Guanyin or Guan Yin is the most used Chinese translation of the bodhisattva known as Avalokiteśvara. Guanyin is the Buddhist bodhisattva associated with compassion. In the East Asian world, Guanyin is the equivalent term for Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. Guanyin refers to the bodhisattva as adopted by other Eastern religions, she was first given the appellation of "Goddess of Mercy" or the Mercy Goddess by Jesuit missionaries in China. The Chinese name Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means " Perceives the Sounds of the World."Some Buddhists believe that when one of their adherents departs from this world, they are placed by Guanyin in the heart of a lotus, sent to the western Pure Land of Sukhāvatī. Guanyin is referred to as the "most beloved Buddhist Divinity" with miraculous powers to assist all those who pray to her, as is said in the Lotus Sutra and Karandavyuha Sutra. Several large temples in East Asia are dedicated to Guanyin including Shitennō-ji, Sensō-ji, Kiyomizu-dera, Sanjūsangen-dō, Dharma Drum Mountain and many others.

Guanyin's abode and bodhimanda in India is recorded as being on Mount Potalaka. With the localization of the belief in Guanyin, each area adopted their own Potalaka. In China, Putuoshan is considered the bodhimanda of Guanyin. Naksansa is considered to be the Potalaka of Guanyin in Korea. Japan's Potalaka is located at Fudarakusan-ji. Tibet's Potalaka is the Potala Palace. There are several pilgrimage centers for Guanyin in East Asia. Putuoshan is the main pilgrimage site in China. There is a 33 temple Guanyin pilgrimage in Korea which includes Naksansa. In Japan there are several pilgrimages associated with Guanyin; the oldest one of them is the Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, a pilgrimage through 33 temples with Guanyin shrines. Guanyin is beloved by all Buddhist traditions in a non-denominational way and found in most Tibetan temples under the name Chenrezig. Guanyin is beloved and worshiped in the temples in Nepal; the Hiranya Varna Mahavihar located in Patan is one example. Guanyin is found in some influential Theravada temples such as Gangaramaya and Natha Devale nearby Sri Dalada Maligawa in Sri Lanka.

Statues of Guanyin are a depicted subject of Asian art and found in the Asian art sections of most museums in the world. Guānyīn is a translation from the Sanskrit Avalokitasvara or Avalokiteśvara, referring to the Mahāyāna bodhisattva of the same name. Another name for this bodhisattva is Guānzìzài, it was thought that the Chinese mis-transliterated the word Avalokiteśvara as Avalokitasvara which explained why Xuanzang translated it as Guānzìzài instead of Guānyīn. However, the original form was indeed Avalokitasvara with the ending svara, which means "sound perceiver" "he who looks down upon sound"; this is the exact equivalent of the Chinese translation Guānyīn. This etymology was furthered in the Chinese by the tendency of some Chinese translators, notably Kumarajiva, to use the variant Guānshìyīn "he who perceives the world's lamentations"—wherein lok was read as meaning both "to look" and "world". Direct translations from the Sanskrit name Avalokitasvara include: Chinese: Guanyin, Guanshiyin The name Avalokitasvara was supplanted by the Avalokiteśvara form containing the ending -īśvara, which does not occur in Sanskrit before the seventh century.

The original form Avalokitasvara appears in Sanskrit fragments of the fifth century. The original meaning of the name "Avalokitasvara" fits the Buddhist understanding of the role of a bodhisattva; the reinterpretation presenting him as an īśvara shows a strong influence of Śaivism, as the term īśvara was connected to the Hindu notion of Śiva as a creator god and ruler of the world. While some of those who revered Avalokiteśvara upheld the Buddhist rejection of the doctrine of any creator god, Encyclopædia Britannica does cite Avalokiteśvara as the creator god of the world; this position is taken in the used Karandavyuha Sutra with its well-known mantra Oṃ maṇi padme hūṃ. In addition, the Lotus Sutra is the first time the Avalokiteśvara is mentioned. Chapter 25 refers to him as Lokeśvara and Lokanātha and ascribes extreme attributes of divinity to him. Direct translations from the Sanskrit name Avalokiteśvara include: Chinese: 觀自在. In Hokkien, she is called Kuan Im or Kuan Se Im In Japanese, Guanyin is pronounced Kannon Kan'on, or more formally Kanzeon.

This rendition was used for an earlier spelling of the well-known camera manufacturer Canon Inc., named for Guanyin. When iconography of Kannon depicts her with the Nyoihōju wishing gem she is known as Nyoirin Kannon, the Japanese adaptation of the Hindu deity Cintamanicakra. In Korean, Guanyin is called Gwan-eum or Gwanse-eum. In Thai the pronunciation is a duplicate from Hokkien Kuan

The Kuryokhin Center, or more extended the Sergey Kuryokhin Center for Modern Art, is a non-profit cultural centre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The centre was named after the Russian avant garde composer Sergey Kuryokhin; the main space of the centre has a capacity of 2000 people. The venue is located in an old cinema building; the Kuryokhin Center organises art events and festivals. The Modern Art Center is an old cinema space, it hosts experimental music and art festivals and a few other random events several times per year. The centre is the residency of the Sergey Kuryokhin Foundation that collects documentation about the composer. SKIF, Sergey Kuryokhin International Festival, is a yearly international festival of modern arts taking place since 1998. Kuryokhin ′ s long-time partner cellist. SKIF-1 and SKIF-2 took place in New York in 1997 and 1998. In October 1998 SKIF-3 moved to the city where Kuryokhin lived and worked. From 2005 SKIF takes place in the Kuryokhin Modern Art Center in St. Petersburg, the current residence of the festival and Sergey Kuryokhin Foundation.

Electro-Mechanica is an annual festival since 2007 representing electronic audio-visual arts including music, videos, films and performances Acts such as Tok Tek, Michael Rother, Psychic TV, The Ex, Pierre Bastien and Yuri Landman have performed at SKIF or Electro-Mechanica. Sister festival Ethnomechanica is an international contemporary world music festival in St. Petersburg, Russia. “Ethnomechanica” is a project of Sergey Kuryokhin Foundation and takes place in Sergey Kuryokhin modern art center annually since 2008. Carrying on the SKIF festival traditions, “Ethnomechanica” introduce to Russian audience diversity of world music, welcoming experiment and synthesis. Ethnomechanica focused in 2013 on Switzerland and The Netherlands. 2013 is the Netherlands-Russia year, a year in which the Netherlands and Russia emphasize their long bilateral relations. With a support of NLRF2013 Ethnomechanica invited Dutch artists Skip & Die, De Kift, The Ex and Rebel Up! Soundclash. Switzerland has a focus on Russia in 2013-2015, Pro Helvetia Swiss Arts Council supports the projects in Russia as a part of the Swiss Made in Russia programme.

In frames of this program we invited The Dead Brothers. Artists who performed in 2008-2012: Mulatu Astatke, Tony Allen, Mari Boine, Alexander Balanescu & Evelina Petrova, Orange Blossom, Alamaailman Vasarat, Zdob Si Zdub, La Caution, Jimi Tenor & Kabu Kabu, Munchi, Awesome Tapes from Afrika, Shazalakazoo, Las Balkanieras, DakhaBrakha, DJ Penny Metal, DJ Kosta Kostov, Debruit, General Levy & Jacky Murda, Tibetan Buddhist monks from Phiyang Monastery, Altay Kai,Fellow & VJ Ken Wolff, Daniel Haaksman, Leha Chicanos, Baimurat aka Jimmy, Asfaltal Da Kosmasas, Tamara Soundsystem, many Russia artists like Sainkho, Vera Sazhina&Sergey Letov, Kira Lao, Osipova Luka, Signor Mako, Kamennoe More, Psoy Korolenko, Garik Osipov, La Minor, Skazy Lesa, Volga, Swing Couture, Ptitsa Tyloburdo, Iva Nova, Vereya, DJ Dr. Ethno aka Nazim Nadirov, Inna Zhelannaya, Obmorok Imama and Marina Stepanova, Testo, Otava Yo, Hidden Tribe, Peterburgska Roma, DJ DenisRubin, VJ Anima, Trojan Soundsystem, Karl Hlamkin and OgneOpasnoOrchestra, Theodor Bastard, Chance-On Manouche, Naekhovichi, Chumaho Dryu, Ankalym, Dj Сhak and others.

Besides musical program, the festival presents world cinema, dances, VJ-ing. Kuryokhin Center Catalogue www.kuryokhin.net

The Centrifuge Brain Project is a 2011 German short mockumentary fantasy film written and directed by Till Nowak. The film incorporates computer-generated imagery to create seven real-seeming fictional amusement park rides used in a faux documentary film about the construction of physics-defying rides intended for use in research efforts to improve human cognitive function. Nowak was inspired to create the project when visiting an amusement park in 2008. Creating the sequences for the seven rides took three months, spread out through 2008 and 2011. After Nowak created the short as the three-minute video presentation The Experience of Fliehkraft, it was shared as part of the art installation "A Lot of Civilisation" at various museums and international venues during 2011. Blueprint renderings of seven unique rides were displayed while a looped video presentation repeated on several screens. In 2011, the 3-minute art piece was presented in November 2011 as part of the solo exhibition "A Lot of Civilisation" during "Walk of Art" at Prototyp Museum in Hamburg, Germany.

It was presented at Ars Electronica in Linz, where it was awarded with an honorary mention, SIGGRAPH in Vancouver, British Columbia, where it received a juried runner up. In 2012, it was presented at the Transmediale in Berlin, the Seoul Biennale in South Korea, the 7th edition of Media City Seoul. Most it was presented at the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie in Paris as part of L' Art Robotique through January 2015; as Nowak began sharing his faux blueprints and realistic clips as part of art installations, he released The Centrifuge Brain Project. Its creation was inspired by his wish "to create an stronger clash between realism and absurdity." Choosing a realistic approach, he chose the mockumentary style to allow viewers "to feel as if they were eye witnesses", "to enhance the impact of the idea." As part of the film's plot, Nowak created the fictional "Institute for Centrifugal Research" as the researching firm and chose actor Leslie Barany for the role of Chief Engineer Dr. Nick Laslowicz.

Barany was cast because of his ability to improv from the scripted lines to have them seem as if given in a real interview. Nowak related that "Barany was perfect for the role, because he turned out to be a good liar." Nowak had the monologue concept in his head for a while. Nowak stated, I had no technical reference for the short film. I created the techy talk just out of my own scientific humor, they are a mix of real physics and deliberate contradictions. The goal was to create the biggest possible mistake, but still make it sound convincing. Filming took two days – one day in an actual amusement park and one day in a laboratory – and editing took two months. With the added storyline and the narration by Leslie Barany as Dr. Nick Laslowicz, the short film debuted in October 2011, at Filmfestival Münster, its world premiere was on January 28, 2012 in France at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, followed by screenings on October 19 in Taiwan at the Kaohsiung Film Festival, November 17 in Germany at the Unlimited Film Festival Cologne.

It showed on July 1, 2013 in the Czech Republic at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, July 2 in France at the La Rochelle International Film Festival, had its television debut December 21 on Yleisradio in Finland. After being published to YouTube in January 2013, the film received more than 3.3 million views. An unreleased alternate version has interview questions becoming so accusatory that Dr. Laslowicz becomes angry and walks away, cancelling the interview. Dr. Nick Laslowicz is speaks toward the discovery of how playground merry-go-rounds increase creative activity in children and discusses the investigation of centrifugal force on human development to expand the human mind, he explains how his company, the Institute for Centrifugal Research doubts the accepted laws of physics and has developed tests of human mental endurance disguised as amusement rides. He describes how ICR developed a series of experiments as rides, created to test and expand a subject's mental growth; the first was the 1977 prototype 6 G-force Vertical Centrifuge which self-destructed in 1978.

ICR joined forces with a company that built and distributed amusement park rides to develop projects and gain funding. Their first working machine was the 432-seat, 1.6 to 2.1 G-force "Spherothon" globular centrifuge in 1982. The second was 1985's 96-seat, 2.3 G-force "Wedding Cake Centrifuge", so named because of how its four platforms were layered one above the other. In 1991, ICR shifted its concentration to height, developed the 2844-seat, 1-G "High Altitude Conveyance", which confused riders who were unaware the ride took fourteen hours. ICR learned that passengers would suffer from boredom on rides that were too long, specially for those passengers who had fallen asleep, missed disembarking, had to ride an additional fourteen hours. In 2005, a redesign of the HAC added toilets and oxygen masks. Dr. Laslowicz explains that to deal with the boredom issue, in 1993, ICR created the 18-seat, 1.1 to 3.6 G-force "Expander", as a ride with an interactive component. Finding this created brain activity, in 1996 ICR created the 126-seat, 2.7 G-force "Dandelion" to simulate the prenatal experience of an embryo.

In 2003, ICR created the 10,000 horsepower 172-seat, 9-G "Steam Pressure Catapult" to add a level of uncertainty which resulted in riders re-evaluating their own goals and aspirations. The last ride created was 2005's 12-seat, 17 G-force "Centriductor Schwingmaschine". Carl Zimmer of National Geographic referred to the film as one of his favorites from 2012, writing I like T