Museum pieces

-

At an art space supported by the Telephonica Foundation, we saw the amazing Strandbeests, the creation of the Dutch artist Theo Jansen. They walk powered by wind, and can even store energy in plastic bottles and thus amble without wind. Genius. 




For video see his site http://www.strandbeest.com/.   He also has a TED talk.

It was a nice building. Great looking stairwell.


Also in the building, a history of the telephone museum that was quite fun, though at the end, I had to laugh over the fact that my exact model of phone is already a museum piece.


At a different gallery, saw a retrospective of the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, Europe's Frank Lloyd Wright, a man who brought architecture into the modern age and also designed furniture, lamps, bricks, and many other things. His designs are still available, especially the glass ware.


Went to the Madrid design center for an exhibit of Bakelite objects that was absolutely wonderful - hundreds of pieces, all in excellent condition.  Unbeknownst to us, they also had a show with a about a dozen Finnish artists, all women, working in 3D with often recycled material. I'd show you photos, but none were allowed. 

Truly, Madrid is a museum lovers dream. Tomorrow we hit The Prado. 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tripped up in Beantown

-
Image
It is dawn. Mark is asleep but I have been awakened by pain. I had actually considered buying insurance for this trip.  Probably will next time. I had so much in mind for these 11 days and now it will be simply scenic drives for the foreseeable future. Yes, I have pain pills, but I take them sparingly because one very quickly builds a tolerance to codeine.  Mark is fetching and nursing - something,  I'm sorry to say, at which he has a lot of experience. At least I was still able-bodied for the MFA, one of America's truly great museums. Come for the John Singer Sargent. Be amazed by the Jamie Wyeth. Mark was gobsmacked by the latter, thus we made the exit through the gift shop and grabbed the exhibition book, adding serious pounds to the luggage.  I am blue. Mountain hikes and beach combing plans gone. Historical walks? Nope. Getting old sucks. I'm not saying I fell because I'm old. I fell because I walk fast and don't look out for obstacles. But a twenty-something w
Read more

Yes, we are moving.

-
Image
Short version: We have no need or desire to stay in Houston but we’re not ready to be 2000 miles away from our kids. Slightly Longer Version: We have never loved Houston and in the summer, we actually hate it. But we have had friends and work we liked (I came here for a job) plus it was an easy place to live because staying is always easier than going. It could have been much worse. But now Mark is retired from the U and my work requires only that I have access to an airport. When we took our month long vacation this summer, one of my goals was return home with a plan. Instead we returned home with a tan. But it was the pits of August so we fled to the hills of Austin to seek cold springs to swim in and drive some neighborhoods and before you know it, we were closing on a house. ‘Tis a small and modest 1971 ranch-style house, a fixer- upper not far from the action, less than 5 miles SW of the Congress Street Bridge. It is a transitional home, a place to be comfortable for a couple few
Read more