Culture news 
"Ice Age" of David Burdeny in Kiev
David Burdenys photographs are shamelessly beautiful. The 15 works on view - black-and-white images taken looking outward from the shorelines of Japan, northern France, and the Pacific Northwestare both grand and particular. They speak of motion and stillness, time and timelessness, immediacy and eternity. As depicted here, the natural elements of sea and sky possess a quality of quicksilver changeability, smooth, pale, subtly blurred, or modulated. By contrast, the evidence of humankind, including jetties, breakwaters, and the rectangular partitions of commercial oyster beds, is dark, dense, and highly detailed. Algae, barnacles, seaweed, sand, the horizontal striations caused by ebbing and flowing tides, the textures of stone, wood, or concreteall contribute to a sense of absolute thereness, while sea and sky communicate an abiding elsewhereness.
Some of the effects Burdeny achieves are explained by the fact that he shoots in black and white using a medium-format camera and a long exposure time, develops his film by hand, and has the images laser-printed on chromogenic paper. As the artist explained in a recent interview with the Straight, the slow shutter speed means that the movement of the water creates a blurred surface, an overwriting of its wavy texture. Clouds may have a similar self-effacing effect or, as in Burning Sky, they may communicate a dramatic sense of flux.
Other effects are the product of Burdenys formalist approach to his subject: his land-meets-seascapes are void of figures and depend for their initial impact on the careful framing of static visual elements. Whether boulders, pilings, or piers, these objects often proceed diagonally from foreground to middle ground, or cast themselves at oblique angles across the picture plane. There is a sustained sense here of monumentality, although occasionally the scale is puzzling.
David Burdeny was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada, in 1968. David Burdeny has degrees in both Interior design and a Masters in Architecture. At the age of 12, David started to photograph the prairie landscape and make his own black and white prints in a makeshift darkroom that also served as his bedroom closet.
Primarily self taught, David Burdeny's architecture and design background greatly influences his penchant for simple exacting photographs of sky, horizon and the marks humankind leaves behind. Influenced stylistically by photographers before him, such as Michael Kenna and Hiroshi Sugimoto, David Burdeny purposefully photographs in poor light and near darkness. He uses unusually long exposures to see that which our eyes can not. Moving beyond the literal, David Burdeny's images have been described as ominous, haunting, beautiful and meditative.
David Burdeny is also owned by two dogs and practices architecture design in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. David Burdeny's images have been shown across Canada and the USA and are featured in several prominent corporate collections such as Sprint and many private collections across the USA, Canada, Asia and Europe.
11 March 2010
16.03.2012 “Weibocalypse”: China’s new microblogging rules go into force
On March 16, new real identity rules imposed on China’s microblogging platform Weibo go into effect; dubbed “Weibocalypse” by China’s internet community . The Provisions on Administration of Weiboke Development (the Provisions) include core provisions in Article 6, which requires pre approvals by the Beijing city authority before launching a Weibo account, and Article 9, which requires that a user provide his or her true identity. Chen Jihong, a Beijing-based partner at Zhong Lun Law Firm said that “overall, the Provisions regulate not only issues of approval and true identity, but also general issues including compliance with the law and privacy protection”.
28.12.2011 Holiday Classic From Ukraine – Carol of the Bells – Goes Clay
Kyiv, December 28, 2011. A famous Ukrainian folk singer Oleg Skrypka performed a renewed version of the winter holiday classic Carol of the Bells originally composed by Ukrainian Mykola Leontovych. This new rendition of the world renowned tune became a soundtrack for the freshly released Ukrainian animation film Shchedryk.
13.12.2011 INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL of GUITAR MUSIC "KYIV-2011"
13 to 18 December in Kiev will be start INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL of GUITAR MUSIC "KYIV-2011"
07.12.2011 Australia Contributes to Chornobyl Fund
Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Kevin Rudd announced that his country would donate one million euros for the Chornobyl Shelter Fund. Minister Rudd made his statement at the OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting in Vilnius on December 6, 2011.
28.11.2011 Ukrainian Subway Station Rated One of World’s Most Beautiful
Zoloti Vorota (Golden Gate) station of Kyiv’s subway occupies 11th position on the list of the most impressive subway stops in the world, according to BootsnAll. The renowned community of travelers chose 15 subway stations in the world with the most outstanding application of art, architecture, culture, history, and technology.
22.11.2011 Festival Chervona Ruta Preserves Authentic Ukrainian Music
For the twelfth year in a row, the Ukrainian festival Chervona Ruta has opened the stage for the new talents performing Ukrainian music of different genres. The number of this year’s participants has set the record, bringing together 850 young musicians and performers. New to this year’s festival is the collaboration of performers from all regions of Ukraine.
22.11.2011 World of Rugby League: Ukraine celebrates five years in Rugby League
The Ukrainian Rugby League Federation (UFRL) is celebrating five years of the sport in the country.
17.10.2011 Ukrainian Painting Sets a New Record at London Auction
A painting by a Ukrainian artist set a new record at the Phillips de Pury & Co auction that took place in London on October 13, 2011. The art piece “Horse.Night” by Anatoliy Kryvolap was sold for USD 124,4 thousand which is the highest a painting by a contemporary Ukrainian artist ever grossed at an art auction.
03.10.2011 NSK "Olympic" to open a grand show
October 8 will be held the opening ceremony of one of Europe's largest sports complexes - NSK "Olympic".
29.09.2011 There will be held song festival in the Kyiv region.
October 1
at the Center for Culture and history, “Park Kievska Rus” (p. Kopach, Obukhov, District,
Kyiv region) will be a song festival" Slavic soul ".
12.09.2011 Europe’s Largest Fountain Opens in Ukraine
A unique musical illuminated floating fountain opened in the Western Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia on September 4, 2011. The fountain is the world’s only floating fountain mounted in the natural body of water and by its technical parameters can only be compared to one such water facility in the world – the Dubai Fountain.
05.09.2011 Ukraine Wins Gold in Triple Jump at 2011 World Championships in Athletics
Ukrainian Olha Saladuha became gold medalist in the 13th World Championships in Athletics, held in Daegu, South Korea. Saladuha won the finals in the triple jump competition among females and became the world champion.
31.08.2011 Three Ukrainian Soccer Clubs Go into Europa League Group Stage
Dynamo (Kyiv), Metalist (Kharkiv), and Vorskla (Poltava) won Thursday’s second legs of UEFA Europa League play-offs. Vorskla became the first Ukrainian team to make it to the group stage in the season of 2011-2012.
31.08.2011 Two Giant Fish Images Across the Border Become a Symbol of Polish-Ukrainian Unity
A Polish artist Jaroslaw Koziara created two giant images of fish on the grass on each side of the Polish-Ukrainian border. The tail of the first image lies on the territory of Poland with its head on the Ukrainian territory. The second fish is positioned facing the opposite direction. The artist intends to send the message of unity of the two countries – nature and art know no borders.
19.08.2011 Kyiv to host flower exhibition for two weeks
The official opening of a flower exhibition in Kyiv will take place at 10.00 on Saturday, Aug. 20. The exhibition will run at Spivoche Pole in the Pechersk Landscape Park until Sept. 4.
