Credits: “Ski Jump” by F. A. Macheret, 1975, scanned from Молодость Страны, published by Издательство “Советский художник.”

For today, here is a photo that didn’t quite fit within the Boundaries of Power post at polis. It is one of Moscow’s ubiquitous pedestrian underpasses during the late 1960s or 1970s. These tunnels make it possible to cross huge streets in a reasonable amount of time, and there are often vendors and performers along the way. A particularly good rock band plays in the underpass leading to the Arbat. They seem to be there every day, surrounded by a festive crowd. Once a dapper elderly couple was ballroom dancing at the center. Parades of rollerbladers click down the stairs and streak by. Rushes of people make it seem like a party when it rains.

Credits: Photo scanned from Moscow Past and Present by V. Promyslov.

“The users of such machines do not touch the ground, but move forward through the connection of their hands and feet to grips and pedals transferring physical force to wheels, propellers…”

Christoff Asendorf in Batteries of Life: On the History of Things and their Perception in Modernity, Translated by Don Reneau.

Credits: “Deux filles se promènent à travers le ciel” by Max Ernst, 1929, scanned from Batteries of Life.

While searching for images for a recent post on Clarence Stein, I came across this photo of him (second from left) visiting a collective farm in Russia’s Arkhangel region in 1927. Apparently he was there to discuss regional planning studies for agriculture and settlement undertaken by his colleague Benton MacKaye (who also worked to establish the Appalachian Trail).

Credits: Image scanned from The Writings of Clarence Stein, Edited by Kermit Parsons.

I just saw a great documentary by Sanjay Kak, called Words on Water (2003).  It focuses on longstanding resistance to the construction of giant dams in India’s Narmada Valley. The footage is captivating,  including a scene in which Arundhati Roy is arrested and taken to jail in an SUV owned by a dam construction company. In another scene, James Wolfensohn (during his tenure as president of the World Bank) talks through a chain-link fence to a crowd of protesters. I found the activists very inspiring, although I know there are other ways of viewing this conflict. There must be a way to safeguard against abuses of power, and I think it starts with this kind of organized community action.

Credits: Image of a scene in Words on Water from magiclanternfoundation.org.

May 1968, photo by Gilles Caron.

I’d like to learn more about these mounds. Building into the ground may be a good way of reducing consumption of energy and other resources. There are some videos about Cahokia mounds (near Saint Louis) here and here.

[Originally posted to polis] This is a postcard of the Hawaii State Capitol around the time of its completion in 1969. The caption on the back says: “Hawaii’s striking and unusual State Capitol is an unforgettable sight when illuminated at night.” Although this sounds kind of euphemistic, the building does appear striking and even beautiful in the photos I’ve seen.

Apparently, the architectural team (a collaboration between Belt, Lemon and Lo, and John Carl Warnecke) explained the building with metaphors from local geography. The reflecting pool is the Pacific Ocean, the legislative chambers are volcanoes, and the columns are coconut trees, with eight on each side to represent the state’s main islands. Even the chandeliers in the legislative chambers are representative (of the sun and moon, that is). My favorite part is the open center, as “it is said that the sky is Hawaii’s capitol rotunda.” Read the rest of this entry »

“Residents interviewed through the city said that the cries that they heard emanating from many collapsed buildings in the initial hours after the quake had begun to soften, if not quiet completely.” New York Times (Jan 15, 2010)

Earthquake response teams in Port-au-Prince explain that there is a 72-hour period in which people trapped under collapsed buildings can be rescued alive. We’re now at 67 hours. While there are still people under the rubble and homeless children searching for their families in the streets, it may be too soon to reflect upon the horrible aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. However, after donating as much as we can and still feeling helpless at the sight of the images in the news, this may be the best time. Read the rest of this entry »

[Originally posted to polis] Do you have a favorite public work of art? Or least favorite? Whose work would you like to see more of? Or less?

Great public art doesn’t always share the qualities that are thrilling in galleries. I like Georg Baselitz statues, but I would feel uncomfortable viewing some of them in the presence of children and grandparents. At the same time, it can be uncomfortable when public art is boring or just not appealing. This is subjective, but it is also why thinking about public art is important — it enters the lives of many different people, few of whom have any say in the matter.

Not having a say can be good if it exposes us to delightful things we never knew existed. There is a hit-or-miss quality that keeps things interesting, as long as they don’t become static. To keep this from happening, maybe there should be some kind of periodic review for public works of art. This could be a chance for people who experience them to voice their opinions. If a piece turns out to be well loved, it could be preserved. If people are repelled or indifferent, maybe it could be moved to make way for something new. Allowing for a constant stream of work, and keeping the ones that fit, might improve upon the places we move through each day.

It’s nice to see interactive public art, with people stopping to look closer when they’re late for work, kids playing on sculptures, friends posing for funny pictures, couples hiding away, or skateboarders jumping on and off. Art doesn’t have to be social in this way, but it can be great for public spaces when it is.

Credits: I can’t remember where I found this picture of a skateboarder in Philadelphia’s Love Park, but I hope, since I’m not making any money, the photographer won’t mind that I post it. Please let me me know if you have any leads.