Amazing Dubstep

So I should show you something really scary today, but then I came across this video, and it is not scary at all. It is, however, completely and utterly fascinating! I know many of you like to dance, so this video should thrill you all. Enjoy! (This post has nothing to do with English, but it deals with an even more universal language: DANCE!)

Don't Judge a Book by It's Cover...

Many of you may have seen this. I find it so facinating, I keep returning to it. This is, of course, an excellent commercial for make-up, but more importantly, I think it is a story about a young man finding his identity in trying to be as different from other people as you possibly can, unlike many people who do everything they can to fit in. What do you think? A desperate call for attention, or a brave expression of a true self?

PS. I do not recommend this for ANYONE. There are SO many other ways to express yourselves without going to these extremes.

Tavi Revisited

Before recommending this page to you, I wanted to make sure it was really as good as I thought. I posted the video on Tavi Gavinson in the spring. I could tell from the stats on the blog that many of you watched it, and hopefully you found it inspiring. Tavi is the editor of the online magazine ROOKIE. It is nothing but FANTASTIC. I wish I had something like this to read when I was your age. She has many contributors, and there are some many amazing articles on everything from fashion to politics. Please, take some time to browse through this page. You can get some really good ideas on how to write good articles, and maybe some of it helps you "to figure yourselves out." Enjoy!

Here is an article about Tavi from New York Times.

Uncovering the MJ-secret

You all know I am a HUGE Michael Jackson fan. (If you've missed out on this, you have not paid enough attention in class....). When I was younger, I was amazed by the Smooth Criminal video, where Michael and his dancers defies gravity. I was even more amazed when I saw this live in Oslo. Of course I knew that it had to be some kind of patent, but I ignored it and continued to wanting it to be magic. Then I came across these drawings, and the spell was forever broken. Oh well, the video is still AMAZINGLY cool. What is your favorite MJ-song?

Pic from here.

When Fashion Becomes Art

There are several fashion blogs out there. You do not need me to introduce you to those, and many of you are simply not interested. (If you need tips on good ones, do not hesitate to ask me, whatever makes you read English makes me happy.) However, the "kompetansemål" tell us to teach you about art, and there is no doubt that fashion can be art. My favorite designer has always been Alexander McQueen, basically because his clothes and runway shows are so much more than clothes. Take a look  at this part of a show, where the dress is sort of made right in front of the audience. Cool or what??

The burning house

I came across this art project a while ago, and have been thinking about it a few times since. I want to share this with you. Here is a description:

The idea is that although we spent so much money on material things, what we would take with us if the house started burning are not the most expensive stuff we own, but small things with a lot of affectionate value. Even though these are just picture of things, it somehow seems very personal and private. I really like it, and it makes me think what my pic would look like. If any of you would like to share your pic, I'll be more than happy to post it on this post!

See the pics here.

Where Children Sleep and Learn - James Mollison

I would like to introduce you to a very interesting photographer called James Mollison. There are two very interesting exhibitions/books I would like to show you. The first one is called "Where Children Sleep", and is a documentation of children and their beds all across the world.

The other one is called How Children Learn, and that is pictures from classrooms. I find these pictures really fascinating and thought provoking. Seeing them all at once really brings out the contrasts.

LEGO

I bet you all have some. I have plenty, my two boys love it. I showed you this post earlier, a way to creatively use LEGO. I came across this patent drawing from 1958, isn't that cool? Imagine what a great invention that has been.

As the nerd I am I have started collecting LEGO buildings for my sons. A combination of great architecture and toys, what a great way to learn about wonderful buildings! The first we bought was the LEGO Guggenheim museum, which is a wonderful museum in New York City, designed by an architect called Frank Lloyd Wright. read the story behind the building here, believe me, it's a building worth recognizing.

(BTW this was also very cute. Get it?)

Pic from here.

Adding color

Street art can be so inspiring. When done legally in the right places, or when they are removable, it adds something new and refreshing to our surroundings. I came across these pics of the work of Jan Vormann, who repairs destroyed buildings with Lego bricks! Isn't it wonderful? Wouldn't it make you happy to come across one of these installations if you were out walking?

I know May is a really rough month for you, with a lot of term tests and presentations. Try to look for the small colorful things in your days!

See more of his art here.
If you really are stressed, here are 50 ways to cope with it.

Express yourselves!

Today we start presenting your group work on Human Rights. When we brainstormed this subject in the D-class, I told you how surprising it is that almost no one talks about article 29-1, that in addition to all the rights you have you also have duties. I believe, as I told you, it should be an absolute (moral) duty to use the right to vote. I do not care what you vote, as long as you go and hand in your ballot (when you are old enough of course.)

When visiting the NYC library to see the exhibition on Percey and Mary Shelly (I will tell you about them later) I came across this card with a quote by Percy Shelly on it, and I immediatley thought of you. Your voices are so important and school is a wonderful arena to share them with others. To make sure you all remember this, I took a card for each and every one of you (they were free, I did not steal). You'll get them Monday. Pin it somewhere where you'll see it all the time!

The Scream!

One of the four paintings of The Scream by Edvard Munch (painted in 1985) is up for sale. This is the only chance a private person has to own this painting, as the three others are owned by galleries in Norway. The painting is to be sold at Sotheby's, and is expected to fetch at least $80 000 000 which equals 476 000 000 NOK. As I am writing this I have no idea of the outcome, but you probably will know when you read this in the morning!

Do you think Norway should buy this painting or is it fun that people in other parts of the world can enjoy it as well? This is probably one of the most famous paintings in the world! Listen to experts talking about it here!

For the early birds: Good luck on your term test today! Remember to read through your text thoroughly on paper before handing it in, and read the text backwards if you have a tendency to make spelling mistakes.

Making your language blossom!

We have spoken many times about how to make your language blossom- or to add spice to your texts as I say. I found an amazing site at BBC, where they explain common English expressions and give examples on how they are used! I challenge you all to learn a couple of these every week, and use them in conversations with your friends. I promise you it will pay off.
Find them here!

(Ok, so the pic had absolutely nothing to do with the post, but I thought of this artist as I wote blossom. If you liked it too, you can see more here.)

Invisible man

Hopefully I have been able to post some pics from NYC by now, but just in case I haven't, I want to show you this. Can you spot the man in this photo? The artist Liu Bolin paints himself to disappear into his surroundings. One photo may take 10 hours to prepare! What do you think is his motivation for this? Do you like it, or is it just silly?

Photos from HonestlyWTF