My understanding of the qualifiers of #shittember are to post bad photos or photos that you just don't like in order to break out of the feeling of the need to perform. For me, I think that applies to exercising control over things like focus, composition, and exposure. The first photos were surprisingly difficult to post, but now it's actually quite cathartic.

I don't know if this photo qualifies for #shittember, or maybe #shittember is having its intended effect, because I actually don't think I dislike it, and I don't think it's a bad photo, but I reckon a week or two ago I almost certainly would have thought the opposite, and never would have considered posting it up, even though I think it is visually interesting.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, thank you @NotAHope@mastodon.social for sharing with us such a great concept, allowing us all to relax a little, helping us realize that maybe things that we are critical of aren't all that bad, and to allow imperfect things to shine.

This photo is a picture of a film negative that I took when I got a new extension tube, and this is a calibration shot when I was trying to get the backlight, zoom, and focus set correctly. It obviously needed quite a bit of adjustment for all of the above!

Once I develop my negatives at home, I capture a photo of them with the digital camera, invert the photos, and apply some minor corrections to get the final image. I have some equipment at home to do print negatives that I'm looking forward to setting up and using on these negatives one day, but that's a whole other time/effort/money thing...!

#photography #film #filmphotography #blackandwhitefilmphotography #35mm #35mmfilm #melbourne #victoria #australia

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Ώπα! 💣

"A #Melbourne #Greek #restaurant has rejected online hate and a #bomb threat after hosting a joint #Jewish-Greek cultural evening.

On #Facebook, the owner insists it will keep bringing the communities together. Last Friday the #MediterraneanGreekTavern in #Elsternwick staged a night that mixed the two traditions.

Guests dressed in white, #challah sat beside Greek dishes, prayers were said, and a #bouzouki band played #HavaNagila alongside music from #ZorbatheGreek.

The dinner marked six months of #Shabbat Club #Australia.

[...]

Earlier nights have been held at other Melbourne spots. Friday’s larger gathering had a long waiting list.

The next day the restaurant posted warmly about the young crowd. Supportive replies came first, then a surge of abuse via #socialmedia.

Commenters called the hosts sell-outs, accused them of supporting “#genocide killers,” urged that #Jews be #deported, and one reportedly openly called for the tavern to be #bombed."

jwire.com.au/greek-tavern-repo…

Regen Melbourne

I can’t believe I have not written about Regen Melbourne before. I have been loosely involved with them from the beginning and the crafting of their original co-created vision statement, based on Kate Raworth’s Doughnut Economics model. I have also had the pleasure of being part of some of their workshops, and they have also been of great help and support with my own personal regeneration project.

Over the years, Regen Melbourne’s work has steadily evolved and now coalesces around three key Earthshots. An Earthshot is a declaration of intent to solve complex social and ecological challenges. Earthshots recognise that social and ecological regeneration are inseparable. They set an ambition of possibility, coherence of a collective response, and agitation of the conditions we operate within. Earthshots are whole-of-city in scope, long-term in commitment, and open to many entry points.

Each Earthshot has six key qualities.

Wildly Ambitious

Because the scale of the challenges demand it. We are all invested in the social and ecological future of this place.

Systems-oriented

Looking at the conditions we need not just outputs. Oriented towards multi-benefits not single solutions.

Whole-of-city

No one organisation can own the scope of the Earthshot. We are interconnected, so too must our response be.

Coherence, not consensus

There is no blueprint. Forward-leaning action looks like smart collaboration, not waiting for everyone to agree.

Long-term and open

Committed to building broad support over time. An Earthshot is a platform for entry points, not a closed project.

Of and for Melbourne

These Earthshots are in service to place. They build on what makes this city thrive and centre care for our future.

The current Earthshots they are focussing on are:

Swimmable Birrarung
A thriving and swimmable Birrarung, from source to sea
300,000 Streets
A city of participatory and truly liveable streets
Nourished Neighbourhoods
A network of resilient local food economies across our city

You can find a load more about all of this on their website but what caught my eye recently was this particular article, The Power of Participation: Strengthening the civic muscle of Greater Melbourne. [LINK] The author, Joel Backwell, covers a lot of ground in this post talking about Participatory Urbanism in Melbourne, from “what we are seeing” now, to “where to from here”. For anyone living in Melbourne it’s a great snapshot of some of the wonderful projects and orgs operating on the ground and the work they are doing. The article asks the big questions about participation as well as explaining its importance. Something I have done in previous posts: HERE and HERE

“What we are interested in is how all this participation comes together, in service of Greater Melbourne. How intentional must we be in directing this participation towards influencing and shaping power? Or is it enough to just create opportunities for people to come together to discuss what matters to them and their neighbourhoods, and then let a thousand flowers bloom? Can we expect that participation, in response to societal and environmental challenges, will organically scale up to political action? Or will it require organisations like Regen Melbourne to help join the dots, bring these spheres of activity together and build new spaces and institutions for collaboration and collective decision-making at a city scale?“

I’ll wrap this up here because I hope I’ve given enough reasons to go and read the post and check out more about what Regen Melbourne is doing in general on their website here: regen.melbourne They have their fingers in a lot of pies, so for anyone interested in Climate Change, Social Justice, or Regeneration, you will find loads of stuff to dive into: Climate Change Exchange – Democracy Beyond the Ballot Box – Connected Corridors – School Streets

Other links

You can follow The REGEN Gazette here: regen.melbourne/the-gazette
The People’s Plan for Footscray peoplesplanfootscray.net/
McKinnon and Foundations for Tomorrow foundationsfortomorrow.orgDoing Co: doingco.org/

#Biodiversity #Environment #Melbourne #OurWonderfulGreenFuture #Participation #ParticipatoryUrbanism #Regeneration #RegenMelbourne #SolarPunk #StrongTowns #sustainability #Urbanism

From Pittsburgh to Melbourne, from Poland to Sweden, these murals and installations celebrate the bond between people, animals, and the environments we share. This collection brings together striking photorealism, symbolic storytelling, and playful public art. Among the highlights: a powerful portrait of a man with birds in Glasgow, a larger-than-life tiger in France, and a canopy of birdcages in Sydney. Together, they remind us of the wild neighbors living alongside us.

More: Cute Animals (25 Photos)

1. White Tiger — Dave Baranes — Nogent-sur-Marne, France

A large-scale mural of a white tiger resting on a ledge, painted in front of a colorful graffiti-style background. The photorealistic detail contrasts with the abstract backdrop, creating a vivid urban jungle scene. More!: How Dave Baranes Graffiti Captures Animals on the Brink of Extinction

🔗 Follow Dave Baranes on Instagram

2. The Squirrel and the Robin — Curtis Hylton — Oskarshamn, Sweden

A mural showing a red squirrel surrounded by autumn leaves and large flowers, with a robin nestled in its tail. The blending of flora and fauna highlights natural connections and seasonal change.

🔗 Follow Curtis Hylton on Instagram

3. Man with Birds — SMUG — Glasgow, Scotland

A photorealistic portrait of a man wearing a red beanie, holding a robin in his hand while another bird hovers nearby. The muted tones and lifelike details create a sense of intimacy and stillness. More!: 24 Times SMUG Made Walls Look More Real Than Life

🔗 Follow SMUG on Instagram

4. Love Your Wild Neighbor — Jeremy Raymer — Pittsburgh, USA

A mural of a raccoon framed by flowers and butterflies with the text “Love Your Wild Neighbor.” The artwork encourages respect for urban wildlife and coexistence with nature.

🔗 Follow Jeremy Raymer on Instagram

5. Bison of Mirosławiec — Cukin — Mirosławiec, Poland

A mural depicting a bison whose fur blends with forest scenes, featuring deer, lynx, and birds. The composition ties together local wildlife with a sense of ecological harmony. More!: Mural by Cukin Koszalin in Miroslawiec, Poland

🔗 Follow Cukin on Facebook

6. Bees and Coneflower — Matt Willey — Durham, USA

A mural of two bees approaching a purple coneflower, painted directly onto a brick wall. The work emphasizes pollinators’ vital role within ecosystems. More about it!: The mission to paint 50,000 honey bees (the number in a healthy hive) on murals around the world

🔗 Follow Matt Willey on Instagram

7. Forgotten Songs — Michael Thomas Hill — Sydney, Australia

An installation of suspended birdcages in an alleyway, with recordings of native bird songs that once filled the area. These are not empty cages these are free animals. More photos here!

8. Helmeted Honeyeater — Jimmy Dvate — Melbourne, Australia

A mural of a yellow-and-black bird perched among native flowers. The artwork celebrates one of Australia’s endangered species, painted with striking realism on a brick wall.

🔗 Follow Jimmy Dvate on Instagram

More: Birds! (12 Photos)

Which one is your favorite?

STREET ART UTOPIA

2024-10-13 20:26:54

7 Photos Of Endangered Beauty: How Dave Baranes Graffiti Captures Animals on the Brink of Extinction

Dave Baranes is a French graffiti artist known for his powerful murals featuring animals threatened by extinction.

Through his art, he seeks to raise awareness about the fragility of wildlife, often depicting these creatures in urban environments being harmed by human hands. His work is a blend of environmental activism and street art, bringing attention to critical ecological issues through visually striking creations.

---

White Tigers by Dave Baranes of a white tiger in Nogent-sur-Marne, France:

---

---

Dave Baranes: I mainly paint animals threatened with extinction. I take them out of their environment to put them in a more urban universe in which we see human hands damaging what surrounds them.

---

Jaguar by Dave Baranes in Nogent-sur-Marne, France:

---

Wolfs by Dave Baranes in Nogent-sur-Marne, France:

---

Gorilla by Dave Baranes in Nogent-sur-Marne, France:

---

Black Jaguar by Dave Baranes in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, France:

---

For more of Dave Baranes’ incredible work, showcasing his unique blend of graffiti and environmental activism, head over to his Instagram at @dave_baranes. There, you’ll find more of his striking murals featuring endangered animals, along with updates on his latest projects and collaborations. It’s the perfect place to explore his mission to raise awareness through art.

---

What do you think about the art by Dave Baranes?

Login • Instagram

Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.

^{www.instagram.com}

In Australia we often end up in the position of comparing cycling against driving and when you do that people envision long physically demanding rides that would be impossible for them to do and something only available to the fit and healthy.

In Victoria most trips are short trips (0-5km) but we still mostly drive them.

For trips in the range of 1-5km the vast majority are still driven in cars with almost all walking trips being less than 1km. This makes sense because our cycling network is geared toward long commuter trips with most major routes being nowhere near local destinations.

A big chunk of Melbourne's cycling network is along rivers and creeks, industrial areas or through parks. This puts them a significant distance away from useful destinations making them mostly only useful for through traffic going to someplace else (usually the CBD).

Short trips to local destinations almost always end up requiring trips on high speed or busy roads with through traffic with no protected infrastructure.

It's usually easier and safer to ride 50km to the other side of the city than it is to ride 1km to the local shops, train station or high school.

#bicycles #melbourne #transport

public.tableau.com/app/profile…

Dutch graph from the Dutch Cycling Embassy:
instagram.com/p/Db8caodH8Bm/