The heritage system has witnessed the development of China’s sericulture industry, and enjoys rich cultural connotations. It embodies the historic memories and spirits relating to the ancient course of the Yellow River and the mulberry trees. It shows the experience of planting mulberry trees, combining agriculture and forestry, and the rejuvenation of old trees. It also reflects the philosophy of harmonious development of humans and nature, and offers many lessons for modern agriculture and social development.

Photo credit must be given: Photo courtesy of GIAHS Xiajin Yellow River Old Course Ancient Mulberry Grove System, China. Editorial use only.

More information:

Xiajin Yellow River Old Course Ancient Mulberry Grove System, China

Wikipedia on Wabi Sabi Suki - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi

"If an object or expression can bring about, within us, a sense of serene melancholy and a spiritual longing, then that object could be said to be wabi-sabi."[2] "[Wabi-sabi] nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect."[3] ... In art books, it is typically defined as ″flawed beauty.″ [4]

The words wabi and sabi do not translate easily. Wabi originally referred to the loneliness of living in nature, remote from society; sabi meant "chill", "lean" or "withered". Around the 14th century these meanings began to change, taking on more positive connotations.[1] Wabi now connotes rustic simplicity, freshness or quietness, and can be applied to both natural and human-made objects, or understated elegance. It can also refer to quirks and anomalies arising from the process of construction, which add uniqueness and elegance to the object. Sabi is beauty or serenity that comes with age, when the life of the object and its impermanence are evidenced in its patina and wear, or in any visible repairs.

Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat’s Lydiard Street is one of the most intact, commercial nineteenth century theatres in Australia. Originally opened as the Ballarat Academy of Music in order to avoid the negative moral connotations associated with theatres at the time, Her Majesty’s was completed in 1875 to a design by architect George Browne. The Academy had a flat floored auditorium suitable for respectable dances and dinners, and a fully equipped stage. It was built to supersede Ballarat's Theatre Royal (built in 1858), which stood in Sturt Street. While very grand, the Royal had become outdated and no longer met the technical requirements of the touring companies.

The Academy was built by the wealthy Clarke family at the initiative of a group of local people who felt that Ballarat, as the premier city of the Victorian goldfields, should have a theatre worthy of its status. They guaranteed to rent it from the Clarkes at 10% of the construction cost, which was £13,000.

Built over a disused mineshaft, the original timber theatre initially comprised a theatre with rectangular auditorium, a steep lyre-shaped gallery, three entries leading to separate parts of the auditorium and two shops facing Lydiard Street.

Ballarat's handsome new theatre was ready ahead of schedule, and was opened on 7th June 1875. The first production was a comic opera by the French composer Lecocq, "La Fille de Madame Angot," presented by the Royal Opera Bouffe Company run by W. S. Lyster, Australia's first opera impresario.

Soon after the Academy opened, the large Supper Room above Lydiard Street was leased to William Bridges, a former miner, who ran it as an art gallery, displaying an excellent collection of European and Australian artworks, including his own tapestries. After Bridges moved his operations to Melbourne in 1883, the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery was formed. The Gallery Society ran the Gallery from the Academy from 1884 until 1890, when the present Art Gallery in Lydiard Street North was opened.

For the next twenty five years, the Academy of Music was unchallenged as Ballarat's main theatrical venue. It was never as popular as the old Theatre Royal, however, as the rather cavernous hall lacked the intimacy of the older playhouse. In 1898, when Sir William Clarke died, the building was bought by a local consortium and transformed into the delightful theatrical space we know today.

The new owners commissioned Australia's leading theatre architect, William Pitt (1855 – 1918), to remodel the interior and improve the stage facilities. William, who had been apprenticed to George Browne, also designed Melbourne's Princess Theatre amongst many other buildings. The present layout of the auditorium with sloping floor and double balconies, is Pitt's creation. The colour scheme is a recreation of the interior decoration undertaken at that time by Hugh Paterson, one of Melbourne's leading designers.

Paterson also decorated the dome and proscenium arch with murals. The mural in the dome depicted a carnival scene, with dancers in fanciful costumes; Comedy and Tragedy were featured on either side of the proscenium arch, with Shakespeare over the top. Unfortunately all the murals were destroyed in 1907 when Government regulations required the proscenium wall to be replaced with a solid firewall. The dome was removed at the same time for structural reasons, and was restored in 1990. The Dress Circle Lobby also dates from 1907.

The 1898 theatre was constructed in brick with timber roof construction sheeted with iron. The main body is brick with piers both inside and out. The hipped trussed roof covers both the three-level auditorium and the stage with dressing rooms below. The ground floor and foyer have been considerably altered at various times but the auditorium and stage structure are original as is much of the auditorium ceiling and pilastered walls. The roof over the stage also dates from 1875 and the later inclusion of a fly tower stage in 1898 is fitted around the original trusses. The flying system is the only manual (non counterweight) system in existence in Australia. In the auditorium roof there appears to have been two domes, a small one dating from before 1898 for which the horizontal shutters and tube structure to a former sliding ventilated roof are still in existence. When 1898 dome was removed a false octagonal ceiling was fitted in its place. Internally the circle and gallery levels are horseshoe shaped in plan and are carried on cast iron columns. The balcony balustrading is swag bellied and decorated. It is believed that the wall pilasters, panelled ceilings and proscenium are original decorations and some traces of art nouveau decorative motifs are to be seen where later alterations have been made. The two balconies were constructed in 1898, but one balcony front is the reused 1874 front while the second was made to match. The balconies and cast-iron supporting posts are typical for auditoria design in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. The double balcony, supported on columns, is now the last of this form of theatre in Victoria. The facade of this building is two storeyed in height with stucco ornamentation in a somewhat florid Classical style. The upper storey windows are round headed with archivolts supported by slender columns as are the two ground floor subsidiary entrances. The highly decorated curved entrance has now been lost. The ground floor facade has been much altered and a street awning has been added. The first floor facade is intact but the parapet balustrading and ornamentation has been destroyed.

From the First World War on, the Theatre was increasingly used for cinema presentations. A Bio Box (projection room) was built above the Dress Circle Lobby in 1916, and the Theatre was wired for sound in 1930. In 1928, the Hoyts cinema chain took over control over the building through its local subsidiary, Ballarat Theatres Limited, which ran Her Majesty's in tandem with the Regent Theatre (purposely built as a cinema).

In 1936, Her Majesty's was leased and operated by Ballarat Amusements, part of the Woodrow Distributing Company, presenting MGM and Paramount movies. Ballarat Amusements ran it until the early 1960s.

During the silent movie era, a theatre orchestra provided the film accompaniment. The Ballarat Theatre Organ Society installed the Theatre's Compton Theatre Organ in 1982.

Even when Her Majesty's was primarily a cinema, it was always available, to a lesser or greater degree, for live performances. It was used regularly by J. C. Williamson's and other touring companies as well as local groups. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s huge crowds came to see the annual pantomimes staged by the Wavie Williams Pantomime Company. For the last forty years, the Theatre has been used to stage locally produced musical comedies.

Television came to Ballarat in 1962, and had an immediate impact on attendances at the local cinemas. Ballarat Amusements decided to cease screenings and Hoyts put the building on the market.

In 1965, the Theatre was bought by the Royal South Street Society as the home for its Annual Competitions.The Bolte State Government gave the Society £20,000 towards the purchase price and a further grant towards the adaptation of the building for the Competitions. Further assistance towards both purposes came from local businessman, Alf Reid. It was clearly understood at the time that the Society would be managing the Theatre as a community facility.

The Society renamed Her Majesty's the Memorial Theatre, a move which made donations to its renovation appeal tax deductable.

The Society was unable to adequately maintain the upkeep of the building, however, and gifted it to the then City of Ballaarat in 1987, reserving the right to hold competitions in the Theatre every year between August and November.

The City of Ballarat undertook a major renovation, seeking funding from a wide range of businesses, individuals and organisations. The Theatre reopened as Her Majesty's on the 1st of November, 1990.

Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat’s Lydiard Street is one of the most intact, commercial nineteenth century theatres in Australia. Originally opened as the Ballarat Academy of Music in order to avoid the negative moral connotations associated with theatres at the time, Her Majesty’s was completed in 1875 to a design by architect George Browne. The Academy had a flat floored auditorium suitable for respectable dances and dinners, and a fully equipped stage. It was built to supersede Ballarat's Theatre Royal (built in 1858), which stood in Sturt Street. While very grand, the Royal had become outdated and no longer met the technical requirements of the touring companies.

The Academy was built by the wealthy Clarke family at the initiative of a group of local people who felt that Ballarat, as the premier city of the Victorian goldfields, should have a theatre worthy of its status. They guaranteed to rent it from the Clarkes at 10% of the construction cost, which was £13,000.

Built over a disused mineshaft, the original timber theatre initially comprised a theatre with rectangular auditorium, a steep lyre-shaped gallery, three entries leading to separate parts of the auditorium and two shops facing Lydiard Street.

Ballarat's handsome new theatre was ready ahead of schedule, and was opened on 7th June 1875. The first production was a comic opera by the French composer Lecocq, "La Fille de Madame Angot," presented by the Royal Opera Bouffe Company run by W. S. Lyster, Australia's first opera impresario.

Soon after the Academy opened, the large Supper Room above Lydiard Street was leased to William Bridges, a former miner, who ran it as an art gallery, displaying an excellent collection of European and Australian artworks, including his own tapestries. After Bridges moved his operations to Melbourne in 1883, the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery was formed. The Gallery Society ran the Gallery from the Academy from 1884 until 1890, when the present Art Gallery in Lydiard Street North was opened.

For the next twenty five years, the Academy of Music was unchallenged as Ballarat's main theatrical venue. It was never as popular as the old Theatre Royal, however, as the rather cavernous hall lacked the intimacy of the older playhouse. In 1898, when Sir William Clarke died, the building was bought by a local consortium and transformed into the delightful theatrical space we know today.

The new owners commissioned Australia's leading theatre architect, William Pitt (1855 – 1918), to remodel the interior and improve the stage facilities. William, who had been apprenticed to George Browne, also designed Melbourne's Princess Theatre amongst many other buildings. The present layout of the auditorium with sloping floor and double balconies, is Pitt's creation. The colour scheme is a recreation of the interior decoration undertaken at that time by Hugh Paterson, one of Melbourne's leading designers.

Paterson also decorated the dome and proscenium arch with murals. The mural in the dome depicted a carnival scene, with dancers in fanciful costumes; Comedy and Tragedy were featured on either side of the proscenium arch, with Shakespeare over the top. Unfortunately all the murals were destroyed in 1907 when Government regulations required the proscenium wall to be replaced with a solid firewall. The dome was removed at the same time for structural reasons, and was restored in 1990. The Dress Circle Lobby also dates from 1907.

The 1898 theatre was constructed in brick with timber roof construction sheeted with iron. The main body is brick with piers both inside and out. The hipped trussed roof covers both the three-level auditorium and the stage with dressing rooms below. The ground floor and foyer have been considerably altered at various times but the auditorium and stage structure are original as is much of the auditorium ceiling and pilastered walls. The roof over the stage also dates from 1875 and the later inclusion of a fly tower stage in 1898 is fitted around the original trusses. The flying system is the only manual (non counterweight) system in existence in Australia. In the auditorium roof there appears to have been two domes, a small one dating from before 1898 for which the horizontal shutters and tube structure to a former sliding ventilated roof are still in existence. When 1898 dome was removed a false octagonal ceiling was fitted in its place. Internally the circle and gallery levels are horseshoe shaped in plan and are carried on cast iron columns. The balcony balustrading is swag bellied and decorated. It is believed that the wall pilasters, panelled ceilings and proscenium are original decorations and some traces of art nouveau decorative motifs are to be seen where later alterations have been made. The two balconies were constructed in 1898, but one balcony front is the reused 1874 front while the second was made to match. The balconies and cast-iron supporting posts are typical for auditoria design in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. The double balcony, supported on columns, is now the last of this form of theatre in Victoria. The facade of this building is two storeyed in height with stucco ornamentation in a somewhat florid Classical style. The upper storey windows are round headed with archivolts supported by slender columns as are the two ground floor subsidiary entrances. The highly decorated curved entrance has now been lost. The ground floor facade has been much altered and a street awning has been added. The first floor facade is intact but the parapet balustrading and ornamentation has been destroyed.

From the First World War on, the Theatre was increasingly used for cinema presentations. A Bio Box (projection room) was built above the Dress Circle Lobby in 1916, and the Theatre was wired for sound in 1930. In 1928, the Hoyts cinema chain took over control over the building through its local subsidiary, Ballarat Theatres Limited, which ran Her Majesty's in tandem with the Regent Theatre (purposely built as a cinema).

In 1936, Her Majesty's was leased and operated by Ballarat Amusements, part of the Woodrow Distributing Company, presenting MGM and Paramount movies. Ballarat Amusements ran it until the early 1960s.

During the silent movie era, a theatre orchestra provided the film accompaniment. The Ballarat Theatre Organ Society installed the Theatre's Compton Theatre Organ in 1982.

Even when Her Majesty's was primarily a cinema, it was always available, to a lesser or greater degree, for live performances. It was used regularly by J. C. Williamson's and other touring companies as well as local groups. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s huge crowds came to see the annual pantomimes staged by the Wavie Williams Pantomime Company. For the last forty years, the Theatre has been used to stage locally produced musical comedies.

Television came to Ballarat in 1962, and had an immediate impact on attendances at the local cinemas. Ballarat Amusements decided to cease screenings and Hoyts put the building on the market.

In 1965, the Theatre was bought by the Royal South Street Society as the home for its Annual Competitions.The Bolte State Government gave the Society £20,000 towards the purchase price and a further grant towards the adaptation of the building for the Competitions. Further assistance towards both purposes came from local businessman, Alf Reid. It was clearly understood at the time that the Society would be managing the Theatre as a community facility.

The Society renamed Her Majesty's the Memorial Theatre, a move which made donations to its renovation appeal tax deductable.

The Society was unable to adequately maintain the upkeep of the building, however, and gifted it to the then City of Ballaarat in 1987, reserving the right to hold competitions in the Theatre every year between August and November.

The City of Ballarat undertook a major renovation, seeking funding from a wide range of businesses, individuals and organisations. The Theatre reopened as Her Majesty's on the 1st of November, 1990.

Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat’s Lydiard Street is one of the most intact, commercial nineteenth century theatres in Australia. Originally opened as the Ballarat Academy of Music in order to avoid the negative moral connotations associated with theatres at the time, Her Majesty’s was completed in 1875 to a design by architect George Browne. The Academy had a flat floored auditorium suitable for respectable dances and dinners, and a fully equipped stage. It was built to supersede Ballarat's Theatre Royal (built in 1858), which stood in Sturt Street. While very grand, the Royal had become outdated and no longer met the technical requirements of the touring companies.

The Academy was built by the wealthy Clarke family at the initiative of a group of local people who felt that Ballarat, as the premier city of the Victorian goldfields, should have a theatre worthy of its status. They guaranteed to rent it from the Clarkes at 10% of the construction cost, which was £13,000.

Built over a disused mineshaft, the original timber theatre initially comprised a theatre with rectangular auditorium, a steep lyre-shaped gallery, three entries leading to separate parts of the auditorium and two shops facing Lydiard Street.

Ballarat's handsome new theatre was ready ahead of schedule, and was opened on 7th June 1875. The first production was a comic opera by the French composer Lecocq, "La Fille de Madame Angot," presented by the Royal Opera Bouffe Company run by W. S. Lyster, Australia's first opera impresario.

Soon after the Academy opened, the large Supper Room above Lydiard Street was leased to William Bridges, a former miner, who ran it as an art gallery, displaying an excellent collection of European and Australian artworks, including his own tapestries. After Bridges moved his operations to Melbourne in 1883, the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery was formed. The Gallery Society ran the Gallery from the Academy from 1884 until 1890, when the present Art Gallery in Lydiard Street North was opened.

For the next twenty five years, the Academy of Music was unchallenged as Ballarat's main theatrical venue. It was never as popular as the old Theatre Royal, however, as the rather cavernous hall lacked the intimacy of the older playhouse. In 1898, when Sir William Clarke died, the building was bought by a local consortium and transformed into the delightful theatrical space we know today.

The new owners commissioned Australia's leading theatre architect, William Pitt (1855 – 1918), to remodel the interior and improve the stage facilities. William, who had been apprenticed to George Browne, also designed Melbourne's Princess Theatre amongst many other buildings. The present layout of the auditorium with sloping floor and double balconies, is Pitt's creation. The colour scheme is a recreation of the interior decoration undertaken at that time by Hugh Paterson, one of Melbourne's leading designers.

Paterson also decorated the dome and proscenium arch with murals. The mural in the dome depicted a carnival scene, with dancers in fanciful costumes; Comedy and Tragedy were featured on either side of the proscenium arch, with Shakespeare over the top. Unfortunately all the murals were destroyed in 1907 when Government regulations required the proscenium wall to be replaced with a solid firewall. The dome was removed at the same time for structural reasons, and was restored in 1990. The Dress Circle Lobby also dates from 1907.

The 1898 theatre was constructed in brick with timber roof construction sheeted with iron. The main body is brick with piers both inside and out. The hipped trussed roof covers both the three-level auditorium and the stage with dressing rooms below. The ground floor and foyer have been considerably altered at various times but the auditorium and stage structure are original as is much of the auditorium ceiling and pilastered walls. The roof over the stage also dates from 1875 and the later inclusion of a fly tower stage in 1898 is fitted around the original trusses. The flying system is the only manual (non counterweight) system in existence in Australia. In the auditorium roof there appears to have been two domes, a small one dating from before 1898 for which the horizontal shutters and tube structure to a former sliding ventilated roof are still in existence. When 1898 dome was removed a false octagonal ceiling was fitted in its place. Internally the circle and gallery levels are horseshoe shaped in plan and are carried on cast iron columns. The balcony balustrading is swag bellied and decorated. It is believed that the wall pilasters, panelled ceilings and proscenium are original decorations and some traces of art nouveau decorative motifs are to be seen where later alterations have been made. The two balconies were constructed in 1898, but one balcony front is the reused 1874 front while the second was made to match. The balconies and cast-iron supporting posts are typical for auditoria design in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. The double balcony, supported on columns, is now the last of this form of theatre in Victoria. The facade of this building is two storeyed in height with stucco ornamentation in a somewhat florid Classical style. The upper storey windows are round headed with archivolts supported by slender columns as are the two ground floor subsidiary entrances. The highly decorated curved entrance has now been lost. The ground floor facade has been much altered and a street awning has been added. The first floor facade is intact but the parapet balustrading and ornamentation has been destroyed.

From the First World War on, the Theatre was increasingly used for cinema presentations. A Bio Box (projection room) was built above the Dress Circle Lobby in 1916, and the Theatre was wired for sound in 1930. In 1928, the Hoyts cinema chain took over control over the building through its local subsidiary, Ballarat Theatres Limited, which ran Her Majesty's in tandem with the Regent Theatre (purposely built as a cinema).

In 1936, Her Majesty's was leased and operated by Ballarat Amusements, part of the Woodrow Distributing Company, presenting MGM and Paramount movies. Ballarat Amusements ran it until the early 1960s.

During the silent movie era, a theatre orchestra provided the film accompaniment. The Ballarat Theatre Organ Society installed the Theatre's Compton Theatre Organ in 1982.

Even when Her Majesty's was primarily a cinema, it was always available, to a lesser or greater degree, for live performances. It was used regularly by J. C. Williamson's and other touring companies as well as local groups. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s huge crowds came to see the annual pantomimes staged by the Wavie Williams Pantomime Company. For the last forty years, the Theatre has been used to stage locally produced musical comedies.

Television came to Ballarat in 1962, and had an immediate impact on attendances at the local cinemas. Ballarat Amusements decided to cease screenings and Hoyts put the building on the market.

In 1965, the Theatre was bought by the Royal South Street Society as the home for its Annual Competitions.The Bolte State Government gave the Society £20,000 towards the purchase price and a further grant towards the adaptation of the building for the Competitions. Further assistance towards both purposes came from local businessman, Alf Reid. It was clearly understood at the time that the Society would be managing the Theatre as a community facility.

The Society renamed Her Majesty's the Memorial Theatre, a move which made donations to its renovation appeal tax deductable.

The Society was unable to adequately maintain the upkeep of the building, however, and gifted it to the then City of Ballaarat in 1987, reserving the right to hold competitions in the Theatre every year between August and November.

The City of Ballarat undertook a major renovation, seeking funding from a wide range of businesses, individuals and organisations. The Theatre reopened as Her Majesty's on the 1st of November, 1990.

LIVING DIVINITY – AnanthaRaman’s Talk

Talk given by Prof Anantharaman in Swami's Presence on 19th October 2004

Respected elders, brothers and sisters and my young friends.

During a very significant speech in 1981, Swami spoke about the 'eight flowers of worship'. Out of these He said that Ahimsa, non-violence, is the most important. Swami's concept of Ahimsa is far beyond the connotations of not causing physical harm. His concept of Ahimsa is not causing harm in word, thought and deed!

I would like to commence today with an offering of such a flower at the Feet of our Lord.

Albert Einstein, the famous physicist, was once asked whether it is possible for him to explain Divinity in scientific terms. He said that it is conceivable but it would make no sense; it would be like explaining Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in the form of an air pressure curve. We have the same kind of a problem in speaking about Bhagavan's Divinity. The Living Divinity cannot be explained in metaphors or examples; the limited cannot comprehend the unlimited; no form can contain it; the wayward cannot measure the stable; or the now measure the ever. We can only repeat the words of Sir Isaac Newton who said after enunciating the principle of gravity "I feel like a little boy playing with the pebbles on the seashore while the ocean of Truth lay all undiscovered before me".

Bhagavantham tells the story of how in the early years Swami once materialised a beautiful sapphire and stuck it on the statue of Shirdi Sai next to him. Bhagavantham was not only a staunch devotee but also a renowned scientist. The scientist in him wondered how the sapphire stood there without any ostensible means of support defying all laws of gravity. He started chuckling to himself, "Here I am accepting the principle miracle of the creation of a sapphire and I am questioning the secondary miracle of the sapphire defying the laws of gravity. Surely one who creates matter can also transcend the laws of matter."

A Malaysian devotee once told me the story of how 20 miles from Prashanti Nilayam his car stopped for want of gas. This was his first visit to Prashanti Nilayam and it was late evening. He was naturally concerned; he prayed to Swami, "Swami, make this car move forward to Prashanti Nilayam this evening." He prayed, asked the driver to start, and the engine stuttered and they started moving to Prashanti Nilayam. Next day the grateful devotee told Swami at Darshan time, "Swami thank you for the Grace of moving this car to Prashanti Nilayam without gas." Swami looked at him and said, "But that was not your only problem." Puzzled he went back, filled gas in the car, started the engine and turned the wheel. The wheel just locked and a mechanic was brought who found out that there was a broken tie-rod end. There was no way this car could have travelled 20 miles with or without gas. How many of us have travelled in cars with our broken tie-rod ends fixed unbeknown to us by this cosmic welder.

On this forum, several devotees in the last few days have shared their experiences of Swami. Each one of us have received this benediction from Swami if only we know where to look for it. Some of these we know; many like the Malaysian devotee we do not know at all. Howard Murphet, whose books have brought more foreign devotees to Swami than any other writer, calls all these 'parables in action'.

Whenever Swami materialises something, blows into something and creates something else or cures an affliction, He is in fact demonstrating these 'parables in action'. Their purpose is not to make us richer, or to cure an affliction but to demonstrate to us and instruct us in the science of being and in the art of living through the demonstration of His Omniwill.

I would like to share with you one such parable, one of many that I was privileged to have. I would like to share with you not the experience but the education behind the experience - it was like learning at the Feet of Divinity.

As an international corporate citizen, I had moved from country to country and finally moved from continent to continent. As the story I am about to tell has a lot of political implications, I seek your indulgence not to name the country where this took place as some of the people involved are still alive today. This country was a totalitarian military state and had had 3 major coups. There were 3 ethnic groups in the country - Muslims with political clout; Christians with economic strength; and tribal leaders who had their own axe to grind. Because of recent struggles there was a distrust of foreigners, particularly Asians. There was no constitution in this country and there was complete anarchy. I had heard of friends who had been taken away in the middle of the night and were never heard of since. There were summary executions - this was the order of the day. You could see bodies tied to automobile tyres and set fire to at the end of the streets; the stench of burning flesh and vulcanised rubber quite often rent the air. This was the background of the country where we wanted to introduce Swami's concept of Education in Human Values. We organised a conference of secondary school teachers and in order to give a big PR event to this incident, I was given the responsibility of inviting the wife of the president of this country to inaugurate the session and preside over the first day. I went and met the president's wife, she listened patiently and ultimately said that her office would get back to us as to whether she can preside or not.

A couple of days later, as I was driving to work I found that there was a big black limousine that was following me. I was concerned because this country had a fearsome secret service system. I made some enquiries with a contact that I had in the government and I learned that an enquiry had been ordered against me. As there was a lot of religious strife in the area in which we were living probably meeting the president's wife the previous week had triggered off a suspicion that our's is might be a religious institution and therefore needs to be followed. In the meantime the wife of the president had declined our invitation. My contact in the government confirmed my suspicion that I was in fact the target of an investigation and said that people were being taken away in the middle of the night never to come back; he strongly advised and cautioned me that I must quietly leave the country. The Indian Ambassador who I consulted one day before the event confirmed this and also strongly advised me to leave the country. I was very concerned and left for home a day before the function.

The day of the conference had come; in order to protect my identity they did not announce my name - they announced me as a spokesperson. My job was to talk about EHV and introduce the speaker of the day who was Victor Kanu. But in view of the religious sensitivity I was advised that I should make no mention of Sai or of the institutions which He heads. With great trepidation I climbed the stage; as I went up I found the same secret service agents who had followed me sitting in the first row - my steps faltered. I started with a silent prayer to Swami, but very soon I threw caution to the winds. Instead of talking about EHV, I spoke about the Author of EHV; I spoke about Swami; I spoke about SanathanaDharma; I spoke about Hinduism; I spoke about everything I was advised about not to speak. I had decided that if I was to go down I would go down with the Name of the Lord on my lips.

The talk was over and I went back home. Thoughts of being picked up and being incarcerated were very much in my mind. I was at home and the phone rang at 9.05 that night. I was certain that it was someone trying to tip me off to leave the country - but it was a friend of mine. He asked me whether I was watching the television. I said, "Why would I watch the television - I am waiting to be picked up!" The television in this country was totally controlled by the government. 9pm was prime time when every single set would be turned on. I turned on the television - I could not believe my eyes. There was full coverage of the morning's programme; my whole speech was telecast; my name and occupation were mentioned; my anonymity was over. Not only that but there was a full presentation of that morning's function; nothing about EHV, but all about Swami, His Teachings, and Hinduism. Swami was presented as an Eastern Messiah. All this happened in a country that was very much opposed to religious activities. It was mind-boggling. I did not know what was happening. The entire prime time news was only about this morning's presentation and covered all that I was advised not to speak about.

Next morning my contact in the government telephoned me. He said something strange is happening here. There was a handwritten ledger on the report that said I must be investigated and this ledger was serially numbered. When he went to that ledger that morning he found that the particular instruction that said I must be investigated was completely missing, but the ledger number continuity was maintained! There was no way that anyone could have torn the paper; only this particular instruction had completely vanished.

And there was more; within a week the Secretary of Education in the country called me and asked me whether I could give a write-up on EHV so that it could be introduced to the country's secondary schools.

More wonders; the Teachers Union, normally a very militant body, invited me to talk to them and they set up a conference which became the focus for introducing EHV at secondary school level in that country. This was the first country outside India to have formally accredited EHV in the secondary school system.

What was happening here? This was not mere materialisation or curing an affliction. This is something that broke barriers. This is something that completely changed the ethos. This is something that created a new order of things. What was Swami trying to convey here? He was only trying to convey that His work will always be done and that His Will will always be supreme. As He said three days ago

"Why does the sun rise; why do the stars hide their splendour in the day and show themselves in the night? Who ordered air to be around us all time; why do these streams roar and gurgle? I created the world with one word at My pleasure; I made mountains rise and with one word I placed knowledge upon mankind."

Sir Arthur Eddington the famous physicist said that the world is a wave of thought. Every law of nature, every action and reaction, every parable and happening that you hear in these forums is a witness to the vital vibration of His Divinity in the gross, subtle and causal cosmos. Swami once wrote,

"I move in the outer space. From those lofty heights I go to the devotee, first as thought, then as fragrance and then as light."

Sai experience is a combination of that light, of that thought and of that fragrance. You have seen here the world come to Swami - I have seen Swami go to the rest of the world. At a UN conference at Osaka , Japan two years ago, I saw 10,000 delegates give a standing ovation to a group of Japanese children performing a ballet on the values of Sathya, Dharma, Shanti and Prema. In probably the most popular square in Spain every Sunday devotees sing songs of peace and harmony watched by residents and visitors.

During a skiing holiday in the Austrian Alps my wife and I attended a Bhajan session at a little hamlet of 200 people, in the middle of nowhere where 20 Austrians who had never stepped out of Europe performed Bhajans and held a workshop. When out of deference to them my wife chose to sing a German song the leader said "No, in Sanskrit please". In the forests of West Africa , I have seen native tribes commence their daily meeting singing the song " Ore Baba, OseBaba".

And at a Sai retreat that I attended a few years ago in Argentina at the time of the Kosovo crisis one young adult asked a question, "If Sai Baba is raising human consciousness why are the children of Kosovo being murdered?" Pat came the answer from another young adult, "When Hitler's hordes roamed through Germany the world kept quiet; they did not even shed a silent tear. But when the children in Kosovo were being murdered the world roared back." That is how Sai Baba is elevating human consciousness - slowly and imperceptibly the world is turning into a golden age.

Swami told Howard Murphet that the golden age was coming. Howard Murphet then asked what work would Prema Sai do? Sai said "He will have plenty of work. Prema Sai will elevate human consciousness to Divine heights. Not only will there be a lot of work but He will also need a lot of help."

What kind of help, wondered Howard Murphet; then he remembered the story of how in a time of great flooding a man stood on top of his roof to escape the waters. When the water was rising higher the man prayed to God to save him. Soon a man came in a boat and asked him to get in. The man said "No, I have prayed to God and He will come and help me." Soon the waters rose nearly to his feet. Then another man came in a helicopter and dropped a rope. The man said "No, I will not come with you; I have prayed to God and He will help me." The laws of nature soon took their course and the man drowned. He went to heaven and asked God why He did not help him in his time of need. God said "I sent you a man with a boat and later, when you refused him another man with a helicopter…but you did not accept that help." The man understood; God is in everybody and He needs a million hands to help Him.

In establishing this, Swami has been saying that His Life is His message. He has been living that message particularly in the last 15 months. Ever since the drama of His fall He has been living one particular message - that He is not the body. Over 2000 years ago at another time and in another place in distant Jerusalem another cosmic being allowed Himself to bleed on the Cross in order to establish to the children of Israel one facet of reality. Everyday, Swami has been establishing with perfect equipoise the same facet of reality to all of us that 'I am not the body'. The reality that 'I am God'; the reality that Brahma Sathyam Jagat Mithya. It is for us to accept or reject this reality.

It's rather like the search for the Holy Grail. There is a lot of wealth and fame and pain in the so-called materialistic success story that I myself tried to follow 30 years ago. But in the evening of my life, like Percival (a Knight) I have come to the Fisher's King to ask Him; "Where does the Holy Grail lie?" The Grail serves the Grail King who lives in the innermost recesses of the castle. When Percival received this answer his search was over. The Grail King is a symbol of man's inner God.

Knowing this truth, it is glorious to be alive today - not only to be alive but to be aware that God is physically here is a privilege that millions never had! The only gratitude that we can offer for this privilege is to lay down our lives as flowers at His Lotus Feet. Sai Ram.

(Prof Anantharaman worked as the CEO of a Transnational Business conglomerate based in Switzerland, as an adjunct professor in several business schools including the Harvard Business School and is currently a faculty member in the School of Business Management at Puttaparthi)

________________________________________

Source: Radio Sai E-Magazine, June 2005

www.radiosai.org/Journals/Vol_03/06JUN01/living_divinity.htm

Kung Fu consists of a long history and includes many different disciplines and styles; all of which include a detailed structure of their own. Each variant of Kung Fu comprise of techniques for attack and defence applications and presents them in their own unique way.

Alongside the physical aspect of Kung Fu, its philosophy includes many aspects of Chinese culture which were absorbed during its formation and development. The most significant aspect which is found in the Shaolin school, is Ch’an Buddhist philosophy. The Ch’an tradition imparted profound connotations on Shaolin Kung Fu. For a detailed comprehension and practice of Shaolin Kung Fu and Chinese martial arts in general, one should understand Ch’an’s philosophy and practice.

Black Sea Segion, ca. 3rd-1st century B.C.E., H. 22.8 cm.

This majestic head of female figure possesses a remarkable presence, which is accentuated by well-preserved surface details. Eyes, nose, and lips are sensitively modeled and embody the grace and grandeur fitting for the representation of a goddess rather than a mortal woman. The figure is crowned by a richly decorated diadem with four multiple chain pendants, each chain terminating in round beads. She is additionally adorned with a necklace, and would have worn metal earrings. The diadem – representing one made of gold embellished with semi-precious or precious stones – is decorated with the heads of figures alternating with cabochon-cut stones secured in round or diamond-shaped settings. Use of gold as a framework for setting precious stones is a technique practiced in the later Hellenistic period. The style of the diadem and necklace, particularly the pendant decorations of the diadem point to jewelry types known from northern Greece and the area of the Black Sea.

The diadem crowning this stately figure, as well as her similarly fashioned necklace and the overall richness of ornament, mark her as the representation of a divinity, most likely Aphrodite. Feminine charm, grace and delicacy could not find a more perfect expression than that embodied in this representation of the goddess. The sculpture’s softly modeled face, framed by wavy locks of hair, possesses a serene and outward-looking gaze. Her hair parted above the forehead is held in place by the diadem, with thick, softly modeled tresses flowing back at the sides and covering the tips of the ears. The nose is delicate and well-shaped, the forehead is flat, and the eyes, not deeply set nor wide open, contribute to the face’s dreamy countenance. The modeling of the lips adds to this overall softness of expression. One of the closest parallels for this sculptural type of Aphrodite wearing a diadem can be found in the well-preserved, famous sculpture of a semi-draped Aphrodite known as the Aphrodite of Capua, now in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. An additional, terracotta example of Aphrodite wearing a diadem, and likely based on a similar prototype as the Capua sculpture, can be found in the Staatliche Museum in Berlin.

Stylistically such representations of Aphrodite ultimately draw inspiration from the works of the famous late classical sculptor, Praxiteles. Born around 400 B.C., he was active for most of the 4th century, from about 380 B.C onward. While original sculptures by his hand have been lost to us, a long and illustrious career is documented by inscribed statue bases and over one hundred literary sources, ranging from the Hellenistic through the Byzantine periods. Among the most notable references to the sculptor is the one recorded by Pliny (Natural History 36.20-21):

“I have mentioned the date of Praxiteles among those sculptors who worked in bronze; yet in his fame as a marble-worker he surpassed even himself. There are works by him at Athens in the Ceramicus (Keramikos), but first and foremost not only of this, but indeed in the whole world, is the Venus (Aphrodite) that many have sailed to Cnidus (Knidos) to see…The shrine she stands in is completely open, so that one can view the image of the goddess from all sides, an arrangement (so it is believed) that she herself favored. The statue is equally admirable from every angle.”

Praxiteles died around 325 B.C., but his canon for the representation of both deities and mortals, male figures, and female figures especially, remained influential for the rest of antiquity. Female figures, those of Aphrodite in particular, are considered among the primary creative achievements of this Athenian master. He is the undisputed creator of the greatest of all sculptures of this goddess, the Aphrodite of Knidos, which remained for centuries as the most renowned image of the goddess of love and the embodiment of womanly charm.

Aphrodite played a leading role in both Greek myth and religious ritual, and while there is no agreement on her historical origins, the ancient Greeks thought of her as coming from the east (Herodotus 1.105, Pausanias 1.14.7). . In the literary record she is often given the epithet “the Cyprian,” and Paphos in Cyprus was the center of one of her most famous cults. In the Greek language aphrodisia, or the verb aphrodisiazein, refers to the act of love, and the name of the goddess is used in Homer’s Odyssey with the same connotation. In Greece she was worshiped primarily as a figure presiding over sexuality and reproduction, and was therefore associated with marriage. This allowed Aphrodite to be identified with the fecundity of the earth, since the Greeks perceived a bond to exist between human fertility and the fruitfulness of the land. Ancient literature also celebrates the power of love as the dominion of Aphrodite, and among the gods Ares, Adonis, Hermes and Dionysos are identified as her lovers, as well as the mortal Anchises. In the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, Zeus boasts to the gods “that she, Aphrodite, lover of laughter, with a sweet smile had mated the gods with mortal women and they bore mortal sons to immortal gods, and that she mated goddesses with mortal men.” As viewed in art and literature throughout antiquity, Aphrodite proved to be one of the most appropriate subjects for the work of ancient sculptors -- a goddess whose form and expression embodied the xaris, the compelling charm and spiritual grace of Hellenistic sculpture, so evident in this terracotta image.

Bibliography

For Hellenistic jewelry from Northern Greece and the Black Sea region, see:

HOFFMAN H. - P. DAVIDSON, Greek Gold: Jewelry from the Age of Alexander, Boston, 1965, p. 63, no. 4.

WILLIAMS D. - J. OGDEN, Greek Gold: Jewelry of the Classical World, New York, 1994, p. 94, no. 46.

YALOURIS N. - K. RHOMIOPOULOU, The Search for Alexander, Washington, 1980, p. 143, no. 79A.

For the Capua Aphrodite (Naples 6017), see:

MATTUSCH C. et al., Pompeii and the Roman Villa, Washington, 2008, pp. 236-37, no. 107.

SMITH R. R. R., Hellenistic Sculpture, New York, 1991, p. 81, fig. 105.

For an additional sculpture of Aphrodite wearing a diadem, see:

VERMEULE C., Greek and Roman Sculpture in America, Berkeley, 1981, p. 170, no. 137 (Corcoran Gallery of Art, no. 86.9).

For the Berlin Aphrodite (Berlin Inv. 31272), see:

LULLIES R. - M. HIRMER, Greek Sculpture, New York, 1960, pp. 105-06, pl. 272.

On Praxiteles, see:

STEWART A., Greek Sculpture: An Exploration, New Haven, 1990, pp. 277-281 (with extensive bibliography for Praxiteles).

On Aphrodite, see:

BURKERT W., Greek Religion, Cambridge, 1985, pp. 152-56.

FARNELL L. R., The Cults of the Greek States, Oxford, 1896, especially pp. 618-69 for Aphrodite worship, pp. 670-708 for monuments of Aphrodite, pp. 709-30 for ideal types of Aphrodite, pp. 711-19 particularly for the Aphrodite of Knidos.

GANZ T., Early Greek Myth, Baltimore and London, 1993, pp. 99-105.

Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae (LIMC), Vol. II, Zurich, 1986, s.v. Aphrodite, pp. 2-151.

OTTO W. F., The Homeric Gods: The Spiritual Significance of Greek Religion, New York, 1955, translated from the German original, 1929, pp. 91-103.

For the Homeric Hymns, see:

Homeric Hymn, to Aphrodite (5.48-52); trans. by C. Boer, The Homeric Hymns, Chicago, 1970, 74.

The English Rose

The English rose is an iconic symbol of the British isles that evokes royalty, war and beautiful women - a potent combination. For this project i wanted to celebrate the beauty of the roses from which these connotations are born.

To capture these wonderful blooms i worked with David Austin Roses, the most renowned grower of English roses.

Over the course of two summers I set up a small studio at the headquarters of David Austin in Wolverhampton, using a bright blue background as a stark contrast to the array of colours you find in roses.

I was assisted by senior rosarian Michael Marriott who selected the best examples of each variety of rose for me to photograph.

My goal was simple to capture the diversity and beauty of this symbolic flower.

Urbex Benelux -

The word holiday has differing connotations in different regions. In the United States the word is used exclusively to refer to the nationally, religiously or culturally observed day(s) of rest or celebration, or the events themselves, whereas in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth nations, the word may refer to the period of time where leave from one’s duties has been agreed, and is used as a synonym to the US preferred vacation. This time is usually set aside for rest, travel or the participation in recreational activities, with entire industries targeted to coincide or enhance these experiences. The days of leave may not coincide with any specific customs or laws. Employers and educational institutes may designate ‘holidays’ themselves which may or may not overlap nationally or culturally relevant dates, which again comes under this connotation, but it is the first implication detailed that this article is concerned with.

Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat’s Lydiard Street is one of the most intact, commercial nineteenth century theatres in Australia. Originally opened as the Ballarat Academy of Music in order to avoid the negative moral connotations associated with theatres at the time, Her Majesty’s was completed in 1875 to a design by architect George Browne. The Academy had a flat floored auditorium suitable for respectable dances and dinners, and a fully equipped stage. It was built to supersede Ballarat's Theatre Royal (built in 1858), which stood in Sturt Street. While very grand, the Royal had become outdated and no longer met the technical requirements of the touring companies.

The Academy was built by the wealthy Clarke family at the initiative of a group of local people who felt that Ballarat, as the premier city of the Victorian goldfields, should have a theatre worthy of its status. They guaranteed to rent it from the Clarkes at 10% of the construction cost, which was £13,000.

Built over a disused mineshaft, the original timber theatre initially comprised a theatre with rectangular auditorium, a steep lyre-shaped gallery, three entries leading to separate parts of the auditorium and two shops facing Lydiard Street.

Ballarat's handsome new theatre was ready ahead of schedule, and was opened on 7th June 1875. The first production was a comic opera by the French composer Lecocq, "La Fille de Madame Angot," presented by the Royal Opera Bouffe Company run by W. S. Lyster, Australia's first opera impresario.

Soon after the Academy opened, the large Supper Room above Lydiard Street was leased to William Bridges, a former miner, who ran it as an art gallery, displaying an excellent collection of European and Australian artworks, including his own tapestries. After Bridges moved his operations to Melbourne in 1883, the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery was formed. The Gallery Society ran the Gallery from the Academy from 1884 until 1890, when the present Art Gallery in Lydiard Street North was opened.

For the next twenty five years, the Academy of Music was unchallenged as Ballarat's main theatrical venue. It was never as popular as the old Theatre Royal, however, as the rather cavernous hall lacked the intimacy of the older playhouse. In 1898, when Sir William Clarke died, the building was bought by a local consortium and transformed into the delightful theatrical space we know today.

The new owners commissioned Australia's leading theatre architect, William Pitt (1855 – 1918), to remodel the interior and improve the stage facilities. William, who had been apprenticed to George Browne, also designed Melbourne's Princess Theatre amongst many other buildings. The present layout of the auditorium with sloping floor and double balconies, is Pitt's creation. The colour scheme is a recreation of the interior decoration undertaken at that time by Hugh Paterson, one of Melbourne's leading designers.

Paterson also decorated the dome and proscenium arch with murals. The mural in the dome depicted a carnival scene, with dancers in fanciful costumes; Comedy and Tragedy were featured on either side of the proscenium arch, with Shakespeare over the top. Unfortunately all the murals were destroyed in 1907 when Government regulations required the proscenium wall to be replaced with a solid firewall. The dome was removed at the same time for structural reasons, and was restored in 1990. The Dress Circle Lobby also dates from 1907.

The 1898 theatre was constructed in brick with timber roof construction sheeted with iron. The main body is brick with piers both inside and out. The hipped trussed roof covers both the three-level auditorium and the stage with dressing rooms below. The ground floor and foyer have been considerably altered at various times but the auditorium and stage structure are original as is much of the auditorium ceiling and pilastered walls. The roof over the stage also dates from 1875 and the later inclusion of a fly tower stage in 1898 is fitted around the original trusses. The flying system is the only manual (non counterweight) system in existence in Australia. In the auditorium roof there appears to have been two domes, a small one dating from before 1898 for which the horizontal shutters and tube structure to a former sliding ventilated roof are still in existence. When 1898 dome was removed a false octagonal ceiling was fitted in its place. Internally the circle and gallery levels are horseshoe shaped in plan and are carried on cast iron columns. The balcony balustrading is swag bellied and decorated. It is believed that the wall pilasters, panelled ceilings and proscenium are original decorations and some traces of art nouveau decorative motifs are to be seen where later alterations have been made. The two balconies were constructed in 1898, but one balcony front is the reused 1874 front while the second was made to match. The balconies and cast-iron supporting posts are typical for auditoria design in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. The double balcony, supported on columns, is now the last of this form of theatre in Victoria. The facade of this building is two storeyed in height with stucco ornamentation in a somewhat florid Classical style. The upper storey windows are round headed with archivolts supported by slender columns as are the two ground floor subsidiary entrances. The highly decorated curved entrance has now been lost. The ground floor facade has been much altered and a street awning has been added. The first floor facade is intact but the parapet balustrading and ornamentation has been destroyed.

From the First World War on, the Theatre was increasingly used for cinema presentations. A Bio Box (projection room) was built above the Dress Circle Lobby in 1916, and the Theatre was wired for sound in 1930. In 1928, the Hoyts cinema chain took over control over the building through its local subsidiary, Ballarat Theatres Limited, which ran Her Majesty's in tandem with the Regent Theatre (purposely built as a cinema).

In 1936, Her Majesty's was leased and operated by Ballarat Amusements, part of the Woodrow Distributing Company, presenting MGM and Paramount movies. Ballarat Amusements ran it until the early 1960s.

During the silent movie era, a theatre orchestra provided the film accompaniment. The Ballarat Theatre Organ Society installed the Theatre's Compton Theatre Organ in 1982.

Even when Her Majesty's was primarily a cinema, it was always available, to a lesser or greater degree, for live performances. It was used regularly by J. C. Williamson's and other touring companies as well as local groups. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s huge crowds came to see the annual pantomimes staged by the Wavie Williams Pantomime Company. For the last forty years, the Theatre has been used to stage locally produced musical comedies.

Television came to Ballarat in 1962, and had an immediate impact on attendances at the local cinemas. Ballarat Amusements decided to cease screenings and Hoyts put the building on the market.

In 1965, the Theatre was bought by the Royal South Street Society as the home for its Annual Competitions.The Bolte State Government gave the Society £20,000 towards the purchase price and a further grant towards the adaptation of the building for the Competitions. Further assistance towards both purposes came from local businessman, Alf Reid. It was clearly understood at the time that the Society would be managing the Theatre as a community facility.

The Society renamed Her Majesty's the Memorial Theatre, a move which made donations to its renovation appeal tax deductable.

The Society was unable to adequately maintain the upkeep of the building, however, and gifted it to the then City of Ballaarat in 1987, reserving the right to hold competitions in the Theatre every year between August and November.

The City of Ballarat undertook a major renovation, seeking funding from a wide range of businesses, individuals and organisations. The Theatre reopened as Her Majesty's on the 1st of November, 1990.

Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat’s Lydiard Street is one of the most intact, commercial nineteenth century theatres in Australia. Originally opened as the Ballarat Academy of Music in order to avoid the negative moral connotations associated with theatres at the time, Her Majesty’s was completed in 1875 to a design by architect George Browne. The Academy had a flat floored auditorium suitable for respectable dances and dinners, and a fully equipped stage. It was built to supersede Ballarat's Theatre Royal (built in 1858), which stood in Sturt Street. While very grand, the Royal had become outdated and no longer met the technical requirements of the touring companies.

The Academy was built by the wealthy Clarke family at the initiative of a group of local people who felt that Ballarat, as the premier city of the Victorian goldfields, should have a theatre worthy of its status. They guaranteed to rent it from the Clarkes at 10% of the construction cost, which was £13,000.

Built over a disused mineshaft, the original timber theatre initially comprised a theatre with rectangular auditorium, a steep lyre-shaped gallery, three entries leading to separate parts of the auditorium and two shops facing Lydiard Street.

Ballarat's handsome new theatre was ready ahead of schedule, and was opened on 7th June 1875. The first production was a comic opera by the French composer Lecocq, "La Fille de Madame Angot," presented by the Royal Opera Bouffe Company run by W. S. Lyster, Australia's first opera impresario.

Soon after the Academy opened, the large Supper Room above Lydiard Street was leased to William Bridges, a former miner, who ran it as an art gallery, displaying an excellent collection of European and Australian artworks, including his own tapestries. After Bridges moved his operations to Melbourne in 1883, the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery was formed. The Gallery Society ran the Gallery from the Academy from 1884 until 1890, when the present Art Gallery in Lydiard Street North was opened.

For the next twenty five years, the Academy of Music was unchallenged as Ballarat's main theatrical venue. It was never as popular as the old Theatre Royal, however, as the rather cavernous hall lacked the intimacy of the older playhouse. In 1898, when Sir William Clarke died, the building was bought by a local consortium and transformed into the delightful theatrical space we know today.

The new owners commissioned Australia's leading theatre architect, William Pitt (1855 – 1918), to remodel the interior and improve the stage facilities. William, who had been apprenticed to George Browne, also designed Melbourne's Princess Theatre amongst many other buildings. The present layout of the auditorium with sloping floor and double balconies, is Pitt's creation. The colour scheme is a recreation of the interior decoration undertaken at that time by Hugh Paterson, one of Melbourne's leading designers.

Paterson also decorated the dome and proscenium arch with murals. The mural in the dome depicted a carnival scene, with dancers in fanciful costumes; Comedy and Tragedy were featured on either side of the proscenium arch, with Shakespeare over the top. Unfortunately all the murals were destroyed in 1907 when Government regulations required the proscenium wall to be replaced with a solid firewall. The dome was removed at the same time for structural reasons, and was restored in 1990. The Dress Circle Lobby also dates from 1907.

The 1898 theatre was constructed in brick with timber roof construction sheeted with iron. The main body is brick with piers both inside and out. The hipped trussed roof covers both the three-level auditorium and the stage with dressing rooms below. The ground floor and foyer have been considerably altered at various times but the auditorium and stage structure are original as is much of the auditorium ceiling and pilastered walls. The roof over the stage also dates from 1875 and the later inclusion of a fly tower stage in 1898 is fitted around the original trusses. The flying system is the only manual (non counterweight) system in existence in Australia. In the auditorium roof there appears to have been two domes, a small one dating from before 1898 for which the horizontal shutters and tube structure to a former sliding ventilated roof are still in existence. When 1898 dome was removed a false octagonal ceiling was fitted in its place. Internally the circle and gallery levels are horseshoe shaped in plan and are carried on cast iron columns. The balcony balustrading is swag bellied and decorated. It is believed that the wall pilasters, panelled ceilings and proscenium are original decorations and some traces of art nouveau decorative motifs are to be seen where later alterations have been made. The two balconies were constructed in 1898, but one balcony front is the reused 1874 front while the second was made to match. The balconies and cast-iron supporting posts are typical for auditoria design in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. The double balcony, supported on columns, is now the last of this form of theatre in Victoria. The facade of this building is two storeyed in height with stucco ornamentation in a somewhat florid Classical style. The upper storey windows are round headed with archivolts supported by slender columns as are the two ground floor subsidiary entrances. The highly decorated curved entrance has now been lost. The ground floor facade has been much altered and a street awning has been added. The first floor facade is intact but the parapet balustrading and ornamentation has been destroyed.

From the First World War on, the Theatre was increasingly used for cinema presentations. A Bio Box (projection room) was built above the Dress Circle Lobby in 1916, and the Theatre was wired for sound in 1930. In 1928, the Hoyts cinema chain took over control over the building through its local subsidiary, Ballarat Theatres Limited, which ran Her Majesty's in tandem with the Regent Theatre (purposely built as a cinema).

In 1936, Her Majesty's was leased and operated by Ballarat Amusements, part of the Woodrow Distributing Company, presenting MGM and Paramount movies. Ballarat Amusements ran it until the early 1960s.

During the silent movie era, a theatre orchestra provided the film accompaniment. The Ballarat Theatre Organ Society installed the Theatre's Compton Theatre Organ in 1982.

Even when Her Majesty's was primarily a cinema, it was always available, to a lesser or greater degree, for live performances. It was used regularly by J. C. Williamson's and other touring companies as well as local groups. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s huge crowds came to see the annual pantomimes staged by the Wavie Williams Pantomime Company. For the last forty years, the Theatre has been used to stage locally produced musical comedies.

Television came to Ballarat in 1962, and had an immediate impact on attendances at the local cinemas. Ballarat Amusements decided to cease screenings and Hoyts put the building on the market.

In 1965, the Theatre was bought by the Royal South Street Society as the home for its Annual Competitions.The Bolte State Government gave the Society £20,000 towards the purchase price and a further grant towards the adaptation of the building for the Competitions. Further assistance towards both purposes came from local businessman, Alf Reid. It was clearly understood at the time that the Society would be managing the Theatre as a community facility.

The Society renamed Her Majesty's the Memorial Theatre, a move which made donations to its renovation appeal tax deductable.

The Society was unable to adequately maintain the upkeep of the building, however, and gifted it to the then City of Ballaarat in 1987, reserving the right to hold competitions in the Theatre every year between August and November.

The City of Ballarat undertook a major renovation, seeking funding from a wide range of businesses, individuals and organisations. The Theatre reopened as Her Majesty's on the 1st of November, 1990.

No. 1 - 4: Travelling to Ulm in Baden-Württemberg, by train from Stuttgart, via Esslingen (Neckar).

Dotted around in that far field are Juniper (Juniperus communis) trees.

The Juniper

- is one of the most successful unsuccessful plants in the world. This conifer, which belongs to the Cypress family, has over 50 species found in every continent save Antarctica. There are 15 species in the United States alone, naturally occurring in every state except Hawaii.

The common juniper is usually a low-spreading shrub, with small prickly needles set in whorls of three. “Common” is a fitting name: this juniper has the largest range of any woody plant in the world. The shrub’s range circumscribes the northern hemisphere, stretching from Alaska east to Japan.

The Rocky Mountain variety is among the tallest junipers, and also among the highest. As the name implies, this tree is found at elevation of 5,000 to 7,500 feet along the Rocky Mountain range in the US and Canada.

Tough Times

- rom the scraggly trees in the foothills to the perfectly shaped shrub found on manicured lawns, junipers are everywhere. So what about the unsuccessful part? For starters, it takes 14-18 months for juniper seeds to mature, and even then only one in a hundred will germinate.

In the first 20 years of its life, the average juniper will grow to be a full five feet tall. During its entire life span, the hearty rocky mountain juniper may stretch to 25 feet, but even a height of 15 feet is rare. Partially because of their slow rate of growth, junipers are highly susceptible to fire, which will kill all but the thickest of these trees. Seeds rarely survive, and junipers must usually be reintroduced to a scorched area by animals.

Suite 101.com

The Juniper Tree is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm.

It is tale number 47 and Aarne-Thompson type 720: "my mother slew me, my father ate me". Another such tale is the English The Rose-Tree, although it reverses the sexes from The Juniper Tree; The Juniper Tree follows the more common pattern of having the dead child be the boy.

A woman wishes for a child as red as blood and as white as snow. She knows she is about to die, so she requests that she be buried under a juniper tree that they have outside. She gives birth to a boy, and dies a few days later. Her husband grieves, and gets married again. His second wife gives birth to a daughter, Melinda, but hates the son because he would be the one to inherit all the family's money, and she wishes it to be her daughter. One day, she offers the boy an apple that is inside a chest. As he reaches in to get it, she slams its heavy lid on him, knocking his head off. She then takes a bandage and ties his head back to his body, and tells Melinda to ask him for the apple, and if he doesn't give it, to give him a good box on the ear. Melinda kindly asks for the apple, and then boxes him on the ear, resulting in the boy's head falling off. Melinda goes to her mother and tells her in sobs that she killed her brother. Her mother reassures Melinda and turns the boy's body into black puddings.

The father eats the puddings, but Melinda takes up the bones and buries them beneath a juniper tree. A beautiful bird flies out of the tree. It goes and sings a song to a goldsmith, who gives it a golden chain, to a shoemaker, who gives it a pair of red shoes, and to millers, who give it a millstone. It then flies back home and sings its song. The father goes out to see what is singing such a beautiful song and the golden chain falls about his neck. Then he says to everyone that a beautiful bird gave him a chain. It sings again, Melinda goes out to see if this is true, and the red shoes fall to her. She comes in giggling happily and tells everyone how happy she is with what the bird gave her. All this time the stepmother is complaining of heat, claiming she has a horrid fire burning in her veins. It sings a third time, the stepmother goes out, and the bird drops the millstone on her, crushing her, and killing her. The father and Melinda go out to see what caused the loud crash, but find nothing but a swirl of smoke and a stone. The brother is standing there, looking happy, and they go inside for dinner.

Commentary

Many folklorists interpret evil stepmothers as stemming from actual competition between a woman and her stepchildren for resources. In this tale, the motive is made explicit: the stepmother wants her daughter to inherit everything.

The millstone in the story would have had Biblical connotations for the readers of the Grimms' days, especially as the verse Luke 17:2 says that anyone who causes a child to sin would be better off being thrown into the sea with a millstone about his neck; both refer to a millstone as a punishment for those who harm the young and innocent.

In his essay "On Fairy-Stories", J.R.R. Tolkien cited The Juniper Tree as an example of the evils of censorship for children; many versions in his day omitted the stew, and Tolkien thought children should not be spared it, unless they were spared the whole fairy tale.

Wikipedia

The Juniper shrub (Arkenthos of the ancients),

- which is widely distributed about the world, grows not uncommonly in England as a stiff evergreen conifer on healthy ground, and bears bluish purple berries. These have a sweet, juicy, and, presently, bitter, brown pulp, containing three seeds, and they do not ripen until the second year. The flowers blossom in May and June. Probably the shrub gets its name from the Celtic jeneprus, "rude or rough." Gerard notes that "it grows most commonly very low, like unto our ground furzes." Gum Sandarach, or Pounce, is the product of this tree.

Medicinally, the berries and the fragrant tops are employed. They contain "juniperin," sugar, resins, wax, fat, formic and acetic acids, and malates. The fresh tops have a balsamic odour, and a carminative, bitter-sweet taste. The berries afford a yellow aromatic oil, which acts on the kidneys, and gives cordial warmth.

to the stomach. Forty berries should yield an ounce of the oil. Steeped in alcohol the berries make a capital ratafia; they are used in several confections, as well as for flavouring gin, being put into a spirit more common than the true geneva of Holland. The French obtain from these berries the Geni?e (Anglice "geneva"), from which we have taken our English word "gin." In France, Savoy, and Italy, the berries are largely collected, and are sometimes eaten as such, fifteen or twenty at a time, to stimulate the kidneys; or they are taken in powder for the same purpose. Being fragrant of smell, they have a warm, sweet, pungent flavour, which becomes bitter on further mastication.

Herbal Gardens

To see Large: farm5.static.flickr.com/4065/4493798502_a499bb344f_b.jpg

Taken on October 17, 2007 at 10:51

Palace of Fontainebleau

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Palace and Park of Fontainebleau

Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List

Location of Palace of Fontainebleau in France.

The Palace of Fontainebleau, located 55 kilometres from the centre of Paris, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. The palace as it is today is the work of many French monarchs, building on an early 16th-century structure of Francis I. The building is arranged around a series of courtyards. The commune of Fontainebleau has grown up around the remainder of the Forest of Fontainebleau, a former royal hunting park. This forest is now home to many endangered species of Europe.

The throne room, formerly the King’s bedroom from Henry IV to Louis XVI, it was converted into the throne room by Napoleon

The older château on this site was already used in the latter part of the 12th century by King Louis VII, for whom Thomas Becket consecrated the chapel. Fontainebleau was a favourite residence of Philip Augustus (Philip II) and Louis IX. The creator of the present edifice was Francis I, under whom the architect Gilles le Breton erected most of the buildings of the Cour Ovale, including the Porte Dorée, its southern entrance. The king also invited the architect Sebastiano Serlio to France, and Leonardo da Vinci. The Gallery of Francis I, with its frescoes framed in stucco by Rosso Fiorentino, carried out between 1522 and 1540, was the first great decorated gallery built in France. Broadly speaking, at Fontainebleau the Renaissance was introduced to France. The Salle des Fêtes, in the reign of Henry II, was decorated by the Italian Mannerist painters, Francesco Primaticcio and Niccolò dell'Abbate. Benvenuto Cellini's "Nymph of Fontainebleau", commissioned for the château, is at the Louvre.

Another campaign of extensive construction was undertaken by King Henry II and Catherine de' Medici, who commissioned architects Philibert Delorme and Jean Bullant. To the Fontainebleau of François I and Henry II, King Henry IV added the court that carries his name, the Cour des Princes, with the adjoining Galerie de Diane de Poitiers and the Galerie des Cerfs, used as a library. A "second school of Fontainebleau" decorators, less ambitious and original than the first, evolved from these additional projects. Henry IV pierced the wooded park with a 1200m canal (which can be fished today) and ordered the planting of pines, elms and fruit trees. The park stretches of an area more than 80 hectares, enclosed by walls and pierced rectilinear paths. Henry IV's gardener, Claude Mollet, trained at Château d'Anet, laid out patterned parterres. Preserved on the grounds is Henry IV's jeu de paume (real tennis court). It is the largest such court in the world, and one of the few publicly owned.

Philip the Fair (Philip IV), Henry III and Louis XIII were all born in the palace, and Philip died there. Christina of Sweden lived there for years, following her abdication in 1654. In 1685 Fontainebleau saw the signing of the Edict of Fontainebleau, which revoked the Edict of Nantes (1598). Royal guests of the Bourbon kings were housed at Fontainebleau, including Peter the Great of Russia and Christian VII of Denmark.

Revolution and Empire

By the late 18th century, the château had fallen into disrepair; during the French Revolution many of the original furnishings were sold, in the long Revolutionary sales of the contents of all the royal châteaux, intended as a way of raising money for the nation and ensuring that the Bourbons could not return to their comforts. Nevertheless, within a decade Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte began to transform the Château de Fontainebleau into a symbol of his grandeur, as an alternative to the empty Palace of Versailles, with its Bourbon connotations. Napoleon hosted Pope Pius VII there in 1804, when he came to consecrate the emperor, and again in 1812–1814, when he was Napoleon's prisoner. With modifications of the château's structure, including the cobblestone entrance wide enough for his carriage, Napoleon helped make the château the place that visitors see today. At Fontainebleau Napoleon abdicated for the first time, bade farewell to his Old Guard and went into exile in 1814.Fontainebleau was also the setting of the Second Empire court of his nephew Napoleon III.

Today

The château is now home to the Écoles d'Art Américaines, a school of art, architecture, and music for students from the United States. The school was founded by General Pershing when his men were stationed there during the First World War.

Palacio de Fontainebleau

Palacio y parque de Fontainebleau. Nombre descrito en la Lista del Patrimonio de la Humanidad.

Coordenadas48°24′07″N 02°41′53″E País Francia

La Sala de espectáculos del Palacio de Fontainebleau, en 1855.

El Palacio de Fontainebleau, en francés Château de Fontainebleau, es uno de los mayores palacios reales franceses. Está localizado en la ciudad de Fontainebleau, departamento de Sena y Marne, en el norte de Francia.

El palacio refleja, actualmente, las aportaciones constructivas y decorativas de varios monarcas franceses, a partir de una estructura inicial de Francisco I. El edificio se desarrolla alrededor de una serie de patios.

La ciudad de Fontainebleau creció en su entorno y en lo que restaba de la «floresta de Fontainebleau» (en español bosque de Fontainebleau), un antiguo parque real de caza.

Este palacio introdujo en Francia el Manierismo italiano, en la decoración de interiores y en los jardines, adaptándolo. El manierismo francés en la decoración de interiores del siglo XVI es conocido como «estilo Fontainebleau»: combina escultura, forja, pintura, estuco y carpintería. En jardinería supuso la introducción del parterre.

El ideal de belleza femenina en Fontainebleau es, también, manierista: una pequeña y graciosa cabeza en un cuello esbelto, torso y brazos exageradamente largos, pechos pequeños y altos; es casi un regreso a las bellezas del gótico tardío. Los nuevos ideales de Fontainebleau fueron plasmados en refinados y detallados grabados que circularon entre artistas y entendidos.

A través de los grabados realizados por la «Escuela de Fontainebleau», este nuevo estilo fue transmitido a otros centros del norte de Europa, especialmente en Amberes, Bélgica, Alemania y, más tarde, también Londres.

El viejo castillo que se erigía en este lugar ya era usado al final del siglo XII por el rey Luis VII, para quien Thomas Becket consagró la capilla. Fontainebleau fue una de las residencias favoritas de Felipe II y de Luis IX. El creador del edificio actual fue Francisco I, para quien el arquitecto Gilles le Breton construyó la mayor parte del Cour Ovale (Patio Ovalado), incluyendo la Porte Dorée (Puerta Dorada), en su entrada sur. Este rey también invitó a Sebastiano Serlio y Leonardo da Vinci. La Galería de Francisco I, con sus frescos hechos en estuco por Rosso Fiorentino, fue construida entre 1522 y 1540, siendo la primera gran galería decorada construida en Francia.

El Renacimiento fue introducido en Francia por el Palacio de Fontainebleau, por influencia de Enrique II y Catalina de Médici, que contrataron a los arquitectos Philibert Delorme y Jean Bullant, con los que llevaron a cabo una importante campaña de remodelaciones. La Salle des Fêtes (Salón de Baile) fue decorada por los pintores manieristas italianos Francesco Primaticcio y Niccolò dell'Abbate. La «Ninfa de Fontainebleau», de Benvenuto Cellini, encargada para el palacio, está en el Louvre.

Al Fontainebleau de Francisco I y Enrique II, Enrique IV añadió el patio que lleva su nombre, el Cour des Princes (Patio de los Príncipes), la Galerie de Diane de Poitiers (Galería de Diana de Poitiers) y la Galerie des Cerfs (Galería de los Ciervos), usada como biblioteca. Una «segunda escuela de decoradores de Fontainebleau», menos ambiciosa y original que la primera, estuvo involucrada en estos proyectos. Enrique IV perforó el parque forestal con un canal de 1200 metros, donde actualmente se puede pescar, y ordenó la plantación de pinos, olmos y frutales. Su jardinero, Claude Mollet, con habilidades ya probadas en el Château d'Anet, ejecutó los parterres.

Tres siglos después el palacio entró en decadencia; durante la Revolución francesa mucho del mobiliario original se dispersó en las ventas revolucionarias del contenido de todos los palacios reales, concebidas como una forma de conseguir dinero para la nación y asegurar que los Borbones no podrían volver a sus dominios. Dentro de la década siguiente, el emperador Napoleón Bonaparte comenzó a transformar el Château de Fontainebleau en un símbolo de su grandeza, como una alternativa al Palacio de Versalles que tenía connotaciones borbónicas. En Fontainebleau, Napoleón I de Francia firmó su abdicación, con el Tratado de Fontainebleau. Se despidió de su Vieja Guardia y partió al exilio.

Con modificaciones en la estructura del palacio, incluyendo la entrada de cantería suficientemente ancha para su carruaje, Napoleón ayudó a hacer del palacio el lugar que los visitantes conocen actualmente. Fontainebleau fue el escenario de la Corte del Segundo Imperio de su sobrino Napoleón III. Felipe IV, Enrique III y Luis XIII nacieron en este palacio, y el primer de estos reyes también murió aquí. Cristina de Suecia vivió en Fontainebleau durante varios años, después de abdicar en 1654. En 1685 Fontainebleau fue el escenario de la firma del Edicto de Fontainebleau, el cual revocó el Edicto de Nantes (1598). Huéspedes reales de los reyes de la dinastía de los Borbones fueron instalados en Fontainebleau: Pedro I de Rusia y Cristián VII de Dinamarca, y también, en la época de Napoleón, el Papa Pío VII, en 1804 cuando vino a consagrar a Napoleón como Emperador, y entre 1812 y 1814, cuando fue su prisionero.

Actualmente, parte del palacio alberga las Écoles d'Art Américaines (Escuelas de Artes Americanas), una escuela de arte, arquitectura y música para estudiantes de los EUA. Preservado en los campos está el jeu de paume (campo de tenis real) de Enrique IV. Es el mayor campo de tenis de este género en el mundo, y uno de los pocos de propiedad pública.

En 1981, el Château de Fontainebleau fue clasificado Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la Unesco.

fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontainebleau

The Hmong (RPA: Hmoob/Moob, IPA: [m̥ɔ̃ŋ]) are an ethnic group from the mountainous regions of China, Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Hmong are also one of the sub-groups of the Miao ethnicity (苗族) in southern China. Hmong groups began a gradual southward migration in the 18th century due to political unrest and to find more arable land.

During the first and second Indochina Wars, France and the United States recruited thousands of Hmong people in Laos to fight against forces from north and south Vietnam and communist Pathet Lao insurgents, known as the Secret War, during the Vietnam War and the Laotian Civil War. Hundreds of thousands of Hmong refugees fled to Thailand seeking political asylum. Thousands of these refugees have resettled in Western countries since the late 1970s, mostly the United States, but also in Australia, France, French Guiana, Canada, and Argentina. Others have returned to Laos under United Nations-sponsored repatriation programs.

SUBCULTURES

Hmong people have their own terms for their subcultural divisions. Hmong Der and Hmong Leng are the terms for two of the largest groups in America and Southeast Asia. In the Romanized Popular Alphabet, developed in the 1950s in Laos, these terms are written Hmoob Dawb (White Hmong) and Moob Leeg/Moob Ntsuab (Blue/Green Mong). The final consonants indicate with which of the eight lexical tones the word is pronounced.

White Hmong and Green Hmong speak mutually intelligible dialects of the Hmong language with some differences in pronunciation and vocabulary. One of the most characteristic differences is the use of the voiceless /m̥/ in White Hmong, indicated by a preceding "H" in Romanized Popular Alphabet. Voiceless nasals are not found in the Green Hmong dialect. Hmong groups are often named after the dominant colors or patterns of their traditional clothing, style of head-dress, or the provinces from which they come.

VIETNAM

Vietnamese Hmong women continuing to wear 'traditional' clothing tend to source much of their clothing as 'ready to wear' cotton (as opposed to traditional hemp) from markets, though some add embroidery as a personal touch. In SaPa, now with a 'standardised' clothing look, Black Hmong sub-groups have differentiated themselves by adopting different headwear; those with a large comb embedded in their long hair (but without a hat) call themselves Tao, those with a pillbox hat name themselves Giay, and those with a checked headscarf are Yao. For many, such as Flower Hmong, the heavily beaded skirts and jackets are manufactured in China.

NOMENCLATURE

In Southeast Asia, Hmong people are referred to by other names, including: Vietnamese: Mèo or H'Mông; Lao: ແມ້ວ (Maew) or ມົ້ງ (Mong); Thai: แม้ว (Maew) or ม้ง (Mong); Burmese: မုံလူမျိုး (mun lu-myo). The xenonym, "Mèo", and variants thereof, are considered highly derogatory by many Hmong people and are infrequently used today outside of Southeast Asia.

The Hmong people were also referred to by some European writers as the "Kings of the Jungle," because they used to live in the jungle of Laos. Because the Hmong lived mainly in the highland areas of Southeast Asia and China, the French occupiers of Southeast Asia gave them the name Montagnards or "mountain people", but this should not be confused with the Degar people of Vietnam, who were also referred to as Montagnards.

HMONG, MONG AND MIAO

Some non-Chinese Hmong advocate that the term Hmong be used not only for designating their dialect group, but also for the other Miao groups living in China. They generally claim that the word "Miao" or "Meo" is a derogatory term, with connotations of barbarism, that probably should not be used at all. The term was later adapted by Tai-speaking groups in Southeast Asia where it took on especially insulting associations for Hmong people despite its official status.

In modern China, the term "Miao" does not carry these negative associations and people of the various sub-groups that constitute this officially recognized nationality freely identify themselves as Miao or Chinese, typically reserving more specific ethnonyms for intra-ethnic communication. During the struggle for political recognition after 1949, it was actually members of these ethnic minorities who campaigned for identification under the umbrella term "Miao"-taking advantage of its familiarity and associations of historical political oppression.

Contemporary transnational interactions between Hmong in the West and Miao groups in China, following the 1975 Hmong diaspora, have led to the development of a global Hmong identity that includes linguistically and culturally related minorities in China that previously had no ethnic affiliation. Scholarly and commercial exchanges, increasingly communicated via the Internet, have also resulted in an exchange of terminology, including Hmu and A Hmao people identifying as Hmong and, to a lesser extent, Hmong people accepting the designation "Miao," within the context of China. Such realignments of identity, while largely the concern of economically elite community leaders, reflect a trend towards the interchangeability of the terms "Hmong" and "Miao."

HISTORY

The Hmong claim an origin in the Yellow River region of China. According to Ratliff, there is linguistic evidence to suggest that they have occupied the same areas of southern China for at least the past 2,000 years. Evidence from mitochondrial DNA in Hmong-Mien-speaking populations supports the southern origins of maternal lineages even further back in time, although Hmong-speaking populations show more contact with Han than Mien populations. Chinese sources describe that area being inhabited by 'Miao' people, a group with whom Hmong people are often identified.

The ancient town of Zhuolu, is considered to be the legendary birthplace of the Miao. Today, a statue of Chi You, widely proclaimed as the first Hmong king, has been erected in the town. The Guoyu book, considers Chi You’s Jui Li tribe to be related to the ancient ancestors of the Hmong, the San Miao people

CULTURE

The Hmong culture usually consists of a dominant hierarchy within the family. Males hold dominance over females and thus, a father is considered the head in each household. Courtships take place during the night when a man goes to visit a woman at her house and tries to woo her with sweet-talks through the thin walls of the house where the woman's bedroom may be located. If a man kidnaps an unwilling woman as a bride, she would have to marry him or risk having a tarnished reputation.

Today, bridenapping is uncommon because those marriages can end in divorce since women are no longer afraid of a tarnished reputation. During a marriage, the man pays the woman's family for taking away a daughter who is economically essential to her parents. Hmong women retain their own maiden names following marriage, but attends to the ancestors of their husbands. The children they bear take their husbands' clan names. Consequently, the Hmong favour having sons over daughters because sons perpetuate the clan.

The Hmong practice shamanism and ancestor worship. Like other animists, they also believe that all things are endowed with spiritual beings and so should be respected.

See Anne Fadiman's ethnography: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down for more info.

Hmong families in Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos practice subsistence agriculture, supplemented by hunting and some foraging. Although they have chickens, pigs and cows, the traditional staple of the Hmong consists mostly of vegetable dishes and rice. Domestic animals are highly valued and killed for consumption only during special events such as the New Year's Festival or during events such as a birth, marriage, or funeral ritual.

GEOGRAPHY

Roughly 95% of the Hmong live in Asia. Linguistic data show that the Hmong of the Peninsula stem from the Miao of southern China as one among a set of ethnic groups belonging to the Hmong–Mien language family. Linguistically and culturally speaking, the Hmong and the other sub-groups of the Miao have little in common.

In China the majority of the Hmong today live in Guizhou, Sichuan and Yunnan. The Hmong population is estimated at 3 million. No precise census data exist on the Hmong in China since China does not officially recognise the ethnonym Hmong and instead, clusters that group within the wider Miao group (8,940,116 in 2000). A few centuries ago, the lowland Chinese started moving into the mountain ranges of China's southwest. This migration, combined with major social unrest in southern China in the 18th and 19th century, served to cause some minorities of Guizhou, Sichuan and Yunnan to migrate south. A number of Hmong thus settled in the ranges of the Indochina Peninsula to practise subsistence agriculture.

Vietnam, where their presence is attested from the late 18th century onwards, is likely to be the first Indochinese country into which the Hmong migrated. During the colonization of 'Tonkin' (north Vietnam) between 1883 and 1954, a number of Hmong decided to join the Vietnamese Nationalists and Communists, while many Christianized Hmong sided with the French. After the Viet Minh victory, numerous pro-French Hmong had to fall back to Laos and South Vietnam.

At the 2009 national census, there were 1,068,189 Hmong living in Vietnam, the vast majority of them in the north of the country. The traditional trade in coffin wood with China and the cultivation of the opium poppy – both prohibited only in 1993 in Vietnam – long guaranteed a regular cash income. Today, converting to cash cropping is the main economic activity. As in China and Laos, there is a certain degree of participation of Hmong in the local and regional administration. In the late 1990s, several thousands of Hmong have started moving to the Central Highlands and some have crossed the border into Cambodia, constituting the first attested presence of Hmong settlers in that country.

In 2005, the Hmong in Laos numbered 460,000. Hmong settlement there is nearly as ancient as in Vietnam. After decades of distant relations with the Lao kingdoms, closer relations between the French military and some Hmong on the Xieng Khouang plateau were set up after World War II. There, a particular rivalry between members of the Lo and Ly clans developed into open enmity, also affecting those connected with them by kinship. Clan leaders took opposite sides and as a consequence, several thousand Hmong participated in the fighting against the Pathet Lao Communists, while perhaps as many were enrolled in the People's Liberation Army. As in Vietnam, numerous Hmong in Laos also genuinely tried to avoid getting involved in the conflict in spite of the extremely difficult material conditions under which they lived during wartime.

After the 1975 Communist victory, thousands of Hmong from Laos had to seek refuge abroad. Approximately 30 percent of the Hmong left, although the only concrete figure we have is that of 116,000 Hmong from Laos and Vietnam together seeking refuge in Thailand up to 1990.

In 2002 the Hmong in Thailand numbered 151,080. The presence of Hmong settlements there is documented from the end of the 19th century. Initially, the Siamese paid little attention to them. But in the early 1950s, the state suddenly took a number of initiatives aimed at establishing links. Decolonization and nationalism were gaining momentum in the Peninsula and wars of independence were raging. Armed opposition to the state in northern Thailand, triggered by outside influence, started in 1967 while here again, many Hmong refused to take sides in the conflict. Communist guerrilla warfare stopped by 1982 as a result of an international concurrence of events that rendered it pointless. Priority is since given by the Thai state to sedentarizing the mountain population, introducing commercially viable agricultural techniques and national education, with the aim of integrating these non-Tai animists within the national identity.

Burma most likely includes a modest number of Hmong (perhaps around 2,500) but no reliable census has been conducted there recently.

As result of refugee movements in the wake of the Indochina Wars (1946–1975), in particular in Laos, the largest Hmong community to settle outside Asia went to the United States where approximately 100,000 individuals had already arrived by 1990. California became home to half this group, while the remainder went to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Washington, Pennsylvania, Montana, and North Carolina. By the same date, 10,000 Hmong had migrated to France, including 1,400 in French Guyana. Canada admitted 900 individuals, while another 360 went to Australia, 260 to China, and 250 to Argentina. Over the following years and until the definitive closure of the last refugee camps in Thailand in 1998, additional numbers of Hmong have left Asia, but the definitive figures are still to be produced.

WIKIPEDIA

A station approach - with, out of shot to the left, a bridge under the railway. I'm uncertain as to the location but west London rather than south seems likely despite the "Brighton" road connotations of the film - and other shots are in the West Drayton area - any ideas?

The English Rose

The English rose is an iconic symbol of the British isles that evokes royalty, war and beautiful women - a potent combination. For this project i wanted to celebrate the beauty of the roses from which these connotations are born.

To capture these wonderful blooms i worked with David Austin Roses, the most renowned grower of English roses.

Over the course of two summers I set up a small studio at the headquarters of David Austin in Wolverhampton, using a bright blue background as a stark contrast to the array of colours you find in roses.

I was assisted by senior rosarian Michael Marriott who selected the best examples of each variety of rose for me to photograph.

My goal was simple to capture the diversity and beauty of this symbolic flower.

“Anatomical Man” from the Limbourgh brothers' Très riches Heures du duc de Berry (1415). The Latin inscriptions describe the zodiac signs' properties according to the four complexions (hot, cold, wet, dry).

Look at the signs of the zodiac. They correspond to each part of the body, starting with Pisces, the feet, and working up their way to the head, with Aries, the ram, that has sacred connotations. In each top corner are painted the arms of the Duke of Berry. Each area is complemented by four Latin inscriptions describing the properties of each sign according to the four complexions (hot, cold, wet or dry), the four temperaments (choleric, melancholic, sanguine and phlegmatic) and the four cardinal points: "Aries, Leo and Sagittarius are warm and dry, choleric, masculine, Eastern" in the upper left; "Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn are cold and dry, melancholy, female, Western" in the upper right; "Gemini, Aquarius and Libra are hot and humid, sanguine, masculine, Southern" in the lower left; "Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces are cold and wet, phlegmatic, feminine, Northern" in the lower right.

Source:

commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anatomical_Man.jpg

Our perceptions of aesthetic value are determined by a host of factors which we typically fail to consider. This is apparent not only in the realm of art, but in every aspect of our everyday interactions with the world in which we live. We humans experience such a bombardment of sensory input throughout our day that we can’t help taking for granted the objects which make our lives more enjoyable. Often, our ability to properly appreciate the subtle beauty held within the seemingly mundane is restricted by the limitations placed upon our eyes. I would like you to consider as an example the humble strawberry. Enjoyed by many for its taste, as well as the connotations which it arouses (warm summer days in the garden), the strawberry is truly one of nature’s greatest gifts to the world. Considering this, it seemed only fair to me that people should be able to truly comprehend the hidden magnificence of this tragically underappreciated object. The fine details which comprise the strawberries beauty are, unfortunately, far too minute for the naked eye to decipher. We are fortunate to live in a time in history in which details of the world which our eyes would be otherwise incapable of seeing are now available thanks in part to technology. With the right equipment, a person can now transform the most humble of insects into terrifying aliens. For my alien, I utilized a digital camera with a macro bellow attached to a 50mm lens. I painstakingly photographed one hundred and twenty nine separate images of the slice of strawberry you see before you. Afterward, I pieced together each individual image in much the same way the one puts together a puzzle. In the end, I was left with a magnificently detailed image which a single photograph would never have been capable of creating.

Photo: Roman Circle. Modillion on eave of San Miguel de Fuentidueña, Segovia

The Celtic god Cernunnus, was a divinity with human face and deer’s antlers, who, in medieval times and the Early Middle Ages was incorporated into the known and expanding pantheon of demons. The figure of this god and, above all, his antlers served to enrich the iconography of the devil, who would adopt the deer’s antlers among his variety of horns. So we find horned devils of this type, in the Cantigas de Santa Maria and other manuscripts from the end of the Middle Ages. The deer in medieval iconography, following on from a citation in the Psalms, has a positive connotation, as it represents the Christian soul that goes to drink at a fountain and there, encounters the devil in the form of a serpent. From the moment that this celtic god became known and demonised, the cervid also gained a negative reputation.

To find out more about this subject check the following link:

dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=210327

In medieval medicine, which is inseparably linked to magic, it was thought that the deer’s heart had bones and that these cured illnesses of the heart.

You can continue reading in the following link:

play.google.com/store/books/details?id=QTcPAQAAQBAJ&r...

Foto: Círculo Románico. Modillón del alero de San Miguel de Fuentidueña, Segovia .

El dios celta Cernunnos era una divinidad con rostro humano y cornamenta de ciervo, que también en época medieval y desde la Alta Edad Media se incorporó al conocido y engrosado panteón demonológico.

La figura de este dios y sobre todo su cornamenta sirvió para enriquecer la iconografía del diablo que adoptaría como variedad de entre sus cuernos los del ciervo. Así hay diablos astados de esta manera en las Cantigas de Santa María y en otros manuscritos del fin de la Edad Media.

El ciervo en la iconografía medieval y siguiendo una cita de los Salmos, tiene una caracterización positiva ya que representa el alma cristiana que va a beber agua a la fuente y allí se enfrenta al diablo en forma de serpiente. A partir del conocimiento y satanización de este dios celta el cérvido tiene también una imagen negativa.

Para saber más sobre este tema les remito el siguiente link:

dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=210327

En la medicina medieval inseparablemente unida a la magia, se pensaba que el corazón de ciervo tenía huesos y que éstos curaban las enfermedades del corazón.

Puede continuar leyendo sobre este tema, en este libro:

play.google.com/store/books/details?id=QTcPAQAAQBAJ&r...

By Ian Woo

Your cities do not exist. Perhaps they have never existed. Why do you amuse yourself with consolatory fables? 1

Kublai Khan to Marco Polo

The paintings reveal illuminated matter informed by the grids and structures of a city. Made up of multiple reflections of illusionary glare, the illuminated subjects seem to be exalted, suggestively arranged to appear in an order that resembles building and structures. James McNeil Whistler’s preoccupation with luminosity and visual poetry plays an important role in influencing the way Bao Ling paints and sees. It was Whistler who suggested the importance of the formal arrangement of colour and lines as a way to emphasis the materiality and discreet act of painting over the elaboration of subject matter. The similarities that lie between Bao Ling’s and Whistler’s paintings are their concern with painting as a way to illuminate matter rather than as a medium to give detail to observation.

It was in the painting of fireworks; Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket by Whistler that caused a reaction from the noted art critic / artist John Ruskin to commend that it looked like a unresolved painting made out of drips and accidental marks with no concern to the craftsmanship and labor of painting.2 However, the argument would be that painting, as suggested by Whistler, should serve a double fold to represent material as itself as well as that of creating the illusionary. The idea of painting here is pigment being engaged at different levels. One can experience the mark of pigment that is fluid and immediate. At another level, there is the shaping and ordering of form; both characteristics allow a series of dialogue between representation and abstraction. There is a constant shift between these two states of reading, setting up the mind to enable a degree of shift between a formalism of aesthetics to that of representation. Here, we see the language of painting reveal its processes but the structure that governs its flow to become visually comprehensible plays key to enabling the mental state to play language games. This range of illusionary depth provides momentary displacement as the eye tries to make sense of the illuminated subject matter. The momentary displacement that results in this combination resembles the fleeting memory of the registration of a remembered image, one that is unclear, fragmented, in parts. In Bao Ling’s paintings, the parts are situated and differentiated by colours, creating fluctuating optical shifts as one gathers the visual identity from the suggested parts of illuminated matter.

In Bao Ling’s nocturnal cityscapes, the spontaneity of painting to capture memory is relayed with acrylic while an overlay of oil paint gives contrast to configure shadow and light to highlight portions to be illuminated. The paint is than brushed and dragged to further distort to create contrasting depths of mutation and saturation in the lighted experience. The structures in Bao Ling’s paintings stand as corridors and towers that reflect on the relationship we have with the world. The viewer seems like the only person looking at the city. The lighted sensation also seems alien, making the city appear without inhabitants, emphasizing only the artificial colours of green, blue, yellow and red as illuminated matter.

Metaphorically, the dynamics in Bao Lings painting seems festive and celebrative; bringing comparisons to the notion of the heroic. As Bao Ling talks about light as symbolizing a kind of wishful desire, this aspect really captures the heroic nature of his light subject, where they stand as glimmering perhaps even burning structures of hope, like an iconic mirage within all the darkness that surround us. The depth in his paintings allow one to engage in background foreground shifts in focusing and losing sight of this vision of hope. Perhaps these paintings are an analogy to the manner in which hope can come into being, yet it can also disappear and fade out, if the focus is shifted elsewhere.

So where is the location that Bao Ling seem to have captured its heroic subject from? Though he works from photographs as a platform, he also extends and fabricates the structures with distortions and extensions of light, making the original identity of the subject matter seem redundant. But perhaps the identity of the location is unimportant; perhaps it could be anybody’s city or parts of a city. Socially, we understand the city as a melting pot, where cultures are interweaved and challenged, yet on a personal level, it’s conundrum can often leave one alienated causing emotional emptiness and loneliness. In these illuminated paintings, the latter experience of solitude and alienation can be seen as that which desires to be illuminated. This example can be contextualized to the painting’s contrast between shadow and light, where darkness and light plays a role in conjuring a dual experience of dark vacuums being filled with light. But what are the illuminated parts doing in the fulfillment of the voids that make up each painting? It seems that at times, the juxtaposition of warm colours in these illuminated spaces are verging on the fiery, like burning coals, echoing a kind of dream association to ideas of hell and its labyrinth of heated structures and never-ending depths. Yet, next to these fiery spaces are coloured chandelier like structures that offer a sense of stoppage and gaze. The combination blinds with its glare, tempting one to get into the space of its furnace.

In these paintings, I suggest that the city is not real, it’s a metaphor…painted from memory. It’s a re-depiction, a trace of its original source that is hinted, mentally made up, like one of the imaginary tales of one of the many intricate architecture of cities told by Marco Polo to an aging Kublai Khan in Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities. Similarly, Bao Ling’s painted cities like Polo’s mental inventions seems to be made up of fire, glaring garnets, illuminated stones and shattered dreams, culminating a city of suspended states like that of one being burnt alive. Some of the buildings look like they are on fire and there is a fluctuating state where its particles of the city seem to be in a mist of being martyred in fire, like a thousand Joan of Arcs’.

There is something peculiar about seeing matter or a person being lighted on fire. It is illuminated, beautiful, with an eerie presence; victory portrayed in its final momentary state of existence, like a celebrative performance to mark the end of one’s mortal state, that which is soon to disappear into ashes. But death, the aftermath, that which is burnt is not important, but rather, it’s the moment of burning that is important. It’s the duality of presence and glow, connotations that are remembered from religious characters, historical martyrs and certain ceremonial rituals. It’s a final moment captured in testament to our work and all that has been built, our illuminated farewell to the heroic grandeur of achievement, just before it returns back to the ground, buried with the rest of our historical ruins.

________________________________________________________________________

1.I. Calvino, Invisible Cities: Harcourt Brace 1974, p59

2.L. PetersJames McNeil WhistlerTodtri 1996 p51 -52

Ian Woo is a painter and musician. He currently lectures at the Faculty of Fine Arts, LASALLESIA College of the Arts, Singapore.

Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat’s Lydiard Street is one of the most intact, commercial nineteenth century theatres in Australia. Originally opened as the Ballarat Academy of Music in order to avoid the negative moral connotations associated with theatres at the time, Her Majesty’s was completed in 1875 to a design by architect George Browne. The Academy had a flat floored auditorium suitable for respectable dances and dinners, and a fully equipped stage. It was built to supersede Ballarat's Theatre Royal (built in 1858), which stood in Sturt Street. While very grand, the Royal had become outdated and no longer met the technical requirements of the touring companies.

The Academy was built by the wealthy Clarke family at the initiative of a group of local people who felt that Ballarat, as the premier city of the Victorian goldfields, should have a theatre worthy of its status. They guaranteed to rent it from the Clarkes at 10% of the construction cost, which was £13,000.

Built over a disused mineshaft, the original timber theatre initially comprised a theatre with rectangular auditorium, a steep lyre-shaped gallery, three entries leading to separate parts of the auditorium and two shops facing Lydiard Street.

Ballarat's handsome new theatre was ready ahead of schedule, and was opened on 7th June 1875. The first production was a comic opera by the French composer Lecocq, "La Fille de Madame Angot," presented by the Royal Opera Bouffe Company run by W. S. Lyster, Australia's first opera impresario.

Soon after the Academy opened, the large Supper Room above Lydiard Street was leased to William Bridges, a former miner, who ran it as an art gallery, displaying an excellent collection of European and Australian artworks, including his own tapestries. After Bridges moved his operations to Melbourne in 1883, the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery was formed. The Gallery Society ran the Gallery from the Academy from 1884 until 1890, when the present Art Gallery in Lydiard Street North was opened.

For the next twenty five years, the Academy of Music was unchallenged as Ballarat's main theatrical venue. It was never as popular as the old Theatre Royal, however, as the rather cavernous hall lacked the intimacy of the older playhouse. In 1898, when Sir William Clarke died, the building was bought by a local consortium and transformed into the delightful theatrical space we know today.

The new owners commissioned Australia's leading theatre architect, William Pitt (1855 – 1918), to remodel the interior and improve the stage facilities. William, who had been apprenticed to George Browne, also designed Melbourne's Princess Theatre amongst many other buildings. The present layout of the auditorium with sloping floor and double balconies, is Pitt's creation. The colour scheme is a recreation of the interior decoration undertaken at that time by Hugh Paterson, one of Melbourne's leading designers.

Paterson also decorated the dome and proscenium arch with murals. The mural in the dome depicted a carnival scene, with dancers in fanciful costumes; Comedy and Tragedy were featured on either side of the proscenium arch, with Shakespeare over the top. Unfortunately all the murals were destroyed in 1907 when Government regulations required the proscenium wall to be replaced with a solid firewall. The dome was removed at the same time for structural reasons, and was restored in 1990. The Dress Circle Lobby also dates from 1907.

The 1898 theatre was constructed in brick with timber roof construction sheeted with iron. The main body is brick with piers both inside and out. The hipped trussed roof covers both the three-level auditorium and the stage with dressing rooms below. The ground floor and foyer have been considerably altered at various times but the auditorium and stage structure are original as is much of the auditorium ceiling and pilastered walls. The roof over the stage also dates from 1875 and the later inclusion of a fly tower stage in 1898 is fitted around the original trusses. The flying system is the only manual (non counterweight) system in existence in Australia. In the auditorium roof there appears to have been two domes, a small one dating from before 1898 for which the horizontal shutters and tube structure to a former sliding ventilated roof are still in existence. When 1898 dome was removed a false octagonal ceiling was fitted in its place. Internally the circle and gallery levels are horseshoe shaped in plan and are carried on cast iron columns. The balcony balustrading is swag bellied and decorated. It is believed that the wall pilasters, panelled ceilings and proscenium are original decorations and some traces of art nouveau decorative motifs are to be seen where later alterations have been made. The two balconies were constructed in 1898, but one balcony front is the reused 1874 front while the second was made to match. The balconies and cast-iron supporting posts are typical for auditoria design in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. The double balcony, supported on columns, is now the last of this form of theatre in Victoria. The facade of this building is two storeyed in height with stucco ornamentation in a somewhat florid Classical style. The upper storey windows are round headed with archivolts supported by slender columns as are the two ground floor subsidiary entrances. The highly decorated curved entrance has now been lost. The ground floor facade has been much altered and a street awning has been added. The first floor facade is intact but the parapet balustrading and ornamentation has been destroyed.

From the First World War on, the Theatre was increasingly used for cinema presentations. A Bio Box (projection room) was built above the Dress Circle Lobby in 1916, and the Theatre was wired for sound in 1930. In 1928, the Hoyts cinema chain took over control over the building through its local subsidiary, Ballarat Theatres Limited, which ran Her Majesty's in tandem with the Regent Theatre (purposely built as a cinema).

In 1936, Her Majesty's was leased and operated by Ballarat Amusements, part of the Woodrow Distributing Company, presenting MGM and Paramount movies. Ballarat Amusements ran it until the early 1960s.

During the silent movie era, a theatre orchestra provided the film accompaniment. The Ballarat Theatre Organ Society installed the Theatre's Compton Theatre Organ in 1982.

Even when Her Majesty's was primarily a cinema, it was always available, to a lesser or greater degree, for live performances. It was used regularly by J. C. Williamson's and other touring companies as well as local groups. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s huge crowds came to see the annual pantomimes staged by the Wavie Williams Pantomime Company. For the last forty years, the Theatre has been used to stage locally produced musical comedies.

Television came to Ballarat in 1962, and had an immediate impact on attendances at the local cinemas. Ballarat Amusements decided to cease screenings and Hoyts put the building on the market.

In 1965, the Theatre was bought by the Royal South Street Society as the home for its Annual Competitions.The Bolte State Government gave the Society £20,000 towards the purchase price and a further grant towards the adaptation of the building for the Competitions. Further assistance towards both purposes came from local businessman, Alf Reid. It was clearly understood at the time that the Society would be managing the Theatre as a community facility.

The Society renamed Her Majesty's the Memorial Theatre, a move which made donations to its renovation appeal tax deductable.

The Society was unable to adequately maintain the upkeep of the building, however, and gifted it to the then City of Ballaarat in 1987, reserving the right to hold competitions in the Theatre every year between August and November.

The City of Ballarat undertook a major renovation, seeking funding from a wide range of businesses, individuals and organisations. The Theatre reopened as Her Majesty's on the 1st of November, 1990.

Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat’s Lydiard Street is one of the most intact, commercial nineteenth century theatres in Australia. Originally opened as the Ballarat Academy of Music in order to avoid the negative moral connotations associated with theatres at the time, Her Majesty’s was completed in 1875 to a design by architect George Browne. The Academy had a flat floored auditorium suitable for respectable dances and dinners, and a fully equipped stage. It was built to supersede Ballarat's Theatre Royal (built in 1858), which stood in Sturt Street. While very grand, the Royal had become outdated and no longer met the technical requirements of the touring companies.

The Academy was built by the wealthy Clarke family at the initiative of a group of local people who felt that Ballarat, as the premier city of the Victorian goldfields, should have a theatre worthy of its status. They guaranteed to rent it from the Clarkes at 10% of the construction cost, which was £13,000.

Built over a disused mineshaft, the original timber theatre initially comprised a theatre with rectangular auditorium, a steep lyre-shaped gallery, three entries leading to separate parts of the auditorium and two shops facing Lydiard Street.

Ballarat's handsome new theatre was ready ahead of schedule, and was opened on 7th June 1875. The first production was a comic opera by the French composer Lecocq, "La Fille de Madame Angot," presented by the Royal Opera Bouffe Company run by W. S. Lyster, Australia's first opera impresario.

Soon after the Academy opened, the large Supper Room above Lydiard Street was leased to William Bridges, a former miner, who ran it as an art gallery, displaying an excellent collection of European and Australian artworks, including his own tapestries. After Bridges moved his operations to Melbourne in 1883, the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery was formed. The Gallery Society ran the Gallery from the Academy from 1884 until 1890, when the present Art Gallery in Lydiard Street North was opened.

For the next twenty five years, the Academy of Music was unchallenged as Ballarat's main theatrical venue. It was never as popular as the old Theatre Royal, however, as the rather cavernous hall lacked the intimacy of the older playhouse. In 1898, when Sir William Clarke died, the building was bought by a local consortium and transformed into the delightful theatrical space we know today.

The new owners commissioned Australia's leading theatre architect, William Pitt (1855 – 1918), to remodel the interior and improve the stage facilities. William, who had been apprenticed to George Browne, also designed Melbourne's Princess Theatre amongst many other buildings. The present layout of the auditorium with sloping floor and double balconies, is Pitt's creation. The colour scheme is a recreation of the interior decoration undertaken at that time by Hugh Paterson, one of Melbourne's leading designers.

Paterson also decorated the dome and proscenium arch with murals. The mural in the dome depicted a carnival scene, with dancers in fanciful costumes; Comedy and Tragedy were featured on either side of the proscenium arch, with Shakespeare over the top. Unfortunately all the murals were destroyed in 1907 when Government regulations required the proscenium wall to be replaced with a solid firewall. The dome was removed at the same time for structural reasons, and was restored in 1990. The Dress Circle Lobby also dates from 1907.

The 1898 theatre was constructed in brick with timber roof construction sheeted with iron. The main body is brick with piers both inside and out. The hipped trussed roof covers both the three-level auditorium and the stage with dressing rooms below. The ground floor and foyer have been considerably altered at various times but the auditorium and stage structure are original as is much of the auditorium ceiling and pilastered walls. The roof over the stage also dates from 1875 and the later inclusion of a fly tower stage in 1898 is fitted around the original trusses. The flying system is the only manual (non counterweight) system in existence in Australia. In the auditorium roof there appears to have been two domes, a small one dating from before 1898 for which the horizontal shutters and tube structure to a former sliding ventilated roof are still in existence. When 1898 dome was removed a false octagonal ceiling was fitted in its place. Internally the circle and gallery levels are horseshoe shaped in plan and are carried on cast iron columns. The balcony balustrading is swag bellied and decorated. It is believed that the wall pilasters, panelled ceilings and proscenium are original decorations and some traces of art nouveau decorative motifs are to be seen where later alterations have been made. The two balconies were constructed in 1898, but one balcony front is the reused 1874 front while the second was made to match. The balconies and cast-iron supporting posts are typical for auditoria design in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. The double balcony, supported on columns, is now the last of this form of theatre in Victoria. The facade of this building is two storeyed in height with stucco ornamentation in a somewhat florid Classical style. The upper storey windows are round headed with archivolts supported by slender columns as are the two ground floor subsidiary entrances. The highly decorated curved entrance has now been lost. The ground floor facade has been much altered and a street awning has been added. The first floor facade is intact but the parapet balustrading and ornamentation has been destroyed.

From the First World War on, the Theatre was increasingly used for cinema presentations. A Bio Box (projection room) was built above the Dress Circle Lobby in 1916, and the Theatre was wired for sound in 1930. In 1928, the Hoyts cinema chain took over control over the building through its local subsidiary, Ballarat Theatres Limited, which ran Her Majesty's in tandem with the Regent Theatre (purposely built as a cinema).

In 1936, Her Majesty's was leased and operated by Ballarat Amusements, part of the Woodrow Distributing Company, presenting MGM and Paramount movies. Ballarat Amusements ran it until the early 1960s.

During the silent movie era, a theatre orchestra provided the film accompaniment. The Ballarat Theatre Organ Society installed the Theatre's Compton Theatre Organ in 1982.

Even when Her Majesty's was primarily a cinema, it was always available, to a lesser or greater degree, for live performances. It was used regularly by J. C. Williamson's and other touring companies as well as local groups. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s huge crowds came to see the annual pantomimes staged by the Wavie Williams Pantomime Company. For the last forty years, the Theatre has been used to stage locally produced musical comedies.

Television came to Ballarat in 1962, and had an immediate impact on attendances at the local cinemas. Ballarat Amusements decided to cease screenings and Hoyts put the building on the market.

In 1965, the Theatre was bought by the Royal South Street Society as the home for its Annual Competitions.The Bolte State Government gave the Society £20,000 towards the purchase price and a further grant towards the adaptation of the building for the Competitions. Further assistance towards both purposes came from local businessman, Alf Reid. It was clearly understood at the time that the Society would be managing the Theatre as a community facility.

The Society renamed Her Majesty's the Memorial Theatre, a move which made donations to its renovation appeal tax deductable.

The Society was unable to adequately maintain the upkeep of the building, however, and gifted it to the then City of Ballaarat in 1987, reserving the right to hold competitions in the Theatre every year between August and November.

The City of Ballarat undertook a major renovation, seeking funding from a wide range of businesses, individuals and organisations. The Theatre reopened as Her Majesty's on the 1st of November, 1990.

Palace of Fontainebleau

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Palace and Park of Fontainebleau

Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List

Location of Palace of Fontainebleau in France.

The Palace of Fontainebleau, located 55 kilometres from the centre of Paris, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. The palace as it is today is the work of many French monarchs, building on an early 16th-century structure of Francis I. The building is arranged around a series of courtyards. The commune of Fontainebleau has grown up around the remainder of the Forest of Fontainebleau, a former royal hunting park. This forest is now home to many endangered species of Europe.

The throne room, formerly the King’s bedroom from Henry IV to Louis XVI, it was converted into the throne room by Napoleon

The older château on this site was already used in the latter part of the 12th century by King Louis VII, for whom Thomas Becket consecrated the chapel. Fontainebleau was a favourite residence of Philip Augustus (Philip II) and Louis IX. The creator of the present edifice was Francis I, under whom the architect Gilles le Breton erected most of the buildings of the Cour Ovale, including the Porte Dorée, its southern entrance. The king also invited the architect Sebastiano Serlio to France, and Leonardo da Vinci. The Gallery of Francis I, with its frescoes framed in stucco by Rosso Fiorentino, carried out between 1522 and 1540, was the first great decorated gallery built in France. Broadly speaking, at Fontainebleau the Renaissance was introduced to France. The Salle des Fêtes, in the reign of Henry II, was decorated by the Italian Mannerist painters, Francesco Primaticcio and Niccolò dell'Abbate. Benvenuto Cellini's "Nymph of Fontainebleau", commissioned for the château, is at the Louvre.

Another campaign of extensive construction was undertaken by King Henry II and Catherine de' Medici, who commissioned architects Philibert Delorme and Jean Bullant. To the Fontainebleau of François I and Henry II, King Henry IV added the court that carries his name, the Cour des Princes, with the adjoining Galerie de Diane de Poitiers and the Galerie des Cerfs, used as a library. A "second school of Fontainebleau" decorators, less ambitious and original than the first, evolved from these additional projects. Henry IV pierced the wooded park with a 1200m canal (which can be fished today) and ordered the planting of pines, elms and fruit trees. The park stretches of an area more than 80 hectares, enclosed by walls and pierced rectilinear paths. Henry IV's gardener, Claude Mollet, trained at Château d'Anet, laid out patterned parterres. Preserved on the grounds is Henry IV's jeu de paume (real tennis court). It is the largest such court in the world, and one of the few publicly owned.

Philip the Fair (Philip IV), Henry III and Louis XIII were all born in the palace, and Philip died there. Christina of Sweden lived there for years, following her abdication in 1654. In 1685 Fontainebleau saw the signing of the Edict of Fontainebleau, which revoked the Edict of Nantes (1598). Royal guests of the Bourbon kings were housed at Fontainebleau, including Peter the Great of Russia and Christian VII of Denmark.

Revolution and Empire

By the late 18th century, the château had fallen into disrepair; during the French Revolution many of the original furnishings were sold, in the long Revolutionary sales of the contents of all the royal châteaux, intended as a way of raising money for the nation and ensuring that the Bourbons could not return to their comforts. Nevertheless, within a decade Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte began to transform the Château de Fontainebleau into a symbol of his grandeur, as an alternative to the empty Palace of Versailles, with its Bourbon connotations. Napoleon hosted Pope Pius VII there in 1804, when he came to consecrate the emperor, and again in 1812–1814, when he was Napoleon's prisoner. With modifications of the château's structure, including the cobblestone entrance wide enough for his carriage, Napoleon helped make the château the place that visitors see today. At Fontainebleau Napoleon abdicated for the first time, bade farewell to his Old Guard and went into exile in 1814.Fontainebleau was also the setting of the Second Empire court of his nephew Napoleon III.

Today

The château is now home to the Écoles d'Art Américaines, a school of art, architecture, and music for students from the United States. The school was founded by General Pershing when his men were stationed there during the First World War.

Palacio de Fontainebleau

Palacio y parque de Fontainebleau. Nombre descrito en la Lista del Patrimonio de la Humanidad.

Coordenadas48°24′07″N 02°41′53″E País Francia

La Sala de espectáculos del Palacio de Fontainebleau, en 1855.

El Palacio de Fontainebleau, en francés Château de Fontainebleau, es uno de los mayores palacios reales franceses. Está localizado en la ciudad de Fontainebleau, departamento de Sena y Marne, en el norte de Francia.

El palacio refleja, actualmente, las aportaciones constructivas y decorativas de varios monarcas franceses, a partir de una estructura inicial de Francisco I. El edificio se desarrolla alrededor de una serie de patios.

La ciudad de Fontainebleau creció en su entorno y en lo que restaba de la «floresta de Fontainebleau» (en español bosque de Fontainebleau), un antiguo parque real de caza.

Este palacio introdujo en Francia el Manierismo italiano, en la decoración de interiores y en los jardines, adaptándolo. El manierismo francés en la decoración de interiores del siglo XVI es conocido como «estilo Fontainebleau»: combina escultura, forja, pintura, estuco y carpintería. En jardinería supuso la introducción del parterre.

El ideal de belleza femenina en Fontainebleau es, también, manierista: una pequeña y graciosa cabeza en un cuello esbelto, torso y brazos exageradamente largos, pechos pequeños y altos; es casi un regreso a las bellezas del gótico tardío. Los nuevos ideales de Fontainebleau fueron plasmados en refinados y detallados grabados que circularon entre artistas y entendidos.

A través de los grabados realizados por la «Escuela de Fontainebleau», este nuevo estilo fue transmitido a otros centros del norte de Europa, especialmente en Amberes, Bélgica, Alemania y, más tarde, también Londres.

El viejo castillo que se erigía en este lugar ya era usado al final del siglo XII por el rey Luis VII, para quien Thomas Becket consagró la capilla. Fontainebleau fue una de las residencias favoritas de Felipe II y de Luis IX. El creador del edificio actual fue Francisco I, para quien el arquitecto Gilles le Breton construyó la mayor parte del Cour Ovale (Patio Ovalado), incluyendo la Porte Dorée (Puerta Dorada), en su entrada sur. Este rey también invitó a Sebastiano Serlio y Leonardo da Vinci. La Galería de Francisco I, con sus frescos hechos en estuco por Rosso Fiorentino, fue construida entre 1522 y 1540, siendo la primera gran galería decorada construida en Francia.

El Renacimiento fue introducido en Francia por el Palacio de Fontainebleau, por influencia de Enrique II y Catalina de Médici, que contrataron a los arquitectos Philibert Delorme y Jean Bullant, con los que llevaron a cabo una importante campaña de remodelaciones. La Salle des Fêtes (Salón de Baile) fue decorada por los pintores manieristas italianos Francesco Primaticcio y Niccolò dell'Abbate. La «Ninfa de Fontainebleau», de Benvenuto Cellini, encargada para el palacio, está en el Louvre.

Al Fontainebleau de Francisco I y Enrique II, Enrique IV añadió el patio que lleva su nombre, el Cour des Princes (Patio de los Príncipes), la Galerie de Diane de Poitiers (Galería de Diana de Poitiers) y la Galerie des Cerfs (Galería de los Ciervos), usada como biblioteca. Una «segunda escuela de decoradores de Fontainebleau», menos ambiciosa y original que la primera, estuvo involucrada en estos proyectos. Enrique IV perforó el parque forestal con un canal de 1200 metros, donde actualmente se puede pescar, y ordenó la plantación de pinos, olmos y frutales. Su jardinero, Claude Mollet, con habilidades ya probadas en el Château d'Anet, ejecutó los parterres.

Tres siglos después el palacio entró en decadencia; durante la Revolución francesa mucho del mobiliario original se dispersó en las ventas revolucionarias del contenido de todos los palacios reales, concebidas como una forma de conseguir dinero para la nación y asegurar que los Borbones no podrían volver a sus dominios. Dentro de la década siguiente, el emperador Napoleón Bonaparte comenzó a transformar el Château de Fontainebleau en un símbolo de su grandeza, como una alternativa al Palacio de Versalles que tenía connotaciones borbónicas. En Fontainebleau, Napoleón I de Francia firmó su abdicación, con el Tratado de Fontainebleau. Se despidió de su Vieja Guardia y partió al exilio.

Con modificaciones en la estructura del palacio, incluyendo la entrada de cantería suficientemente ancha para su carruaje, Napoleón ayudó a hacer del palacio el lugar que los visitantes conocen actualmente. Fontainebleau fue el escenario de la Corte del Segundo Imperio de su sobrino Napoleón III. Felipe IV, Enrique III y Luis XIII nacieron en este palacio, y el primer de estos reyes también murió aquí. Cristina de Suecia vivió en Fontainebleau durante varios años, después de abdicar en 1654. En 1685 Fontainebleau fue el escenario de la firma del Edicto de Fontainebleau, el cual revocó el Edicto de Nantes (1598). Huéspedes reales de los reyes de la dinastía de los Borbones fueron instalados en Fontainebleau: Pedro I de Rusia y Cristián VII de Dinamarca, y también, en la época de Napoleón, el Papa Pío VII, en 1804 cuando vino a consagrar a Napoleón como Emperador, y entre 1812 y 1814, cuando fue su prisionero.

Actualmente, parte del palacio alberga las Écoles d'Art Américaines (Escuelas de Artes Americanas), una escuela de arte, arquitectura y música para estudiantes de los EUA. Preservado en los campos está el jeu de paume (campo de tenis real) de Enrique IV. Es el mayor campo de tenis de este género en el mundo, y uno de los pocos de propiedad pública.

En 1981, el Château de Fontainebleau fue clasificado Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la Unesco.

fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontainebleau

Palace of Fontainebleau

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Palace and Park of Fontainebleau

Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List

Location of Palace of Fontainebleau in France.

The Palace of Fontainebleau, located 55 kilometres from the centre of Paris, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. The palace as it is today is the work of many French monarchs, building on an early 16th-century structure of Francis I. The building is arranged around a series of courtyards. The commune of Fontainebleau has grown up around the remainder of the Forest of Fontainebleau, a former royal hunting park. This forest is now home to many endangered species of Europe.

The throne room, formerly the King’s bedroom from Henry IV to Louis XVI, it was converted into the throne room by Napoleon

The older château on this site was already used in the latter part of the 12th century by King Louis VII, for whom Thomas Becket consecrated the chapel. Fontainebleau was a favourite residence of Philip Augustus (Philip II) and Louis IX. The creator of the present edifice was Francis I, under whom the architect Gilles le Breton erected most of the buildings of the Cour Ovale, including the Porte Dorée, its southern entrance. The king also invited the architect Sebastiano Serlio to France, and Leonardo da Vinci. The Gallery of Francis I, with its frescoes framed in stucco by Rosso Fiorentino, carried out between 1522 and 1540, was the first great decorated gallery built in France. Broadly speaking, at Fontainebleau the Renaissance was introduced to France. The Salle des Fêtes, in the reign of Henry II, was decorated by the Italian Mannerist painters, Francesco Primaticcio and Niccolò dell'Abbate. Benvenuto Cellini's "Nymph of Fontainebleau", commissioned for the château, is at the Louvre.

Another campaign of extensive construction was undertaken by King Henry II and Catherine de' Medici, who commissioned architects Philibert Delorme and Jean Bullant. To the Fontainebleau of François I and Henry II, King Henry IV added the court that carries his name, the Cour des Princes, with the adjoining Galerie de Diane de Poitiers and the Galerie des Cerfs, used as a library. A "second school of Fontainebleau" decorators, less ambitious and original than the first, evolved from these additional projects. Henry IV pierced the wooded park with a 1200m canal (which can be fished today) and ordered the planting of pines, elms and fruit trees. The park stretches of an area more than 80 hectares, enclosed by walls and pierced rectilinear paths. Henry IV's gardener, Claude Mollet, trained at Château d'Anet, laid out patterned parterres. Preserved on the grounds is Henry IV's jeu de paume (real tennis court). It is the largest such court in the world, and one of the few publicly owned.

Philip the Fair (Philip IV), Henry III and Louis XIII were all born in the palace, and Philip died there. Christina of Sweden lived there for years, following her abdication in 1654. In 1685 Fontainebleau saw the signing of the Edict of Fontainebleau, which revoked the Edict of Nantes (1598). Royal guests of the Bourbon kings were housed at Fontainebleau, including Peter the Great of Russia and Christian VII of Denmark.

Revolution and Empire

By the late 18th century, the château had fallen into disrepair; during the French Revolution many of the original furnishings were sold, in the long Revolutionary sales of the contents of all the royal châteaux, intended as a way of raising money for the nation and ensuring that the Bourbons could not return to their comforts. Nevertheless, within a decade Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte began to transform the Château de Fontainebleau into a symbol of his grandeur, as an alternative to the empty Palace of Versailles, with its Bourbon connotations. Napoleon hosted Pope Pius VII there in 1804, when he came to consecrate the emperor, and again in 1812–1814, when he was Napoleon's prisoner. With modifications of the château's structure, including the cobblestone entrance wide enough for his carriage, Napoleon helped make the château the place that visitors see today. At Fontainebleau Napoleon abdicated for the first time, bade farewell to his Old Guard and went into exile in 1814.Fontainebleau was also the setting of the Second Empire court of his nephew Napoleon III.

Today

The château is now home to the Écoles d'Art Américaines, a school of art, architecture, and music for students from the United States. The school was founded by General Pershing when his men were stationed there during the First World War.

Palacio de Fontainebleau

Palacio y parque de Fontainebleau. Nombre descrito en la Lista del Patrimonio de la Humanidad.

Coordenadas48°24′07″N 02°41′53″E País Francia

La Sala de espectáculos del Palacio de Fontainebleau, en 1855.

El Palacio de Fontainebleau, en francés Château de Fontainebleau, es uno de los mayores palacios reales franceses. Está localizado en la ciudad de Fontainebleau, departamento de Sena y Marne, en el norte de Francia.

El palacio refleja, actualmente, las aportaciones constructivas y decorativas de varios monarcas franceses, a partir de una estructura inicial de Francisco I. El edificio se desarrolla alrededor de una serie de patios.

La ciudad de Fontainebleau creció en su entorno y en lo que restaba de la «floresta de Fontainebleau» (en español bosque de Fontainebleau), un antiguo parque real de caza.

Este palacio introdujo en Francia el Manierismo italiano, en la decoración de interiores y en los jardines, adaptándolo. El manierismo francés en la decoración de interiores del siglo XVI es conocido como «estilo Fontainebleau»: combina escultura, forja, pintura, estuco y carpintería. En jardinería supuso la introducción del parterre.

El ideal de belleza femenina en Fontainebleau es, también, manierista: una pequeña y graciosa cabeza en un cuello esbelto, torso y brazos exageradamente largos, pechos pequeños y altos; es casi un regreso a las bellezas del gótico tardío. Los nuevos ideales de Fontainebleau fueron plasmados en refinados y detallados grabados que circularon entre artistas y entendidos.

A través de los grabados realizados por la «Escuela de Fontainebleau», este nuevo estilo fue transmitido a otros centros del norte de Europa, especialmente en Amberes, Bélgica, Alemania y, más tarde, también Londres.

El viejo castillo que se erigía en este lugar ya era usado al final del siglo XII por el rey Luis VII, para quien Thomas Becket consagró la capilla. Fontainebleau fue una de las residencias favoritas de Felipe II y de Luis IX. El creador del edificio actual fue Francisco I, para quien el arquitecto Gilles le Breton construyó la mayor parte del Cour Ovale (Patio Ovalado), incluyendo la Porte Dorée (Puerta Dorada), en su entrada sur. Este rey también invitó a Sebastiano Serlio y Leonardo da Vinci. La Galería de Francisco I, con sus frescos hechos en estuco por Rosso Fiorentino, fue construida entre 1522 y 1540, siendo la primera gran galería decorada construida en Francia.

El Renacimiento fue introducido en Francia por el Palacio de Fontainebleau, por influencia de Enrique II y Catalina de Médici, que contrataron a los arquitectos Philibert Delorme y Jean Bullant, con los que llevaron a cabo una importante campaña de remodelaciones. La Salle des Fêtes (Salón de Baile) fue decorada por los pintores manieristas italianos Francesco Primaticcio y Niccolò dell'Abbate. La «Ninfa de Fontainebleau», de Benvenuto Cellini, encargada para el palacio, está en el Louvre.

Al Fontainebleau de Francisco I y Enrique II, Enrique IV añadió el patio que lleva su nombre, el Cour des Princes (Patio de los Príncipes), la Galerie de Diane de Poitiers (Galería de Diana de Poitiers) y la Galerie des Cerfs (Galería de los Ciervos), usada como biblioteca. Una «segunda escuela de decoradores de Fontainebleau», menos ambiciosa y original que la primera, estuvo involucrada en estos proyectos. Enrique IV perforó el parque forestal con un canal de 1200 metros, donde actualmente se puede pescar, y ordenó la plantación de pinos, olmos y frutales. Su jardinero, Claude Mollet, con habilidades ya probadas en el Château d'Anet, ejecutó los parterres.

Tres siglos después el palacio entró en decadencia; durante la Revolución francesa mucho del mobiliario original se dispersó en las ventas revolucionarias del contenido de todos los palacios reales, concebidas como una forma de conseguir dinero para la nación y asegurar que los Borbones no podrían volver a sus dominios. Dentro de la década siguiente, el emperador Napoleón Bonaparte comenzó a transformar el Château de Fontainebleau en un símbolo de su grandeza, como una alternativa al Palacio de Versalles que tenía connotaciones borbónicas. En Fontainebleau, Napoleón I de Francia firmó su abdicación, con el Tratado de Fontainebleau. Se despidió de su Vieja Guardia y partió al exilio.

Con modificaciones en la estructura del palacio, incluyendo la entrada de cantería suficientemente ancha para su carruaje, Napoleón ayudó a hacer del palacio el lugar que los visitantes conocen actualmente. Fontainebleau fue el escenario de la Corte del Segundo Imperio de su sobrino Napoleón III. Felipe IV, Enrique III y Luis XIII nacieron en este palacio, y el primer de estos reyes también murió aquí. Cristina de Suecia vivió en Fontainebleau durante varios años, después de abdicar en 1654. En 1685 Fontainebleau fue el escenario de la firma del Edicto de Fontainebleau, el cual revocó el Edicto de Nantes (1598). Huéspedes reales de los reyes de la dinastía de los Borbones fueron instalados en Fontainebleau: Pedro I de Rusia y Cristián VII de Dinamarca, y también, en la época de Napoleón, el Papa Pío VII, en 1804 cuando vino a consagrar a Napoleón como Emperador, y entre 1812 y 1814, cuando fue su prisionero.

Actualmente, parte del palacio alberga las Écoles d'Art Américaines (Escuelas de Artes Americanas), una escuela de arte, arquitectura y música para estudiantes de los EUA. Preservado en los campos está el jeu de paume (campo de tenis real) de Enrique IV. Es el mayor campo de tenis de este género en el mundo, y uno de los pocos de propiedad pública.

En 1981, el Château de Fontainebleau fue clasificado Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la Unesco.

fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontainebleau

Palace of Fontainebleau

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Palace and Park of Fontainebleau

Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List

Location of Palace of Fontainebleau in France.

The Palace of Fontainebleau, located 55 kilometres from the centre of Paris, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. The palace as it is today is the work of many French monarchs, building on an early 16th-century structure of Francis I. The building is arranged around a series of courtyards. The commune of Fontainebleau has grown up around the remainder of the Forest of Fontainebleau, a former royal hunting park. This forest is now home to many endangered species of Europe.

The throne room, formerly the King’s bedroom from Henry IV to Louis XVI, it was converted into the throne room by Napoleon

The older château on this site was already used in the latter part of the 12th century by King Louis VII, for whom Thomas Becket consecrated the chapel. Fontainebleau was a favourite residence of Philip Augustus (Philip II) and Louis IX. The creator of the present edifice was Francis I, under whom the architect Gilles le Breton erected most of the buildings of the Cour Ovale, including the Porte Dorée, its southern entrance. The king also invited the architect Sebastiano Serlio to France, and Leonardo da Vinci. The Gallery of Francis I, with its frescoes framed in stucco by Rosso Fiorentino, carried out between 1522 and 1540, was the first great decorated gallery built in France. Broadly speaking, at Fontainebleau the Renaissance was introduced to France. The Salle des Fêtes, in the reign of Henry II, was decorated by the Italian Mannerist painters, Francesco Primaticcio and Niccolò dell'Abbate. Benvenuto Cellini's "Nymph of Fontainebleau", commissioned for the château, is at the Louvre.

Another campaign of extensive construction was undertaken by King Henry II and Catherine de' Medici, who commissioned architects Philibert Delorme and Jean Bullant. To the Fontainebleau of François I and Henry II, King Henry IV added the court that carries his name, the Cour des Princes, with the adjoining Galerie de Diane de Poitiers and the Galerie des Cerfs, used as a library. A "second school of Fontainebleau" decorators, less ambitious and original than the first, evolved from these additional projects. Henry IV pierced the wooded park with a 1200m canal (which can be fished today) and ordered the planting of pines, elms and fruit trees. The park stretches of an area more than 80 hectares, enclosed by walls and pierced rectilinear paths. Henry IV's gardener, Claude Mollet, trained at Château d'Anet, laid out patterned parterres. Preserved on the grounds is Henry IV's jeu de paume (real tennis court). It is the largest such court in the world, and one of the few publicly owned.

Philip the Fair (Philip IV), Henry III and Louis XIII were all born in the palace, and Philip died there. Christina of Sweden lived there for years, following her abdication in 1654. In 1685 Fontainebleau saw the signing of the Edict of Fontainebleau, which revoked the Edict of Nantes (1598). Royal guests of the Bourbon kings were housed at Fontainebleau, including Peter the Great of Russia and Christian VII of Denmark.

Revolution and Empire

By the late 18th century, the château had fallen into disrepair; during the French Revolution many of the original furnishings were sold, in the long Revolutionary sales of the contents of all the royal châteaux, intended as a way of raising money for the nation and ensuring that the Bourbons could not return to their comforts. Nevertheless, within a decade Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte began to transform the Château de Fontainebleau into a symbol of his grandeur, as an alternative to the empty Palace of Versailles, with its Bourbon connotations. Napoleon hosted Pope Pius VII there in 1804, when he came to consecrate the emperor, and again in 1812–1814, when he was Napoleon's prisoner. With modifications of the château's structure, including the cobblestone entrance wide enough for his carriage, Napoleon helped make the château the place that visitors see today. At Fontainebleau Napoleon abdicated for the first time, bade farewell to his Old Guard and went into exile in 1814.Fontainebleau was also the setting of the Second Empire court of his nephew Napoleon III.

Today

The château is now home to the Écoles d'Art Américaines, a school of art, architecture, and music for students from the United States. The school was founded by General Pershing when his men were stationed there during the First World War.

Palacio de Fontainebleau

Palacio y parque de Fontainebleau. Nombre descrito en la Lista del Patrimonio de la Humanidad.

Coordenadas48°24′07″N 02°41′53″E País Francia

La Sala de espectáculos del Palacio de Fontainebleau, en 1855.

El Palacio de Fontainebleau, en francés Château de Fontainebleau, es uno de los mayores palacios reales franceses. Está localizado en la ciudad de Fontainebleau, departamento de Sena y Marne, en el norte de Francia.

El palacio refleja, actualmente, las aportaciones constructivas y decorativas de varios monarcas franceses, a partir de una estructura inicial de Francisco I. El edificio se desarrolla alrededor de una serie de patios.

La ciudad de Fontainebleau creció en su entorno y en lo que restaba de la «floresta de Fontainebleau» (en español bosque de Fontainebleau), un antiguo parque real de caza.

Este palacio introdujo en Francia el Manierismo italiano, en la decoración de interiores y en los jardines, adaptándolo. El manierismo francés en la decoración de interiores del siglo XVI es conocido como «estilo Fontainebleau»: combina escultura, forja, pintura, estuco y carpintería. En jardinería supuso la introducción del parterre.

El ideal de belleza femenina en Fontainebleau es, también, manierista: una pequeña y graciosa cabeza en un cuello esbelto, torso y brazos exageradamente largos, pechos pequeños y altos; es casi un regreso a las bellezas del gótico tardío. Los nuevos ideales de Fontainebleau fueron plasmados en refinados y detallados grabados que circularon entre artistas y entendidos.

A través de los grabados realizados por la «Escuela de Fontainebleau», este nuevo estilo fue transmitido a otros centros del norte de Europa, especialmente en Amberes, Bélgica, Alemania y, más tarde, también Londres.

El viejo castillo que se erigía en este lugar ya era usado al final del siglo XII por el rey Luis VII, para quien Thomas Becket consagró la capilla. Fontainebleau fue una de las residencias favoritas de Felipe II y de Luis IX. El creador del edificio actual fue Francisco I, para quien el arquitecto Gilles le Breton construyó la mayor parte del Cour Ovale (Patio Ovalado), incluyendo la Porte Dorée (Puerta Dorada), en su entrada sur. Este rey también invitó a Sebastiano Serlio y Leonardo da Vinci. La Galería de Francisco I, con sus frescos hechos en estuco por Rosso Fiorentino, fue construida entre 1522 y 1540, siendo la primera gran galería decorada construida en Francia.

El Renacimiento fue introducido en Francia por el Palacio de Fontainebleau, por influencia de Enrique II y Catalina de Médici, que contrataron a los arquitectos Philibert Delorme y Jean Bullant, con los que llevaron a cabo una importante campaña de remodelaciones. La Salle des Fêtes (Salón de Baile) fue decorada por los pintores manieristas italianos Francesco Primaticcio y Niccolò dell'Abbate. La «Ninfa de Fontainebleau», de Benvenuto Cellini, encargada para el palacio, está en el Louvre.

Al Fontainebleau de Francisco I y Enrique II, Enrique IV añadió el patio que lleva su nombre, el Cour des Princes (Patio de los Príncipes), la Galerie de Diane de Poitiers (Galería de Diana de Poitiers) y la Galerie des Cerfs (Galería de los Ciervos), usada como biblioteca. Una «segunda escuela de decoradores de Fontainebleau», menos ambiciosa y original que la primera, estuvo involucrada en estos proyectos. Enrique IV perforó el parque forestal con un canal de 1200 metros, donde actualmente se puede pescar, y ordenó la plantación de pinos, olmos y frutales. Su jardinero, Claude Mollet, con habilidades ya probadas en el Château d'Anet, ejecutó los parterres.

Tres siglos después el palacio entró en decadencia; durante la Revolución francesa mucho del mobiliario original se dispersó en las ventas revolucionarias del contenido de todos los palacios reales, concebidas como una forma de conseguir dinero para la nación y asegurar que los Borbones no podrían volver a sus dominios. Dentro de la década siguiente, el emperador Napoleón Bonaparte comenzó a transformar el Château de Fontainebleau en un símbolo de su grandeza, como una alternativa al Palacio de Versalles que tenía connotaciones borbónicas. En Fontainebleau, Napoleón I de Francia firmó su abdicación, con el Tratado de Fontainebleau. Se despidió de su Vieja Guardia y partió al exilio.

Con modificaciones en la estructura del palacio, incluyendo la entrada de cantería suficientemente ancha para su carruaje, Napoleón ayudó a hacer del palacio el lugar que los visitantes conocen actualmente. Fontainebleau fue el escenario de la Corte del Segundo Imperio de su sobrino Napoleón III. Felipe IV, Enrique III y Luis XIII nacieron en este palacio, y el primer de estos reyes también murió aquí. Cristina de Suecia vivió en Fontainebleau durante varios años, después de abdicar en 1654. En 1685 Fontainebleau fue el escenario de la firma del Edicto de Fontainebleau, el cual revocó el Edicto de Nantes (1598). Huéspedes reales de los reyes de la dinastía de los Borbones fueron instalados en Fontainebleau: Pedro I de Rusia y Cristián VII de Dinamarca, y también, en la época de Napoleón, el Papa Pío VII, en 1804 cuando vino a consagrar a Napoleón como Emperador, y entre 1812 y 1814, cuando fue su prisionero.

Actualmente, parte del palacio alberga las Écoles d'Art Américaines (Escuelas de Artes Americanas), una escuela de arte, arquitectura y música para estudiantes de los EUA. Preservado en los campos está el jeu de paume (campo de tenis real) de Enrique IV. Es el mayor campo de tenis de este género en el mundo, y uno de los pocos de propiedad pública.

En 1981, el Château de Fontainebleau fue clasificado Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la Unesco.

fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontainebleau

Motor Transport

NEW TRUCKS FROM OLD

8th July 1993, Page 26

Reconditioned components are an established part of the haulage industry. Scania main dealer Keltruck has taken truck recycling to its ultimate conclusion.

Chris Kelly chooses his words carefully. And he likes other people to do the same. Describe the Scania main dealer's growing parts reclamation and truck recycling operation as a "sophisticated breakers" and he'll query your terminology in a voice which is slow, measured and deliberate.

"I don't like the word breakers," he says. "It's got traditional connotations of a dirty yard, swimming in oil, often with a loose Alsation, operated by people with little regard for the environment — I'd say we're none of those."

It's difficult to argue with him: Kelly has spent more money on the recycling operation at Keltruck's West Bromwich site than many breakers see in profit in a lifetime (at the last count it was a cool £250,000).

Pass through the 2,800m recycling area with its neatly binned components, steam cleaned engines and newly painted cabs (shrink-wrapped to keep the dust off) and you could easily be in the new parts department.

WRITTEN OFF

But these parts aren't new They've all been used before, some on trucks up to eight years old and since written off for scrap. Others come off vehicles that have ended their working life in a road accident. But whatever the source, if the component has life left in it and a potential buyer — it won't be wasted.

Keltruck's recycling operation kicked off in earnest some two years ago, spurred on by a number of factors, not least the arrival of the current recession, as Kelly explains: "We kept registering a need, particularly from local operators who at the start of the recession were unable to afford major unit repairs and if we couldn't provide them with a component at a price they could afford they were quite prepared to go away and visit breakers instead."

According to Kelly those breakers (with or without Alsatians) weren't used to dealing with Scanias: "They were still into the tailend of the AFL, Bedford era. I felt it was much better for our customers to be buying used Scania components from us than introducing another element and buying them from someone else."

While the potential revenue from competitively-priced reconditioned components seems obvious, the message appears to have been missed by many franchised truck dealers.

It was an area of business that traditionally is lost to a distributor; the bottom slice if you like, of the business that we wanted to take account of," says Kelly.

The potential buyer of recycled, or reconditioned parts has traditionally been the small haulier looking to save money over a factory reconditioned or "new" spare part. However, Kelly believes the market has moved on.

"That bottom slice isn't always the small haulier, it's sometimes the larger operator with a vehicle that's got a fixed life whether for accounting reasons or whatever — and if there's a major component failure within six months of the end of that total period, one way or another they've got to get it back on the road for it to complete that accounting period." Rather than pay a premium price for the durability of a new spare part for a vehicle that is due to be sold on, many large operators are now buying recycled components at lower prices to see them through that final operating period.

"We've got major public companies who've bought components from us for that very reason", says Kelly. "Not because they can't afford the component but because it would be largely uneconomical for them to go down the route of new, only to sell the vehicle six months later."

While cynics might accuse Kelly of simply trying to beat the breakers at their own game he insists there is a quality issue which goes beyond simple price considerations. "There was an onslaught of spurious parts over the past three years and this was also a way to counter it. Operators by and large see a spurious part and think it's the same specification as a genuine part. But they're not. There are a number of people who offer "reconditioned" major components. When we've opened them up and looked inside they're nothing more than a paint job on the outside of the casing. What we offer with our reconditioned gearboxes and splitters is an assurance that only genuine Scania components have been used."

TWO-TIER SERVICE

Keltruck offers a two-tier service on used driveline components; effectively with or without full reconditioning. For the price sensitive haulier the extra work and cost of reconditioning can still tip the balance although even with new parts fitted the recon unit is still noticeably cheaper than the all new spare part.

Recycling division manager Remo Gianesi quotes savings of up to 50% on Keltruck's recycled engines and sometimes more. He cites a typical late-model Scania 14-litre V8; fully reconditioned it will run out at around £5,500, or £3,500 "as is". The retail price for a "factory reconditioned" non-EDC 14-litre V8 quoted by Scania at Milton Keynes is £15,598.14. The cost of a brand new engine, only supplied on rare occasions, would be even higher.

Similar savings can be had on 11-litre engines and gearboxes. Typical price for a recon Keltruck 11-litre is £3,500 while the reclaimed engine costs around £2,500. Prices for a used Scania gearbox — typically a 10speed range-change GR 871 — is £1,500-£2,000.

Of course money isn't everything. For many hauliers a decent warranty is just as important.

Keltruck backs the sales of its reconditioned engines and gearboxes with its own six-month warranty, although some owner-drivers are happy to settle for three months to get the unit price down.

MAJOR FACTOR

Lost work is another major factor, reports Gianesi; "Time is often the main consideration for the owner-driver. We had one customer with a R143-400 with a major knock on his engine which would have been at least a week off the road which he couldn't afford. We sold him a used engine, part exchanged for £3,000 plus fitting, and he was back at work without any delay." While Keltruck can clearly offer savings against new parts Kelly isn't about to take on the back-street breakers in a price war: "Our prices, because we use genuine Scania parts, have to be higher. Rather like the original product, we never try to pretend it's the cheapest in the world."

Finding stock doesn't appear to be a problem. Keltruck buys around 120 trucks a year just for its recycling operation. Gianesi is in constant touch with potential suppliers by mobile phone, and he's all too familiar with inflated claims from suppliers: "There's never a bad one. They'll all tell you that they've just spent a fortune on it — but you take it at face value."

When the truck first arrives at West Bromwich Gianesi sorts out the key components for potential re-use, including cabs, engines and gearboxes, diffs, front axles, springs, and any other ancillaries worth keeping like alternators and water and power steering pumps. What's left — scrap metals, tyres, batteries, plastics — are separated ready for collection by outside contractors.

"Wherever possible we'll start the engine before we take it out and run it up until it's hot to determine oil pressure and general condition. Then you listen to it, just like a doctor," says Gianesi.

Keltruck keeps a large stock of engines, both reconditioned and used "as is", with a range of mileages on them, allowing customers to match engine quality and likely durability with their own needs. If an engine is earmarked for a full recon job it goes into the rebuild shop after a thorough wash. A full strip-down and rebuild on a 14-litre including new pistons, liners and bearings is a week's work. On gearboxes Keltruck also offers a splitter conversion on standard range-change transmissions that carries a full Scania guarantee.

Bent cabs are straightened on a Josam alignment rig before being repainted, wax injected and then shrink-wrapped. "Cab quality determines how long an operator keeps a truck", says Kelly. "Since 1984 Scania's cabs have been largely galvanised and wax injected. As a consequence cabs can be superb after six years so vehicles are being kept longer which has to mean that the Scania parc is extended, so there's more opportunities for us to sell reconditioned drivelines."

Keltruck's used parts operation has already generated comment, together with a few raised eyebrows, at Scania's head office at Milton Keynes where some have questioned whether what Kelly is doing is really "recycling" or "reclamation" in that the first involves creating new things from old and the second is about putting old things back to work.

The distinction is probably lost on all but the most environmentally correct, although Kelly remains unrepentant about his choice of words: "It's exactly what's happening. All the steel from the chassis frame and so on goes to various centres where it's actually recycled and can be positively followed into a new product.

"The scrap plastic, batteries, tyres, brass and copper all go to different recyclers," he adds. "Although we don't do it ourselves we direct the components to the specialist recyclers and that's why I can confidently say the vast majority of the truck that we take to pieces is recycled in one form or another. The opposite to recycling is to leave a truck in a field and let it rust and rot."

ALLADIN'S CAVE

Either way, to the average operator Keltruck's Scania recycling centre is an cave of old and not-so-old parts where relatively new big vees rub shoulders with the odd LB cab. But Kelly doesn't let nostalgia get in the way of maintaining a very strict stock control: "I'm certainly not the kind of person that keeps something on the basis that one day it may be used again. The time that it's going to be used again has got to be pretty certain for me to keep an item." Just like his words, Kelly chooses his used parts carefully.

Read more at archive.commercialmotor.com/article/8th-july-1993/26/new-...

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OM PARVAT

Om Parvat (also Adi Kailash, Little Kailash, Jonglingkong Peak,Baba Kailash, chhota Kailash)[3] is a mountain in the Himalayanmountain range, lying in the Darchula district of western Nepal and inPithoragarh District, Uttarakhand, India. It is considered sacred by Hindusand its snow deposition pattern resembles the sacred 'OM' (ॐ). Its appearance is distinctly similar to Mount Kailash in Tibet.[4] Near Om Parvat lie Parvati Lake and Jonglingkong Lake. Jonglingkong Lake is sacred, as Mansarovar, to the Hindus. Opposite to this peak is a mountain called Parwati Muhar. The Om Parvat is the fruit of discord between India and Nepal who do not reach agreement about the border line between the two countries. The Om Parvat is currently on the Indo-Nepalese border face "Om/ॐ" in India and the back of the mountain inNepal.

This peak was attempted for the first time by an Indo-British team including Martin Moran, T. Rankin, M. Singh, S. Ward, A. Williams and R. Ausden. The climbers promised not to ascend the final 10 metres (30 ft) out of respect for the peak's holy status. However, they were stopped around 200 m (660 ft) short of the summit by very loose snow and rock conditions.[4]

The first ascent of Adi Kailash came on October 8, 2004. The team comprised Tim Woodward, Jack Pearse, Andy Perkins (UK); Jason Hubert, Martin Welch, Diarmid Hearns, Amanda George (Scotland); and Paul Zuchowski (USA). They did not ascend the final few metres, again out of respect for the sacred nature of the summit.

Om Parvat can be viewed en route to the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra from the last camp below Lipu Lekh pass at Nabhidhang. Many trekkers to Adi Kailash often make a diversion to view Om Parvat. Om Parvat and Adi Kailash or Baba Kailash are not one and the same. Om Parvat is located near Nabhi Dhang (Nepal),The Chhota Kailash is located near Sinla pass, Near Brahma Parvat.

The best view of Om Parvat which "Om" drawn by the snow is the view from the district of Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand, India), which faces the mountain and hence to the "Om". By Kailash Mansarovar Foundation Swami Bikash Giri www.sumeruparvat.com , www.naturalitem.com

OM

Auṃ or Oṃ, Sanskrit: ॐ) is a sacred sound and a spiritual icon in Indian religions. It is also a mantra in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.

Om is part of the iconography found in ancient and medieval era manuscripts, temples, monasteries and spiritual retreats in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The symbol has a spiritual meaning in all Indian dharmas, but the meaning and connotations of Om vary between the diverse schools within and across the various traditions.

In Hinduism, Om is one of the most important spiritual symbols (pratima). It refers to Atman (soul, self within) andBrahman (ultimate reality, entirety of the universe, truth, divine, supreme spirit, cosmic principles, knowledge). The syllable is often found at the beginning and the end of chapters in the Vedas, the Upanishads, and other Hindu texts. It is a sacred spiritual incantation made before and during the recitation of spiritual texts, during puja and private prayers, in ceremonies of rites of passages (sanskara) such as weddings, and sometimes during meditative and spiritual activities such as Yoga.

Vedic literature

The syllable "Om" is described with various meanings in the Vedas and different early Upanishads.[19] The meanings include "the sacred sound, the Yes!, the Vedas, the Udgitha (song of the universe), the infinite, the all encompassing, the whole world, the truth, the ultimate reality, the finest essence, the cause of the Universe, the essence of life, theBrahman, the Atman, the vehicle of deepest knowledge, and Self-knowledge".

Vedas

The chapters in Vedas, and numerous hymns, chants and benedictions therein use the syllable Om. The Gayatri mantra from the Rig Veda, for example, begins with Om. The mantra is extracted from the 10th verse of Hymn 62 in Book III of the Rig Veda.These recitations continue to be in use, and major incantations and ceremonial functions begin and end with Om.

ॐ भूर्भुवस्व: |

तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यम् |

भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि |

धियो यो न: प्रचोदयात् ||

Om. Earth, atmosphere, heaven.

Let us think on that desirable splendour

of Savitr, the Inspirer. May he stimulate

us to insightful thoughts.

Om is a common symbol found in the ancient texts of Hinduism, such as in the first line of Rig veda (top), as well as a icon in temples and spiritual retreats.

The Chandogya Upanishad is one of the oldest Upanishads of Hinduism. It opens with the recommendation that "let a man meditate on Om". It calls the syllable Om as udgitha (उद्गीथ, song, chant), and asserts that the significance of the syllable is thus: the essence of all beings is earth, the essence of earth is water, the essence of water are the plants, the essence of plants is man, the essence of man is speech, the essence of speech is the Rig Veda, the essence of the Rig Veda is the Sama Veda, and the essence of Sama Veda is the udgitha (song, Om).

Rik (ऋच्, Ṛc) is speech, states the text, and Sāman (सामन्) is breath; they are pairs, and because they have love and desire for each other, speech and breath find themselves together and mate to produce song. The highest song is Om, asserts section 1.1 of Chandogya Upanishad. It is the symbol of awe, of reverence, of threefold knowledge because Adhvaryu invokes it, the Hotr recites it, and Udgatr sings it.

The second volume of the first chapter continues its discussion of syllable Om, explaining its use as a struggle between Devas (gods) and Asuras (demons). Max Muller states that this struggle between gods and demons is considered allegorical by ancient Indian scholars, as good and evil inclinations within man, respectively. The legend in section 1.2 of Chandogya Upanishad states that gods took the Udgitha (song of Om) unto themselves, thinking, "with this [song] we shall overcome the demons". The syllable Om is thus implied as that which inspires the good inclinations within each person.

Chandogya Upanishad's exposition of syllable Om in its opening chapter combines etymological speculations, symbolism, metric structure and philosophical themes. In the second chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad, the meaning and significance of Om evolves into a philosophical discourse, such as in section 2.10 where Om is linked to the Highest Self, and section 2.23 where the text asserts Om is the essence of three forms of knowledge, Om is Brahman and "Om is all this [observed world]".

Katha Upanishad

The Katha Upanishad is the legendary story of a little boy, Nachiketa – the son of sage Vajasravasa, who meetsYama – the Indian deity of death. Their conversation evolves to a discussion of the nature of man, knowledge,Atman (Soul, Self) and moksha (liberation). In section 1.2, Katha Upanishad characterizes Knowledge/Wisdom as the pursuit of good, and Ignorance/Delusion as the pursuit of pleasant, that the essence of Veda is make man liberated and free, look past what has happened and what has not happened, free from the past and the future, beyond good and evil, and one word for this essence is the word Om.

The word which all the Vedas proclaim,

That which is expressed in every Tapas (penance, austerity, meditation),

That for which they live the life of a Brahmacharin,

Understand that word in its essence: Om! that is the word.

Yes, this syllable is Brahman,

This syllable is the highest.

He who knows that syllable,

Whatever he desires, is his.

— Katha Upanishad,

Maitri Upanishad

The Maitrayaniya Upanishad in sixth Prapathakas (lesson) discusses the meaning and significance of Om. The text asserts that Om represents Brahman-Atman. The three roots of the syllable, states the Maitri Upanishad, are A + U + M. The sound is the body of Soul, and it repeatedly manifests in three: as gender-endowed body - feminine, masculine, neuter; as light-endowed body - Agni, Vayu and Aditya; as deity-endowed body - Brahma, Rudra and Vishnu; as mouth-endowed body - Garhapatya, Dakshinagni and Ahavaniya; as knowledge-endowed body - Rig, Saman and Yajur; as world-endowed body - Bhūr, Bhuvaḥ and Svaḥ; as time-endowed body - Past, Present and Future; as heat-endowed body - Breath, Fire and Sun; as growth-endowed body - Food, Water and Moon; as thought-endowed body - intellect, mind and pysche. Brahman exists in two forms - the material form, and the immaterial formless. The material form is changing, unreal. The immaterial formless isn't changing, real. The immortal formless is truth, the truth is the Brahman, the Brahman is the light, the light is the Sun which is the syllable Om as the Self.

The world is Om, its light is Sun, and the Sun is also the light of the syllable Om, asserts the Upanishad. Meditating on Om, is acknowledging and meditating on the Brahman-Atman (Soul, Self).

Mundaka Upanishad

The Mundaka Upanishad in the second Mundakam (part), suggests the means to knowing the Self and the Brahman to be meditation, self-reflection and introspection, that can be aided by the symbol Om.

That which is flaming, which is subtler than the subtle,

on which the worlds are set, and their inhabitants –

That is the indestructible Brahman. It is life, it is speech, it is mind. That is the real. It is immortal.

It is a mark to be penetrated. Penetrate It, my friend.

Taking as a bow the great weapon of the Upanishad,

one should put upon it an arrow sharpened by meditation,

Stretching it with a thought directed to the essence of That,

Penetrate that Imperishable as the mark, my friend.

Om is the bow, the arrow is the Soul, Brahman the mark,

By the undistracted man is It to be penetrated,

One should come to be in It,

as the arrow becomes one with the mark.

— Mundaka Upanishad, 2.2.2 - 2.2.4

Adi Shankara, in his review of the Mundaka Upanishad, states Om as a symbolism for Atman (soul, self).

Mandukya Upanishad

The Mandukya Upanishad opens by declaring, "Om!, this syllable is this whole world". Thereafter it presents various explanations and theories on what it means and signifies. This discussion is built on a structure of "four fourths" or "fourfold", derived from A + U + M + "silence" (or without an element).

Aum as all states of time

In verse 1, the Upanishad states that time is threefold: the past, the present and the future, that these three are "Aum". The four fourth of time is that which transcends time, that too is "Aum" expressed.

Aum as all states of Atman

In verse 2, states the Upanishad, everything is Brahman, but Brahman is Atman (the Soul, Self), and that the Atman is fourfold. Johnston summarizes these four states of Self, respectively, as seeking the physical, seeking inner thought, seeking the causes and spiritual consciousness, and the fourth state is realizing oneness with the Self, the Eternal.

Aum as all states of consciousness

In verses 3 to 6, the Mandukya Upanishad enumerates four states of consciousness: wakeful, dream, deep sleep and the state of ekatma (being one with Self, the oneness of Self). These four are A + U + M + "without an element" respectively.

Aum as all of knowledge

In verses 9 to 12, the Mandukya Upanishad enumerates fourfold etymological roots of the syllable "Aum". It states that the first element of "Aum" is A, which is from Apti (obtaining, reaching) or from Adimatva (being first). The second element is U, which is from Utkarsa (exaltation) or from Ubhayatva(intermediateness). The third element is M, from Miti (erecting, constructing) or from Mi Minati, or apīti (annihilation). The fourth is without an element, without development, beyond the expanse of universe. In this way, states the Upanishad, the syllable Om is indeed the Atman (the self).

Shvetashvatara Upanishad

The Shvetashvatara Upanishad, in verses 1.14 to 1.16, suggests meditating with the help of syllable Om, where one's perishable body is like one fuel-stick and the syllable Om is the second fuel-stick, which with discipline and diligent rubbing of the sticks unleashes the concealed fire of thought and awareness within. Such knowledge, asserts the Upanishad, is the goal of Upanishads. The text asserts that Om is a tool of meditation empowering one to know the God within oneself, to realize one's Atman (Soul, Self).

Epics

The Bhagavad Gita, in the Epic Mahabharata, mentions the meaning and significance of Om in several verses. For example, Fowler notes that verse 9.17 of the Bhagavad Gita synthesizes the competing dualistic and monist streams of thought in Hinduism, by using "Om which is the symbol for the indescribable, impersonal Brahman".

I am the Father of this world, Mother, Ordainer, Grandfather, the Thing to be known, the Purifier, the syllable Om, Rik, Saman and also Yajus.

— Krishna to Arjuna, Bhagavad Gita 9.17,

The significance of the sacred syllable in the Hindu traditions, is similarly highlighted in various of its verses, such as verse 17.24 where the importance of Omduring prayers, charity and meditative practices is explained as follows,

Therefore, uttering Om, the acts of yajna (fire ritual), dāna (charity) and tapas (austerity) as enjoined in the scriptures, are always begun by those who study the Brahman.

— Bhagavad Gita

Yoga Sutra

The aphoristic verse 1.27 of Pantanjali's Yogasutra links Om to Yoga practice, as follows,

तस्य वाचकः प्रणवः ॥२७॥

His word is Om.

— Yogasutra 1.27,

Johnston states this verse highlights the importance of Om in the meditative practice of Yoga, where it symbolizes three worlds in the Soul; the three times – past, present and future eternity, the three divine powers – creation, preservation and transformation in one Being; and three essences in one Spirit – immortality, omniscience and joy. It is, asserts Johnston, a symbol for the perfected Spiritual Man (his emphasis). BY KAILASH MANSAROVAR FOUNDATION SWAMI BIKASH GIRI www.sumeruparvat.com , www.naturalitem.com

Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat’s Lydiard Street is one of the most intact, commercial nineteenth century theatres in Australia. Originally opened as the Ballarat Academy of Music in order to avoid the negative moral connotations associated with theatres at the time, Her Majesty’s was completed in 1875 to a design by architect George Browne. The Academy had a flat floored auditorium suitable for respectable dances and dinners, and a fully equipped stage. It was built to supersede Ballarat's Theatre Royal (built in 1858), which stood in Sturt Street. While very grand, the Royal had become outdated and no longer met the technical requirements of the touring companies.

The Academy was built by the wealthy Clarke family at the initiative of a group of local people who felt that Ballarat, as the premier city of the Victorian goldfields, should have a theatre worthy of its status. They guaranteed to rent it from the Clarkes at 10% of the construction cost, which was £13,000.

Built over a disused mineshaft, the original timber theatre initially comprised a theatre with rectangular auditorium, a steep lyre-shaped gallery, three entries leading to separate parts of the auditorium and two shops facing Lydiard Street.

Ballarat's handsome new theatre was ready ahead of schedule, and was opened on 7th June 1875. The first production was a comic opera by the French composer Lecocq, "La Fille de Madame Angot," presented by the Royal Opera Bouffe Company run by W. S. Lyster, Australia's first opera impresario.

Soon after the Academy opened, the large Supper Room above Lydiard Street was leased to William Bridges, a former miner, who ran it as an art gallery, displaying an excellent collection of European and Australian artworks, including his own tapestries. After Bridges moved his operations to Melbourne in 1883, the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery was formed. The Gallery Society ran the Gallery from the Academy from 1884 until 1890, when the present Art Gallery in Lydiard Street North was opened.

For the next twenty five years, the Academy of Music was unchallenged as Ballarat's main theatrical venue. It was never as popular as the old Theatre Royal, however, as the rather cavernous hall lacked the intimacy of the older playhouse. In 1898, when Sir William Clarke died, the building was bought by a local consortium and transformed into the delightful theatrical space we know today.

The new owners commissioned Australia's leading theatre architect, William Pitt (1855 – 1918), to remodel the interior and improve the stage facilities. William, who had been apprenticed to George Browne, also designed Melbourne's Princess Theatre amongst many other buildings. The present layout of the auditorium with sloping floor and double balconies, is Pitt's creation. The colour scheme is a recreation of the interior decoration undertaken at that time by Hugh Paterson, one of Melbourne's leading designers.

Paterson also decorated the dome and proscenium arch with murals. The mural in the dome depicted a carnival scene, with dancers in fanciful costumes; Comedy and Tragedy were featured on either side of the proscenium arch, with Shakespeare over the top. Unfortunately all the murals were destroyed in 1907 when Government regulations required the proscenium wall to be replaced with a solid firewall. The dome was removed at the same time for structural reasons, and was restored in 1990. The Dress Circle Lobby also dates from 1907.

The 1898 theatre was constructed in brick with timber roof construction sheeted with iron. The main body is brick with piers both inside and out. The hipped trussed roof covers both the three-level auditorium and the stage with dressing rooms below. The ground floor and foyer have been considerably altered at various times but the auditorium and stage structure are original as is much of the auditorium ceiling and pilastered walls. The roof over the stage also dates from 1875 and the later inclusion of a fly tower stage in 1898 is fitted around the original trusses. The flying system is the only manual (non counterweight) system in existence in Australia. In the auditorium roof there appears to have been two domes, a small one dating from before 1898 for which the horizontal shutters and tube structure to a former sliding ventilated roof are still in existence. When 1898 dome was removed a false octagonal ceiling was fitted in its place. Internally the circle and gallery levels are horseshoe shaped in plan and are carried on cast iron columns. The balcony balustrading is swag bellied and decorated. It is believed that the wall pilasters, panelled ceilings and proscenium are original decorations and some traces of art nouveau decorative motifs are to be seen where later alterations have been made. The two balconies were constructed in 1898, but one balcony front is the reused 1874 front while the second was made to match. The balconies and cast-iron supporting posts are typical for auditoria design in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. The double balcony, supported on columns, is now the last of this form of theatre in Victoria. The facade of this building is two storeyed in height with stucco ornamentation in a somewhat florid Classical style. The upper storey windows are round headed with archivolts supported by slender columns as are the two ground floor subsidiary entrances. The highly decorated curved entrance has now been lost. The ground floor facade has been much altered and a street awning has been added. The first floor facade is intact but the parapet balustrading and ornamentation has been destroyed.

From the First World War on, the Theatre was increasingly used for cinema presentations. A Bio Box (projection room) was built above the Dress Circle Lobby in 1916, and the Theatre was wired for sound in 1930. In 1928, the Hoyts cinema chain took over control over the building through its local subsidiary, Ballarat Theatres Limited, which ran Her Majesty's in tandem with the Regent Theatre (purposely built as a cinema).

In 1936, Her Majesty's was leased and operated by Ballarat Amusements, part of the Woodrow Distributing Company, presenting MGM and Paramount movies. Ballarat Amusements ran it until the early 1960s.

During the silent movie era, a theatre orchestra provided the film accompaniment. The Ballarat Theatre Organ Society installed the Theatre's Compton Theatre Organ in 1982.

Even when Her Majesty's was primarily a cinema, it was always available, to a lesser or greater degree, for live performances. It was used regularly by J. C. Williamson's and other touring companies as well as local groups. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s huge crowds came to see the annual pantomimes staged by the Wavie Williams Pantomime Company. For the last forty years, the Theatre has been used to stage locally produced musical comedies.

Television came to Ballarat in 1962, and had an immediate impact on attendances at the local cinemas. Ballarat Amusements decided to cease screenings and Hoyts put the building on the market.

In 1965, the Theatre was bought by the Royal South Street Society as the home for its Annual Competitions.The Bolte State Government gave the Society £20,000 towards the purchase price and a further grant towards the adaptation of the building for the Competitions. Further assistance towards both purposes came from local businessman, Alf Reid. It was clearly understood at the time that the Society would be managing the Theatre as a community facility.

The Society renamed Her Majesty's the Memorial Theatre, a move which made donations to its renovation appeal tax deductable.

The Society was unable to adequately maintain the upkeep of the building, however, and gifted it to the then City of Ballaarat in 1987, reserving the right to hold competitions in the Theatre every year between August and November.

The City of Ballarat undertook a major renovation, seeking funding from a wide range of businesses, individuals and organisations. The Theatre reopened as Her Majesty's on the 1st of November, 1990.

Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat’s Lydiard Street is one of the most intact, commercial nineteenth century theatres in Australia. Originally opened as the Ballarat Academy of Music in order to avoid the negative moral connotations associated with theatres at the time, Her Majesty’s was completed in 1875 to a design by architect George Browne. The Academy had a flat floored auditorium suitable for respectable dances and dinners, and a fully equipped stage. It was built to supersede Ballarat's Theatre Royal (built in 1858), which stood in Sturt Street. While very grand, the Royal had become outdated and no longer met the technical requirements of the touring companies.

The Academy was built by the wealthy Clarke family at the initiative of a group of local people who felt that Ballarat, as the premier city of the Victorian goldfields, should have a theatre worthy of its status. They guaranteed to rent it from the Clarkes at 10% of the construction cost, which was £13,000.

Built over a disused mineshaft, the original timber theatre initially comprised a theatre with rectangular auditorium, a steep lyre-shaped gallery, three entries leading to separate parts of the auditorium and two shops facing Lydiard Street.

Ballarat's handsome new theatre was ready ahead of schedule, and was opened on 7th June 1875. The first production was a comic opera by the French composer Lecocq, "La Fille de Madame Angot," presented by the Royal Opera Bouffe Company run by W. S. Lyster, Australia's first opera impresario.

Soon after the Academy opened, the large Supper Room above Lydiard Street was leased to William Bridges, a former miner, who ran it as an art gallery, displaying an excellent collection of European and Australian artworks, including his own tapestries. After Bridges moved his operations to Melbourne in 1883, the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery was formed. The Gallery Society ran the Gallery from the Academy from 1884 until 1890, when the present Art Gallery in Lydiard Street North was opened.

For the next twenty five years, the Academy of Music was unchallenged as Ballarat's main theatrical venue. It was never as popular as the old Theatre Royal, however, as the rather cavernous hall lacked the intimacy of the older playhouse. In 1898, when Sir William Clarke died, the building was bought by a local consortium and transformed into the delightful theatrical space we know today.

The new owners commissioned Australia's leading theatre architect, William Pitt (1855 – 1918), to remodel the interior and improve the stage facilities. William, who had been apprenticed to George Browne, also designed Melbourne's Princess Theatre amongst many other buildings. The present layout of the auditorium with sloping floor and double balconies, is Pitt's creation. The colour scheme is a recreation of the interior decoration undertaken at that time by Hugh Paterson, one of Melbourne's leading designers.

Paterson also decorated the dome and proscenium arch with murals. The mural in the dome depicted a carnival scene, with dancers in fanciful costumes; Comedy and Tragedy were featured on either side of the proscenium arch, with Shakespeare over the top. Unfortunately all the murals were destroyed in 1907 when Government regulations required the proscenium wall to be replaced with a solid firewall. The dome was removed at the same time for structural reasons, and was restored in 1990. The Dress Circle Lobby also dates from 1907.

The 1898 theatre was constructed in brick with timber roof construction sheeted with iron. The main body is brick with piers both inside and out. The hipped trussed roof covers both the three-level auditorium and the stage with dressing rooms below. The ground floor and foyer have been considerably altered at various times but the auditorium and stage structure are original as is much of the auditorium ceiling and pilastered walls. The roof over the stage also dates from 1875 and the later inclusion of a fly tower stage in 1898 is fitted around the original trusses. The flying system is the only manual (non counterweight) system in existence in Australia. In the auditorium roof there appears to have been two domes, a small one dating from before 1898 for which the horizontal shutters and tube structure to a former sliding ventilated roof are still in existence. When 1898 dome was removed a false octagonal ceiling was fitted in its place. Internally the circle and gallery levels are horseshoe shaped in plan and are carried on cast iron columns. The balcony balustrading is swag bellied and decorated. It is believed that the wall pilasters, panelled ceilings and proscenium are original decorations and some traces of art nouveau decorative motifs are to be seen where later alterations have been made. The two balconies were constructed in 1898, but one balcony front is the reused 1874 front while the second was made to match. The balconies and cast-iron supporting posts are typical for auditoria design in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. The double balcony, supported on columns, is now the last of this form of theatre in Victoria. The facade of this building is two storeyed in height with stucco ornamentation in a somewhat florid Classical style. The upper storey windows are round headed with archivolts supported by slender columns as are the two ground floor subsidiary entrances. The highly decorated curved entrance has now been lost. The ground floor facade has been much altered and a street awning has been added. The first floor facade is intact but the parapet balustrading and ornamentation has been destroyed.

From the First World War on, the Theatre was increasingly used for cinema presentations. A Bio Box (projection room) was built above the Dress Circle Lobby in 1916, and the Theatre was wired for sound in 1930. In 1928, the Hoyts cinema chain took over control over the building through its local subsidiary, Ballarat Theatres Limited, which ran Her Majesty's in tandem with the Regent Theatre (purposely built as a cinema).

In 1936, Her Majesty's was leased and operated by Ballarat Amusements, part of the Woodrow Distributing Company, presenting MGM and Paramount movies. Ballarat Amusements ran it until the early 1960s.

During the silent movie era, a theatre orchestra provided the film accompaniment. The Ballarat Theatre Organ Society installed the Theatre's Compton Theatre Organ in 1982.

Even when Her Majesty's was primarily a cinema, it was always available, to a lesser or greater degree, for live performances. It was used regularly by J. C. Williamson's and other touring companies as well as local groups. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s huge crowds came to see the annual pantomimes staged by the Wavie Williams Pantomime Company. For the last forty years, the Theatre has been used to stage locally produced musical comedies.

Television came to Ballarat in 1962, and had an immediate impact on attendances at the local cinemas. Ballarat Amusements decided to cease screenings and Hoyts put the building on the market.

In 1965, the Theatre was bought by the Royal South Street Society as the home for its Annual Competitions.The Bolte State Government gave the Society £20,000 towards the purchase price and a further grant towards the adaptation of the building for the Competitions. Further assistance towards both purposes came from local businessman, Alf Reid. It was clearly understood at the time that the Society would be managing the Theatre as a community facility.

The Society renamed Her Majesty's the Memorial Theatre, a move which made donations to its renovation appeal tax deductable.

The Society was unable to adequately maintain the upkeep of the building, however, and gifted it to the then City of Ballaarat in 1987, reserving the right to hold competitions in the Theatre every year between August and November.

The City of Ballarat undertook a major renovation, seeking funding from a wide range of businesses, individuals and organisations. The Theatre reopened as Her Majesty's on the 1st of November, 1990.

Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat’s Lydiard Street is one of the most intact, commercial nineteenth century theatres in Australia. Originally opened as the Ballarat Academy of Music in order to avoid the negative moral connotations associated with theatres at the time, Her Majesty’s was completed in 1875 to a design by architect George Browne. The Academy had a flat floored auditorium suitable for respectable dances and dinners, and a fully equipped stage. It was built to supersede Ballarat's Theatre Royal (built in 1858), which stood in Sturt Street. While very grand, the Royal had become outdated and no longer met the technical requirements of the touring companies.

The Academy was built by the wealthy Clarke family at the initiative of a group of local people who felt that Ballarat, as the premier city of the Victorian goldfields, should have a theatre worthy of its status. They guaranteed to rent it from the Clarkes at 10% of the construction cost, which was £13,000.

Built over a disused mineshaft, the original timber theatre initially comprised a theatre with rectangular auditorium, a steep lyre-shaped gallery, three entries leading to separate parts of the auditorium and two shops facing Lydiard Street.

Ballarat's handsome new theatre was ready ahead of schedule, and was opened on 7th June 1875. The first production was a comic opera by the French composer Lecocq, "La Fille de Madame Angot," presented by the Royal Opera Bouffe Company run by W. S. Lyster, Australia's first opera impresario.

Soon after the Academy opened, the large Supper Room above Lydiard Street was leased to William Bridges, a former miner, who ran it as an art gallery, displaying an excellent collection of European and Australian artworks, including his own tapestries. After Bridges moved his operations to Melbourne in 1883, the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery was formed. The Gallery Society ran the Gallery from the Academy from 1884 until 1890, when the present Art Gallery in Lydiard Street North was opened.

For the next twenty five years, the Academy of Music was unchallenged as Ballarat's main theatrical venue. It was never as popular as the old Theatre Royal, however, as the rather cavernous hall lacked the intimacy of the older playhouse. In 1898, when Sir William Clarke died, the building was bought by a local consortium and transformed into the delightful theatrical space we know today.

The new owners commissioned Australia's leading theatre architect, William Pitt (1855 – 1918), to remodel the interior and improve the stage facilities. William, who had been apprenticed to George Browne, also designed Melbourne's Princess Theatre amongst many other buildings. The present layout of the auditorium with sloping floor and double balconies, is Pitt's creation. The colour scheme is a recreation of the interior decoration undertaken at that time by Hugh Paterson, one of Melbourne's leading designers.

Paterson also decorated the dome and proscenium arch with murals. The mural in the dome depicted a carnival scene, with dancers in fanciful costumes; Comedy and Tragedy were featured on either side of the proscenium arch, with Shakespeare over the top. Unfortunately all the murals were destroyed in 1907 when Government regulations required the proscenium wall to be replaced with a solid firewall. The dome was removed at the same time for structural reasons, and was restored in 1990. The Dress Circle Lobby also dates from 1907.

The 1898 theatre was constructed in brick with timber roof construction sheeted with iron. The main body is brick with piers both inside and out. The hipped trussed roof covers both the three-level auditorium and the stage with dressing rooms below. The ground floor and foyer have been considerably altered at various times but the auditorium and stage structure are original as is much of the auditorium ceiling and pilastered walls. The roof over the stage also dates from 1875 and the later inclusion of a fly tower stage in 1898 is fitted around the original trusses. The flying system is the only manual (non counterweight) system in existence in Australia. In the auditorium roof there appears to have been two domes, a small one dating from before 1898 for which the horizontal shutters and tube structure to a former sliding ventilated roof are still in existence. When 1898 dome was removed a false octagonal ceiling was fitted in its place. Internally the circle and gallery levels are horseshoe shaped in plan and are carried on cast iron columns. The balcony balustrading is swag bellied and decorated. It is believed that the wall pilasters, panelled ceilings and proscenium are original decorations and some traces of art nouveau decorative motifs are to be seen where later alterations have been made. The two balconies were constructed in 1898, but one balcony front is the reused 1874 front while the second was made to match. The balconies and cast-iron supporting posts are typical for auditoria design in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. The double balcony, supported on columns, is now the last of this form of theatre in Victoria. The facade of this building is two storeyed in height with stucco ornamentation in a somewhat florid Classical style. The upper storey windows are round headed with archivolts supported by slender columns as are the two ground floor subsidiary entrances. The highly decorated curved entrance has now been lost. The ground floor facade has been much altered and a street awning has been added. The first floor facade is intact but the parapet balustrading and ornamentation has been destroyed.

From the First World War on, the Theatre was increasingly used for cinema presentations. A Bio Box (projection room) was built above the Dress Circle Lobby in 1916, and the Theatre was wired for sound in 1930. In 1928, the Hoyts cinema chain took over control over the building through its local subsidiary, Ballarat Theatres Limited, which ran Her Majesty's in tandem with the Regent Theatre (purposely built as a cinema).

In 1936, Her Majesty's was leased and operated by Ballarat Amusements, part of the Woodrow Distributing Company, presenting MGM and Paramount movies. Ballarat Amusements ran it until the early 1960s.

During the silent movie era, a theatre orchestra provided the film accompaniment. The Ballarat Theatre Organ Society installed the Theatre's Compton Theatre Organ in 1982.

Even when Her Majesty's was primarily a cinema, it was always available, to a lesser or greater degree, for live performances. It was used regularly by J. C. Williamson's and other touring companies as well as local groups. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s huge crowds came to see the annual pantomimes staged by the Wavie Williams Pantomime Company. For the last forty years, the Theatre has been used to stage locally produced musical comedies.

Television came to Ballarat in 1962, and had an immediate impact on attendances at the local cinemas. Ballarat Amusements decided to cease screenings and Hoyts put the building on the market.

In 1965, the Theatre was bought by the Royal South Street Society as the home for its Annual Competitions.The Bolte State Government gave the Society £20,000 towards the purchase price and a further grant towards the adaptation of the building for the Competitions. Further assistance towards both purposes came from local businessman, Alf Reid. It was clearly understood at the time that the Society would be managing the Theatre as a community facility.

The Society renamed Her Majesty's the Memorial Theatre, a move which made donations to its renovation appeal tax deductable.

The Society was unable to adequately maintain the upkeep of the building, however, and gifted it to the then City of Ballaarat in 1987, reserving the right to hold competitions in the Theatre every year between August and November.

The City of Ballarat undertook a major renovation, seeking funding from a wide range of businesses, individuals and organisations. The Theatre reopened as Her Majesty's on the 1st of November, 1990.

Haridwar is an ancient city and municipality in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. The River Ganges, after flowing for 253 kilometres from its source at Gaumukh at the edge of the Gangotri Glacier, enters the Indo-Gangetic Plains of North India for the first time at Haridwar, which gave the city its ancient name, Gangadwára.

Haridwar is regarded as one of the seven holiest places (Sapta Puri) to Hindus. According to the Samudra manthan, Haridwar along with Ujjain, Nashik and Prayag (Allahabad) is one of four sites where drops of Amrit, the elixir of immortality, accidentally spilled over from the pitcher while being carried by the celestial bird Garuda. This is manifested in the Kumbha Mela being celebrated every 3 years in one of the 4 places, and thus every 12 years in Haridwar. Amidst the Kumbha Mela, millions of pilgrims, devotees, and tourists congregate in Haridwar to perform ritualistic bathing on the banks of the river Ganges to wash away their sins to attain Moksha. Brahma Kund, the spot where the Amrit fell, is located at Har ki Pauri (literally, "footsteps of the Lord") and is considered to be the most sacred ghat of Haridwar.

Haridwar is the headquarters and the largest city of the district. Today, the city is developing beyond its religious importance, with the fast developing industrial estate of State Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand (SIDCUL) and the close by township of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited in Ranipur, Uttarakhand as well as its affiliated ancillaries.

ETYMOLOGY

The name of the town has two spellings: Hardwar and Haridwar. Each of these names has its own connotation.

In Sanskrit, Hara means "Lord Shiva" and Dwara means "gate" or "gateway". Hence, Hardwar stands for "Gateway to Lord Shiva". Hardwar has been a typical place to start a pilgrim's journey in order to reach Mount Kailash, the eternal abode of Lord Shiva, Kedarnath, the northernmost Jyotirlinga and one of the sites of the smaller Char Dham pilgrimage circuit and Gaumukh, the source of River Ganga. Har ki Pauri or footsteps of Lord Shiva is considered the most sacred site in Hardwar.

On the other hand, Hari means "Lord Vishnu". So, Haridwar stands for "Gateway to Lord Vishnu". In order to reach Badrinath, one of the four Char Dhams, with a temple of Lord Vishnu, Haridwar is a typical place to start a pilgrim's journey. Therefore, the name Haridwar.

Haridwar is also known as the home of Devi Sati and the palace of her father Daksha. In ancient times, the town was also referred to as Gangadwára (गंगाद्वार), the place where the Ganges descends to the plains.

SEVEN HOLY PLACES

Haridwar (purnaic name Maya) is one of the seven most holy Hindu places in India, with Varanasi usually considered the holiest.

“ Ayodhyā Mathurā Māyā Kāśī Kāñcī Avantikā I

Purī Dvārāvatī caiva saptaitā mokṣadāyikāḥII – Garuḍa Purāṇa I XVI .14”

HISTORY

In the scriptures, Haridwar has been variously mentioned as Kapilasthana, Gangadwara and Mayapuri. It is also an entry point to the Char Dham (the four main centres of pilgrimage in Uttarakhand viz, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri), hence, Shaivaites (followers of Lord Shiva) and Vaishnavites (followers of Lord Vishnu) call this place Hardwar and Haridwar respectively, corresponding to Hara being Shiv and Hari being Vishnu.

In the Vanaparva of the Mahabharat, where sage Dhaumya tells Yudhisthira about the tirthas of India, Gangadwar, i.e., Haridwar and Kankhal, have been referred to, the text also mentions that Agastya Rishi did penance here, with the help of his wife, Lopamudra (the princess of Vidharba).

Sage Kapila is said to have an ashram here giving it, its ancient name, Kapila or Kapilasthana.

The legendary King, Bhagiratha, the great-grandson of the Suryavanshi King Sagar (an ancestor of Rama), is said to have brought the river Ganges down from heaven, through years of penance in Satya Yuga, for the salvation of 60,000 of his ancestors from the curse of the saint Kapila, a tradition continued by thousands of devout Hindus, who brings the ashes of their departed family members, in hope of their salvation. Lord Vishnu is said to have left his footprint on the stone that is set in the upper wall of Har Ki Pauri, where the Holy Ganges touches it at all times.

Haridwar came under the rule of the Maurya Empire (322–185 BCE), and later under the Kushan Empire (c. 1st–3rd centuries). Archaeological findings have proved that terra cotta culture dating between 1700 BCE and 1200 BCE existed in this region. First modern era written evidence of Haridwar is found in the accounts of a Chinese traveller, Huan Tsang, who visited India in 629 AD. during the reign of King Harshavardhan (590–647) records Haridwar as 'Mo-yu-lo', the remains of which still exist at Mayapur, a little to the south of the modern town. Among the ruins are a fort and three temples, decorated with broken stone sculptures, he also mentions the presence of a temple, north of Mo-yu-lo called 'Gangadwara', Gateway of the Ganges.

The city also fell to the Central Asian conqueror Timur Lang (1336–1405) on 13 January 1399.

During his visit to Haridwar, first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak (1469–1539) bathed at 'Kushawart Ghat', wherein the famous, 'watering the crops' episode took place, his visit is today commemorated by a gurudwara (Gurudwara Nanakwara), according to two Sikh Janamsakhis, this visit took place on the Baisakhi day in 1504 AD, he later also visited Kankhal en route to Kotdwara in Garhwal. Pandas of the Haridwar have been known to keep genealogy records of most of the Hindu population. Known as vahis, these records are updated on each visit to the city, and are a repository of vast family trees of family in North India.

Ain-e-Akbari, written by Abul Fazal in the 16th century during the reign of Mughal Emperor Akbar, refers to it as Maya (Mayapur), known as Hardwar on the Ganges”, as seven sacred cities of Hindus. It further mentions it is eighteen kos (each approx. 2 km) in length, and large numbers of pilgrims assemble on the 10th of Chaitra. It also mentions that during his travels and also while at home, Mughal Emperor, Akbar drank water from the Ganges river, which he called 'the water of immortality'. Special people were stationed at Sorun and later Haridwar to dispatch water, in sealed jars, to wherever he was stationed

During the Mughal period, there was mint for Akbar's copper coinage at Haridwar. It is said that Raja Man Singh of Amber, laid that foundation of the present day city of Haridwar and also renovated the ghats at Hark Ki Pauri. After his death, his ashes are also said to have been immersed at Brahma Kund by Mughal emperor Akbar himself. Thomas Coryat, an English traveller, who visited the city in the reign of Emperor Jahangir (1596–1627) mentions it as 'Haridwara', the capital of Shiva.

Being one of the oldest living cities, Haridwar finds its mention in the ancient Hindu scriptures as it weaves through the life and time stretching from the period of the Buddha, to the more recent British advent. Haridwar has a rich and ancient religious and cultural heritage. It still has many old havelis and mansions bearing exquisite murals and intricate stonework.

One of the two major dams on the river Ganges, the Bhimgoda, is situated here. Built in 1840s, it diverts the waters of the Ganges to the Upper Ganges Canal, which irrigated the surrounding lands. Though this caused severe deterioration to the Ganges water flow, and is a major cause for the decay of the Ganges as an inland waterway, which till 18th century was used heavily by the ships of the East India Company, and a town as high up as Tehri, was considered a port city The headworks of the Ganges Canal system are located in Haridwar. The Upper Ganges Canal was opened in 1854 after the work began in April 1842, prompted by the famine of 1837–38. The unique feature of the canal is the half-kilometre-long aqueduct over Solani river at Roorkee, which raises the canal 25 metres above the original river.

'Haridwar Union Municipality' was constituted in 1868, which included the then villages of Mayapur and Kankhal. Haridwar was first connected with railways, via Laksar, through branch line in 1886, when the Awadh and Rohilakhand Railway line was extended through Roorkee to Saharanpur, this was later extended to Dehradun in 1900.

In 1901, it had a population of 25,597 and was a part of the Roorkee tehsil, in Saharanpur district of the United Province,[10] and remained so till the creation of Uttar Pradesh in 1947.

Haridwar has been an abode of the weary in body, mind and spirit. It has also been a centre of attraction for learning various arts, science, and culture. The city has a long-standing position as a great source of Ayurvedic medicines and herbal remedies and is home to the unique Gurukul (school of traditional education), including the Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, which has a vast campus, and has been providing traditional education of its own kind, since 1902. Development of Haridwar took an upturn in the 1960s, with the setting up of a temple of modern civilisation, BHEL, a 'Navratna PSU' in 1962, which brought along not just a its own township of BHEL, Ranipur, close to the existing Ranipur village, but also a set of ancillaries in the region. The University of Roorkee, now IIT Roorkee, is one of the oldest and most prestigious institutes of learning in the fields of science and engineering.

GEOGRAPHY

The Ganges emerges from the mountains to touch the plains. The water in the river Ganges is mostly clear and generally cold, except in the rainy season, during which soil from the upper regions flows down into it.

The river Ganges flows in a series of channels separated from each other called aits, most of which are well wooded. Other minor seasonal streams are Ranipur Rao, Pathri Rao, Ravi Rao, Harnaui Rao, Begham Nadi etc. A large part of the district is forested, and Rajaji National Park is within the bounds of the district, making it an ideal destination for wildlife and adventure lovers. Rajaji is accessible through different gates; the Ramgarh Gate and Mohand Gate are within 25 km of Dehradun, while the Motichur, Ranipur and Chilla Gates are just about 9 km from Haridwar. Kunaon Gate is 6 km from Rishikesh, and Laldhang gate is 25 km from Kotdwara.

Haridwar district, covering an area of about 2360 km², is in the southwestern part of Uttarakhand state of India.

Haridwar is situated at height of 314 metres from the sea level, between Shivalik Hills in the North and Northeast and the Ganges River in the South.

HINDU GENEALOGY REGISTERS AT HARIDWAR

Something that is not well known today to Indians and to those settled abroad, in an ancient custom detailed family genealogies of Hindu families for the past several generations are kept by professional Hindu Brahmins popularly known as Pandas, at the Hindu holy city of Haridwar in hand written registers passed down to them over generations by their Brahmin ancestors which are classified according to original districts and villages of ones ancestors, with special designated Brahmin families being in charge of designated district registers, even for cases where ancestral districts and villages that have been left behind in Pakistan after Partition of India with Hindus having to migrate to India. In several cases present day decedents are now Sikhs and many maybe Muslims or even Christians. It is common for one to find details of up to, or even more than, ones seven past generations in these genealogy registers kept by the Pandas of Haridwar.

For centuries when Hindu ancestors visited the holy town of Haridwar for any purpose which may have mostly been for pilgrimage purposes or/and for cremation of their dead or for immersion of ashes and bones of their kin after cremation into the waters of the holy river Ganges as required by Hindu religious custom, it has been an ancient custom to go to the Pandit who is in charge of ones family register and update the family's genealogical family tree with details of all marriages, births and deaths from ones extended joint family.

In present day India people visiting Haridwar are dumbfounded when Pandas out of the blue solicit them to come and update their very own ancestral genealogical family tree, news travels like wildfire among the Pandas with ones family's designated Panda being quickly notified of ones visit. Nowadays with Hindu joint family system having broken down with people preferring more nuclear families, record keeping Pandits prefer visitors to Haridwar to come prepared after getting in touch with all of ones extended family and bringing all relevant details regarding ones ancestral district and village, names of grand parents and great grand parents and marriages, births and deaths that have occurred in the extended family, even with as much details as possible of the families married into. A visiting family member is required to personally sign the family genealogical register furnished by ones Family Panda after updating it for future family visitors and generations to see and to authenticate the updated entries, friends and other family members accompanying on the visit may also be requested to sign as witnesses. However it is preferable to visit one's family pandas before immerson of ashes of one's kin as they will help properly in this rituals.

PLACES OF INTEREST

In Hindu traditions, the 'Panch Tirth' (Five Pilgrimages) within Haridwar, are "Gangadwar" (Har ki Pauri), Kushawart (Ghat in Kankhal), Bilwa Tirtha (Mansa Devi Temple) and Neel Parvat (Chandi Devi Temple). There are several other temples and ashrams located in and around the city. Also, alcohol and non-vegetarian food is not permitted in Haridwar.

HAR KI PAURI

This sacred Ghat was constructed by King Vikramaditya (1st century BC) in memory of his brother Bharthari. It is believed that Bharthari came to Haridwar and meditated on the banks of the holy Ganges. When he died, his brother constructed a Ghat in his name, which later came to be known as Har Ki Pauri. The most sacred ghat within Har Ki Pauri is Brahmakund. The evening prayer (Aarti) at dusk offered to Goddess Ganga at Har Ki Pauri (steps of God Hara or Shiva) is an enchanting experience for any visitor. A spectacle of sound and colour is seen when, after the ceremony, pilgrims float Diyas (floral floats with lamps) and incense on the river, commemorating their deceased ancestors. Thousands of people from all around the world do make a point to attend this prayer on their visit to Haridwar. A majority of present ghats were largely developed in the 1800s. On the night of Dussehra or a few days before that the Ganga Canal is dried in Haridwar to clean the riverbed. The water is restored on Dewali. It is believed that on Dussera Maa Ganga goes to her father's house and returns after Bhai Duj or Bhai Phota. It is for this reason that the waters in the Ganga canal in Haridwar are partially dried on the night of Dussehra and the waters are restored on the day of Bhai Duj or Bhai Phota.

CHANDI DEVI TEMPLE

The temple is dedicated to Goddess Chandi, who sits atop the 'Neel Parvat' on the eastern bank of the river Ganges. It was constructed in 1929 A.D. by the king of Kashmir, Suchat Singh. Skanda Purana mentions a legend, in which Chanda-Munda, the Army Chief of a local Demon Kings Shumbha and Nishumbha were killed by goddess Chandi here, after which the place got the name Chandi Devi. It is believed that the main statue was established by the Adi Shankaracharya in 8th century A.D. The temple is a 3 km trek from Chandighat and can also be reached through a ropeway.

MAYA DEVI TEMPLE

Situated at the top of Bilwa Parwat, the temple of Goddess Mansa Devi, literally meaning the Goddess who fulfills desires (Mansa), is a popular tourist destination, especially because of the cable cars, which offer a picturesque view of the entire city. The main temple houses two idols of the Goddess, one with three mouths and five arms, while the other one has eight arms.

KANKHAL

The ancient temple of Daksha Mahadev also known as Daksheshwar Mahadev Temple, is situated in the south Kankhal town. According to Hindu texts, King Daksha Prajapati, father of Dakshayani, Lord Shiva's first wife, performed a yagña, to which he deliberately did not invite Lord Shiva. When she arrived uninvited, he was further insulted by the king, seeing which Sati felt infuriated and self-immolated herself in the yagna kund. King Daksha was later killed by the demon Virabhadra, born out of Shiva's anger. Later the king was brought to life and given a goat's head by Shiva. Daksha Mahadev temple is a tribute to this legend.

Sati Kund, another well-known mythological heritage worth a visit is situated in the Kankhal. Legend has it that Sati immolated herself in this kund.

PIRAN KALIYAR

Piran Kaliyar Sharif, built by Ibrahim Lodhi, a ruler of Delhi, this 'Dargah' of Hazrat Alauddin Sabir Kaliyari, a 13th-century, Sufi Saint of Chishti Order (also known as Sarkar Sabir Pak), in Kaliyar village, 7 km. from Roorkee, is visited by devotees from all over the world, during the annual 'Urs' festival, which is celebrated from 1st day of sighting the moon to 16th day of Rabi al-awwal month, in the Islamic calendar.

NEEL DHARA PAKSHI VIHAR

This Bird Sanctuary is situated on the main Ganges river, or Neel Dhara, at the Bhimgoda Barrage, it is a paradise for bird watchers and home to many migratory birds during the winter season.

BHIMGODA TANK

This tank is situated at a distance of about 1 km from Har Ki Pauri. It is said that while Pandavas were going to Himalayas through Haridwar, prince Bhima drew water from the rocks here by thrusting his knee (goda), to the very ground.

DUHADHARI BARFANI TEMPLE

Part of the ashram of Dudhadhari Barfani Baba, this temple complex in white marble is one of most beautiful temples in Haridwar, especially the temples of Rama-Sita and Hanumana.

SUREHVARA DEVI TEMPLE

Temple of Goddess Sureshwari, situated in midst of Rajaji National Park. Serene and religious makes this temple abode of worshipers, saints etc. Located at outskirts of Haridwar in Ranipur and permission from forest rangers is necessary. The location of the temple is beyond the boundary of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, Haridwar.

PAWAN DHAM

A modern temple, made entirely of glass pieces, Pawan Dham is now a popular tourist destination. The temple complex was constructed by the effort of Swami Vedantanand Maharaj and the institute located there is growing under the leadership of Swami Sahaj Prakash Maharaj. People from Moga in Punjab have put considerable efforts and money to erect this place.

BHARAT MATA MANDIR

Bharat Mata Mandir is a multi-storey temple dedicated to Bharat Mata (Mother India). Bharat Mata Mandir was inaugurated on 15 May 1983 by Indira Gandhi on the banks of the river Ganges. It is situated adjacent to the Samanvaya Ashram, and stands eight stories tall to a height of 55 m. Each floor depicts an era in the Indian history, from the days of Ramayana until India's independence.

On the first floor is the statue of Bharat Mata. The second floor, Shur Mandir, is dedicated to the well renowned heroes of India. The third floor Matri Mandir is dedicated to the achievements of India's revered women, such as Radha, Mira, Savitri, Draupadi, Ahilya, Anusuya, Maitri, Gargi etc. The great saints from various religions, including Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism are featured on the fourth floor Sant Mandir. The assembly hall with walls depicting symbolic coexistence of all religions practised in India and paintings portraying history and beauty in various provinces, is situated on the fifth floor. The various forms of the Goddess Shakti can be seen on the sixth floor, whilst the seventh floor is devoted to all incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The eighth floor holds the shrine of Lord Shiva from which devotees can gain a panoramic view of Himalayas, Haridwar, and the splendour of the entire campus of Sapta Sarovar.

The temple was built under the former Shankaracharya Maha-Mandleshwar Swami Satyamitranand Giri Maharaj. Since the inception of the Swami Satyamitranand foundation in 1998, several other branches have been opened, namely in Renukut, Jabalpur, Jodhpur, Indore, and Ahmedabad.

WIKIPEDIA

Here's a map of the 4-day Ganden to Samye trek.

The Ganden to Samye Trek is a popular one, but that does not mean you will necessarily see anyone on it. "Popular" in Tibet still has different connotations than a popular hike in North America or Europe.

The hike takes 4 days. It is a good idea to plan for at least 5 in case of weather, tiredness or illness due to altitude or simply to stop and smell the rhododendrons.

It is a wonderful trek with some great views, a change to interact with the locals on their turf and stretch your legs some.

Despite its popularity, this is a fully backcountry trek with very little ability to get help or restock enroute. There is one small village and potentially a few nomad herder camps you can seek help at until you are within an easy walk to Samye. So pack accordingly. Altitude reaches 5250m on the second day so you should have already acclimatized in Lhasa and ideally stages at an in-between altitude like the wonderful Nam-Tso. Being in the mountains, weather can change very quickly with storms sweeping over the ridges with little warning. We got snow several times during the trip in mid-May.

In terms of permits, at the time of writing, Ganden was reachable without extra permit from Lhasa, but Samye was not. Without being on an organised jeep tour, it was not possible to get a permit for Samye so this trek does technically break the rules and you should be aware and ready for any inconveniences this could bring if you get stopped by police at Samye or on the way home. That said, I would not disuade anyone from trying it. The trek is worth the trouble.

The Lonely Planet Tibet guide has detailed descriptions of this hike as well. Outlook Outdoor Equipment in Lhasa is a good place to rent gear and get other info on the route. As of time of writing, getting a good (or any) topo map of the region was very tough.

Best of luck and have fun!

I've also put together a Google Earth fly-through of the two treks I did with exact coordinates here: bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Numbe...

The term ivory tower originates in the Biblical Song of Solomon (7:4)] and was later used as an epithet for Mary. From the 19th century it has been used to designate a world or atmosphere where intellectuals engage in pursuits that are disconnected from the practical concerns of everyday life. It usually carries pejorative connotations of a willful disconnect from the everyday world; esoteric, over-specialized, or even useless research, and academic elitism. In American English usage it is also used as shorthand for academia or the university, particularly departments of the humanities.

In the Judeo/Christian tradition, the term ivory tower is used as a symbol for noble purity. It originates with the Song of Solomon (7,4) ("Your neck is like an ivory tower"; in the Hebrew Masoretic text, it is found in 7:5) and was included in the epithets for Mary in the sixteenth century Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary ("tower of ivory", turris eburnea in Latin), though the title and image was in use long before that, since the 12th century Marian revival at least. It occasionally appears in art, especially in depictions of Mary in the hortus conclusus. Although the term is rarely used in the religious sense in modern times, it is credited with inspiring the modern meaning.

Modern usage

Hawksmoor Towers, All Souls College.

Modern stained glass image of an ivory tower with Marian symbols (the letter M and lilies)

Academic elitism

The first modern usage of "ivory tower" in the familiar sense of an unworldly dreamer can be found in a poem of 1837, "Pensées d’Août, à M. Villemain", by Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, a French literary critic and author, who used the term "tour d'ivoire" for the poetical attitude of Alfred de Vigny as contrasted with the more socially engaged Victor Hugo: "Et Vigny, plus secret, Comme en sa tour d’ivoire, avant midi rentrait". [And Vigny, the more secretive, as his ivory tower, returning before midday][3] At Oxford University, the appearance of the Hawksmoor Towers, twin creamy-white neo-gothic towers at All Souls College, Oxford, the only pure research college at Oxford, epitomize the "ivory tower" of Academe.[citation needed] At the George Washington University, in Washington, DC a residence hall constructed in 2004 was named "Ivory Tower," a decision criticized by some GWU faculty for the reflexive irony of giving the dorm such a moniker.[citation needed]

Henry James' last, unfinished novel, The Ivory Tower, was begun in 1914 and left unfinished at his death two years later. Paralleling James' own dismaying experience of the United States after twenty years away, it chronicles the effect on a high-minded returning upper-class American of the vulgar emptiness of the Gilded Age. "You seem all here so hideously rich," says his hero. Thus, there are two meanings mixed together: mockery of an absent-minded savant and admiration of someone who is able to devote his or her entire efforts to a noble cause (hence "ivory", a noble but impractical building material). The term has a rather negative flavor today, the implication being that specialists who are so deeply drawn into their fields of study often can't find a lingua franca with laymen outside their "ivory towers". Moreover, this problem is often ignored and instead of actively searching for a solution, some scientists simply accept that even educated people can't understand them and live in intellectual isolation.

In Andrew Hodges' biography of Alan Turing, while discussing Turing's 1936-38 stay at Princeton University, he writes that "[t]he tower of the Graduate College was an exact replica of Magdalen College Oxford, and it was popularly called the Ivory Tower, because of that benefactor of Princeton, the Procter who manufactured Ivory soap.".

William Cooper Procter (Princeton class of 1883) was a significant supporter of the construction of the Graduate College, and the main dining hall bears the Procter name.

In Randall Jarrell's essay 'The End of the Line' (1942), Jarrell asserts that if modern poetry is to survive then poets must come down from the "Ivory Tower" of elitist composition. Jarrell's main thrust is that the rich poetry of the modernist period was over-dependent upon reference to other literary works. For Jarrell the Ivory Tower led modern poetry into obscurity.

An ivory tower may also be an entity of "reason, rationality and rigid structures [that] colonizes the world of lived experience," as explained by Kirsten J. Broadfoot in an article about the possibilities of postcolonial organizational communication. This imagined academic community creates an essence of exclusivity and superiority. Broadfoot explains this as a group that “functions like an exclusive club whose membership is tightly controlled by what might be called a ‘dominant frame.’” In an academic sense, this leads to an “overwhelming and disproportionate dominance” of the United States and the Western world. The ivory tower can be dangerous in its inherent privatization of knowledge and intellect. Academics who are seeking “legitimacy for their narratives from the heart end up echoing the sanitized tone of the Master Narrative.” This becomes a cyclical process as intellects collectively defend the “imaginary ivory tower.”

Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat’s Lydiard Street is one of the most intact, commercial nineteenth century theatres in Australia. Originally opened as the Ballarat Academy of Music in order to avoid the negative moral connotations associated with theatres at the time, Her Majesty’s was completed in 1875 to a design by architect George Browne. The Academy had a flat floored auditorium suitable for respectable dances and dinners, and a fully equipped stage. It was built to supersede Ballarat's Theatre Royal (built in 1858), which stood in Sturt Street. While very grand, the Royal had become outdated and no longer met the technical requirements of the touring companies.

The Academy was built by the wealthy Clarke family at the initiative of a group of local people who felt that Ballarat, as the premier city of the Victorian goldfields, should have a theatre worthy of its status. They guaranteed to rent it from the Clarkes at 10% of the construction cost, which was £13,000.

Built over a disused mineshaft, the original timber theatre initially comprised a theatre with rectangular auditorium, a steep lyre-shaped gallery, three entries leading to separate parts of the auditorium and two shops facing Lydiard Street.

Ballarat's handsome new theatre was ready ahead of schedule, and was opened on 7th June 1875. The first production was a comic opera by the French composer Lecocq, "La Fille de Madame Angot," presented by the Royal Opera Bouffe Company run by W. S. Lyster, Australia's first opera impresario.

Soon after the Academy opened, the large Supper Room above Lydiard Street was leased to William Bridges, a former miner, who ran it as an art gallery, displaying an excellent collection of European and Australian artworks, including his own tapestries. After Bridges moved his operations to Melbourne in 1883, the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery was formed. The Gallery Society ran the Gallery from the Academy from 1884 until 1890, when the present Art Gallery in Lydiard Street North was opened.

For the next twenty five years, the Academy of Music was unchallenged as Ballarat's main theatrical venue. It was never as popular as the old Theatre Royal, however, as the rather cavernous hall lacked the intimacy of the older playhouse. In 1898, when Sir William Clarke died, the building was bought by a local consortium and transformed into the delightful theatrical space we know today.

The new owners commissioned Australia's leading theatre architect, William Pitt (1855 – 1918), to remodel the interior and improve the stage facilities. William, who had been apprenticed to George Browne, also designed Melbourne's Princess Theatre amongst many other buildings. The present layout of the auditorium with sloping floor and double balconies, is Pitt's creation. The colour scheme is a recreation of the interior decoration undertaken at that time by Hugh Paterson, one of Melbourne's leading designers.

Paterson also decorated the dome and proscenium arch with murals. The mural in the dome depicted a carnival scene, with dancers in fanciful costumes; Comedy and Tragedy were featured on either side of the proscenium arch, with Shakespeare over the top. Unfortunately all the murals were destroyed in 1907 when Government regulations required the proscenium wall to be replaced with a solid firewall. The dome was removed at the same time for structural reasons, and was restored in 1990. The Dress Circle Lobby also dates from 1907.

The 1898 theatre was constructed in brick with timber roof construction sheeted with iron. The main body is brick with piers both inside and out. The hipped trussed roof covers both the three-level auditorium and the stage with dressing rooms below. The ground floor and foyer have been considerably altered at various times but the auditorium and stage structure are original as is much of the auditorium ceiling and pilastered walls. The roof over the stage also dates from 1875 and the later inclusion of a fly tower stage in 1898 is fitted around the original trusses. The flying system is the only manual (non counterweight) system in existence in Australia. In the auditorium roof there appears to have been two domes, a small one dating from before 1898 for which the horizontal shutters and tube structure to a former sliding ventilated roof are still in existence. When 1898 dome was removed a false octagonal ceiling was fitted in its place. Internally the circle and gallery levels are horseshoe shaped in plan and are carried on cast iron columns. The balcony balustrading is swag bellied and decorated. It is believed that the wall pilasters, panelled ceilings and proscenium are original decorations and some traces of art nouveau decorative motifs are to be seen where later alterations have been made. The two balconies were constructed in 1898, but one balcony front is the reused 1874 front while the second was made to match. The balconies and cast-iron supporting posts are typical for auditoria design in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. The double balcony, supported on columns, is now the last of this form of theatre in Victoria. The facade of this building is two storeyed in height with stucco ornamentation in a somewhat florid Classical style. The upper storey windows are round headed with archivolts supported by slender columns as are the two ground floor subsidiary entrances. The highly decorated curved entrance has now been lost. The ground floor facade has been much altered and a street awning has been added. The first floor facade is intact but the parapet balustrading and ornamentation has been destroyed.

From the First World War on, the Theatre was increasingly used for cinema presentations. A Bio Box (projection room) was built above the Dress Circle Lobby in 1916, and the Theatre was wired for sound in 1930. In 1928, the Hoyts cinema chain took over control over the building through its local subsidiary, Ballarat Theatres Limited, which ran Her Majesty's in tandem with the Regent Theatre (purposely built as a cinema).

In 1936, Her Majesty's was leased and operated by Ballarat Amusements, part of the Woodrow Distributing Company, presenting MGM and Paramount movies. Ballarat Amusements ran it until the early 1960s.

During the silent movie era, a theatre orchestra provided the film accompaniment. The Ballarat Theatre Organ Society installed the Theatre's Compton Theatre Organ in 1982.

Even when Her Majesty's was primarily a cinema, it was always available, to a lesser or greater degree, for live performances. It was used regularly by J. C. Williamson's and other touring companies as well as local groups. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s huge crowds came to see the annual pantomimes staged by the Wavie Williams Pantomime Company. For the last forty years, the Theatre has been used to stage locally produced musical comedies.

Television came to Ballarat in 1962, and had an immediate impact on attendances at the local cinemas. Ballarat Amusements decided to cease screenings and Hoyts put the building on the market.

In 1965, the Theatre was bought by the Royal South Street Society as the home for its Annual Competitions.The Bolte State Government gave the Society £20,000 towards the purchase price and a further grant towards the adaptation of the building for the Competitions. Further assistance towards both purposes came from local businessman, Alf Reid. It was clearly understood at the time that the Society would be managing the Theatre as a community facility.

The Society renamed Her Majesty's the Memorial Theatre, a move which made donations to its renovation appeal tax deductable.

The Society was unable to adequately maintain the upkeep of the building, however, and gifted it to the then City of Ballaarat in 1987, reserving the right to hold competitions in the Theatre every year between August and November.

The City of Ballarat undertook a major renovation, seeking funding from a wide range of businesses, individuals and organisations. The Theatre reopened as Her Majesty's on the 1st of November, 1990.

Another ex- London dual-door Dart in rather better condition, with the eye-catching bus station building in the background. The number 147 has snooker connotations and for this reason, the Stagecoach Volvo Olympians delivered on P plates in 1996 had no 147 for this reason, or 155 due to the DVLA with-holding all "P155" plates because of its potential mis-use.

Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat’s Lydiard Street is one of the most intact, commercial nineteenth century theatres in Australia. Originally opened as the Ballarat Academy of Music in order to avoid the negative moral connotations associated with theatres at the time, Her Majesty’s was completed in 1875 to a design by architect George Browne. The Academy had a flat floored auditorium suitable for respectable dances and dinners, and a fully equipped stage. It was built to supersede Ballarat's Theatre Royal (built in 1858), which stood in Sturt Street. While very grand, the Royal had become outdated and no longer met the technical requirements of the touring companies.

The Academy was built by the wealthy Clarke family at the initiative of a group of local people who felt that Ballarat, as the premier city of the Victorian goldfields, should have a theatre worthy of its status. They guaranteed to rent it from the Clarkes at 10% of the construction cost, which was £13,000.

Built over a disused mineshaft, the original timber theatre initially comprised a theatre with rectangular auditorium, a steep lyre-shaped gallery, three entries leading to separate parts of the auditorium and two shops facing Lydiard Street.

Ballarat's handsome new theatre was ready ahead of schedule, and was opened on 7th June 1875. The first production was a comic opera by the French composer Lecocq, "La Fille de Madame Angot," presented by the Royal Opera Bouffe Company run by W. S. Lyster, Australia's first opera impresario.

Soon after the Academy opened, the large Supper Room above Lydiard Street was leased to William Bridges, a former miner, who ran it as an art gallery, displaying an excellent collection of European and Australian artworks, including his own tapestries. After Bridges moved his operations to Melbourne in 1883, the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery was formed. The Gallery Society ran the Gallery from the Academy from 1884 until 1890, when the present Art Gallery in Lydiard Street North was opened.

For the next twenty five years, the Academy of Music was unchallenged as Ballarat's main theatrical venue. It was never as popular as the old Theatre Royal, however, as the rather cavernous hall lacked the intimacy of the older playhouse. In 1898, when Sir William Clarke died, the building was bought by a local consortium and transformed into the delightful theatrical space we know today.

The new owners commissioned Australia's leading theatre architect, William Pitt (1855 – 1918), to remodel the interior and improve the stage facilities. William, who had been apprenticed to George Browne, also designed Melbourne's Princess Theatre amongst many other buildings. The present layout of the auditorium with sloping floor and double balconies, is Pitt's creation. The colour scheme is a recreation of the interior decoration undertaken at that time by Hugh Paterson, one of Melbourne's leading designers.

Paterson also decorated the dome and proscenium arch with murals. The mural in the dome depicted a carnival scene, with dancers in fanciful costumes; Comedy and Tragedy were featured on either side of the proscenium arch, with Shakespeare over the top. Unfortunately all the murals were destroyed in 1907 when Government regulations required the proscenium wall to be replaced with a solid firewall. The dome was removed at the same time for structural reasons, and was restored in 1990. The Dress Circle Lobby also dates from 1907.

The 1898 theatre was constructed in brick with timber roof construction sheeted with iron. The main body is brick with piers both inside and out. The hipped trussed roof covers both the three-level auditorium and the stage with dressing rooms below. The ground floor and foyer have been considerably altered at various times but the auditorium and stage structure are original as is much of the auditorium ceiling and pilastered walls. The roof over the stage also dates from 1875 and the later inclusion of a fly tower stage in 1898 is fitted around the original trusses. The flying system is the only manual (non counterweight) system in existence in Australia. In the auditorium roof there appears to have been two domes, a small one dating from before 1898 for which the horizontal shutters and tube structure to a former sliding ventilated roof are still in existence. When 1898 dome was removed a false octagonal ceiling was fitted in its place. Internally the circle and gallery levels are horseshoe shaped in plan and are carried on cast iron columns. The balcony balustrading is swag bellied and decorated. It is believed that the wall pilasters, panelled ceilings and proscenium are original decorations and some traces of art nouveau decorative motifs are to be seen where later alterations have been made. The two balconies were constructed in 1898, but one balcony front is the reused 1874 front while the second was made to match. The balconies and cast-iron supporting posts are typical for auditoria design in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. The double balcony, supported on columns, is now the last of this form of theatre in Victoria. The facade of this building is two storeyed in height with stucco ornamentation in a somewhat florid Classical style. The upper storey windows are round headed with archivolts supported by slender columns as are the two ground floor subsidiary entrances. The highly decorated curved entrance has now been lost. The ground floor facade has been much altered and a street awning has been added. The first floor facade is intact but the parapet balustrading and ornamentation has been destroyed.

From the First World War on, the Theatre was increasingly used for cinema presentations. A Bio Box (projection room) was built above the Dress Circle Lobby in 1916, and the Theatre was wired for sound in 1930. In 1928, the Hoyts cinema chain took over control over the building through its local subsidiary, Ballarat Theatres Limited, which ran Her Majesty's in tandem with the Regent Theatre (purposely built as a cinema).

In 1936, Her Majesty's was leased and operated by Ballarat Amusements, part of the Woodrow Distributing Company, presenting MGM and Paramount movies. Ballarat Amusements ran it until the early 1960s.

During the silent movie era, a theatre orchestra provided the film accompaniment. The Ballarat Theatre Organ Society installed the Theatre's Compton Theatre Organ in 1982.

Even when Her Majesty's was primarily a cinema, it was always available, to a lesser or greater degree, for live performances. It was used regularly by J. C. Williamson's and other touring companies as well as local groups. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s huge crowds came to see the annual pantomimes staged by the Wavie Williams Pantomime Company. For the last forty years, the Theatre has been used to stage locally produced musical comedies.

Television came to Ballarat in 1962, and had an immediate impact on attendances at the local cinemas. Ballarat Amusements decided to cease screenings and Hoyts put the building on the market.

In 1965, the Theatre was bought by the Royal South Street Society as the home for its Annual Competitions.The Bolte State Government gave the Society £20,000 towards the purchase price and a further grant towards the adaptation of the building for the Competitions. Further assistance towards both purposes came from local businessman, Alf Reid. It was clearly understood at the time that the Society would be managing the Theatre as a community facility.

The Society renamed Her Majesty's the Memorial Theatre, a move which made donations to its renovation appeal tax deductable.

The Society was unable to adequately maintain the upkeep of the building, however, and gifted it to the then City of Ballaarat in 1987, reserving the right to hold competitions in the Theatre every year between August and November.

The City of Ballarat undertook a major renovation, seeking funding from a wide range of businesses, individuals and organisations. The Theatre reopened as Her Majesty's on the 1st of November, 1990.

Palace of Fontainebleau

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Palace and Park of Fontainebleau

Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List

Location of Palace of Fontainebleau in France.

The Palace of Fontainebleau, located 55 kilometres from the centre of Paris, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. The palace as it is today is the work of many French monarchs, building on an early 16th-century structure of Francis I. The building is arranged around a series of courtyards. The commune of Fontainebleau has grown up around the remainder of the Forest of Fontainebleau, a former royal hunting park. This forest is now home to many endangered species of Europe.

The throne room, formerly the King’s bedroom from Henry IV to Louis XVI, it was converted into the throne room by Napoleon

The older château on this site was already used in the latter part of the 12th century by King Louis VII, for whom Thomas Becket consecrated the chapel. Fontainebleau was a favourite residence of Philip Augustus (Philip II) and Louis IX. The creator of the present edifice was Francis I, under whom the architect Gilles le Breton erected most of the buildings of the Cour Ovale, including the Porte Dorée, its southern entrance. The king also invited the architect Sebastiano Serlio to France, and Leonardo da Vinci. The Gallery of Francis I, with its frescoes framed in stucco by Rosso Fiorentino, carried out between 1522 and 1540, was the first great decorated gallery built in France. Broadly speaking, at Fontainebleau the Renaissance was introduced to France. The Salle des Fêtes, in the reign of Henry II, was decorated by the Italian Mannerist painters, Francesco Primaticcio and Niccolò dell'Abbate. Benvenuto Cellini's "Nymph of Fontainebleau", commissioned for the château, is at the Louvre.

Another campaign of extensive construction was undertaken by King Henry II and Catherine de' Medici, who commissioned architects Philibert Delorme and Jean Bullant. To the Fontainebleau of François I and Henry II, King Henry IV added the court that carries his name, the Cour des Princes, with the adjoining Galerie de Diane de Poitiers and the Galerie des Cerfs, used as a library. A "second school of Fontainebleau" decorators, less ambitious and original than the first, evolved from these additional projects. Henry IV pierced the wooded park with a 1200m canal (which can be fished today) and ordered the planting of pines, elms and fruit trees. The park stretches of an area more than 80 hectares, enclosed by walls and pierced rectilinear paths. Henry IV's gardener, Claude Mollet, trained at Château d'Anet, laid out patterned parterres. Preserved on the grounds is Henry IV's jeu de paume (real tennis court). It is the largest such court in the world, and one of the few publicly owned.

Philip the Fair (Philip IV), Henry III and Louis XIII were all born in the palace, and Philip died there. Christina of Sweden lived there for years, following her abdication in 1654. In 1685 Fontainebleau saw the signing of the Edict of Fontainebleau, which revoked the Edict of Nantes (1598). Royal guests of the Bourbon kings were housed at Fontainebleau, including Peter the Great of Russia and Christian VII of Denmark.

Revolution and Empire

By the late 18th century, the château had fallen into disrepair; during the French Revolution many of the original furnishings were sold, in the long Revolutionary sales of the contents of all the royal châteaux, intended as a way of raising money for the nation and ensuring that the Bourbons could not return to their comforts. Nevertheless, within a decade Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte began to transform the Château de Fontainebleau into a symbol of his grandeur, as an alternative to the empty Palace of Versailles, with its Bourbon connotations. Napoleon hosted Pope Pius VII there in 1804, when he came to consecrate the emperor, and again in 1812–1814, when he was Napoleon's prisoner. With modifications of the château's structure, including the cobblestone entrance wide enough for his carriage, Napoleon helped make the château the place that visitors see today. At Fontainebleau Napoleon abdicated for the first time, bade farewell to his Old Guard and went into exile in 1814.Fontainebleau was also the setting of the Second Empire court of his nephew Napoleon III.

Today

The château is now home to the Écoles d'Art Américaines, a school of art, architecture, and music for students from the United States. The school was founded by General Pershing when his men were stationed there during the First World War.

Palacio de Fontainebleau

Palacio y parque de Fontainebleau. Nombre descrito en la Lista del Patrimonio de la Humanidad.

Coordenadas48°24′07″N 02°41′53″E País Francia

La Sala de espectáculos del Palacio de Fontainebleau, en 1855.

El Palacio de Fontainebleau, en francés Château de Fontainebleau, es uno de los mayores palacios reales franceses. Está localizado en la ciudad de Fontainebleau, departamento de Sena y Marne, en el norte de Francia.

El palacio refleja, actualmente, las aportaciones constructivas y decorativas de varios monarcas franceses, a partir de una estructura inicial de Francisco I. El edificio se desarrolla alrededor de una serie de patios.

La ciudad de Fontainebleau creció en su entorno y en lo que restaba de la «floresta de Fontainebleau» (en español bosque de Fontainebleau), un antiguo parque real de caza.

Este palacio introdujo en Francia el Manierismo italiano, en la decoración de interiores y en los jardines, adaptándolo. El manierismo francés en la decoración de interiores del siglo XVI es conocido como «estilo Fontainebleau»: combina escultura, forja, pintura, estuco y carpintería. En jardinería supuso la introducción del parterre.

El ideal de belleza femenina en Fontainebleau es, también, manierista: una pequeña y graciosa cabeza en un cuello esbelto, torso y brazos exageradamente largos, pechos pequeños y altos; es casi un regreso a las bellezas del gótico tardío. Los nuevos ideales de Fontainebleau fueron plasmados en refinados y detallados grabados que circularon entre artistas y entendidos.

A través de los grabados realizados por la «Escuela de Fontainebleau», este nuevo estilo fue transmitido a otros centros del norte de Europa, especialmente en Amberes, Bélgica, Alemania y, más tarde, también Londres.

El viejo castillo que se erigía en este lugar ya era usado al final del siglo XII por el rey Luis VII, para quien Thomas Becket consagró la capilla. Fontainebleau fue una de las residencias favoritas de Felipe II y de Luis IX. El creador del edificio actual fue Francisco I, para quien el arquitecto Gilles le Breton construyó la mayor parte del Cour Ovale (Patio Ovalado), incluyendo la Porte Dorée (Puerta Dorada), en su entrada sur. Este rey también invitó a Sebastiano Serlio y Leonardo da Vinci. La Galería de Francisco I, con sus frescos hechos en estuco por Rosso Fiorentino, fue construida entre 1522 y 1540, siendo la primera gran galería decorada construida en Francia.

El Renacimiento fue introducido en Francia por el Palacio de Fontainebleau, por influencia de Enrique II y Catalina de Médici, que contrataron a los arquitectos Philibert Delorme y Jean Bullant, con los que llevaron a cabo una importante campaña de remodelaciones. La Salle des Fêtes (Salón de Baile) fue decorada por los pintores manieristas italianos Francesco Primaticcio y Niccolò dell'Abbate. La «Ninfa de Fontainebleau», de Benvenuto Cellini, encargada para el palacio, está en el Louvre.

Al Fontainebleau de Francisco I y Enrique II, Enrique IV añadió el patio que lleva su nombre, el Cour des Princes (Patio de los Príncipes), la Galerie de Diane de Poitiers (Galería de Diana de Poitiers) y la Galerie des Cerfs (Galería de los Ciervos), usada como biblioteca. Una «segunda escuela de decoradores de Fontainebleau», menos ambiciosa y original que la primera, estuvo involucrada en estos proyectos. Enrique IV perforó el parque forestal con un canal de 1200 metros, donde actualmente se puede pescar, y ordenó la plantación de pinos, olmos y frutales. Su jardinero, Claude Mollet, con habilidades ya probadas en el Château d'Anet, ejecutó los parterres.

Tres siglos después el palacio entró en decadencia; durante la Revolución francesa mucho del mobiliario original se dispersó en las ventas revolucionarias del contenido de todos los palacios reales, concebidas como una forma de conseguir dinero para la nación y asegurar que los Borbones no podrían volver a sus dominios. Dentro de la década siguiente, el emperador Napoleón Bonaparte comenzó a transformar el Château de Fontainebleau en un símbolo de su grandeza, como una alternativa al Palacio de Versalles que tenía connotaciones borbónicas. En Fontainebleau, Napoleón I de Francia firmó su abdicación, con el Tratado de Fontainebleau. Se despidió de su Vieja Guardia y partió al exilio.

Con modificaciones en la estructura del palacio, incluyendo la entrada de cantería suficientemente ancha para su carruaje, Napoleón ayudó a hacer del palacio el lugar que los visitantes conocen actualmente. Fontainebleau fue el escenario de la Corte del Segundo Imperio de su sobrino Napoleón III. Felipe IV, Enrique III y Luis XIII nacieron en este palacio, y el primer de estos reyes también murió aquí. Cristina de Suecia vivió en Fontainebleau durante varios años, después de abdicar en 1654. En 1685 Fontainebleau fue el escenario de la firma del Edicto de Fontainebleau, el cual revocó el Edicto de Nantes (1598). Huéspedes reales de los reyes de la dinastía de los Borbones fueron instalados en Fontainebleau: Pedro I de Rusia y Cristián VII de Dinamarca, y también, en la época de Napoleón, el Papa Pío VII, en 1804 cuando vino a consagrar a Napoleón como Emperador, y entre 1812 y 1814, cuando fue su prisionero.

Actualmente, parte del palacio alberga las Écoles d'Art Américaines (Escuelas de Artes Americanas), una escuela de arte, arquitectura y música para estudiantes de los EUA. Preservado en los campos está el jeu de paume (campo de tenis real) de Enrique IV. Es el mayor campo de tenis de este género en el mundo, y uno de los pocos de propiedad pública.

En 1981, el Château de Fontainebleau fue clasificado Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la Unesco.

fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontainebleau

Palace of Fontainebleau

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Palace and Park of Fontainebleau

Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List

Location of Palace of Fontainebleau in France.

The Palace of Fontainebleau, located 55 kilometres from the centre of Paris, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. The palace as it is today is the work of many French monarchs, building on an early 16th-century structure of Francis I. The building is arranged around a series of courtyards. The commune of Fontainebleau has grown up around the remainder of the Forest of Fontainebleau, a former royal hunting park. This forest is now home to many endangered species of Europe.

The throne room, formerly the King’s bedroom from Henry IV to Louis XVI, it was converted into the throne room by Napoleon

The older château on this site was already used in the latter part of the 12th century by King Louis VII, for whom Thomas Becket consecrated the chapel. Fontainebleau was a favourite residence of Philip Augustus (Philip II) and Louis IX. The creator of the present edifice was Francis I, under whom the architect Gilles le Breton erected most of the buildings of the Cour Ovale, including the Porte Dorée, its southern entrance. The king also invited the architect Sebastiano Serlio to France, and Leonardo da Vinci. The Gallery of Francis I, with its frescoes framed in stucco by Rosso Fiorentino, carried out between 1522 and 1540, was the first great decorated gallery built in France. Broadly speaking, at Fontainebleau the Renaissance was introduced to France. The Salle des Fêtes, in the reign of Henry II, was decorated by the Italian Mannerist painters, Francesco Primaticcio and Niccolò dell'Abbate. Benvenuto Cellini's "Nymph of Fontainebleau", commissioned for the château, is at the Louvre.

Another campaign of extensive construction was undertaken by King Henry II and Catherine de' Medici, who commissioned architects Philibert Delorme and Jean Bullant. To the Fontainebleau of François I and Henry II, King Henry IV added the court that carries his name, the Cour des Princes, with the adjoining Galerie de Diane de Poitiers and the Galerie des Cerfs, used as a library. A "second school of Fontainebleau" decorators, less ambitious and original than the first, evolved from these additional projects. Henry IV pierced the wooded park with a 1200m canal (which can be fished today) and ordered the planting of pines, elms and fruit trees. The park stretches of an area more than 80 hectares, enclosed by walls and pierced rectilinear paths. Henry IV's gardener, Claude Mollet, trained at Château d'Anet, laid out patterned parterres. Preserved on the grounds is Henry IV's jeu de paume (real tennis court). It is the largest such court in the world, and one of the few publicly owned.

Philip the Fair (Philip IV), Henry III and Louis XIII were all born in the palace, and Philip died there. Christina of Sweden lived there for years, following her abdication in 1654. In 1685 Fontainebleau saw the signing of the Edict of Fontainebleau, which revoked the Edict of Nantes (1598). Royal guests of the Bourbon kings were housed at Fontainebleau, including Peter the Great of Russia and Christian VII of Denmark.

Revolution and Empire

By the late 18th century, the château had fallen into disrepair; during the French Revolution many of the original furnishings were sold, in the long Revolutionary sales of the contents of all the royal châteaux, intended as a way of raising money for the nation and ensuring that the Bourbons could not return to their comforts. Nevertheless, within a decade Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte began to transform the Château de Fontainebleau into a symbol of his grandeur, as an alternative to the empty Palace of Versailles, with its Bourbon connotations. Napoleon hosted Pope Pius VII there in 1804, when he came to consecrate the emperor, and again in 1812–1814, when he was Napoleon's prisoner. With modifications of the château's structure, including the cobblestone entrance wide enough for his carriage, Napoleon helped make the château the place that visitors see today. At Fontainebleau Napoleon abdicated for the first time, bade farewell to his Old Guard and went into exile in 1814.Fontainebleau was also the setting of the Second Empire court of his nephew Napoleon III.

Today

The château is now home to the Écoles d'Art Américaines, a school of art, architecture, and music for students from the United States. The school was founded by General Pershing when his men were stationed there during the First World War.

Palacio de Fontainebleau

Palacio y parque de Fontainebleau. Nombre descrito en la Lista del Patrimonio de la Humanidad.

Coordenadas48°24′07″N 02°41′53″E País Francia

La Sala de espectáculos del Palacio de Fontainebleau, en 1855.

El Palacio de Fontainebleau, en francés Château de Fontainebleau, es uno de los mayores palacios reales franceses. Está localizado en la ciudad de Fontainebleau, departamento de Sena y Marne, en el norte de Francia.

El palacio refleja, actualmente, las aportaciones constructivas y decorativas de varios monarcas franceses, a partir de una estructura inicial de Francisco I. El edificio se desarrolla alrededor de una serie de patios.

La ciudad de Fontainebleau creció en su entorno y en lo que restaba de la «floresta de Fontainebleau» (en español bosque de Fontainebleau), un antiguo parque real de caza.

Este palacio introdujo en Francia el Manierismo italiano, en la decoración de interiores y en los jardines, adaptándolo. El manierismo francés en la decoración de interiores del siglo XVI es conocido como «estilo Fontainebleau»: combina escultura, forja, pintura, estuco y carpintería. En jardinería supuso la introducción del parterre.

El ideal de belleza femenina en Fontainebleau es, también, manierista: una pequeña y graciosa cabeza en un cuello esbelto, torso y brazos exageradamente largos, pechos pequeños y altos; es casi un regreso a las bellezas del gótico tardío. Los nuevos ideales de Fontainebleau fueron plasmados en refinados y detallados grabados que circularon entre artistas y entendidos.

A través de los grabados realizados por la «Escuela de Fontainebleau», este nuevo estilo fue transmitido a otros centros del norte de Europa, especialmente en Amberes, Bélgica, Alemania y, más tarde, también Londres.

El viejo castillo que se erigía en este lugar ya era usado al final del siglo XII por el rey Luis VII, para quien Thomas Becket consagró la capilla. Fontainebleau fue una de las residencias favoritas de Felipe II y de Luis IX. El creador del edificio actual fue Francisco I, para quien el arquitecto Gilles le Breton construyó la mayor parte del Cour Ovale (Patio Ovalado), incluyendo la Porte Dorée (Puerta Dorada), en su entrada sur. Este rey también invitó a Sebastiano Serlio y Leonardo da Vinci. La Galería de Francisco I, con sus frescos hechos en estuco por Rosso Fiorentino, fue construida entre 1522 y 1540, siendo la primera gran galería decorada construida en Francia.

El Renacimiento fue introducido en Francia por el Palacio de Fontainebleau, por influencia de Enrique II y Catalina de Médici, que contrataron a los arquitectos Philibert Delorme y Jean Bullant, con los que llevaron a cabo una importante campaña de remodelaciones. La Salle des Fêtes (Salón de Baile) fue decorada por los pintores manieristas italianos Francesco Primaticcio y Niccolò dell'Abbate. La «Ninfa de Fontainebleau», de Benvenuto Cellini, encargada para el palacio, está en el Louvre.

Al Fontainebleau de Francisco I y Enrique II, Enrique IV añadió el patio que lleva su nombre, el Cour des Princes (Patio de los Príncipes), la Galerie de Diane de Poitiers (Galería de Diana de Poitiers) y la Galerie des Cerfs (Galería de los Ciervos), usada como biblioteca. Una «segunda escuela de decoradores de Fontainebleau», menos ambiciosa y original que la primera, estuvo involucrada en estos proyectos. Enrique IV perforó el parque forestal con un canal de 1200 metros, donde actualmente se puede pescar, y ordenó la plantación de pinos, olmos y frutales. Su jardinero, Claude Mollet, con habilidades ya probadas en el Château d'Anet, ejecutó los parterres.

Tres siglos después el palacio entró en decadencia; durante la Revolución francesa mucho del mobiliario original se dispersó en las ventas revolucionarias del contenido de todos los palacios reales, concebidas como una forma de conseguir dinero para la nación y asegurar que los Borbones no podrían volver a sus dominios. Dentro de la década siguiente, el emperador Napoleón Bonaparte comenzó a transformar el Château de Fontainebleau en un símbolo de su grandeza, como una alternativa al Palacio de Versalles que tenía connotaciones borbónicas. En Fontainebleau, Napoleón I de Francia firmó su abdicación, con el Tratado de Fontainebleau. Se despidió de su Vieja Guardia y partió al exilio.

Con modificaciones en la estructura del palacio, incluyendo la entrada de cantería suficientemente ancha para su carruaje, Napoleón ayudó a hacer del palacio el lugar que los visitantes conocen actualmente. Fontainebleau fue el escenario de la Corte del Segundo Imperio de su sobrino Napoleón III. Felipe IV, Enrique III y Luis XIII nacieron en este palacio, y el primer de estos reyes también murió aquí. Cristina de Suecia vivió en Fontainebleau durante varios años, después de abdicar en 1654. En 1685 Fontainebleau fue el escenario de la firma del Edicto de Fontainebleau, el cual revocó el Edicto de Nantes (1598). Huéspedes reales de los reyes de la dinastía de los Borbones fueron instalados en Fontainebleau: Pedro I de Rusia y Cristián VII de Dinamarca, y también, en la época de Napoleón, el Papa Pío VII, en 1804 cuando vino a consagrar a Napoleón como Emperador, y entre 1812 y 1814, cuando fue su prisionero.

Actualmente, parte del palacio alberga las Écoles d'Art Américaines (Escuelas de Artes Americanas), una escuela de arte, arquitectura y música para estudiantes de los EUA. Preservado en los campos está el jeu de paume (campo de tenis real) de Enrique IV. Es el mayor campo de tenis de este género en el mundo, y uno de los pocos de propiedad pública.

En 1981, el Château de Fontainebleau fue clasificado Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la Unesco.

fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontainebleau

OM PARVAT

Om Parvat (also Adi Kailash, Little Kailash, Jonglingkong Peak,Baba Kailash, chhota Kailash)[3] is a mountain in the Himalayanmountain range, lying in the Darchula district of western Nepal and inPithoragarh District, Uttarakhand, India. It is considered sacred by Hindusand its snow deposition pattern resembles the sacred 'OM' (ॐ). Its appearance is distinctly similar to Mount Kailash in Tibet.[4] Near Om Parvat lie Parvati Lake and Jonglingkong Lake. Jonglingkong Lake is sacred, as Mansarovar, to the Hindus. Opposite to this peak is a mountain called Parwati Muhar. The Om Parvat is the fruit of discord between India and Nepal who do not reach agreement about the border line between the two countries. The Om Parvat is currently on the Indo-Nepalese border face "Om/ॐ" in India and the back of the mountain inNepal.

This peak was attempted for the first time by an Indo-British team including Martin Moran, T. Rankin, M. Singh, S. Ward, A. Williams and R. Ausden. The climbers promised not to ascend the final 10 metres (30 ft) out of respect for the peak's holy status. However, they were stopped around 200 m (660 ft) short of the summit by very loose snow and rock conditions.[4]

The first ascent of Adi Kailash came on October 8, 2004. The team comprised Tim Woodward, Jack Pearse, Andy Perkins (UK); Jason Hubert, Martin Welch, Diarmid Hearns, Amanda George (Scotland); and Paul Zuchowski (USA). They did not ascend the final few metres, again out of respect for the sacred nature of the summit.

Om Parvat can be viewed en route to the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra from the last camp below Lipu Lekh pass at Nabhidhang. Many trekkers to Adi Kailash often make a diversion to view Om Parvat. Om Parvat and Adi Kailash or Baba Kailash are not one and the same. Om Parvat is located near Nabhi Dhang (Nepal),The Chhota Kailash is located near Sinla pass, Near Brahma Parvat.

The best view of Om Parvat which "Om" drawn by the snow is the view from the district of Pithoragarh (Uttarakhand, India), which faces the mountain and hence to the "Om". By Kailash Mansarovar Foundation Swami Bikash Giri www.sumeruparvat.com , www.naturalitem.com

OM

Auṃ or Oṃ, Sanskrit: ॐ) is a sacred sound and a spiritual icon in Indian religions. It is also a mantra in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.

Om is part of the iconography found in ancient and medieval era manuscripts, temples, monasteries and spiritual retreats in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The symbol has a spiritual meaning in all Indian dharmas, but the meaning and connotations of Om vary between the diverse schools within and across the various traditions.

In Hinduism, Om is one of the most important spiritual symbols (pratima). It refers to Atman (soul, self within) andBrahman (ultimate reality, entirety of the universe, truth, divine, supreme spirit, cosmic principles, knowledge). The syllable is often found at the beginning and the end of chapters in the Vedas, the Upanishads, and other Hindu texts. It is a sacred spiritual incantation made before and during the recitation of spiritual texts, during puja and private prayers, in ceremonies of rites of passages (sanskara) such as weddings, and sometimes during meditative and spiritual activities such as Yoga.

Vedic literature

The syllable "Om" is described with various meanings in the Vedas and different early Upanishads.[19] The meanings include "the sacred sound, the Yes!, the Vedas, the Udgitha (song of the universe), the infinite, the all encompassing, the whole world, the truth, the ultimate reality, the finest essence, the cause of the Universe, the essence of life, theBrahman, the Atman, the vehicle of deepest knowledge, and Self-knowledge".

Vedas

The chapters in Vedas, and numerous hymns, chants and benedictions therein use the syllable Om. The Gayatri mantra from the Rig Veda, for example, begins with Om. The mantra is extracted from the 10th verse of Hymn 62 in Book III of the Rig Veda.These recitations continue to be in use, and major incantations and ceremonial functions begin and end with Om.

ॐ भूर्भुवस्व: |

तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यम् |

भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि |

धियो यो न: प्रचोदयात् ||

Om. Earth, atmosphere, heaven.

Let us think on that desirable splendour

of Savitr, the Inspirer. May he stimulate

us to insightful thoughts.

Om is a common symbol found in the ancient texts of Hinduism, such as in the first line of Rig veda (top), as well as a icon in temples and spiritual retreats.

The Chandogya Upanishad is one of the oldest Upanishads of Hinduism. It opens with the recommendation that "let a man meditate on Om". It calls the syllable Om as udgitha (उद्गीथ, song, chant), and asserts that the significance of the syllable is thus: the essence of all beings is earth, the essence of earth is water, the essence of water are the plants, the essence of plants is man, the essence of man is speech, the essence of speech is the Rig Veda, the essence of the Rig Veda is the Sama Veda, and the essence of Sama Veda is the udgitha (song, Om).

Rik (ऋच्, Ṛc) is speech, states the text, and Sāman (सामन्) is breath; they are pairs, and because they have love and desire for each other, speech and breath find themselves together and mate to produce song. The highest song is Om, asserts section 1.1 of Chandogya Upanishad. It is the symbol of awe, of reverence, of threefold knowledge because Adhvaryu invokes it, the Hotr recites it, and Udgatr sings it.

The second volume of the first chapter continues its discussion of syllable Om, explaining its use as a struggle between Devas (gods) and Asuras (demons). Max Muller states that this struggle between gods and demons is considered allegorical by ancient Indian scholars, as good and evil inclinations within man, respectively. The legend in section 1.2 of Chandogya Upanishad states that gods took the Udgitha (song of Om) unto themselves, thinking, "with this [song] we shall overcome the demons". The syllable Om is thus implied as that which inspires the good inclinations within each person.

Chandogya Upanishad's exposition of syllable Om in its opening chapter combines etymological speculations, symbolism, metric structure and philosophical themes. In the second chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad, the meaning and significance of Om evolves into a philosophical discourse, such as in section 2.10 where Om is linked to the Highest Self, and section 2.23 where the text asserts Om is the essence of three forms of knowledge, Om is Brahman and "Om is all this [observed world]".

Katha Upanishad

The Katha Upanishad is the legendary story of a little boy, Nachiketa – the son of sage Vajasravasa, who meetsYama – the Indian deity of death. Their conversation evolves to a discussion of the nature of man, knowledge,Atman (Soul, Self) and moksha (liberation). In section 1.2, Katha Upanishad characterizes Knowledge/Wisdom as the pursuit of good, and Ignorance/Delusion as the pursuit of pleasant, that the essence of Veda is make man liberated and free, look past what has happened and what has not happened, free from the past and the future, beyond good and evil, and one word for this essence is the word Om.

The word which all the Vedas proclaim,

That which is expressed in every Tapas (penance, austerity, meditation),

That for which they live the life of a Brahmacharin,

Understand that word in its essence: Om! that is the word.

Yes, this syllable is Brahman,

This syllable is the highest.

He who knows that syllable,

Whatever he desires, is his.

— Katha Upanishad,

Maitri Upanishad

The Maitrayaniya Upanishad in sixth Prapathakas (lesson) discusses the meaning and significance of Om. The text asserts that Om represents Brahman-Atman. The three roots of the syllable, states the Maitri Upanishad, are A + U + M. The sound is the body of Soul, and it repeatedly manifests in three: as gender-endowed body - feminine, masculine, neuter; as light-endowed body - Agni, Vayu and Aditya; as deity-endowed body - Brahma, Rudra and Vishnu; as mouth-endowed body - Garhapatya, Dakshinagni and Ahavaniya; as knowledge-endowed body - Rig, Saman and Yajur; as world-endowed body - Bhūr, Bhuvaḥ and Svaḥ; as time-endowed body - Past, Present and Future; as heat-endowed body - Breath, Fire and Sun; as growth-endowed body - Food, Water and Moon; as thought-endowed body - intellect, mind and pysche. Brahman exists in two forms - the material form, and the immaterial formless. The material form is changing, unreal. The immaterial formless isn't changing, real. The immortal formless is truth, the truth is the Brahman, the Brahman is the light, the light is the Sun which is the syllable Om as the Self.

The world is Om, its light is Sun, and the Sun is also the light of the syllable Om, asserts the Upanishad. Meditating on Om, is acknowledging and meditating on the Brahman-Atman (Soul, Self).

Mundaka Upanishad

The Mundaka Upanishad in the second Mundakam (part), suggests the means to knowing the Self and the Brahman to be meditation, self-reflection and introspection, that can be aided by the symbol Om.

That which is flaming, which is subtler than the subtle,

on which the worlds are set, and their inhabitants –

That is the indestructible Brahman. It is life, it is speech, it is mind. That is the real. It is immortal.

It is a mark to be penetrated. Penetrate It, my friend.

Taking as a bow the great weapon of the Upanishad,

one should put upon it an arrow sharpened by meditation,

Stretching it with a thought directed to the essence of That,

Penetrate that Imperishable as the mark, my friend.

Om is the bow, the arrow is the Soul, Brahman the mark,

By the undistracted man is It to be penetrated,

One should come to be in It,

as the arrow becomes one with the mark.

— Mundaka Upanishad, 2.2.2 - 2.2.4

Adi Shankara, in his review of the Mundaka Upanishad, states Om as a symbolism for Atman (soul, self).

Mandukya Upanishad

The Mandukya Upanishad opens by declaring, "Om!, this syllable is this whole world". Thereafter it presents various explanations and theories on what it means and signifies. This discussion is built on a structure of "four fourths" or "fourfold", derived from A + U + M + "silence" (or without an element).

Aum as all states of time

In verse 1, the Upanishad states that time is threefold: the past, the present and the future, that these three are "Aum". The four fourth of time is that which transcends time, that too is "Aum" expressed.

Aum as all states of Atman

In verse 2, states the Upanishad, everything is Brahman, but Brahman is Atman (the Soul, Self), and that the Atman is fourfold. Johnston summarizes these four states of Self, respectively, as seeking the physical, seeking inner thought, seeking the causes and spiritual consciousness, and the fourth state is realizing oneness with the Self, the Eternal.

Aum as all states of consciousness

In verses 3 to 6, the Mandukya Upanishad enumerates four states of consciousness: wakeful, dream, deep sleep and the state of ekatma (being one with Self, the oneness of Self). These four are A + U + M + "without an element" respectively.

Aum as all of knowledge

In verses 9 to 12, the Mandukya Upanishad enumerates fourfold etymological roots of the syllable "Aum". It states that the first element of "Aum" is A, which is from Apti (obtaining, reaching) or from Adimatva (being first). The second element is U, which is from Utkarsa (exaltation) or from Ubhayatva(intermediateness). The third element is M, from Miti (erecting, constructing) or from Mi Minati, or apīti (annihilation). The fourth is without an element, without development, beyond the expanse of universe. In this way, states the Upanishad, the syllable Om is indeed the Atman (the self).

Shvetashvatara Upanishad

The Shvetashvatara Upanishad, in verses 1.14 to 1.16, suggests meditating with the help of syllable Om, where one's perishable body is like one fuel-stick and the syllable Om is the second fuel-stick, which with discipline and diligent rubbing of the sticks unleashes the concealed fire of thought and awareness within. Such knowledge, asserts the Upanishad, is the goal of Upanishads. The text asserts that Om is a tool of meditation empowering one to know the God within oneself, to realize one's Atman (Soul, Self).

Epics

The Bhagavad Gita, in the Epic Mahabharata, mentions the meaning and significance of Om in several verses. For example, Fowler notes that verse 9.17 of the Bhagavad Gita synthesizes the competing dualistic and monist streams of thought in Hinduism, by using "Om which is the symbol for the indescribable, impersonal Brahman".

I am the Father of this world, Mother, Ordainer, Grandfather, the Thing to be known, the Purifier, the syllable Om, Rik, Saman and also Yajus.

— Krishna to Arjuna, Bhagavad Gita 9.17,

The significance of the sacred syllable in the Hindu traditions, is similarly highlighted in various of its verses, such as verse 17.24 where the importance of Omduring prayers, charity and meditative practices is explained as follows,

Therefore, uttering Om, the acts of yajna (fire ritual), dāna (charity) and tapas (austerity) as enjoined in the scriptures, are always begun by those who study the Brahman.

— Bhagavad Gita

Yoga Sutra

The aphoristic verse 1.27 of Pantanjali's Yogasutra links Om to Yoga practice, as follows,

तस्य वाचकः प्रणवः ॥२७॥

His word is Om.

— Yogasutra 1.27,

Johnston states this verse highlights the importance of Om in the meditative practice of Yoga, where it symbolizes three worlds in the Soul; the three times – past, present and future eternity, the three divine powers – creation, preservation and transformation in one Being; and three essences in one Spirit – immortality, omniscience and joy. It is, asserts Johnston, a symbol for the perfected Spiritual Man (his emphasis). BY KAILASH MANSAROVAR FOUNDATION SWAMI BIKASH GIRI www.sumeruparvat.com , www.naturalitem.com

St Peter's Church is a Grade 1 Listed Building (exceptional interest) and dates from the 11th century. It has been restored

various times up to and including the 20th century.

Aside from its obvious religious connotations, which all baloney, its aesthetics and gravitas as an historical building sparks enough interest to reach for my camera.

Jan Vermeer (Johannes Vermeer), Delft 1632 - 1675

Die Malkunst / Die Künstlerwerkstatt / The Art of Painting (1666/68)

Kunsthistorisches Museum, Wien

This painting was long called The Artist in His Studio, and we may in effect presume that the artist seen from behind was himself. However, the intention of representing an allegory is stronger here than in all other Vermeer's works. The heavy curtain on the left, which lets the viewer partake of the scene, has decidedly theatrical connotations. So does the young girl whom the artist portrays, and whose crown of laurel easily identifies her as Fame. A connection with Clio, the muse of history, also exists. She holds a trumpet and a book of Thucydides.

The whole composition is a panegyric to the art of painting. Set in an elegant room, with a chandelier, chairs, the lush curtain, and a large map on the back wall, which shows the northern and southern Netherlands and indicates the area over which the reputation of the artist could spread, its overall meaning emphasizes the attainment of fame to the benefit of the man in the pursuit of his artistic endeavours as well as 'qua' citizen of his hometown.

The uncommonly large painting, considered from the pictorial viewpoint only, is rather decorative but lacks depth. Only its meaning makes it of particular interest. Repeated restorations may have contributed to the narrative rather than painterly excellence of the work. Such as it presents itself now, one cannot be astonished that it was formerly attributed to Pieter de Hooch.

Source: Web Gallery of Art

Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat’s Lydiard Street is one of the most intact, commercial nineteenth century theatres in Australia. Originally opened as the Ballarat Academy of Music in order to avoid the negative moral connotations associated with theatres at the time, Her Majesty’s was completed in 1875 to a design by architect George Browne. The Academy had a flat floored auditorium suitable for respectable dances and dinners, and a fully equipped stage. It was built to supersede Ballarat's Theatre Royal (built in 1858), which stood in Sturt Street. While very grand, the Royal had become outdated and no longer met the technical requirements of the touring companies.

The Academy was built by the wealthy Clarke family at the initiative of a group of local people who felt that Ballarat, as the premier city of the Victorian goldfields, should have a theatre worthy of its status. They guaranteed to rent it from the Clarkes at 10% of the construction cost, which was £13,000.

Built over a disused mineshaft, the original timber theatre initially comprised a theatre with rectangular auditorium, a steep lyre-shaped gallery, three entries leading to separate parts of the auditorium and two shops facing Lydiard Street.

Ballarat's handsome new theatre was ready ahead of schedule, and was opened on 7th June 1875. The first production was a comic opera by the French composer Lecocq, "La Fille de Madame Angot," presented by the Royal Opera Bouffe Company run by W. S. Lyster, Australia's first opera impresario.

Soon after the Academy opened, the large Supper Room above Lydiard Street was leased to William Bridges, a former miner, who ran it as an art gallery, displaying an excellent collection of European and Australian artworks, including his own tapestries. After Bridges moved his operations to Melbourne in 1883, the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery was formed. The Gallery Society ran the Gallery from the Academy from 1884 until 1890, when the present Art Gallery in Lydiard Street North was opened.

For the next twenty five years, the Academy of Music was unchallenged as Ballarat's main theatrical venue. It was never as popular as the old Theatre Royal, however, as the rather cavernous hall lacked the intimacy of the older playhouse. In 1898, when Sir William Clarke died, the building was bought by a local consortium and transformed into the delightful theatrical space we know today.

The new owners commissioned Australia's leading theatre architect, William Pitt (1855 – 1918), to remodel the interior and improve the stage facilities. William, who had been apprenticed to George Browne, also designed Melbourne's Princess Theatre amongst many other buildings. The present layout of the auditorium with sloping floor and double balconies, is Pitt's creation. The colour scheme is a recreation of the interior decoration undertaken at that time by Hugh Paterson, one of Melbourne's leading designers.

Paterson also decorated the dome and proscenium arch with murals. The mural in the dome depicted a carnival scene, with dancers in fanciful costumes; Comedy and Tragedy were featured on either side of the proscenium arch, with Shakespeare over the top. Unfortunately all the murals were destroyed in 1907 when Government regulations required the proscenium wall to be replaced with a solid firewall. The dome was removed at the same time for structural reasons, and was restored in 1990. The Dress Circle Lobby also dates from 1907.

The 1898 theatre was constructed in brick with timber roof construction sheeted with iron. The main body is brick with piers both inside and out. The hipped trussed roof covers both the three-level auditorium and the stage with dressing rooms below. The ground floor and foyer have been considerably altered at various times but the auditorium and stage structure are original as is much of the auditorium ceiling and pilastered walls. The roof over the stage also dates from 1875 and the later inclusion of a fly tower stage in 1898 is fitted around the original trusses. The flying system is the only manual (non counterweight) system in existence in Australia. In the auditorium roof there appears to have been two domes, a small one dating from before 1898 for which the horizontal shutters and tube structure to a former sliding ventilated roof are still in existence. When 1898 dome was removed a false octagonal ceiling was fitted in its place. Internally the circle and gallery levels are horseshoe shaped in plan and are carried on cast iron columns. The balcony balustrading is swag bellied and decorated. It is believed that the wall pilasters, panelled ceilings and proscenium are original decorations and some traces of art nouveau decorative motifs are to be seen where later alterations have been made. The two balconies were constructed in 1898, but one balcony front is the reused 1874 front while the second was made to match. The balconies and cast-iron supporting posts are typical for auditoria design in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. The double balcony, supported on columns, is now the last of this form of theatre in Victoria. The facade of this building is two storeyed in height with stucco ornamentation in a somewhat florid Classical style. The upper storey windows are round headed with archivolts supported by slender columns as are the two ground floor subsidiary entrances. The highly decorated curved entrance has now been lost. The ground floor facade has been much altered and a street awning has been added. The first floor facade is intact but the parapet balustrading and ornamentation has been destroyed.

From the First World War on, the Theatre was increasingly used for cinema presentations. A Bio Box (projection room) was built above the Dress Circle Lobby in 1916, and the Theatre was wired for sound in 1930. In 1928, the Hoyts cinema chain took over control over the building through its local subsidiary, Ballarat Theatres Limited, which ran Her Majesty's in tandem with the Regent Theatre (purposely built as a cinema).

In 1936, Her Majesty's was leased and operated by Ballarat Amusements, part of the Woodrow Distributing Company, presenting MGM and Paramount movies. Ballarat Amusements ran it until the early 1960s.

During the silent movie era, a theatre orchestra provided the film accompaniment. The Ballarat Theatre Organ Society installed the Theatre's Compton Theatre Organ in 1982.

Even when Her Majesty's was primarily a cinema, it was always available, to a lesser or greater degree, for live performances. It was used regularly by J. C. Williamson's and other touring companies as well as local groups. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s huge crowds came to see the annual pantomimes staged by the Wavie Williams Pantomime Company. For the last forty years, the Theatre has been used to stage locally produced musical comedies.

Television came to Ballarat in 1962, and had an immediate impact on attendances at the local cinemas. Ballarat Amusements decided to cease screenings and Hoyts put the building on the market.

In 1965, the Theatre was bought by the Royal South Street Society as the home for its Annual Competitions.The Bolte State Government gave the Society £20,000 towards the purchase price and a further grant towards the adaptation of the building for the Competitions. Further assistance towards both purposes came from local businessman, Alf Reid. It was clearly understood at the time that the Society would be managing the Theatre as a community facility.

The Society renamed Her Majesty's the Memorial Theatre, a move which made donations to its renovation appeal tax deductable.

The Society was unable to adequately maintain the upkeep of the building, however, and gifted it to the then City of Ballaarat in 1987, reserving the right to hold competitions in the Theatre every year between August and November.

The City of Ballarat undertook a major renovation, seeking funding from a wide range of businesses, individuals and organisations. The Theatre reopened as Her Majesty's on the 1st of November, 1990.

Palace of Fontainebleau

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Palace and Park of Fontainebleau

Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List

Location of Palace of Fontainebleau in France.

The Palace of Fontainebleau, located 55 kilometres from the centre of Paris, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. The palace as it is today is the work of many French monarchs, building on an early 16th-century structure of Francis I. The building is arranged around a series of courtyards. The commune of Fontainebleau has grown up around the remainder of the Forest of Fontainebleau, a former royal hunting park. This forest is now home to many endangered species of Europe.

The throne room, formerly the King’s bedroom from Henry IV to Louis XVI, it was converted into the throne room by Napoleon

The older château on this site was already used in the latter part of the 12th century by King Louis VII, for whom Thomas Becket consecrated the chapel. Fontainebleau was a favourite residence of Philip Augustus (Philip II) and Louis IX. The creator of the present edifice was Francis I, under whom the architect Gilles le Breton erected most of the buildings of the Cour Ovale, including the Porte Dorée, its southern entrance. The king also invited the architect Sebastiano Serlio to France, and Leonardo da Vinci. The Gallery of Francis I, with its frescoes framed in stucco by Rosso Fiorentino, carried out between 1522 and 1540, was the first great decorated gallery built in France. Broadly speaking, at Fontainebleau the Renaissance was introduced to France. The Salle des Fêtes, in the reign of Henry II, was decorated by the Italian Mannerist painters, Francesco Primaticcio and Niccolò dell'Abbate. Benvenuto Cellini's "Nymph of Fontainebleau", commissioned for the château, is at the Louvre.

Another campaign of extensive construction was undertaken by King Henry II and Catherine de' Medici, who commissioned architects Philibert Delorme and Jean Bullant. To the Fontainebleau of François I and Henry II, King Henry IV added the court that carries his name, the Cour des Princes, with the adjoining Galerie de Diane de Poitiers and the Galerie des Cerfs, used as a library. A "second school of Fontainebleau" decorators, less ambitious and original than the first, evolved from these additional projects. Henry IV pierced the wooded park with a 1200m canal (which can be fished today) and ordered the planting of pines, elms and fruit trees. The park stretches of an area more than 80 hectares, enclosed by walls and pierced rectilinear paths. Henry IV's gardener, Claude Mollet, trained at Château d'Anet, laid out patterned parterres. Preserved on the grounds is Henry IV's jeu de paume (real tennis court). It is the largest such court in the world, and one of the few publicly owned.

Philip the Fair (Philip IV), Henry III and Louis XIII were all born in the palace, and Philip died there. Christina of Sweden lived there for years, following her abdication in 1654. In 1685 Fontainebleau saw the signing of the Edict of Fontainebleau, which revoked the Edict of Nantes (1598). Royal guests of the Bourbon kings were housed at Fontainebleau, including Peter the Great of Russia and Christian VII of Denmark.

Revolution and Empire

By the late 18th century, the château had fallen into disrepair; during the French Revolution many of the original furnishings were sold, in the long Revolutionary sales of the contents of all the royal châteaux, intended as a way of raising money for the nation and ensuring that the Bourbons could not return to their comforts. Nevertheless, within a decade Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte began to transform the Château de Fontainebleau into a symbol of his grandeur, as an alternative to the empty Palace of Versailles, with its Bourbon connotations. Napoleon hosted Pope Pius VII there in 1804, when he came to consecrate the emperor, and again in 1812–1814, when he was Napoleon's prisoner. With modifications of the château's structure, including the cobblestone entrance wide enough for his carriage, Napoleon helped make the château the place that visitors see today. At Fontainebleau Napoleon abdicated for the first time, bade farewell to his Old Guard and went into exile in 1814.Fontainebleau was also the setting of the Second Empire court of his nephew Napoleon III.

Today

The château is now home to the Écoles d'Art Américaines, a school of art, architecture, and music for students from the United States. The school was founded by General Pershing when his men were stationed there during the First World War.

Palacio de Fontainebleau

Palacio y parque de Fontainebleau. Nombre descrito en la Lista del Patrimonio de la Humanidad.

Coordenadas48°24′07″N 02°41′53″E País Francia

La Sala de espectáculos del Palacio de Fontainebleau, en 1855.

El Palacio de Fontainebleau, en francés Château de Fontainebleau, es uno de los mayores palacios reales franceses. Está localizado en la ciudad de Fontainebleau, departamento de Sena y Marne, en el norte de Francia.

El palacio refleja, actualmente, las aportaciones constructivas y decorativas de varios monarcas franceses, a partir de una estructura inicial de Francisco I. El edificio se desarrolla alrededor de una serie de patios.

La ciudad de Fontainebleau creció en su entorno y en lo que restaba de la «floresta de Fontainebleau» (en español bosque de Fontainebleau), un antiguo parque real de caza.

Este palacio introdujo en Francia el Manierismo italiano, en la decoración de interiores y en los jardines, adaptándolo. El manierismo francés en la decoración de interiores del siglo XVI es conocido como «estilo Fontainebleau»: combina escultura, forja, pintura, estuco y carpintería. En jardinería supuso la introducción del parterre.

El ideal de belleza femenina en Fontainebleau es, también, manierista: una pequeña y graciosa cabeza en un cuello esbelto, torso y brazos exageradamente largos, pechos pequeños y altos; es casi un regreso a las bellezas del gótico tardío. Los nuevos ideales de Fontainebleau fueron plasmados en refinados y detallados grabados que circularon entre artistas y entendidos.

A través de los grabados realizados por la «Escuela de Fontainebleau», este nuevo estilo fue transmitido a otros centros del norte de Europa, especialmente en Amberes, Bélgica, Alemania y, más tarde, también Londres.

El viejo castillo que se erigía en este lugar ya era usado al final del siglo XII por el rey Luis VII, para quien Thomas Becket consagró la capilla. Fontainebleau fue una de las residencias favoritas de Felipe II y de Luis IX. El creador del edificio actual fue Francisco I, para quien el arquitecto Gilles le Breton construyó la mayor parte del Cour Ovale (Patio Ovalado), incluyendo la Porte Dorée (Puerta Dorada), en su entrada sur. Este rey también invitó a Sebastiano Serlio y Leonardo da Vinci. La Galería de Francisco I, con sus frescos hechos en estuco por Rosso Fiorentino, fue construida entre 1522 y 1540, siendo la primera gran galería decorada construida en Francia.

El Renacimiento fue introducido en Francia por el Palacio de Fontainebleau, por influencia de Enrique II y Catalina de Médici, que contrataron a los arquitectos Philibert Delorme y Jean Bullant, con los que llevaron a cabo una importante campaña de remodelaciones. La Salle des Fêtes (Salón de Baile) fue decorada por los pintores manieristas italianos Francesco Primaticcio y Niccolò dell'Abbate. La «Ninfa de Fontainebleau», de Benvenuto Cellini, encargada para el palacio, está en el Louvre.

Al Fontainebleau de Francisco I y Enrique II, Enrique IV añadió el patio que lleva su nombre, el Cour des Princes (Patio de los Príncipes), la Galerie de Diane de Poitiers (Galería de Diana de Poitiers) y la Galerie des Cerfs (Galería de los Ciervos), usada como biblioteca. Una «segunda escuela de decoradores de Fontainebleau», menos ambiciosa y original que la primera, estuvo involucrada en estos proyectos. Enrique IV perforó el parque forestal con un canal de 1200 metros, donde actualmente se puede pescar, y ordenó la plantación de pinos, olmos y frutales. Su jardinero, Claude Mollet, con habilidades ya probadas en el Château d'Anet, ejecutó los parterres.

Tres siglos después el palacio entró en decadencia; durante la Revolución francesa mucho del mobiliario original se dispersó en las ventas revolucionarias del contenido de todos los palacios reales, concebidas como una forma de conseguir dinero para la nación y asegurar que los Borbones no podrían volver a sus dominios. Dentro de la década siguiente, el emperador Napoleón Bonaparte comenzó a transformar el Château de Fontainebleau en un símbolo de su grandeza, como una alternativa al Palacio de Versalles que tenía connotaciones borbónicas. En Fontainebleau, Napoleón I de Francia firmó su abdicación, con el Tratado de Fontainebleau. Se despidió de su Vieja Guardia y partió al exilio.

Con modificaciones en la estructura del palacio, incluyendo la entrada de cantería suficientemente ancha para su carruaje, Napoleón ayudó a hacer del palacio el lugar que los visitantes conocen actualmente. Fontainebleau fue el escenario de la Corte del Segundo Imperio de su sobrino Napoleón III. Felipe IV, Enrique III y Luis XIII nacieron en este palacio, y el primer de estos reyes también murió aquí. Cristina de Suecia vivió en Fontainebleau durante varios años, después de abdicar en 1654. En 1685 Fontainebleau fue el escenario de la firma del Edicto de Fontainebleau, el cual revocó el Edicto de Nantes (1598). Huéspedes reales de los reyes de la dinastía de los Borbones fueron instalados en Fontainebleau: Pedro I de Rusia y Cristián VII de Dinamarca, y también, en la época de Napoleón, el Papa Pío VII, en 1804 cuando vino a consagrar a Napoleón como Emperador, y entre 1812 y 1814, cuando fue su prisionero.

Actualmente, parte del palacio alberga las Écoles d'Art Américaines (Escuelas de Artes Americanas), una escuela de arte, arquitectura y música para estudiantes de los EUA. Preservado en los campos está el jeu de paume (campo de tenis real) de Enrique IV. Es el mayor campo de tenis de este género en el mundo, y uno de los pocos de propiedad pública.

En 1981, el Château de Fontainebleau fue clasificado Patrimonio de la Humanidad por la Unesco.

fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fontainebleau

Wrecking Ball Evidence

Storyline

This piece of work was based on an idea I got while watching a YouTube video (Mercader, 2013) that showed an Alien singing the Gloria Gaynor classic, “I Will Survive”. I wanted to develop something with similar connotations that expressed both satirical and dark humour. The character I decided that would best evoke the necessary feelings in the audience was the well-loved and funny “Minion” (Illumination Entertainment, 2014) best known for its appearance in Despicable Me 1 & 2 and soon to be seen in its own Minion movie. The character would also bring out sympathy in the viewer because of the innocent nature it portrays.

The first stage in the process of creating my Minion was to undertake some research into the characteristics of the Minion. This included looking into the types of clothes it wore the way it moved any behavioural idiosyncrasies it had. I also searched the internet for any tutorial videos (Mercader, 2013) that provided instructions on how to develop my Minion. I came across one or two that were very useful as they provided details on how to model, texture, rig and skin my Minion.

Having done this I then went onto create several basic storylines that I could evaluate. I then developed a storyboard for the most promising of my ideas before further developing it to become my piece of 10-30 second animation. The storyboard outlines the basis of the animation from the starting point where the Minion slides in at speed before realising that he is facing in the wrong direction. He springs into action to rectify his predicament, twisting round so that he is facing in the right direction. After failing to reassure the audience of his good intentions he shrivels up into a depressed state. His eye then suddenly opens, a smile comes to his face and he begins to shake as hears the music beginning to play.

As the music in the animation builds to a crescendo the Minion will be heard singing “I came in like a wrecking ball” (MoZella et al, 2013). It is at this point that to the surprise of the Minion and the viewer that a huge wrecking ball will swing across the scene knocking the Minion out of sight. The wrecking ball will then swing back across the scene dripping with gory blood to add a final piece of dark humour to the animation.

Technical Development

Main Body

Following on from the instructive YouTube guide that I had found I started off by modelling the main part of the body. This was achieved by drawing out a sphere and putting its poly-count to 8 x 8. I did this to reduce the amount of data therefor reducing the risk of crashes. I shaped and modelled the sphere until it was the shape of a tic-tac.

Arm

I then worked on an arm, developing it from a cylinder I reduced its poly-count to 6 x 6. By reducing the poly count it also made it easier to attach it to the body. I shaped the cylinder so that it had a more Minion arm like appearance. I also added a bend to the arm so that the elbow was more prominent. This made the movement more effective when I came to do the rigging. Once I was happy with end result of my arm I started the process of attaching it to the body. The first thing I did was to remove a patch of faces on the right side of the body as this was where I was going to attach my arm, using merge vertices. I then deleted the faces on the shoulder end of the arm before selecting the vertices on both the shoulder and the arm in order that the two could be correctly merged.

Leg

After this I turned my attention to the legs where I basically repeated the same process that I had used for the arms. With the legs I drew out a cylinder, 6 x 6, and shaped into a Minion leg shape, bending it in the middle for the kneecap. I then deleted the faces on the leg that was being jointed to the left-hand side of the waist. I also deleted a cluster of faces on the waist so that the leg could be attached. I then combined both the leg and the body and merged the vertices with the “Merge Vertices” tool.

Duplicate Special

After completing these 2 processes I deleted the right-hand side of the body, selected the remaining left-hand side of the body and selected “Duplicate Special”. This gave me a mirror image of the left-hand side of the body on the right-hand side and removed the need to create a right arm or leg. This considerably reduced the amount of work I had to undertake to complete my Minion. In order to correctly merge the 2 separate halves of the body I combined both of the objects. I then selected the vertices that were on the 2 adjoining sides and then selected “Merge Selected Vertices”, Know I had arms on both sides.

Arms & Legs

At this point I reconsidered how both my arms & legs would look when attached to the body. I wanted the attachment of the limbs to look smooth rather than flat or jagged. I only concentrated on left part of the body as I would “Duplicate Special” again. I selected the vertices around the body & limbs and moved them around until I was satisfied with the smoothness of the attachments.

Eyeball

The next body part that I made was the single eyeball. I started off by drawing out a sphere to the size of the minion eye. For this process I didn’t lower the poly count, placing the eyeball it roughly in the centre part of the head. The next step was shaping the pupil and to do this I selected the faces around the area of the centre & pulled inwards. At this point I chose the colouring of the eye, which was blue. I then selected the very centre of the eye faces and extruded inwards to create the eyes pupil which was black. Finally I created a sphere that went over the entire eye and then applied texture to it where I lowered the opacity and increased it glossiness to give it cartoon like image.

Eyelid

To create the eyelid I drew another sphere that was the same as the one I had used for the eyeball. I then deleted 3/4‘s of it, so that only a quarter was left. I then selected all of the faces and extruded them to add thickness to the eyelid. This was then duplicated to create the bottom half of the eyelid.

Hands

The next part that I worked on was the hands. To start this off I drew out a cube and scaled it to fit the arm. I drew out a cube and scaled it to fit the arm. I then drew 2 parallel lines on the cube from which I extruded the fingers. From this I created a smooth cylindrical shape which was symbolic of the Minions gloved fingers. I then curved the circumference of the gloved hand where the arm fitted into it. I also inverted the opening of the glove which helped to give it a more realistic look which was representative of a glove.

Goggles

I started the goggles off by drawing out a tube and brought it up to be level with the eye. I then expanded it so that it looked like it was wrapped around the head then thinned its diameter so that it looked more realistic. I added more line to the tube so that the band had a curve in it which made it look more realistic. The eye piece of the goggle was created using another tube that was made to fit neatly around the eye. To replicate distinctive features that I had seen I added more lines to the tube and scaled them down to create grooves in the eye piece. I then placed 8 small spheres equally around the tube to create a stud like effect. On the inside of the tube I selected certain lines and scaled them inwards to create an inverted curve. The next thing I did was to create the strap attachments which were placed on either side of the eye piece. This was achieved by having a small cylinder and placing a big cylinder above and beneath the small one. The lens for the eye piece was created using a flattened down cylinder placed on the inside of the goggle. I then applied a texture to it where I lowered the opacity to create a glass like feature.

Mouth

To create the mouth I deleted a line of faces around the front of the head. I created the hole of the mouth then grabbed the lines around the mouth and brought them closer together. I then extruded the edge and brought them inwards and made a curve to form the lips. After making the lips I moved onto the teeth giving the Minion 12 on the top and bottom. To do this I started with a cube, squashed it to be the width of a tooth and then add extra lines into make it smooth. Once I had perfected this initial tooth I created the rest of the teeth at the top and the bottom of the mouth. Following on from this I worked on the gums at the top and bottom of the mouth. To do this I took another cube and placed it under the teeth and extruded the ends around under the base of the teeth. I then add extra lines on the gums in line with the gaps of the teeth and pulled them up to fill the gaps, giving the gums a more realistic look. Once the gums at the bottom of the mouth were perfected I duplicated them for the top set of teeth. The Final object that I made for the mouth was the tongue which I again I started with a cube that I stretched out until it was the right size. I then added lines down the tip of the tongue to give it a smooth cylindrical end. Finally, I added a line down the middle of the tongue to give it the dent that can be seen on people’s tongues.

Hair

The hair was the trickiest part for me as it was difficult to get it right. I started off by making a Lego like head cap but I realised that doing it this way did not allow you to include a great deal of detail, like trying to create lines in the hair. So instead of this, I decided to make it with curved strips, which I created from cubes, which I attached around the head. I based the style on a YU-GI-OH hair piece, so you would have hair that would be all pointy and there were layers to it giving it more detail.

Clothes

With the clothes I went with the regular clothes that I wear and so made a shirt, jacket & pants. I started off by making the shirt, I selected the faces around the body where I would have my shirt & I then “Duplicated Faces” and extruded the faces to add a bit of thickness to it. I then selected the “Vertices” around the shirt and lined it up to give it a smoother look. I also added extra lines around the holes of the shirt to make it smooth. Having done the shirt I moved onto the jacket, making it in a similar way that I had created the shirt. I stretched it out to give it extra length and added a collar to it. Having covered the top half of the body I moved onto the bottom half. I selected the rest of the faces at the bottom, “Duplicated Faces”, and then extruded faces to give it thickness, which created the pants and covered the bottom part of the body. I then added extra lines around the bottom to make some creases around the bottom of my pants.

Texture

All the texturing was creating using Mia_pass which I then adjusted to give each item the look that I required as follows:

The body and eyelids were given an exact match to the reference material that I was using;

The shoes were given a black leather textured look;

The gloves were textured to look like the Minions;

The goggles strap was originally going to be black leather but I decided in the end to use brown to add more colour and contrast to my character; &

With the goggle itself I created a very shinny reflective surface to match the silver colouring used by the Minion character;

The teeth were made white but not entirely, they were given a shine, due to teeth having a moist & reflective surface, I textured the gums & tongue with the same texture with a dark red moist texture;

I textured the hair to be the same colour as my hair, I also added noise to it to add lines in the texture so it help made it look more like hair;

I textured my jacket to be like my leather jacket, so I wanted it black with a bit of shine, I textured my shirts like my green shirt which was a bland green and I textured my pants to be like blue jeans.

I wanted my eye to be like my eye so I textured it white, the eye colour to be blue with noise add to it to make it more real and the pupil black.

Rigging

The rigging was used to create the skeleton of the body. The jointing for this character was more specialised as it was a standard character. I placed my first joint around the waist and this was to be my root joint which was the central control point for all of the joints. Following on from this I created joints that would give me control over my hip, leg and foot movements on the left-hand side of the body. Then using a mirror process I copied them over to the right-had side. Above the root joint I attached 2 new joints one that gave me control over the hips and the other which gave me control over the upper part of the torso. To this joint I connected the shoulder, arm and wrist joints of the left arm. Again using a mirror process I copied this over to the right-hand side. The neck joint was then created and connected to the torso joint. Above the neck joint I created another joint (Mouth Control) which spawned out several joints to give control over the movement of the mouth, lips and teeth. Above the mouth control I placed another joint in the core of the Minions head. From this I spawned a joint to give me control over the eye movement and also one at the top of the skull.

Skinning

To start off the skinning process I selected the root joint and the body and then went to skin and selected smooth bind. This bound the skeleton to the body giving me control over the movement of the body. For the next stage I selected the body, went to paint, skin, weights and selected the root joint and then flooded it. Now the body is affected by the root joint only leaving all other joints none effective. This gives me a more precise way of painting skin weights affected by certain joints.

Referencing

Illumination Entertainment (2014) Minions. Available at:

www.imdb.com/media/rm2457270272/tt2293640?ref_=tt_ov_i (Downloaded: 30th November 2014)

Mercader, J.A. (2013) Minion Modelling. Available at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJESazJYSnk&list=UURdtwlPg9vJ... (Accessed: 20th October 2014)

MoZella et al (2013) Wrecking Ball. United States of America: Sony Music Entertainment (Accessed: 20th October 2014)

Oil on canvas; 183 x 252 cm.

Francesco Hayez was an Italian painter and printmaker, famous for his portrait painting and historical Romantic images. The son of a French fisherman, he was introduced to painting by one of his uncles, an antique dealer, Francesco Binasco. His uncle had wanted Hayez to become a painting restorer. In 1809 he won a scholarship that allowed him to study in Rome, where he studied both Antique art and the works of Raphael.

Hayez moved to Milan in 1823 where he quickly established himself at the centre of intellectual and aristocratic life. Though he explored biblical and fictional themes in his paintings, he also displayed a keen interest in Italian history, often depicting key contemporary political and social figures in historical settings. His later work marked a departure from the grander historical subjects of his earlier paintings and became devoted almost entirely to allegorical themes, often with strong political connotations.

Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat’s Lydiard Street is one of the most intact, commercial nineteenth century theatres in Australia. Originally opened as the Ballarat Academy of Music in order to avoid the negative moral connotations associated with theatres at the time, Her Majesty’s was completed in 1875 to a design by architect George Browne. The Academy had a flat floored auditorium suitable for respectable dances and dinners, and a fully equipped stage. It was built to supersede Ballarat's Theatre Royal (built in 1858), which stood in Sturt Street. While very grand, the Royal had become outdated and no longer met the technical requirements of the touring companies.

The Academy was built by the wealthy Clarke family at the initiative of a group of local people who felt that Ballarat, as the premier city of the Victorian goldfields, should have a theatre worthy of its status. They guaranteed to rent it from the Clarkes at 10% of the construction cost, which was £13,000.

Built over a disused mineshaft, the original timber theatre initially comprised a theatre with rectangular auditorium, a steep lyre-shaped gallery, three entries leading to separate parts of the auditorium and two shops facing Lydiard Street.

Ballarat's handsome new theatre was ready ahead of schedule, and was opened on 7th June 1875. The first production was a comic opera by the French composer Lecocq, "La Fille de Madame Angot," presented by the Royal Opera Bouffe Company run by W. S. Lyster, Australia's first opera impresario.

Soon after the Academy opened, the large Supper Room above Lydiard Street was leased to William Bridges, a former miner, who ran it as an art gallery, displaying an excellent collection of European and Australian artworks, including his own tapestries. After Bridges moved his operations to Melbourne in 1883, the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery was formed. The Gallery Society ran the Gallery from the Academy from 1884 until 1890, when the present Art Gallery in Lydiard Street North was opened.

For the next twenty five years, the Academy of Music was unchallenged as Ballarat's main theatrical venue. It was never as popular as the old Theatre Royal, however, as the rather cavernous hall lacked the intimacy of the older playhouse. In 1898, when Sir William Clarke died, the building was bought by a local consortium and transformed into the delightful theatrical space we know today.

The new owners commissioned Australia's leading theatre architect, William Pitt (1855 – 1918), to remodel the interior and improve the stage facilities. William, who had been apprenticed to George Browne, also designed Melbourne's Princess Theatre amongst many other buildings. The present layout of the auditorium with sloping floor and double balconies, is Pitt's creation. The colour scheme is a recreation of the interior decoration undertaken at that time by Hugh Paterson, one of Melbourne's leading designers.

Paterson also decorated the dome and proscenium arch with murals. The mural in the dome depicted a carnival scene, with dancers in fanciful costumes; Comedy and Tragedy were featured on either side of the proscenium arch, with Shakespeare over the top. Unfortunately all the murals were destroyed in 1907 when Government regulations required the proscenium wall to be replaced with a solid firewall. The dome was removed at the same time for structural reasons, and was restored in 1990. The Dress Circle Lobby also dates from 1907.

The 1898 theatre was constructed in brick with timber roof construction sheeted with iron. The main body is brick with piers both inside and out. The hipped trussed roof covers both the three-level auditorium and the stage with dressing rooms below. The ground floor and foyer have been considerably altered at various times but the auditorium and stage structure are original as is much of the auditorium ceiling and pilastered walls. The roof over the stage also dates from 1875 and the later inclusion of a fly tower stage in 1898 is fitted around the original trusses. The flying system is the only manual (non counterweight) system in existence in Australia. In the auditorium roof there appears to have been two domes, a small one dating from before 1898 for which the horizontal shutters and tube structure to a former sliding ventilated roof are still in existence. When 1898 dome was removed a false octagonal ceiling was fitted in its place. Internally the circle and gallery levels are horseshoe shaped in plan and are carried on cast iron columns. The balcony balustrading is swag bellied and decorated. It is believed that the wall pilasters, panelled ceilings and proscenium are original decorations and some traces of art nouveau decorative motifs are to be seen where later alterations have been made. The two balconies were constructed in 1898, but one balcony front is the reused 1874 front while the second was made to match. The balconies and cast-iron supporting posts are typical for auditoria design in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. The double balcony, supported on columns, is now the last of this form of theatre in Victoria. The facade of this building is two storeyed in height with stucco ornamentation in a somewhat florid Classical style. The upper storey windows are round headed with archivolts supported by slender columns as are the two ground floor subsidiary entrances. The highly decorated curved entrance has now been lost. The ground floor facade has been much altered and a street awning has been added. The first floor facade is intact but the parapet balustrading and ornamentation has been destroyed.

From the First World War on, the Theatre was increasingly used for cinema presentations. A Bio Box (projection room) was built above the Dress Circle Lobby in 1916, and the Theatre was wired for sound in 1930. In 1928, the Hoyts cinema chain took over control over the building through its local subsidiary, Ballarat Theatres Limited, which ran Her Majesty's in tandem with the Regent Theatre (purposely built as a cinema).

In 1936, Her Majesty's was leased and operated by Ballarat Amusements, part of the Woodrow Distributing Company, presenting MGM and Paramount movies. Ballarat Amusements ran it until the early 1960s.

During the silent movie era, a theatre orchestra provided the film accompaniment. The Ballarat Theatre Organ Society installed the Theatre's Compton Theatre Organ in 1982.

Even when Her Majesty's was primarily a cinema, it was always available, to a lesser or greater degree, for live performances. It was used regularly by J. C. Williamson's and other touring companies as well as local groups. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s huge crowds came to see the annual pantomimes staged by the Wavie Williams Pantomime Company. For the last forty years, the Theatre has been used to stage locally produced musical comedies.

Television came to Ballarat in 1962, and had an immediate impact on attendances at the local cinemas. Ballarat Amusements decided to cease screenings and Hoyts put the building on the market.

In 1965, the Theatre was bought by the Royal South Street Society as the home for its Annual Competitions.The Bolte State Government gave the Society £20,000 towards the purchase price and a further grant towards the adaptation of the building for the Competitions. Further assistance towards both purposes came from local businessman, Alf Reid. It was clearly understood at the time that the Society would be managing the Theatre as a community facility.

The Society renamed Her Majesty's the Memorial Theatre, a move which made donations to its renovation appeal tax deductable.

The Society was unable to adequately maintain the upkeep of the building, however, and gifted it to the then City of Ballaarat in 1987, reserving the right to hold competitions in the Theatre every year between August and November.

The City of Ballarat undertook a major renovation, seeking funding from a wide range of businesses, individuals and organisations. The Theatre reopened as Her Majesty's on the 1st of November, 1990.

Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat’s Lydiard Street is one of the most intact, commercial nineteenth century theatres in Australia. Originally opened as the Ballarat Academy of Music in order to avoid the negative moral connotations associated with theatres at the time, Her Majesty’s was completed in 1875 to a design by architect George Browne. The Academy had a flat floored auditorium suitable for respectable dances and dinners, and a fully equipped stage. It was built to supersede Ballarat's Theatre Royal (built in 1858), which stood in Sturt Street. While very grand, the Royal had become outdated and no longer met the technical requirements of the touring companies.

The Academy was built by the wealthy Clarke family at the initiative of a group of local people who felt that Ballarat, as the premier city of the Victorian goldfields, should have a theatre worthy of its status. They guaranteed to rent it from the Clarkes at 10% of the construction cost, which was £13,000.

Built over a disused mineshaft, the original timber theatre initially comprised a theatre with rectangular auditorium, a steep lyre-shaped gallery, three entries leading to separate parts of the auditorium and two shops facing Lydiard Street.

Ballarat's handsome new theatre was ready ahead of schedule, and was opened on 7th June 1875. The first production was a comic opera by the French composer Lecocq, "La Fille de Madame Angot," presented by the Royal Opera Bouffe Company run by W. S. Lyster, Australia's first opera impresario.

Soon after the Academy opened, the large Supper Room above Lydiard Street was leased to William Bridges, a former miner, who ran it as an art gallery, displaying an excellent collection of European and Australian artworks, including his own tapestries. After Bridges moved his operations to Melbourne in 1883, the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery was formed. The Gallery Society ran the Gallery from the Academy from 1884 until 1890, when the present Art Gallery in Lydiard Street North was opened.

For the next twenty five years, the Academy of Music was unchallenged as Ballarat's main theatrical venue. It was never as popular as the old Theatre Royal, however, as the rather cavernous hall lacked the intimacy of the older playhouse. In 1898, when Sir William Clarke died, the building was bought by a local consortium and transformed into the delightful theatrical space we know today.

The new owners commissioned Australia's leading theatre architect, William Pitt (1855 – 1918), to remodel the interior and improve the stage facilities. William, who had been apprenticed to George Browne, also designed Melbourne's Princess Theatre amongst many other buildings. The present layout of the auditorium with sloping floor and double balconies, is Pitt's creation. The colour scheme is a recreation of the interior decoration undertaken at that time by Hugh Paterson, one of Melbourne's leading designers.

Paterson also decorated the dome and proscenium arch with murals. The mural in the dome depicted a carnival scene, with dancers in fanciful costumes; Comedy and Tragedy were featured on either side of the proscenium arch, with Shakespeare over the top. Unfortunately all the murals were destroyed in 1907 when Government regulations required the proscenium wall to be replaced with a solid firewall. The dome was removed at the same time for structural reasons, and was restored in 1990. The Dress Circle Lobby also dates from 1907.

The 1898 theatre was constructed in brick with timber roof construction sheeted with iron. The main body is brick with piers both inside and out. The hipped trussed roof covers both the three-level auditorium and the stage with dressing rooms below. The ground floor and foyer have been considerably altered at various times but the auditorium and stage structure are original as is much of the auditorium ceiling and pilastered walls. The roof over the stage also dates from 1875 and the later inclusion of a fly tower stage in 1898 is fitted around the original trusses. The flying system is the only manual (non counterweight) system in existence in Australia. In the auditorium roof there appears to have been two domes, a small one dating from before 1898 for which the horizontal shutters and tube structure to a former sliding ventilated roof are still in existence. When 1898 dome was removed a false octagonal ceiling was fitted in its place. Internally the circle and gallery levels are horseshoe shaped in plan and are carried on cast iron columns. The balcony balustrading is swag bellied and decorated. It is believed that the wall pilasters, panelled ceilings and proscenium are original decorations and some traces of art nouveau decorative motifs are to be seen where later alterations have been made. The two balconies were constructed in 1898, but one balcony front is the reused 1874 front while the second was made to match. The balconies and cast-iron supporting posts are typical for auditoria design in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. The double balcony, supported on columns, is now the last of this form of theatre in Victoria. The facade of this building is two storeyed in height with stucco ornamentation in a somewhat florid Classical style. The upper storey windows are round headed with archivolts supported by slender columns as are the two ground floor subsidiary entrances. The highly decorated curved entrance has now been lost. The ground floor facade has been much altered and a street awning has been added. The first floor facade is intact but the parapet balustrading and ornamentation has been destroyed.

From the First World War on, the Theatre was increasingly used for cinema presentations. A Bio Box (projection room) was built above the Dress Circle Lobby in 1916, and the Theatre was wired for sound in 1930. In 1928, the Hoyts cinema chain took over control over the building through its local subsidiary, Ballarat Theatres Limited, which ran Her Majesty's in tandem with the Regent Theatre (purposely built as a cinema).

In 1936, Her Majesty's was leased and operated by Ballarat Amusements, part of the Woodrow Distributing Company, presenting MGM and Paramount movies. Ballarat Amusements ran it until the early 1960s.

During the silent movie era, a theatre orchestra provided the film accompaniment. The Ballarat Theatre Organ Society installed the Theatre's Compton Theatre Organ in 1982.

Even when Her Majesty's was primarily a cinema, it was always available, to a lesser or greater degree, for live performances. It was used regularly by J. C. Williamson's and other touring companies as well as local groups. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s huge crowds came to see the annual pantomimes staged by the Wavie Williams Pantomime Company. For the last forty years, the Theatre has been used to stage locally produced musical comedies.

Television came to Ballarat in 1962, and had an immediate impact on attendances at the local cinemas. Ballarat Amusements decided to cease screenings and Hoyts put the building on the market.

In 1965, the Theatre was bought by the Royal South Street Society as the home for its Annual Competitions.The Bolte State Government gave the Society £20,000 towards the purchase price and a further grant towards the adaptation of the building for the Competitions. Further assistance towards both purposes came from local businessman, Alf Reid. It was clearly understood at the time that the Society would be managing the Theatre as a community facility.

The Society renamed Her Majesty's the Memorial Theatre, a move which made donations to its renovation appeal tax deductable.

The Society was unable to adequately maintain the upkeep of the building, however, and gifted it to the then City of Ballaarat in 1987, reserving the right to hold competitions in the Theatre every year between August and November.

The City of Ballarat undertook a major renovation, seeking funding from a wide range of businesses, individuals and organisations. The Theatre reopened as Her Majesty's on the 1st of November, 1990.

Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat’s Lydiard Street is one of the most intact, commercial nineteenth century theatres in Australia. Originally opened as the Ballarat Academy of Music in order to avoid the negative moral connotations associated with theatres at the time, Her Majesty’s was completed in 1875 to a design by architect George Browne. The Academy had a flat floored auditorium suitable for respectable dances and dinners, and a fully equipped stage. It was built to supersede Ballarat's Theatre Royal (built in 1858), which stood in Sturt Street. While very grand, the Royal had become outdated and no longer met the technical requirements of the touring companies.

The Academy was built by the wealthy Clarke family at the initiative of a group of local people who felt that Ballarat, as the premier city of the Victorian goldfields, should have a theatre worthy of its status. They guaranteed to rent it from the Clarkes at 10% of the construction cost, which was £13,000.

Built over a disused mineshaft, the original timber theatre initially comprised a theatre with rectangular auditorium, a steep lyre-shaped gallery, three entries leading to separate parts of the auditorium and two shops facing Lydiard Street.

Ballarat's handsome new theatre was ready ahead of schedule, and was opened on 7th June 1875. The first production was a comic opera by the French composer Lecocq, "La Fille de Madame Angot," presented by the Royal Opera Bouffe Company run by W. S. Lyster, Australia's first opera impresario.

Soon after the Academy opened, the large Supper Room above Lydiard Street was leased to William Bridges, a former miner, who ran it as an art gallery, displaying an excellent collection of European and Australian artworks, including his own tapestries. After Bridges moved his operations to Melbourne in 1883, the Ballarat Fine Art Gallery was formed. The Gallery Society ran the Gallery from the Academy from 1884 until 1890, when the present Art Gallery in Lydiard Street North was opened.

For the next twenty five years, the Academy of Music was unchallenged as Ballarat's main theatrical venue. It was never as popular as the old Theatre Royal, however, as the rather cavernous hall lacked the intimacy of the older playhouse. In 1898, when Sir William Clarke died, the building was bought by a local consortium and transformed into the delightful theatrical space we know today.

The new owners commissioned Australia's leading theatre architect, William Pitt (1855 – 1918), to remodel the interior and improve the stage facilities. William, who had been apprenticed to George Browne, also designed Melbourne's Princess Theatre amongst many other buildings. The present layout of the auditorium with sloping floor and double balconies, is Pitt's creation. The colour scheme is a recreation of the interior decoration undertaken at that time by Hugh Paterson, one of Melbourne's leading designers.

Paterson also decorated the dome and proscenium arch with murals. The mural in the dome depicted a carnival scene, with dancers in fanciful costumes; Comedy and Tragedy were featured on either side of the proscenium arch, with Shakespeare over the top. Unfortunately all the murals were destroyed in 1907 when Government regulations required the proscenium wall to be replaced with a solid firewall. The dome was removed at the same time for structural reasons, and was restored in 1990. The Dress Circle Lobby also dates from 1907.

The 1898 theatre was constructed in brick with timber roof construction sheeted with iron. The main body is brick with piers both inside and out. The hipped trussed roof covers both the three-level auditorium and the stage with dressing rooms below. The ground floor and foyer have been considerably altered at various times but the auditorium and stage structure are original as is much of the auditorium ceiling and pilastered walls. The roof over the stage also dates from 1875 and the later inclusion of a fly tower stage in 1898 is fitted around the original trusses. The flying system is the only manual (non counterweight) system in existence in Australia. In the auditorium roof there appears to have been two domes, a small one dating from before 1898 for which the horizontal shutters and tube structure to a former sliding ventilated roof are still in existence. When 1898 dome was removed a false octagonal ceiling was fitted in its place. Internally the circle and gallery levels are horseshoe shaped in plan and are carried on cast iron columns. The balcony balustrading is swag bellied and decorated. It is believed that the wall pilasters, panelled ceilings and proscenium are original decorations and some traces of art nouveau decorative motifs are to be seen where later alterations have been made. The two balconies were constructed in 1898, but one balcony front is the reused 1874 front while the second was made to match. The balconies and cast-iron supporting posts are typical for auditoria design in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries. The double balcony, supported on columns, is now the last of this form of theatre in Victoria. The facade of this building is two storeyed in height with stucco ornamentation in a somewhat florid Classical style. The upper storey windows are round headed with archivolts supported by slender columns as are the two ground floor subsidiary entrances. The highly decorated curved entrance has now been lost. The ground floor facade has been much altered and a street awning has been added. The first floor facade is intact but the parapet balustrading and ornamentation has been destroyed.

From the First World War on, the Theatre was increasingly used for cinema presentations. A Bio Box (projection room) was built above the Dress Circle Lobby in 1916, and the Theatre was wired for sound in 1930. In 1928, the Hoyts cinema chain took over control over the building through its local subsidiary, Ballarat Theatres Limited, which ran Her Majesty's in tandem with the Regent Theatre (purposely built as a cinema).

In 1936, Her Majesty's was leased and operated by Ballarat Amusements, part of the Woodrow Distributing Company, presenting MGM and Paramount movies. Ballarat Amusements ran it until the early 1960s.

During the silent movie era, a theatre orchestra provided the film accompaniment. The Ballarat Theatre Organ Society installed the Theatre's Compton Theatre Organ in 1982.

Even when Her Majesty's was primarily a cinema, it was always available, to a lesser or greater degree, for live performances. It was used regularly by J. C. Williamson's and other touring companies as well as local groups. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s huge crowds came to see the annual pantomimes staged by the Wavie Williams Pantomime Company. For the last forty years, the Theatre has been used to stage locally produced musical comedies.

Television came to Ballarat in 1962, and had an immediate impact on attendances at the local cinemas. Ballarat Amusements decided to cease screenings and Hoyts put the building on the market.

In 1965, the Theatre was bought by the Royal South Street Society as the home for its Annual Competitions.The Bolte State Government gave the Society £20,000 towards the purchase price and a further grant towards the adaptation of the building for the Competitions. Further assistance towards both purposes came from local businessman, Alf Reid. It was clearly understood at the time that the Society would be managing the Theatre as a community facility.

The Society renamed Her Majesty's the Memorial Theatre, a move which made donations to its renovation appeal tax deductable.

The Society was unable to adequately maintain the upkeep of the building, however, and gifted it to the then City of Ballaarat in 1987, reserving the right to hold competitions in the Theatre every year between August and November.

The City of Ballarat undertook a major renovation, seeking funding from a wide range of businesses, individuals and organisations. The Theatre reopened as Her Majesty's on the 1st of November, 1990.