Went on a journey from despair to celebration with the Minnesota Orchestra. The opening piece was based on W. B. Yates’ dark poem, Nine Hundred and Nineteen, reflecting the turmoil of Ireland in 1919. The concert concluded with Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony composed in 1944 Russia with notes of celebration in the final movement. Time will tell if there are parallels with the upcoming days in the USA.
Category: Create
Orchestra Hall at 50
At Orchestra Hall, admired a LEGO model of the venue, part of a display celebrating the building’s 50th anniversary. The model captures the auditorium’s angle relative to the rest of the building and the street grid, a tricky feat with LEGO. Inside the auditorium, we enjoyed a concert featuring Shostakovich, Bernstein, and a recent commission by Chinese American, Zhou Tian.
Exploring the Elusive Nature of Home
A visit to the Walker always transports me. Today, the draw was a new exhibition, “This Must be the Place,” exploring the multifaceted concept of “home.” Anything I would write on this worksheet seemed pretentious, so I held onto my thoughts about home being more of an idea woven from experiences, relationships, and memories for this aging, gay, technocratic, married, …, immigrant.
Brushes With AI
At the Victoria & Albert Museum it was Digital Design Weekend. Here, museum visitors are on a date with a difference. They’re communicating via phones using language restricted by AI. Meanwhile another AI system is generating social media comments on how the date is going. Elsewhere, machines creating water colors inspired me to imagine the… Continue reading Brushes With AI
View from Endless Bridge
Endless Bridge is a cantilevered structure that juts out of The Guthrie Theater, reaching towards the river. It has two levels, an outdoor space, and a bar. And the bar is where we’re enjoying a glass beside a mirrored window before The Lehman Trilogy. I’m anticipating a 3-hour critique of unfettered capitalism, starting in the… Continue reading View from Endless Bridge
Old Meets New
On my cycle ride through the Minneapolis North Loop, took in new construction that integrates with two historic structures, thus retaining some sense of place. I’ve always liked the 1884 Commutator building on the corner, but it was falling into disrepair. The white structure (propped up) was wheeled round the corner while a huge hole… Continue reading Old Meets New
Hamlet’s Last Stand
Last night we watched the first three acts of Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet (1996), tonight the final acts. It’s quite a marathon (4 hours) and uses the full original text, which makes it tough going at times, but the performances and settings (and subtitles) hold our attention sufficiently.
The Hidden Question
Spotted this parked in the Seward neighborhood. A quick Google search revealed that ‘Yhw’ is a vowel-deficient Hebrew deity. Looking closer, I noticed a compartment labeled ‘chalk.’ The orientation of the label suggested I was viewing the piece incorrectly. A photo search revealed it was by local artist Tom Saunders, who invites viewers to write… Continue reading The Hidden Question
Maintaining Balance
It was a drippy morning, so a walk was in order. I stopped for coffee at Downtown’s Spyhouse, a place I usually associate with winter. At various points today, including while sipping my coffee, I continued my research on bicycle balance. So far, I’ve seen enough convincing evidence that a bicycle can maintain equilibrium without… Continue reading Maintaining Balance
A Fleeting Display
Last weekend there was a street art festival on Nicollet Mall in Downtown. The sidewalk chalk art had survived quite well when I reviewed it today, minus crowds.