The investigation into the June 12 Air India crash that killed 260 people has been marked by tension, suspicion and poor communication between American and Indian officials, including an episode where NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy instructed her black-box specialists not to board a late-night Indian military flight to a remote facility, WSJ reports.

When two American recorder experts landed in New Delhi in late June, they received urgent messages from colleagues telling them not to go with the Indians; Homendy had grown concerned about sending U.S. personnel and equipment to an aerospace lab in the remote town of Korwa amid State Department security warnings about terrorism in the region. She made calls to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the CEOs of Boeing and GE Aerospace, and the State Department sent embassy officials to intercept the NTSB specialists at the airport.

Homendy eventually delivered an ultimatum: if Indian authorities didn't choose between their Delhi facility and the NTSB's Washington lab within 48 hours, she would withdraw American support from the probe. Indian officials relented. The downloaded data showed someone in the cockpit moved switches that cut off the engines' fuel supply, and India's preliminary report stated one pilot asked the other why he moved the switches while that pilot denied doing so. American government and industry officials now privately believe the captain likely moved the switches deliberately.

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Oscar Piastri rediscovered his strong Sprint Qualifying form in Qatar as he took pole position on his final lap, edging out George Russell and his McLaren teammate Lando Norris to the top spot.

From a variety of natural colors of clay, Léonore Chastagner sculpts tender representations of the human form. She details the wrinkles on one’s knuckles, the creases in a pair of denim jeans, and the intricate layers of a loosely folded T-shirt.

“I use clay as one uses a diary: to record the feelings of daily life and the things that surround me,” Chastagner tells Colossal. “I take interest in what’s in front of me when I’m alone: my apartment, clothes, small gestures of the body.”

Chastagner’s background in art history also influences her work, especially through the lens of archaeology and the often mysterious origins or uses of small figurines or personal objects. She’s particularly interested in the kinds of talismans and goods that were buried with the deceased in order to accompany the soul to the afterlife—a ritual seen in myriad ancient cultures around the globe.

Clay is itself a timeless and inherently malleable medium, which Chastagner appreciates for the range of techniques and consistencies she can work with. Because the material is soft and immediately responsive to touch, it represents a kind of freedom and openness. “I was also drawn to (clay’s) simplicity,” the artist says. “It’s a natural material that’s been used by human beings since the earliest civilisations. It has a universal quality.”

Recently, Chastagner has been working on a series of domestic environments, such as small bedrooms and living rooms. These move beyond objects or figurative gestures to consider the spaces that encompass the body and evoke a sense of nostalgia for miniatures, like dollhouses.

The artist’s work will be on view in a solo presentation during Ceramic Brussels, which runs January 21 to 25, and celebrates her win of the fair’s juried Art Prize last year. Chastagner is also working toward solo exhibitions opening in April at Centrale in Brussels and in May at Galerie Anne-Sarah Bénichou in Paris. Explore more on her website and Instagram.

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Léonore Chastagner Sculpts Tender Connections Between Figurative Gestures and Objects appeared first on Colossal.

HopeSun has added a photo to the pool:

​De Tweede Kamer is deze week opgeschrikt door demissionair premier Dick Schoof die iets lijkt te willen bepalen. Kamerleden zagen tot hun verbijstering hoe Schoof pas in april wil kijken hoe de extra 2 miljard euro aan militaire steun voor Oekraïne begroot kan worden. De Tweede Kamer heeft hem gewaarschuwd dat hij zich hiermee op glad ijs bevindt.

GroenLinks-PvdA-leider Jesse Klaver zegt: “Het kan niet zo zijn dat een man die zich nog steeds moet voorstellen als hij de plenaire zaal binnenkomt, nu opeens beleid gaat maken.” Andere Kamerleden zijn vooral verrast dat Schoof en het demissionaire rompkabinet nog iets te willen hebben. Derk Boswijk van CDA vraagt zich af “wie Schoof wel niet denkt dat hij is” en “wie Schoof eigenlijk überhaupt is.”

De Tweede Kamer heeft de facto premier Rob Jetten (D66) om opheldering gevraagd.

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Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

handwritten on back of photograph, “1934"

Thomas Hawk posted a photo: