My Favourite Artwork is a textile design by Yann Arthus-Bertrand

FACT FILE:

Yann Arthus-Bertrand was born in Paris on March 13, 1946. He has been interested in nature and wildlife from an early age. He became an assistant film director in 1963, then worked asan actor. He gave up the movie industry in 1967 to run the Château de Saint Augustin wildlife park at Château-sur-Allier in France. He left France when he was 30 to live in Kenya in the Masai Mara National Reserve. He lived amongst the Masai tribe for 3 years to study the behaviour of a lion family and took daily pictures of them during those years. He discovered a new passion for photography and the beauty of landscapes when observed from above in hot air balloons. He understood the power of photography and how to communicate using this means. He came back to France in 1981, published a photographs book 'Lions'in 1983, and became an international journalist, reporter and photographer who specialised in documentaries on sports, wildlife and aerial photography for French magazines. He founded the Altitude Agency in 1991, which was the world's first press agency and images bank specialising in aerial photography. In 1994 Arthus-Bertrand started a thorough study on the state of the Earth sponsored by UNESCO. As part of the study, he made a picture inventory of the world's most beautiful landscapes, taken from helicopters and hot-air balloons. The book from this project,Earth from Above,sold over 3 million copies and was translated into 24 languages.    28 July 2011 Clair Hood

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I have thought long and hard about a piece of art that I would like to write about. My choice may surprise people as there are many artists that I could write about who have influenced me. I studied textile design at art college and artists and designers that have inspired me tend to include colour and pattern design in their work. I came across Yann Arthus-Bertrand's exhibition by accident. I was working on a design project and visiting Edinburgh's Botanic Gardens and while there Bertrand was exhibiting his aerial photographs. It was an outdoor exhibition and I will never forget my initial reaction to these stunning images from around the world. I was awestruck and when I look at his work today I still have that same sense of wonder. Yann Arthus-Bertrand is a French photographer, journalist, reporter and environmentalist. He founded the Altitude Agency in 1991 specialising in aerial photography. In 2000 his "Earth from Above" free exhibition travelled worldwide, to 110 cities, and was visited by 120 million people. I was one! The above photograph is entitled "Carpets for Sale". Colourful rugs are one of Morocco's most important exports and these ones are in Marrakesh. Each motif on the rug is a symbol of earthly paradise. Bertrand shows us how to view things differently. I love this image with its rich colours and mass of pattern. If we look even more closely you can make out a small figure on the rugs at the top right. This immediately gives us a sense of scale and proportion. I could have chosen many of his photographs but I would urge you to look at his amazing work and remember that art and design can be many things.