He's a photographer who goes by the name of jr and he has just won a $100,000. USD award from the TED foundation. The 27-year-old creates giant images on waterproof vinyl and displays them in slums. The funds he derives from his work go into future projects, illuminating the conditions of those who live in poverty.

Great art can turn up in unlikely places. The Economist is writing up an exhibit of Eadweard Muybridge's seminal photographs of people and horses in motion. The actual exhibition is being held at Tate Britain London after its opening at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D. C.

The Louise Blouin Foundation is showing a lovely exhibition called "Pure Views: New Paintings from China". See the slide show at their site.

A treasure trove of old photographs was rescued from the trash heap and posted online at a blog called "The Age of Uncertainty". If you are a lover of yesterday's traces of lives and life styles you will want to see these.

The New York Times has posted a Critics' Picks video entitled "Walkabout", a poignant film about two children abandoned in the Australian desert. The Times praises the film's photographic excellence but it is matched by the expressiveness of the story.

Also at the New York Times, an excellent review of "Man, Myth and Sensual Pleasures", an exhibit now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Jan Gossart, a Flemish Master also called Mabuse, is given a comprehensive overview in this exhibit of remarkable portraits.

If, like myself, you find parking structures a necessary evil in modern urban life, then you might take a look at Shinjuku Gardens, a two-story parking building designed by the Hong Kong Firm cheungvogl. It is a truly innovative idea for city architecture.

Another brilliant design for urban living is presented by architect Toyo Ito, who won the Praemium Imperiale award for architecture at the Venice Biennale.

Also at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Croatian floating pavilion gives us an unusual solution to the problem of transporting projects to international exhibitions. The structure is composed of 32 tons of steel and 40 layers of wire mesh, designed by a consortium of fourteen engineers and architects.

Slate magazine features the Chinese art of the Yuan Dynasty, which is being shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The accompanying slideshow/essay is well worth your time.

One of this year's MacArthur Fellowships has been awarded to stone carver Nicholas Benson. This brief video shows the artist talking about his work and its intricacies as he hand-carves individual letters. Benson is a third- generation stone carver.

A stunning design by the Norwegian firm snohetta has been submitted for a new building proposed for the Victoria and Albert Museum in Scotland. Using the site's proximity to the water, the architects have proposed a floating museum on the River Tay.