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For 13 years, Nikon’s Small World in Motion has celebrated the most alluring footage captured through a microscope that spotlights a range of biological processes, from viral infections to blood flow. The 2023 competition garnered nearly 400 entries from photographers and researchers in 41 countries with Dr. Alexandre Dumoulin winning the top prize for his 48-hour timelapse of neurons developing in a chick embryo.
Featuring colorful beams of light streaming across the frame, the video magnifies axons, which connect neurons, as they “traverse the nervous system before eventually forming synapses.” In neurological disorders like autism and schizophrenia, axons are impaired and unable to move in the way shown in Dumoulin’s timelapse. “By studying these organisms, I aim to enhance our comprehension of how the nervous system functions and identify potential factors contributing to neurodevelopmental disorders,” he says.
Find a few of this year’s videos below, and head to Nikon to peruse an archive of winners past and present.
Dr. Alexandre Dumoulin, a 48-hour time-lapse of developing neurons connecting the opposite side of the central nervous system in a chick embryo
Benedikt Pleyer, hydra
Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Stunning Footage of Neurons Forming Inside a Chick Embryo Wins Nikon’s Small World in Motion appeared first on Colossal.
September 27, 2023
September 27, 2023
Travelling from King George Station? You may have noticed Indigenous art adorning the columns at the station entrance!
We partnered with artists from q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie First Nation), q̓wɑ:n̓ƛ̓ ən‘ (Kwantlen First Nation), and se’mya’me (Semiahmoo First Nation) to display a series of permanent murals at the entrance to King George Station.
These murals celebrate the rich culture and history of the Indigenous Nations, while encouraging passersby to reflect on the meaning of the land that we travel on today.
We commissioned four artists for this project: Rain Pierre from q̓ic̓əy̓, Natache Gabriel from q̓wɑ:n̓ƛ̓ ən‘, and Roxanne Charles and Easton Arnouse from se’mya’me.
These murals are the first cultural recognition pieces from q̓ic̓əy̓, q̓wɑ:n̓ƛ̓ ən‘, and se’mya’me on our transit network.
Rain has been brightening up communities as an artist since 2016. His vision is to captivate emotions and make a statement that we need to work together to make a better tomorrow through his art. Rain’s first column uses a red design that serves as a tribute to the matriarchal women of Katzie, with the trees to remind us of where we come from. It is also his tribute to the missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) of Canada.
The second column features an orange design for Orange Shirt Day. The four hummingbirds represent the four seasons. The orange is a tribute to the children that have passed in residential schools, but the hummingbirds represent their spirits being beautiful.
Natache Gabriel is an emerging artist and mother of four from q́ʷa:n̓ƛʼən ̓ (Kwantlen First Nation)̓. She currently lives with her fiancée Taylor and their children on Kwantlen, in Fort Langley.
Her pair of columns portray a sun and moon design about balance, and connection to the everyday commute in that people will travel in the morning through to the evening on the SkyTrain.
The wolf design is an ode to the nation she’s from. Kwantlen or q̓ʷɑ:n̓ƛ̓ən̓ meaning “tireless runner” or “tireless hunter.” Natache thinks that as Indigenous people they need to be present and seen — and in this case, through artwork.
Roxanne Charles of Semiahmoo First Nation is a cultural historian employing means of visual representation, oral history, and ceremony. Methods which have been utilized by Semiahma People for thousands of years. Her work explores and documents a variety of issues that reflect her daily life such as spirituality, identity, urbanization, trauma, and various forms of systemic violence.
Easton Arnouse is a 19-year-old creative artist and photo documenter. Based in the home of his ancestors Native to the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. Son to Roxanne Charles from Semiahmoo, and Joseph Arnouse of the interior Secwépemc people. His interest in art creation stems from the importance of cultural identity, self, furthermore one’s interconnection with nature and tradition. Easton is on a path to represent the need in preserving Indigenous methods, belief systems, and ways of living.
These designs were inspired by Xwim al e qen ::, the flow of the river, and by Salish sheep horn jewellery which are often embedded with water symbols. The pillars honour the lifeline of Indigenous people which are these water ways and the resources they provide, and for which they hold deep gratitude. This can be seen in everything, including their technologies – which are often modelled after their life givers; ensuring a portion of your catch is released so there will be an abundance of fish for future generations. The Se’mya’me thrived prior to contact by managing the largest reef net fisheries in North America.
These conversations are important to understand the horrendous disposition of wealth that has transpired and continues to unsettle Turtle Island. So much can be learned from our environment. It is time for people, residents, and visitors to work hard to ensure we prioritize the health of waterways, like the Indigenous Peoples of these lands who have coexisted with nature for thousands of years, and who have made it their responsibility to care for its waterways.
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Opportunities to photograph a solar eclipse don’t come along very often.
On Saturday, Oct. 14, North America will see its first solar eclipse since 2021. For most people, this event will be no different, with the sun being partially eclipsed during the morning. Like 2021’s event, this will be an annular solar eclipse — better known as a ‘ring of fire’ — but while that one was visible only in Canada, this one will be best seen from a path through the U.S.
From being in the right place at the right time to planning specific compositions including the eclipsed sun, here’s everything you need to know about how to photograph October 14’s ‘ring of fire’ annular solar eclipse with a manual camera or a smartphone. If you want even more eclipse photography content we also have a more in-depth overview guide for how to photograph a solar eclipse.
Related: Annular solar eclipse 2023: Everything you need to know about North America’s ‘ring of fire’ eclipse
Whether you are going to be in the 125-mile wide path stretching from Oregon through Texas — where the ring of fire will be visible — or whether you are somewhere else in North America, the safety aspect remains the same. This solar eclipse can only safely be viewed through solar eclipse glasses and photographed using solar filters. Put simply, you’re going to need to purchase or make a solar filter for your camera or smartphone. Here’s what to know:
Alan Dyer, Canadian astrophotographer and author of How to Photograph the Solar Eclipses: A Guide to Capturing the 2023 and 2024 Eclipses of the Sun told Space.com that he uses now-discontinued glass filters from Thousand Oaks Optical but finds its new SolarLite polymer material too dark and soft.
Other options include Seymour, Kenko and Orion filters. “The safest bet are filters of Baader Solar Film,” says Dyer. One example is MrStarGuy. “It’s better than other films and definitely better than glass, but it should not be stretched smooth — wrinkles do not affect its performance.” He also recommends using gaffer or blue painter’s tape to secure the filter housing to the lens as a safety precaution. The American Astronomical Society has a list of approved solar filters.
Your location will make a huge difference to what you see. If you want a perfectly symmetrical ring effect at the peak of the event then you should be close to the centerline of the eclipse. An asymmetrical ‘broken ring’ shot — which is more unusual — is obtained most easily from the edges of the path, where the ‘ring of fire’ will last mere seconds. This interactive map will help you pick a spot while these simulations for any location will show you exactly what it will be possible to see.
“The best advice for ‘ring of fire’ photos is to go to Oregon and hope for thin cloud for landscape images including the ring and to go anywhere else for clear skies and close-ups of the ring,” says Dyer. That’s because in Oregon the eclipse begins at 8:05 a.m. PDT with the eclipse at just 5 degrees above the southeastern horizon, with the ‘ring of fire’ at 17 degrees about 70 minutes later and the eclipse ending at 29 degrees. It will get higher as it moves through the U.S. with the eclipse exiting Texas at a height of between 36 degrees and 54 degrees.
Apps like The Photographer’s Ephemeris, PhotoPills and can help you plan your shot in detail. “The key thing about PlanIt Pro is it turns your phone into a virtual camera,” astrophotographer Mike Shaw, author of The Beginner’s Guide to Astrophotography, who also presents a series of video tutorials about how to use PlanIt Pro, told Space.com. “Its eclipse sequence tool shows you exactly what your image is going to look like from a specific location if you do an eclipse sequence.”
The first thing you need to do is decide which kind of shot you want to take. For an annular solar eclipse or a partial solar eclipse, there are essentially two different types of shots you could go for — a close-up of the eclipsed sun and a wide-angle composite.
For a close-up you’ll need a tripod and a telephoto lens — the longer the better. Use your camera’s LCD screen on ‘live view’ to find the eclipsed sun and then auto-focus on the edge of the moon. “Keep checking that focus,” says Shaw, who also recommends using a star tracker. “With a 400mm lens it’s tricky to find the sun with the filter in place, and even when you find it, it’s going to quickly move right out of the frame,” he says. “The tracker just takes get rid of all of that.”
Image settings will vary according to the light at your location and the filter you use, but ISO 100, f/5.6 and exposures between 1/30 and 1/250 are a good place to start, according to Dyer.
Once you’ve collected lots of images of the eclipsed sun — paying particular attention to the ring of fire, if relevant to your location — consider making a collage of your favorite images.
Related: Best star trackers for astrophotography 2023
If you want to capture a wide-angle image showing the progression of the eclipse across a landscape then the basic technique, at least, is surprisingly simple. You’ll need a tripod and wide-angle lens of about 24-28mm, with a solar filter across it, to capture the sequence and a foreground image. The technique goes something like this: with your camera positioned so the eclipse begins on the left side of the frame, you take a wide-angle image of the landscape every four minutes (during which the obscuration of the sun will increase by about 5%, according to Dyer) for the entire two or three hours of the eclipse. At no time can you move the camera or tripod, so use a shutter release cable (and do not kick the tripod!).
After the eclipse, you’ll be left with a few dozen images that are completely dark save for the tiny image of the eclipsed sun moving across the frame. All you then need to do then is take one image of the foreground and drag all the images into the free StarStaX software, which will create the finished composite image. “Practice it once or twice ahead of time — it’ll lower your blood pressure,” says Shaw, who will lead a workshop in New Mexico to shoot the ‘ring of fire’. “During the eclipse, the adrenaline starts to go up and people do dumb things.”
That foreground image is important. “The safest thing to do is to wait until after sunset,” says Shaw. “Or you could try taking the shot during the annular phase because it’s going to get pretty dark, but that would involve some extensive bracketing — and you’ll only have a few minutes to get the shot.” To prevent lens flare from the ‘ring of fire’ just put your finger over the eclipse, says Shaw.
Although you can perch a smartphone on a tripod and cover its lens with a filter made from cutting up a pair of eclipse glasses, the results are rudimentary.
A timer delay and a clip-on lens can help slightly in reducing judder and gaining magnification, respectively, but even then we’re talking about a souvenir shot at best. Given that any photographer with a manual camera and a zoom lens is going to do much better — and flood social media with their photos — it’s probably not worth the bother. That doesn’t mean you can’t take great images during the eclipse, but they should concentrate on capturing the emotion of people watching — and wearing eclipse glasses — as well as some of the odd optical events that occur, such as ‘crescent suns’ projected onto the ground beneath trees.
If you’re looking for a telescope or binoculars to observe the annular solar eclipse, our guides for the best binoculars deals and the best telescope deals now can help. Our best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography can also help you make sure you have all the gear to get that perfect shot.
Accenture, a global consulting organization, is taking its employees and clients on a wild ride with its new Chicago Innovation Hub, designed by leading design and architecture firm Gensler. From its first floor to its last, the newly branded Accenture Tower is a sensorial experience that takes visitors and clients on an immersive innovation journey through a digital and physical landscape. This “vertical city” offers workspaces, specialty labs, and hospitality areas, throughout the multiple floors.
Visitors are able to navigate this city-like office with their phones using an Accenture-developed app. Through QR codes, the app can activate the turnstiles located on each floor, track occupancy in realtime, and reserve various meeting rooms. Moving from the 20th floor to the 26th of the Accenture Tower, visitors follow a “safari” that begins with spaces that help facilitate with making. This features immersion rooms, labs, production spaces, and a broadcast studio.
Afterwards, the results of those previous spaces are put on digital and physical showcases that highlight the process and product. Finally, the top floors, surrounded by Chicago’s cityscape, are meant to be client-facing, with spaces to foster ideation, connection, and collaboration. To support this, meeting rooms, co-working lounges, and refuel stations are provided.
Throughout the seven floors, custom millwork, movable walls, and flexible furniture allow employees the Sims-like ability to design their own spaces as they see fit, based on their ever-changing needs throughout the day. Whether it’s for all-staff gatherings, community events, heads-down work, or impromptu meetings, these environments can be reconfigured and adapted with ease.
Expanding on the design, Sara Adams, Design Director at Gensler shares:
The glittering spectrum of light the city reflects served as inspiration for the color and finishes throughout the space, with architectural elements and textures seen throughout the vibrant neighborhoods of Chicago, creating a unique human-centric experience on each floor.
Photography by Kendall McCaugherty.
North Hennepin Community College is wrapping up a celebratory gallery of retired art teacher Will Agar’s photography. The show, called, “Voyages of the Eye: A 50-Year Retrospective,” is expected to close Oct. 6.
The gallery is located in the Joseph Gazzuolo Art Gallery in the Fine Arts Center and is free and open to the community 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
“Church at Bentley, ND” (Photo submitted by Will Agar).
“Moose, Sunrise and Geyser, Interstate 94, WI” (Photo submitted by Will Agar).
The future Sen̓áḵw development, which will include over 6,000 units of new housing.
As a result of discrimination, indigenous populations in British Columbia are facing inequitable access to stable housing. Barriers to housing have led to displacement and a lack of housing opportunities for these groups.
To find solutions, ULI British Columbia collaborated with Indigenous businesses, including contractors and developers, to create more housing for Indigenous people. Additionally, ULI British Columbia developed a Health Equity Resource Hub to share tools and best practices and encourage thought leadership and innovation for Indigenous partnerships in housing.
The efforts of ULI British Columbia have led to:
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A Complex Tapestry of Cultures
There are 204 unique tribal nations across Canada, each with its own language and customs. Despite this rich cultural diversity, for over 200 years the nations have been systemically forced to integrate with non-native Canadians and treated in a monolithic fashion.
As a result, historic inequities are acutely felt by Indigenous populations to this day. According to a 2022 report from Carleton University, Indigenous people in Canada face an inadequate supply of affordable housing both on- and off-reserve at the right unit size (Indigenous households are often larger), lower than average incomes, discrimination by landlords, and a lack of social program support for mental health services.
Madelyn McPhee, a student and ULI British Columbia’s program ambassador, says creating opportunities for Indigenous people to overcome these barriers are invaluable.
“There just needs to be more capacity building and support within the community,” says McPhee, who is mixed Mi’kmaw.
A Challenging History
While the United States has a harmful history of separation and exclusion from Indigenous people, the Canadian historical approach attempted to force assimilation of Indigenous communities with non-native Canadians, according to the Wilson Center.
One example of these destructive assimilation policies occurred between 1883 and 1997 when the Canadian government forcibly placed Indigenous children into a network of federally run “residential schools” to re-educate them. The goal was to cause the children to lose their native culture and languages and assimilate into Western and Canadian customs.
Indigenous people were also subject to the Adopt Indian program, which began in the 1960s, where Indigenous children were taken from their families to be adopted by white parents. Further, until the early 1970s, Indigenous people were not allowed to hold a title to their own land.
To rectify the centuries of injustice and discrimination, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada was established in 2008. As a result, 94 calls to action were created to help establish reconciliation measures between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. The ULI British Columbia team sought to aid in that effort.
Duncan Wlodarczak, chair of the PHE process in British Columbia, explains, “The real estate industry could try to combat erasure by looking for opportunities to work with different host nations. This will require active listening and learning throughout the project.”
A Partnership for Health Equity
As part of the ULI Partnership for Health and Racial Equity program, ULI British Columbia assembled local real estate leaders and Indigenous businesses to address the housing crisis in the region. A significant part of their work over the first 18 months was learning how to build trust and relationships with the Indigenous community.
“How do you move beyond an uninformed understanding of what reconciliation means?” Wlodarczak says. “It means more than giving a welcome at the start of an event and just thinking land needs to be returned to its rightful owner. We’re moving beyond that.”
Wlodarczak points out that reconciliation boils down to practical, everyday tactics. For example, supporting a local, Indigenous business in helping to create economic opportunity.
That is one of the reasons the team developed a Health Equity Resource Hub and toolkit, specifically tailored to British Columbia’s Indigenous populations. Culled from ongoing conversations as well as input from the local community, the Resource Hub includes contact information for Indigenous developers, contractors, and architects, among other professionals, and features Indigenous artists and designers, Indigenous food and drink vendors as well as Indigenous counselors, elders, and “knowledge keepers.”
The plan is for the digital library to be ever evolving. It will include readings, podcasts, case studies, and a plethora of links to Indigenous-based businesses, development companies, and First Nation communities.
“Whatever profession of a person or industry, if you want to find businesses or partners there are ways you can support Indigenous businesses,” says Wlodarczak. “That’s what the toolkit is.”
Beyond the Health Equity Resource Hub, the ULI British Columbia team worked to amplify and partner with housing stakeholders in the region. There is a growing network of Indigenous housing providers, on and off reserve, that are building housing. Several projects are in development.
In the spring of 2022, the Squamish Nation, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw, announced the planned development of the Sen̓áḵw, which means “the place inside the head of False Creek,” lands in Vancouver. The development is planned for more than 6,000 units, including 1,200 affordable rental units, and will be developed in partnership with the national government. The remainder of the units are planned at market rate. Out of the 1,200 affordable housing units, 250 units will be set aside for Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw members and operated by the nonprofit housing provider, Hiyam Housing.
Another housing development project that supports the Indigenous community is a project by the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre Society, BC Housing, and the city of Vancouver that includes: 80 shelter beds, 25 transitional homes, 85 non-market, affordable homes, 53 market-rate rental homes, and space for social enterprises on the ground floor. The development received zoning approvals in 2021 with the assistance of Indigenous consultants M’akola Development Services.
The Kwayatsut development specifically sets aside beds for Indigenous and LGBTQ youth.
The Kwayatsut (K-why-ah-sote), which means “spirit quest” or “seeking one’s power” in the Coast Salish language, is yet another development created through a collaboration with nonprofits and real estate and construction companies. The project features 101 units with 30 beds set aside for Indigenous youth as well as LGBTQ youth and those who have recently left the foster care system in Vancouver and will be owned and operated by Vancouver Native Housing Society.
The project will also provide educational offerings as well as skills training, and cultural opportunities and is being supported by the Province of BC, the City of Vancouver, Vancouver Native Housing Society, Broadway Youth Resource Centre, Street to Home Foundation and the Pacific Community Resources Society.
The ULI British Columbia team hopes that these projects will serve as leading examples of more inclusive development practices to the real estate industry. Going forward, this will serve as a model for real estate developers to integrate Indigenous groups and businesses through their entire lifecycle of development.
Making a concerted effort to hire Indigenous people and entrepreneurs and help increase their business prospects not only will help build more capacity but will also help Indigenous populations be able to hire more people in their own businesses and, therefore, benefit their communities.
“What really makes a difference is getting shared economic prosperity through generational wealth, which is done by, we all know, growing businesses,” says Wlodarczak. “How do you move from the informal to where we, as an industry, make a concerted effort to use our purchasing power to create these wealth-generating opportunities that transcend beyond one individual and into the wider Indigenous economy.”
Editor’s Note: ULI British Columbia is one of five district councils participating in ULI’s District Council Partnerships for Health and Racial Equity Project led by ULI’s Building Healthy Places program with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Working over 18 months, each council, in partnership with local stakeholders and real estate leaders, crafted strategies to address legacy impacts of systemic discrimination in land use and real estate. Learn more about the collective story of impact at uli.org/partnerships.
