Video Of The Day: Muralists Change The Face Of Baltimore Neighborhood

by Libby Zay on

Over the past two months a group of 20 muralists from around the world have been coming together to revamp vacant walls in a Baltimore neighborhood. Although not currently well trodden by visitors, the neighborhood is full of theaters and art galleries and was recently dubbed the Station North Arts & Entertainment District in hopes that it would become the new cultural heart of Baltimore. The ambitious mural project, Open Walls Baltimore, is already sparking national dialogue and will hopefully enliven public spaces enough that visitors are attracted to the area. Artists leaving their mark on the neighborhood have come from faraway places such as Buenos Aires, Montreal, Capetown, and Kiev, as well as several homegrown muralists from Baltimore and nearby New York City. The video above gives an idea of the spirit of the project, which is being curated by street artist Gaia. All of the murals should be completed by this Friday, May 25, when a celebration will take place throughout the district.

Baltimore has a long history of promoting public art. Outside of Open Walls Baltimore, there are two- and three-story murals painted on more than 100 buildings throughout the city. Of course, Baltimore isn’t the only city known for its murals – to view a sampling of a wide range of public art check out the Mural Locator, a self-funded website working to chart amazing murals throughout the world. So far, more than 500 murals have been mapped since the website began in 2010.

Video Of The Day: Scary Russian Amusement Park Ride

by Libby Zay on

Something about this ride at the Divo Ostrov (Wonder Island) amusement park in St. Petersburg, Russia, seems a little bit off. Things start off pretty normal on the “Wind Shear,” but as you’ll notice about a minute into the video the ride throws all of the riders for a loop – or rather an upside-down nonsensical twist. Just watching the video is enough to make stomachs turn, especially when coupled with some knowledge on the park’s not-so-great track record. In 2010, ten riders on a rocket-shaped attraction at the same park were left dangling 229 feet above ground from a single thread when a cable snapped. Luckily, rescuers were able to safely unload passengers without any injuries being reported. Two years prior, however, a 12-year-old girl was not so lucky. She was seriously injured on a trampoline ride in an accident also involving a broken cable. Knowing the park’s disconcerting safety record, would you be likely to try a whirl on the Wind Shear? Perhaps a news report on the rocket ride incident (after the jump) will make you think again.

Video Of The Day: How Humans Have Fundamentally Changed The Earth

by Jessica Marati on

Over the past 250 years, humans have impacted the Earth irreversibly. This three-minute short film, commissioned by the Planet Under Pressure conference, uses stunning visuals to show how population growth, combined with rapid industrialization and globalization, have contributed to a degree of global change on par with a major geological shift. In addition to being a feat of data imagery, the video is also a reminder for us of the need to tread lightly, both at home and in our travels.

Video Of The Day: Midnight Sun Shines In Iceland

by Libby Zay on

The “midnight sun” is a natural phenomenon occurring north of the Arctic Circle and south of the Antarctic Circle when the sun never fully sets and remains visible 24 hours a day. Since there are no permanent human settlements south of the Antarctic Circle, countries and territories that experience the midnight sun are limited to those crossed by the Arctic Circle, including Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Russia and Iceland, plus Alaska in the United States.

Filmmaker and photographer Joe Capra sought out capturing the midnight sun in Iceland. To make the above film, he traveled solo around the country for 17 days, shooting both day and night. He slept in his car, hiked in the middle of the night and ate whenever he had a moment of free time. When he returned to Los Angeles, he brought with him 38,000 images in total from the trip.

In an interview about the film, Capra told photographer Michael Levy he chose to travel to Iceland in June because the month is a little early for the tourist season, giving him a chance to film when some popular locations are less crowded. More importantly, at this time of year the midnight sun allowed him six or so hours of fantastic “golden light.”

“I am the type of person who does not want to go on vacation and just walk around cities or just lay on the beach all day long,” Capra said. “I like to get out and see and experience the countries I visit. Going alone also allowed me to go where I wanted, when I wanted, and stay at locations as long as I wanted without having to worry about the needs of another person with me,” he continued.

On his Vimeo page, Capra encourages everyone – photographer or not – to visit Iceland. Although Capra is not sure where he’ll go on his next trip, he relayed that he’s researching Patagonia.

Video Of The Day: Time Brushing Istanbul

by Meg Nesterov on


Recently a Turkish friend asked my daughter Vera’s middle name. It’s Alcazar, my grandmother’s maiden name from Trinidad, and more commonly known as a Moorish Spanish word for fortified palace. I was surprised to hear the response, “Oh, like the cinema?” It turns out there is an Alkazar movie theater just a few miles away from us on Istanbul‘s busy Istiklal Caddesi. Opened in the 1920s with various incarnations as a popular, adult, and art house movie theater, the Alkazar closed two years ago just before I moved here, but the facade remains. The above video by Vimeo user mustafa emre uses a “time brush” technique to show the historic building in its heyday and more recently. It’s a fun way to show how the past is just below the surface.

Seen any historic travel videos or photos? Share them with us by leaving a comment below or adding to the Gadling Flickr pool for another Video of the Day.