Architecture

Huashan 1914

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Huashan 1914. Taipei, Taiwan. August 2017.

Huashan 1914. Taipei, Taiwan. August 2017.

Huashan 1914 Creative Park is an artistic enclave in the heart of Taipei. This complex was restored and reopened as a multi-purpose creative space in 2005. The buildings were originally part of a large wine factory opened in 1914 to produce sake, ginseng wine, and breed moth orchids. After switching hands several times, the Taiwan Council for Cultural Affairs took control of the complex and started a complete reconstruction of it. The Creative Park is now home to traveling art exhibitions, painters, writers, wood carvers, theatre groups, directors, as well as an event space. When I visited, the park was hosting seperate exhibitions on Gaudi's architecture, Paul Smith's studio, and an exhibition of Nathan Sawaya's work, oh, and numerous photo shoots, of course.

Dancheong

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Dancheong. Seoul, Korea. August 2017.  

Dancheong. Seoul, Korea. August 2017.  

Gyeongbokgung Palace is the largest of the "Five Grand Palaces" in Seoul. Construction of Gyeongbokgung began in 1395 and the palace became the main royal residence during the Joseon Dynasty for roughly three hundred years before a fire swept through and demolished the grounds. The palace has been through two major restorations, each one expertly restoring the palace closely to its original design and color. 

This is the interior of Geunjeongjeon, the throne hall, where the King would host formal audiences and deliver official speeches and announcements. The size is impressive, however I was taken more with the "dancheong," the traditional decorative coloring used on the wood. The colors of "dancheong" are blue, white, red, yellow, and black and the various combinations of the colors also convey social status. The pattern pictured here in the throne room was used almost exclusively for royal residences or holy places. While I have seen palaces in Asia before, many of them are a deep red with gold decor and dark wood. The "dancheong" style is truly unique and a nice departure from what I imagined traditional Korean architecture and interior would look like. 

Paper Prayers

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Paper Prayers. Seoul, Korea. August 2017.

Paper Prayers. Seoul, Korea. August 2017.

Bongeunsa Temple is a peaceful getaway in the middle of the urban chaos of Seoul. As you approach the temple, long rows of hanging lanterns line the pathway up. When you walk through the second gate, a beautiful courtyard opens up and hundreds of these white paper lamps hang creating a delicate white ceiling. Each lantern has a written prayer tied on it; mothers wishing for their children to attend a top college or to find a good match. Patrons give generous donations to the temple to have their prayers hang from one of these lanterns, some for up to a year. Every morning, monks hold a ceremony to read new wishes received, meditate, and pray on them. I am not a Buddhist, but admittedly I did leave my mark in the form of a prayer. Who knows, perhaps the mothers are on to something. 

L.O.V.E.

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L.O.V.E. Milan, Italy. May 2015.

L.O.V.E. Milan, Italy. May 2015.

Milan has a sense of humor. This is one of the more fascinating sculptures in the city that one should not miss. Located in the middle of Piazza Affari, it is hidden in the business district of the city. The sculpture was created in 2010 by Maurizio Cattelan, placed in the piazza, and was only supposed to stay in the square for a couple of weeks, yet here it stands seven years later. The Milanese government decided to keep it up indefinitely. So what is Cattelan's sculpture flipping off? Well, that's the best part; the hand is placed right in front of the "Borsa" a.k.a. Italian stock exchange. While Cattelan has never explicitly said what the message of his work is, it is safe to assume that it is a big "f*ck you" bankers. It is widely accepted to be a harsh commentary on the European economic crisis that plagued Europe in 2008 and hit Italy especially hard. If the gesture itself and the placement are not explicit enough, Cattelan titled his piece L.O.V.E., an acronym for Libertà, Odio, Vendetta, Eternità (Freedom, Hate, Vengeance, Eternity). Irony at its best.

Walking with a Purpose

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Walking with a Purpose. Washington, D.C., U.S.A. February 2017.

Walking with a Purpose. Washington, D.C., U.S.A. February 2017.

Twice a year, the Library of Congress welcomes the public to it's famous Main Reading Room for an open house.  One of the open house dates lands on President's Day every year and I visited during my staycation this year.  

The Reading Room in the Thomas Jefferson Building is truly breathtaking, however the most unique moment I saw was this group of sisters exiting the Library together. Running into sisters traveling together in public was a common sight in Italy, however it's not something I see every day here. I noticed their bright blue habits as I approached the Library and was happy I snapped them before they disappeared out of frame. 

The Novacento View

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The Novacento View. Milan, Italy. November 2015.

The Novacento View. Milan, Italy. November 2015.

This room in the Museo del Novacento is my favorite view overlooking Piazza del Duomo. Museo del Novacento has a fantastic collection of 20th century Italian art, however I would often visit just for this view (and the bar that also overlooks the piazza). Pictured here is my friend Kata, a statuesque beauty that I worked with at Expo. When we visited Novacento together, we had just wrapped up a phenomenal Expo experience and were candidly a bit nostalgic and aimless. We had a large void to fill now that Expo had run its course and we were both plagued with the nagging "what next?" question. Kata and I decided to take a few hours to get out of our heads and enjoy our newly acquired free time by going to Novacento to take in this view. We had been so busy working that we hardly ever saw the Duomo or piazza during the day. This was a healthy change of pace and the best part of it was that we were able to go during off-peak hours and have the whole view to ourselves. 

Little House on the Ocean

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Little House on the Ocean. February 2015. San Diego, CA, U.S.A.

Little House on the Ocean. February 2015. San Diego, CA, U.S.A.

I am back home in San Diego for the holidays and one stop I like to make is at the historic Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach. These Cape Cod style cottages sit on the pier for visitors to rent for a stay above the Pacific. Crystal Pier was built in the 1920s, followed by these cottages in the 1930s. They are particularly unique because these accomodations are the only one of its kind along the California coast line.