Thursday, May 29, 2014

Helsinki Street Art: Suvilahti District

During my 2014 European travels I enjoyed an opportunity to explore plenty of street art. Today's installment comes from Suvilahti district [wiki]: once a power plant, now a place for artists and cultural events. I found this place in the best possible way, by getting lost.











Wednesday, May 14, 2014

A Few Moments in New York

Piet Mondrian (1943) Broadway Boogie-Woogie [detail]
A couple weeks ago, Matt Spangler and I flew to New York City to see All the Way, Bryan Cranston's new play about LBJ, and Sleep No More, the ingeniously immersive take on Macbeth that has audience members wandering a supposedly restored hotel for three hours of creepy, voyeuristic fun. On our final day I also found time to visit the Museum of Modern Art, where I indulged in a guilty pleasure: taking pictures of people taking pictures.

Andy Warhol (1962) Campbell's Soup Cans
Jasper Johns (1954-55) Flag
I'd originally intended to pop in for a few minutes - I actually considering saying something like "I'll pay you ten bucks just to let me see Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" - but a good deal on tickets persuaded me to dedicate a morning to MoMA. And, wow, I'm glad I did. The Picasso was indeed worth a detour, but my favorite part was an opportunity to study other folks' reactions to the collection.

New York High Line
New York High Line [detail]
One additional highlight: Strolling the High Line before Sleep No More. Somehow I'd not yet heard of this clever repurposing of an old railroad spur into a pedestrian promenade and greenway that cleaves through Chelsea and the Meatpacking District. It was a lovely way to enjoy dusk in New York City: drifting above the street on an elevated linear parks, the Jacarandas in bloom, and feeling grateful for the chance to travel.