"Little Shrew (Snowflake)" An Animation by Kate Bush

Kate Bush released a beautiful animated video today. She tells the story at her site:

"In 2022, with war breaking out in Ukraine, I decided I wanted to make an anti-war animation. In particular, I hoped to draw attention to the children caught up in war.

I based the storyboard around the song, Snowflake, which was sung by my son when he was a child. I think his performance is extremely moving and although I‘d originally written the song to capture his beautiful descant voice before he entered adolescence, it has taken on a haunting new meaning within the context of this animation.

The original track runs for over seven minutes, but as animations take a long time to make, it made a lot of sense to shorten it to three or four minutes. I was concerned that the song might lose something by being edited so intensely but actually it’s held up pretty well.

I knew I wanted the featured character to be a child caught up in war, so I made a very rough, off the cuff story board.

Although I’d initially thought to make the character a human child – a little girl – I settled on the idea of a Caucasian pygmy shrew (Ukrainian shrew): a tiny, fragile little creature. I felt that people might have more empathy for a vulnerable little animal than a human…

This little shrew would take a journey on a moonlit, winter’s night through a war-torn city, initially unaware of what was going on around her in this land of the giants. She can sense that she’s being called by a kind of spiritual presence… HOPE.

She starts to search for HOPE. Sometimes hope is all there is to hang on to."

The wonderful story of the artist and animation team continues on her site here.

Kate concludes:

"There’s not meant to be an exclusive focus on the war in Ukraine, but it was that war that instigated the making of this animation. All wars leave horrific scars: ruined lives, families ripped apart, life-changing injuries, trauma and loss on a massive scale – but it’s the children who suffer the most in so many ways. Their past, present and future melt away into fear and uncertainty.

I would like to ask that if you watch the animation, please make a donation to War Child, or to another charity that aids children in war.

Even a tiny donation will help enormously. War can be an unimaginable horror for a child.

You could be hope for that child caught up in war. You could make a real difference.

Thank you for supporting this project,

Kate"

https://www.warchild.org.uk/
https://www.katebush.com/

Artists For Ukraine at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery

The Tanya Bonakdar Gallery in New York and Los Angeles presents "Artists For Ukraine" from March 11 to April 8, 2022. The Gallery reps some very high profile artists who have donated works for sale on-line, with all proceeds going to organizations and charities that are helping Ukrainians refugees.

Tanya Bonakdar Gallery —its staff and artists — are shocked and appalled by the catastrophic human rights tragedy taking place in Ukraine. Our hearts go out to the innocent civilians, families, and especially children, caught in the crossfire of violent conflict. Unfortunately, empathy is not enough when confronting such challenging moments in history.

Tanya Bonakdar Gallery stands with Ukraine. With this announcement, we are launching a sale of important works by gallery artists with 100% of proceeds donated to relief organizations helping to alleviate the suffering of those seeking refuge from the conflict in Ukraine.

While we understand the limits of our influence and power in the context of this global conflict, we also believe that momentum starts with individual and local community activity. As a gallery, we have specific tools at our disposal. We have a platform. We have a certain power in communicating ideas. Even more, we are part of a community of artists, collectors and patrons who can help to raise funds so desperately needed right now.

Our gallery artists have been extremely supportive and generous in offering important work for this cause. We urge those who receive this message, and are in a position to collect, to consider one of these works for acquisition. Collectors will do so with the knowledge that the full purchase will be donated and all funds raised will be split evenly between the three organizations listed below.

For others interested in offering direct support for organizations involved in humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, we have included additional links at the bottom of the page.

Thank you in advance for your attention and support.

The image below is by Sabine Hornig. Intricate details from the cityscapes depicted in her commission for LaGuardia Airport are featured in individual photographs, digitally composed images that integrate succinct quotes from former mayor Fiorello La Guardia. Having famously described New York City’s unique image as “the entire world in microcosm,” La Guardia becomes a figure in Hornig’s work who embodies how leadership shapes our shared environment.

Please consider buying some art or donating to the organizations who are working to help victims of this shameful war.

https://www.tanyabonakdargallery.com/viewing-room/58-artists-for-ukraine/

Sabine Hornig's work can be seen here:
https://sabine-hornig.de/de#image-5

Citizen Brick Ukraine LEGOs

Citizen Brick, an independent LEGO retailer who creates their own fun minifigures, has created two new pieces to help Ukraine: all proceeds go to charities supporting Ukrainian refugees.

Their figure of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is $100 and worth every penny.

And the Molotv cocktail with the blue and yellow Ukraine flag is only $20.

Purchase these at the Citizen Brick website and help the victims of this insane war.

https://citizenbrick.com/

Watching History

1/20/21

TODAY IS A GREAT DAY!

JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS WIN!

And our first FEMALE Vice President is also BLACK! YAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!

We did it, @JoeBiden. pic.twitter.com/oCgeylsjB4

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 7, 2020

CATS in The Tube

The daily onslaught of advertising and intrusive imagery in our current society can be overwhelming so to combat that, a group calling themselves Citizens Advertising Takeover Service (or CATS) under the auspices of Glimpse purchased 68 advertising sections of wall space at the Clapham Common subway station in London. And now this Tube station has been taken over by cats: sweetly, many of the felines for this respite from visual pollution are stray cats from two rescue charities, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, and Cats Protection. CATS have brought attention to the worthwhile cause of animal adoption but their ultimate goal on a much larger platform is to bring about general social change via creative campaigns. I say "Well done, CATS!"

http://weglimpse.co/