crypt and call-box

From Public Domain Review comes a retrospective look at the life and times of influential early nineteenth century collector and architect Sir John Soane, who build structures sacred and profane and defined the layout of one particular sort of place of worship and wonder—museums and art galleries. Appointed Clerk of Works with responsibility for renovations of Whitehall, Westminster and Saint James’ Place, Soane also went on to design the Bank of England, the Bank of Ireland and the dining rooms of 10 and 11 Downing Street, respectively the official residences of the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Soane also designed the mausoleum where the earthly remains of his wife, himself and one son were entombed, which served as further inspiration decades after his departure.
Located in the churchyard of Old Saint Pancras, Giles Gilbert Scott, apprentice architect who would go on to build the iconic Battersea Power Station, whilst studying his father’s construction of St. Pancras Station, was much impressed with Soane’s grave and the younger Scott would return to that rounded, neoclassic capstone when it came to tendering his entry for what would become another ubiquitous and iconic design, the telephone kiosk.

thirty-four days, twenty-one hours, eighteen minutes

NPR correspondent Jessica Taylor presents a thoroughgoing post-mortem for the longest partial government shutdown in US history, which has just been conceded by Trump without funding for his shining beacon of white supremacy. We are happy that the individuals and families who suffered needlessly—and for the imperilled public lands and public safety—that relief is forthcoming. The dedication of the few, labouring without pay, keep catastrophe in abeyance but one does have to wonder about that month of lost time and sunk costs that’s never coming back.
Payments might come out of arrears but security vulnerabilities exposed and exploited because no one was at the helm of certain agencies, research lapsed, loss of morale and cohesion, meals forgone, austere compromises and perhaps one or two incidents of bribery—since a kick-back can seem quite tempting not knowing when pay day comes next—all have lasting consequences that are not easily undone. A three-week respite, as welcome as it is, probably also means that the US government will find itself at the same fiscal impasse again in mid-February—prone to repeat itself until the administrative state force lasting resolution. Acquiescing to the desire of the legislature to reopen the government should moreover be taken with a grain of salt as it coincided with the arrest and indictment of long-time ally and advisor, Roger Stone, noted cartoon arch villain who stroked Trump’s ego for decades and encouraged his serial contention for high office, by furloughed agents of the FBI.

organization 1

words to live by

Though having encountered the concept of ikigai previously, these other select Japanese principles were quite new to us—as presented in this review of the upcoming reflection by linguist Mari Fujimoto, which mediates on some of the language’s unique terms and phrases that allows one to gain a purchase cross-culturally as well as examining the deficit in one’s own outlook. All seven of these calming, cardinal notions (plus the thirty odd others covered in Fujimoto’s book) but were especially taken with the aesthetic quality of shibui (渋い) as a corollary to wabi-sabi (侘寂, finding beauty in imperfection) refers to the beauty in things revealed over the passage of time.

6x6

grapheme: the evolution of the alphabet

beamish: the British Antarctic survey have bored over two kilometres into the ice sheet

gingivitis: research suggests that Alzheimer’s and gum disease may share a common cause

magical mystery tour: mapping all the places mentioned in the lyrics of Beatles’ songs

ink trap: an assortment of puzzle and maths inspired typefaces, via Coudal Partners’ Fresh Signals

кино-аппаратом: a look at the pantheon of early Soviet filmmakers (previously) through the seminal work of director Dziga Vertov

paintception

Not only did this “slow meme” phenomenon remind us of the Droste effect (mise en abyme) in Annie Wang’s photography, this recursive challenge strikes us as rather uncharacteristically uplifting and positive, devoting oneself to an undertaking that’s bears our vulnerabilities while at the same time being an enriching exercise—honing goodwill and empathy as well as our painterly skill-set.

timeliness, objectivity, narrative

We enjoyed learning about the career of America’s first credentialed female photojournalist, Jessie Tarbox Beals (*1870 – †1942) through her assiduous documentation of Bohemian Greenwich Village. I especially liked her neatly written captions of the characters and haunts she encountered. The school teacher and hobby photographer got her first professional assignment from the Boston Post to take pictures of the Massachusetts state prison, teaching her husband the basics of the craft and bringing him along as her darkroom assistant, and went on—aside from opening a studio and gallery in the New York neighbourhood—to shoot such events as the Saint Louis World’s Fair and its Louisiana Purchase Exposition, as well as photographing presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, William Howard Taft and celebrities Mark Twain, Emily Post as well as their furry companions.
While earning her bona fides as a night photographer as well, Beals’ breakthrough also reminds us how physically demanding and perilous taking pictures was (and is still a risky business), hauling upwards twenty kilograms of equipment and keeping letter-sized glass plates on hand for each exposure.  Much more to see at Messy Nessy Chic at the link above.

exploratorium

As a celebration and showcase of the port city’s rich history of trade, manufacturing and research, the coastal metropolis of northern China, Tiānjīn (天津 – the delta of the Yellow River and literally meaning the “Ford of Heaven”), commissioned the international architectural studio of Bernard Tschumi to create a huge exhibition and conference space.
The perforated copper façade covered with portholes evokes the smokestacks of industry and will be the focal point of an urban revitalisation project that establishes a cultural centre in the Binhai New Area—just adjacent to the old town—and will be ready to receive its collections and first visitors in the autumn of this year. Learn more and see additional interior and exterior shots at Dezeen at the link above.