STOP! Signs (Ode to the Octagon)
View allAll Photos Tagged Octagon
I don’t see many of these around, always wanted to know why they built them octagon, made for a super photo opportunity.
Located in one of the poorest areas this abandoned octagon schoolhouse never had power, the windows are located on all sides for light and only had 12 students at a time, all the houses are now gone and the building has been purchased by hunters to make it a club, imagine how things were back in the early 1900’s.
The anniversaries are short lived
But they come back around at a breakneck speed
My world spins so fast
The centrifugal force keep me stuck in the middle
We close our eyes
Learn our pain
Nobody ever could explain
Orleans House, Twickenham, Richmond-Upon-Thames, London. Public art gallery and events venue with an interesting history. Completed in 1720.
Denton, Texas
The Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square was constructed in 1896 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Courthouse lawn is the final resting place of John B. Denton, the county's and city's namesake.
The grey sandstone for the courthouse trimming came from Mineral Wells and the eighty-two columns are of red Burnet County granite.
Vista dal cortile interno di Castel del Monte, un edificio del XIII secolo fatto costruire nell'omonina frazione in provincia di Andria dall'imperatore Federico II di Svevia.
L'edificio, oltre a essere un esempio di costruzione precisa, è carico di simbolismi che hanno appassionato numerosi studiosi.
L'ottagono su cui è basata la pianta del complesso e dei suoi elementi è una forma geometrica fortemente simbolica: si tratta della figura intermedia tra il quadrato, simbolo della terra, e il cerchio, che rappresenta l'infinità del cielo, e quindi segnerebbe il passaggio dell'uno all'altro.
L'intera costruzione è intrisa di forti simboli astrologici e la sua posizione è studiata in modo che nei giorni di solstizio ed equinozio le ombre gettate dalle pareti abbiano una particolare direzione.
(Da Wikipedia)
Castel del Monte stands on a promontory close to the monastery of Santa Maria del Monte (near Andria), where it was constructed during the 1240s by the Emperor Frederick II. The octagonal plan is unusual in castle design. Historians have debated the purpose of the building and one theory is that the octagon is an intermediate symbol between a square (representing the earth) and a circle (representing the sky)..
(From Wikipedia)
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All material in my gallery MAY NOT be reproduced, copied, edited, published, transmitted or uploaded in any way without my permission
Will I find you
In the halls of perfection
Somewhere between
The circle and the square
There exists a star in the ether
One can sense it near
My heart will beat again
In the starlight
New life will find a way
I can then travel through the colonnades
Soar up through the arches
See how you were made
The moon dips low on the horizon
But the star still brilliantly shows
What can I become now
Who will I be
Maybe it is too late here
I think we can agree
But squaring the circle
Helps me to believe
That all is not lost yet
And I will find what I need
***
When I was in Ocklynge Cemetery in Eastbourne, East Sussex, UK, this unusual octagon star in the centre of this cross caught my eye, as did the sculpted acanthus leaves at the ends of the arms of the cross.
The octagon is the shape of perfection, the number eight the 'eighth day’, in essence the ‘spiritual’ day of the week. The number eight is representative of eternity, infinity.
The octagon is transitional between the circle and the square - and came to represent Christ’s resurrection. Hence it is used in many martyriums and baptisteries for that reason. The Dome of The Rock is constructed as an octagon, and The Templars identified the Dome of The Rock as the site of the Temple of Solomon, therefore continuing this symbolism in their devotions.
The acanthus leaves have long been associated with rejuvenation, new life. This cross is an example of the ‘Flowering Cross’, the acanthus used in Christian symbolism for resurrection.
The unusual star-like octagon and the deeper symbolism of the memorial gave the Cross an esoteric beauty which appealed to me.
I have paired this work with Loreena McKennitt’s ‘Dante’s Prayer’, as her music often explores the path of the soul.
And if you would like to see more of my work, have a look at my website at:
Set at the end of a splendid avenue of trees the Great Pagoda is being restored to its original 18th century splendour.
The vista is lined with North American pin swamp oaks, sweet gum and Turkish hazel (Corylus colurna). One cedar of Lebanon tree stands in front of the Pagoda,
The Pagoda was designed by Sir William Chambers and completed in 1762 as a gift for Princess Augusta, the founder of the botanic gardens at Kew. It is a ten-storey octagon tower, standing at almost 50m and each level is 30cm narrower than the one below.
Taken from the Palm House end of the Pagoda Vista.
The Octagon (1322-1349) of Ely Cathedral is one of the most spectacular works of the English Decorated style. The structure was built after the collapse of the Anglo-Norman tower of the transept (1322). A large octagonal space was created with the structure of the stone pillars and the vaults and the lantern in wood (23 m wide by 52 m high). It was an original technical solution, as the walls were pierced with an immense arcade on the first level and with an opening of equal dimensions on the second, arranged diagonally. The lantern was an outstanding solution that allowed the wide transept to be covered and illuminated. It seems that Alan de Walsingham himself was involved in the complex project, who, in addition to being a skilled goldsmith, was the monk who commissioned it. To unify the space, a wooden carpentry work was made, initially painted to imitate stone, for which William Hurley, a cabinetmaker of the court, was responsible.
Excerpt from www.brampton.ca/EN/Arts-Culture-Tourism/Tourism-Brampton/...:
The Octagon House
A rare building style in Ontario, 227 Main Street North is one of two octagonal houses in Brampton. At this location is one of two octagonal houses in Brampton. This roughcast house was built c. 1880 and is alleged to have been designed by William Bird since he has been connected with the construction of the other octagonal house in Brampton. This two-storey home displays an excellent state of preservation. Wooden piers with shallow, horizontal grooves frame each side of the house while each façade contains flat windows with shutters.
In the coming week I will be away visiting, among other things, two Japanese gardens. To help set the mood, today's theme is photos framed by apertures in a Chinese garden.
Germany, Berlin, Mitte
Located close to Checkpoint Charlie at Zimmerstrasse, there is a colorful building complex designed by the Italian star architect and built after the fall of the wall from 1994 to 1998. One of the four inner courtyards of the district houses shines with red facades, and the visitors are surrounded by a ectagon. This is a very well-known photographic spot indeed.
Always enchanting Apulia, truly southern Italy's forgotten land, and thank goodness as well; no flocks of tourist. Here you find King Frederick II, Castel del Monte, built in 1240's. Supposedly built as a hunting lodge there is no note of it actually being occupied. Beautiful marbles and interior decorations have been stripped by vandals over the years.
Fortresses geometric design was unique, its octagonal prism with an octagonal tower at each corner was a design never seen in the peninsula.