L E G M O U N T A I N

A hypercube is a mathematical object in more than three dimensions.

Similar to the cube in that each two-dimensional surface of

the object is a square. It is a generalisation of a cube in more

than three dimensions.

 
A single point can be considered as a zero dimensional
cube, two points joined by a line are a one
dimensional cube, four points arranged in a square are
 a two dimensional cube and eight points or nodes are an ordinary
 three dimensional cube.  Continuing this geometric
 progression, the first hypercube has 16 nodes and is a
 four dimensional shape (as above and
 bearing in mind we cannot actually “see” in four dimensions)

A salt mine in Altaussee, with slides down into the heart of the mountain on two miners’ slides: directly to the subterranean salt lake, hidden art - which culminates in the most epic of installations.

Called ‘The Mountain of Treasures’: The salt of Salzwelten has provided the wealth of the Salzkammergut region; it has been found there for nearly 800 years. Altaussee Salt Mines also have a more recent dramatic history as a Treasury of Art. During World War II, thousands of works of art were hidden here. Although seemingly well protected, they escaped destruction by a narrow margin. Now they are back at the museums and churches where they belong.

Photos - Jayne Helliwell | Nevine Mahmoud

The city of mount Athos is situated in the entire third, eastern and most beautiful peninsula of Halkidiki, called the peninsula of Athos. It is the only place in Greece, that is completely dedicated to prayer and worship of God. For this reason, it is called the Holy Mount. The natural beauty of the peninsula is extraordinary. The Mount Athos that dominates is a huge cone of 2.033 metres in height. It’s a naked, treeless crest that seems to lance the sky and its slopes are fully covered by ancient evergreens. All these help to create an area of incomparable natural beauty

The Holy Mount is a self- governed part of the Greek state, subject to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its political aspect and to the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinopole as regards its religious aspect. It has been divided into twenty self- governed territories. Each territory consists of a cardinal monastery and some other monastic establishments that surround it (cloisters, cells, cottages, seats, hermitages). All the monasteries are communes (of a convent nature) which means that there is common liturgy, prayer, housing, nourishing and work among the monks. The Superior of the monastery, being elected by the monks for life, is responsible for the affairs of the monastery. The Superiors of the monasteries are members of the Holy Assembly and exercise legislative authority.Moreover, every year the monastery elects its representative to the Holy Community which exercises administrative authority, while the Holy Supervision exercises executive authority and consists of 4 members, elected by the 5 hierarchically preceding monasteries.

In Mount Athos, in particular, beyond the performance and flourishing of Byzantine religious arts, there are guarded authentic works and precious artefacts of that era: Mount Athos is today the largest museum of Byzantine art in the world. The buildings and art treasures that are kept there constitute an everlasting proof and reassurance for the spiritual and artistic wealth of the Orthodoxy Church. In other words Mount Athos, is one of the main bearers and guardians of orthodoxy today, it constitutes a tower of strength, spirituality and morality for the Orthodox people everywhere.

The original decree banning women, and female animals (except cats, which help control the rat population), from the enclave was issued by the Byzantine emperor Constantine Monomachos in 1045. Under Greek law, a breach of the ban by a woman can still lead to a jail sentence. The ban on female animals is enforced as strictly as possible. The monks maintain that the presence of women slows their path towards spiritual enlightenment.This May 2009 Paris has been granted the privilege of hosting a world premiere of the Byzantine treasures of Mount Athos, largely as a result of France’s presidency of the EU last year. For the first time in almost 1,000 years, many of the legendary Christian artefacts are on view to women at the Petit Palais (until July).

Women are still forbidden to enter the site.

Some did.

http://www.athensguide.com/journalists/articles/athos.htm

James Unsworth’s work is carnal and appears in full realism, there is no mystery and a lot of seduction. Every work seems to hold sincerities and pure truths about force, attraction, desire, degradation, and self-destruction. I interviewed him a while ago. He said this.

’The first time I started using the grotesque, taboo subjects and disgusting things was when I did an inversion of a Jophovars Witness pamphlet which was describing this perfect world and harmony where every one was working together, and were abundant, rich and happy.  Which was a complete lie.  So I inverted it and made it disgusting and horrible. - My work is always generated by drawing.  There is some nice about how easy it is to draw.  Something so simple.  It is from my imagination, which gives me the license to do whatever I want, but it always tied down to this.’

‘This always grounds it a little bit.  People have this conception that this kind of work is new, the vulgarity of it and sexuality of it but if you do a bit of research you realize that is got a complete popular print history tradition that goes back to the beginning of print, since images were accessible.  I have a great respect for the history of print especially the way it made images more accessible and more democratic.  All of my drawings are based on the history of popular print and political charactertures, and things like Hogart and James Gillray.  I reference a lot from Hogarth, Gillray, and Cruickshank.  My exciting days off are at the Library to look through the microfilms.  I went out the Paris for a couple of days and plundered the Library out there.  I find they are the best place.  They seem to be very organized out there.  It is must easier to go to the Bibliotheque in France than to go to the British Library.  I’ve done a lot of research on the grotesque image of the body and charactertures of grotesqueries.  I also do a lot of visual research on alternative nightclubs documenting performance and transgressive behaviour.’

His website

“Automatic Camera situated 7 miles from blast with 10 foot lens. Shutter speed equaled 1/1000,000,000 of-a-second exposure.” Early instances of an atomic explosion.

The photos are by Harold Edgerton aka “Papa Flash” who is famed for using Stroboscopic photography to photograph discrete instances of the everyday - balloons bursting, divers diving into pools, milk drops. These photos were taken using another of Edgerton’s inventions, the Rapatronic camera - capable of taking photographs with exposure times of 10 nanoseconds and are far from everday occurences. 

Since they evolved trees have had a great influence on the shaping of the ecology of our planet and in determining the present arrangements of life on earth. Of particular importance for us has been the role of trees in the evolution of mankind and the development of human cultures and communities.

The origins of man

Some 65 million years ago, just after the demise of the dinosaurs, a small rat-like species of mammal (now known as a prosimian) left the ground and took to life in the trees. Eventually after 50 million years had passed, this creature returned to the ground as the ancestor of man.

The period spent in the environment of the trees was of great formative importance because it promoted many physical changes. These changes included a massive increase in body size, the development of paws into hands and 3D colour vision. The physical changes were mapped by an increase in the size and the capability of the brain. Thus prosimian developed into simian.

The increase in stature led to changes in posture which enabled some simians to stand upright. Eventually one of these species was able to walk on two legs.

It was these changes which led to the descent from the trees and eventually to homo sapiens. So it can be seen that without trees the evolution of prosimian into man would never have taken place. Without trees we would not be here.

The development of human civilization

The development of civilization has been dependent on wood based technologies. Where would we be without such aspects of our culture as fire, agriculture, the wheel, the use of metals, spinning, weaving, water and land based transport, building, and printing? Our technological culture could not have developed without wood.

The wonder and the mystery

On many people trees exert a powerful emotional influence. To many of us a tree is a thing of spiritual sustenance and renewal. The tree is the embodiment of mankind’s condition: birth, life, death, regeneration and rebirth. The rising sap is the spirit of life and seeds and fruit are the symbols of fertility.

The importance of trees

Trees are the largest and longest living organisms on earth. To grow tall the tree has become a miracle of engineering and a complex chemical factory. It is able to take water and salts out of the earth and lift them up to the leaves, sometimes over 400 ft above. By means of photosynthesis the leaves combine the water and salts with carbon dioxide from the air to produce the nutrients which feed the tree. In this process, as well as wood, trees create many chemicals, seeds and fruit of great utility to man. Trees also remove carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, from the air.

Trees are of continued importance to the environment. Tropical rain forests have of particular significance; although they now occupy less than 6 per cent of the land surface of the earth they probable sustain more than half of the biological species on the planet.

Notwithstanding the debt we owe to trees, their emotive power, and their importance to other forms of life, the forested area of the earth is steadily being depleted. This is leading to the degradation of the environment and the extinction of many species. There is now a real danger that in the not very distant future man will destroy a large proportion of the present population of species on earth, create an uninhabitable environment, and then die out himself. If this happens it will not be the first time that a large proportion of the species on the earth have been extinguished. 

Image 1 - Hedi Slimane  | Image 2 - Sanford Wurmfield ‘E-Cyclorama‘ | Image 3 - Jaime Martinez | Image 4 - Emily Graham

The 1901 exhibition

1947, Finch, drawn by Andrew Bain for The Brick Development Association

1977, British Steel Corporation, Bdg

Gotham Company, 1953, Ryder and Yates

1951, James Clark and Eaton, Wells Coates