Handel’s Messiah at Orchestra Hall from the nosebleed section, aka the gods (UK English). First performed in Dublin in 1742 it still sounds good today, even from the cheap seats.
Category: Create
Beyond the Boundaries of Art
I ventured behind the blackout curtain on the left to find utter darkness. As I waited for my eyes to adjust, it dawned on me that this was not part of the exhibition. I quickly retreated back into the light, just as a docent approached. A mea culpa was in order.
A Splash of Color
On my gray, misty Mississippi walk, a vibrant mural splashed across a concrete wall stabilizing the riverbank. “What Will Sustain Us?”—art that discourages taggers and transforms the mundane.
Guns and Murder
A light dusting of snow was forming as we walked to Theatre in the Round for an adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel. Predictably, the playbill cautioned us to expect gunfire and murder.
Industrial Grit to Urban Chic
On a walk through the Minneapolis North Loop with friends, paused to take in this hotel/retail project. The building on the right had become dilapidated, but is being brought back to life. The old white building sandwiched between new construction was moved to this location.
Symmetry vs. Function
Today I had to accept symmetry in my LEGO gantry crane isn’t always achievable. Here’s the hoist and grabber subassemblies, operated by pneumatic pistons. Scissor mechanisms are inherently not symmetric in operation, so I had to consider choosing symmetry in either the extended or closed positions, not both.
Expanding the Repertoire
View from the lobby of Orchestra Hall while enjoying a pre-concert glass of wine. Tonight the Minnesota Orchestra featured pieces by six black composers, including two women. The art form tends to be Eurocentric, sometimes stodgy; tonight was refreshing, mixing it up.
Duality at the Depot
Walked between hardscape and softscape, passing the former 1899 Milwaukee Road Depot, now a hotel event space.
Cloudy with a Chance of Theater
Woke up to cloud-capped towers of Downtown. In the foreground, Gold Medal Park is putting on a fall display. Beyond the park, the Logitech-blue Guthrie awaits, where this evening we’ll take in “For the People,” written by local Native playwrights about the local Native community.
The Magical Realism of Japan
Dwight’s in Fargo visiting his mom, so I decided to watch some anime. Chose “Paprika” where dreams and reality lose boundaries. Magical realism pervades anime, as well as much of the Japanese literature I’ve read in translation, and (for me) Japan itself. I keep going back for more.