Damien Hirst’s spin paintings from the 1990s, made with the help of a rotating machine, are filled with movement, life and colour. And now, anyone with a smartphone can make their own version with the help of augmented reality.
Snapchat has partnered with the British artist to launch a new lens where users can pour virtual paint on a spinning canvas to create their own artistic wheels of colour. The finished creations can be shared on the platform’s “Our Story” feature to be seen by other users.
The app has also teamed up with the NGO Partners In Health, a social justice organisation that provides support, including testing and contact tracing, to vulnerable communities affected by the coronavirus pandemic. When Snapchatters use the Damien Hirst lens, they can tap on an option that leads them to the Partners In Health landing page, where they can make a donation.
In a statement, Hirst said, “I'm so happy that this partnership supports Partners in Health, a brilliant and forward-thinking organisation that helps communities in developing countries around the world cope with the devastating impact of Covid-19.”
At the time of writing, the disease has infected more than 3.5 million people around the world, causing at least 247,000 deaths.
Last month, the artist shared a rainbow artwork tribute to the UK's National Health Service (NHS), which is free to download on his website.
The work Butterfly Rainbow is a vibrant digital collage of a rainbow with butterfly wings embedded into its arcs. A limited-edition print will be available for sale, with proceeds going to the NHS. Hirst has also teamed up with a food distribution campaign that helps send out food to vulnerable and poor communities in London.
Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
- US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
- Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
- Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
- Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
- Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
- The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
- Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
- Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
