Okimono
The term okimono in Japanese literally means “object for placement”. Hyper-realistic ‘trompe-l’oeil’ ivory carvings of fruit, in the form of tangerines and bananas were very popular in Japan during the Meiji period.
Cogels Osylei
Cogels-Osylei is a residential street in Antwerp where nearly every house appears to belong to a different century. Built around 1900, its mansions combine Art Nouveau, neo-Gothic and Renaissance Revival architecture in improbable succession.
The Cheese and the Worms
The Cheese and the Worms is a 1976 book by Carlo Ginzburg about a sixteenth-century Italian miller who believed the universe began as cheese and angels emerged from it like worms. His ideas survive because the Inquisition wrote them down.
Weeping blue atlas cedar
The weeping blue Atlas cedar is an evergreen with silver-blue needles and cascading branches that must be trained into shape. Left unsupported, it grows across the ground rather than toward the sky.
Angus Barbieri
Angus Barbieri was a Scottish man who fasted for 382 days, from 14 June 1965 to 30 June 1966. He subsisted on tea, coffee, sparkling water, vitamins and yeast extract while living at home in Tayport, Scotland, frequently visiting Maryfield Hospital for medical evaluation.
Breatharianism
Breatharianism: Breathe and Live Forever is a 1982 book by Wiley Brooks and Nancy Foss promoting the discredited belief that humans can survive on air alone. Brooks was later exposed for making late-night trips to 7-Eleven.
Heat
Heat is a 1995 film by Michael Mann, distinguished by its nocturnal Los Angeles, modernist interiors, oversized tailoring and preoccupation with professional obsession.
Madame Grès
Madame Grès was a French couturière who wanted to be a sculptor. She treated fabric accordingly, draping and pleating silk jersey directly on the body to create dresses reminiscent of ancient Greek statuary.
La Revue Naturiste Internationale
La Revue Naturiste Internationale was a pocket-sized French magazine published between 1953 and 1971. Its pages combined travel reports, international correspondence and serious discussion of naturist philosophy. At its peak, 45,000 readers followed what was essentially foreign affairs without the dress code.
Lyre-tailed nightjar
The lyre-tailed nightjar is a striking bird native to the tropical forests of South America. Males are renowned for their long, lyre-shaped tail feathers, which can reach up to 60 cm. These tail feathers are prominently displayed during flight, playing a key role in courtship displays to attract females.