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A series of portraits exploring mental health and the importance of support networks and the natural environment by photographer Ava Margueritte. Margueritte is a neurodiverse artist based in Ottawa, Canada. Her work is informed by growing up in Northern Ontario, with underlying themes of identity, time, and impermanence. “Landfall” was created with people from her own community and the places she seeks solace and refuge. The project highlights Margueritte’s lived experience navigating an uncertain world with invisible disabilities:
“This work expresses the nuance of binaries, how mental health is not static. Our environments, living conditions, employment, and even the weather play a role. People have their own natural rhythms, and sometimes the demands of societal structures are rigid and unyielding, superseding their personal needs. ‘Landfall’ brings attention to conversations surrounding mental health by illustrating its continuous, cyclical presence and challenging conventional narratives about this universal human experience.”
Most revenue teams aren’t losing deals because of bad outreach; they’re losing them because their data is a mess. In fact, a recent industry survey found that 37% of CRM users report direct revenue loss due to poor data quality.
Green Day took a jab at Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller during a recent show in California while speaking up for the people of Minnesota.
While performing their iconic 2004 chart-topper American Idiot in the Kia Forum on Saturday, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong continued his tradition of trading the line “I’m not a part of a redneck agenda” to “I’m not a part of the MAGA agenda,” making reference to U.S. President Donald Trump and his “Make America Great Again” slogan.
The band then performed Holiday and Know Your Enemy as Armstrong told the crowd: “This song is anti-fascism. This song is anti-war. We stand up for our brothers and sisters in Minnesota…. Ladies and gentlemen, Stephen Miller now has the floor.”
Armstrong was referring to the ongoing anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis following the killing of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent on Jan. 7. The Trump administration has repeatedly defended the ICE agent who shot Good, a mother of three, saying he acted in self-defence.
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Armstrong closed the show with a message to their fans in the crowd, saying, “Please look out for your neighbours. Make sure you take care of each other. Make sure you love one another. Protect each other.”
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“Ch—a la migra,” Armstrong added, which loosely translates to “f–k the immigration cops.”
The lyric change comes after the National Football League announced it’s marking the 60th anniversary of the Super Bowl with Green Day as the hometown opening act.
Green Day will kick off the big game with an opening ceremony on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., the league announced Sunday. The performance will celebrate six decades of the championship’s history, with the band helping usher generations of Super Bowl MVPs onto the field.
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The trio of Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool, who formed in the East Bay subregion of the San Francisco Bay Area, are expected to perform a selection of their best-known anthems as part of the tribute.
“We are super hyped to open Super Bowl 60 right in our backyard!” Armstrong said. “We are honoured to welcome the MVPs who’ve shaped the game and open the night for fans all over the world. Let’s have fun! Let’s get loud!”
In addition to Green Day, Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny will lead the halftime festivities, while Charlie Puth will perform the national anthem. Brandi Carlile will sing America the Beautiful and Coco Jones will perform Lift Every Voice and Sing.
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Green Day’s latest lyric change is just the most recent example of the band revising its song to criticize supporters of the Trump administration.
Last January, the band took aim at Elon Musk during their debut performance in Musk’s home country of South Africa the night before Trump’s inauguration.
While performing American Idiot, Armstrong changed up the lyric, “I’m not a part of the redneck agenda” to “I’m not a part of the Elon agenda,” taking aim at the billionaire, who formed close ties with Trump.
Concert footage was posted to X, the social media platform owned by Musk.
Never store garlic confit at room temperature, as this can promote the growth of Clostridium botulinum, a bacterium that produces potentially deadly neurotoxins. To minimize the risk of botulism, garlic confit should be stored for no longer than a week in a refrigerator set to no higher than 40°F (4.4°C). Setting the temperature at 38°F (3.3°C) is even better, so fluctuations don’t push the temperature above 40°F, as pathogens flourish above 40°F. It’s a good idea to invest in a fridge thermometer to monitor the temperature. Confit can also be frozen for several months and thawed in the refrigerator.
Recently, I was asked to list my top three condiments of all time. It’s easy conversation bait for any voracious home cook—and one I could personally discuss for hours. Except this time, my one-track brain could only fixate on the condiment I’ve been making religiously this year: garlic confit.
I cycle through jars of homemade garlic confit like a thirsty pigeon flocking to a fountain. I’m always dreaming up ways to use it in sandwiches, sauces, dips, or slick, slurpable pastas. It’s so easy to make, too: Take a handful of peeled garlic cloves, submerge them in high-quality extra-virgin olive oil, then cook them at a bare simmer on the stovetop or in the oven—about one to three hours—until the garlic softens and mellows.
Even as I willingly lap up garlic confit by the spoonful, I’m always mindful of working through my stash quickly. That’s because storing garlic confit for longer than a week increases the risk of botulism, a rare but dangerous illness caused by a neurotoxin that attacks the body’s nervous system. That may sound alarming, but the risk can be greatly reduced as long as you store the condiment properly, which I’ll explain how to do in a bit.
What Exactly Is Garlic Confit?
Garlic confit is called confit—literally “to preserve” in French—because it’s cooked and stored in the very same oil. The result is what I like to call a delicious culinary double-header: Both the roasted cloves and the intensely flavorful oil can be added to all kinds of dishes. The longer the garlic sits in the oil, the more infused the oil becomes.
The term “confit” historically refers to meat cooked and preserved in its own fat, such as duck confit. In a traditional recipe for duck confit, duck legs are first salted to draw out the moisture and lightly cured for 24 to 48 hours. After rinsing off the cure and patting the legs dry, the meat is submerged in rendered duck fat and heated in the oven for three hours. Once the fat cools to room temperature, the duck is refrigerated in its fat, then crisped up on the stove and eaten.
Unlike duck, most vegetables don’t contain a lot of fat, so oil must be used to make a confit with them. In the case of garlic confit, olive oil is ideal for the job, as its grassy undertones complement the mellow sweetness of the slow-cooked garlic. With enough time in the oven or on the stove, the garlic becomes soft and spreadable, and its harsh bite mellows, resulting in tender cloves with a sweet, deeply umami flavor.
As much as I wish my garlic confit could last forever, all good things in life come with an expiration date.
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
Why You Should Never Store Garlic Confit at Room Temperature
The risk of keeping garlic confit for too long? Botulism. It’s a serious foodborne illness caused by neurotoxins produced by Clostridium botulinum. Left untreated, botulism can lead to muscle paralysis and, in rare cases, death. While the spores themselves are common in soil and marine sediments and are typically harmless, they become dangerous under certain conditions. In a low-oxygen, low-acid, and low-sugar environment—such as the one in which garlic confit is made and stored—bacteria can proliferate rapidly and produce neurotoxins.
Still, the actual risk of botulism in garlic confit is relatively low: Most documented outbreaks have involved raw garlic blended with oil and stored at room temperature—which, technically speaking, is not garlic confit.
While investigating the ideal storage time for garlic confit, I encountered discrepancies. Some garlic confit recipes adhere strictly to the USDA’s recommendation to store garlic confit at 40°F (4.4°C) or below and discard it after seven days. (This advice is based on a study of garlic and oil stored at room temperature.) Other reputable sources, however, claim that refrigerated garlic confit can last up to two weeks.
Why the inconsistency? I contacted Don Schaffner, chair of the Department of Food Science at Rutgers University, to help clarify.
“We know definitively that if you put garlic in oil at room temperature and leave it out for long periods, the possibility of developing botulinum toxin is quite high,” he told me. That discrepancy you see online comes down to fridge temperature. “We know that temperatures of home refrigerators can be quite different, and some people have fridges that are quite cold while others do not,” Schaffner explains.
Schaffner pointed me to a paper about the mathematical relationship between temperature and time for C. botulinum toxin production. (The study is observational and designed to guide safety practices, not to draw statistically significant conclusions.) Using this formula and some back-of-the-napkin calculations, he showed that the difference in relative risk at 40°F (4.4°C), which is the USDA recommendation for refrigeration, and 38°F (3.3°C), which he considers nice, cold refrigeration, is roughly one week.
The takeaway here is that if your fridge temperature is uncertain or fluctuates, it’s safest to store garlic confit for no longer than one week, then toss it. But if you have a fridge thermometer to confirm your fridge stays at or below 38°F (3.3°C), storing garlic confit for up to two weeks should likely be fine, though I personally prefer to err on the side of caution and use it within a week.
Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik
How to Properly Store Garlic Confit
Once your garlic confit is done cooking, transfer the confit and the cooking oil to a clean heatproof container, cover, and refrigerate immediately. Use clean utensils to scoop out any oil or softened garlic cloves, and consume within one week. (Alternatively, you can freeze the garlic confit for several months and thaw it in the fridge when you’re ready to consume it.) Professor Schaffner recommends this for long-term storage, since “once you freeze something, the risk of botulism becomes essentially zero if the food is kept frozen.” Most importantly, do not store garlic confit at room temperature under any circumstances.
What to Use Garlic Confit On?
Garlic confit adds a wonderfully deep sweetness to just about anything you can purée, mash, or fold it into. Recipes such as creamy bean dip or spaghetti aglio e olio are garlic confit no-brainers—just use garlic confit in place of fresh garlic. You can also blitz it into soups, sauces, and vinaigrettes; top toasts and sandwiches with it; spoon it over juicy poached shrimp and tender steak; and perk up salads and vegetables that need a touch of savoriness. I occasionally incorporate other alliums, such as charred scallions, leeks, and shallots, for an extra boost of rich, caramelized sweetness.
There are, of course, many rival claimants to the title of the greatest final shot in cinema history. Planet of the Apes’ Statue of Liberty sighting, the slow realisation in The Graduate, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’s freeze-frame finish, the door closing in The Godfather, and Norma Desmond asking for her close-up in Sunset Boulevard each deserve a mention. But none of these has been replicated quite as often as City Lights’ final moment.
Films as diverse as The 400 Blows, This Is England, Gone Girl, and Moonlight owe Chaplin a debt, as they each end with characters staring down the camera. Several films have been much more overt with their homages. Woody Allen’s Manhattan (1979) ends with his character ruefully smiling at his young girlfriend Tracy, after she confirms she’s going to London for six months. A year later, in The Long Good Friday, director John Mackenzie focused on Bob Hoskins’ gangster going through a variety of emotions in quick succession as he realises he’s been caught by IRA assassins and is going to be killed.
Even the end of Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. tips its animated hat to City Lights. Rather than showing Sulley’s reunion with Boo, after the pair were seemingly separated forever when the portal into her bedroom was destroyed, we just see him opening her door, looking around, hearing Boo say, “Kitty!” and smiling.
Alamy
The end of Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. tips its animated hat to Chaplin’s City Lights (Credit: Alamy)
As is so often the case, brevity makes these moments even more powerful. But it still takes hours of creativity, skill, and talent – as well as thousands, sometimes millions, of dollars – to put these scenes on celluloid. That was especially true of City Lights. Not only was it Chaplin’s most expensive film – with production costs of $1.5m (around $30m or £22m today) – but he spent years crafting the story, shooting it, and hoping it would live up to immense expectations that met his work.
The Everest region offers more than one way to experience the Himalayas. While the Everest Base Camp Trek is famous for its altitude and physical challenge, the Everest Panorama Trek provides sweeping mountain views, cultural depth, and far more comfort—without pushing your limits.
This guide compares both treks side by side, so you can choose the route that fits your fitness level, travel time, and trekking style.
Here’s an overview:
Everest Panorama Trek – Scenic Comfort at Moderate Altitude
The Everest Panorama Trek reaches a maximum altitude of 3,860 meters, making it a strong option for older travelers, moderate trekkers, and those who value comfort alongside scenery.
The journey usually begins with a scenic flight to Lukla, followed by well-maintained trails through Phakding, Monjo, Namche Bazaar, and Tengboche. Each stop brings a mix of Himalayan views and everyday Sherpa life.
Expect clear views of Mount Everest, Lhotse, and Ama Dablam. Tengboche Monastery adds a calm, spiritual pause, while Namche combines markets, cafés, and high-end lodges. This trek suits travelers who want a Himalayan experience without extreme altitude or long trekking days.
Everest Panorama Trek – Scenic Himalayas in Just 11 Days
Experience the magic of the Everest region without the demands of extreme altitude. The Everest Panorama Trek delivers iconic mountain views, Sherpa culture, and comfortable lodges—perfect for travelers short on time.
Trip highlights: ↠ 11-day trek starting and ending in Kathmandu ↠ Reach 3,860 m at Tengboche with views of Mount Everest, Lhotse & Ama Dablam ↠ Scenic flight to Lukla and well-maintained Himalayan trails ↠ Visit Namche Bazaar, Tengboche Monastery & Khumjung village ↠ Moderate difficulty with hotel and lodge accommodation Ideal for first-time trekkers, couples, and those seeking comfort with classic Everest scenery, this trek offers a rich cultural experience without the long commitment of Everest Base Camp.
View from the Gomba Lodge in Khumbu Pasanglamhu, Solukhumbu, Koshi Province.
Everest Base Camp Trek – The Classic High-Altitude Route
The Everest Base Camp Trek is built for trekkers who want altitude, endurance, and a strong sense of achievement. Reaching 5,364 meters, it usually takes 12–14 days, with steady elevation gain and scheduled acclimatization.
Trails pass through forests, suspension bridges, and Sherpa villages before opening into the dramatic Khumbu Valley. Accommodation is simple but welcoming, with tea houses offering warm meals and shared dining rooms. This trek demands preparation, patience, and comfort with long walking days at high altitude.
Everest Base Camp Trek – The Ultimate Himalayan Challenge
Walk in the footsteps of legends on one of the world’s most iconic trekking routes. The Everest Base Camp Trek delivers raw mountain scenery, high-altitude adventure, and deep Sherpa culture for trekkers ready to push themselves.
Trip highlights: ↠ 15-day trek starting and ending in Kathmandu ↠ Reach Everest Base Camp (5,363 m) and summit Kala Patthar (5,545 m) ↠ Scenic flight to Lukla, one of the world’s most dramatic mountain airports ↠ Trek through Namche Bazaar, Tengboche & traditional Sherpa villages ↠ Unmatched views of Mount Everest and the Khumbu Himal This challenging trek requires good fitness and mental readiness but no technical climbing skills. With well-planned acclimatization days, experienced guides, and classic teahouse stays, it’s the definitive Everest experience for serious trekkers.
The Everest Panorama Trek feels personal and unhurried. Mornings start with soft light on the peaks, prayer flags moving in the wind, and quiet village paths. Tea houses along ridgelines become natural meeting points for stories and shared meals.
Short walks into nearby villages reveal shrines, small streams, and daily routines shaped by mountain life. Travelers often meet Sherpa families, witness local festivals, and gain insight into traditions that continue alongside modern trekking tourism. Some lodges now offer reliable internet, allowing remote workers to stay connected while surrounded by Himalayan views.
Everest Panorama Trek vs Everest Base Camp Trek
Feature
Everest Panorama Trek
Everest Base Camp Trek
Max altitude
3,860 m
5,364 m
Duration
6–8 days
12–14 days
Difficulty
Moderate
High
Accommodation
Luxury lodges & Everest View hotels
Basic tea houses
Best for
Short trips, comfort seekers, remote workers
Adventure-focused trekkers
Focus
Views, culture, comfort
Endurance, altitude, achievement
Namche Bazar in Solukhumbu District of Koshi Province in northeastern Nepal.
Why Choose Everest Panorama Trek?
Short Holidays & Moderate Fitness: Perfect for travelers who cannot commit 2 weeks or tolerate high altitudes.
Luxury & Comfort: Stay in Everest View Hotels, Namche Bazaar lodges, and Tengboche accommodations.
Adventure with Ease: Panoramic trekking, scenic flights to Lukla, and moderate trails provide breathtaking views without extreme exertion.
Cultural Immersion: Interact with Sherpa and visit monasteries, and experience local traditions.
Remote Work & Nomad-Friendly: Lodges provide high-speed internet, allowing software developers and digital nomads to work while trekking.
Best Time to Trek the Everest Region
The Himalayas change dramatically with the seasons, so timing matters when choosing between the Everest Panorama Trek and the Everest Base Camp Trek.
Everest Panorama Trek (Max. altitude 3,860 m): Best enjoyed in spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November). The moderate altitude makes it possible to trek even in winter (December–February) when skies are clear and trails are quieter, though temperatures drop. This flexibility makes Panorama ideal for older travelers, short-holiday seekers, and those who prefer comfort with views.
Everest Base Camp Trek (Max. altitude 5,364 m): Best in spring (March–May) for blooming rhododendrons and stable weather, or autumn (late September–November) for crystal-clear mountain views. Winter is possible but very cold at higher camps, while the monsoon (June–August) brings heavy rain, flight delays, and leeches on the lower trails, making it the least favorable time.
Related read: Best Time to Trek in the Himalayas: Seasonal Guide to Nepal’s Top Routes
Everest Panorama Trek vs Everest Base Camp: A Practical Comparison
Which Trail is Best?
Both treks highlight the beauty of the Everest region, but they suit different travelers.
Choose the Everest Base Camp Trek if altitude, endurance, and challenge are your goals.
Choose the Everest Panorama Trek if you want views, culture, and comfort without pushing your limits.
Whichever path you take, the Himalayas leave a lasting impression—one village, trail, and mountain morning at a time.
Himalaya Heart was founded in 2004 by experienced mountain guides with years of Himalayan adventure. Since then, it has earned a reputation as a reliable agency offering trekking, peak climbing, and adventure tours throughout Nepal.
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Himalaya Heart was founded in 2004 by experienced mountain guides with years of Himalayan adventure. Since then, it has earned a reputation as a reliable agency offering trekking, peak climbing, and adventure tours throughout Nepal.
The Studio is the Canvas: Reimagining Space Through Process
Pascal Vilcollet’s artistic approach is inseparable from the space in which it unfolds. For him, the studio functions not merely as a place of production but as a psychological map and conceptual site where his paintings begin to take form. He moves around the canvas in fluid, circular rhythms, engaging with the surface from multiple vantage points, and in doing so, shapes a layered structure that recalls the complexity of both spatial and emotional perspectives. The large-scale canvases become arenas for performance and experimentation, where the initial gesture marks not only territory but also intention. Rather than executing a fixed vision, Vilcollet allows the painting to evolve organically, each mark reacting to the previous one in a continuous dialogue. This active negotiation with space is what transforms his studio into an extension of his thought process, grounding his abstract visual language in lived experience.
This process unfolds in two interconnected phases. In the first, the artist establishes a foundation through deliberate mark-making, constructing a preliminary sense of depth and orientation. These early gestures, though abstract, carry the weight of spatial cues and visual anchors. The second phase draws heavily from memory, personal symbolism, and cultural references, deepening the layers with subjective content. Though non-representational in nature, Vilcollet’s paintings never veer into visual chaos. They retain a sense of structure and coherence that invites the viewer into a mediated intimacy. Through this method, perspective is no longer a matter of optics alone but becomes a composite of recollection, material response, and bodily movement across the canvas. This duality—between the physical and the psychological—creates a multidimensional surface that feels both immediate and contemplative.
Even in abstraction, Vilcollet constructs a world in which hierarchy and emotional proximity are keenly felt. His use of color and texture is not incidental but central to the communicative power of the work. Symbols, marks, and layered pigments generate a visual syntax that balances spontaneity with precision. The result is a body of work that speaks not through narrative but through sensation. The artist’s decisions—whether a gestural sweep, a chromatic clash, or a delicate overlay—become expressions of thought rather than illustrations of it. By treating the studio as both laboratory and landscape, Vilcollet elevates the act of painting into a sustained reflection on perception, memory, and the material conditions of making.
Pascal Vilcollet: Reconstructing the Floral Still Life
In his recent work, Pascal Vilcollet takes the timeworn motif of the floral still life and reimagines it through the lens of abstraction and emotional resonance. Drawing on a rich history of painters who have used flowers to contemplate transience and beauty, Vilcollet subverts traditional composition by dismantling its formal boundaries. The bouquet becomes less a static object and more a moment in flux—a cluster of marks that hover between presence and disappearance. His canvases begin with the recognizable structure of the floral arrangement, only to be fractured by erratic lines, smeared pigment, and ephemeral gestures that deny permanence. These acts of deconstruction reveal a desire not to destroy form, but to renew its meaning by stripping it of aesthetic convention and allowing emotion to resurface through gesture.
What emerges from this process is a dynamic interplay between control and spontaneity. Classical compositional anchors such as vases, stems, and petals remain visible, but are often obscured or partially erased by overlays of abstract scrawls and blurred transitions. Vilcollet transforms these interruptions into narrative elements of their own. Drips of paint, sudden color shifts, and non-linear marks become records of decision-making and introspection. The viewer witnesses a constant push and pull between precision and dissolution, as if the artist were searching for honesty through rupture. His still lifes are not polished arrangements but living documents of the act of painting itself. This layered approach positions his work within a lineage of modern painters like Willem de Kooning and Cy Twombly, while maintaining an individual voice marked by tenderness and emotional clarity.
The emotional tone of these floral works is underscored by Vilcollet’s careful handling of light and texture. Areas of the canvas glow with translucency, while others carry the weight of dense impasto. Flowers rendered with delicate glazes dissolve into fields of ambiguous color, challenging the viewer’s perception of what is being seen and how it is being remembered. These surfaces are charged with both presence and absence—each decision to obscure or reveal contributing to a visual narrative that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant. In transforming the floral still life from an object of observation into a medium for self-inquiry, Vilcollet invites viewers to confront the instability of perception and the poetics of the ephemeral.
Abstraction in Bloom: A New Visual Temporality
Vilcollet’s florals do not simply reinterpret the past; they challenge the static temporality traditionally associated with still life. Where classical Dutch painters sought precision and symbolic permanence, Vilcollet chooses movement, transformation, and fragmentation. His flowers are rendered in flux—emerging, dissolving, and morphing across the canvas in unpredictable ways. By refusing visual stability, he invites the viewer into a continuum of time, where each brushstroke signifies not a final image, but a moment within an ongoing process. This deliberate engagement with impermanence marks a shift in how the floral motif operates, turning it into a metaphor for memory and the fleeting nature of perception.
Color is central to this temporal sensibility. Soft, historical hues such as ochre and muted green are punctuated by jolts of acid yellow, crimson, and cobalt. These chromatic intrusions prevent nostalgia from settling in, instead infusing the works with urgency and surprise. The palette does not simply evoke mood; it constructs a visual rhythm that mirrors the mind’s oscillation between recollection and immediacy. Here, Vilcollet’s background in printmaking—his training in lithography and offset—becomes evident. He treats the surface as a plate to be layered and reworked, balancing density and lightness, opacity and translucency. This sensitivity to the physicality of paint enables him to embed time within the medium itself, with each layer carrying traces of what came before.
The overall effect is a body of work that vibrates with contradiction and continuity. Flowers appear not as isolated subjects but as conduits through which the artist explores the passage of time. A single painting might contain moments of serenity alongside visual chaos, where a controlled glaze meets an impulsive smear. The coexistence of these opposing forces reflects the very nature of painting as both a physical act and a philosophical inquiry. Vilcollet’s florals are not depictions but propositions—gestures toward a way of seeing that accepts flux, embraces imperfection, and acknowledges that to paint is also to remember, to forget, and to begin again.
Pascal Vilcollet: When Gesture Speaks Louder Than Form
At the core of Vilcollet’s artistic identity lies a deeply personal approach to mark-making—an idiosyncratic language built through the fusion of drawing and painting. His gestures, often improvised and instinctive, are layered over more representational elements, functioning less as decoration than as extensions of thought. These lines and scribbles, rendered in luminous pastel tones or stark contrasts, disrupt and animate the surface, adding an emotive charge that transcends composition. Echoing the influence of artists like Philip Guston and Cy Twombly, Vilcollet’s marks appear spontaneous, yet they emerge from a refined understanding of balance and rhythm. They act as emotional punctuation, infusing each piece with intimacy and immediacy.
What distinguishes Vilcollet’s visual syntax is its refusal to privilege one kind of gesture over another. A polished glaze holds equal importance to a chaotic scrawl. This democratic approach to form reflects a broader cultural shift toward hybridity and nuance, where the boundaries between refinement and rawness are intentionally blurred. Each canvas becomes a site of negotiation, where sincerity is pursued not through perfection, but through vulnerability. In this, the artist’s belief in the dual phases of painting—construction followed by deconstruction—becomes more than philosophy; it becomes practice. By stripping away the ornamental and allowing raw mark-making to coexist with delicate form, Vilcollet creates a space where authenticity can surface through contradiction.
These painterly conversations unfold not as narratives but as fields of sensation. Vilcollet’s works do not tell stories in the conventional sense; instead, they invite contemplation through the sheer physicality of the painted surface. The floral motif, recurrent and familiar, serves as an entry point but quickly dissolves into something more abstract and psychological. It becomes a stage upon which memory, emotion, and gesture interact without hierarchy. This openness to interpretation and emotional resonance reaffirms the enduring power of painting as a language of experience. In Pascal Vilcollet’s hands, the gesture itself becomes a form of knowledge, a means of exploring the spaces between what is seen, felt, and remembered.
Insane footage shows a maniac chasing a terrified Scottish cop down the street while threatening to chop him up with a chainsaw.
Albanian national Liridon Kastrati, 32, grabbed the chainsaw from his car after crashing into Police Constable Gary Cowan’s squad car in Paisley, just west of Glasgow.
Terrifying CCTV footage shows him chasing the cop down the middle of the road while threatening to butcher him — and saying he wanted the gruesome scenes shared by the media.
Liridon Kastrati was convicted of attempting to murder police officer Gary Cowan. Crown Office
The constable testified that he was “terrified” and convinced Kastrati would “saw my arms off, chop my head off.”
“I could hear the chainsaw revving. I thought if I do not create distance he is going to kill me,” Cowan testified of the terrifying ordeal in May 2024.
The crazed would-be killer eventually placed the terrifying power tool on the floor and was pepper sprayed and arrested. He was convicted last year of attempting to murder the officer and on Tuesday was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
“If PC Cowan was not able to run fast enough or if he stumbled and fell as he ran away from you, the scene could have been one of carnage,” Judge William Gallacher said during sentencing at Glasgow High Court. “PC Cowan thought that if he did not get away from you, you would chop off his limbs and kill him.”
“In considering many incidents that I have over the years in Scotland, I have never encountered the use of a chainsaw as a weapon being wielded,” the judge said.
“Many might think that this was the stuff only of a horror film.”
The officer was eventually able to pepper-spray and arrest Kastrati. Crown Office
Kastrati lost it after his sentencing, banging on the dock and shouting at the judge in Albanian, according to the BBC.
He then started screaming in English, too, bizarrely calling the judge “a f–king terrorist.”
“Your country is a f–king terrorist,” he added, without explanation.
EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis has signed with CAA, and has moved his production company ImageMovers to the agency as well.
Zemeckis had most recently been repped by WME, but he has a long history with CAA. He built his star there, repped by Jack Rapke, who left to become the filmmaker’s producing partner at ImageMovers.
Zemeckis is currently in post-production on The Last Mrs. Parrish at Netflix. The film stars Jennifer Lopez and Isabel May, from a screenplay by Andrea Berloff, with Nuyorican Productions producing alongside ImageMovers.
Aside from his Oscar winner Forrest Gump, Zemeckis’ legendary credit list includes the Back to the Future trilogy, Cast Away, Flight, Contact, Romancing The Stone, Death Becomes Her, What Life Beneath, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Polar Express, Beowulf, A Christmas Carol, The Walk, Allie, Pinocchio and Used Cars.
Zemeckis won Best Director for Forrest Gump, the film that also won Best Picture, with Tom Hanks receiving Best Actor and Eric Roth winning Best Adapted Screenplay.
Zemeckis most recently directed HERE, reuniting Hanks and Wright from a screenplay by Roth.
Zemeckis and Rapke founded ImageMovers in 1997, and feature credits include Real Steel, Finch, Matchstick Man, The Frighteners, Last Holiday, Monster House and Mars Needs Moms. Company’s TV credits include Showtime’s The Borgias, Manifest for NBC and Netflix, Medal of Honor for Netflix, Project Blue Book for History, and What/If for Netflix.
Zemeckis and ImageMovers continue to be represented by Harold Brown, Bruce Ramer, and Cheryl Snow at Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman.
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