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A New Resident at the Metrozoo, Keel-billed Toucan
Miami Metrozoo, Miami, FL
Last weekend the new exhibit "Amazon & Beyond" was open to ZSF members for a sneak preview. The official opening is on December 6, 2008.
The Keel-billed Toucan (Ramphastos sulfuratus), also known as Sulfur-breasted Toucan, Rainbow-billed Toucan, is a colorful South American bird with a large bill. It is the national bird of Belize.
Including its bill, the Keel-billed Toucans ranges in length from around 17 to 22 inches (42-55 cm). Their large and colorful bill averages around 5-6 in (12-15 cm), about one-third of its length. While the bill seems large and cumbersome, it is in fact a spongy, hollow bone covered in keratin, a very light and hard protein.
The plumage of the Keel-billed Toucan is mainly black with a yellow neck and chest. Molting occurs once per year. It has blue feet and red feathers at the tip of its tail. The bill is mainly green with a red tip and orange sides (from Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia).
De Zimmertoren is een toren in Lier, in de Belgische provincie Antwerpen. De toren is genoemd naar uurwerkmaker Louis Zimmer, en is het resultaat van het verbouwen van de middeleeuwse Corneliustoren, die een deel was van de tweede omwalling rond de stad. De toren staat op het Zimmerplein, het vroegere Wilsonplein. Dit plein ligt aan de binnennete. De kade hier werd vroeger gebruikt om schepen te laden en lossen. Lierenaars spreken daarom ook nog vaak van de "kade" of "kaai" als ze verwijzen naar het Zimmerplein.
Het bouwjaar van de oorspronkelijke toren, een oude vestigingstoren (de corneliustoren), is niet precies bekend, maar ligt vóór 1425. De toren behoorde tot de tweede omwalling van de stad. De toren werd in 1812 door het gemeentebestuur verkocht, maar werd na de Eerste Wereldoorlog weer aangekocht, omdat het stadsbestuur de toren wilde afbreken. In 1928 schonk Zimmer aan de stad Lier een uurwerkmechanisme (de Jubelklok, gemaakt met zijn rechterhand Frans Dirckx en zo genoemd omwille van de viering van 100 jaar Belgische onafhankelijkheid in 1930 bij de officiële inhuldiging van de toren) dat diverse tijden en kosmische en andere periodieke verschijnselen aangeeft. Er werd besloten dit uurwerk onder te brengen in de bouwvallige Corneliustoren, die daartoe tussen 1928 en 1930 werd verbouwd en gerestaureerd en sindsdien Zimmertoren wordt genoemd. De inhuldiging van de Zimmertoren vond plaats op 29 juni 1930. De hele verbouwing werd voor het grootste deel uitgevoerd door vrijwilligers en de kostprijs bedroeg 169.230,40 Belgische frank.
Op het pleintje vóór de toren lag tot 2013 een voorstelling van het zonnestelsel, met de voorstelling van de planetoïden Felix (1664) en Zimmer (3064), die respectievelijk naar Felix Timmermans en Louis Zimmer werden genoemd en die ontdekt werden in 1929 en 1984. In 2013 is de planetencirkel verwijderd en vervangen door een didactische versie in het paviljoen.
De werken van Louis Zimmer worden sedert 1930 in eigendom beheerd door de onafhankelijke vzw Zimmertorencomité Lier die tevens huurster is van de gebouwen tot in 2045.
Sinds 1980 is de toren beschermd als monument. De Zimmertoren behoort tot een van de meest karakteristieke klokken van Europa.
The Zimmer tower (Dutch: Zimmertoren) is a tower in Lier, Belgium, also known as the Cornelius tower, that was originally a keep of Lier's fourteenth century city fortifications. In 1930, astronomer and clockmaker Louis Zimmer (1888–1970) built the Jubilee (or Centenary) Clock, which is displayed on the front of the tower, and consists of 12 clocks encircling a central one with 57 dials. These clocks showed time on all continents, phases of the moons, times of tides and many other periodic phenomena.
In 1980 the tower became a state-protected monument.
The original tower was built no later than 1425, though the precise date of construction is unknown. In 1812 the tower was sold by the municipal authorities, but after World War I, they repurchased it and slated it for demolition. In 1930 astronomer and clockmaker Louis Zimmer donated a complex clock which was installed in the old tower, which had to be substantially reconstructed for this. In honor of the astronomer the structure was renamed the Zimmer tower.
In 1960 a pavilion for the new clock was built next to the tower to present Zimmer's masterpiece the wonder-clock. (Dutch: Wonderklok). These wonder-clocks were prepared for the 1935 world exhibition in Brussels; later they were demonstrated in the U.S.. Around one of these dials moves the slowest pointer in the world - its complete revolution will take 25800 years, which corresponds to the period of the precession of the Earth's axis. Subsequently, Zimmer attached to the clocks a mechanical planetarium. The wonder-clocks impressed Albert Einstein, who congratulated Zimmer on the creation of these unusual mechanisms.
On the small square at the foot of the tower an exhibition of the solar system was arranged with the aid of metallic circles and the rings (circles designate the sun and planets, rings the orbits of planets). These also show asteroids Felix (№ 1664) and Zimmer (№ 3064), which were named after Felix Timmermans and Louis Zimmer when discovered in 1929, and 1984. In 1980 the tower obtained the status of state protected monument. Now the Zimmer tower and pavilion with the wonder-clocks is a museum.
The Centenary clock has one large dial in the centre, measure 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) in diameter. This dial shows the exact time (UTC+1; during daylight saving time UTC+2 is used instead). The twelve dials around the centre dial show the following (starting from the dial in the 2 o'clock position and going clockwise): the equation of time, the zodiac, the solar cycle and the dominical letter, the week, the globe, the months, the calendar dates, the seasons, the tides, the age of the moon, the phases of the moon and the metonic cycle and the epact.
The equation of time
This dial shows the difference in minutes between the apparent solar time and the mean solar time. Positive values indicate that the apparent solar time is ahead (fast) of the mean solar time, with maxima around November 3 and May 15. Negative values indicate that the apparent solar time is behind (slow) of the mean solar time, with a maximum lag around February 12 and July 27.
The difference is zero four times a year; around April 16, June 15, September 1 and December 25.
The zodiac
Every year the sun describes an imaginary circle around the earth, called the zodiac. The zodiac is divided in twelve segments, each denoted by a sign associated with a constellation. This dial shows the zodiac signs. The signs of spring; Ram, Bull and Twins. The signs of the summer; Crab, Lion and Virgin. The signs of the fall; Balance, Scorpion and Bowman. The signs of winter; Capricorn, Water-bearer and Fishes. One revolution of this dial takes a year.
The solar cycle and the dominical letter
The solar cycle is a 28-year cycle. After the 28 years, dates reappear in the same order. On the inner circle, the hand indicates the current year of the solar cycle. On the outer circle, the hand shows the corresponding dominical letter. The dominical letter gives the day upon which the first Sunday of the year falls. The letter A means that the first Sunday of the year will fall on January 1. The letter E for example, indicates that the first Sunday will be on January 5. Leap years have two dominical letters because the dominical letter changes end February. The first letter covers January and February, the second covers March to December. For leap years, the outer circle will show two dominical letters.
The week
This dial marks the seven days of the week, represented by ancient gods and their symbol.
SundayApollosun
MondayDianamoon
TuesdayMarslance
WednesdayMercuriusgolden staff
ThursdayJupiterflash of lightning
FridayVenusmirror
SaturdaySaturnsickle and scythe
The globe
The rotation of the Earth causes day and night. It is day on the part of the globe that is currently visible. The places on earth that pass under the fixed meridian (the golden belt running from the North Pole to the South Pole) have noon at the same time. The globe rotates once every 24 hours.
The months
This dial depicts the twelve months. The hand shows the current month. One revolution takes a year.
NumberMonthAlternative name
1JanuaryIce-month
2FebruaryDuck-month
3MarchFish-month
4AprilHarlequin-month
5MayFlower-month
6JuneShearing-month
7JulyHay-month
8AugustHarvest-month
9SeptemberFruit-month
10OctoberWine-month
11NovemberSlaughter-month
12DecemberResting-month
The calendar dates
This dial shows the exact date. The numbering goes to 31, the maximum number of days in a month. In months that have less days (28, 29 or 30), the hand automatically moves forward to the first day of the following month.
The seasons
The dial shows four drawings by Felix Timmermans, representing the four seasons. Spring is represented by a child with flowers (upper left). The duration of the season is indicated with Arabic numerals for the days and Roman numerals for the hours. Spring lasts for 92 days and 11 hours. The summer is represented by a mower and lasts 93 days and 8 hours. Autumn is symbolised by a cornucopia and lasts 89 days and 10 hours. Winter is represented by an old lady reading by the fireside. The duration of the winter is exact 90 days.
On the dividing lines between the drawings is a small globe indicating the part of the globe that is being lit by the sun at the start of the season. The differences in illumination during the year are caused by the Earth's axial tilt. The hand completes one revolution a year and shows the current season.
The tides
The dial indicates the tides at Lier, Belgium. The biggest ship and the flag without the streamer indicate high water. When the streamer is above the flag it is flood. It is ebb when the streamer is below the flag. At Lier, the water is rising for 3 hours and 53 minutes and falling in the other hours. This dial completes almost two revolutions a day.
The age of the moon
The time between two full moons is about 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes. This is the time it takes the Moon to make one orbit around the Earth. The dial shows how many days passed since last new moon, indicating the day in the cycle of the moon and showing on the inner circumference the phases of New Moon (Dutch: Nieuwe Maan, N.M.), First Quarter (Dutch: Eerste Kwartier, E.K.), Full Moon (Dutch: Volle Maan, V.M.) and Last Quarter (Dutch: Laatste Kwartier, L.K.).
The phases of the moon
This globe, colored half-gold and half-blue with golden stars, shows the phases of the moon. The golden part represents the visible part of the moon.
The metonic cycle and the epact
The hand on this dial revolves once in 19 years. After this period, the different phases of the moon will fall again on the same dates in the year. The Greek astronomer Meton proved this in 432 BC. On the outer ring, the hand points to the golden number, or the number of the current year in the metonic cycle. The inner ring shows the epact, which is the age of the moon on the first of January of the current year.
Song for the picture: Beautiful Lie by 30 seconds to mars
Lie awake in bed at night
And think about your life
Do you want to be different?
Try to let go of the truth
The battles of your youth
Cause this is just a game
It's a beautiful lie
It's a perfect denial
Such a beautiful lie to believe in
So beautiful, beautiful, it makes me
It's time to forget about the past
To wash away what happened last
Hide behind an empty face
Don't ask too much just say
Cause this is just a game
It's a beautiful lie
It's a perfect denial
Such a beautiful lie to believe in
So beautiful, beautiful, it makes me
Oh!
Everyone's looking at me
I'm running around in circles
A quiet desperation's
Building higher
I've got to remember this is just a game
So beautiful, beautiful
(Lie! Lie!)
So beautiful, beautiful
(Lie! Lie!)
It's a beautiful lie
It's a perfect denial
Such a beautiful lie to believe in
So beautiful, beautiful, it makes me
Fraaie verschijning, zo vlak uit de tunnel achter de bocht.
Op de route Oslo-Drammen.
@ Video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBBUjAw0uM4
Nice cargo passing Lier, on the route Oslo-Drammen, Norway.
Haager Lies
24104 was built in 1950 by Graaf Elze (serial number 7385) with AEG electrical components for the Bad Eilsener Kleinbahn in Germany as their ET204. On the BEK, it ran on 600 V with a top speed of 40 km/h. In 1967 it was sold to the Montafonerbahn where it was adapted to 800 V and regeared to 75 km/h and renumbered it as B4ET 10.101. In 1972 the MBS upgraded it run on either 800 V direct or 15,000 V AC. MBS sol it to Stern & Hafferl in 1991 and it acquired number ET 24.104 where it runs on 750V.
Unit 24104 has just arrived in Lambach with train 8263 (14:09 from Haag am Hausruck) and will return at 15:18 as train 8264. Thursday September 26th, 2002.
ever played this?
2 of these things are true.
1 is a lie.
go ahead and guess. :)
1. i never had a boyfriend or even a real date until my sophomore year in college.
2. i was a member of the FFA (that's "Future Farmers of America" for all of you city kids)
3. when i was on the varsity basketball team, i shot a basket for the other team by accident--i missed.
I don't always have the time to write stories for each photo. Wish I did. It all comes from a truth, whether or not it stays that way is another story in itself. But I do enjoy photography and story telling. I find it great fun.
View in anticipation of the next story
for
Our Daily Challenge: The World Is A Better Place With You In It.
(I hope my photos and stories make the world a tad bit better)
By David Byrne & Fatboy Slim " Here Lies Love ", A song cycle about Imelda Marcos & Estrella Cumpass
“The story I am interested in is about asking what drives a powerful person—what makes them tick? How do they make and then remake themselves? I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be great if—as this piece would be principally composed of clubby dance music—one could experience it in a club setting? Could one bring a ‘story’ and a kind of theater to the disco? Was that possible? If so, wouldn’t that be amazing!”
—DB, from the introduction
PRESS REVIEWS
On the Imelda Marcos Inspired New Album
As far as unlikely muses go, creating a modern disco album based on the life of shoe-loving former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos is quite a bizarre undertaking. But then David Byrne has always enjoyed a challenge.
Clash Music 06.05.10
Marcos Seeks to Restore Philippine Dynasty
Removing the earbuds, tilting her head slightly, [Imelda] said in an exaggerated tone, "I’m flattered; I can’t believe it!"
The New York Times 05.08.10
David Byrne & Fatboy Slim — Here Lies Love
Verdict: Concept LP about Imelda Marcos. Extra dancing shoes, attention span required.
The New Zealand Herald 05.08.10
Vida de Imelda Marcos, viúva de ditador das Filipinas, inspira disco conceitual de David Byrne e Fatboy Slim
O time oferece um verdadeiro quem-é-quem da cena pop anglo-americana atual, entre veteranas e emergentes.
O Globo 05.01.10
The rise of Imelda, in her own words
People who listen to the entire album will be rewarded with more than narrative depth. They'll hear stunning performances...
The Australian 05.01.10
CD review: David Byrne & Fatboy Slim, “Here Lies Love”
...You don't need to be interested in the history of Filipino royalty to dance to Byrne's soundtrack of it.
The Aspen Times 04.29.10
Here lies myth
As a historical artifact, the album is a keepsake.
Manila Standard Today 04.29.10
Dancing on the grave of history
The idea of using dance music to tell the story of Imelda Marcos is both loony and a stroke of genius.
The Philippine Star 04.23.10
David Byrne & Fatboy Slim, “Here Lies Love”
One of the unquestionably oddest releases of the year.
Planet 04.23.10
Dance Mix: Funk Meets Mrs. Marcos
A fountain of funk and dance music that's entirely accessible, great fun and can easily be enjoyed a song at a time.
The Wall Street Journal 04.19.10
Byrne, baby, Byrne
The rock icon on song cycles, cycling, and escaping the past with Imelda Marcos. And you may ask yourself, is this my beautiful new business model?
Guernica 04.10
The Yes List—David Byrne and Fatboy Slim's Imelda Marcos Musical
Each week, The Daily Beast scours the cultural landscape to choose three top picks.
The Daily Beast 04.16.10
Try putting yourself in her shoes
Depending on how you look at it, the timing couldn’t be better, or worse. Now 80 years old, Marcos...is seeking a parliament seat in Ilocos Norte in the northern Philippines.
Macleans (CA) 04.15.10
The Imelda Marcos Story — As Told by David Byrne
...A winning twist on the "album musical" tradition.
TIME 04.10.10
„Menschen brauchen Märchen“
"Ich erzähle darin auch die Geschichte der Liebe zweier Frauen, die verloren ging."
Focus 04.09.10
Lyrics Lush and Gawky
Though they’re tied to biographical specifics, the songs breeze along toward irrepressible pop choruses.
The New York Times 04.08.10
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim give a refreshingly sober view of Imelda Marcos in ‘Here Lies Love’
Many of the songs show the influence of Byrne's longtime love of Latin music, but it's their sweet melodies that really entice.
NY Daily News 04.07.10
Dancing barefoot to the Imelda Marcos OST
The realization that hey, this is all about Imelda! will surely make you sit up and listen. That is, if you aren't too busy already dancing.
GMA News (Philippines) 04.07.10
Here Lies Love
[It] has more going for it than museum-piece fascination.
The Onion: A.V. Club 04.06.10
Daily Dose Pick: Here Lies Love
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s star-studded collaborative concept album about the life of Imelda Marcos may sound strange, but it’s no less stunning for it.
Flavorwire 04.06.10
David Byrne & Fatboy Slim: "Here Lies Love"
Slim is razor sharp at placing proper beats in the music to recall the late-night '70s New York club scene.
New York Post 04.06.10
A hymn to the Iron Butterfly
Byrne has produced a work that not only tells Imelda’s story but celebrates the art of the album as well.
The Globe and Mail 04.06.10
Ode to Imelda is a Shoe-in for Success
...A thrilling success.
Newsday 04.06.10
Listen Up: Imelda Marcos, the musical? For Byrne, it's 'Love'
Allison Moorer and Sharon Jones are standouts, respectively lending earthy shine to the ebullient When She Passed By and soulful punch to Dancing Together.
USA Today 04.06.10
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim: Here Lies Love
...An impressive work that certainly shows the marks of five years’ worth of refinement.
PopMatters 04.05.10
David Byrne, Fatboy Slim gather eclectic cast for odd, wonderful Imelda tribute
...An epic, thrilling tale brimming with hair-raising harmonies, sumptuous beats and unexpected duets.
The San Francisco Examiner 04.05.10
HuffPost Reviews: David Byrne and Fatboy Slim
It works so well and so strangely--especially with guests like Steve Earle in the role of Ferdinand Marcos--that you'll wonder why it's never been done before.
The Huffington Post 04.05.10
Imelda Marcos's life in funky rhythm
...A sumptuous two-disc feast of harmony, melody, and Latin-accented grooves that the Studio 54-loving Marcos herself would likely appreciate.
The Boston Globe 04.05.10
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim: Here Lies Love
The pair’s navigation of the narrative is impeccable, as Marcos uses her steely resolve to rise above her troubled childhood.
The Times 04.03.10
Top Marcos
A glittering array of talent assemble for a complex paean to a former dictator's wife.
NME 04.03.10
David Byrne & Fatboy Slim: Here Lies Love
It contains enough solid material to justify repeated listens.
Billboard 04.03.10
A rock opera on Imelda Marcos
Here Lies Love’s beguiling music and vivid lyrics evoke Imelda Marcos’s corrupt, seductive glamour.
Financial Times 04.02.10
Unlikely muses but exceptional music
Despite its considerable conceptual ambition, the album finds Byrne reconnecting with his pop roots in a big way.
The Star-Ledger 04.02.10
CD of the week: David Byrne & Fatboy Slim
As long as inventive, thoughtfully generous souls such as David Byrne are at the controls, rumours about the death of the album will remain greatly exaggerated.
Daily Mirror 04.02.10
Here Lies Love: David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, CD review
...A headily atmospheric and inspired combination of humid, late-Seventies, early-Eighties Latin-tilted beats and lyrics you actually want to think about.
The Telegraph 04.01.10
Album review: David Byrne and Fatboy Slim: Here Lies Love
...This is a...satisfying celebration of strong female voices, each one shrewdly matched by Byrne to their particular song.
The Scotsman, 03.30.10
David Byrne inspired by dictator's wife
The once in a lifetime artist proved once again that he's more than willing to step up to the mark-os.
Sky News 03.26.10
Sound check: mad about Imelda Marcos
Despite her crimes Marcos is essentially remembered for her eccentricities. This none-more-eccentric production is a suitable reflection of a very strange life.
Evening Standard, 03.26.10
Album Review: David Byrne & Fatboy Slim - Here Lies Love
Byrne remains one of the most charismatic and intellectual songwriters of our time, and Fatboy Slim can still produce the coolest beats for people to break-dance to outside of movie theaters.
Consequence of Sound 03.26.10
David Byrne: Two heads are sometimes better than one
On the eve of releasing 22 new songs with Norman Cook, the Talking Heads frontman tells of the joys of artistic collaboration.
The Observer, 03.21.10
David Byrne & Fatboy Slim: Here Lies Love Music Review
Dig into [the] heady stuff if you like — or just surrender to the inexorable beats.
Rolling Stone 03.18.10
Ruff Manila
Byrne says the incongruity of combining club frippery and serious intentions was appealing.
MOJO 03.10.10
Imelda Marcos gets the Evita treatment
"Basically, DB had worked out the whole thing in his head,” says Cook. “He loves to do the right thing the wrong way..."
The Sunday Times 02.21.10
The only Filipino in all-star soundtrack of Imelda musical
This is a serious psychological study of a complex and flawed character whose delusions affected many innocent people.
Philippine Daily Inquirer 02.11.10
Fatboy Slim y David Byrne hicieron un disco juntos
Codo a codo con Byrne, el ex bajista de Housemartins y actual Dj estrella cinceló el pulso de las composiciones y le agregó su habitual clima bailable.
10 Musica 12.16.09
David Byrne + Fatboy Slim = Imelda Marcos !
Curieux casting, curieux sujet…
Qobuz 12.15.09
David Byrne og Fatboy Slim afslører trackliste
Musikken er naturligvis komponeret af de to bagmænd, Fatboy Slim og David Byrne...
Gaffa 12.15.09
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim Immortalize Imelda Marcos
With this story of rags to riches that bursts with dubious morality, no wonder Byrne was intrigued.
Flavorwire 12.14.09
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim team up for Here Lies Love
He’s been popping up on our radar, here and there, and that’s always a good thing when it comes to David Byrne.
OneThirtyBPM 12.14.09
David Byrne mints Imelda Marcos CD
A concept album that tracks the rise and fall of former First Lady Imelda Marcos will be released this year, featuring former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, British DJ and big beat musician Fat Boy Slim, and 22 guest performers.
Manila Standard Today 4.16.09
Byrne 'finishing off Fatboy CD'
The pair have roped in a host of guest stars for the project, Here Lies Love, including Santigold and Roisin Murphy.
BBC News 4.9.09
2005-2007
Extravagance (and Shoe Love) in the Rise of a Despot?
"This is quite a place to audition new material," David Byrne deadpanned at Carnegie Hall on Saturday night…
The New York Times 2.5.07
David Byrne Meets Imelda
With almost every number in Here Lies Love the audience was ready to dance, even if it was to a lesson in late 20th century southeast Asian history.
Time 2.4.07
In New York, David Byrne sings of Imelda Marcos
"This is not artistic licence, this is reportage," Byrne told a laughing audience as the story moved to Marcos' extravagant visits to New York, where she frequented the famed nightclub "Studio 54."
Reuters 2.4.07
Imelda: The Nightclub Years
No shoes? No brutal husband? David Byrne tells Andrew Purcell why he teamed up with Fatboy Slim to write an opera about the disco-loving side of Imelda Marcos.
Guardian (UK) 1.29.07
Has Opera Lost the Plot?
The music-theatre piece by David Byrne on the life of Imelda Marcos, Here Lies Love, came much closer to a kind of operatic truth…
The Weekend Australian 3.25.06
The life of Imelda Marcos comes to the Adelaide stage
"And I thought, here's someone in power that comes with a sound track attached…"
ABC Australia 3.13.06 — Radio interview [1MB Quicktime file]
A Steel Butterfly Still Emerging
[Byrne] is proposing that Imelda is no more the sum of her shoes than Jackie Kennedy was just a collection of pillbox hats.
The Australian 3.13.06
Retro and Kitsch — So in Style
Introducing the show, Byrne said he was interested in how powerful people justify their morally reprehensible acts to themselves, but he found Imelda more interesting than your garden-variety dictator because she had a disco installed in her New York townhouse.
The Age 3.13.06
Imelda Marcos, in her own words
Imelda Marcos pointed a tiny pistol straight ahead of her and a red dot appeared on a screen in the middle of a heart-shaped face labeled "Happy."
The International Herald Tribune 3.8.06
True Stories
So David Byrne calls Fatboy Slim and says: "Here's an idea. Imelda Marcos, OK? Wife of a dictator. Liked to go to discos in her younger days. Could make a good musical. What do you think?"
The Australian 2.25.06
Byrne, Baby, Byrne
"The auditions were fairly hilarious," Byrne says. "Because they have to sing for the whole thing and because it's energetic dance music, I set up a karaoke lounge in my studio here."
The Advertiser 10.15.05
De Zimmertoren is een toren in Lier, in de Belgische provincie Antwerpen. De toren is genoemd naar uurwerkmaker Louis Zimmer, en is het resultaat van het verbouwen van de middeleeuwse Corneliustoren, die een deel was van de tweede omwalling rond de stad. De toren staat op het Zimmerplein, het vroegere Wilsonplein. Dit plein ligt aan de binnennete. De kade hier werd vroeger gebruikt om schepen te laden en lossen. Lierenaars spreken daarom ook nog vaak van de "kade" of "kaai" als ze verwijzen naar het Zimmerplein.
Het bouwjaar van de oorspronkelijke toren, een oude vestigingstoren (de corneliustoren), is niet precies bekend, maar ligt vóór 1425. De toren behoorde tot de tweede omwalling van de stad. De toren werd in 1812 door het gemeentebestuur verkocht, maar werd na de Eerste Wereldoorlog weer aangekocht, omdat het stadsbestuur de toren wilde afbreken. In 1928 schonk Zimmer aan de stad Lier een uurwerkmechanisme (de Jubelklok, gemaakt met zijn rechterhand Frans Dirckx en zo genoemd omwille van de viering van 100 jaar Belgische onafhankelijkheid in 1930 bij de officiële inhuldiging van de toren) dat diverse tijden en kosmische en andere periodieke verschijnselen aangeeft. Er werd besloten dit uurwerk onder te brengen in de bouwvallige Corneliustoren, die daartoe tussen 1928 en 1930 werd verbouwd en gerestaureerd en sindsdien Zimmertoren wordt genoemd. De inhuldiging van de Zimmertoren vond plaats op 29 juni 1930. De hele verbouwing werd voor het grootste deel uitgevoerd door vrijwilligers en de kostprijs bedroeg 169.230,40 Belgische frank.
Op het pleintje vóór de toren lag tot 2013 een voorstelling van het zonnestelsel, met de voorstelling van de planetoïden Felix (1664) en Zimmer (3064), die respectievelijk naar Felix Timmermans en Louis Zimmer werden genoemd en die ontdekt werden in 1929 en 1984. In 2013 is de planetencirkel verwijderd en vervangen door een didactische versie in het paviljoen.
De werken van Louis Zimmer worden sedert 1930 in eigendom beheerd door de onafhankelijke vzw Zimmertorencomité Lier die tevens huurster is van de gebouwen tot in 2045.
Sinds 1980 is de toren beschermd als monument. De Zimmertoren behoort tot een van de meest karakteristieke klokken van Europa.
The Zimmer tower (Dutch: Zimmertoren) is a tower in Lier, Belgium, also known as the Cornelius tower, that was originally a keep of Lier's fourteenth century city fortifications. In 1930, astronomer and clockmaker Louis Zimmer (1888–1970) built the Jubilee (or Centenary) Clock, which is displayed on the front of the tower, and consists of 12 clocks encircling a central one with 57 dials. These clocks showed time on all continents, phases of the moons, times of tides and many other periodic phenomena.
In 1980 the tower became a state-protected monument.
The original tower was built no later than 1425, though the precise date of construction is unknown. In 1812 the tower was sold by the municipal authorities, but after World War I, they repurchased it and slated it for demolition. In 1930 astronomer and clockmaker Louis Zimmer donated a complex clock which was installed in the old tower, which had to be substantially reconstructed for this. In honor of the astronomer the structure was renamed the Zimmer tower.
In 1960 a pavilion for the new clock was built next to the tower to present Zimmer's masterpiece the wonder-clock. (Dutch: Wonderklok). These wonder-clocks were prepared for the 1935 world exhibition in Brussels; later they were demonstrated in the U.S.. Around one of these dials moves the slowest pointer in the world - its complete revolution will take 25800 years, which corresponds to the period of the precession of the Earth's axis. Subsequently, Zimmer attached to the clocks a mechanical planetarium. The wonder-clocks impressed Albert Einstein, who congratulated Zimmer on the creation of these unusual mechanisms.
On the small square at the foot of the tower an exhibition of the solar system was arranged with the aid of metallic circles and the rings (circles designate the sun and planets, rings the orbits of planets). These also show asteroids Felix (№ 1664) and Zimmer (№ 3064), which were named after Felix Timmermans and Louis Zimmer when discovered in 1929, and 1984. In 1980 the tower obtained the status of state protected monument. Now the Zimmer tower and pavilion with the wonder-clocks is a museum.
The Centenary clock has one large dial in the centre, measure 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) in diameter. This dial shows the exact time (UTC+1; during daylight saving time UTC+2 is used instead). The twelve dials around the centre dial show the following (starting from the dial in the 2 o'clock position and going clockwise): the equation of time, the zodiac, the solar cycle and the dominical letter, the week, the globe, the months, the calendar dates, the seasons, the tides, the age of the moon, the phases of the moon and the metonic cycle and the epact.
The equation of time
This dial shows the difference in minutes between the apparent solar time and the mean solar time. Positive values indicate that the apparent solar time is ahead (fast) of the mean solar time, with maxima around November 3 and May 15. Negative values indicate that the apparent solar time is behind (slow) of the mean solar time, with a maximum lag around February 12 and July 27.
The difference is zero four times a year; around April 16, June 15, September 1 and December 25.
The zodiac
Every year the sun describes an imaginary circle around the earth, called the zodiac. The zodiac is divided in twelve segments, each denoted by a sign associated with a constellation. This dial shows the zodiac signs. The signs of spring; Ram, Bull and Twins. The signs of the summer; Crab, Lion and Virgin. The signs of the fall; Balance, Scorpion and Bowman. The signs of winter; Capricorn, Water-bearer and Fishes. One revolution of this dial takes a year.
The solar cycle and the dominical letter
The solar cycle is a 28-year cycle. After the 28 years, dates reappear in the same order. On the inner circle, the hand indicates the current year of the solar cycle. On the outer circle, the hand shows the corresponding dominical letter. The dominical letter gives the day upon which the first Sunday of the year falls. The letter A means that the first Sunday of the year will fall on January 1. The letter E for example, indicates that the first Sunday will be on January 5. Leap years have two dominical letters because the dominical letter changes end February. The first letter covers January and February, the second covers March to December. For leap years, the outer circle will show two dominical letters.
The week
This dial marks the seven days of the week, represented by ancient gods and their symbol.
SundayApollosun
MondayDianamoon
TuesdayMarslance
WednesdayMercuriusgolden staff
ThursdayJupiterflash of lightning
FridayVenusmirror
SaturdaySaturnsickle and scythe
The globe
The rotation of the Earth causes day and night. It is day on the part of the globe that is currently visible. The places on earth that pass under the fixed meridian (the golden belt running from the North Pole to the South Pole) have noon at the same time. The globe rotates once every 24 hours.
The months
This dial depicts the twelve months. The hand shows the current month. One revolution takes a year.
NumberMonthAlternative name
1JanuaryIce-month
2FebruaryDuck-month
3MarchFish-month
4AprilHarlequin-month
5MayFlower-month
6JuneShearing-month
7JulyHay-month
8AugustHarvest-month
9SeptemberFruit-month
10OctoberWine-month
11NovemberSlaughter-month
12DecemberResting-month
The calendar dates
This dial shows the exact date. The numbering goes to 31, the maximum number of days in a month. In months that have less days (28, 29 or 30), the hand automatically moves forward to the first day of the following month.
The seasons
The dial shows four drawings by Felix Timmermans, representing the four seasons. Spring is represented by a child with flowers (upper left). The duration of the season is indicated with Arabic numerals for the days and Roman numerals for the hours. Spring lasts for 92 days and 11 hours. The summer is represented by a mower and lasts 93 days and 8 hours. Autumn is symbolised by a cornucopia and lasts 89 days and 10 hours. Winter is represented by an old lady reading by the fireside. The duration of the winter is exact 90 days.
On the dividing lines between the drawings is a small globe indicating the part of the globe that is being lit by the sun at the start of the season. The differences in illumination during the year are caused by the Earth's axial tilt. The hand completes one revolution a year and shows the current season.
The tides
The dial indicates the tides at Lier, Belgium. The biggest ship and the flag without the streamer indicate high water. When the streamer is above the flag it is flood. It is ebb when the streamer is below the flag. At Lier, the water is rising for 3 hours and 53 minutes and falling in the other hours. This dial completes almost two revolutions a day.
The age of the moon
The time between two full moons is about 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes. This is the time it takes the Moon to make one orbit around the Earth. The dial shows how many days passed since last new moon, indicating the day in the cycle of the moon and showing on the inner circumference the phases of New Moon (Dutch: Nieuwe Maan, N.M.), First Quarter (Dutch: Eerste Kwartier, E.K.), Full Moon (Dutch: Volle Maan, V.M.) and Last Quarter (Dutch: Laatste Kwartier, L.K.).
The phases of the moon
This globe, colored half-gold and half-blue with golden stars, shows the phases of the moon. The golden part represents the visible part of the moon.
The metonic cycle and the epact
The hand on this dial revolves once in 19 years. After this period, the different phases of the moon will fall again on the same dates in the year. The Greek astronomer Meton proved this in 432 BC. On the outer ring, the hand points to the golden number, or the number of the current year in the metonic cycle. The inner ring shows the epact, which is the age of the moon on the first of January of the current year.
I'm still in the mood for droplets, I decided I should finally try refraction once again. I have seen this in Lord v's streams a long time ago. tried it before but didnt get it right.
this time I laid down the flower hanging on another blade of grass. :)
Ace & Rusty’s arch nemesis passed by a few minutes ago and they both went ballistic. Now they are staring at the fence in anticipation that he will return so they can take him down. Which, of course, is impossible with a fence between them, but it’s worth a try, right?
THE LIE MACHINE (2014)
Suitcase, computer, speaker, Voice Stress Analysis software, autobiographical read-by-the author audiobooks (Palin, Obama, Clinton, Bush)
Voice Stress Analysis (VSA) is a highly contested and controversial lie detection technology. Through the detection of variations in the microtremors of speech, truthfulness is evaluated through analysis of live or recorded voice. As a result, the technique can be applied surreptitiously, even posthumously, to the vast storehouses of spoken audio available.
The Lie Machine processes recorded audio with standard Voice Stress Analysis algorithms. The archive chosen for this analysis is a set of audiobook autobiographies, each read by its author: Decision Points by George W. Bush, Going Rogue: An American Life by Sarah Palin, A Journey: My Political Life by Tony Blair, My Life by Bill Clinton, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama.
The title, “The Lie Machine” is taken from a 1973 Playboy Magazine article by Craig Vetter of the same name, on the subject of the Psychological Stress Evaluator (PSE). The PSE was the first commercially available VSA-based instrument, “designed to fit into a Samsonite briefcase.” The algorithm gained notoriety recently in the U.S. trial of George Zimmerman for the charge of the second-degree murder of Trayvon Martin, where Zimmerman was cleared of the charges based partly on his successful passing of a CVSA test (Computer Voice Stress Analysis).
“We are not concerned with the guilt or innocence of a suspect, only in whether or not he seems to be lying. He’s either D.I. or N.D.I. -- deception indicated or no deception indicated.” (Playboy, 1973)
The project was produced and supported by LEAP Berlin. Many thanks to John McKiernan, Daniel Franke at LEAP, as well as Samo Tadin and Tuk Bredsdorff in Copenhagen, for their interests, generosity and contributions.
Opening: Friday 04.4.2014, 19:00
Exhibition:05.04.2014 – 26.04.2014, 12:00 – 18:00 Tuesday-Saturday
Participating Artists:
Jamie Allen, James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau, Ralf Baecker, Rosemary Lee, Sascha Pohflepp and Chris Woebken, Addie Wagenknecht
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The group exhibition Obsessive Sensing features works which as their basis look at the programming of the world as an expression of artistic research. The participating artists aim to ‘’sense’’ with the help of complex systems and thus to reimagine how we perceive the world. How do we go about sensing that which we cannot perceive? This is reflected in the idea of technical images, as described by Vilém Flusser – the preparation of the information which we cannot perceive for our senses. ‘’This can be achieved neither with hands nor with eyes nor with fingers, for these elements are neither graspable, nor are they visible. For this reason, apparatuses must be developed that grasp the ungraspable, visualize the invisible, and conceptualize the inconceivable.’’ (Vilém Flusser, Into the Universe of Technical Images)
(Photos by LEAP)
Els Jardins de Laribal
És una de les perles del Parc de Montjuïc i passejar-s'hi és una autèntica delícia. La vegetació riquíssima, juntament amb l'aigua que baixa per cascades i llisca delicadament pel mig d'amples baranes, els bancs de rajola i les placetes, creen un conjunt de bellesa excepcional. Aquest és un lloc per estar-s'hi, per contemplar-lo i per anar descobrint els mil detalls que el configuren, amb una harmonia difícil de superar.
Els Jardins de Laribal, de gran valor històric, estan configurats per terrasses, camins, placetes, bassinyols i una vegetació esponerosa i consolidada. Una sèrie de terrasses superposades estan unides entre elles per camins i dreceres de fort pendent, amb trams d'escales intercalats amb un disseny sempre diferent. Pèrgoles de maó vist, pedra i pilars blancs, ombregen les àrees més planeres. La vegetació, és majoritàriament exòtica, rica i variada en espècies.
Jardins mediterranis
Aquests jardins, inclosos dins del recinte de l'Exposició Internacional de Barcelona de 1929, van obtenir una gran anomenada. Els seus autors, Jean Claude Nicolas Forestier i Nicolau M. Rubió Tudurí, van crear un nou estil paisatgístic d'arrel mediterrània.
La vegetació preexistent -des de plantes autòctones fins als arbres fruiters del passat agrícola de la muntanya-, es va integrar en els jardins amb un concepte de jardineria renovador i original, que segueix lliurement la inspiració dels antics jardins àrabs i dels "cármenes" de Granada, amb una gran presència de rajoles ceràmiques, aigües ornamentals i el conreu de plantes de flor en testos situats en baranes i ampits.
Les escales del Generalife
L'aigua és l'essència del jardí, amb estanys i estanyols. Per connectar la part superior del parc amb els Jardins Amargós -actualment Jardins del Teatre Grec-, Forestier va fer una escala inspirada en la dels jardins del Generalife, amb cascades als passamans, estanyols amb brolladors als replans i bancs d'obra per reposar i gaudir de la fresca i el so de l'aigua.
Els jardins de la font del Gat
Unes pèrgoles mirador porten d'uns jardins als altres, units per eixos de rampes, escales i cascades que desemboquen a la font del Gat, des de la qual es poden contemplar unes magnífiques vistes de Barcelona.
Ocupen el pendent que va des de la part més alta dels Jardins Laribal fins al passeig de Santa Madrona, i integren la popular font del Gat i un edifici del segle dinou. Es tracta d'un conjunt de camins, terrasses i racons que s'adapten al relleu del terreny amb escales, rampes i una cascada monumental amb quatre seccions separades per camins i canals, que van connectant els diferents trams.
Tot està cobert d'una espessa fronda mediterrània i d'arbres fruiters, com ara nesprers i figueres, i palmeres d'enormes capçades. Si ens ho mirem des de baix, a tocar del pg. de Santa Madrona, uns xiprers altíssims situats a l'inici de la cascada accentuen la verticalitat del conjunt.
El roserar de la Colla de l'Arròs
Una glorieta de xiprers, amb una petita font al centre, marca l'inici d'un recorregut que, sota una pèrgola amb pilars de terracota, porta a un pati ovalat i reclòs, també envoltat de xiprers: és el roserar de la Colla de l'Arròs.
El jardí es configura en diversos plans, amb aire de pati, que estan vorejats per vorades, també de xiprer, i rengleres de troanes. En diversos parterres rectangulars hi ha plantades varietats antigues de rosers. Al centre destaca un bassinyol quadrangular amb rajols esmaltats, presidit a la part de dalt per Estival, un nu femení de marbre que contempla el roserar i, més enllà, Barcelona.
La plaça del Claustre
És a tocar del passeig de Santa Madrona i, de fet, es tracta del Jardí de Sant Miquel, on destaquen tres grans plàtans ja existents abans que Forestier dissenyés els jardins. Al fons, els murs del que fou una antiga pedrera confereixen a aquesta part dels jardins Laribal un aire reclòs i claustral. D'aquí el seu nom. A la dreta, un passadís comunica amb els Jardins del Teatre Grec.
Vegetació
La vegetació madura i mediterrània dóna sentit als jardins. Així, hi ha, entre d'altres espècies, pins blancs (Pinus halepensis), pins pinyers (Pinus pinea), llorers (Laurus nobilis), tarongers amargs (Citrus aurantium) i xiprers (Cupressus sempervirens).
Les escales del Generalife estan envoltades per grans acàcies (Robinia pseudoacacia) i arbustos com la troana (Ligustrum lucidum) i el pitòspor (Pittosporum tobira), una espècie arbustiva molt abundant als jardins, juntament amb el baladre (Nerium oleander) i l'evònim del Japó (Evonymus japonicus).
En testos de terracota, llueixen les elegants fulles de saló (Aspidistra elatior) i els geranis (Pelargonium sp.), i cobrint les pèrgoles, anglesines (Wisteria sinensis) i Rosa banksiae. En diferents llocs dels jardins hi ha plantes aromàtiques, com l'espígol (Lavandula angustifolia) i el romaní (Rosmarinus officinalis), i espècies entapissants com l'heura (Hedera helix)
Els Jardins de Laribal també hi ha pins australians (Casuarina cunninghamiana), eucaliptus (Eucalyptus globulus), xiprers de Lambert (Cupressus macrocarpa), cedres de l'Himàlaia (Cedrus deodara) i, a la plaça del Claustre, tres grans exemplars de plàtan (Platanus X hispanica).
Art i arquitectura
L'escultura és notable en aquests jardins, tant per la seva qualitat com per la seva bellesa. Presidint el roserar hi ha Estival, de Jaume Otero (1929), una figura femenina asseguda d'estil art déco feta de marbre.
La Noia de la trena, de Josep Viladomat (1928), és un altre nu femení, en aquest cas de bronze, i representa una noia jove recollint-se els cabells en una trena. És en una placeta ombrívola, molt a prop de les escales que comuniquen amb altres nivells dels jardins.
La tercera escultura també és d'una dona i de Josep Viladomat, que la va fer partint d'un original de Manolo Hugué. Es tracta de Repòs (1925), un nu femení de pedra de mida natural situat en una placeta circular molt a prop de l'entrada que hi ha al costat de la Fundació Joan Miró.
A prop del roserar hi ha una font de ceràmica esmaltada amb motius marins, coronada amb un brollador, obra del ceramista Llorenç Artigas.
La font del Gat
L'aigua que raja de la font del Gat ho fa des del cap d'un felí, esculpit per Joan Antoni Homs el 1918, que és quan van quedar enllestits els Jardins Laribal. Aquesta font era una de les moltes que aleshores rajava a Barcelona, i el lloc on està situada, molt popular a la ciutat a finals del segle XIX.
Tan popular era la font, que el periodista i autor teatral Joan Amich va escriure una cançó: "La Marieta de l'ull viu", que avui encara es canta i que inclou l'estrofa: "Baixant de la font del Gat, / una noia, una noia, / baixant de la font del Gat / una noia amb un soldat...".
Història
Al començament del segle passat, la zona que avui ocupen els jardins Laribal era lloc de trobades populars, sobretot a la font del Gat, o de reunions selectes, com ara les que feia la Colla de l'Arròs, un grup entre gastronòmic i polític que va tenir una certa influència a la Barcelona de la darreria del segle XIX i principi del XX, i que es reunia en un petit edifici situat on ara hi ha el Museu Etnològic.
La part alta dels actuals jardins pertanyia a la finca de Josep Laribal, un prestigiós advocat el nom del qual s'ha perpetuat als jardins. S'hi va fer construir un xalet neoàrab, envoltat d'uns jardins eclèctics, amb grans arbres.
Mort Laribal, el 1908 la finca va ser adquirida per l'Ajuntament, que hi va fundar l'Escola del Bosc, encara existent. Simultàniament, es van iniciar els estudis per urbanitzar i enjardinar la muntanya, amb un projecte global que va ser encarregat inicialment a Josep Amargós.
L'Exposició de 1929
Els Jardins de Laribal, enllestits el 1922, estan vinculats a un esdeveniment posterior: l'Exposició Internacional de Barcelona de 1929. Aquest esdeveniment va representar la culminació d'un projecte iniciat l'any 1905 per organitzar a Montjuïc una exposició sobre les indústries elèctriques, l'energia emergent d'aquell temps.
Un dels comissaris de l'Exposició Internacional de Barcelona va ser Francesc Cambó, que va encarregar els treballs d'enjardinament a l'enginyer i paisatgista francès Jean Claude Nicolas Forestier. Va ser ajudant seu el jove arquitecte Nicolau M. Rubió i Tudurí, que el 1917 es convertiria en el director de la Direcció de Parcs Públics i Arbrat, antecedent del Servei de Parcs i Jardins de Barcelona, del qual va ser primer responsable i una de les persones determinants en el futur desenvolupament dels espais verds públics de la ciutat.
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These gardens are one of the treasures of the Park of Montjuïc and taking a stroll around them is a real pleasure. The rich plant life, together with the water that flows delicately through the wide handrails; the tiled benches and the small squares all create exceptionally beautiful gardens. It is a place to be, to gaze at and to discover the thousands of details that shape a harmony that is difficult to surpass.
The historically-important Laribal Gardens are sculpted by terraces, pathways, small squares, ponds and lush, established plant life. A series of terraces are linked by paths and steeply sloped shortcuts, with stretches of differently designed stairways interspersed. The flattest areas are afforded shade by exposed brick, stone and white pillar pergolas. The mostly exotic plant life has a rich and varied range of species.
Mediterranean Gardens
These gardens, which were included in the International Exposition of Barcelona (a World's Fair) in 1929, were greatly reputed. The garden's designers, Jean Claude Nicolas Forestier and Nicolau M. Rubió Tudurí, created a new style of Mediterranean landscaping.
The pre-existing plant life, from native plants to fruit trees from the mountain's agricultural past, was integrated into the gardens with an original and innovative gardening concept that is openly inspired by the ancient Arabian gardens and from the "Carmenes" in Granada with prominent ceramic tiles, ornamental water features and flowering plants in pots on railings and parapets.
The Stairway of the Generalife Gardens
Water is the essence of this garden, with its large and small ponds. In order to connect the upper area of the park with the Amargós Gardens, now the Teatre Grec Gardens, Forestier designed a stairway inspired by the one in the Generalife Gardens, with waterfalls on the banisters, small ponds with fountains on the landings and benches for relaxing and enjoying the freshness and sound of the water.
The Gardens of the Font del Gat
Viewpoint pergolas link the gardens with ramps, stairs and waterfalls that flow into the Font del Gat ("Fountain of the Cat"), a point at which magnificent views of Barcelona can be enjoyed.
The gardens lie on the slope from the highest point of the Laribal Gardens down to the Passeig de Santa Madrona and include the popular Font del Gat and a nineteenth-century building. There are paths, terraces and corners that adapt to the terrain with stairways, ramps and a monumental waterfall with four sections separated by paths and canals that connect the different areas.
Everything is covered in a thick, Mediterranean foliage, fruit trees such as loquat and fig and enormous palm trees. From the Passeig de Santa Madrona below, some very tall cypresses by the waterfall accentuate its height.
The Rose Gardens of the Colla de l'Arròs
A circle of cypress trees with a small fountain in the centre marks the beginning of a path that, beneath a pergola with terracotta pillars, leads to an oval patio surrounded by cypresses. These are the Rose Gardens of the Colla de l'Arròs.
These gardens are arranged on different levels with the feeling of being on a patio, bordered by rows of cypresses and privets. In various rectangular parterres, many diverse old varieties of roses have been planted. At the centre is a square pool with ceramic tiles, dominated by the marble female nude sculpture "Estival", who looks over the rose garden and beyond to Barcelona.
Plaça del Claustre
From the Sant Miquel Garden, next to the Passeig de Santa Madrona, there are three large London Plane trees that existed before Forestier designed the gardens. At the end, the walls of what was once an old quarry gives this part of the Laribal Gardens a confined and cloister-like air. This is where it gets its name. On the right there is a path that connects the gardens with the Teatre Grec Gardens.
Plant Life
The mature and Mediterranean plant life gives the gardens meaning. Among other species there are Aleppo Pines (Pinus halepensis), Umbrella Pines (Pinus pinea), Bay Laurels (Laurus nobilis), Bitter Orange trees (Citrus aurantium) and Mediterranean Cypresses (Cupressus sempervirens).
The Generalife stairs are surrounded by large Black Locust trees (Robinia pseudoacacia) and shrubs such as the Chinese Privet (Ligustrum lucidum) and the Pittosporum (Pittosporum tobira), a species in abundance in the gardens along with the Oleander (Nerium oleander) and the Japanese Spindle tree (Euonymus japonicus).
The elegant leaves of an Aspidistra elatior shine in terracotta pots and Garden Geraniums (Pelargonium sp.), Chinese Wisterias (Wisteria sinensis) and Lady Banks' Roses (Rosa banksiae) cover the pergolas. In different areas around the gardens aromatic plants like Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), Rosemary (Rosmarinus offcinalis) and climbing plants such as Ivy (Hedera helix) can be found.
In the Laribal Gardens there are also River Oaks (Casuarina cunninghamiana), Tasmanian Blue Gums (Eucalyptus globules), Monterey Cypresses (Cupressus macrocarpa) Deodar Cedar (Cedrus deodara) and in Plaça del Claustre, three large London Planes (Platanus X hispanica).
Art and Architecture
The sculptures are notable in these gardens, both for their quality and their beauty. There is an Art Deco style marble female nude, "Estival" (1929) by Jaume Otero, that dominates the rose garden.
The "Noia de la trena" (1928) by Joseph Viladomar is another female nude, in this case made of bronze, which represents a young girl plaiting her hair. It is in a small shaded square, close to the stairway that links to other areas of the gardens.
The third sculpture is again of a woman and by Joseph Viladomar and was based on the Manolo Hugué original. "Repòs" (1925) a life-sized female nude made of stone situated in a small square close to the entrance next to the Joan Miró Foundation.
Near the rose garden, there is a glazed ceramic fountain influenced by the sea, crowned by a jet, which was the work of Llorenç Artigas.
The Font del Gat
The water from the Font del Gat ("Fountain of the Cat") pours from a feline head, sculpted by Joan Antoni Homs in 1918, when the Laribal Gardens were being finished. This fountain is one of many that flowed in Barcelona at the time and is situated in a place in the city that was very popular at the end of the nineteenth century.
The fountain was so popular that the journalist and playwright Joan Amich wrote a song about it: "La Marieta de l'ull viu" that is still sung today and includes the verse: "Baixant de la font del Gat, / una noia, una noia, / baixant de la font del Gat / una noia amb un soldat..." ("Coming down from the cat Fountain / a girl, a girl / Coming down from the cat Fountain / a girl with a soldier...").
History
The area where the Laribal Gardens now lie was a popular meeting place at the beginning of the last century, in particular the Font del Gat, which was also an area for exclusive gatherings, such as those of Colla de l'Arròs, a gastronomic-political group who had a certain influence over Barcelona at the turn of the last century, would meet in a small building situated where the Museu Etnològic (Ethnological Museum) now stands.
The upper part of the current gardens once belonged to Joseph Laribal, an esteemed lawyer whose name the gardens bear. He built a neo-Arabian chalet, surrounded by eclectic gardens, with large trees.
After Laribal died in 1908, the house was acquired by the Town Council, which established the Escola del Bosc, which still exists to this day. Simultaneously, studies began for the development and gardening of the mountain, a comprehensive project that was initially the responsibility of Josep Amargós.
The 1929 World's Fair
Completed in 1922, the Laribal Gardens are linked to a later event: the International Exposition of Barcelona of 1929 (a World's Fair). This event represented the culmination of a project which began in 1905 to organise an exhibition on Montjuïc about the electrical industries, the emerging energy at the time.
One of the commissioners at the International Exhibition of Barcelona was Francesc Cambó, who was responsible for the gardening and engineering work and the work of the French landscape architect Jean Claude Nicolas Forestier. His assistant was the young architect Nicolau M. Rubió I Tudurí, who, in 1917, became the director of the Public and Wooded Parks Board, the predecessor of the Parks and Gardens Service of Barcelona, of which he was mainly responsible and one of the key people in the development of green spaces in the city.
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Es una de las perlas del Parque de Montjuïc y pasearse por ellos es un autentica delicia. La riquísima vegetación, junto con el agua que baja por cascadas y se escurre delicadamente en medio de amplias barandillas, los bancos de ladrillo y las placetas, crean un conjunto de una belleza excepcional. Es un lugar en el que estar, para contemplarlo e ir descubriendo los miles de detalles que lo configuran, con una armonía difícil de superar.
Los Jardines de Laribal, de gran valor histórico, están formados por terrazas, caminos, placetas, pequeños estanques y una vegetación lozana y consolidada. Una serie de terrazas sobrepuestas están unidas entre si por caminos y atajos de gran pendiente, con tramos de escaleras intercalados de diseño siempre diferente. Pérgolas de ladrillo visto, piedra y pilares blancos dan sombra a las zonas más llanas. La vegetación, exótica en su mayoría, es rica y variada en especies.
Jardines mediterráneos
Estos jardines, incluidos en el recinto de la Exposición Internacional de Barcelona de 1929, obtuvieron una gran reputación. Sus autores, Jean Claude Nicolas Forestier y Nicolau M. Rubió Tudurí, crearon un nuevo estilo paisajístico de raíz mediterránea.
La vegetación preexistente, desde plantas autóctonas hasta árboles frutales del pasado agrícola de la montaña, se integró en los jardines con un concepto de jardinería renovador y original, que sigue libremente la inspiración de los antiguos jardines árabes y de los "cármenes" de Granada, con una gran presencia de azulejos de cerámica, aguas ornamentales y el cultivo de plantas de flor en macetas colocadas en barandillas y alféizares.
Las escaleras del Generalife
El agua es la esencia del jardín, con pequeños y grandes estanques. Para conectar la parte superior del parque con los Jardines Amargós, actualmente Jardines del Teatre Grec, Forestier diseñó una escalera inspirada en la de los jardines del Generalife, con cascadas en los pasamanos, estanques con fuentes en los rellanos y bancos de piedra para reponerse y disfrutar del frescor y el sonido del agua.
Los jardines de la Font del Gat
Unas pérgolas mirador llevan de unos jardines a otros, unidos por ejes de rampas, escaleras y cascadas que desembocan en la Font del Gat desde donde se pueden contemplar unas magníficas vistas de Barcelona.
Ocupan la pendiente que va desde la parte más alta de los jardines Laribal hasta el paseo de Santa Madrona e integran la popular Font del Gat y un edificio decimonónico. Se trata de un conjunto de caminos, terrazas y rincones que se adaptan al relieve con escaleras, rampas y una cascada monumental con cuatro secciones separadas por caminos y canales, que van conectando los diferentes tramos.
Todo está cubierto por un espeso follaje mediterráneo y árboles frutales, como nísperos e higueras y palmeras de enormes copas. Si lo miramos desde abajo, junto al paseo de Santa Madrona, vemos que los altísimos cipreses situados al inicio de la cascada acentúan la verticalidad del conjunto.
La rosaleda de la Colla de l'Arròs
Una glorieta de cipreses, con una pequeña fuente en el centro, marca el inicio de un recorrido que, debajo de una pérgola con pilares de terracota, conduce a un patio ovalado y recluido también rodeado de cipreses: la rosaleda de la Colla de l'Arròs
El jardín se configura en diferentes planos, con aire de patio, que están rodeados de cipreses e hileras de aligustres. En diferentes parterres rectangulares se han plantado antiguas variedades de rosales. En el centro destaca un pequeño estanque cuadrangular con azulejos esmaltados, presidido en la parte superior por Estival, una escultura de un desnudo femenino en mármol que contempla la rosaleda y, más allá, Barcelona.
La plaza del Claustre
De hecho se trata del jardín de Sant Miquel, junto al paseo de Santa Madrona, en el que destacan tres grandes plataneros que ya existían antes de que Forestier diseñara los jardines. Al fondo, los muros de lo que antes había sido una antigua cantera confieren a esta parte de los jardines Laribal un aire recluido y claustral. Y de aquí viene su nombre. A la derecha encontramos un corredor que comunica con los jardines del Teatre Grec.
Vegetación
La vegetación madura y mediterránea da sentido a los jardines. Así, entre otras especies, hay pinos carrascos (Pinus halepensis), pinos piñoneros (Pinus pinea), laureles (Laurus nobilis), naranjos amargos (Citrus aurantium) y cipreses (Cupressus sempervirens).
Las escaleras del Generalife están rodeadas de grandes acacias (Robinia pseudoacacia) y arbustos como el aligustre (Ligustrum lucidum) y el pitosporo (Pittosporum tobira), una especie de arbusto muy abundante en los jardines, junto con la adelfa (Nerium oleander) y el evónimo del Japón (Evonymus japonicus).
En macetas de terracota lucen las elegantes hojas de salón (Aspidistra elatior) y los geranios (Pelargonium sp.), al tiempo que las glicinias (Wisteria sinensis) y los rosales de Banksia (Rosa banksiae) cubren las pérgolas. En diferentes lugares de los jardines encontramos plantas aromáticas, como la lavanda (Lavandula angustifolia), el romero (Rosmarinus officinalis) y otras especies tapizantes como la hiedra (Hedera helix).
En los jardines de Laribal también encontramos pinos australianos (Casuarina cunninghamiana), eucaliptos (Eucalyptus globulus), cipreses de Lambert (Cupressus macrocarpa), cedros del Himalaya (Cedrus deodara) y, en la plaza del Claustre, tres grandes ejemplares de platanero (Platanus X hispanica).
Arte y arquitectura
En estos jardines la escultura es notable, tanto por su calidad como por su belleza. Presidiendo la rosaleda tenemos el Estival, de Jaume Otero (1929), una figura femenina sentada, de estilo art decó y realizada en mármol.
La Noia de la trena, de Josep Viladomat (1928), es otro desnudo femenino, en este caso de bronce, que representa una joven que se recoge el pelo en una trenza. Se encuentra en una placeta sombría muy cerca de las escaleras que comunican con los otros niveles de los jardines.
La tercera escultura también es de una mujer y de Josep Viladomat, que la realizó en base a un original de Manolo Hugué. Se trata de Repòs (1925), un desnudo femenino de piedra, a tamaño natural, situado en una placeta circular muy cerca de la entrada que hay al lado de la Fundació Joan Miró.
Cerca de la rosaleda se encuentra una fuente de cerámica esmaltada con motivos marinos, coronada con un surtidor, obra del ceramista Llorenç Artigas.
La Font del Gat
El agua de la Font del Gat mana desde la cabeza de un felino, esculpido por Joan Antoni Homs en 1918, año en el que se terminaron los jardines Laribal. Esta fuente era una de las muchas que manaban en aquellos momentos en Barcelona y, el lugar en el que se encuentra era muy popular en la ciudad a finales del siglo XIX.
La fuente era tan popular que el periodista y autor teatral Joan Amich escribió una canción: "La Marieta de l'ull viu", que todavía hoy se canta e incluye la estrofa: "Baixant de la font del Gat, / una noia, una noia, / baixant de la font del Gat / una noia amb un soldat...".
Historia
A principios del siglo pasado, en la zona que hoy ocupan los jardines Laribal se celebraban encuentros populares, sobre todo en la Font del Gat, o reuniones selectas, como las que hacía la Colla de l'Arròs, un grupo medio gastronómico medio político que tuvo una cierta influencia en la Barcelona del final del siglo XIX y principio del XX y que se reunía en un pequeño edificio situado donde ahora se encuentra el Museo Etnológico.
La parte alta de los actuales jardines pertenecía a la finca de Josep Laribal, un prestigioso abogado cuyo nombre se ha perpetuado en los jardines. Allí se hizo construir un chalet neoárabe, rodeado de unos jardines eclécticos, con grandes árboles.
Tras la muerte de Laribal en 1908, la finca fue adquirida por el Ayuntamiento que fundó en ella la Escola del Bosc, que todavía existe. Simultáneamente, se iniciaron los estudios para urbanizar y enjardinar la montaña, con un proyecto global que inicialmente se encargó a Josep Amargós.
La Exposición de 1929
Los jardines de Laribal, terminados en el 1922, también están vinculados con un acontecimiento posterior: la Exposición Internacional de Barcelona de 1929. Este acontecimiento representó la culminación de un proyecto iniciado en 1905 para organizar en Montjuïc una exposición sobre las industrias eléctricas, la energía emergente de aquel momento.
Uno de los comisarios de la Exposición Internacional de Barcelona fue Francesc Cambó, que encargó los trabajos de ajardinamiento al ingeniero y paisajista francés Jean Claude Nicolas Forestier. Su ayudante fue el joven arquitecto Nicolau M. Rubió i Tudurí, que en 1917 se convertiría en el director de la Dirección de Parques Públicos y Arbolado, antecedente del Servicio de Parques y Jardines de Barcelona, del que fue el primer responsable y una de las personas determinantes en el futuro desarrollo de los espacios verdes públicos de la ciudad.