Experiencing the X Games through Instagram

Can’t make it to Barcelona? Tune in by following @xgamesbarcelona, searching the #xgamesbarcelona hashtag and browsing the X Games Barcelona location page.

Starting today, some of the world’s top extreme athletes will converge on Spain for X Games Barcelona. If you can’t be in Spain this week, you can experience the X Games through your favorite athletes’ Instagram feeds, as well as @xgamesbarcelona.

Athletes

Motocross

• Nate Adams (@nateadams741)
• Tarah Gieger (@giegsey)

BMX

• Kevin Robinson (@krobbmx)
• Steve Mccann (@stevemccann)

Skateboard

• Pierre Luc Gagnon (@plgsk8)
• Nyjah Huston (@nyjah_huston)

Rallycross

• Tanner Foust (@tannerfoust)
• Brian Deegan (@briandeegan38)

Locations

• Anella Olímpica: Street skateboard & BMX
• Palau Sant Jordi: Big air skateboard, BMX and motocross
• Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys: Dirt track rally and moto-cross

On the Road with Grizzly Bear’s Ed Droste

For more photos from Ed and Grizzly Bear, follow him at @edroste and be sure to check out Ed’s Photos of You section on your mobile device.

In addition to being an avid Instagrammer, Ed Droste (@edroste) also happens to be a songwriter and singer in Grizzly Bear, an indie-rock band from Brooklyn, New York. The band has been playing shows across the United States after the debut of their latest album, and Ed has been sharing his behind-the-scenes perspective of life on the road as they go.

Midway through their tour we launched Photos of You, providing Ed with an incredible new view of Grizzly Bear’s life on the road—the fans’ perspective: “I’ve always used Instagram as a public photo album of my travels, and the Photo Map is one of my favorite elements in terms of remembering exactly where I was when I took certain pictures years ago, but with Photos of You I get a whole new perspective on tours and my journeys, which is really cool to see.”

Ed’s Photos of You section has not only given him the opportunity to view photos of the band’s performance from the audience’s perspective, but it’s also allowed him to re-connect with Grizzly Bear fans. “I love meeting people as much as I can after shows. Naturally, I can’t document and remember every person I meet, but this has definitely jogged my memory on meeting some really lovely and cool fans and conversations.”

What have you discovered through Photos of You? Starting tomorrow, the Photos of You section will be visible to everyone who can currently see your profile. Read more about Photos of You here.

The 66th Cannes Film Festival

For more photos from the Cannes Film Festival, keep an eye on the #cannes2013 hashtag and the location pages for 2013 Festival de Cannes, Cannes Red Carpet and the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès.

Today marks the rainy beginning of the 66th Festival de Cannes, one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world. Over the next ten days, nearly 100 films of all genres will be screened throughout the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès for the invite-only attendees, but only twenty are considered “In Competition” for the coveted Palme D’Or awarded to the director of the best feature film of the competition.

As celebrities and industry luminaries arrive to the waterfront red carpet by yacht and explore the festival, follow along on Instagram with these confirmed attendees.

• Claire Julien (@clairejulien), actress
• Amitabh Bachchan (@amitabhbachchan), Bollywood actor
• Canal+ (@canalplus), French television channel
• Sonam Kapoor (@sonamkapoor), Bollywood actress
• Kylie Minogue (@kylieminogue), musician
• Francisco Costa (@costafrancisco), Calvin Klein fashion designer
• Justin Timberlake (@justintimberlake), musician
• Hollywood Reporter (@hollywoodreporter)

Designing Instagram’s Logo

You may have noticed in last week’s update that the Instagram logo got a fresh look. Mackey Saturday (@saturday), a designer and typographer from Denver, Colorado, is the creative force behind Instagram’s logo.

An avid Instagrammer, Mackey committed himself to creating a logo that would resonate with the community: “My hope is that the new design maintains all the excitement and delight that Instagram has had from the beginning, but with an even more polished finish,” Mackey says.

Mackey spent countless hours collaborating with our team until the final design emerged. “I want people to know and see that every last detail is always being considered and that this is a place where they can confidently create and share new memories for years to come. I’m honored to have a part in helping further those moments and hope that this piece becomes synonymous with fond memories, joyful emotions, and thrilling aspirations for the community.”

See more of Mackey’s design work at his website and learn more about the process behind the Instagram logo on his Dribbble profile.

Weekend Hashtag Project: #WHPmotherlylove

Weekend Hashtag Project is a series featuring designated themes & hashtags chosen by Instagram’s Community Team. For a chance to be featured on the Instagram blog, follow @instagram and look for a photo announcing the weekend’s project every Friday.

This weekend’s tag was #WHPmotherlylove, which asked participants to document what motherly love means to them in honor of Mother’s Day. Every Monday we feature some of our favorite submissions from the project, but be sure to check out the rest here.

Celebrating Mother’s Day with @Sueshine

Years after her adoption from a South Korean orphanage, Instagrammer Sue (@sueshine) discovered she had the autoimmune disease known as Lupus. The affliction practically destroyed her kidneys at a young age and years later when she discovered she was pregnant, both she and her husband knew they had a challenging road ahead of them. Her daughter, Sammy Lu, was born weighing less than 3 pounds, but Sue recalls that their struggle to bring Sammy into the world “was beautiful because my husband, my baby and I all fought together like warriors on a battlefield that refused to give up on each other. She was itty bitty but she was a fighter.” Sue’s condition improved after a kidney donation from her husband, who was miraculously a perfect donor match.

Two years later, it was confirmed that Sammy was autistic, but this was a hurdle Sue could overcome. “Raising an autistic child has pushed me to be creative and create a creative environment for Sammy. The scenes I capture are a combination of Sammy’s imagination and mine. It’s a peek into our Never Never Land; the place where silly, exciting and impossible things can happen.”

Sue shares photos of Sammy’s world on Instagram. Her photos capture the moments of calm, joy and wonder Sammy experiences as she interacts with the whimsical scenes that Sue carefully crafts with love.“It’s given me a place to show my life and most importantly Sammy’s life. Now it’s evolved into wanting to show a side of autism that is real and beautiful. That my daughter is more than a cute face, she has depth, hopes and struggles. To think that Sammy has strangers cheering her on, enjoying the small glimpses into her life and wanting the very best for her future is a wonderful thing that has come from the Instagram community.”

The Week on Instagram | 78

News

• TIME: Mothers To Follow (On Instagram) This Mother’s Day
• Mashable: Around the World in 80 Instagrams
• PetaPixel: Simple Tool Lets You Dig Up Instagram Photos by Time and Location
• Hello Magazine: Celebrities share their Instagram pictures from the Met Gala

Get Involved

• Weekend Hashtag Project: #WHPmotherlylove. View photos from the last project, #WHPsilhouettes.

Around the Community

• Photojournalists Sharing the World through Instagram
• The Making Of: @strght Skateboards
• Train Stations Around the World

Thailand’s White Temple, Wat Rong Khun (วัดร่องขุ่น)

Located near the city of Chiang Rai, Wat Rong Khun (วัดร่องขุ่น)—known outside Thailand as the “White Temple”—stands as an unusual and beautiful mix of traditional Thai architecture and modern-day science fiction memorabilia. It was designed by painter-turned-architect Chalermchai Kositpipat, one of Thailand’s most renowned architects, who set out to create one of the most elegant temples in Chiang Rai.

The temple’s white color symbolizes purity; its glittering glass signifies the teachings of the Buddha; and the moat filled with outreaching arms represents desire. Detailed sculptures of skulls, demons and severed heads are also scattered around the premises. Perhaps most interestingly, a mural inside with images of Batman, Superman, and even the alien from Predator tell a modern-day story of Buddha.

Construction on Wat Rong Khun began in 1996 and is expected to finish in 2070, long after Kositpipat has passed. Plans include nine buildings built on an area of about 3 acres, and though it is a work in progress, the temple attracts an increasingly large number of visitors every year—many of whom share their visit to the temple on Instagram.

This Weekend’s Hashtag Project: #WHPmotherlylove

Weekend Hashtag Project is a series featuring designated themes & hashtags chosen by Instagram’s Community Team. For a chance to be featured on the Instagram blog, follow @instagram and look for a photo announcing the weekend’s project every Friday.

The goal this weekend is to document what motherly love means to you. Some ideas to get you started: If you’ll be spending time with your mom for Mother’s Day be sure to take a portrait of her and share a favorite moment in the caption; if you are a mom, take a photo of yourself with your kids, either in a warm embrace holding hands or sharing a favorite activity; or feel free to get creative when trying to capture what motherly love means to you!

PROJECT RULES: Please only add the hashtag #WHPmotherlylove to photos taken over this weekend and only submit your own photographs to the project. Any image taken then tagged over the weekend is eligible to be featured right here Monday morning!