I finally got to see the exhibit, Taxidermy: Art, Science and Immortality at the Morbid Anatomy Museum. I still haven't blogged about House of Wax: Anatomical, Pathological, and Ethnographic Waxworks from Castan’s Panopticum, Berlin, 1869-1922. But that is another post! Below are pictures of my favorite pieces. The dog wall is exceptional. My favorites are the miniature dogs or puppies? The flyer for all the taxidermy was not numbered, and hard to read/ pinpoint which piece was which. So I can not describe or blog about the different animals. It was still fun to look at. I imaged interesting stories within the animals and owners on how he/she obtained the pieces and why. This is a mouse tableau from the 1820 or 1890s?! It looks so old, and interesting! I love it! How I feel on the Mondays when I can not get a seat on the train! Also the Morbid Anatomy Museum is bringing the Kitten Wedding tableau by Walter Potter, to Brooklyn! So I can't wait to see that next month! Woo hoo, it's never been in the U.S. before!!
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My high school friend, Sutisa and I went to Pittsburgh, PA this weekend. It was just for 1 day, so we didn't spend too much time there, but I still had fun! First up, we went to the Cathedral of Learning. COL is the centerpiece of the University of Pittsburgh campus. It stands 535 feet high and you can visit the 36th floor to see views of the city. It also houses classrooms (see the Nationality Rooms). We visited the Commons Room, that looked straight out of a Harry Potter movie. The Commons Room has beautiful Gothic style arches and a fireplace. Next door, we went to the Allegheny Court Soldiers Memorial or the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum. It is a memorial dedicated to honoring all branches of military. We walked around the lobby and peeked inside the auditorium which has the Gettysburg address as a backdrop. Apparently it also houses the death mask of Abraham Lincoln! The Andy Warhol Museum has 7 floors of his art. Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Andrew Warhola (real last name!) attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology in the late 1940s. His family is from Slovakia, and he had 2 brothers. Below is the lobby of the museum. We were so lucky that the museum also exhibited Ai Weiwei, along with Warhol. I watched a documentary on Weiwei on Netflix and was intrigued by him and his art, so I was familiar with his story. Weiwei and Warhol both had themed exhibits on each floor. They consisted of paintings, photography, sculpture etc. They had a lot in common and I was so excited to see the comparison / parallels of both artists regarding capitalism, everyday objects, politics, and cats! I didn't know the museum was also going to exhibited Weiwei's art, so I was pleasantly surprised! Upon researching Andy Warhol, I discovered that he did an installation with engineer, Billy Kluver called Silver Clouds, in 1966. It was a "metalized plastic film made by 3M that could be heat-sealed. They decided to form clouds, filled with helium and oxygen, that floated through the gallery on air currents, bumping into each other and into viewers in the space". Ai Weiwei paid homage and made a similar installation with balloons, some shaped as alpaca, that floated in the air by means of a fan, with a surveillance camera wallpaper as the backdrop. This was one of my favorites pieces, since you could gently play with the balloons, and the art was constantly changing. I also learned that Warhol liked taxidermy and was a collector of stamps, flyers, cookie jars, wigs, 20th century jewelry, Japanese objects (my favorite things to collect!) and other eccentric things. I was so excited to read this, since I love taxidermy and I collect toys! The museum included his taxidermy lion, and his Great Dane, named Cecil, but he also owned a peacock, penguin, and moose head. Warhol also loved cats, and had about 25 (living!) Siamese cats at his house. This is Weiwei's piece called With Flowers. It is a poetic protest against his confiscation of his passport, not being charge with a crime, and denial to travel. Everyday for 600 days, Weiwei put a bouquet of flowers in the basket of a bicycle that stands outside his studio in Beijing. Images of the flowers were put up on Weiwei's social feed and the project concluded when Weiwei's passport was returned to him in July 2015. The Mattress Factory has 3 buildings of art. The art on 516 Sampsonia Way is by Dennis Maher. It is called Second Home and is bursting with construction materials, toys, furnishings, and models. It also has video projections and audio elements that hit home to me. I felt I was in a familiar dream and I escaped into his world. It transformed me into a area full of magic, wonder, and mystery. I really enjoyed the three floors of his work. The three floor townhouse is crowded with his art, from wall to wall, floor to ceiling, encasing you in a place of astonishment, awe, and curiosity. Japanese pop artist and writer, Yayoi Kusama! I never saw any of her art in NYC in 2013, because I was busy getting married! But I am so happy that I got to see her exhibit at the Mattress Factory. I love her 2 exhibits titled Infinity Dots Mirrored Room and Repetitive Vision. It is full of lights, mirrors, mannequins and polka dots! One of her quotes: "If it were not for art, I would have killed myself a long time ago". Sutisa told me about Randyland. A guy name Randy Gilson, that turned his dilapidated building into an outdoor, colorful art gallery. Lastly, I suggested we go on an architectural boat tour around Pittsburgh. Since I enjoyed it so much in Chicago, I had to go again in Pittsburgh! Below is the skyline of Pittsburgh. The shiny, castle looking glass building (that is what the tour guide said!) is know as the PPG place. I thought it had turrets on top of the building, but they are actually spires. Pittsburgh Plate Glass rises 635 feet high and offers office space, shopping and dining facilities. It also has a skating rink in the winter and fountains during the summer. This is the fountain in Point State Park or otherwise knows as the Point. Sutisa and I didn't go there, but we saw it from the highway. It sprays water up to 150 feet. We also saw PNC Park, a baseball stadium on the Allegheny River. I don't like sports, but I have to admit, this stadium looks nice on the water, and bet has great views of the skyline. This is the USS Requin submarine at the Carnegie Science Center. I didn't know about it until our tour, but apparently you can go inside! I am fascinated with submarines; the husband and I are always watching movies with men stuck in submarines, trying to surface the water. This sub has a 312 foot hull and first entered the water in 1945, but never saw battle. That's it, short and sweet Pittsburgh. I wish I had an additional day to walk around and explore more museums. It was great to catch up with my high school pal, Sutisa, and I am thankful she drove 4 hours from Baltimore to Pittsburgh and back, so we could see some amazing art!
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My short blog topics include: photography, music, science, crafts, vacation photos, movies, events in NYC, and of course stop motion animation.
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