Photo: Doug Gillen

After a two-year break from creating outdoor work in the UK, British street art duo SNIK is back. While the World Decays is the title of this mural, which sits in an underpass in South East London. Organized by London Calling Blog, the portrait of a woman in a flower crown is executed using stencils in their halftone style.

Thanks to documentation by several photographers, we're also able to see how SNIK brought their vision to life. Stencil art is all about preparation, and the photos show the duo carefully unrolling the paper stencil matrixes on the wall. After spraying the stencils, it's then all about touching up the gaps for a seamless final product.

This type of work looks even better from a distance, when the halftone effect is maximized and the woman's features pop. Her closed eyes and dreamy look falls in line with SNIK's ethereal portraiture, which is a modern twist on Pre-Raphaelite sensibilities.

Theirs is one of 100 pieces of street art introduced to the Penge neighborhood thanks to London Calling. Ben Eine, Stinkfish, and Alice Pasquini are just some of the numerous artists who have transformed this suburb into an open air museum.

Street art duo SNIK recently painted their first outdoor work in the UK in over two years.

Photo: Doug Gillen

Photo: Doug Gillen

Using stencils, they brought to life this ethereal portrait of a woman.

Photo: Street Art Atlas

Photo: Street Art Atlas

SNIK: Website | Facebook | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by SNIK.

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READ: Ethereal Street Art of a Woman in a Flower Crown Pops Up in London Underpass

Though Barbora Batokova grew up in the city, she's always been a country girl at heart. In fact, she has fond memories of time spent with her family outside the city foraging mushrooms. This love of mushrooms stayed with her as she moved from her native Czech Republic to the United States for university. And as a way to stay connected with her heritage, she revisited the idea of photographing and foraging mushrooms. This gave birth to Fungiwoman, Batokova's Instagram and website, which is not only a collection of mushroom photography but a resource of information and inspiration.

Batokova has always been interested in the variety of shapes, sizes, and colors found in fungi and how they can be used as ingredients to create a delicious meal. But photographing them has opened up a whole new world for her.

“I began to learn about the fascinating world of mushrooms and how powerful and amazing they are,” she tells My Modern Met. “They can do so much!

“They are well known for their indispensable role in the forests and recycling organic matter, but there's so much more. Thanks to their chemical defenses and properties, they present a huge potential in medicine as well as in defense against bioterrorist threats. They can break down toxic waste, creating a huge potential for mycoremediation, a form of bioremediation in which fungi are used to decontaminate the environment.

“I am so amazed at the seemingly endless possibilities of how mushrooms can help save the planet, fix what we've broken, and make our lives better and more sustainable!”

Through her work, Batokova hopes to inspire others to learn more about these incredible organisms, and to think more about sustainability in nature. She also hopes to bridge the disconnect that people often have with the natural world by providing them with tools to get out into the forest and see the incredible mushrooms that surround them.

Batokova carries out this mission through informative captions on her Instagram posts and with information and recipes on the Fungiwoman website. In spring 2024, she will release a book that collects all of her knowledge and love for mushrooms. In this way, she wants to change perceptions about them, particularly in the United States, where she's found a lot of fear from people about selecting poisonous mushrooms.

“My goal is to introduce readers to mushroom foraging, share some of my personal mushroom-related stories, and teach them about the major groups of mushrooms, as well as the most sought-after edibles like chanterelles, morels or porcini; the most poisonous like the death caps or eastern destroying angels; or medicinal mushrooms like reishi and turkey tails. I am also including mushroom recipes that are often inspired by Czech cuisine. One of the hardest things so far has been narrowing down which mushrooms to write about and picking out the photos for the book!”

In anticipation of the publication, keep up with Batokova's work on Instagram or whip up a nice bowl of mushroom soup in her honor.

Barbora Batokova has fond memories of mushroom foraging with her family while growing up in the Czech Republic.

After moving to the United States, she began photographing fungi as a way to get out into nature and reconnect with her culture.

This blossomed into Fungiwoman, a popular Instagram account that then became an informative website about mushrooms.

She shares everything from her fungi photography to tasty mushroom recipes and tips on how to identify mushrooms.

In spring 2024, Fungiwoman will be releasing a book that collects all of her best images and information about mushrooms.

“Mushrooms are definitely mysterious, powerful organisms, and there's still a lot we have to learn about them, but there's no need to be afraid of them.”

Barbora Batokova: Website | Facebook | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Barbora Batokova.

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In a scene that seems straight out of Tomie dePaola's classic children's book Strega Nona, where a magic pasta pot overflows and threatens to engulf a nearby town, residents in Old Bridge, New Jersey, found mounds of pasta dumped next to a river. And by mounds, we mean 500 pounds of spaghetti, elbows, and alphabet pasta. The story went viral when public official Nina Jochnowitz posted about the mysterious pasta dump on Facebook.

After a concerned citizen mentioned it to her, Jochnowitz went to the area and snapped some photos, sending them to the mayor's office. While a crew was sent down to clean up the mess, that still didn't answer the burning question of who had left all that pasta. Local Facebook groups were filled with questions about it, and people wandered down to take photos of the few strands of pasta that remained behind. Reddit was also rife with theories about the origins of the pasta. Some figured it was waste from a restaurant or a large catered event, while others joked about it being left behind as an offering for the cast of Jersey Shore.

Eventually, a local NBC affiliate solved the mystery by simply talking to a neighbor. Keith Rost, who lives nearby, cleared up the macaroni mystery by stating that he knew who had left the pasta behind. He claimed that it all came from a house that is up for sale and was being cleared out by a military veteran after his mother has died. Apparently, she'd left behind quite a stockpile of food and he disposed it in the woods.

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“I mean, I really feel like he was just trying to clear out his parents' house and they were probably stocked up from COVID,” he shared in an interviewing, saying it's a generational thing. “My grandparents always had a cupboard full of cans and pasta, just to be safe.”

While the pasta appears cooked in the photos, that was actually not the case. It had been thrown into the woods dry, but became limp after several days in the rain. For Jochnowitz, the event is another reminder about the lack of bulk-garbage pickup for the town of nearly 70,000 residents. Old Bridge is the only town in its county that lacks this service. “It’s been a point of contention for many years,” she told The New York Times.

While the person responsible for “Pasta-Gate” probably meant no harm, Rost is breathing a sigh of relief that the mess is gone. “I just moved in right next door so that would have been a big mess to start cleaning all the flies in the house, maggots,” he said.

Jochnowitz, who said she was in touch with the family to discuss the matter privately, had a good sense of humor about the ordeal. “My hope is that whoever did it is not eating as many carbs as they cooked.”

h/t: [Yahoo, Buzzfeed]

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READ: Mystery Behind 500 Pounds of Pasta Dumped by a New Jersey River Is Finally Solved

When Nicolas Miller moved to New York City several years ago, he was inspired to start his creative journey. Intrigued by the metropolis and all it had to offer, he picked up an old DSLR and began exploring the streets. From there, he's never looked back. Propelled forward by the inspiring street photographers he viewed online, his love for the craft has only deepened over time. Today, he's amassed a healthy following on Instagram, where he publishes his neo-noir New York street photography.

In love with capturing the moment and inspired by cinema, Miller's work is a dark and moody look at the city. Through his lens, solitary figures strut down foggy streets. Neon signs and the headlights of a subway car provide soft illumination so that we can make out this vision of the urban landscape.

These elements make Miller's work a love letter to New York City, but one tinged with loneliness. In his creative world, the city is filled with individuals who perhaps come together as a couple, but never en masse. This solitary view is understandable when one imagines that Miller began heavily investing in his photography during the pandemic—perhaps one of the most solitary times for individuals in recent history.

We had the opportunity to speak with Miller about his work and what drives him. We cover everything from the films that influence him to his most memorable photo. Read on for My Modern Met's exclusive interview.

What sparked your love for photography?

Moving to New York City back in 2018 sparked my love for photography. I was fascinated by the city and would often spend hours walking to enjoy it and discover new places. I had an old entry-level DSLR and I started taking it on my walks and shooting more and more. Around the end of 2018, I decided to install Instagram to check out the work of photographers capturing the city and I was blown away by the work of some people. That’s when I decided to learn photography more in-depth. I got much deeper into photography in 2020 when it became an escape for me during the pandemic. I was shooting almost every day at some point during that year.

Your work is very cinematic. Were you influenced by film and, if so, how and what films in particular?

Movies are definitely a main source of inspiration for me. I love every movie taking place in the gritty New York of the '70s and '80s. Among my all-time classics are Taxi Driver, The French Connection, and, more recently, Joker. I’m a huge fan of the neo-noir movie genre, and this is the type of atmosphere I try to convey in my pictures. A lot of the themes of this genre can be found in my photography—loneliness, alienation, paranoia, blurry line between dream and reality. The cinematography of both Blade Runner movies also had a huge influence on my editing and color grading.

What's your working process for your street photography? Do you go out with a plan or just let the action unfold?

It really depends. I usually start with a plan in mind but often end up going with the flow and walking randomly until I’m too tired to go on. This means I can sometimes go for sessions of more than 10 hours if conditions are good. I also tend to scout locations and come back in conditions I enjoy (fog, golden light, etc). Ultimately, the best photos are usually unplanned, and spending so much time in the city shooting is the way to capture those decisive moments.

What's your favorite equipment to shoot with?

I have been shooting with the same Sony mirrorless camera since 2019. I dragged it in blizzards, heavy rain, and sand storms and it is still working perfectly, so I’m pretty happy with it. I use mainly prime lenses because of the fast aperture for night shooting. I shoot at 35, 50, and 85mm. I also own an old 35mm film camera that I bought to shoot the West of the U.S. during a trip I did a few years back. I feel a little guilty not using it more often but I’m definitely more into digital photography.

Summer in Brooklyn

What's the most memorable image you've taken? 

Summer in Brooklyn is one of my favorite photos that I’ve taken. Water hydrants are often opened during warm summer days for kids to play with water and I noticed on one of my evening walks that the golden light was reflecting on water coming from a hydrant on a street in Brooklyn. This only lasted for a few minutes and I couldn’t get any interesting subject going through the frame. I came back to the same spot for several days when, finally, the man on his bike showed up on the third evening as I was ready to leave. It caught me by surprise and I took the shot without looking at the camera. The result ended up being one of my most iconic shots so I'm glad I put in the effort.

What do you hope that your images convey to the public?

The themes of the neo-noir genre definitely occupy a major place in my photography. I’m not trying to capture reality, I’m more interested in transporting viewers in my own dark fantasy. Photography is, to some extent, a way to escape my daily routine and everyday problems, as I do not think about anything else when I’m shooting. I hope the public can feel the same way when looking at my photos.

See more of Miller's cinematic New York street photography.

Nicolas Miller: Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Nicolas Miller.

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Perched on a cliff in Bali, a retired Boeing 737 has been transformed into a luxury villa. Set to open in April, the Private Jet Villa by Hanging Gardens is the brainchild of entrepreneur Felix Denim. Denim already runs the unique Bubble Hotel Bali hotel chain and has decided to upend luxury hospitality by renovating the plane. Now, it sits close to Nyang-Nyang beach and awaits its first visitors.

Denim first purchased the plane in 2021. It then took five days to move the plane into position. That's where the real work began. Using wood, stone, and gold accents to infuse the space with luxury, the design has an immediate wow factor. Completely stripped bare, gone are the trappings of the plane's former life. Now, the interior includes two bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms and walk-in closets. The bedroom at the head of the plane also has a jacuzzi with an ocean view in the cockpit.

The center of the plane, which includes a wet bar, is a common space meant for entertaining. A cutout on one wing fills the space with light and allows immediate access to the wing terrace, where it's possible to take in sweeping views of the landscape. By walking down a few steps, guests can access a pool set into the cliff, as well as a fireplace and barbecue.

With its sandy-colored interior, the Private Jet Villa exudes tranquility. The use of travertine marble and gold accents only enhances the luxurious feel that carries through the entire resort. Truly designed for jet setters, there is even a helipad on the roof of a separate reception building.

While Denim had originally thought of purchasing the villa for private use, he quickly realized that this unique object was best suited for luxury holidays. And now, he can't wait to open the doors and see what people make of it.

Private Jet Villa is now available for booking, with stays starting at $5,000 a night.

A retired Boeing 737 has been transformed into a luxury villa in Bali.

The sleek interior includes two bedrooms with ensuite baths and walk-in closets.

The cockpit has been fitted with a Jacuzzi that has ocean views.

The use of stone, wood, and gold brings a tranquil, yet luxurious feel to the interior.

A cutout by one wing provides light and serves as a terrace.

Below the plane, guests can relax in a cliffside pool or get warm by the fire.

A separate reception building has a helipad on the roof for those who wish to make a dramatic entrance.

Private Jet Villa by Hanging Gardens is now taking bookings, with the first stays to start in April.

Private Jet Villa by Hanging Gardens: Booking | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Private Jet Villa.

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This quiz was generated with the help of ChatGPT. Content was then revised and fact-checked by My Modern Met.

For this week's quiz, we wanted to put your love of contemporary art to the test. Over the past 40 years, the art world has expanded and grown in so many ways that it can be hard to keep up. From giant public murals to thrilling performance art, the ways that creators express themselves is limitless. So let's see how much you really know about what's happening in the art world today.

See if you're a contemporary art connoisseur in this 20-question quiz. You'll be asked about the meaning behind some of the late-20th century's greatest artworks, as well as the names of the artists responsible for driving what's trending today. Let's get started and see how you rank.

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Artist's impression of a gas cloud. (Credit: ESO/L. Calçada, M. Kornmesser)

Thanks to the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, which is run by the European Southern Observatory (ESO), we are one step closer to understanding how our universe was created. Researchers have detected three distant gas clouds that appear to have a chemical composition similar to what is expected in the first stellar explosions. In a study published in the Astrophysical Journal, a team led by Andrea Saccardi, a Ph.D. student at the Observatoire de Paris – PSL, explains their findings.

Thanks to their composition, the team determined that these distant gas clouds were likely formed when the universe was only 10% to 15% of its current age. How do they know this? Generally, scientists believe that the very first stars that appeared 13.5 billion years ago were composed solely of hydrogen and helium. These giant stars quickly exploded in supernovas and enriched the surrounding gas with heavier elements. New stars born in this environment took on more complex elements until they eventually became the stars we are familiar with today. By matching the chemical makeup of a gas cloud, scientists can estimate its age.

In this case, the researchers were looking for gas clouds that lacked heavy elements, like iron. This heavy metal found at the core of stars wasn't expelled in the earliest supernovas, which were much weaker. In these three distant gas clouds, the researchers found just what they were looking for.

Diagram illustrating how astronomers can analyze the chemical composition of distant clouds of gas using a quasar as a beacon.  (Credit: ESO/L. Calçada)

“For the first time ever, we were able to identify the chemical traces of the explosions of the first stars in very distant gas clouds,” shares Saccardi.

How they came to discover the chemical makeup of the clouds is quite interesting, and all boils down to light. They used very bright sources powered by supermassive black holes at the centers of faraway galaxies as beacons of light. Known as quasars, when their light travels through the universe, it travels through the gas clouds. The chemicals in these clouds imprint onto the light, which can then be studied by scientists.

By using an instrument known as an X-shooter, they can split the light into different wavelengths and colors. This then allows them to clearly study the chemical composition of the clouds. With this study, the researchers are paving the way for how to study early star development.

“With ANDES at the ELT we will be able to study many of these rare gas clouds in greater detail, and we will be able to finally uncover the mysterious nature of the first stars,” concludes Valentina D’Odorico, a researcher at the National Institute of Astrophysics in Italy and co-author of the study.

See how researchers used light to discover distant gas clouds that will help us understand more about how our universe was created.

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In 2019, conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan sent shockwaves through the art world when he duct-taped a banana to the wall and called it a piece of art. The performance happening at Art Basel Miami, and the piece, titled Comedian, was sold as an edition of three for $120,000 each. Now Comedian is back in the news after a Korean university student decided the banana was the perfect snack.

Noh Huyn-soo plucked the banana off the wall of the Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul and ate it before putting the empty peel back up on the wall. A friend recorded the entire act, which took just under a minute. When asked why he ate the banana, Noh simply told Korean journalists that he was hungry after having skipped breakfast that morning. During an interview with broadcaster KBS he expanded the reasons behind his actions, stating that “damaging a work of modern art could also be [interpreted as] artwork.” He also said that he reattached the peel as “a joke.”

The museum staff replaces the banana every two to three days and quickly moved to take down the peel and put up a new banana. Comedian is at the museum as part of Cattelan's solo exhibition WE, which is on display until July 16. The Italian artist is currently in New York, and when asked his opinion about Noh's actions, he reportedly responded, “No problem.”

Given Cattelan's reaction, the museum has decided not to take action against Noh. In reality, Noh isn't the first person to take a bite out of the banana. During the 2019 installation at Art Basel Miami, Georgian performance artist David Datuna took the banana off the wall and ate it. In that case, Datuna said that he took issue with the fact that Cattelan was selling Comedian for such a high price.

During an interview with The Guardian, Datuna explained, “What I don’t like, however, is that a banana costs 20 cents. I think it is a good idea to put it in a museum if it is free to watch. But when you sell it for $120,000? Then decide to make a second and third edition, and that third edition is $150,000? It is silly, and not good for our contemporary life.”

Cattelan, whose work is infused with humor and satire, is used to getting people talking. Last year, his fully functional, 18-carat gold toilet titled America was stolen from the UK's Blenheim Palace in a move that led to flooding and damage at the historical building. And in 1996, he actually stole the entire contents of another artist's show and attempted to pass it off as his own for an exhibition called Another F****** Readymade, with the idea of creating a found art hall. His plans were foiled when Dutch police threatened to arrest him.

h/t: [The Guardian]

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Photo: isogood/123RF

When word got out that a principal in Florida was forced to resign after allowing a teacher to show an image of Michelangelo's David in a sixth-grade class, it caused an uproar. Shortly after her resignation, educator Hope Carrasquilla was invited to view the artwork in person by Florence's mayor Dario Nardella. Last week, she took him up on the offer and made her way across the Atlantic Ocean to Italy, where she was treated to a personal tour of the museum that houses the sculpture.

On display at Florence's Accademia Gallery, the David is considered one of the greatest masterpieces in Western art, yet was called “pornographic” by one parent whose child was in the class. Carrasquilla and her family toured the museum with its director Cecilie Holberg. The educator, who had been at the helm of the  Classical School in Tallahassee since the beginning of the academic year, was grateful for the opportunity to see David in the setting.

“The thing that impresses me the most is that this whole gallery was built for him. I think it’s beautiful; it looks like a church,” Carrasquilla says. “There is nothing wrong with the human body in and of itself. Michelangelo would have done him wrong to sculpt him in any other way. I think it’s wonderful.”

While the exact reason that Carrasquilla was asked to resign is not known, local officials say that it does not involve the David statue, which had been shown to students in previous years. They point to issues around communication with parents and other issues that cropped up earlier in the year. Carrasquilla, however, believes it centered around complaints made by several parents over the art history lesson.

Her resignation caused such controversy that the Florida Department of Education was forced to release a statement about David. “The Statue of David has artistic and historical value,” it read. “Florida encourages instruction on the classics and classical art, and would not prohibit its use in instruction.”

 

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Holberg was thrilled to show Carrasquilla the masterpiece and confirm its value to Western culture. “I am delighted to personally introduce her to David, a sculpture that has nothing to do with pornography,” Holberg explains. “It is a masterpiece representing a religious symbol of purity and innocence, the triumph of good over evil.”

Many clearly agree with Holberg. Over 1.5 million people visited the Accademia in 2022, making it one of the most popular museums in Italy. Many of these visitors are American, as travelers from the United States make up a large portion of Italy's yearly visitors.

One of those visitors recently told NPR that he feels sad about the possibility of school children missing out on the opportunity to learn about David. “It's one of the most incredible parts of our history,” he shares. “I feel incredibly sorry for the children that don't get to see it.”

During her time in the city, Carrasquilla was also received by the mayor at his official residence. There she was presented with a special parchment that honored her “commitment to educating the younger generation about beauty and harmony through art.”

Interestingly, views about Michelangelo's use of nudity in his artwork have shifted many times in history. For example, his Last Judgement fresco in the Sistine Chapel famously had nudity covered by an artist hired shortly after Michelangelo's death. This action was sparked by the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Church's subsequent reforms on religious art at the Council of Trent.

The uproar in Florida is just another example of how current politics and shifting cultural norms can inform how we read into the art of the past.

Hope Carrasquilla was forced to resign as principal of a Florida private school after Michelangelo's David was shown to students without prior consent by parents.

Photo: isogood/123RF

The international outrage at the famous sculpture being compared to pornography led to an invitation for the educator to visit Florence.

Un’insegnante della Florida è stata costretta a licenziarsi per aver mostrato agli studenti le foto del David di Michelangelo. Scambiare l’arte per pornografia è semplicemente ridicolo. pic.twitter.com/Gn8UM3HUqe

— Dario Nardella (@DarioNardella) March 25, 2023

Carrasquilla and her family made their way to Florence, where she toured the Accademia Gallery with the museum director.

She was also greeted by the city's mayor, who gave her a special certificate for her “commitment to educating the younger generation about beauty and harmony through art.”

h/t: [BBC]

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READ: Principal Forced to Resign for Sharing Michelangelo’s ‘David’ Visits the Sculpture in Florence

 

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In 2022, a young walrus named Freya became a celebrity after taking up residence in Norway. Unlike many walruses, Freya didn't seem afraid of humans and had no problem getting close to the water's edge in Oslofjord. She clambered aboard ships to sunbathe—sinking some, given that she weighed 1,300 pounds—and became somewhat of a tourist attraction. When throngs of people came to visit and take selfies with her, ignoring the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries to keep a distance, it was decided that she was a danger to the public. To the outrage of many, she was then put down by authorities.

Now, a statue sits not far from her sunbathing spot as a way to remember her and reconsider the decisions made about her life. Created by Norwegian artist Astri Tonoian, the sculpture was funded by the public after a successful crowdfunding campaign. Now she lays, eternally resting and enjoying the marina.

“She is in the fetal position,” shared the artist in a written statement. “Like a sleeping child. But those who know the conscience and know the history, will think of her death.”

“I have not created a news picture,” she continued. “But a picture that can initiate conversations about coexistence in all kinds of forms.”

The Norwegian Directorate's decision to euthanize Freya was widely criticized, and its actions came as a shock to many since it had previously stated that it would consider relocation. After her death, Director General Frank Bakke-Jensen shared, “The extensive complexity of such an operation made us conclude that [relocation] was not a viable option.” He also added, “We have great regard for animal welfare, but human life and safety must take precedence.”

Hopefully, the sculpture will be a reminder to the public to respect local wildlife, as certainly the actions of crowds surrounding Freya directly had an impact on her losing her life. As Rod Downie, chief adviser for the WWF on Polar Regions, said after her death, “Freya posed a danger to the public—and the public posed a danger to Freya.”

Freya the walrus gained attention during the summer of 2022 when she was seen sunbathing at a marina in Norway.

The crowds she attracted caused fear for the public's safety, and authorities decided to euthanize her.

 

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The move was heavily criticized, and a new sculpture has been unveiled to honor her memory.

Embed from Getty Images

h/t: [CNN]

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