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.
The Edificio Kavanagh in the Retiro neighbourhood of Buenos Aires is ostensibly a monument to the wrath of a scorned woman. And a reminder that you mess with a woman, especially one of means, at your own risk! Corina Kavanagh, an Irish heiress, fell in love with Aaron, the heir to the Anchorena family, whose grand […]
Read MoreThe centerpiece of the Beijing Olympics, the National Stadium, sits at the other end of the spectrum from my ‘solid’ post. A seemingly light and airy elliptical network of crisscrossing columns and beams, support asymmetric, translucent roof panels that challenge every rule book on architecture. The brief entrusted to architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron was to design a stadium […]
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Photo feature on the monumental hypostyle hall of Karnak temple in Luxor, Egypt.
Read MoreIndia has a thriving contemporary art scene and some of the big names such as M F Hussein and Tyeb Mehta have fetched huge sums in auctions worldwide. Since I cannot afford even the serigraphs of these master painters, I shall introduce you to some comparatively lesser known artists, whose works hang on my walls. […]
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One of the joys of wandering the streets of Barcelona is to suddenly stumble upon gorgeous art nouveau buildings sitting smack in the middle of nondescript shop fronts. The Antigua Casa Figueras is one such gem. Located halfway down the Rambla, this former pasta factory was built in 1820 and decorated by modernist artist Antoni Ros i Guell in […]
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The scaffolding covered structure that towered over us was underwhelming. Not that I had expected much else. As mentioned before, I had never been a Gaudi fan. But again, delving into the symbolism inherent in every stone and more importantly, the principles of construction, the designer in me could not help but be drawn into the […]
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I had always thought Antoni Gaudi’s buildings were…well gaudy. My minimalist aesthetics were offended by all that ornamentation and I never really paid much attention to his work. But as soon as I stepped inside this iconic building in Barcelona, I knew I had been so mistaken. About Gaudi and about modernist architecture. One of […]
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The Dendera Zodiac is proof of how well the ancient Egyptians could map the skies. Read on for a handy guide to the Dendera temple complex.
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I have always been captivated by images of this marvelous, triple roofed, vibrantly painted building. Supposedly built entirely of wood without using a single nail, ‘The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests’ is considered one of the best examples of traditional Chinese architecture. Imagine my surprise then, to discover that this building is not actually a […]
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Day trip to Abydos and Dendera – Part I, where we explore the Temple of Seti I in Abydos, one of the most beautiful Egypt temples.
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La Boca in Buenos Aires is a colourful barrio full of brightly painted houses and interesting graffiti. This distorted caricatures of street performers is a particular favourite. Read my full account of this Barrio of Kitsch here. Graffiti, La Boca – Buenos Aires, ArgentinaHave a great weekend!
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A visit to Suzhuo Museum: I M Pei’s masterful fusion of contemporary design with his hometown’s vernacular aesthetic. A must do when in Suzhou, China.
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The Urge To Wander 