What We Loved This Week, Feb. 14 -20

Published February 19, 2016
Updated February 18, 2016

Paris in color a century ago, New York artist wears Christmas trees, the Iraqis leading the fight against ISIS, Abraham Lincoln’s possible homosexuality, and photography with internal organs.

Brain Still Life

A brain still life in Eran Gilat’s new photography book “Life Science.” Image Source: Eran Gilat

The Uncommon Art Of A Neuroscientist Turned Photographer

Heart Still Life

A still life heart. Image Source: Eran Gilat

Neuroscientist Eran Gilat isn’t your typical scientist. In addition to researching cures for epilepsy, he is also a fine art photographer, shooting everything from internal organs to people to a particular kind of erotica that mixes both together. His new photography book, Life Science, uses this unique approach to explore the “immoral reasoning for various toning of human violence, insecurity and exile.” See more at Slate.

Squid Still Life

Squid arranged for Eran Gilat’s photography book “Life Science.” Image Source: Eran Gilat

A Rare Look At Paris In Color 100 Years Ago

Color Image Paris

Image Source: PetaPixel

About a century ago, a wealthy French banker and philanthropist named Albert Kahn was inspired to tackle a photography project that became known as The Archives of the Planet. He sent photographers all over the world to capture color images of quotidian life using a brand new color photography process known as the Autochrome Lumière. In 1914, just days before World War I broke out, Kahn commissioned four photographers — Leon Gimpel, Stephane Passet, Georges Chevalier, and Auguste Leon — to document Paris. The photographers captured some of history’s most stunning, colorful shots of the “City of Lights.” See more at PetaPixel.

Color Image Paris 2

Image Source: PetaPixel

Color Image Paris 3

Image Source: PetaPixel

This New York Artist Is Wearing Old Christmas Trees

Christmas Tree Dress 3

Martin stitches the trees to a chicken wire frame to enable her to walk around wearing them. Image Source: Time Out New York

It’s a given that you should expect the unexpected in New York City, but still, the sight of a Christmas tree walking towards you down the street would give even the most hardened New Yorker pause for thought. That’s exactly what was happening last week, though, as artist Mary Ivy Martin began turning abandoned Christmas trees she found on the street into wearable sculptures. As reported by Time Out New York, her aim is to “reanimate the trees with a new form of life.”

Christmas Tree Dress 1

The trees were displayed at the gallery chashama 266 in NYC. Image Source: Time Out New York

Christmas Tree Dress 2

Appropriately, the show was titled “Arboreal Anxieties.” Image Source: Time Out New York

author
All That's Interesting
author
A New York-based publisher established in 2010, All That's Interesting brings together subject-level experts in history, true crime, and science to share stories that illuminate our world.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.