Sonyapa

Clifford, a Welshman, made his whole photographic career in Madrid, where he started at least by 1850, calling himself the “Photografito inglés.”

He primarily photographed the architecture of Spain and by 1858 had been appointed the official photographer to Queen Isabel II. In this capacity Clifford documented her journeys and the massive building projects undertaken during her reign.

Most of this work was on collodion, but early in his career Clifford made both daguerreotypes and calotypes.

Clifford disappeared from Spain in 1854, and the most likely explanation is also an intriguing one. There exists a group of waxed-paper negatives taken in the Crimea - not of the action of war, which because of the long exposure times required would have been impossible, but rather studies of the battlefields - and these can probably be attributed to Clifford. They are particularly poignant, some showing orderly rows of men and equipment before an engagement, others depicting turmoil and disarray in the aftermath of battle. Clifford also photographed in Istanbul, most likely on his way to or from the Crimea, and in 1855 he visited Paris and began exhibiting there.

DESIGN: Kinetic Sand

Kinetic Sand is a fun and fascinating 3D building toy that looks and feels like wet sand, but behaves quite differently. It can be molded into all kinds of shapes and pretty much only sticks to itself and doesn’t dry out.