Elderly people attend an aquatic exercise at a private pool in Bangkok, Thailand, April 28, 2016. Many Thai families look after elderly relatives at a cost that countrywide adds up to just under a third of household income. The number of families facing this issue will balloon as the population ages at a rate among the fastest in Southeast Asia. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

Many people have seen feathers as decorative items before. Today, ostrich, peacock and bird of paradise feathers can be seen in haute couture and in the costumes of indigenous peoples. They can be colorful and spectacular in their own right, but how much more stunning might they be when used as canvases for artists, eager to demonstrate their talent for the unusual? Alaskan-born and -bred artist Julie Thompson is an astounding exponent of this incredible art form.

A pigeon, known as Siyah Kinifirli, with an approximate market value of 1000 Turkish Lira ($263), bred by 23-year-old Ismail Ozbek, is pictured in Sanliurfa, Turkey, December 23, 2016. As night-time approaches in Sanliurfa, southeastern Turkey, most of the alleyways of the city's old bazaar are emptying out of buyers and vendors, except for one. (Photo by Umit Bektas/Reuters)

“Born in London in 1969 Robert has had a passion for photography since the age of 14. After studying photography at Blackpool and Flyde College he undertook and completed a personal project, which went on to be published into a book called ‘One, Images of a Goalkeeping Season’. Robert has been commissioned for editorial and advertising projects by client based throughout Europe and the U.S. and undertakes commissions for many of the top advertising agencies”. – Tim Mitchell

Kimono-clad women enjoy the view from Tokyo Sky Tree’s 350-meter-high observation deck in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, on the Coming of Age Day, January 9, 2017. Sumida Ward invited about 430 local 20-year-old to the deck to celebrate them. Many city governments invite local 20-years-old to there’s symbolic places and celebrate for their Coming of Age Day. (Photo by The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images)

Twenty-year-old women dressed in kimonos walk during sunset after the “Coming-of-Age Day” celebration Yokohama Arena in Yokohama on January 11, 2021 under a state of emergency over the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Philip Fong/AFP Photo)

Japanese women wearing kimonos take a selfie as they attend their Coming of Age Day celebration ceremony at Toshimaen amusement park in Tokyo, Japan on January 14, 2019. Coming of Age Day is a Japanese holiday held every January to celebrate people who have reached 20 – the official age of adulthood in Japan. (Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters)