Heart of Steel (Hemoglobin), 2005, Photo Credit: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

Heart of Steel by Julian Voss-Andreae

Inspired by his background in science, Julian Voss-Andreae is a German sculptor based in Portland, Oregon. He began his artistic career as a painter, but later changed directions and returned to study physics, mathematics and philosophy at the Universities of Berlin, Edinburgh and Vienna. Voss-Andreae completed his graduate studies in quantum physics, then moved to the U.S. to study sculpture, graduating from the Pacific Northwest College of Art in 2004.

Voss-Andreae’s work, showcases his background in science, and has been commissioned for multiple institutions and collectors around the globe, including several universities. He has also been featured in print and broadcast media worldwide.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

Hearts in San Francisco

The Hearts in San Francisco project began in 2004. One hundred thirty-one heart sculptures created by local Bay Area artists, were displayed for three months until they were auctioned. The project raised almost $2 million for the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation, as well as a new level of exposure for its mission of providing life-saving care to anyone in need, regardless of ability to pay.

The hearts are located all over the San Francisco area. Some of the hearts are owned privately, while others are in public and easily discovered locations. Due to the Hearts in San Francisco project, the hearts are easily recognizable and spread a positive recognition of the Heart of Our City campaign to raise awareness and donations for the San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center.

Pop Heart by Kristen Hoard

This is a contemporary tabletop metal sculpture created from recycled metal. This heart art is cut out of one piece of steel, which is pulled out to make the heart appear to pop out at the viewer.

Kristen Hoard began sculpting with metal in 1999. Based in Sacramento, Hoard participates regularly in art festivals throughout Northern California and exhibits in local galleries. Inspired by her experiences at Burning Man, Hoard now experiments with sculptures that incorporate the use of fire, flames and neon lighting. She has also completed several large corporate logo metal sculpture pieces displayed around the Bay Area.

Photo Credit: http://www.decordova.org/art/sculpture-park/two-big-black-hearts

Two Big Black Hearts by Jim Dine

Though Jim Dine was influenced as a young artist in the 1960s by pop art, his work draws significantly from abstract expressionism. For his piece, Two Big Black Hearts, Dine has incorporated casts of various objects, including hands, faces, seashells, hammers and other tools into the surface of the sculptures two large hearts. While this may appear to be a random combination of objects, Dine put great thought into the objects to use. The tools represent childhood memories; his grandparents owned a hardware store.

The heart is significant in whole context of Dine’s work, he has returned to this image throughout his career, using it as a backdrop for his expressions. This diverges from the traditional style of pop art, and Dine focuses on turning objects into emotion. He works in several media, ranging from painting, drawing, and mixed media to sculpture, photography, book illustration, and printmaking. Dine often utilizes mixed-media and collage techniques. His own personal items, such as his own clothing, shoes, and tools, become a part of his canvases. The artist now lives and works in New York and Vermont.

Photo Credit: https://www.facebook.com/heartfullnessproject

Heartfullness by Katy Boynton

Katy Boynton hopes to give hope through her Heartfullness project, which embodies the idea that even if our hearts are damaged, they can heal again. Heartfullness is a 12 by 15 foot steel burning heart. The transformed heart features fire elements that are controlled by pulling on its heartstrings. The flames can be viewed from outside, and from the cozy love seat made of woven rope inside the sculpture. The interior skeleton is made of steel, and covered by reclaimed sheet metal representing a reconstructed heart. The sculpture is complete with red LEDs that follow the beating of a heart on an audio file.

The sculpture debuted at Burning Man in 2012, and continues to be exhibited. Katy also creates stainless steel jewelry depicting her Heartfullness theme.

Photo Credit: http://wgsn-hbl.blogspot.hk/2010/07/sculpture-in-garden.html

Stranded Heart by Diane Maclean

The Stranded Heart sculpture by Diane Maclean was donated to the University of Leicester by an anonymous party to support the Cardiovascular Research Centre (CRC) at the Leicester Glenfield Hospital. Cardiovascular disease is one of the major causes of illness and death in the UK, taking the lives of over 198,000 people every year.Diane Maclean works primarily with steel and stainless steel on a large scale and has exhibited her work widely in the UK and around the world.

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On February 9^th, POSCO CEO Ohjoon Kwon hosted an Investor Relations (IR) meeting in New York, United States. This meeting was the very first international IR conference held overseas ever since his inauguration. “By following POSCO’s 3-year intermediate management plan, we will ensure internal stability,” CEO Kwon said at the POSCO’s international IR conference, held in Four Seasons Hotel in New York. Also, he added, “We will do our best to return all shareholders’ trust and support”.

Upon the completion of the IR meeting, CEO Kwon rang the Closing Bell of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to notify that markets have been closed. The NYSE offered an opportunity for CEO Kwon to ring the NYSE Closing Bell to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of POSCO’s listing.

In October 14^th 1994, POSCO became the first-ever Korean company to list on the NYSE and the second steel company to be listed after UK’s British Steel. As the company successfully fulfilled NYSE’s strict listing requirements such as shareholder distribution, accounting, and management capability at the time, POSCO has established a reputation as a major global company. Upon POSCO’s NYSE listing, other Korean companies started to deviate from domestic stock market and reached out to secure funds from international market; Domestic companies such as Korea Electric Power Corporation, LG, SK and more followed to be listed on the NYSE.

Continuing from its NYSE listing, POSCO was listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) on October 27^th, 1995 and on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on November 22^nd, 2005. The company now stands as the one and only Korean company that has been listed on the global top 3 stock markets.

Meanwhile, POSCO announced its 2014 consolidated revenue and operating profit as KRW 65.984 trillion and 3.2135 trillion respectively. Moreover, POSCO has proposed KRW 67.4 trillion in consolidated revenue and 29.3 trillion in independent revenue as performance objectives in 2015.

Here, we list up the world’s top five famous fireworks festivals… plus an extra! For those stopping by Korea, we introduce you to “Pohang International Fireworks Festival”, held each year in POSCO’s own hometown.

But first, here’s the countdown.

Top 5 Fireworks Displays Around the World

#1 National Day (Singapore)

“Singapore Fireworks Celebrations” is an annual event held in Singapore as part of its National Day events. It features several local and foreign teams which launch many different fireworks displays. The teams put on shows over several nights, making this one of the longest-running annual fireworks events on the planet.

#2 Australia Day (Australia)

For visitors to Australia, this is a must-see event. On January 26, Australia’s national holiday is celebrated in style in Sydney’s Darling Harbour with a fireworks display that is said to stun.

#3 Malta International Fireworks (Malta)

 The cleanest, bluest ocean, clearest blue sky, and most impressive firework display around might just be at the tiny European island nation of Malta. Every year around the last week in April, Malta teams up with fireworks creators to produce this incredible spectacle. It’s too good to miss this if you are planning to stay in Malta during your summer holiday.

#4 New Year’s Eve Fireworks (Dubai, UAE)

When you think of Dubai, what comes to mind first? The world’s tallest building? Or something else? The fabulous Dubai New Year’s Eve fireworks show might end up your greatest impression of the desert nation, if you’re lucky enough to see it. In 2013, Dubai’s event broke the record for most fireworks set in a single show.

#5 Independence Day Fireworks (Washington D.C, USA)

As Independence Day is the holiday that commemorates the founding of the USA, it’s only fitting that some of the best fireworks displays there happens in the nation’s capital of Washington, D.C.

Introducing: Pohang International Fireworks Festival

Pohang International Fireworks Festival has been by POSCO held every year since year 2004 in celebration of ‘The 1st Pohang Citizens’ Day’ and commemoration of the citizens of Pohang city itself. In 2014, it was selected as an ‘Excellent Festival’ by Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, securing its name among Korea’s greatest cultural festivals. Let’s have a closer look!

New for 2014: International Firework Competition

From July 31 to August 3 of 2014, the 11th Pohang International Fireworks Festival showed off its newest addition, the ‘International Firework Competition’. The event presented fireworks from the world’s best teams and directors in a competitive format. The winner was determined through the scores of 100 judges from the audience. For an hour and 20 minutes, the competition’s beautiful lights painted unforgettable memories for the audience at Pohang’s Youngildae Beach.

Three Teams:

#1: Live N  Loud by HOWARD&Sons (Australia)

From Australia, ‘HOWARD&Sons’ is a family team that has created fireworks for four straight generations. This team opened the International Firework Competition with a performance following the theme of ”Live N Loud”, providing a show as thrilling as the front seat at a major concert.

#2: Bond, James Bond by Pyro2000 (UK)

The name is Bond, James Bond…in the sky! British team “Pyro 2000” performed a show based on the theme of the UK’s legendary national hero, 007. The performance was made up of cinematographic elements mimicking the tension and excitement that typify the Bond movies. We imagine the audience was thrilled by an unexpected feeling of deja-vu.

#3: The Winner! Return of Emotion by Surex (Poland)

Polish team Surex saved the best for last. They performed to the theme song “Return of Emotion” by Bartosz Chajdecki, an outstanding composer who exemplifies the new generation of Polish contemporary musicians. Following Surex’s experience in winning several competitions throughout the world, they counted 882 points and won again in Pohang, taking home the first prize of $10,000.

Incredible sights and the Grand Finale

Between competitions, a few extra performances took place. The first intermission performance was “Flame of Pohang”, where performers used the theme ‘fire’ to express a show that represented the warm heart of the citizens of Pohang. The team also used ethnic drums and trampolines as instruments.

The second intermission performance was called “Harmony of Lights of the World”. An emotionally charged, beautiful melody of world instruments made this performance more than touching.

Lastly, the Grand Finale was performed by Korea’s own Hanwha team. As shown in the title of the piece, “The Wind”, the gigantic fireworks expressed an optimistic message. The Hanwha team used a barge ship and to set an oval shaped fire they called ‘Tower Firework’. This was especially meaningful for the Korean members of the audience after 2014’s ferry disaster, as the entire country has searched for healing and a cure for the national mood. Through the fireworks, the team aimed to express a feeling of hope.