Your Daily Insight as told by Pete Cashmore

We are really competing against ourselves--we have no control over how other people perform.

Jet Setters: Artist Residencies Open Up In the Secluded Fogo Islands

How would you like to get away from it all and sequester yourself in a gorgeously minimal artist studio designed by Bergen-based architect Todd Saunders? Right. Us too.

Saunders was recently commissioned by The Shorefast Foundation and the Fogo Island Arts Corporation to build six isolated artist residences on Fogo Island, Newfoundland. The stark, uncomplicated design echo are perfectly in line with the two foundations' goals: Preserve the local traditions of the Fogo Islanders while also rejuvenating the island by promoting arts and culture.

Clearly, this may not be the most realistic move for up-and-coming artists, but we've found ourselves taken with the architecture and pure fantasy of complete and total departure.

Each studio provides the amenities necessary to be comfortable in a secluded environment like the rocky shores of Fogo Island. The studios have been so well received that Saunders is following up the project with one more in its image and likeness: The Fogo Island Inn, which is scheduled for completion in late 2012 will be a 29-room, five star inn that will include a movie theatre, gallery, spa, library and restaurant directed by one of Canada's best chefs (though they're not telling who just yet).

To apply for a residency see the guidelines on the Fogo Island Arts Corporation site. 

Meanwhile, your momentary escape to dream land starts here:

Your Daily Insight as told by Henri Matisse

Derive happiness in oneself from a good day's work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us. 

Getting Nude with Laura Pannack's "Young British Naturists"

In Laura Pannack's photography series "Young British Naturists," she explores the daily lives of a group of nudists living in different parts of England. Contrary to what you might expect, the nudists she met were not your usual exhibitionists.

"It was interesting to discover that in fact naturists are not exhibitionists and gaining their trust was extremely difficult." said Pannack. One method to helping them ease into it was by working in the buff herself: "In order to understand why my subjects were naturists and gain their trust I decided to also be naked–this in fact allowed my subjects to feel like I was the vulnerable one. They were extremely comfortable and we were able to connect without feeling any insecurity or fear of judgement.

Pannack began the project after working on a series on youth and adolescence, and thought photographing only young naturists could be a mode of defying the stereotypes we generally associate with people who prefer to go about their daily activities completely naked.

For starters, one mistake we often make is associating nudity with self confidence or a certain level of maturity. Many of the people Pannack met used nudism (or naturism) as an escape from their everyday lives. Another misconception many have is that nudism is "super sexy," but as you can see in Pannack's images there's nothing explicitly sexy about eating cereal or playing ping pong in the nude. In fact, the banality almost overshadows any senstationalism.

Still, Pannack didn't precisely set out dispel a stereotype. "I simply wanted to explore an idea," she said. "I thought it was interesting that these young people were all naturists for such different reasons. They were all very individual." 

"Young British Naturists" runs at One And A Half Gallery in London through June 29, 2012.  

For those of us not across the pond, a couple more selects:

This Saturday: Celebrate The Final Weekend Of Bike Month at The City Reliquary’s Bicycle Fetish Day

Back in April one of our favorite Williamsburg mainstays, the City Reliquary, celebrated its 10-year anniversary (check out some photos and video). This Saturday, the not-for-profit community museum will present another long-running event, its 8th Annual Bicycle Fetish Day. It'll be the perfect way to cap off your Bike Month festivities.

Running from noon to 6pm and taking place on Havemeyer Street between Hope and Grand, Bicycle Fetish Day will be a cycling-centric street fair featuring bike gear vendors including Horse Cycles, Velo Brooklyn and Taliah Lempert's Bicycle Paintings, the bike-oriented apparel of Outlier and Nona Varnado, and advocacy groups such as Transportational Alternatives and Times UP! There will also be delicious food and excellent contests--from "Best Vintage Bike" and "Best Commuter" to "Best Mutant Bike" and "Best Ugly Bike." Bring along your own ride and compete for some your rightful share of the prizes starting at 2pm. Following the fair, the Reliquary will host a Brooklyn Brewery-fueled after party from 6-10pm.

In addition to the new features that debuted at its anniversary celebration, the Reliquary recently unveiled its newest rotating exhibition, featuring images of the Bronx River by photographer Jahi Sabater. "The Bronx River was an actively polluted waterway until very recently, but has become a focus point for environmental justice groups," says Reliquary managing director Jay Chen. "Sabater's work mingles pastoral beauty with urban grit to give us a glimpse of a waterway that few have seen." This summer the Reliquary will be screening New York-focused films twice a month in its backyard. "We're hoping to arrange them chronologically, so that collectively, they'll show six ages of New York over the past century," Chen says.

The City Reliquary is also looking for volunteers to help out in its gift shop and as museum docents—shoot an email to vollies@cityreliquary.org if you're interested.

-- John Ruscher

Your Daily Insight as told by Dorothea Lange

Pick a theme and work it to exhaustion...the subject must be something you truly love or truly hate. 

Photographer Alejandro Chaskielberg's Uncharacteristic Kenya

For those that haven't actually traveled to Kenya, imagining what life there looks like, your mind may drift to the stereotypes of "impoverished African village" imagery: red dirt, barefoot children, mud houses with straw roofs and women in bright prints carrying bundles on their heads. Luckily, photographer Alejandro Chaskielberg dispels these stereotypes with a stunning new series of portraits of people living in the Turkana region of northwest Kenya.

His images are most certainly colorful, but unlike most images we see of African village life, these are composed, staged and--most notably, perhaps--they're taken at night. In fact, Chaskielberg hauled out a couple of generators to light these magnificent nighttime portraits of Kenyan families and communities.

Having directed a number of documentaries, it makes sense Chaskielberg's work here feels so cinematic. As for the choice to shoot in the dark, Chaskielberg says “I’ve always been attracted by the night, because it is the time when the most fascinating things can happen."

Born in Buenos Aires, Chaskielberg is the Director of Photography at ENERC, Argentina's National Film and Audiovisual Art Institute. He started out working for local newspapers and magazines as a photojournalist, and only began exhibiting his own work in 2006. Since then he's won several awards, including the prestigious L'Iris D'Or and the 2011 Sony World Photography Award for Photographer of the Year.

Below we've got a few choice selects, though we urge you to view the rest of his portfolio on his website.

Kickstarter Follow-Up: CitySprout Beats The Odds

Kickstarter campaigns are anything but sure bets.

Last month, CitySprout fell short of its goal to raise $25,000; aimed at starting a farm-to-city initiative, that would bridge the gap between local farmers and city folk, hosting an online marketplace for the two to connect.

Ideally: You would go to the CitySpout website, enter your zip code and see what farmers were planning to bring to your neighborhood that week, what the costs would be and where you could pick up the goods. It would be more convenient than a farmer's market or a CSA, which requires a long-term commitment and usually a down payment.  But alas, times are tough and running a start-up ain't easy.

Good news though, folks:

CitySprout is plowing ahead! Kickstarter money be damned. It might take them slightly longer to get things up and running, but it's a worthy cause and these people are determined.

So, if you want CitySprout in your neighborhood, sign up on their site and let them know. Their farmers are ready to deliver, and once a mere 100 people express an interest in one area, they'll start the shipments. Feeling ambitious? Take it upon yourself to organize a local initiative to sign 100 of your neighbors up--if you do, CitySprout will credit you with 100 "CitySprout Bucks"--that's a good amount of kale, people.

Either way, next time you're feeling beaten by the Kickstarter odds (or any shortage of funding, really), remember these particular entrepreneurs--driven enough and passionate enough to still make it happen.

Your Daily Insight as told by H.G. Wells

Cynicism is humor in ill health.

Essential Viewing: John Baldessari Mini-Doc Narrated by Tom Waits

Equally informative, funny and just downright inspiring, this documentary on art world legend, John Baldessari may be the only thing you need to hit Play on all day.

A Brief History of John Baldessari is directed by Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost, the gents behind Catfish and Paranormal Activity 3. Just under 6 minutes, the piece moves along at a steady enough clip for you to fit in before your boss circles back around. Not to mention, the whole thing's punctuated by Tom Waits' deadpan growl. In other words: There's nothing wrong with it whatsoever.

Watch now--and make sure to stick around for Baldessari's 3 tips for all of those striving for art world stardom:

And for those who Baldessari may be new to, here's a brief visual introduction: