Simon Beck didn’t set out to become a world-renowned snowshoe artist, yet here he is. The former cartographer was trained in engineering at Oxford, but has spent the past ten years making jaw-dropping art in the snow and sand using only his feet.
Beck uses geometrical and geographical tools to plot out his designs, but it’s still baffling to see him walk exactly where he needs to to create them. His designs can take 12 hours of walking or more, and he’ll take around 40,000 steps for an average-sized piece. It’s beautiful, it’s creative, it’s exercise—and it’s fleeting.
Being made out of snow and sand, which are constantly being blown or washed away, Beck’s artwork doesn’t last. Such is the nature of creating art in nature, but that doesn’t bother him in the slightest. “Most people will only ever see most of the world’s artwork as photographs,” he said in an article in Artsy. “Even with the Mona Lisa—probably only a minority of people have actually seen the real thing, but everyone’s seen a photograph of it.” As long as Beck gets a photo of his massive designs, it’s all good.
And the photographs are truly something to behold. Check out some of his snow creations on Facebook and Instagram.
One of the challenges of working in the snow is that conditions can change throughout the creation of a piece. Snow might melt or become exceptionally icy.
Or, other people might not realize what is happening and inadvertently mess up your work. For instance, there’s nothing to stop a skier from plowing right through a design.
Beck’s sand drawings offer a different kind of challenge. Timing out the tides and dealing with the wind—as well as other beachgoers—makes sand art tricky, but the final product is totally worth it.
On occasion, Beck even uses his art to make statements about issues in the world. For instance, there are 81 triangles in this drawing, but he says he left 77 unshaded to represent “the 77 countries where LGBT people are given a hard time.”
Beck has created most of his 300-plus land drawings in Europe. However, he will be spending two weeks of January 2020 in Silverthorne, Colorado, where he will create between five and 15 of his iconic works of snow art.
ABC News did a segment on Beck and his work, where he explains a bit of his process and how he uses a ski pole to measure parts of the design. Watch and enjoy:
Simon Beck has become a global sensation for his installations made by stepping through snow with snowshoes and a ski pole.
We’ve all been there at some point or another, nervously waiting for a big job interview hoping you don’t sweat through your good shirt. Interviews are stressful but there’s likely no job interview more stressful than the one Guy Goma went on in 2006 for the BBC, when he was mistaken for an expert for a news segment. The person they were supposed to interview for the news segment was Guy Kewney, an actual music industry expert. But with cameras rolling and questions being asked, Goma took a deep breath and answered the newscaster.
In the clip you can see Goma likely thinking through how he could gracefully exit the situation after the realization that he had been placed on live television with no idea what he was about to be asked. It didn’t stop him though, once he committed to going along with the expert interview he did pretty well. While he tried desperately to control his breathing, he was able to inform the interviewer that he was predicting more people would begin downloading music online and it would become a faster process. I mean, he was right, even if he had no idea at the time.
Surprisingly, after the on-air snafu and subsequent save by Goma, he didn’t get the job he applied for, which is weird because he was clearly perfect for whatever position he wanted. I’m pretty sure they dropped the ball there, but it sure would be nice to know what happened to the quick-thinking faux expert.
Unfortunately there are no recent updates about the whereabouts of Guy Goma after his brief and random moment in the spotlight, but he’ll always hold a place in television history. Watch Goma’s WTF reaction when he realizes what’s going on below.
Mustard has had the game on lock for over a decade. Though the West Coast super-producer rose to prominence in 2012 as the beatmaker for Tyga’s “Rack City,” it was in 2014 that he launched his 10 Summers label imprint, vowing to keep delivering heat for at least the following decade of summers.
Since then, he’s produced for the likes of Tinashe, Rihanna, Ella Mai, Roddy Ricch, and most recently, Kendrick Lamar. When you hear that “Mustard on the beat, ho” tag at the beginning of a track, you know you’re in for a hit. But on his upcoming fourth album, Faith Of A Mustard Seed, Mustard will not only be on the beat. In an interview on The Cruz Show, Mustard revealed that he will be making his rap debut on Faith Of A Mustard Seed.
When asked about the songs he looks forward to people hearing on the album, Mustard said he feels that way about all of the songs on the album.
“I’m definitely a little nervous for my song, that I’m rapping,” said Mustard. “But I feel like anytime you’re nervous, that’s a good thing. You’re nervous the first day of school, like, ‘I wonder if they’re gonna like my fit.’”
Elsewhere in the interview, he revealed that he’s played the track for YG, Vince Staples, and Jay-Z, who gave the song their seal of approval.
You can see the interview above.
Faith Of A Mustard Seed is out 7/26 via 10 Summers.
When the beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar was at its apex, Questlove generated some attention when he declared, “Hip Hop truly is dead.” Now that the dust has settled, Quest has taken a moment to go deeper into his thoughts about the whole situation.
In an interview with NPR published yesterday (June 25), Questlove explained:
“I was there at the Source Awards when the sh*t really hit the fan in 1995. And I was there in 1997. That was a ‘What now?’ moment for hip-hop — Tupac and Biggie, embroiled in a battle. I’ve never seen a battle in which it ends well.
We’re living in a polarizing time. We’re living in a time right now where World War III can easily break out at any moment. We’re living in a time when civil war can break out at any moment in the United States. We’re living in a time where the uncertainty of something jumping off is just in the air. You know what I’m saying? For me it’s like, I’ve seen this movie before — and I’m triggered. The aftereffect of Tupac and Biggie was just a 30-year travel into darkness.
And this is not to say that quality has gone down. Look, of course I don’t think hip-hop is dead. If an MC like Little Simz, which people rarely talk about. […] I don’t think people give enough attention to Griselda: Westside, Conway and Benny. Or even, like, Tobe [Nwigwe], Mick Jenkins, Errol Holden, even Denzel Curry. There’s so much quality, dope stuff out there that just goes unnoticed and unchampioned.”
For all of the box office doomsday prepping that dominated the discourse at the beginning of the year, the whole “moviegoing business” is doing surprisingly well. People are still flocking to theaters for blockbusters they care about while more indie fare is gaining attention online and on social media by way of ingenious marketing campaigns and unintentionally sexual popcorn buckets. Despite the panic over opening weekend dollars, the movies are doing what they’ve always done: bringing us together to laugh, cry, debate, and marvel at Austin Butler sans eyebrows.
Pop culture is so back, baby!
To celebrate, our UPROXX movie critics got together to vote on the best films that had a hand in saving theaters this year. They were sports dramas and sci-fi epics, trans coming-of-age odysseys and futuristic political apocalypses, but they were all fascinating to watch and worth the price of a ticket … or a stream. We don’t care how you watch these movies, just that you do.
Challengers
mgm
Viewed through the lens of Luca Guadagnino, tennis isn’t just a sweat-drenched, Gatorade-glugging, primal-screaming metaphor for sex, it’s also a battleground for Queer desire, both realized and repressed. Naturally, that’s made Challengers one of the most-talked about films of the year. The addition of beautiful people behaving badly in Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist didn’t hurt its box office trajectory either and while the Queer-coded motifs of churros and towel-less saunas and half-eaten bananas earned the bulk of the internet’s think pieces, what really elevated the film was its bone-rattling score, mesmerizing cinematography, and the undeniable chemistry of its leads. — Jessica Toomer
Civil War
A24
Love it or hate it, Alex Garland’s Civil War was made to be talked about. That’s evident in every choice the director makes, from the premise of an American collapse thanks to a power-hungry president (Nick Offerman, of all people) to the bombing of recognizable landmarks, the killing of journalists, the secession and alliance of diametrically opposed states like Texas and California. Every plot point exists to push people’s outrage button, but when you look closer, at the stellar performances from Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny, and Wagner Moura as journalists documenting tragedy with their cameras and navigating catastrophe after catastrophe with an eerie sense of apathy, the film becomes more. More of a rumination on how easily a nation pedestaled by its own moral righteousness can fall into disarray, succumbing to the same conflicts it often tries to “rescue” others from. More of a reflection on how we desensitize ourselves to violence and the slide into chaos that it helps spark. More of a movie worth talking about. — Jessica Toomer
Dune 2
warner bros.
Austin Butler takes a decisive turn away from being too handsome in this sequel that puts him on the weirdest leg of his career so far. That’s only a tiny slice of what’s going on here, too. Timothée Chalamet riding a sandworm grabbed most of the headlines, but do not sleep on Zendaya coming into her own this year, both with this movie and another tour-de-force turn in Challengers. Denis Villeneuve also cued up Florence Pugh’s character for more, similar to how the first Dune remake set up Zendaya for future greatness. And I would be remiss to not mention Rebecca Ferguson owning the screen as Lady Jessica. This film and cast is too stacked to give it fully adequate treatment in a mere blurb, but that’s a fine problem to have while writing about movies. — Kimberly Ricci
The Fall Guy
Universal
Ryan Gosling is carving out a niche for himself as a dim but loveable bro — in The Nice Guys, Barbie, and now Fall Guy — but while it’s a damn good time watching him jump, punch, and fall through Australia, splitting time as a stunt man and unofficial sorta detective, this is Emily Blunt’s movie. Blessing our screens across multiple genres for the last two decades, Blunt doesn’t consistently get to remind us of her comedy chops, but they’re clear as day opposite Gosling, especially when they’re locked in a flirt duel talking about umbrella drinks or she’s being wonderfully wicked tossing him around like a rag doll while abusing her power as the director of a sci-fi trainwreck. Overall, Fall Guy can feel a little lost in its influences (Shane Black action comedies, most specifically), but Blunt imbues the whole thing with enough soul to make Gosling’s willingness to risk life and limb feel like a fair tradeoff. — Jason Tabrys
Hit Man
Netflix
No matter the era, certain things just play — a leading man (Glen Powell) letting a little zaniness in while dressing up in various disguises to play all the assorted flavors of a professional killer that his mild-mannered teacher character can conjure. The palpable heat between he and co-star Adria Arjona as they lock eyes for the first time before their characters get progressively, inappropriately closer, creating real stakes when a little murder mixes in with the real. Hit Man isn’t necessarily the best movie of the year, so far, but it feels like the one with the most replayability because it’s so evergreen and fun. — Jason Tabrys
Hundreds Of Beavers
SRH
It’s about time someone made a goofy black-and-white comedy about a drunken applejack maker named Jean Kayak who goes to war against not dozens, but hundreds (!) of beavers to convince a grumpy merchant to let him marry his daughter. Hundreds of Beavers is immensely enjoyable slapstick nonsense that’s inspired as much by The Revenant and Evil Dead II as Looney Tunes and Wallace & Gromit (with some Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton thrown in for good measure, too). The micro-budget indie from director Mike Cheslik (who co-wrote the script with star Ryland Brickson Cole Tews) is not only an instant cult classic that you’ll want to tell everyone you know about — it’s also the funniest movie of 2024. — Josh Kurp
I Saw The TV Glow
A24
2024 has seen the release of a trio of unique films from young transgender filmmakers: Vera Drew’s The People’s Joker, Theda Hammel’s Stress Positions, and Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw The TV Glow. But as Schoenbrun told Bright Wall/Dark Room, “Three films by three white trans girls does not a trend make.” She’s right! But it’s still great to see so much trans cinema representation in theaters, with the A24-released I Saw The TV Glow — a captivating coming-of-age story about two outcasts who bond over a cult TV show — leading the way. Also great: the soundtrack. — Josh Kurp
Love Lies Bleeding
A24
Kristen Stewart’s career trajectory has been a joy to watch because she’s clearly driven to blaze a path for future Hollywood rebels, and good on her. Look, by most standards, she made so much money from those Twilight movies that she could have afforded to retire comfortably by age 25. That obviously was not her preference, and not only has Stewart scored an Oscar nomination (for Spencer), but she’s only making the movies that she wants to make. That includes this knockout revenge thriller/bodybuilding-romance flick directed by Rose Glass (Saint Maud). This film is Stewart’s ultimate middle finger to everyone who tried to paint her as only capable of being Bella Swan. Additionally, Katy O’Brian dominates the screen as Jackie, and Ed Harris is the most revolting that he’s ever been. A good time was had by all! — Kimberly Ricci
Oneohtrix Point Never is taking it overseas. Today (June 26) the producer/instrumentalist announced the Again 2 tour, which will have two North American stops.
The Again 2 tour will kick off in Los Angeles as Hollywood Palladium, and then he will perform at FORM in Arcosanti, AZ, before performing a series of European dates.
Oneohtrix Point Never, whose real name is Daniel Lopatin, is rather elusive in nature. However, he’s become a prominent force behind the scenes over the past few years, notably contributing to The Weeknd’s most recent album, Dawn FM. In an interview with The Creative Independent credits his ventures outside of his bubble as the forces driving him to elevate his craft.
“I think part of my growth was coming out of hiding,” said Lopatin, “and finding ways to work with people collaboratively that honored my privacy, and discretions, artistically, but also nurtured the part of me that does want connection, because it’s there and it would be odd to deny it.”
Tickets for the Again 2 tour go on sale this Thursday (June 27). Fans can sign up for presale and purchase tickets here.
You can see the tour dates below.
Oneohtrix Point Never’s Again 2 tour dates
10/03 — Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
10/04-06 — Arcosanti, AZ @ FORM Arcosanti
11/01 — Athens @ Gagarin 205
11/03 — Amsterdam @ Paradiso
11/06 — Helsinki @ Ääniwalli
11/07 — Prague @ Archa Theatre
11/09 — Barcelona @ Mira
11/10 — Madrid @ Teatro Barceló
These days, a disclaimer of “inspired by a true story” could really mean anything. It could mean that the director read an article about an intriguing person and wanted to make their own spin on it in film form. Or it could mean that a comedian wanted to make a movie about breakfast. You never know.
Netflix’s hit Baby Reindeer might be the streamer’s most complex “true story” because the claimed inspiration for a key character has trashed the series. In the show, Richard Gadd’s Donny is stalked by Martha, a character portrayed by Jessica Gunning. But Gunning wasn’t the first pick for the role, which was allegedly offered to an Oscar-nominated actress.
According to Variety, Netflix pushed “aggressively” for Melissa McCarthy to be cast as Martha, which allegedly led Gadd to “micromanage” and fire his CAA agents. Sources also claim that McCarthy met Gadd about the role but decided to pass. Probably so she could star in the aforementioned breakfast movie.
Maybe McCarthy was skeptical of portraying a real-life figure, something she’s done before. Or maybe she just didn’t want to risk any potential lawsuits. Currently, Fiona Harvey, who identified herself as the “real” Martha, filed a $170 million lawsuit against Netflix, claiming the series falsely presented her as “a sexual predator and a twice-convicted stalker.”
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Gadd seemingly downplayed the real life aspect of the story, and emphasized that it was his own personal experience. “I would say the broad strokes are very much true.” He then added, “I was a bartender, I was a struggling comedian. I was dating Terry and indulging Martha and coming off the back of sexual trauma, so it’s all pretty close.”
Meanwhile, other public figures have spoken about their alleged experiences with the real-life Martha. Scottish politician George Galloway claims that Fiona Harvey also stalked him. “She was just in my life when I didn’t want her to be… The last time I saw her would be around early 1990s. And I hadn’t seen her again until I saw her on the show.”
Baby Reindeer is now streaming on Netflix…along with Unfrosted.
Tyler was all over the red carpet for the season 3 premiere of FX on Hulu’s Windy City-set series The Bear on Tuesday. He posed with stars Ayo Edebiri and Lionel Boyce and took out his phone to snap photos.
But why was Tyler at the premiere in the first place? It’s probably because he enjoys quality TV shows. But also, Boyce, who plays pastry chef Marcus, was previously in Odd Future with Tyler. They also co-created the Adult Swim animated series The Jellies!. The Bear has proven to be slightly more popular.
In The Bear season 3, Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), Sydney (Edebiri) and Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) “do what it takes to elevate The Bear, their beef stand turned fine dining establishment, to the highest level, all while doing their best just to stay in business,” according to the official logline. “It’s a losing battle every single day in the restaurant business. Carmy pushes himself harder than ever, and demands excellence from his crew, who do their best to match his intensity.” The new season premieres on FX on Hulu on June 26 at 9 p.m. EST.
Until then, please enjoy Tyler having a blast at the premiere.
PictureGroup for FXGetty ImageGetty ImageGetty Image
But the most remarkable thing about the “Sesame Street” segment was the lovely interchange between Big Bird and Sainte-Marie when he asked her what she was doing.
“I’m feeding the baby,” Sainte-Marie told him. “See? He’s drinking milk from my breast.”
Sainte-Marie didn’t show anything that anyone could reasonably find objectionable, but she didn’t have her baby hidden under a blanket, either. From Big Bird’s point of view, he could see exactly what was happening, and Sainte-Marie appeared perfectly comfortable with that.
Big Bird contemplated her response, then said, “Hmm…that’s a funny way to feed a baby.”
“Lots of mothers feed their babies this way,” Sainte-Marie said. “Not all mothers, but lots of mothers do. He likes it because it’s nice and warm and sweet and natural, and it’s good for him. And I get to hug him when I do it, see?”
Their conversation continued with Sainte-Marie answering Big BIrd’s questions with simple, matter-of-fact, nonjudgmental answers, and it’s truly a thing of beauty. Watch:
Sainte-Marie recently spoke with Yahoo Life about how that segment came about. She had gotten pregnant during her second season on “Sesame Street” and she had her baby with her on set all the time. She’d breastfeed off camera, and she asked one day if the show could do something about breastfeeding.
“The reason why I did that really was because when I woke up from delivering my baby, I was in the hospital, and over here on the table was a big basket of stuff from some formula company. And I preferred to breastfeed, but the doctors didn’t understand about breastfeeding. They hadn’t learned it.”
Even today, according to the CDC, physicians generally lack adequate breastfeeding education and training, so as far as we’ve come with education on this subject, we clearly still have a ways to go.
Watch Sainte-Marie talk about how she came to share breastfeeding with the “Sesame Street” audience:
Thank you, Buffy, for providing a beautiful example of how to talk about breastfeeding that’s just as relevant today at it was four decades ago.
Kids are interesting, especially between the ages of early toddlerhood and first grade. They can literally fall over laughing because you ripping paper is suddenly hilarious or develop a deep connection with a mixing spoon that they insist on taking everywhere. You really never know what they’re going to do and as parents we just learn to go with it.
As long as it’s not hurting them or anyone else, go for it. For nearly two years my daughter dressed up as Snow White every day, complete with plastic heels, only taking a break for wash days when all three costumes were dirty. So it’s not a surprise when one little girl decided she wanted to be a pink chair for Halloween.
Recently, her parents posted a compilation video on their TikTok page, Toy Story Dad, partially captioned, “This is her world and we are all just living in it,” giving an explanation on her viral chair costume.
The best part of the explanation is that it didn’t need to be explained. They just compiled videos of all of the times they asked their daughter, Scarlet, what she wanted to be for Halloween, likely thinking she would change her mind. But she didn’t, in fact, she started to look a bit miffed at them constantly asking. Every time they would ask, the little girl who looks to be about three replies, “a pink chair.”
No further explanation is needed. She was a pink chair for Halloween last year simply because she was persistent in her request and she just happened to be the cutest little pink chair out there. Commenters loved her adorable insistence and some included their own interesting costume choices their kids have had.
“The request, the persistence, the delivery, the execution (chef’s hand inserted) this little lady is going places,” one person writes.
“HER LEGS BEING THE BACK LEGS OF THE CHAIR IS SO CUTE,” another commenter writes.
“My friend has twin girls. One was a princess and the other was a crouton as per their requests,” someone says.
There were some revelations of unique costume choices in the comments. Kids dressed up as an oven, air conditioner, water bottle and even a recycling bin. Little ones are so creative but so are their parents because I’m going to assume it’s unlikely to come across an oven or chair at your local Target. But you can see her adorable costume below:
This is her world and we are all just living in it. 💕What is the funniest thing your kid has dressed up as? Or wanted to dress up as?
This article originally appeared on 10.9.23
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