Frank Gehry's work

 Architecture today - in honor of  Frank Gehry who recently died 

It felt, for quite some time there, like the age of Frank Gehry would never end. But now that the latest defining figure of American architecture — or technically, Canadian-American architecture — has died at the age of 96, the time has come to ask when, exactly, his age began. Or rather, with which building: Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles? The Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris? The radical renovation of his own humble Santa Monica home often cited at the origin point of the metallic, deliberately incongruous, often nearly alien aesthetic now recognized around the world? According to the B1M video above, it is to the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao we must look to if we wish to understand the architecture of Frank Gehry — and much else besides.

And, like most architects, Gehry is survived by not just his built legacy, but also a series of projects not yet complete — including the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, scheduled to open its doors next year.

Thanks Open Culture newsletter 

Sharing with Tom's Tuesday Treasures 

-----------

Incidentally, I recently read Dan Brown's book "Origin" as an audio book (read by Tom Hanks.) It took place at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao as well as other Spanish places. As fiction it was another Brown page turner, but not what I'd give 5 stars...maybe 3-1/2.

------------------

Today's Goddess:

Venus of Parabita is a goddess figurine dated ca 17,000 BP. It is 9cm high and made ​​from a splinter of bone from an aurochs or horse. Found in the Grotta delle Veneri (cave of Venus) in Puglia, Italy.

Thanks The Mother Goddess on FaceBook

-------------------

12 days till Winter Solstice - the returning light following the longest night.

Brú na Bóinne - Newgrange and Knowth - year unknown

More photos of Newgrange can be found on my blog.

Speaking of architecture! 

Newgrange Ireland,  5,200-year-old passage tomb

--------------------

The creative process - writing

 

Wow, May will have 5 Saturdays! And the first prompt is a typewriter, spectacles, and a lot of papers strewn about.

Mmm, my experience in writing has been mostly blogs of late, so I might talk about that. I admit to spending quite a lot of my time just reading the blogs posted by others. My shaky fingers has expanded to my hands, so even mousing around is getting very difficult - so I'm glad that I can still at least type. And I may not be doing much writing while on this antibiotic which seems to have made shakes worse - though I'm glad to have posted a few in advance.

But Sepia Saturday is looking for some old photos. Therefore, I'll see what kind of snapshots might exist related to writing.

Besides brains, one need sustenance to write. I sit here just having finished a bag (small) of potato chips and 3 cookies, while drinking a diet Dr. Pepper. But fresh donuts and 7-Up would have  also been good! I'd prefer not to eat brains. Just my personal choice. 

Archive Holdings-  Factory workers manually assemble typewriters. 1920s

Probably reenactors of author Mark Twain and his friend John  T. Lewis. Below is a version of these men as published by a historical society.

Journalist Nellie Bly, Ten Days in a Mad-House, 1887

I also have the hand-written letters from some ancestors from pre-Civil War times, with examples on that old post...

See other Sepia Saturday  posts !

Entertainment:

Reading Dan Brown's "Origin." Much the same feeling as his other books of being led along over long winding ways with peril due any moment, to maybe something in the last chapter. But it's so fun to imagine Tom Hanks playing the role of the hero, I am halfway through and enjoying this Spanish and religious-questioning book (as an audio version.)

I also would recommend the movie "Frida" which I recently watched on Prime. It shows much of her art, as well as her husband's (Diego Rivera). There is an artistic twist in the film whereby different works are connected to the quotes by the artist by animations. It also has English subtitle translations of the Spanish words. However it doesn't include the two houses she and Diego lived in for years, nor the beautiful death scenes I've seen in other Frida Kahlo movies about her life.

And among my new newsletters I read are Rebecca Solnit's "Meditations in an Emergency." The recent one was an article about an activist elder, "... Jo Anne Garrett of Baker, NV, who would've turned 100 on April 30th."  The title of the article is The Art of Arrival, and it includes some wonderful thoughts about journeys.

---------

Sunday update from Starhawk about the boat carrying food to Gaza which was bombed by an Israeli drone:  

Here’s a short update on the Conscience, the Freedom Flotilla boat attempting to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza. The boat was bombed two nights ago by drones sent by the Israeli military, and severely disabled. Fortunately, the thirty humanitarian activists on board are safe for the moment, and the ship has not sunk. But the Maltese government is not allowing the ship into harbor, where it would be safe from further attacks and could be repaired. Please contact the Maltese Government and urge that they allow the Conscience safe passage and shelter.

Maltese Consulate in New York:

(closed until Monday, no message option)

(+1) (212) 725 2345

Email:

malta-un.newyork@gov.mt

Maltese Prime Minister’s Office

Maltese prime minister's office +35622002400

For the moment, the activists on board the Conscience are unharmed. But the people of Gaza are being harmed, with no aid or food allowed in...

You may contact Malta government to urge them to let the boat into port for repairs.

-----------------

Today's quote:

Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the earth revolves.

Thich Nhat Hanh

Small jar by Barbara Rogers - another use of overlapping three glazes