Lego Architecture

Several weeks ago, I went to an unusual exhibit here in DC : “Lego Architecture: Towering Ambition” at the National Building Museum. The Museum itself is an architectural jewel that was designed in the late 1880‘s by U.S. Army General Montgomery C. Meigs to house diverse government agencies.   It is an edifice not often visited by native Washingtonians.  


The Great Hall is a huge space, but light and airy; a space that encourages visitors to consider their own scale -- relative to the colossal structure in which they are standing.  Within the hall,  is a wonderfully energetic interplay of light, space, columns and arches.

Surrounding the Great Hall are long hallways -- which have an orderly, and somewhat  military, feel.  

The LEGO exhibit itself features the work of Adam Reed Tucker.  Tucker trained formally to be an architect.  He lived in Chicago (which many consider to be the true birth place of modern architecture) when the events of September 11 changed his life.    He reportedly invested $150,000 in Legos (that's a LOT of Legos!!) and began to construct models of some of the world's most iconic modern buildings.

LEGOS allow building on a grand scale - far more than the ERECTOR sets of old!

The first table features a lone -- and eery --model of the one of the World Trade Centers:

I grew up in Manhattan.   Thus, I could not help but take note of the Empire State Building.

I realized just how dated the Empire State Building now seems-- and diminutive -- in terms of scale.  (Look at the Hancock Tower soaring above it on the same table!)

My favorite structure is one that has not been built because of the failing economy: the Chicago Spire.   I am in awe of the curves that Mr. Tucker achieved using only the traditional LEGO blocks!

I also really enjoyed the black (former) Sears Tower (now called the Willis Tower).  There are many times when I have flown into the Windy City and have been amazed at how close that skyscraper seems relative to my flight!

There was a true simplicity to the exhibit room.  The beautiful blue and the light from the windows allowed visitors to focus on the models themselves...

With respect to the photography?  I am learning that bright colored clothing can be problematic when taking photos through windows (on planes for example)  or trying to capture surfaces that are highly reflective.  The black skyscraper models readily mirrored back my light blue fleece!

Having been inspired by the models viewed, children, of all ages, enter an adjoining room with tables and multicolored LEGOS to try their hand at creating their own modest 

structures.   Midlife, so many adults are weighed down in life that words such as"play","imagination" and "fun" sound like alien and menacing terms-- to be distrusted at all costs!   We can learn much from our children!   

First Day of Spring!

While I was out in Minnesota, I did have a chance to do a little sightseeing.   One of the places visited was a conservatory in a small zoological park.  You can imagine that northerners become snow-weary as winter wears on.   That does not mean life comes to a standstill!   

Far from it!  The Science Museum was hosting a fabulous exhibit on the treasures of Tutankhamen. There was also a major hockey tournament in progress (Duluth lost to Eden Prairie in triple overtime when the puck ricocheted off a player’s skate).   Still, with two feet of snow still on the ground, everyone was looking forward to spring’s arrival; the observatory, with its soothing warm humidity, was well-attended.   The first of the exhibits was a collection of ferns.  ( I love the size variations and the ways in which the patterns interlace.)

From there,  we went to the orchid collection, and tucked away, near a Victorian lamppost, was a Lady’s Slipper!

The standout, however, was a gorgeous Stargazer Lily with its explosion of color!

Last night, hopefully many of you had a chance to see the gorgeous orange disc of a moon as it slipped above the horizon.    Today, back home, our forsythia is ablaze!!   

Enjoy the season!

The Hoarfrost of Heaven

What is it about snow that brings such a wonderful interior silence? As I looked out towards the horizon, I almost felt as if I was beholding Earth’s shapely curves.  The photo was taken on the trip home from Minneapolis. I felt love/compassion/awe for the beautiful textures beneath me and am reminded of the poetic verses from Job 38:29-30

"From whose womb did the ice come forth,
and who has given birth to the hoarfrost of heaven?
The waters become hard like stone,
and the face of the deep is frozen." (NRSV)

One Word Project - continued

I suddenly realized that all of February passed without my having given the next clue to my word for the year!   For those of you new to this blog, the Shutter Sisters have initiated a challenge in which shutterbugs are encouraged to pick a word for the year which they would like to grow into and illustrate with monthly photos throughout the year....  

http://shuttersisters.com/owpabout


So....this is the second clue to my word.   Ponder!

"Tiger,Tiger burning bright"

(Taken at Animal Kingdom, Orlando)

TIGER, tiger, burning bright  

  In the forests of the night,  

  What immortal hand or eye  

  Could frame thy fearful symmetry?  

(William Blake)

Two years ago, I read a book that had me spellbound, if terrified.  My pulse quickened with every expedition as local villagers entered the jungle to harvest honey.  I held my breath as tigers silently stalked boats in the delta at twilight (and oh yes! they DO swim!!).   I imagined the kalash vipers waiting patiently for nighttime -- when they would slither into the homes, and beds, of their unassuming victims -- paralyzing them into eternal rest.  Yet despite all of the dangers recounted, part of my spirit longed to be with the author on her adventure!  

The book is Spell of the Tiger by Sy Montgomery.   The author is a naturalist who traveled during the 1990‘s to the Sundarbans, a tidal delta and mangrove swamp on the Bay of Bengal, up near the border with Bangladesh.  It is a region inhabited by a very aggressive group of tigers that actively prey upon humans while they fish, collect honey or chop wood.  In spite of the threat to their very lives, the locals revere the tiger.  The book details the myths, legends and worship of the people living in the Sundarbans even as it chronicles the predatory tactics of the tigers.

In my life, I, too, revere the tiger as a powerful symbol for those “places” in which I struggle with faith and/or fear.  I am reminded of the cautionary words of Russian Orthodox prelate, Anthony Bloom (from his book Beginning Prayer) words I read long,long ago:

To meet God means to enter into the ‘cave of a tiger’ –it is not a pussy cat you meet–it’s a tiger. The realm of God is dangerous. You must enter into it and not just seek information about it.”

As for the photo?

I have not been to the Sundarbans.   While I dream of a photo safari in India, I doubt that will ever happen given the increasing terrorism risks for Americans who dare to venture into that section of Asia.   Thus, this is an item on my “bucket list” that may remain unfulfilled.

To accentuate the fact that this magnificent beast inhabits the world of my dreams and imagination,  I have used a special technique called “post-crop vignetting”.   

Sadly, if more is not done to protect these wonderful animals, all we will know of them is what we see in our dreams, our books and our artwork:

(Taken at Animal Kingdom,Orlando)

(PS. Since Montgomery’s book was published, an even more powerful book has been written by John Vaillant, The Tiger: a True Story of Vengeance and Survival describing a powerful group of man-eating tigers in Siberia.  It was one of the nature books of the year for 2010.)