Monthly Archives: February 2012
The Page Turner
In grad school, I had the pleasure of designing a Rube Goldberg machine. However, it was part of a play so, my machine did not have to actually work. It only had to look like it was working. I had lots of spinning cogs, a kicking boot, and a whole bunch of bicycle wheels. It … Continue reading
History
I like my furniture to have a story. Pretty much everything in my apartment has history. My computer sits on a desk that my grandfather made in the 1920s; my television sits on a console that my grandmother bought at an estate auction and used in her home for decades; my sofa is a designer … Continue reading
Living Bridges
In the wilds of northeastern India, a small group of people have found an ingenious way to keep their bridges from washing away during the monsoon season. The bridges are not built, but grown, by training tree roots over the rivers. It takes quite a bit longer to make a bridge this way (10 to … Continue reading
Neto’s Net
Ernesto Neto is a Brazilian artist who does not appear to have his own website. This is pretty surprising to me. I’m not sure when I started expecting everyone to have a web presence, but I do. This amazing structure is called “Crazy Hyperculture in the Vertigo of the World.” I don’t know what that … Continue reading
Patterns in the Snow
In high school, my best friend and I used to write huge messages in the snow. Our favorite was “UFOs land here.” I think that is from a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon. We thought we were quite clever. Sonja Hinrichsen makes large scale snow drawings. This one was at Rabbit Ears Pass in Colorado in … Continue reading
Gothic Light
My interest in Gothic Architecture kind of snuck up on me. At its worst it is dark and scary and cold. At its best it is light and heavenly. My heart soars when I am standing under a vaulted apse hundreds of feet tall, when the stone seems lighter than cobwebs. Intricate tracery and gigantic … Continue reading
The Books 2011
I decided to make Sundays my list/personal day here at Design Flourishes On my Life List #24 is to read 40 books a year, every year. Last year I just made it under the wire. There is some internal debate as to what constitutes a “book.” A long difficult book takes a lot more time … Continue reading
Metropolis II
Last week I headed over to LACMA to see Metropolis II. It is always interesting to see something in person that I have already seen in photos. There were several surprises: I had heard that the instillation was a model of Los Angeles. It is not. Rather, it is an idealized city built from all … Continue reading
Suspended Together
“Suspended Together” is a very elegant visual metaphor. I cannot say it better, so here is the artist statement about the work: “Suspended Together” is an installation that gives the impression of movement and freedom. However, a closer look at the 200 doves allows the viewer to realize that the doves are actually frozen and … Continue reading
The Movement of the Waves
Maggi Hambling is a celebrated English portrait artist who has taken to painting the sea in the last several years. From her press release: ‘Early each morning I go down to the sea and try to capture its mood by drawing, and each day is different. Back in the studio, these drawings become paintings. Whether … Continue reading
