WORLD WATCH
Amazing images that celebrate the beauty and diversity of the incredible world we all share.
Our collection of amazing images from around the world.
PARIS, FRANCE
Dutch designer Iris van Herpen has long been fascinated by unusual shapes from nature: fossils, fins, wings and membranes just some of them. Her otherworldly dresses have transformed actors and stars such as Kelly Rowland, Eva Green, Emilia Clarke and Katy Perry into ethereal beings of shimmering beauty. The dresses have been described as part laser-cut fabric, part human inspiration ... but always magical. From fashion magazine covers to the red carpet of the Golden Globes, her works always stand out. She has also been named among the 50 most influential people in the fashion industry.
Befitting her fascination with our natural world, her 2020 Haute Couture Spring/Summer collection in Paris explored the sensuous world of the sea. She combined the natural curves of the human body with the shapes and marine ecology found in our oceans. Are our models supposed to be mermaids? Sirens? Living coral? One can imagine them slowly gliding down the runway like a seahorse floating in water. Colours from the deep such as greens and blues illuminate the dresses. Critics have called it one of her best collections ever. No wonder van Herpen was greeted with rapturous applause when she ascended the stage.
Like her beloved oceans, van Herpen says there is so much left for her to explore. “Only five per cent of our oceans are explored, so 95 per cent remains unexplored. This is how I see fashion – there’s only five per cent that we have seen.”
KANGAROO ISLAND, AUSTRALIA
The whole world watched aghast as bushfires ravaged large parts of Australia in late 2019 and early 2020. Yet one image seems to symbolise the tragedy more than anything else: the sight of burnt and injured koalas.
One of the tragic centres of the bushfires has been Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Positioned on the edge of the fire zone, the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park has been treating and housing close to 30 koalas a day: such as the injured koala pictured.
The blaze was particularly fierce on the island: on 4 January, fires killed two people and burned more than 155,000 hectares. Almost 100 army reservists were called in to assist with clean-up operations following the fires.
As a nation grieves, the wildlife toll is yet to be determined. Some estimate perhaps half the island’s 50,000 koalas may have perished. The island is a critical breeding ground for koalas as it is the last large population that is free from chlamydia. It is also one of the only places in Australia where it is legal to hold a koala.
Yet the world has stood up and shared its compassion. Stuffed koalas were spotted on posts across New York City to raise awareness about the plight of wildlife affected by Australia’s bushfires. Meanwhile, volunteers from around the world have offered to knit mittens for the paws of injured koalas, as well as donating generously to wildlife charities.
It is a powerful reminder that even in the depth of crisis, people of all nations can come together to care.
AMMAN, JORDAN
The Chinese New Year has begun ... and this year, it is the Year Of The Rat. In Chinese mythology, the rat is creative, clever and successful: good news for anyone born in 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 and, of course, this year.
Chinese New Year is also referred to as the Spring Festival, with lavish celebrations all around the world. You will see everything from magnificent firework displays, parades, feasts and partying in major cities everywhere.
In the Royal Cultural Centre in Amman, Jordan, this group of Chinese Wudang wushu group members perform a traditional kung fu show to celebrate the Chinese Spring Festival.
The performance is an energetic, exuberant spectacle featuring martial arts moves, incredible acrobatics and nods to Chinese history.
The use of the fan adds elegance to the performance, as well as referencing China’s long fascination with fans as a canvas for art as well as a symbol of social status. Red is considered the national colour in China, representing happiness, good luck and good fortune.
The performance also demonstrates that kung fu has a spiritual, aesthetic side that reaches far beyond the martial arts movies of Bruce Lee.
According to legend, kung fu was inspired by practitioners who watched the movements of animals and then fashioned these moves in techniques. The animals upon which the styles were based include the dragon, the snake, the tiger, the leopard and the crane. Perhaps one day kung fu will include the rat as well.