Archive for the ‘things I like’ Category

Struggling to post these days. Need more time. Totally contradiction when you think about the fact that I had time just now to find out that I am Copper Black Italic. Go see what you are, it's fun. What type are you?

It's been a while since I posted, I have been busy and there are a few draft posts lingering.....

Anyway..

After postponing my visit to the Olafur Eliasson exhibit at MCA, I finally got to check it out a few weeks ago. I have been to busy to blog about it, until now. The experience is still fresh in my mind and I wanna do it all over again. This is the kind of art I really love. There is no viewer or audience so to speak, every part of Eliasson's work is experienced and interacted with.

The main reason I wanted to see this exhibition was for the Lego. A huge long white table with access to 3 tonnes of pure white lego. It was bliss. There was no distraction from colour and as there were only basic blocks, my imagination ran riot given the limitations. Especially considering that I visited in the last week, so there was an extreme shortage of anything other than the 1 blocks. After fiddling around for a bit, I realised I could use this to my advantage and build something pretty cool regardless.

so here is what I built! (plus a few other shots, camera were not really welcomed that much in the exhibition unfortunately)

I like Red...no no, scratch that I LOVE RED! especially when it is with Black and White. And I have a feeling my 365wordgirl project will contain a lot of Scarlet, Crimson, Fire Engine Red, Vermilion and Cerise. I'm starting to be aware of it and would hate to change the flow of my project....so I guess I need to relax and let it happen, the way Mother Red intended.

If you need to know more about RED, there's a wiki just for red ;]

The symbolism of red is what interests me...it is loaded with strong messages of passion, blood, fire, sin, guilt and anger. It's a colour that can be happy and angry at the same time. It's not for the weakhearted or wishy-washy among us.

There is a distinct difference between a woman wearing red as opposed to a woman wearing pink. For me red shows that a woman is sexy and confident in her terms, while wearing pink demonstrates the need to be seen in a feminine light (maybe I just really detest pink).

Check out this awesome clip for Red, Black and White RADNESS!!

La France brûle ! from Marijane Miracle on Vimeo.

I adore the cartoon quality of this clip also...reminds me a little of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's films, speaking of which I scored free tickets to MICMACS on the weekend (thanks to the kind folk at Concrete Playground) Merci Beaucoup!

Vive la Rouge!

Like RTRD often says - "Don't you think Lego was better when it was more simple?" And I guess as a fellow designer his point is that imagination thrives on limitations. Give a child a bucket of basic Lego and they will build all kinds of amazing things. (Ok...it's true Starwars Lego is awesome and we love it more than basic pieces, but....)

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I found this list of '100 of the most beautiful english words' via Tumblr. It was compiled by Robert Beard. I am undecided as to whether I agree with his list...but with his 40 years experience in the field leaves me slightly intimidated to even begin debate. So! yes ok, nice list...beautiful words, hope to incorporate them more in my everyday life for a more fulfilling experience, blah blah blah...but wait!

According to Monkey Typist there are only 15 (yeah the blue ones) that are of old english origin...the rest are borrowed. Oh English, thou art one magnificent bastard!!

Ailurophile A cat-lover.

Assemblage A gathering.

Becoming Attractive.

Beleaguer To exhaust with attacks.

Brood To think alone.

Bucolic In a lovely rural setting.

Bungalow A small, cozy cottage.

Chatoyant Like a cat’s eye.

Comely Attractive.

Conflate To blend together.

Cynosure A focal point of admiration.

Dalliance A brief love affair.

Demesne Dominion, territory.

Demure Shy and reserved.

Denouement The resolution of a mystery.

Desuetude Disuse.

Desultory Slow, sluggish.

Diaphanous Filmy.

Dissemble Deceive.

Dulcet Sweet, sugary.

Ebullience Bubbling enthusiasm.

Effervescent Bubbly.

Efflorescence Flowering, blooming.

Elision Dropping a sound or syllable in a word.

Elixir A good potion.

Eloquence Beauty and persuasion in speech.

Embrocation Rubbing on a lotion.

Emollient A softener.

Ephemeral Short-lived.

Epiphany A sudden revelation.

Erstwhile At one time, for a time.

Ethereal Gaseous, invisible but detectable.

Evanescent Vanishing quickly, lasting a very short time.

Evocative Suggestive.

Fetching Pretty.

Felicity Pleasantness.

Forbearance Withholding response to provocation.

Fugacious Fleeting.

Furtive Shifty, sneaky.

Gambol To skip or leap about joyfully.

Glamour Beauty.

Gossamer The finest piece of thread, a spider’s silk.

Halcyon Happy, sunny, care-free.

Harbinger Messenger with news of the future.

Imbrication Overlapping and forming a regular pattern.

Imbroglio An altercation or complicated situation.

Imbue To infuse, instill.

Incipient Beginning, in an early stage.

Ineffable Unutterable, inexpressible.

Ingénue A naïve young woman.

Inglenook A cozy nook by the hearth.

Insouciance Blithe nonchalance.

Inure To become jaded.

Labyrinthine Twisting and turning.

Lagniappe A special kind of gift.

Lagoon A small gulf or inlet.

Languor Listlessness, inactivity.

Lassitude Weariness, listlessness.

Leisure Free time.

Lilt To move musically or lively.

Lissome Slender and graceful.

Lithe Slender and flexible.

Love Deep affection.

Mellifluous Sweet sounding.

Moiety One of two equal parts.

Mondegreen A slip of the ear.

Murmurous Murmuring.

Nemesis An unconquerable archenemy.

Offing The sea between the horizon and the offshore.

Onomatopoeia A word that sounds like its meaning.

Opulent Lush, luxuriant.

Palimpsest A manuscript written over earlier ones.

Panacea A solution for all problems

Panoply A complete set.

Pastiche An art work combining materials from various sources.

Penumbra A half-shadow.

Petrichor The smell of earth after rain.

Plethora A large quantity.

Propinquity An inclination.

Pyrrhic Successful with heavy losses.

Quintessential Most essential.

Ratatouille A spicy French stew.

Ravel To knit or unknit.

Redolent Fragrant.

Riparian By the bank of a stream.

Ripple A very small wave.

Scintilla A spark or very small thing.

Sempiternal Eternal.

Seraglio Rich, luxurious oriental palace or harem.

Serendipity Finding something nice while looking for something else.

Summery Light, delicate or warm and sunny.

Sumptuous Lush, luxurious. Surreptitious Secretive, sneaky.

Susquehanna A river in Pennsylvania.

Susurrous Whispering, hissing.

Talisman A good luck charm.

Tintinnabulation Tinkling.

Umbrella Protection from sun or rain.

Untoward Unseemly, inappropriate.

Vestigial In trace amounts.

Wafture Waving.

Wherewithal The means.

Woebegone Sorrowful, downcast.

Oh and if you read this far...just so you know Serendipity and Mellifluous have always been two of my favourites.

I just added this maze to THE LIST of things to do. Created by Isabelle de Beaufort and Bernard Ramus, who have been constructing mazes for over 10 years Find more info here (in french).This particular maze is based on the Medieval plan of  Toulouse. It is in Cordes-sur-Ciel, France. The abandoned cottage at the centre of the maze symbolises the legendary dragon which apparently lurked underneath the streets of Toulouse.

I wonder if it has something to do with this sculpture of Saint Margaret.

Saint Margaret (aka Marina) an Early Christian martyr, endured many painful ordeals she before her eventual death during the reign of Emperor Diocletian (r. 284–305). She was apparently swallowed by the devil in the guise of a dragon and after making the sign of the cross, the saint burst unharmed from its body. The sculpture itself dates from around 1475 and is a great example of the Languedoc style of the late 15th century, which Toulouse was the centre of during this time. Although this sculpture quite obviously depicts t the victory of Good vs Evil. I want to know about the dragon!!!

Why is it said to be under the streets of Toulouse? And is this to be taken literally or in a more symbolic sense? I mean it is a legend after all. Googling Dragon of Toulouse reveals plenty of references to the word dragon. But is it the dragon.

(wow I kind of feel like I have created my own labyrinth to get lost in here)

Anyway I digress...

If I had a property of substantial size I would indeed construct a maze, just to get lost in it.

Amazingly detailed stencil art from Evoltaste.com of Berlin. Awesome, awesome, awesome!! I am currently in awe of this guys stencilling. I love the detail and the way in which he makes boxes of all kinds into buildings. I came across this work after seeing a post a friend had made on Facebook. Check out his flickr photostream here. Below is the finished piece.

Check out these awesome cloaks by Lindsey Thornburg