Hula, a tradition that tells stories passed down for generations, was banned in the 19th century by missionaries who dismissed Hawaiian culture as heathen. Today, we watched Hawaiian hula performers who had participated in an annual international festival of performers from across Polynesia.
Category: Arts
Butler’s Blues
Jonathan Butler, the world-class South African performer, was the artist. However, the sound quality was poor, so we left because sunk cost is a poor reason to stay. A relaxed nightcap on our balcony wound down a good day.
Multiple Viewpoints
Took in a lovely Hockney exhibition at the Honolulu Museum of Art, filled with the artist’s humanity. Bonus: Hokusai prints from his final (1839) series, One Hundred Poems Told by the Nurse, a small sample from James Michener’s gift of thousands of significant Japanese prints.
Echos of the Alhambra
Visited Shangri-La, the former home of tobacco heiress Doris Duke, which is now a museum showcasing rare and beautiful Islamic art and architecture. At times I was transported to the grandeur of the Alhambra. Tickets go fast, so I booked this visit the day tickets became available a few weeks ago.
Unwinding the Mystery of Strandbeests
Posted Unwinding the Mystery of Strandbeests. Dutch kinetic sculpture artist Theo Jansen’s wind-powered strandbeests are the inspiration for my next LEGO project.
Unwinding the Mystery of Strandbeests
Dutch kinetic sculpture artist Theo Jansen’s wind-powered strandbeests are the inspiration for my next LEGO project. From 1990 onwards, he has taken these strand (Dutch for beach) creatures through twelve periods of evolution. Inspired, I want to build thematically similar creatures using LEGO.
Pillsbury A Mill: Supporting Creativity
Walked down the alley behind the former Pillsbury A Mill. Completed in 1881, it was once the largest flour mill in the world. The reinforcements visible on the right were added to address the vibrations from the milling machines, which threatened to shake the structure apart. Today, the building has been transformed into a community of residential artists’ lofts.
Multiple Realities
At the Walker Art Center today: “Multiple Realities: Experimental Art in the Eastern Bloc, 1960s–1980s,” artists who pushed boundaries under communism. The threats faced by our current system share unsettling parallels, whether it’s the targeting of sexual minorities, the suppression of inconvenient historical truths, “alternative facts,” or attempts to control access to information.
Trading Hygge for the Blues
Woke up this mornin’, expecting a day of hygge as the cold spell winds down. Then friends on the mend from COVID passed on tickets to us for blues artist Keb’ Mo’ at the Dakota Jazz Club. This eight-time Grammy award winner was new to us but not to the sold-out audience.
Framing Friendships
Walked over to the Guthrie for a performance of ‘Art’ where friendships are inflamed by a piece of minimalist art. “If you’re not who I think you are, then who am I?”