Latest news with #Patterns


CairoScene
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Dancing Patterns: The Photographer Animating the Soul of Islamic Cairo
Dancing Patterns: The Photographer Animating the Soul of Islamic Cairo Amidst the layered mosques, shadowed alleys, and centuries-old façades of Cairo, a quiet kind of motion ripples through the city. Through the eyes of 26-year-old Indonesian photographer and student Dzikri Muzbarizal, Cairo's intricate Islamic patterns are dancing. Currently studying at Al-Azhar University, Dzikri came to Cairo with a deep-rooted admiration for Islamic architecture. But it was Cairo's dense, historic and spiritually charged version of it that sparked a creative journey. 'Coming from Indonesia, I was captivated by how deeply rooted Islamic art and ornamentation are in the everyday cityscape here. Photography naturally became my way of preserving and connecting with that beauty,' Dzikri tells SceneHome. But Dzikri's work doesn't stop at documentation. Inspired by the growing popularity of moving media, he saw an opportunity to merge his passion for visual storytelling with the intricate stillness of Islamic ornamentation by adding movement into their static symmetry and layered complexity. The result is (Dancing Patterns), a series of short animations that bring Islamic geometry to life using nothing more than his iPhone and simple animation tools. 'I called it 'Dancing Patterns' as a kind of personification, breathing life into something still, letting the static beauty of these centuries-old patterns speak in a new way,' Dzikri says. Each piece begins with a photograph taken in vertical format with social media storytelling in mind. From there an almost meditative process begins: isolating elements of the pattern, imagining their potential movements, and animating them. 'I follow the rhythm within the pattern, observing which parts feel like they want to move," Dzikri explains. "I highlight elements that carry flow or balance, then animate them gently to reveal the energy already hidden in the design." The results are mesmerising. A rosette begins to bloom, a muqarnas unfolds in shifting tiers, a frieze rotates with quiet precision. Through this lens, Cairo's historic ornamentation becomes experiential. It was Cairo's Mamluk architecture that first transformed the way Dzikri saw Islamic geometry. 'Their complexity, harmony, and craftsmanship opened my eyes to how deep and expressive geometry can be," Dzikri says. "More than decoration, it becomes a form of visual poetry." His goal is to make Islamic art accessible. 'More than anything, I want my work to be meaningful to everyone, regardless of their cultural or religious background, because beauty and history belong to us all." In that sense, Dancing Patterns becomes a form of digital heritage preservation, storytelling without words, and a poetic revival of Cairo's soul.


CairoScene
11-07-2025
- General
- CairoScene
Patterns of Cairo Maps the City's Engraved Visual Culture
Patterns of Cairo Maps the City's Engraved Visual Culture This new resource by architectural office Megawra allows creatives a window into the design history of their own culture, beyond the limits of generic Google searches. Cairo is enormous, vibrant and constantly moving. To many, it represents chaos; it doesn't seem to play by any architectural or geographic rules, everyone is constantly running around, and no one ever knows what any given day may bring. A new platform called Patterns of Cairo by Megawra, the architectural office specialising in conservation and heritage management, has spent the last three years mapping the unmappable city in patterns, with all its nooks and crevices. For three years, the architects at Patterns of Cairo traversed the city, making note of various patterns, their historical context, the eras they belong to, the colours they employ, and the years they were created. The result is a powerful resource, accessible to everyone online, that aims to connect contemporary artists with their history: the Patterns of Cairo website. 'Coming from a design background, I noticed that, when looking for inspiration, we turn to Google and Pinterest, putting in generic terms like 'historic Cairo', and we just get the same round of visuals," Ehsan Abushadi, the PoC project coordinator, tells CairoScene. "What this project tries to do is make Cairo's vibrant visual culture visible to designers.' Instead of relying on Western influences, Patterns of Cairo provides a rich library of design patterns from an Egyptian landscape. It provides access into non-registered historical sites, as well as areas that are inaccessible to the public, like in Megawra's conservation projects, in the transition zone of domes, or on parapets. The research team takes photographs, which are then transformed into digital vector drawings available on their website. In the case of conservation projects, they use one-to-one manual tracings produced during the conservation work as a reference. 'We imagine many different approaches to how the creative community will use this resource. Some can focus on the grids and construction logic to develop their own patterns, others can be inspired to adapt or rework the existing patterns, while others might take inspiration from the narratives and stories behind this visual culture.' Patterns of Cairo traces two major categories of patterns: tangible and intangible. The former is easy to explain; it's just a glossary of visual patterns around Cairo. The second is more abstract. It investigates the patterns of the architectural and, by extension, the social nature of the city itself, which often reflect visual representations. Think, for example, of the design differences between one metro station and another. The first phase of the project focused on documentation in historic Cairo, providing insight into the historical context of each pattern. To truly inspire creatives, these patterns cannot be displayed in vacuum, and are instead woven into the complex narratives that make up our history. The stories aren't told like they were copy-pasted out of a history book or a boring Wikipedia article, either; their nature varies according to where they were found and why they were created. A stucco medallion from the Mamluk era, for example, finds its context within the blossoming love story between Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun and his favourite wife, Khawand Tughay. These stories are not always easy to tell, and are often forgotten. 'Researching patterns can be challenging. Not all historic sources go into the same depth when it comes to patterns. In many cases, even the craftspeople who worked on these things remain unknown. Navigating the information that has survived, exploring the changes through time, regions, materiality, techniques, diving into the meaning and symbolism of some of these patterns, and what these patterns have lived through is what influences the diversity of the stories we tell.' To celebrate the launch of their website, Patterns of Cairo set up an exhibition of the work of Egyptian artists inspired by their pattern encyclopaedia. These patterns, that we used to unknowingly pass by on endless errands throughout the city, became bespoke elements on flowing dresses, furniture pieces, floor-to-ceiling tapestries, and even setting table displays.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'I need a break': Country star taking time to ‘figure out what's next'
Kelsea Ballerini is manifesting a chill summer. After wrapping up her first arena tour and finishing her first season as a judge on 'The Voice,' the country music star wants to take some time to relax and regroup. 'I need a break, and I've never been able to say that before, but I really think that it's time for me to just pump the brakes, figure out what's next, take the time to just have a summer,' Ballerini said during her recent interview on 'Today with Jenna and Friends.' 'Every time I say I have time off, something happens,' the platinum-selling singer joked. 'But I'm very open to whatever is out there.' Ballerini hopes her summer itinerary includes going to the beach, learning to cook a new meal and spending time with her dogs, Dibs and Milo. Aside from a performance this Friday at the CMA Fest, Ballerini doesn't appear to have any upcoming performances or appearances scheduled, according to her website. This year has been a particularly eventful year for the 'Peter Pan' singer. Her tour, which ran from January to April, supported her fifth studio album, 'Patterns,' which she released in October. In March, Ballerini released a deluxe edition of 'Patterns,' which featured five additional songs. She also signed on for her first season as a judge on 'The Voice,' which wrapped last month. During her 'Today' appearance, she explained that it was a completely different experience than what she was used to. 'It's been such a beautiful season of doing things that are out of my comfort zone and bigger than I've ever done, and it's been really fulfilling. I love being in that seat,' she said. As for whether she'd ever return to 'The Voice,' Ballerini said, 'Never say never. I think it's all about timing.' Country music star's wife has had it with IVF treatments after 'hellacious' side effects Major country music star plays first show in year after series of surgeries 'Our hearts are shattered': Country star's husband dies at 72 from mouth cancer 'Let's not twist the message': Country music star clears up viral AMAs moment Country music power couple calls it quits after two years of marriage Read the original article on MassLive.


Time of India
07-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
CCPA issues advisory to e-commerce platforms for self-audit within 3 months to detect dark patterns
The Central Consumer Protection Authority ( CCPA ) has issued advisory to all e-commerce platforms to take necessary steps to ensure that their platforms do not engage in deceptive and unfair trade practice which are in the nature of Dark Patterns . In a release on Saturday, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution said that all e-commerce platforms have been advised to conduct self-audits to identify dark patterns within 3 months of the issue of the advisory and take necessary steps to ensure that their platforms are free from such dark patterns. The e-commerce platforms, based on the self-audit reports, have also encouraged to give self-declarations that their platform is not indulging in any dark patterns. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like You Won't Believe What These Celebrities Studied in College Learn More Undo The self-declarations by the platforms will enable fair digital ecosystem along with building trust between consumers and e-commerce platforms, the release added. CCPA has also issued notices to e-commerce platforms in some cases that have been found violating the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns. Live Events All e-commerce platforms are therefore, advised to refrain from deploying deceptive design interfaces that mislead consumers or manipulate their decision-making. The Authority has been keeping a close watch on the violation of the Guidelines issued for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns. Instances of Dark Patterns have been noticed on E-Commerce platforms. The Department of Consumers Affairs, Government of India constituted a Joint Working Group (JWG) comprises of representatives from concerned Ministries, regulators, Voluntary Consumer Organisations and NLUs. The mandate of this JWG is examine and undertake measures to identify violations of Dark Patterns on e-commerce platforms and share the information with the Department of Consumer Affairs on regular intervals. The JWG shall also suggest appropriate awareness programmes for creating awareness amongst the consumers. As part of the Government's broader strategy and ongoing efforts to strengthen consumer protection in the digital era and curb unfair practices in e-commerce and online services, Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India had notified the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns in 2023 and specified 13 dark patterns, namely: False urgency, Basket Sneaking, Confirm shaming, forced action, Subscription trap, Interface Interference, Bait and switch, Drip Pricing, Disguised Advertisements and Nagging, Trick Wording, Saas Billing and Rogue Malwares.


Time of India
07-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
CCPA protection directs E-Commerce platforms for self-audit within 3 months to detect Dark Patterns
The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has issued advisory to all e-commerce platforms to take necessary steps to ensure that their platforms do not engage in deceptive and unfair trade practice which are in the nature of Dark Patterns. All e-commerce platforms have been advised to conduct self-audits to identify dark patterns, within 3 months of the issue of the advisory, and take necessary steps to ensure that their platforms are free from such dark patterns. The e commerce platforms, based on the self-audit reports, have also encouraged to give self-declarations that their platform is not indulging in any dark patterns. The self-declarations by the platforms will enable fair digital ecosystem along with building trust between consumers and e-commerce platforms. CCPA has also issued notices to e-commerce platforms in some cases that have been found violating the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns. All e-commerce platforms are therefore, advised to refrain from deploying deceptive design interfaces that mislead consumers or manipulate their decision-making. The Authority has been keeping a close watch on the violation of the Guidelines issued for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Device Made My Power Bill Drop Overnight elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Pre-Order Undo Instances of Dark Patterns have been noticed on E-Commerce platforms. The Department of Consumers Affairs, Government of India constituted a Joint Working Group (JWG) comprises of representatives from concerned Ministries, regulators, Voluntary Consumer Organisations and NLUs. The mandate of this JWG is examine and undertake measures to identify violations of Dark Patterns on e-commerce platforms and share the information with the Department of Consumer Affairs on regular intervals. The JWG shall also suggest appropriate awareness programmes for creating awareness amongst the consumers. As part of the Government's broader strategy and ongoing efforts to strengthen consumer protection in the digital era and curb unfair practices in e-commerce and online services, Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India had notified the Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns in 2023 and specified 13 dark patterns, namely: False urgency, Basket Sneaking, Confirm shaming, forced action, Subscription trap, Interface Interference, Bait and switch, Drip Pricing, Disguised Advertisements and Nagging, Trick Wording, Saas Billing and Rogue Malwares.