Musical instrument sculptures made from suspended buttons by Augusto Esquivel
[via Blue Velvet Chair]
by alexis mire
Today I finished up my Regina Spektor themed project for my photo class. I wanted to create two designs that focused on different aspects of her musical style. The first piece traces back to her traditional and classical influences, with soft floral colors and a minimal design, clean and simple.
The second refers to her exquisite oddities. From the strange, yet beautiful lyrics she creates; with a variety of cultural references and whimsical narratives, to the way she incorporates funny sounds into her work.
It’s just that her music makes me feel a million things at once that sometimes it’s overwhelming, like the brightest light coming in to a dark room.
Enjoy :)
Man Lives on cliff and talks down suicide jumpers for last 50 years
Meet the Australian Who’s Saved 160 People from Suicide
Don Ritchie lives across the street from the most famous suicide spot in Australia: A cliff known as “The Gap.” Most people would move, but Ritchie’s stayed for almost 50 years—saving an estimated 160 people from suicide.So what’s his big secret? Ritchie wakes up every morning and looks out the window for “anyone standing alone too close to the precipice.” If he sees someone who looks like they might be contemplating a jump, he walks over and… strikes up a conversation.
He just gives them a warm smile, asks if they’d like to talk and invites them back to his house for tea. Sometimes, they join him.“I’m offering them an alternative, really,” Ritchie says. “I always act in a friendly manner. I smile.”
Ritchie’s house might be the worst real estate ever. One person a week commits suicide at the “the Gap,” the cliff he lives across from. It’s protected only by a small, one-meter fence, despite its legendary reputation as a suicide spot dating back to the 1800s.
But the former life insurance salesman says he doesn’t feel “burdened” by the fact that people are always contemplating jumping to their deaths outside his house. In fact, he and his wife Moya see it as a blessing: “I think, ‘Isn’t it wonderful that we live here and we can help people?’”
Ritchie, who basically sounds like the nicest guy in the entire world, is 84, and has spent much of the last year battling cancer. But, as you might expect for a dude who’s managed to live across from a fucked-up, tragic place, and not become a casualty himself, he’s optimistic: “I imagine somebody else will come along and do what I’ve been doing.” I hope so.
(via shming)
