Category: Art & Architecture

ART & ARCHITECTURE

With my background in interior design, getting familiar with the distinctive architecture of a destination – the stories, beliefs, politics and culture that influenced it and the process of its evolution – is an ever fascinating prospect.

Categorising these posts is a challenge though, since there’s quite a bit of overlap
between cultural, historical and design perspectives. These are a few that tilt more towards art and building design. You’ll find more mainstream monuments over at the TRAVEL STORIES and HISTORY & CULTURE pages.

A Passion For Egypt

06/12/2013.Reading time 6 minutes.

A few treasures from the Egyptian Antiquities section of the Louvre Museum & reflections on plundered art and antiquities around the world.

Taj Mahal, India – Simplicity Of Perfection ( Story & Travel Guide)

11/11/2013.Reading time 18 minutes.

Taj Mahal, India, travel guide. Find inspiring Taj Mahal photography and travel tips to optimise your visit to the exquisite UNESCO monument.

The Magnificent Mausoleum Of Humayun

05/11/2013.Reading time 8 minutes.

On the couple of sublimely solitary hours we got to spend revelling in the magnificence of this necropolis and the serene silence of its pink stones.

Institut Du Monde Arabe, Paris – A Hi-Tech Mashrabiyya

21/09/2013.Reading time 2 minutes.

Photo essay on the hi-tech Institute du Monde Arab (World Arab Institute), in Paris, designed by architect Jean Nouvel

Banteay Srei Temple – The Citadel Of Art

17/09/2013.Reading time 2 minutes.

There are no massive city gates to welcome you here. Nor stone covered causeways over gigantic moats to traverse. But what Banteay Srei – Khmer for Citadel of the Women* – lacks in monumental scale and significance, it makes up for with its exquisite sculptural adornment. Each intricate carved inch of its centuries old pink […]

Luang Prabang = The Patterns Of Wat Sene

11/05/2013.Reading time 1 minute.

The Wat Sene Souk Haram (from the Sanskrit Sukharam) also known as the temple of 100,000 treasures, is one of many beautiful temples in Luang Prabang. Its facade and doors are heavily gilded and every inch of space on its walls, columns and even under its roof is covered with stenciled patterns. The secondary structures […]

Meditating Beneath Metal Spires

13/03/2013.Reading time 2 minutes.

If only one of two historic monuments were to be saved from the wrecking ball based purely on antiquity, cultural relevance or singularity, which factor do you think should take precedence? In a city full of Wats, the sacrifice of a heritage Art Deco theater to expose yet another Wat concealed behind it for years, and one of later vintage, […]

How Tall Is Tall?

22/11/2012.Reading time 2 minutes.

The Tokyo Skytree is a freetsanding tower that is as different from the Window Tower of Uzes as you can possibly imagine. At 634m it is the world’s tallest tower and the second highest freestanding structure. My one thought, gazing at the soaring latticework of steel tubing looming in front of me is…..how much higher can […]

France – The Window Tower Of Uzes

20/11/2012.Reading time 2 minutes.

Uzes was an impromptu stopover on our way to the Pont du Gard, part of the 1st century Roman aqua-duct, built to supply water to Nimes. This lovely medieval village in the Languedoc province, lies at the source of the Fontaine d’Eure and is the starting point of the aqua-duct. The first thing that catches your eye […]

The Gassho Zukhuri Houses Of Ogimachi

25/10/2012.Reading time 4 minutes.

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Gassho-Zukhuri means ‘Hands folded in prayer’ in reference to the roof of the distinctive thatched buildings in the Shirakawa-Go district. Ogimachi – a living, traditional Gassho village with 59 original Gassho-style houses – is one of three villages designated UNESCO heritage sites, .

Paris – Nymphéas

02/10/2012.Reading time 2 minutes.

The Musée du Louvre is the most visited museum in Paris, perhaps in the whole world, and rightly so. I doubt I will ever find enough time to do justice to all it has to offer. But when you are done here, a short walk down to the Musée de l’Orangerie can be a highly rewarding […]

Paris – The Splendid Stained Glass Of Sainte Chapelle

14/08/2012.Reading time 2 minutes.

The stained glass windows of Sainte Chapelle, on the Île de la Cité in Paris, are a sight to behold. Fifteen such windows surround the nave and apse of the second floor chapel with a huge rose window at the opposite end. Two thirds of the 600 sq meters (6,458 square feet) of glass is […]