Every year when November rolls around I am reminded of the quote above from the great American 19th century poet Emily Dickinson. I probably first read the line during high school when I was going through that adolescent poetry phase. What did she mean ? No one knows for certain. In fact, Dickinson never visited Norway. But still, what a marvelously melancholy mood it conveys.
Some of us spend more time traveling through fictional lands than we may care to admit. What if those imaginary countries actually issued their own passports and travel documents? Well, thanks to NeoMam Studios and Budget Direct we can have a peek at some of those novel documents.
La portentosa vida de la muerte (The Prodigious Life of Death) by Joaquín Bolaños, is a late 18th century Mexican novel that stars Death as a female protagonist ( la muerte in Spanish is a feminine noun). The story begins in the Garden of Eden, where Death is born as a result of Adam’s sin and Eve’s guilt. Isn’t baby Death cute in her little cradle?
Over the course of the book, Death grows up, goes on adventures, gets married several times (and kills all her husbands, of course), and is finally herself conquered on the Judgment Day. Although Bolaños, a Franciscan, recommended the book “a los hombres de buen gusto” (to men of good taste or education), most contemporary people found the book too irreverent, morbid, and just plain weird. Despite its poor reception, historians now see it as an important example of eighteenth-century Mexican literature and culture.
Oh My Gourd is a timely and wonderful stop motion animation carved from pumpkins. The amusing video, which required hours of work carving dozens of gourds, was directed by Sean Ohlenkamp and Rob Popkin.
While libraries in the West struggle with budget cuts and closures, China is building institutions for the future. Looking like it’s straight out of Bladerunner 2049, the new Tianjin Binhai Library occupies five floors of a huge cultural center and is packed with 1.2 million books. Designed by the Dutch MVRDV group, the library is already a popular social gathering spot in the northern port city.
I was happy to discover that London-based artist/illustrator/cartographer Jenni Sparks has released a new series of London culture maps. The highly detailed typographic illustrations are the result of a year’s research and work. Each piece incorporates Sparks’ impressions of the city’s history and changing cultural landscape. The best part is that we can purchase prints from the series, as well as earlier maps and illustrations at Sparks’ website.
A big h/t to TBTP follower Daniel Wood for sending the link for the video below. As I have mentioned previously, I’m an evangelist for Alaska travel. If you’ve got the time ( and the cash), it’s more than worth the effort. Most folks visit Denali in central Alaska during the summer months, but as you will see from Oregon-based photographer Taylor Gray’s amazing video Denali 4K autumn is one of the best times to be there. Like Gray, I was lucky enough to spend a little time in and around Denali during September when the fall colors were breathtaking.
I’m a huge fan of the always wacky art work by the brilliant Brazilian artist and illustrator who goes by the name Butcher Billy. These seasonally appropriate pulp fiction and horror inspired faux book covers are a treat.
Here’s what Butcher Billy had to say about the series:
“This series imagines an alternative universe where some of the most desperate and tragic romantic songs in the 70s and 80s are actually books written by Stephen King. The concept is to look at the dark side of love by the vision of pop culture, bringing aspects of its classic stories to play the true meaning of the songs.”
The Norwegian architecture group Snøhetta has released images of its design for Under, Europe’s first underwater restaurant in Lindesnes, Norway. The project is set to begin construction in February 2018, with a concrete cuboid half-submerged like a monolithic shipwreck off the country’s southernmost point, leaning into the sea to give guests a view of the aquatic life below.
The designers hope that the building’s aesthetic among the rocky surroundings means it will become part of the marine environment. The surface of the concrete form is rough, to encourage mussels to cling on, as the architects aim to create an artificial reef that purifies the water and attracts more sea life.
The building will also function as a research center for marine biology outside of restaurant opening hours, and researchers will help to improve conditions for fish and shellfish near the restaurant.
The structure will sit five meters below the surface and will have meter-thick concrete walls and an acrylic window to withstand the pressure and shock of the tide. The restaurant entrance will be clad in untreated oak that will weather to a grey color to fit with the concrete and surroundings. Inside there will be three levels descending to the dining area, with a dark blue and green interior to blend with surroundings.
You can plan to visit in late 2018.
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