December 13, 2011 – Headlands

In California, and particularly the Bay Area, old and abandoned forts, batteries and bunkers are plentiful. Across the Golden Gate Bridge, in the Marin Headlands, you can’t wander far without finding reminders of an earlier era of military defense. Many of the structures are from World War II. It might surprise some how interesting and aesthetically pleasing many of the old bunkers and gun batteries look today. I often see them as being like sculpture emerging from the golden hills. I find them haunting in the fog or striking in bright sunlight. It’s also easy to imagine the bunkers as precursors for the mid-century architecture that perched modernist homes on California hillsides. If we maintain our “ancient” fortifications for a few more centuries, they may seem as interesting for future tourists as any European castle.

July 29, 2011 – Moroccan Arch-itecture

This week’s it-only-costs-one-dollar find was a scenic Morocco book for tourists. The book is from the 1980’s with all these Technicolor images of arch after arch among the many architectural delights of Morocco. I still haven’t visited Morocco, but I fantasize about having my dream house with a Moroccan-themed room. Then I’ll have the excuse for a great trip to acquire all the furnishings and objets for the room. One day….

June 25, 2011 – Gaudí

I can still remember the moment when I emerged from a Barcelona subway station at got my first glimpse of La Sagrada Família. I knew little about Barcelona and had no idea who Gaudí was. It was love at first sight. When I see photos from friends’ trips to Spain, I can see that the construction of the Cathedral has progressed along. It makes me a bit sad, reminding how long since I have been to Barcelona — one of my favorite cities.

A sparkly little collage in honor of Gaudí (who was born on June 25, 1852) is today’s piece for the 2011 Project. If ever there was a “mixed media architect,” it was Antoni Gaudí.

May 23, 2011 – Thinking about Museums

Yesterday’s visit to the Legion of Honor got me thinking. Clearly, I was inspired by Rodin’s The Thinker in the courtyard entrance. I love the Legion of Honor for a number of reasons. The setting alone always makes it a worth the visit. I also like the building inside and out. When it comes to art museums, I admit to being somewhat old fashioned. I don’t mind modern architecture for a museum. My issue is with museum buildings that don’t have that special presence.

When you walk up to the Legion of Honor, enter the Courtyard, say hello to The Thinker and make your way inside, you know you have arrived at a museum. I like the feeling of a temple of culture. The newly renovated and modern Oakland Museum also gives you that feeling as you make your way up the stairs off of Oak Street. It does not have to be all about columns and marble. The Asian Art Museum, in the converted old Main Library, retained the grand feel of the Beaux Arts style building. While it’s a very un-Asian building from the street, it clearly has the presence of an important museum. Many newer museums are beautiful once you make your way inside and get into the galleries, but the initial experience is not very museum-like. Every time I walk into the new de Young I feel I should be looking for my gate and signs that say things like Jet Blue and Southwest.

San Francisco has a lot of newer buildings that do not look like what one might expect. The de Young feels like an airport terminal. The International Terminal at SFO looks more like a Costco. The massive Costco South of Market looks like a jail. Down the street the jail looks more like a modern art museum. Turn up Third Street and you might mistake the SFMoMA for a bank. You step into the lobby and expect to even see a row of tellers. The newer main library next to the Asian Art Museum feels more like a shopping mall when you enter into the large atrium. It is very similar to the San Francisco Centre down the street, but without the Nordstrom’s upstairs.

One could respond that museums are more about their collections and how they are curated. Which, yes, is the most important thing. But I prefer the whole experience and like my museum entrances grand as well.