Aug 21
Exterior of the Orbis South Melbourne “Surrealist” condo building
I recently found this article (via this blog) from Melbourne’s The Weekly Review about a new 48-condo unit Surrealist-inspired building. It is supposedly based on the work of “international sculptor Anish Kapoor and Belgian surrealist Rene Magritte”. This may sound like bizarre inspiration for home design but before you judge, let me give you a tour of the apartment amenities!
I spent most of the last week in Chicago including a full day at the Art Institute. It was my first visit since the opening of the new Modern Art Wing in 2009. Designed by Renzo Piano, the structure is glass with rib-like vertical and horizontal white elements resulting in an airy and light-filled space (even on a drizzly day) with incredible views of the city. It is a lovely, blank container for a good collection with some hidden green building construction.
I found these blocks tucked in a corner at the Ephesus Museum. The figure on the right looks to me like an Eques gladiator (medium round shield and short sword) although the helmet is small. I imagine that this fragment was part of a celebrity fighter’s tomb, now broken and nestled in some overgrown plants.
When I first downloaded my photos from Turkey, I was incredibly confused by the first dozen pictures. And then I remembered, we’d spent the afternoon in Paris! Our flights to Turkey included a 7 hour lay-over in Paris. I tried with my best French to ask if we could be switched to an earlier flight to Istanbul but no luck. So with seven hours in Charles de Gaulle and a need to keep jet lag at bay, what did we do? Power up on airport cappuccinos and head into Paris!
The view from my seat at lunch
Map of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (Image: crystalinks.com)
While I am keeping a count of UNESCO World Heritage sites I have visited, I realized that I am quickly racking up the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. I saw 2 alone in Turkey! I should use the verb “saw” loosely as both sites are essentially destroyed but definitely a notable stop along the way.
Daydream Tourist 