Finland – Land of the Midnight Sun

Finland - Land of the Midnight Sun 1

These days everyone seems to be talking about how much brighter it is in the evenings and discussing “that extra stretch in the day”. I know you might be thinking that I must keep rather dull company, but it’s not that – discussing the hours of darkness in Northern Europe is a prerequisite for living here.

After surviving another grey and dull winter, the reemerging sun plays a significant role in the lives and lifestyles of the people who live here. This is perhaps nowhere more apparent than in Finland. Here the Finns survive with no sunlight in the winter, and in the summer nature replies with 24 hours of sun. In the northernmost parts of Finnish Lapland, the sun stays above the horizon for over 70 consecutive days.

In the video above, the Official Finnish Travel Site, Visit Finland, have captured some of the magic of this time of year in a beautiful video that celebrates the midnight sun. Go check it out and make sure to check out the music of Husky Rescue too which is featured in the video. Enjoy!

Philip Kennedy

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April 22, 2013 - See more posts by Philip

‘Everything I Can See From Here’, a tale of miscommunication by Sam Taylor and Bjorn Aschim

Making friends with new people can be difficult, especially if they’re from another planet. This short video, directed by Sam Taylor and Bjorn Aschim and for The Line, tells the story of two friends and their dog messing about with a football when an unintended visitor wants to join the fun. This video is both beautifully made, kinda’ sad, but kinda’ funny in a dark way.

Bobby Solomon

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April 18, 2013 - See more posts by Bobby

The story of Timothy Hursley and his obsession with a dilapidated grain silo

Timothy Hursley Silo Hale County Alabama

Growing up in a rural area, I probably passed by dozens and dozens of useless, sinking grain silos without ever stopping to think about them. But I’m not photographer Timothy Hursley, who has spent the last six years documenting a ruined grain silo which is slowly slouching toward the ground in Hale County, Alabama. One day he happened to drive by a tornado-damaged grain silo, and became enamored. You may be asking what an architectural photographer would be doing in Hale County in the first place. I’m guessing he was photographing work from the Rural Studio, a division of the Auburn School of Architecture that has been transforming public space in Hale County for years. We actually talked about the concession stands the studio created a couple of years ago, and I’m happy to see the innovative play structure that has been completed since.

In a video from the Oxford American, Timothy describes how his fascination with the silo began. He compares the form of he silo to the work of Frank Gehry, and even explains how he eventually purchased the silo for himself. If you live in a rural area, it may change the way you look at your surroundings, or it may make you wonder how many other silos are on the brink of collapse and will spend the rest of their days rusting in a scrap yard.

Alex Dent

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April 18, 2013 - See more posts by Alex

‘Stranded’ by Sitka

‘Stranded’ by Sitka

‘Stranded’ by Sitka

Life can get hectic, and sometimes I wish being stranded on a desert island was an option… for like, a weekend. I would catch-up on some reading, get a tan, think about life, maybe play some cards. In essence, I would re-group. The one thing I wouldn’t expect to think about would be what I was wearing, and if my clothes were in season. The west coast based surf and skate shop Sitka, has put some serious thought into the desert island dream for the concept of their Fall/Winter 2013 ad campaign with Stranded, a short film directed by Benjamin Schuetze and Ben Gulliver.

The production on Stranded is phenomenal. For at least 6 of the 8 minute film, it had me fashionably duped before I realized I was essentially watching a commercial. Stranded is a novel and a seriously fun way that Sitka’s brand can reach farther than any print campaign possibly could

Christina Stimpson

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April 11, 2013 - See more posts by Christina

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