From the monthly archives: August 2010
Traditional chandeliers have given way to a whole new wave of fantastic modern forms, shapes, and colors. From enormous hand blown glass sculptural designs to simple twig nests, no matter your taste or style these light fixtures will surely capture your imagination and even inspire a bit of awe.
Custom Blown Art Glass Chandelier (Credit)
Custom Blown Art Glass Chandelier Red (Credit)
Serien Poppy Chandelier (Credit)
Obe Chandelier (Credit)
Flos Zeppelin 1 by Marcel Wanders (Credit)
Coconut Bead Atlantis Chandelier by Z Gallerie (Credit)
Parakeet Dome Chandelier (Credit)
Recycled Spoon Chandelier (Credit)
Egg Branch Chandeliers (Credit)
Studio 1 Thousand Constellation Chandelier (Credit)
Dale Chihuly Chandelier (Credit)
Imago Dei welcomes Lynsey Jones to our team as Graphic Designer and Creative Consultant, although she has already taken on way more than both job descriptions require and she has been nothing short of angelic in her acceptance of the most difficult task given her.
Lynsey was born in Houston and is a graduate of Texas Tech University where she received her BFA in Communication Design and a minor in Photography. As Graphic Designer and Creative Consultant for Imago Dei, Lynsey assists with the development of the Imago Dei brand, and walks clients through the creative process from initial meeting to project completion. She enjoys combining her passion for graphic design, art history and photography in all aspects of her life.
To find out the 10 Things Lynsey can’t live without visit the fantastically creative Derek + Catharine Blog
In 2002, fourteen year old William Kamkwamba was a normal schoolboy living in anything but normal times in a country ruled by poverty, starvation and death. While his country held a strong belief in magic, William became an inventor excited by the unknown wonders of science. His country of Malawi, in Africa, was in the midst of a devastating and deadly drought that threatened the very lives of his family and fellow villagers. He was forced by his father’s lack of funds to quit school and do whatever he could to help his family survive.
William Kamkwamba (Credit)
The Inspiration
Even with the loss of his education, William kept returning to the small library he had grown to love, where he read and reread old science books that were mostly ignored by others. One book with a windmill on its cover captured William’s imagination.
William’s Windmill Diagram
The Challenge
What if he could build a windmill to bring electricity to his house and eventually irrigation to water his family’s crops? Could he find enough parts to build such a machine? He was certain that he could devise a windmill if he could only find enough castoff bits and pieces to put it all together. Yes, that was the challenge, to scrounge and beg for anything he could repurpose to reach his final goal.
Malawi Villagers gaze in wonder at William’s creation (Credit)
It was not easy. To push forward when all around him was disbelief and scoffing at the very idea that a young boy could accomplish such a task. William also faced his own fear. Fear he would lose his inspiration, his determination and his dreams.
The Victory
William’s first windmill produced only twelve volts and lit up four lights, but it was like a miracle. Encouraged by his initial success, he learned more and brought to life a machine that produced enough water to irrigate his family’s garden.
William atop his second windmill (Credit)
News of his amazing solution to a desperate situation quickly spread. His “electric wind” caught the imagination of the people of Malawi and the world beyond Africa. He was asked to travel across the world and tell his story. In 2009, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope, his book co-authored with Bryan Mealer was published.
“William Kamkwamba is an alchemist who turned misfortune into opportunity, opportunity beyond his own. The book is about learning by inventing. William’s genius was to be ingenious,” so said Nicholas Negroponte, founder, MIT Media Lab; founder and chairman of One Laptop per Child in praise of Williams work and his book.
Ongoing Victories
Today, William writes, speaks and works to help educate the children of his Malawi home through his buildOn.org foundation which is working hard to rebuild the school buildings and offer a new school home for over 1480 students. He also is fundraising for many other projects to help Malawi through the Moving Windmills Project. Donations are taken on both sites listed above.
Watch the Documentary on William’s Story
Purchase William’s Book
