The 100th Annual Chelsea Flower Show
For more photos from the 100th RHS Chelsea Flower Show, be sure to check out the #chelseaflowershow hashtag and keep an eye on the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and Royal Hospital Chelsea location pages.
This week, the United Kingdom’s Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) holds the 100th annual Chelsea Flower Show—the most important flower show in the UK, if not the world. The event takes place at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, where the show has been held for the past hundred years.
Over 550 exhibitors from around the world display their show gardens and choice florals for a chance at winning a coveted gold medal. The event draws crowds from across London, including a visit from the Royal Family on the show’s opening day.
This year, the Chelsea Flower Show also features a monumental orchid sculpture by British contemporary artist Marc Quinn. His work, The Rush of Nature, will be auctioned off during the festival to help the RHS meet its fundraising goal of £1 million to promote a passion for gardening and horticulture among youth.
April 8, 1933: For those who have visited London and wondered how they know their double-decker buses won’t fall over, this is apparently how they find out. Per police regulation, employees of the London General Omnibus Company put their 60-person bus to a “tilt test,” putting it on a 28-degree angle. Photo: The New York Times
Aug. 12, 1934: From the Mid-Week Pictorial, a squadron of bombers took part in a simulated air raid on London, “proving that the metropolitan area could not be defended from an attack by aircraft.” Photo: The New York Times
May 25, 1955: For an “air defense command story” published that summer, George Tames photographed various aspects of the operation at Andrews Air Field in Maryland and, 50 miles away, at the 647th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at Manassas, Va. Here, the warning squadron sights a “target” by radar, and its flight was recorded on a plexiglass plotting board. Photo: Geore Tames/The New York Times
Learning More About Your Favorite Instagrammers with ‘Like Knows Like’
Learn more about Marije and Bas at likeknowslike.com, and follow them on Instagram at @marijekuiper and @bas_berkhout.
Struck by a bout of wanderlust—partly spurred by the global community of creative people they follow on Instagram—Dutch duo Marije Kuiper, a documentary photographer, and Bas Berkhout, a documentary filmmaker, set out on a journey to meet and learn about the folks who inspire them on a daily basis.
The result is Like Knows Like, a website full of documentaries, profiles and interviews with talented people from across the artistic spectrum.
Among those interviewed by Bas and Marije were several artists documenting their work through Instagram. “Every day we wake up and go to bed with images that illustrate their lives and work,” says Bas. “Through Instagram, we’ve become acquainted with unique artists and people we admire, and we wanted to know more about their work and personal lives.”
Kelsey Brookes
Kelsey Brookes (@kelseybrookes), a San Diego, California-based painter, shares through Instagram the process of creating his highly detailed, psychedelic paintings.
Marije and Bas found Kelsey through the Suggested Users list and Instagram blog. “Kelsey’s story was a recognition of what we felt spiritually growing up as adults,” says Bas. “[Through our early adult life], we try to define our identity and then, naturally, we let go of that image again.”
See Kelsey’s video here.
Ike Edeani
Nigerian-born Ike Edeani (@ikedeani) moved to Ohio in 1999 to study architecture. Eventually he discovered his love of art and design and moved to San Francisco where he is a photographer and art director. His Instagram account documents the people, architecture and scenery of San Francisco.
“I found Ike early on through Ryan Schude (@ryanschude), who posts great photos of old cars parked on the street,” Marije says.
“Ike is a former architect. And he’s from Nigeria. Now he makes a living as an documentary photographer in San Francisco. A person with such a bio must have a story to tell,” says Bas. “His story and experiences taught us to have faith in the future and trust ourselves.”
See Ike’s video here.
Lisa Congdon
Lisa Congdon (@lisacongdon) is a painter and illustrator living in San Francisco, California. Her followers get an intimate glimpse into her day-to-day work crafting drawings and paintings for some of America’s biggest companies. She also posts the occassional photo of her dog, Wilfredo.
Bas and Marije found Lisa through her blog. “Lisa is a successful self-taught artist, a point that resonated since Marije and myself are self-taught too,” Bas says. As an artist, Lisa found the importance of “downtime to experience and learn about life, meet others and get inspired.”
See Lisa’s video here.
