can't you sea

Carl Warner Scenes

2011-06-11T05:16:00.000-07:00

Cool still life photographer inspired food landscapes. This one using a variety of fish and seafood to capture a fishing village scene for Finus

www.carlwarner.com
www.finus.org

surface tension

2010-11-02T06:47:00.000-07:00

Surface tension is fascinating. Everybody remembers rolling up their grey school trousers and dipping their toes into a muddy stream when they were a kid, messing about with a net collecting insects in jam jars and trying push the freckly kid from down the road into the mud. For hours I used to watch the river boatmen and other crazy creatures zip across the pond as another summer leapt into action and the tradition continued of little boys collecting as much frogspawn as possible to put down the back of Simon Streeter's vest. From thereon in, playing around with water was always going to be an obsession and given the opportunity, Lego men were taped to papier mache hovercrafts, boats, submarines, bath toys and other weird and wonderful contraptions. Damming the local stream with big sticks was always a popular activity of Huck Finn style adventures. As ring leader of the naughty bunch of Beavers - yes Beavers (little Scouts), I would often protest a good telling off by the estate owner whose land we fucked about on with our excuse of just 'Beaver-ing' about but might have lost our 'woggle' in the process. Having learnt to swim pretty early on outside of school, swimming lessons were often spent on the bottom of the pool with a rubber brick and a soggy plaster looking up at the silhouettes of older girls in their swimming suits thrashing around at the surface. I was the kid who volunteered to pull back the pool cover and stay in the pool as long as possible messing about with really wrinkly fingers in the deep end whilst the others got themselves tangled up in putting their pants on.

Summer holidays were either spent down at the local outside pool with games that involved as many kids as possible chaining floats together, the occasional birthday water flume trip or at the beach hurling stones at seagulls. French camping holidays extended dam building skills to extensive raft building operations and in between splashing about in rock pools with Jellies on and filling the dingy up with as many foreign creatures as possible there was still time to explore the seabed with the local French kids and go on adventures of a Gerald Durrell ilk. Many jam sandwiches later I pinched the old Uncle's perished 1970's James Bond stylie mask and was off exploring sea grasses with a homemade spear, hunting for all things familiar that I'd seen on the seafood platters of typical French beach restaurants. The warm waters of the Med at night were equally interesting, calm and flat with only a handful of tourists leaving the squeeky silicone sand and water to reflect the bay's lights and the night sky.

In my teen years, a child's curiosity turned to more of expression in art/ design than ecology as I sat at the back of the biology lab next to Doc P's tank of fresh water Mexican Axolotls. Between the brown and grey shades of physics there were also some creatively colourful moments when studying waves both in light, sound and matter. I snuck in to the technicians lab one day and snapped these cool wave formations balancing above a 100 year old 'wave machine'. Art kinda collided with science after that. I spent the next few years hanging around scrap yards bending metal, pouring oil into water tanks, painting drift wood and taking photos of barnicles on boats at the marina. I also got my hands on a couple of dispossible cameras and cracked out some murky shots of a girlfriend jumping into the deep end of the school pool with various organic things floating on the surface. A trip to the Caribbean soon followed and I got my first taste of scuba diving and snorkelling in super high viz tropical water.

La Evolución Silenciosa

2010-11-01T05:55:00.000-07:00

La Evolucion Silenciosa, (The Silent Evolution) is British artist, Jason de Cairnes Taylor's latest underwater installation involving 400 life size sculptures set 9m below the surface of the water off the coast of the Isla de Mujeres, Mexico.

Having landed on the scene with his 2002 'Visissitudes' cement sculptures, this ambitious piece is the artist's next offering to the developing MUSA, 'Museo Subacuático de Arte' - an underwater Museum. It's the fourth installation and the aim is to promote the interaction between art and ecology. There are several institutions involved in this Museum and they're aim is to directly tackle the degredation of the over visited marine environments of Yacatan's northern coral reef of the Cancun Marine Park by attracting eco-tourism with this artificial reef. The installation is perhaps significantly different to other sculpture parks not just because it's underwater but like a ship wreck, it constantly changes its form with time with the effect of the ocean environment. It will be really interesting to see what life takes shape here over the course of several years and decades and how the faces and features of the sculptures become weathered. The 400 figures are casts of typically normal people yet Taylor adds:

'I have a whole team of underwater helpers that come along and do all the finishing for me. The coral applies the paint. The fish supply the atmosphere. The water provides the mood. People ask me when it's going to be finished. This is just the beginning.'

check out the link for more deets . . .
www.underwatersculpture.com/pages/projects/mexico.htm

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The Raft

2010-11-01T04:34:00.000-07:00

Fat Freddy's Drop - Dr Boondigga & The Big BW
(CD/2xLP) The Drop DRP013, 2009-05-25

The Raft is the third single to be lifted from double platinum selling album Dr Boondigga & The Big BW . NZ's mighty 7 piece Dub/ Reggae band have released a limited edition 7” vinyl in Berlin. Side A features The Raft Radio Edit and Side B is The Raft Steppers Dub an instrumental remix by DJ Fitchie.

illustration: www.paulwalsh.co.nz

Doubilet and co in London Town.

2010-10-27T09:07:00.000-07:00

This Monday 25th October saw a visit to the Zoological Society London by two of the most recognizable names in underwater photography; Michael Aw and David Doubilet. Joint hosted by The Ocean Geographic Society www.ogsociety.org for which Michael is founding director and the British Society of Underwater Photographers www.bsoup.org, the evening of slide shows, q and a's was also joined by the charismatic underwater filmmaker Leandro Blanco. The news of these three big names in the underwater world spread far and wide attracting a plethora of all ages of budding underwater photographers/ videographers/ enthusiasts across the country, squeezing into a packed theatre in Regents Park to pick up some tips on shooting and get their fix of some rare unseen images.

Many people are familiar with David Doubliet's work from his successful coffee table publication simply titled 'Water Light Time' having seductively slipped under our noses back in June 1999. Like most, his mesmerizing collection of evocative images reached out and smacked me in the face with his classy compositions, moody tones and spectacular seascape forms. His photography is perhaps best expressed as:

'looks at a world in which humans are the encumbered intruders'.

and continues to lead the field with his signature split lens style and quirky subject matter. Over twenty-five years of work and a few titles, awards and recognitions to his name later, National Geographic photographer Doubilet had successfully popularised the art form and stamped his identity across the globe where perhaps Jacques Cousteau once reigned supreme.

As Doubilet tore his way through a sideshow presentation of some of his life's key images and some of his more recent work, it was fascinating to hear how, what and why went into forming these prints. You could see how his background for example as a NY film student manifested a formula when creating some of the striking black and white shots of figures underwater. Talking more in depth about certain images and how he shot them, he revealed an interesting use of film making techniques and dark room processing that provides that cinematic effect. It was clear that his whimsical approach to life in the ocean provokes a wider audience than meerly scientific, something perhaps that nobody had really managed to achieve before, or even today to some extent. Doubilet's work is characteristic of a photographer who has a real affinity with his subject.

Michael Aw is another photographer who has probably spent more time in a wetsuit than anybody else. A back catalogue of images equally as impressive as Doubiliet's, his approach strains mainly from striking macro photography compositions and that all rare capture of an organism having spent thousands of man hours underwater in Micronesia, the rich biodiversity of SE Asia's archipelagos and Australasia. Aw's work successfully captures many acts of animal behaviour. His sequence of turtle mating shots, shark feeding frenzies in giant shoals of sardines and Aw (e) inspiring images of Gannets diving into the shallow waters are brilliantly executed. His work undoubtedly reflects a passion for promoting sustainable development of marine environments and he gave the impression of a humble spectator of man's continued disregard for our delicate ecological balance in and around the earth's waters. Too many name here but the list is endless regarding Aw's contributions to global publications that he is also often the founding member. A recent publication that involves Aw, Doubiliet and other key underwater photographers is Ocean Geographic. Perhaps sentiment to the iconic yellow front cover of the National Geographic this bold orange themed design includes photo essays and topical debates.

www.OGSociety.org

Penida island spa

2010-05-30T00:34:00.001-07:00

Manta rays glide effortlessly around a cleaning station in Nusa Penida, Bali. Giant diamond winged bodies obscure the sun's rays through the shallow nutrient rich water. Migratory plankton feeders of the deep with their distinct light coloured undercarriages and darker uppers they swarm to these stations for important spa grooming operations carried out by enthusiastic wrases and other small fish who get right into the filter grills and have a bit of a nibble. Last Thursday there was obviously some kind of promotion on as 'the spa' was busy with around 6 large mantas all getting a bit of a spruce up before heading out again to find a mate. Tough life. A rare all black manta seemed to dominate the afternoon session as it stealthally glided in and out of the shadows of the murky station.

sunset south bali

2010-04-13T23:08:00.000-07:00

sunrise over south bali

2010-04-03T18:42:00.000-07:00

collection of long exposures over the wee hours of another stunning sunrise in bali. abstract light conditions for slow paced tropical life.

michael franti headlines Bali Sentosa nye2009

2010-01-06T03:34:00.000-08:00

the big dreaded man jams into 2010 with an intimate and slightly raucous audience, Bali. Supported by other acts including dj jamaica, dj rock solid, Athron and hot talent Jamie Graham and the souldrops.

sea level rising. Xmas 09

2009-12-22T23:03:00.000-08:00

Global sea level rise will inevitably effect lowland and coastal environments such as areas of Asia with current ice mass melting trajectories in the future. Continued debates over reliable scientific evidence is always speculated in the media arena drawing on examples of past warmings and coolings. Chances of warming, allegedly due to greater carbon dioxide emissions from meeting the needs of more people on the earth than ever before however, seems very probable. Noticeable changes to the human eye may only be apparent on a lag basis; gradual at first and then more sudden - whereby a threshold has been overstepped. Increases in insurance policies for coastal properties may be a nervous twitch indicator of times to come, but at least holidays to the Maldives will be cheaper.

Cormac McCarthy: post-apocalyptic drama

2009-12-22T00:00:00.000-08:00

Bestseller Cormac McCarthy's The Road comes to screen in early 2010 (UK cinemas). Directed by John Hillcoat, starring Viggo Marensen and Kodi Smit-Mcphee. Dark post-apoclyptic drama.. Although fictional, perhaps a gritty hint towards life of bulging population growth with limited resources on marginalised land in the face of an unpredictable natural disaster. discuss.

hai diver

2009-12-14T04:50:00.000-08:00

seaweed farming

2009-12-14T03:27:00.000-08:00

Topical conversations suggest that alternatives to overfishing the world's oceans, seas and lakes with global markets such as seaweed farms are a great idea. In Indonesia this is reality some island communities have been introduced to for some years, but many people wonder how beneficial they really are to families living in coastal environments. I spent some time following a typical seaweed farming family in south Bali, on Lembongan island. Seemed like all had a role to play in the processing of the seaweed. Gathering, sorting, drying and bagging and no one was fishing except on a subsistance basis. Most homes were slightly rustic structures you would typically associate with island dwelling and there was a lot of rubbish floating about. However, in some areas of the village I saw new concrete homes with clean tiles and rendered patios. Can't help but think there were some bigger fish in the seaweed farms than others. A few weeks would probably give fairer insight than an afternoon but I had been told 'ecotourism' has a hand in shaping lives here, especially so close to Bali's cosmetic trade. Talking to a visiting reef researcher, Greg pointed out that seaweed farms often encroach delicate coral gardens and disrupt juvenile fish habitats...etc. etc. So in a coconut shell - appears its all a bit swings and roundabouts but with growing numbers of mouths to feed/ bodies to cosmeticate (?), undoubtedly there will be more pressure on marine environments like this in the future.

schoolling jack energy

2009-12-14T02:12:00.000-08:00

Inspiration for new wind farm design?

Apparently so. I read this week, after shooting these fascinating patterns of schooling jack in the Coral Sea Indonesia, that scientists are modelling wind farm turbine design with this concept. It is widely understood that fish school to conserve energy; individual fish capture kinetic energy from their neighbour to swim with less effort. The idea being that turbines would be orientated parallel to the ground now, similar to a carousel and not upright as originally designed. Like fish, if close enough, the swirling wake energy would be constructively harnessed by each turbine and believed more energy produced than individual turbines alone.

'school of turbines'.. . .new collective noun.

2009-12-12T04:05:00.000-08:00

lunar reef

2009-12-07T02:50:00.000-08:00

lembongan island, Bali: lunar reef

Greenpeace design

2009-11-30T01:14:00.000-08:00

Greenpeace design competition 2009: provoking concepts from some of the greenpeace australia /pacific design shortlist finalists. Design brief titled 'Be a part of the action' - encourage others to take action on critical environmental issues.

Bali Kids for Padang Kids

2009-11-29T04:05:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday I covered a charity event at Gado Gado's in Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia. Funds were being raised for children affected by the recent earthquake in Padang, Sumatra. The evening was organised and sponsored by Pro Motion Events and Reefcheck Foundation Indonesia. Local Balinese children's paintings of a coral reef theme were auctioned off online and in house to the highest bidder. Over 100 guests enjoyed some fantastic entertainment over a tasty four course dinner, raising well over 89 million Rupiah (£6000) towards the school building recovery programme by the Sanari Foundation.

The legendary Indonesian pro surfer Tipi Jabrik hosted the event whilst music was provided by special guest, recording artist Oppie Andaresta. Oppie, also from Sumatra, and her very talented band members (Rio -trumpet, Richie - guitar, Adjat- percussion and Barok on sitar) performed some tasteful intimate music. Oppie's chart hit 'Single and Happy' set the tone, whilst a rendition of Marley favorite, Waiting in Vain, and a song written for her son Kai Bejo, entitled Ocean and Sun (Kai Matahari) concluded the musical part of the evening. Other performances included traditional dance from the Natrabu Padang Bali Community and ballet and Jive.

Children's clothing was also donated by local businesses and each dinner ticket sold raised funds for a school kit for the Padang students, within which were a backpack, schoolbooks, pencils, pens and other tools.

The evening was a great success and other business supporters, Alpatra Productions, The Yak Magazine, Gado Gado Restaurant, Coca-Cola for Bali Program together with Reefcheck and Pro-motion Events should be proud of all their efforts.

www.reefcheck.or.id
www.mycleanreef.org.