Latest news with #MakingWaves
Scotsman
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Art reviews: Making Waves, Breaking Ground
Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Making Waves, Breaking Ground, Bowhouse, St Monans ★★★★ Summerhall Arts Annual Group Show, Summerhall, Edinburgh ★★★ You can't escape nature on the drive to the East Neuk of Fife: golden barley fields roll down towards the sea, road verges bloom with wild flowers. So perhaps its no surprise that, for its third annual exhibition at Bowhouse, Making Waves, Breaking Ground, Sophie Camu Lindsay's Space to Breathe brings together 11 artists who engage with the natural world. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Water Lilies 2019 by Santeri Tuori | Courtesy of the artist However, there is almost nothing here that looks like a conventional landscape painting. This is a gathering of contrasting approaches and propositions which tackle the complexity of being an artist who engages with nature. The artists come from Scotland, the UK and Europe; Space to Breathe has partnered with London gallery Purdey Hicks to bring some of them to Scotland for the first time. Some, like Julie Brook, are well known. A land artist based on the Sound of Sleat in Skye, she works on large-scale outdoor sculptural projects, often in very remote places. However, unusually, she has just completed a work a few miles from the Bowhouse on the coast just north of Cellardyke, a curving stone pathway into the sea which was commissioned as part of the nationwide Beach of Dreams project. Brook has a drawing practice which runs parallel to her land projects, and it is a rare privilege to see a group of these works brought together, stretching back to the 1990s. Like her land sculptures, they are formally rigorous, pared down to a kind of fierce simplicity, and are often made with materials from the places where she makes land art: red sand from Namibia, sea foam from Mingulay. Syria 7 Contour Drawing is unusual in its level of detail, an insight into one aspect of the practice which underlies her sculptural forms. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Orkney-based Samantha Clark, last seen in the RSA's In Orcadia show after winning the organisation's inaugural MacRobert Award, looks mainly at water. While her technique is detailed, meditative and time-consuming, her work, like Brook's, has intense focus and structural formality, looking down into the ocean depths, or across at horizon lines. Islands by Samantha Clark | Courtesy of the artist Clark works by laying down a fine hand-drawn grid pattern over deep colour, or covering a canvas with dense, repeating marks to suggest light, haar or waves. She often uses metal leaf and mica to create reflection or transluscence. Everything she does is carefully observed and processed in a considered, committed way, which brings her into conversation with an artist like Brook, even though their work looks very different. There is a elemental thread running through the exhibition: Brook on earth, Clark on water and Alexander Lindsay on air, with a new group of works created in the studio by photographing smoke. These semi-abstract pieces, some of which look like distant galaxies, actually make air visible and map how it moves. Detail from Full Moon Spawn, 2007 by Susan Derges | Courtesy of the artist Much of the rest of the show is photography of one kind or another, though the action of the camera (where there is one at all) is often complicated by the artist. It's always a pleasure to see work by Susan Derges, the master of cameraless photography. Her pictures of frogspawn by moonlight are magical. (The moon as a motif waxes and wanes through much of the exhibition.) Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad French artist Anaïs Tondeur, in her Chernobyl Herbarium project, makes rayograms (another cameraless photographic form) of plant and fungi samples taken from the exclusion zone at Chernobyl. The images are vivid and ghostly, haloed with what looks like dust, though I'm told it's actually radiactivity. These works are prints made from the original rayograms which are themselves radioactive and must be kept in a lead box. Detail from Anais Tondeur's Linum Strictum Exclusion Zone, Chernobyl, Ukraine, Radiation Level_ 1.7 microsieverts. From the series Chernobyl Herbarium, 2011-present | Courtesy of the artist German Kathrin Linkersdorff photographs tulips by letting them dry out, removing pigment, then adding it again and photographing them submerged in water. The results are gorgeous, but there is a built-in sense of distance; we might not fully understand how they are made, but we know they are works of artifice. Strangely, Jonathan Delafield Cook's breathtakingly detailed drawings of barnacles, icebergs and a Bottlenose dolphin have a similar effect. There are three photographic artists from Finland, led by Jorma Puranen, a founding member of the Helsinki School, whose landscapes are always a translation, seen in reflection, for example, or through glass beaded with water drops. We are aware we are looking at a created image, never simply a landscape to admire. Sandra Kantanen and Santeri Tuori work for a similar sense of disruption, Kantanen by painting digitally over her photographs, Tuori by layering multiple images taken at the same spot. There is such a broad range of work in the show that there is no single curatorial through-line. Rather, in the open space of the Bowhouse, where the works are installed on free-hanging mounts, visitors can make their own pathway, finding their own connections and contrasts. They will see some wonderful work on the way. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Lapping by Gemma Hare at Summerhall | Courtesy of the artist It's all change this year at Summerhall since the arts complex in Edinburgh's former vet school was brought back from the brink in the spring. One change seems to be that the wide-ranging festival visual art programme has been replaced by the Summerhall Arts Annual Group Show selected from an open call. While one feels a little disappointment, one must be glad that Summerhall survives, and rejoice in a new platform for the work of (mainly) local artists. There is a broad range across the three galleries in media, materials and experience: some of the artists are new graduates, others have many years' experience. With just one work per person, it isn't possible to get a wider sense of an artist's practice, and overall the quality is mixed, but there are many things worth seeing. The War Memorial Gallery has some excellent painting, including Anna Somerville's large, expressive work, Waterfall, Gemma Hare's Lapping, and small landscapes by Yasmeen Khan and Sarah Bold. There's a fine etching by Georgie Fay, a vivid pen portrait of a face in profile by Emma Claire Fallon, and a bewitching photograph of a bird sitting on the handle of a traditional-style kettle by Patricia McCormack. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Across the corridor, the bright Sciennes Gallery houses several works by students who graduated from Edinburgh College of Art last month, Amy Mclean, Tash Runciman, Elana Mulligan and Hattie Quigley, along with a succinctly witty embroidery by Jenny Mason and a small, strange landscape by Alasdair Wallace. Yulia Kovanova's From Where I Stand, details of rooftops and chimneys painted in acrylic on aluminium, make an impressive set. Upstairs in the Lab Gallery, the glass cases house mainly three-dimensional objects: Ruaridh Law's deck of tarot cards; Becky Brewis' photographic print envelopes remade in ceramic ('Colorama - we take care of your memories'); Catriona Clark's giant Lovehearts. Vicky Higginson's impressive glass battleaxe, Defense Mechanism III, and Monika Fejes' striking textile work, Fragile Armour, seem to address a similar theme. Ross Dickson's Three Lobed Entities, which looks a machine for scientific observation, is completely at home in this room even if it's a little difficult to unravel. However, some of the best works here are Peter Dibdin's photographs of his elderly mum and Chad McCail's Arms Manufacturer. This sculptural figure flashes open his red coat to reveal tanks, missiles and war planes sewn into the linings; his head is a credit card machine. Subtle it's not, but it is enormously timely.
Black America Web
27-06-2025
- General
- Black America Web
Outdoor Afro Offers Swim Scholarship Program To Help Close Racial Gap In Water Safety
Source: PixelsEffect / Getty Outdoor Afro, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to reconnecting Black communities with nature, is making waves with its mission to address a long-standing disparity in swim education. The organization has been spreading the word about their Making Waves program, which provides swimming scholarships—or 'swimmerships'—to Black children, teens, and adults across the country, according to a report shared by journalist Phillip Lewis on June 24. The initiative aims to tackle a troubling and persistent issue: Black Americans are significantly more likely to drown than their white counterparts due to their inability to swim. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , over one-third (36.8%) of Black adults say they don't know how to swim, and 63% report never having taken a swimming lesson—both figures well above the national average. Equally alarming, the USA Swimming Foundation reports that 64% of African American children have little to no swimming ability—despite evidence that swim lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by up to 88%, according to a 2023 CBS report. Sadly, these troubling statistics are tied to America's history of segregation, which kept Black families from accessing public swimming pools for much of the 20th century. To close the gap, Outdoor Afro is teaming up with their exclusive partners, programs like Black People Will Swim in New York and Foss Swim School in Minnesota, to provide up to $200 per individual or $400 per family to cover the cost of beginner swimming lessons. 'Our Making Waves program isn't just about learning to swim. It's about reclaiming our relationship with water—together,' the organization stated in an Instagram post shared June 25. Founded in Oakland, California, in 2009 by speaker and public lands champion Rue Mapp, Outdoor Afro has since grown into the nation's leading network focused on Black leadership in outdoor recreation. Since launching Making Waves in 2019, the organization has awarded more than 3,500 swim scholarships. In 2025, it hopes to fund lessons for 2,000 more Black children and caregivers, Lewis noted. The critical scholarship program comes at an urgent time. Since 2019, drowning deaths have risen sharply in recent years, with over 4,500 lives lost annually from 2020 to 2022, an increase of more than 500 deaths per year, the CDC noted. Black Americans, along with American Indian and Alaska Native populations, experience the highest drowning rates of any racial group. Outdoor Afro's approach is more than just access; it's about creating generational change and giving Black families the skills they need to thrive in the water. For more information or to apply for a swim scholarship, visit Addressing The Stereotype That Black People Can't Swim Pool 'Karens' Go Viral SEE ALSO Outdoor Afro Offers Swim Scholarship Program To Help Close Racial Gap In Water Safety was originally published on
Irish Independent
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Wexford trio set to make waves at Welsh jazz festival this summer
The group is led by Sharon Clancy on vocals, along with her sister Vicky Barron on sax/clarinet/flute, and composer and pianist Tony Rex. Their latest project Making Waves is set to unite two historic ports across the Irish sea, Rosslare in Wexford and Fishguard in Wales. With the support of Culture Ireland, the trio will celebrate and commemorate the heart of both towns, where for generations, people have gathered, welcoming locals and visitors from near and far.. Sharon and her group are no strangers to the Aberjazz festival, having appeared several times in the past, and said they are 'honoured' to have been chosen to headline at St Mary's, one of the festival's largest venues. 'Making Waves' has been many months in the making. Earlier this year, Sharon recorded and released her song Maybe to celebrate International Women's Day, and this composition is a key part of the Making Waves project. For those would like to see the group sooner than August, they will be appearing at Franks Place 1860, North Main Street Wexford on May 30 where they will be joined by Dave Mooney on double bass and drummer Andre Antunes. Tickets for the Franks Place show are on sale at Wexford Arts Centre box office 053 912 3764 and for pre- show dinner reservations contact Frank's directly on 053 918 9109. For details on Aberjazz, please contact
Washington Post
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Mario Vargas Llosa was a daring truth-teller. He was also my friend.
Marie Arana is the author, most recently, of 'LatinoLand: A Portrait of America's Largest and Least Understood Minority.' She was literary director of the Library of Congress and editor of The Post's Book World. The first time I telephoned Mario Vargas Llosa, it was to tell him that a man with a gruff voice, who identified himself only as working for the Peruvian Consulate in New York, had called to ask exactly where Mario would be sitting at a prize ceremony that evening. It was the spring of 1997, the National Book Critics Circle was about to give him an award for his essay collection 'Making Waves,' and it struck me as an odd question. Why hadn't the consulate called Mario directly? Why wouldn't the man give me his name? And why in the world did he want to know the exact seat where Mario would be found?
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Beijing, Philippines spar over South China Sea claims during Munich conference
While Russia's war against Ukraine and a wavering transatlantic alliance drew the world's attention at this year's Munich Security Conference, sparks also flew over claims in the South China Sea as debate involving participants representing Beijing and Manila dug into their positions in the region. China's former deputy foreign minister Fu Ying said in a panel discussion, titled "Making Waves: Maritime Tensions in the Indo-Pacific", that Beijing would not accept occupation by the Philippines of new features that the Southeast Asian country has constructed in the South China Sea. Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo was part of the panel. "China cannot agree for the Philippines to occupy Second Thomas Shoal and Sabina Shoal, because that is a violation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," Fu said, referring to a non-binding document signed by Beijing and Asean countries. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. Fu insisted that the document's language - in particular, a pledge to "not to make more moves" - was watered down at Manila's request to entice the country to sign. The declaration asks signatories to exercise "self-restraint" when conducting activities that would "complicate or escalate disputes", and refrain from building on the sea's uninhabited features. The presence of a dilapidated but still active Philippine Navy ship BRP Sierra Madre at the Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal) in the South China Sea has been denounced as unacceptable by Beijing. Photo: AP alt=The presence of a dilapidated but still active Philippine Navy ship BRP Sierra Madre at the Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal) in the South China Sea has been denounced as unacceptable by Beijing. Photo: AP> Further actions by Manila, including construction efforts to reinforce the BRP Sierra Madre, a World War II-era tank landing ship deliberately positioned on the Second Thomas Shoal in 1999, have been denounced by Beijing as unacceptable. China's coastguard has regularly used water cannons, blockades, and additional tactics to obstruct Philippine resupply efforts to the rusting warship stationed at the shoal, referred to as Ayungin Shoal in the Philippines. These confrontations have precipitated several clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels over the past two years, including a notable incident in June that caused injuries to Filipino crew members. Without naming China directly, Manalo said non-compliance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) is "creating tensions" in the busy maritime corridor that has become a flashpoint for conflict in recent years. The top envoy said his country is following international law, and slammed "countries who reinterpret [Unclos] or apply their own domestic laws to certain areas and try to enforce them". "The best way to reduce tensions in the South China Sea is for countries who have signed on for agreements, such as Unclos, to abide by these agreements. But it is not the case," he said, adding that "rich, powerful" countries are in a position to "assert their own laws against weaker countries, leading to greater contention". The panel discussion, which drew a large audience of European and American think tank experts, as well as diplomatic and military officials, was one of the few events at the annual Munich conference exclusively focused on Asia. Fu Ying, China's former deputy foreign minister, said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday that China cannot agree for the Philippines to occupy the Second Thomas Shoal. Photo: SCMP / Dickson Lee alt=Fu Ying, China's former deputy foreign minister, said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday that China cannot agree for the Philippines to occupy the Second Thomas Shoal. Photo: SCMP / Dickson Lee> Recent incidents involving Chinese military assets in the South China Sea have not been limited to the Philippines. Last week, Canberra accused Chinese military aircraft of releasing flares within 30 metres of an Australian aircraft conducting "routine surveillance" of the contested waterway. Referencing that incident, US Senator Christopher Coons, who also took part in the discussion, emphasised the necessity of open lines of communication between Washington and Beijing, especially given the volatile encounters in the region. Open lines of communication reestablished during the administration of former president Joe Biden between the US and China military forces should be "sustained and advanced" to ensure quick communication and avoid misunderstanding, he said. This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Copyright (c) 2025. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
