chihuly and di sarli at de young

yes, you read that right..... both dale chihuly's glass work and carlos di sarli's tango were found together in one night at the de young museum in san francisco's golden gate park. it was a magical coming together of artistic pleasures. but, before i delve into that evening specifically, this requires some background: i'm sure it's obvious by now that i enjoy tango, but less known is my affection for chihuly & his work. he is from tacoma washington & also attended my alma mater there {univ of puget sound}, so i became well aware of him in those formative college years. his work is on campus and all over town ~ beautiful adornments where ever you find them. and his studios are there too. i find it particularly perfect that so much genius beauty-making comes from a small city placed right on the puget sound.

the puget sound is one of the most naturally beautiful places on earth. not only on land but below the depths of the sound too ~ the largest concentration of cepholopods in the world are found in the waters {that run so deep the deepest point has yet to be measured}, and phosphorescent water creatures are incredibly prolific here too {full moon kayaking here is divine}.

not to mention the snow capped mountains that surround the emerald forests & vast waterways..... the inspiration for everything creative and contemplative is never ending.
and this is where we connect with tango ~ the creative and contemplative. i've been dancing since i was 4 {i still have my first pair of tap shoes} and have tried many forms of dance from west african to bhangra to ballet and none have evoked such depth of connection as tango. for me it's the perfect blend of feminine and masculine, an exchange of creative surrender and inspired decisiveness, a transfer of energies made more beautiful by mutual understanding and trust. all done to the most evocative of music.on the very same evening as the first ever milonga en el museo, you could also go down stairs and see some of the most extraordinary blown glass ever made. being able to take in the sounds of di sarli and the feelings of tango, while also getting completely absorbed into chihuly's mystical glass wonderland was something so fabulous i couldn't help but try to share it with you here. {many more photos here}


this post wouldn't be complete without a soundtrack to get you in the mood:
CARLOS Di SARLi

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{1st photo of puget sound by wild celtic rose. 2nd puget sound photo by canis latrans. all other photos by me}

jefferson's contributions

in 1962, president john f. kennedy hosted a white house dinner for 49 nobel prize recipients at which he famously said, "i think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent and of human knowledge that has ever been gathered together at the white house ~ with the possible exception of when thomas jefferson dined alone."
born on april 13 in 1743 and died on july 4 in 1808, thomas jefferson helped shape the new american nation and also shaped some of the country's most distinguished buildings.
jefferson thought classical architecture was the perfect model for democratic architecture and the american republic. it was jefferson's idea to model america's famous capitol building after the roman pantheon with a circular domed rotunda.

jefferson modeled his own home, monticello, after villa capra rotunda by the italian renaissance architect, palladio.

his design for the virginia statehouse was based on a roman temple in nîmes, a building he was thrilled to see when he was our ambassador to france.

his design for the university of virginia was based on classical pavilions which used different classical orders as models for the students at virginia.
jefferson thought that classicism promoted virtue. hopefully virtue will soon be restored to the white house with the changes in november. but for today i'll just focus on being grateful for the contributions of thomas jefferson to so many aspects of our nation's development.

information and photos from:

http://en.structurae.de/index.cfm
http://www.greatbuildings.com/
http://www.monticello.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

take your time

you have until feb 24th to go to sfmoma, or you'll miss it. and please take my advice, if you haven't yet experienced it, please do.

a genius artist named olafur eliasson has taken over the 5th {and part fo the 2nd} floor at the sfmoma with his incredible works entitled take your time. to quote the sfmoma:

"widely heralded as one of the most important artists of his generation, olafur eliasson nimbly merges art, science, and natural phenomena to create extraordinary multisensory experiences. challenging the passive nature of traditional art-viewing, he engages the observer as an active participant, using tangible elements such as temperature, moisture, aroma, and light to generate physical sensations."

in other words, it's an amazing exhibit not to be missed.

as a teaser, here is a small blog dedicated to the exhibit. and here is mr.eliasson's own website.

{top 3 photos are from the sfmoma blog. last photos taken by jendita in a room where all colors except yellow were removed. it makes you feel like everyone is on a movie or something. kind of glamorous & kind of bizarre at the same time. }

gorgeous ceiling experiences

keep looking up ~ happy wednesday!

(schuster performing arts center's eliptical dome ceiling in dayton ohio)

(bank of commerce ceiling in toronto)

(steiner and lenzlinger's falling garden installation at the san stae church on canale grande in venice)

(chihuly installation ~ persian pergola ceiling ~ for the olympic arts festival in salt lake city)

alvar aalto

there are many things to admire about alvar aalto. he's considered the father of modern architecture & design in northern europe, he's finnish, he was featured on the last version of the finnish mark (before the euro took over), he received several gold medals & international honors for his works during his lifetime, and his architecture & designs are incredible, ground-breaking beauties with much influence still today. he died in 1976 in helsinki.

(auditorium of the once viipuri municipal library, when it was still part of finland, is now the vyborg library in russia. it was famous for its unorthodox wave-like ceiling, sunken reading wells & cylindrical skylights. it was built in 1935 & is under restoration right now.the 3-legged, bent birch stools shown here are another lasting legacy design of aalto's)

(the aalto theater opera house in germany - designed originally in 1959, was opened in 1988. also the showplace of the essen ballet, it has elegant & modern harmonious lines. aalto's original plans were followed closesly even though it was built 10 years after his death & 30 years after he actually designed it. this shows the lasting quality of his talent)

(the landmark auditorium of the helsinki university of technology ~ the inside features the main auditoriums for the university while the outside can be used as an amphitheater for plays & other activities. completed in 1966)

(completed in 1970, this is an interior shot of the largest skylight over a circulation & study area in the mt.angel abbey library in mt.angel (st.benedict) oregon. i've never seen it in person even though i grew up in oregon. maybe my next visit home can include a trip here! )

(the north jutland museum was completed in 1972 in denmark. it's special features include its flexibility ~ mobile partition wall systems can transform the character depending on the requirements of individual exhibitions; and the unique use of natural light, which has helped to make the building world famous)

(the savoy vase is also known as the aalto vase ~ reflecting his organic architectural forms. manufactured by iitalia)

(this photo is taken at the moma in nyc, and shows several of aalto's famous paimio chairs. they were designed for his famous 1929 building, the paimio sanitorium in finland. the degree of bending of the wood for his design was a technological innovation at the time. aalto furniture is manufactured by artek, which aalto co-founded)