LLamáme

Llamàme. Machu Picchu, Peru. December 2017.

It took a train and a bus for me to reach Machu Picchu. This guy made it up the 8k elevation on his own four legs and living his best life.

Let Her Glow

Let Her Glow. Beacon, New York. November 2017.

Girl meets Flavin. Girl is entranced. Dia:Beacon is the place to go to be completely immersed in contemporary art. The museum is located outside of NYC, along the Hudson River, in Beacon, New York. 

Dia Art Foundation helped spearhead the movement of converting former warehouses and industrial buildings into museums and art spaces. With the help of some artists and architects, including Robert Irwin, Dia:Beacon was converted from a 31 acre Nabisco company printing plant into the immersive art space it is today. 

This girl was sitting in her stroller until her family pulled up in front of this Flavin. Once up on her legs, she strutted immediately towards the lights. I was lucky to snap this shot right before her grandmother came into the frame to prevent her from touching the installation. I get it girl, I want to touch the Flavin too. 

Squared Away

Squared Away. Rome, Italy. March 2016.

The Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana (or Colosseo Quadrato) is one of my favorite examples of rationalist architecture. Just outside of Rome in the EUR neighborhood, the palazzo was recently renovated to be the global headquarters for fashion powerhouse Fendi. While I enjoy the aesthetics, it has a bit of a controversial past.

The palazzo was constructed between 1938-1943 and created to showcase Benito Mussolini's grand fascist vision for Rome, Italy, and the world. EUR was created to host the 1942 World's Fair and the palazzo was its centerpiece. It is rumoured that there are nine window arches to match the number of letters in "Mussolini". If you look across the top of the photo you can count: M-U-S-S-O-L-I-N-I.

The plans for the exhibition were actually canceled in 1941 during the finishing of the palazzo and it sat unused for a decade after its completion. The palazzo has open and closed intermittently since 1953, and in 2015 Fendi moved in after a five year public restoration period. Fendi will call the palazzo home at least until 2030. 

I am headed back to Rome this month and will hopefully make it back to visit EUR. 

Serenity Now

Serenity Now. Wilmette, Illinois, U.S. October 2017.

Baha'i House of Worship for the North American Continent. Wilmette, IL, U.S.A.

This Baha'i Temple is located just outside of Chicago and is worth a visit if only to admire the lace-style interior and exterior. I have visited my fair share of cathedrals, churches, mosques, temples etc., however this is the first religious site I have seen with this type of intricate architecture.

This Baha'i temple is one of the seven in the world and is the only one located in the United States. Completed in 1953, the Baha'i House of Worship is the oldest surviving of the seven. The Baha'i faith was founded in the mid 1800s and it is quite an inclusive religion that believes in the oneness of the world’s religions, the equality of all races, and a coming age of world peace. Baha’i temples are meant to be a place where all people of faiths can worship God. To reflect this openness, the exterior pillars include symbols representing Judaism (Star of David), Christianity (cross), and other ancient religions (swastika). 

I consider myself more spiritual rather than religious; I enjoy visiting to have that moment of reflection and introspection. It is clear, especially from the design, that Baha'i is a welcoming faith so I feel encouraged to come back, sit, and look up at this view.

You Looking at Me?

Nara, Japan. December 2014.

Walking through Nara, you feel like you are the subject being studied. While most known for being the first permanent capital of Japan and having the world's largest bronze Buddha, both are slowly being overshadowed by these free roaming sika (Japanese spotted) deer. Legend has it that god of thunder Takezikamuchi arrived to Nara on a white deer to protect the newly established capital. Since then, deer have been regarded as sacred, heavenly animals protecting city and country. 

The deer are tagged, accounted for, and approachable. Antlers are shaved down so they are tourist friendly and roam around freely, especially concentrated in Nara Park. Vendors sell food to feed to them so they are well fed and spoiled. Despite being tame, expect to be nudged and followed crossing Nara Park. Do not bother approaching a pack of them without having some senbei (deer crackers) ready. These guys are not messing around. 

The Lookouts

The Lookouts. Venice, Italy. September 2017.

Campo San Stefano. Venice, Italy. September 2017.

These two know how to people watch. 

Never Neverland

Never Neverland. London, England. September 2017.

Kew Gardens. London, England, UK. September 2017.

While I love the busy and frenetic aspects of London, I also enjoy its green spaces. Despite how dense London is, there are numerous parks scattered across the city: from Hampstead Heath to St. James Park, Regent's Park to Kew Gardens.

This Victorian-style greenhouse named Palm House is located in Kew Gardens, roughly 45 minutes via tube from city center. This was my first time to this part of Richmond and I ventured there to see "The Hive," the U.K. Pavilion from Expo Milano. The pavilion was beautiful, but I was just as intrigued by the greenhouse.

The Palm House was built in 1844 as a place for explorers to house tropical plants brought back from travels in the tropics. It remains one of the most distinguished examples of a glass and iron Victorian structure. The misters are necessary to maintain the rainforest climate inside, but also creates the appropriate ambience for this ethereal and mystical urban escape.

Sky High

Sky High. London, England. September 2017.

Sky Garden, London, U.K. September 2017.

Sitting atop of London's controversial "Walkie Talkie" building (aka 20 Fenchurch Street Tower), Sky Garden is a must see for anyone that enjoys a free urban retreat with a view. Opened in 2015 and designed by architect Rafael Viñoly, Sky Garden has a full 360 degree view of the city where you can see London Bridge, Tate Modern, Barbican, Gherkin, and a lot in between. I went right around opening so that I could get some photos without people in them, but many others had the same idea. Luckily the garden is large enough to accommodate hundreds and finding an undisturbed moment shared between a couple is still possible.  

Valuable Time With You

Valuable Time With You. Venice, Italy. October 2017.

Venice, Italy. September 2017.

This is Domenico, one of my dearest friends. We traveled to Art Biennale in Venice together two years ago and returned again this year to see Vive Arte Vive! As a seasoned attendee of both the art and architecture Biennale, Domenico navigates the Giardini by heart and has an eye for detail that I can only hope to emulate. 

Here we are inside an installation in the Korean Pavilion designed by Lee Wan. Lee's work entitled "Proper Time: Though the Dreams Revolve with the Moon" is an installation of 668 clocks that cover the walls of this room from floor to ceiling. Each face has the name, birthdate, and nationality of various individuals Lee met while researching economic circumstances around the world. Despite its uniformity, the clocks do not move in unison. The hands move at a speed that is determined by the amount of time the subject has to work in order to afford a full meal. 

But, back to Domenico. He is my better half in all ways: sophisticated, articulate, and wise beyond his years. The time I spend with Domenico is precious and so when I took this photo, I thought it was, for lack of a better word, timely. I can only hope our Biennale trips together continue on as a tradition because every trip with Domenico is an education I cannot get anywhere else.

Pequeña Princesa

Pequeña Princesa. Mexico City, Mexico. March 2017.

Chapultepec Castle. Mexico City, Mexico. March 2017.

Sending my thoughts (and money) to Mexico City today. My heart goes out especially to the families who lost young children in the school collapse. 

I'm contributing to the Mexican Red Cross: https://cruzrojadonaciones.org/ and I hope you do the same.

#FuerzaMéxico

Love Your Bodie

Love Your Bodie. Outer Banks, North Carolina, U.S.A., September 2017.

North Carolina, U.S.A. September 2017.

I spent Labor Day holiday this year with friends in Outer Banks, North Carolina. Outer Banks, also know as OBX, is a string of islands on the north east coast of the state. It is about a six hour drive from D.C. and a welcome getaway for a short vacation. It was my first time to this sliver of land on the coast and first time seeing these beautiful, quaint lighthouses. There are a few stretched along the length of OBX, this one with its signature black and white horizontal lines is Bodie Island Lighthouse. Apparently going into the surrounding tall grass is ill-advised as there are snakes and ticks abound this time of year, but with risk comes reward.

Give Me Liberty

Give Me Liberty. Milan, Italy. April 2016. 

Milan, Italy. April 2016.

Hidden in Milan near Porta Venezia is an enclave of art nouveau (aka liberty style) buildings. One of the most notable examples is pictured here, the turn of the century palazzo Casa Galimberti. The exterior features a whimsical façade of feminine and masculine figures, curved wrought iron, a floral motif, and ceramic tiling. The nouveau exterior of Casa Galimberti actually stretches beyond this panel and wraps around the entire 170 meters of the palazzo. The building and the exterior were both designed and executed by architect Giovanni Battista Bossi between 1903-1906. While the city is known for it's flashier architecturural marvels like Boeri's Bosco Verticale, Pelli's Unicredito Tower, and the Galleria, this section of Milan has the air of cities like Brussels, Paris, Glasgow, and Barcelona, where Art Nouveau is much more common.