All images Todd Antony, shared with permissionOur Favorite Stories of 2024December 13, 2024ColossalAs we look back at the hundreds of remarkable initiatives, artworks, discoveries, and events weve chronicled throughout 2024, were continually awed by the creative work were able to write about everyday. Its a privilege to be able to share so much creativity with you, and we thought wed compile a list of our favorites.Below, youll find eight pickstwo from each of usthat showcase just a few of the remarkable projects we published over the past twelve months. Many of these articles impart deeper context, delve into personal experiences through interviews, and highlight important stories that may have flown under the radar.You might also enjoy our readers choice top articles of the year and Colossals favorite books of 2024. Happy reading!Christopher, Grace, Kate, and JackieImage Irina WerningFor the last 17 years,Irina Werninghas traveled throughout Latin America photographing women and girls for her ongoing series,Las Pelilargas, orThe Longhairs. Shot in color and black and white, the portraits document a distinct cultural practice through an incredibly alluring, even surreal lens.L.V. Hull at her home in Kosciusko, Mississippi, in 2002. Photo by Bruce West. Image courtesy of the L.V. Hull Legacy CenterKosciusko is a small town in the center of Mississippi with just under 7,000 residents. Known as the birthplace of Oprah Winfrey, Kosciusko was also home to the late artistL.V. Hull(19422008) who devoted her life to painting and assembling found objects.Ellie Hannon works on one of her paintings on the aft deck during sunset on the Timor Sea around Ashmore Reef. Images Schmidt Ocean InstituteThere are many ways to tell a story or to document and share research and discoveries, says artist Ellie Hannon, one of 54 artists who have embarked on a unique residency organized by theSchmidt Ocean Institute. From slip-cast porcelain and painting to 3D printing and virtual reality, the storytelling possibilities are endless in the Artist-at-Sea program, which invites artists to work alongside scientists on weeks-long expeditions into some of the least-explored areas of our oceans.Image courtesy of the artistChristophers Pick: Nadya Tolokonnikova On Pussy Riot, Life as Performance Art, and How Anonymity Is Her StrengthPeople often dont think about how important a person who has a photo and video camera is. The action could be gorgeous, but if you dont have a good photographer to capture it, then its just not gonna work. Nadya TolokonnikovaNadya Tolokonnikovacreated Pussy Riot in 2011 partly in response toVladimir Putins declarationthat he would continue his reign over Russia. In 2012, when she and her collaborators undertook their now-famous performance at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, she was infamously sentenced to two years in prison, vaulting the art collective to international fame. Grace Ebert, Colossals editorial director, spoke with Nadya over Zoom one Saturday in February, more than a decade since Pussy Riots founding, her imprisonment, and her release.A Wind Phone in Evanston, Illinois. Image courtesy of Amy DawsonGarden designer Itaru Sasaki lost his cousin to cancer just months before a 9.1-magnitude earthquake devastated his town, the small fishing village of Otsuchi. In an attempt to wrangle his grief, he decided to create a space for mourning in his backyard, one that would offer quiet and a symbolic connection to his loved one. He called it Kaze no denwa, or Phone of the Wind.Containing photos and stories from the creators, Amy Dawsons searchable map tracks more than 300 Wind Phones around the globe, each individually installed and maintained.The Two Walls by Alejandro Cegarra, The New York Times/Bloomberg. Image courtesy of World Press PhotosFrom Israels ongoing assault leaving the people of Gaza in horrific destitution to a record-breaking surge of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, the last year has seen incredible devastation around the globe. The 2024World Press Photocontest gathers a profound and illuminating collection of images that approach myriad crises with compassion and clarity.Replica of a Chip (1994), wool mounted on wood, 120 146.1 centimeters. Photo Museum Associates/LACMA. Image courtesy of American Indian Science and Engineering SocietyWhat does Intels Pentium computer chip have in common with Navajo textiles? More than you might think. For artistMarilou Schultz, the ancestral practice of weaving melds with an unexpected contemporary source of inspiration. Merging analog loom methods with the patterns found on computer processor cores, Schultz entwines the histories of the Navajo people and modern technology.Image Todd AntonyOriginally meant as a pejorative term,cholitahas been embraced by Aymara and Quechua women, who have adopted the name as a signal of pride. PhotographerTodd Antony caught up with a group who call themselves the Climbing Cholitas, and a breathtaking series of images was born inCholitas Escaladoras.Previous articleNext article