earlier party. The full circumstances which led to his death, however, have never been fully uncovered. Hendrix was 27.
More about Jimi Hendrix
Picture: guitarch
8) Jean Harlow
American film actress Jean Harlow was one of the most prominent sex symbols of the 1930s. Also known as the Platinum Blonde and The Blonde Bombshell, Harlow starred in several films, mainly designed to showcase her magnetic sex appeal. She died of uremic poisoning and kidney failure on June 7, 1937 when she was 26.
More about Jean Harlow
Picture: doctormacro
9) Sharon Tate
American film actress and Golden Globe-nominated Sharon Tate was one of Hollywood's most promising upcoming stars even before her marriage to genius film director Roman Polański. She was murdered on August 9, 1969 by the Charles Manson gang. Tate was 26 years old and two weeks from giving birth at the time of her horrific death. This famous photo (from John Gilmore and Ron Kramer's Manson: The Unholy Trail of Charlie and the Family) shows Tate on the murder day.
More about Sharon Tate
Picture: lehigh
10) Georg Heym
German poet Georg Heym is known for his outstanding groundbreaking expressionist poetry. He drowned in a frozen lake during a skating trip while trying to save his friend Ernst Balcke. It was January 16, 1912 and the genius poet was just 25.
More about Georg Heym
Picture: wikimedia
11) James Dean
Double Oscar-nominated American film actor James Dean became a cultural icon following his roll as Jim Stark in Nicholas Ray's monumental film Rebel Without a Cause. He played two more pantheon rolls (Cal Trask in East of Eden and as the Jett Rink in Stevens' Giant) but was killed in a car crash accident at the age of 24. Dean was one of the most talented and original style actors Hollywood has ever seen. He was the first actor to receive an "after death" Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. Actually, Dean the only actor ever received two such nominations.
More about James Dean
Picture: smu
12) Judy Tyler
American film actress Judy Tyler appeared in the 1957 film Bop Girl Goes Calypso but is mostly remembered for her co-starring with Elvis Presley in the movie Jailhouse Rock. After completing her part of the Presley movie filming Tyler and her husband Greg Lafayette went on a vacation. They were killed July 4, 1957 in a car accident north of Rock River, Wyoming. Tyler was only 24 when she died. She was so young she never got to watch any of her only two films.
More about Judy Tyler
Picture: elviswomen.greggers.net
13) River Phoenix
American film actor River Phoenix was an Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated and was listed on John Willis's Screen World, Vol. 38 as one of twelve "promising new actors of 1986". On the Halloween morning of October 31, 1993 Phoenix died of speedball (mix of heroin and cocaine) overdose outside a Hollywood night club named the Viper Room. He was 23.
More about River Phoenix
Picture: freewebz
14) Ian Curtis
British vocalist and lyricist Ian Curtis joined the new wave band Joy Division in 1976 and quickly became their undisputed leader. Years after his death Curtis is still a major source of inspiration and a subject for many other artists. Curtis hanged himself in his own kitchen on May 18, 1980 after watching Werner Herzog's Stroszek and listening to Iggy Pop's The Idiot. Amongst suggested reasons for his suicide are epilepsy related problems and failure of his marriage. He was 23 years old.
More about Ian Curtis
Picture: liverpool.com
15) Dominique Dunne
American actress Dominique Dunne appeared in several made for television movies, television series, and films but was most known for her role as Dana (the oldest daughter) in Poltergeist (1982). Dunne was strangled into coma on November 4, 1982 by her ex-boyfriend John Thomas Sweeney after she refused to reconcile with him. Sweeney, then a popular Los Angeles chef, strangled Dunne in the driveway of her home. She died a few days later, at the age of 22.
More about Dominique Dunne
Picture: nndb
16) Buddy Holly
American singer-songwriter and rock and roll inventor Charles Hardin Holley aka "Buddy Holly" is considered one of the most influential artists in pop music history but only lived to see about one and a half years of success. He was described as "the single most influential creative force in early rock and roll" and in 2004 ranked #13 on a list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time by the Rolling Stone magazine. He died in an airplane crash on February 3, 1959 on his way to Fargo, North Dakota. The plane took off in light snow and gusty winds at around 12:55 A.M., but crashed after only a few minutes.
More about Buddy Holly
Picture: buddy-holly.com
17) Sid Vicious
British punk musician John Simon Ritchie also known as Sid Vicious was the bass player of the Sex Pistols and one of the most prominent prophets of the punk-rock decade. He died of heroin overdose on February 2, 1979 at the age of 21.
More about Sid Vicious
Picture: dubhthachsidheag
18) Charles Sorley
Scottish war poet Charles Sorley volunteered for military service in England during World War I and arrived at the Western Front in France as a lieutenant in May 1915. He ranked Captain at the very early age of 20 but was shot in the head by a German sniper at the Battle of Loos on October 13, 1915 and died instantly.
More about Charles Sorley
Picture: thelondonseason
19) Divya Bharti
Indian film actress Divya Bharti born Divya Om Prakash Bharti was a popular Indian film actress in the early 1990s. Bharti was already a shining star in 1990 when she was just 16 years old. In 1992 she appeared in more than 14 Hindi films which was at the time a record for a newcomer to the Hindi film industry. Bharti's career was ended in April 5, 1993 when she mysteriously accidentally fell off a 5-storey apartment building in Mumbai. She was 19 when she died.
More about Divya Bharti
Picture: treklens
20) Tara Correa-McMullen
American actress Shalvah McMullen, better known with her stage name Tara Correa-McMullen, was mostly famous for her role as gang member Graciela Reyes on the CBS TV series Judging Amy. McMullen had just about enough time to co-star with Martin Lawrence in a first feature film - Rebound - but was murdered on October 21, 2005. She was just 16 when she died.
More about Tara Correa-McMullen
Picture: minorcon
Lions Prefer Blondes: a Perfect Photojournalism Drama with a Happy End
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, we know that since 1953. But did you know 180kg lions also like them very much? Well, at least according to this Daily telegraph story that might just be the case. It is not everyday that death grabs one's soul and hands it back while the entire process gets captured on camera in a perfect photojournalism drama with a heart and a happy end. Yet, for British primary school headmistress Kate Drew that is more or less how things turned out when a 180kg cat pounced on from behind and dragged her to the ground, sinking its teeth into the back of her neck.
Those amazing photos are signed with the watermark "Austral" but it is not clear who is the cool headed person who should be thanked for them.
Working as a volunteer teacher in Tanzania, Drew (28) was spending a few weeks "traveling across Africa on a bus with other backpackers". During this tour the group visited a reserve in Zimbabwe where lions are bred to be released back into the wild and tourists can pay $50 to "walk with several of the big cats" which are "considered tame enough to be allowed contact with humans". Here is what happened in Kate Drew's words:
"We were just leaving and everything seemed to have gone well - until one jumped at me from behind. I was scared enough when he pinned me to the ground, but when I looked up and saw the other two, I thought I'd had it.''
It may have been a miracle or just a random coincidence. Though the wounds on Drew's head left her with 13 stitches (below) they missed her brain stem and she was rescued by the brave reserve wardens (above) who "rushed in with sticks and wrestled the animal away."
According to the Daily Telegraph the lion was not on his way for it's lunch when it grabbed poor Drew but was apparently just playing around a little bit after being "attracted by her mane-like long blonde hair". There goes at least one advantage of being a blonde, ha?
Unfortunately, Drew's story is not always how things end in this genre. According to lairweb.org.nz, a website focusing on endangered large cats, only three out of every one thousand tigers will resort to attacking people, making their reputation as a man-eater "quite inaccurate". Yet, also according to this website, even this low number has been enough to make the tiger responsible for more human deaths than any other predator. Lions are cute but if you are still not sure they also kill people, here is a list of Mountain Lion Attacks On People in the U.S. and Canada since 1986.
Challenging Neptune: 6 Underwater Cave Photographers
Cave diving photography is one of the most challenging and potentially dangerous kinds of all human activities. A lot of things can go wrong when you go into a deep cave. Many more can go wrong when the cave is also filled with water. This said, imagine doing the last two while at the same time being occupied with the right angle and perfect lighting of a beautiful underwater cave shot. Not the easiest job on earth, ha? Naturally, this kind of activity requires special training and equipment as well as state certification. Cave diving is not a game. According to American Caving Accidents, a special yearly report of The National Speleological Society tracking cave diving accidents, 50 American divers have died in 44 fatal cave diving accidents since the year 2000 and until end of 2007 and the numbers keep going up. So, just to make sure - if you are not certified and trained for cave diving, don't even think about trying it.
Gladly, in reality most underwater explorations end up with a satisfied diver and some very good stories, while some of them even have spectacular underwater photos to tell their stories for them. Following is a photo compilation from 6 cave diver-photographers who have followed the rules and came back to share their experience and photos with us. All images are copyrighted and are the property of the corresponding photographers. For more about Cave Diving see Wikipedia.
Wes Skiles
The underwater caving photographs of Wes Skiles are of the most well known and highly valued available nowadays anywhere in the world. Skiles is a professional high-definition nature photographer and film director and the CEO of Karst Productions, specializing in high-risk operations of nature exploration projects.
His clients include world leading media channels including the National Geographic with which he made quite a few amazing projects. During his career Skiles has won many awards including the HDFEST Deffie for Best Documentary Film (twice), Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival (finalist, 2003) Gold Aurora Award (2003), Crystal Reel Awards (2003) and Best Educational Film Cine Golden Eagle 2003.
http://www.wesskiles.com
Deighton
Deighton does not seem to be a professional cave diver yet he practices the combination of cave diving and photography and manages to obtain exceptional results with his photos. The above were taken during his cave diving journey in Mayan Riviera, Mexico on November 10-14, 2005. More photos from Deighton on this Picsa webAlbum.
Andreas W. Matthes
Andreas Matthes is a highly experienced Closed-Circuit Rebreathers Cave (CCR) Instructor living in Mexico who has been training CCR cave diving since 1997, conducting thousands of cave dives world wide. Matthes received the NSS-CDS International Cave Diving Safety Award as well as the NACD Wakulla Gold Award for 1000 completed cave dives, both in the year of 2001. For more about rebreathers technology see here.
Other than being a professional underwater cave diver and photographer Matthes is also an avid webmater. He runs a website dedicated to closed-circuit rebreathers (CCR) cave diving, a type of mixed-gas system, enabling descent to much greater depths than can be safely reached with oxygen rebreathers or normal compressed air equipment. For more about rebreathers technology see here. The above photos were taken in Mexico with an Olympus 3030 digital camera during a CCR exploration journey. The camera was placed into a Light and Motion Tetra housing featuring a screw-on wide angle lens converter.
http://www.andreaswmatthes.com
Allen Wooten
With a Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree Allen Wooten spends most of his time doing Corporate Accounting for a Fortune 500 Company in South Georgia USA. On other times, just about every other weekend, Wooten likes diving to the North Florida caves.
Wooten is a certified member of the NSS-CDS and DAN and practice various technical diving activities including sidemount, drysuit and scooter/DPV diving, as well as cave diving photography. He has a low-volume garage factory for gas mixing of nitrox, trimix, and deco bottles at home and has previously adopted 50 ft of cave passage in the deep section (165 ft deep) of Lower Lower Orange Grove Sink.
http://www.cavedivingrocks.com
John Blausey
With 14 years of dive experience John Blausey has a record of thousands of dives all over the world. He is the principal instructor and manager of AcmeScuba, a company specializing in various adventurous dive training including night dives, deep dives, search and recovery and underwater photography.
As a Master SCUBA Diver Trainer, Blausey provides a complete diver training program set forth by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. The above photographs were taken Jul 24, 2007 during an underwater caving trip in Dominican Republic. The camera in use is a Canon PowerShot G7. More photos from this dive on Blausey's Picsa webAlbum.
Nick
Not much is known about Nick except for his first name and the fact he is a skilled cave diver and a talented underwater cave photographer. The above photo selection was taken on Jul 31 - August 1, 2007 during Nick's caving journey in Florida. More photos from Nick on this Picsa webAlbum.
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Days by Ray Davies: A Cursed Rock Masterpiece?
Almost 40 years have passed since The Kinks burst onto our souls with Days. Originally recorded on May 23 and May 27, 1968 at Pye Studios in London, this bittersweet rock ballad written and produced by Ray Davies was released as the A-side to a Kinks single in June 28. By the end of summer 1968 Days took the 12th slot in the UK Top Hits and was also included in Top 20 hit lists in several other countries. What's also known as the last recording ever made by the original lineup of the legendary Kinks was the type of rock ballad people could just not get enough of. Here is the original version preformed by Davies and the Kinks.
For Davies, things have been going pretty well since the demise of the Kinks in the mid-90s, especially when the nature of the pop industry and biological age are taken into account. His February 2006 album Other People's Lives, for example, was his first top 30 hit in UK since the Kinks days in the 1960s.
Above: Davies and the Kinks.
Below: Davies in 2006 (source bmi.com)
Yet, for other prominent artists who reproduced Davies' song things did not turn out so nicely. Actually, three of them who made their own successful cover versions for Days during the years of 1968 to 1995 have passed away after a few years. Their deaths had nothing to do with the song. Tragically and disturbingly, however, they all died during their 40s.
Luke Kelly
Died: 1984
Age: 43
Cause of death: Brain tumor
Luke Kelly was one of the greatest Irish folk artist of the 20th Century, mostly famous for his membership and leadership of the The Dubliners. A CD of 9 previously unreleased tracks by Kelly was released in 1999 titled after Davies' song. With most tracks recorded prior to joining The Dubliners or when he was not a member of the group, this CD includes an extraordinary rendition of the classic ballad.
On June 30, 1980 during a concert in the Cork Opera House Kelly collapsed on the stage after suffering from headaches and forgetfulness. Later on the reason was diagnosed as a deadly brain tumor. Although Kelly kept on touring with the Dubliners after enduring an operation his health was further deteriorated. On his European tour in autumn 1983 he came off the stage in Traun, Austria and again in Mannheim, Germany. Kelly spent one more Christmas with his family but was then hospitalized again in the New Year. On 30th January 1984 the whole of Dublin grieved the early death. Following his death the Luke Kelly Memorial Fund for brain research was launched.
Kirsty MacColl
Died: 2000
Age: 41
Cause of death: Hit by speedboat
Kirsty Anna MacColl was a famed folk, pop and new wave musician, some would say of the greatest harmony singer in rock and roll history. MacColl had a busy successful year in 2000. Her latest album Tropical Brainstorm was doing very well. Five years have passed since her cover version of Days reached the Top 50 of the UK Singles Chart when MacColl decided to take some time off. She took a vacation with her partner musician James Knight and her two sons and traveled to Cozumel in Mexico.