specific photos on Flickr

Cruelty to animals and abusing them is the infliction of suffering or harm upon animals, other than humans, for purposes other than self-defense. More narrowly, it can be harm for specific gain, such as killing animals for food or for their fur. Diverging viewpoints are held by jurisdictions throughout the world

( قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم :

من رحم ولو ذبيحة عصفور , رحمه الله يوم القيامة) أخرجه البخاري والطبراني عن أبي أمامة

Moleskine Personal Kanban Update #17: The Date Specific Board by swimmor

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I go through spurts where I have several opgions that need to be completed on a certain date, rather than going back and forth with my calendar I have added a date specific lane in my backlog to my Moleskine Personal Kanban board. I have also color coded the two months in play, so that a quick glance will enable me into action if need be. Along with that I have added the date and color highlight to the appropriate options. Here November is orange, and December is pink, So upon opening up my moleskine the first option I look at is the one color coded in orange to see if this is the day it needs action. I have also thought about adding a small printout of a calendar month to the bottom of the page in the done column, but so far I have found that unnecessary. This date specific board has *really* helped me to not lose track of what task needs to be done by certain dates. It has been highly effective for me.

What is Personal Kanban? www.personalkanban.com/pk/personal-kanban-101/

Begijnhokfkapel (Beguinage Chapel) by Eric

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April 24, 2022 - "The beguinage in Bruges dates back to the 13th century, to 1245 to be specific, and it counts as one of the best preserved. Most of its buildings are not as old, from the 19th century, but the original layout of the Beguinage has been kept as well.

A Beguinage was a community of women who follow the example set by the apostles: poverty, simplicity and preaching. These are lay orders, who do not take binding vows. They could at any time break their vows and leave the Beguine community.

The site is particularly beautiful in spring when daffodils are sticking their heads above the grass in the central square.

The Beguines were a movement of single or widowed women who wanted to live in a pious way but outside the walls of a convent or monastery. So in many north Belgian and Dutch cities beguinages were set up where these women lived and prayed. The beguines led an industrious life, initially earning their income with looms. No vows were taken but they kept to a strict regime under a mistress who guarded the independence of the establishment. The last beguinage nun left in 1927 and since then it has been home to a community of Benedictine nuns.

As you step through the gate into the courtyard silence descends and it is as though you are in another world.

You enter the Beguinage over a small bridge and through a gatehouse dating from 1776.

There has been a church on this site since 1245 although the first burned in 1584, and the Gothic replacement - built in 1605 - was given a Baroque facelift around 1700. It is dedicated to St. Elisabeth of Hungary, the patron of quite a number of beguinages and the rather obscure St. Alexis, reputedly the son of a wealthy Roman family who chose poverty and charitable work over riches: desirable virtues with Beguines. This is still an active church with daily services led by the Benedictine Sisters who occupy the former beguinage. As with the rest of their home, silence is very kindly requested.

The altar to the right is dedicated to St Joseph. The gilded Madonna and child below is the chapel’s Medieval treasure: "Our Lady of Consolation” or “Our Lady of Spermalie ” dates to 1240.

In the corner to the left of entrance of the beguinage is a small museum which recreates the living quarters of a beguine. There is an excellent gift shop here selling a wide range of Catholic related goods.

Finding the Beguinage was like finiding a little piece of solitude in busy touristy Brugge. Once inside, the busy streets and clatter of horses on the cobbled streets are left behind to be replaced by the peaceful view of an expansive lawn planted with poplars and surrounded by groups of houses.

The beguinage is nicely located near the Lake of love." Previous text from the following website: visit-bruges.be/see/places-interest/beguinage-begijnhof

03 by ken clay

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Status:Final

Date:Thursday 17 July 1980

Time:19:53

Type:Silhouette image of generic VISC model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different

Vickers 708 Viscount

Operator:Alidair

Registration: G-ARBY

C/n / msn: 10

First flight: 1953

Total airframe hrs:35121

Crew:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4

Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 58

Total:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 62

Airplane damage: Damaged beyond repair

Location:Ottery St. Mary ( United Kingdom)

Phase: Landing (LDG)

Nature:Int'l Non Scheduled Passenger

Departure airport:Santander Airport (SDR/LEXJ), Spain

Destination airport:Exeter Airport (EXT/EGTE), United Kingdom

Narrative:

The Vickers Viscount aircraft was engaged upon a passenger charter flight from Santander (SDR), Spain to Exeter (EXT). The aircraft arrived at Santander 8 minutes ahead of schedule, at 16:22.

The aircraft commander recorded in the Technical Log a fuel state on shut down of 3178 litres and ordered a total fuel load of 5902 litres for the return flight, that is 454 litres less than the figure for full tanks. Whilst the aircraft commander was with the handling agents, the co-pilot supervised the refuelling. He requested a total uplift of 2720 litres and wrote the figures down, showing them to the senior of the two operators of the refuelling vehicle, which was not the one that had refuelled the aircraft on its earlier flight that day.

On this previous flight, intermittent contact at the external electrical supply socket caused the aircraft's refuelling valve to open and close intermittently, interrupting the refuelling process. The refuelling was therefore completed using electrical power from the aircraft batteries.

With the aircraft obtaining its electrical power from the same ground power unit as before apparently quite satisfactorily, the operators then refuelled the two sides of the aircraft one after the other, using the same hose each time. When the refueller finished pumping, its indicators recorded a total delivery of 2720 litres and the co-pilot, who had watched the operation, checked the figures and signed the delivery note accordingly. Neither pilot made a physical check of the aircraft's tanks using the dripsticks.

Both fuel contents gauges had a history of defects. A recurrent problem in the port fuel gauge was recorded in the Technical Log as a deferred defect, expressed as 'port fuel contents gauge fluctuating occasionally, ie full scale deflection; rectification being carried forward until the next check'. The starboard gauge also had a defect. The aircraft commander did not draw the co-pilot's attention to this entry, who remained unaware of it.

Before starting engines the pilots again set the flow meter totals at zero. The aircraft left Santander at 17:33 and was shortly afterwards cleared to its planned cruising level of Flight Level 180. The planned flight time was 2 hours and 9 minutes, with an expected fuel consumption of 3375 litres, leaving a reserve of 2527 litres. At 18:46 the aircraft passed over Nantes. The flow meters then indicated that 1964 litres had been consumed, which was exactly according to the navigation plan and the crew therefore recorded that at that moment 3320 kgs (4150 litres) remained in the aircraft tanks. At approximately 19:10 whilst in the area of Dinard, the fuel contents gauges began to cause them some concern. The port gauge, with various fluctuations, occasionally fell to zero, but sometimes read full. The starboard gauge gave a reading equivalent to 500 litres and continued to fall steadily as the flight progressed. The pilots reviewed the fuel situation and although uneasy, considered that in the light of the recorded uplift and the totals on the flow meters, that they must have ample fuel on board. As the aircraft approached Guernsey the aircraft commander considered diverting there in order to take on more fuel, but after further thought decided against this action. At 19:28 when the aircraft was between Guernsey and Berry Head, it received initial descent clearance and shortly afterwards was further cleared to Flight Level 40 on a direct track for the Exeter NDB. At 19:42 the crew changed frequency to Exeter approach and started to receive radar positioning for runway 26. The cloud was given as one okta at 700 feet, 5 oktas at 1000 feet, and 7 oktas at 2500 feet, with a visibility of 13 kilometres and a surface wind of 280 degrees at 7 knots.

At 19:44 the crew performed the approach checks, which included selecting flap to 20 degrees and switching on the fuel heaters. As fuel heat was selected, there was momentary flash from one of the two low pressure warning lights and after a brief discussion the crew opened the fuel crossfeed cocks, which had been closed since their pre-flight checks at Exeter.

At 19:50 the aircraft was at 2000 feet QFE, just below cloud and about 8 miles from touchdown. The flap was still at 20 degrees and the undercarriage was retracted. Suddenly both low pressure fuel warning lights illuminated and in rapid succession all four engines lost power. The aircraft commander made an immediate Mayday call to Exeter and at the same time gave a warning on the passenger address system. Knowing the local terrain, the commander turned left in the best hope of finding a suitable area for a forced landing. With the flap still set at 20 degrees, the aircraft descended on a heading of approximately 190 degrees (magnetic) along a small grassy valley studded with trees, the average elevation of which was 130 feet amsl. As the aircraft crossed the boundary of the field, the port wing struck a tree, damaging the underskin and removing the mid section of the port flap. It then touched down with the nose well up, with the stall warning in operation and the control column hard back. The rear of the fuselage struck the ground first and almost simultaneously the port wing struck a tree causing a noticeable yaw to the left as the nose pitched down. Without hitting any further obstruction the aircraft came to rest after 307 metres on a heading of 074 degrees (magnetic). The crew assisted with the subsequent evacuation, which was orderly and there were no injuries. The total flight time since take-off from Santander had been 2 hrs 20 minutes, with a fuel consumption, according to the flow meters, of 3458 litres. On examination, all fuel tanks were found to be empty.

CAUSE: "The accident was caused by the aircraft running out of fuel due to the crew's erroneous belief that there was on board sufficient fuel to complete the flight. The aircraft's unreliable fuel gauges, the company pilots' method of establishing the total fuel quantity and lack of precise company instructions regarding the use of dripsticks were major contributory factors. Meter indications on the refuelling vehicle at Santander, which cannot have reflected the quantity of fuel delivered, are also considered to have been a probable contributory factor."

Classification:

Fuel starvation

All engine powerloss

Forced landing outside airport

Sources:

» Flight International 26.07.1980 (227)

Official accident investigation report

investigating agency:Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) - U.K.

report status:Final

report number:AAIB AAR 9/1981

download report: Report on the accident to BAe Vickers Viscount 708, G-ARBY near Ottery St Mary, Devon, 17 July 1980 (AAIB AAR 9/1981)

cover

Photos

photo of Vickers 708 Viscount G-ARBY

G-ARBY was leased to Dan-Air for a period of six months and returned to Alidair in September 1977.Add your photo of this accident or aircraft

Map

This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.

Distance from Santander Airport to Exeter Airport as the crow flies is 807 km (505 miles).

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India - Maharashtra - Ajanta Caves - Cave 21 - 1 by Manfred Sommer

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The Ajanta Caves (Ajiṇṭhā leni; Marathi: अजिंठा लेणी) in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, India are about 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments which date from the 2nd century BCE to about 480 or 650 CE. The caves include paintings and sculptures described by the government Archaeological Survey of India as "the finest surviving examples of Indian art, particularly painting", which are masterpieces of Buddhist religious art, with figures of the Buddha and depictions of the Jataka tales. The caves were built in two phases starting around the 2nd century BCE, with the second group of caves built around 400–650 CE according to older accounts, or all in a brief period of 460 to 480 according to the recent proposals of Walter M. Spink. The site is a protected monument in the care of the Archaeological Survey of India, and since 1983, the Ajanta Caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The caves are located in the Indian state of Maharashtra, near Jalgaon and just outside the village of Ajinṭhā 20°31′56″N 75°44′44″E), about 59 kilometres from Jalgaon railway station on the Delhi – Mumbai line and Howrah-Nagpur-Mumbai line of the Central Railway zone, and 104 kilometres from the city of Aurangabad. They are 100 kilometres from the Ellora Caves, which contain Hindu and Jain temples as well as Buddhist caves, the last dating from a period similar to Ajanta. The Ajanta caves are cut into the side of a cliff that is on the south side of a U-shaped gorge on the small river Waghur, and although they are now along and above a modern pathway running across the cliff they were originally reached by individual stairs or ladders from the side of the river 35 to 110 feet below.

The area was previously heavily forested, and after the site ceased to be used the caves were covered by jungle until accidentally rediscovered in 1819 by a British officer on a hunting party. They are Buddhist monastic buildings, apparently representing a number of distinct "monasteries" or colleges. The caves are numbered 1 to 28 according to their place along the path, beginning at the entrance. Several are unfinished and some barely begun and others are small shrines, included in the traditional numbering as e.g. "9A"; "Cave 15A" was still hidden under rubble when the numbering was done. Further round the gorge are a number of waterfalls, which when the river is high are audible from outside the caves.

The caves form the largest corpus of early Indian wall-painting; other survivals from the area of modern India are very few, though they are related to 5th-century paintings at Sigiriya in Sri Lanka. The elaborate architectural carving in many caves is also very rare, and the style of the many figure sculptures is highly local, found only at a few nearby contemporary sites, although the Ajanta tradition can be related to the later Hindu Ellora Caves and other sites.

HISTORY

Like the other ancient Buddhist monasteries, Ajanta had a large emphasis on teaching, and was divided into several different caves for living, education and worship, under a central direction. Monks were probably assigned to specific caves for living. The layout reflects this organizational structure, with most of the caves only connected through the exterior. The 7th-century travelling Chinese scholar Xuanzang informs us that Dignaga, a celebrated Buddhist philosopher and controversialist, author of well-known books on logic, lived at Ajanta in the 5th century. In its prime the settlement would have accommodated several hundred teachers and pupils. Many monks who had finished their first training may have returned to Ajanta during the monsoon season from an itinerant lifestyle.

The caves are generally agreed to have been made in two distinct periods, separated by several centuries.

CAVES OF THE FIRST (SATAVAHANA) PERIOD

The earliest group of caves consists of caves 9, 10, 12, 13 and 15A. According to Walter Spink, they were made during the period 100 BCE to 100 CE, probably under the patronage of the Satavahana dynasty (230 BCE – c. 220 CE) who ruled the region. Other datings prefer the period 300 BCE to 100 BCE, though the grouping of the earlier caves is generally agreed. More early caves may have vanished through later excavations. Of these, caves 9 and 10 are stupa halls of chaitya-griha form, and caves 12, 13, and 15A are vihāras (see the architecture section below for descriptions of these types). The first phase is still often called the Hinayāna phase, as it originated when, using traditional terminology, the Hinayāna or Lesser Vehicle tradition of Buddhism was dominant, when the Buddha was revered symbolically. However the use of the term Hinayana for this period of Buddhism is now deprecated by historians; equally the caves of the second period are now mostly dated too early to be properly called Mahayana, and do not yet show the full expanded cast of supernatural beings characteristic of that phase of Buddhist art. The first Satavahana period caves lacked figurative sculpture, emphasizing the stupa instead, and in the caves of the second period the overwhelming majority of images represent the Buddha alone, or narrative scenes of his lives.

Spink believes that some time after the Satavahana period caves were made the site was abandoned for a considerable period until the mid-5th century, probably because the region had turned mainly Hindu

CAVES OF THE LATER OR VAKATAKA PERIOD

The second phase began in the 5th century. For a long time it was thought that the later caves were made over a long period from the 4th to the 7th centuries CE, but in recent decades a series of studies by the leading expert on the caves, Walter M. Spink, have argued that most of the work took place over the very brief period from 460 to 480 CE, during the reign of Emperor Harishena of the Vakataka dynasty. This view has been criticized by some scholars, but is now broadly accepted by most authors of general books on Indian art, for example Huntington and Harle.

The second phase is still often called the Mahāyāna or Greater Vehicle phase, but scholars now tend to avoid this nomenclature because of the problems that have surfaced regarding our understanding of Mahāyāna.

Some 20 cave temples were simultaneously created, for the most part viharas with a sanctuary at the back. The most elaborate caves were produced in this period, which included some "modernization" of earlier caves. Spink claims that it is possible to establish dating for this period with a very high level of precision; a fuller account of his chronology is given below. Although debate continues, Spink's ideas are increasingly widely accepted, at least in their broad conclusions. The Archaeological Survey of India website still presents the traditional dating: "The second phase of paintings started around 5th – 6th centuries A.D. and continued for the next two centuries". Caves of the second period are 1–8, 11, 14–29, some possibly extensions of earlier caves. Caves 19, 26, and 29 are chaitya-grihas, the rest viharas.

According to Spink, the Ajanta Caves appear to have been abandoned by wealthy patrons shortly after the fall of Harishena, in about 480 CE. They were then gradually abandoned and forgotten. During the intervening centuries, the jungle grew back and the caves were hidden, unvisited and undisturbed, although the local population were aware of at least some of them.

REDISCOVERY

On 28 April 1819, a British officer for the Madras Presidency, John Smith, of the 28th Cavalry, while hunting tiger, accidentally discovered the entrance to Cave No. 10 deep within the tangled undergrowth. There were local people already using the caves for prayers with a small fire, when he arrived. Exploring that first cave, long since a home to nothing more than birds and bats and a lair for other larger animals, Captain Smith vandalized the wall by scratching his name and the date, April 1819. Since he stood on a five-foot high pile of rubble collected over the years, the inscription is well above the eye-level gaze of an adult today. A paper on the caves by William Erskine was read to the Bombay Literary Society in 1822. Within a few decades, the caves became famous for their exotic setting, impressive architecture, and above all their exceptional, all but unique paintings. A number of large projects to copy the paintings were made in the century after rediscovery, covered below. In 1848 the Royal Asiatic Society established the "Bombay Cave Temple Commission" to clear, tidy and record the most important rock-cut sites in the Bombay Presidency, with John Wilson, as president. In 1861 this became the nucleus of the new Archaeological Survey of India. Until the Nizam of Hyderabad built the modern path between the caves, among other efforts to make the site easy to visit, a trip to Ajanta was a considerable adventure, and contemporary accounts dwell with relish on the dangers from falls off narrow ledges, animals and the Bhil people, who were armed with bows and arrows and had a fearsome reputation.

Today, fairly easily combined with Ellora in a single trip, the caves are the most popular tourist destination in Mahrashtra, and are often crowded at holiday times, increasing the threat to the caves, especially the paintings. In 2012, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation announced plans to add to the ASI visitor centre at the entrance complete replicas of caves 1, 2, 16 & 17 to reduce crowding in the originals, and enable visitors to receive a better visual idea of the paintings, which are dimly-lit and hard to read in the caves. Figures for the year to March 2010 showed a total of 390,000 visitors to the site, divided into 362,000 domestic and 27,000 foreign. The trends over the previous few years show a considerable growth in domestic visitors, but a decline in foreign ones; the year to 2010 was the first in which foreign visitors to Ellora exceeded those to Ajanta.

PAINTINGS

Mural paintings survive from both the earlier and later groups of caves. Several fragments of murals preserved from the earlier caves (Caves 9 and 11) are effectively unique survivals of court-led painting in India from this period, and "show that by Sātavāhana times, if not earlier, the Indian painter had mastered an easy and fluent naturalistic style, dealing with large groups of people in a manner comparable to the reliefs of the Sāñcī toraņa crossbars".

Four of the later caves have large and relatively well-preserved mural paintings which "have come to represent Indian mural painting to the non-specialist", and fall into two stylistic groups, with the most famous in Caves 16 and 17, and apparently later paintings in Caves 1 and 2. The latter group were thought to be a century or more later than the others, but the revised chronology proposed by Spink would place them much closer to the earlier group, perhaps contemporary with it in a more progressive style, or one reflecting a team from a different region. The paintings are in "dry fresco", painted on top of a dry plaster surface rather than into wet plaster.

All the paintings appear to be the work of painters at least as used to decorating palaces as temples, and show a familiarity with and interest in details of the life of a wealthy court. We know from literary sources that painting was widely practised and appreciated in the courts of the Gupta period. Unlike much Indian painting, compositions are not laid out in horizontal compartments like a frieze, but show large scenes spreading in all directions from a single figure or group at the centre. The ceilings are also painted with sophisticated and elaborate decorative motifs, many derived from sculpture. The paintings in cave 1, which according to Spink was commissioned by Harisena himself, concentrate on those Jataka tales which show previous lives of the Buddha as a king, rather than as an animal or human commoner, and so show settings from contemporary palace life.

In general the later caves seem to have been painted on finished areas as excavating work continued elsewhere in the cave, as shown in caves 2 and 16 in particular. According to Spink's account of the chronology of the caves, the abandonment of work in 478 after a brief busy period accounts for the absence of painting in caves such as 4 and 17, the later being plastered in preparation for paintings that were never done.

COPIES

The paintings have deteriorated significantly since they were rediscovered, and a number of 19th-century copies and drawings are important for a complete understanding of the works. However, the earliest projects to copy the paintings were plagued by bad fortune. In 1846, Major Robert Gill, an Army officer from Madras presidency and a painter, was appointed by the Royal Asiatic Society to replicate the frescoes on the cave walls to exhibit these paintings in England. Gill worked on his painting at the site from 1844 to 1863 (though he continued to be based there until his death in 1875, writing books and photographing) and made 27 copies of large sections of murals, but all but four were destroyed in a fire at the Crystal Palace in London in 1866, where they were on display.

Another attempt was made in 1872 when the Bombay Presidency commissioned John Griffiths, then principal of the Bombay School of Art, to work with his students to make new copies, again for shipping to England. They worked on this for thirteen years and some 300 canvases were produced, many of which were displayed at the Imperial Institute on Exhibition Road in London, one of the forerunners of the Victoria and Albert Museum. But in 1885 another fire destroyed over a hundred paintings that were in storage. The V&A still has 166 paintings surviving from both sets, though none have been on permanent display since 1955. The largest are some 3 × 6 metres. A conservation project was undertaken on about half of them in 2006, also involving the University of Northumbria. Griffith and his students had unfortunately painted many of the paintings with "cheap varnish" in order to make them easier to see, which has added to the deterioration of the originals, as has, according to Spink and others, recent cleaning by the ASI.

A further set of copies were made between 1909 and 1911 by Christiana Herringham (Lady Herringham) and a group of students from the Calcutta School of Art that included the future Indian Modernist painter Nandalal Bose. The copies were published in full colour as the first publication of London's fledgling India Society. More than the earlier copies, these aimed to fill in holes and damage to recreate the original condition rather than record the state of the paintings as she was seeing them. According to one writer, unlike the paintings created by her predecessors Griffiths and Gill, whose copies were influenced by British Victorian styles of painting, those of the Herringham expedition preferred an 'Indian Renascence' aesthetic of the type pioneered by Abanindranath Tagore.

Early photographic surveys were made by Robert Gill, who learnt to use a camera from about 1856, and whose photos, including some using stereoscopy, were used in books by him and Fergusson (many are available online from the British Library), then Victor Goloubew in 1911 and E.L. Vassey, who took the photos in the four volume study of the caves by Ghulam Yazdani (published 1930–1955).

ARCHITECTURE

The monasteries mostly consist of vihara halls for prayer and living, which are typically rectangular with small square dormitory cells cut into the walls, and by the second period a shrine or sanctuary at the rear centred on a large statue of the Buddha, also carved from the living rock. This change reflects the movement from Hinayana to Mahāyāna Buddhism. The other type of main hall is the narrower and higher chaitya hall with a stupa as the focus at the far end, and a narrow aisle around the walls, behind a range of pillars placed close together. Other plainer rooms were for sleeping and other activities. Some of the caves have elaborate carved entrances, some with large windows over the door to admit light. There is often a colonnaded porch or verandah, with another space inside the doors running the width of the cave.

The central square space of the interior of the viharas is defined by square columns forming a more or less square open area. Outside this are long rectangular aisles on each side, forming a kind of cloister. Along the side and rear walls are a number of small cells entered by a narrow doorway; these are roughly square, and have small niches on their back walls. Originally they had wooden doors. The centre of the rear wall has a larger shrine-room behind, containing a large Buddha statue. The viharas of the earlier period are much simpler, and lack shrines. Spink in fact places the change to a design with a shrine to the middle of the second period, with many caves being adapted to add a shrine in mid-excavation, or after the original phase.

The plan of Cave 1 shows one of the largest viharas, but is fairly typical of the later group. Many others, such as Cave 16, lack the vestibule to the shrine, which leads straight off the main hall. Cave 6 is two viharas, one above the other, connected by internal stairs, with sanctuaries on both levels.

The four completed chaitya halls are caves 9 and 10 from the early period, and caves 19 and 26 from the later period of construction. All follow the typical form found elsewhere, with high ceilings and a central "nave" leading to the stupa, which is near the back, but allows walking behind it, as walking around stupas was (and remains) a common element of Buddhist worship (pradakshina). The later two have high ribbed roofs, which reflect timber forms, and the earlier two are thought to have used actual timber ribs, which have now perished. The two later halls have a rather unusual arrangement (also found in Cave 10 at Ellora) where the stupa is fronted by a large relief sculpture of the Buddha, standing in Cave 19 and seated in Cave 26. Cave 29 is a late and very incomplete chaitya hall.

The form of columns in the work of the first period is very plain and un-embellished, with both chaitya halls using simple octagonal columns, which were painted with figures. In the second period columns were far more varied and inventive, often changing profile over their height, and with elaborate carved capitals, often spreading wide. Many columns are carved over all their surface, some fluted and others carved with decoration all over, as in cave 1.

The flood basalt rock of the cliff, part of the Deccan Traps formed by successive volcanic eruptions at the end of the Cretaceous, is layered horizontally, and somewhat variable in quality, so the excavators had to amend their plans in places, and in places there have been collapses in the intervening centuries, as with the lost portico to cave 1. Excavation began by cutting a narrow tunnel at roof level, which was expanded downwards and outwards; the half-built vihara cave 24 shows the method. Spink believes that for the first caves of the second period the excavators had to relearn skills and techniques that had been lost in the centuries since the first period, which were then transmitted to be used at later rock-cut sites in the region, such as Ellora, and the Elephanta, Bagh, Badami and Aurangabad Caves.

The caves from the first period seem to have been paid for by a number of different patrons, with several inscriptions recording the donation of particular portions of a single cave, but according to Spink the later caves were each commissioned as a complete unit by a single patron from the local rulers or their court elites. After the death of Harisena smaller donors got their chance to add small "shrinelets" between the caves or add statues to existing caves, and some two hundred of these "intrusive" additions were made in sculpture, with a further number of intrusive paintings, up to three hundred in cave 10 alone.

A grand gateway to the site, at the apex of the gorge's horsehoe between caves 15 and 16, was approached from the river, and is decorated with elephants on either side and a nāga, or protective snake deity.

ICONOGRAPHY OF THE CAVES

In the pre-Christian era, the Buddha was represented symbolically, in the form of the stupa. Thus, halls were made with stupas to venerate the Buddha. In later periods the images of the Buddha started to be made in coins, relic caskets, relief or loose sculptural forms, etc. However, it took a while for the human representation of the Buddha to appear in Buddhist art. One of the earliest evidences of the Buddha's human representations are found at Buddhist archaeological sites, such as Goli, Nagarjunakonda, and Amaravati. The monasteries of those sites were built in less durable media, such as wood, brick, and stone. As far as the genre of rock-cut architecture is concerned it took many centuries for the Buddha image to be depicted. Nobody knows for sure at which rock-cut cave site the first image of the Buddha was depicted. Current research indicates that Buddha images in a portable form, made of wood or stone, were introduced, for the first time, at Kanheri, to be followed soon at Ajanta Cave 8 (Dhavalikar, Jadhav, Spink, Singh). While the Kanheri example dates to 4th or 5th century CE, the Ajanta example has been dated to c. 462–478 CE (Spink). None of the rock-cut monasteries prior to these dates, and other than these examples, show any Buddha image although hundreds of rock-cut caves were made throughout India during the first few centuries CE. And, in those caves, it is the stupa that is the object of veneration, not the image. Images of the Buddha are not found in Buddhist sailagrhas (rock-cut complexes) until the times of the Kanheri (4th–5th century CE) and Ajanta examples (c. 462–478 CE).

The caves of the second period, now all dated to the 5th century, were typically described as "Mahayana", but do not show the features associated with later Mahayana Buddhism. Although the beginnings of Mahāyāna teachings go back to the 1st century there is little art and archaeological evidence to suggest that it became a mainstream cult for several centuries. In Mahayana it is not Gautama Buddha but the Bodhisattva who is important, including "deity" Bodhisattva like Manjushri and Tara, as well as aspects of the Buddha such as Aksobhya, and Amitabha. Except for a few Bodhisattva, these are not depicted at Ajanta, where the Buddha remains the dominant figure. Even the Bodhisattva images of Ajanta are never central objects of worship, but are always shown as attendants of the Buddha in the shrine. If a Bodhisattva is shown in isolation, as in the Astabhaya scenes, these were done in the very last years of activities at Ajanta, and are mostly 'intrusive' in nature, meaning that they were not planned by the original patrons, and were added by new donors after the original patrons had suddenly abandoned the region in the wake of Emperor Harisena's death.

The contrast between iconic and aniconic representations, that is, the stupa on one hand and the image of the Buddha on the other, is now being seen as a construct of the modern scholar rather than a reality of the past. The second phase of Ajanta shows that the stupa and image coincided together. If the entire corpus of the art of Ajanta including sculpture, iconography, architecture, epigraphy, and painting are analysed afresh it will become clear that there was no duality between the symbolic and human forms of the Buddha, as far as the 5th-century phase of Ajanta is concerned. That is why most current scholars tend to avoid the terms 'Hinayana' and 'Mahayana' in the context of Ajanta. They now prefer to call the second phase by the ruling dynasty, as the Vākāţaka phase.

CAVES

CAVE 1

Cave 1 was built on the eastern end of the horse-shoe shaped scarp, and is now the first cave the visitor encounters. This would when first made have been a less prominent position, right at the end of the row. According to Spink, it is one of the latest caves to have been excavated, when the best sites had been taken, and was never fully inaugurated for worship by the dedication of the Buddha image in the central shrine. This is shown by the absence of sooty deposits from butter lamps on the base of the shrine image, and the lack of damage to the paintings that would have been happened if the garland-hooks around the shrine had been in use for any period of time. Although there is no epigraphic evidence, Spink believes that the Vākāţaka Emperor Harishena was the benefactor of the work, and this is reflected in the emphasis on imagery of royalty in the cave, with those Jakata tales being selected that tell of those previous lives of the Buddha in which he was royal.

The cliff has a more steep slope here than at other caves, so to achieve a tall grand facade it was necessary to cut far back into the slope, giving a large courtyard in front of the facade. There was originally a columned portico in front of the present facade, which can be seen "half-intact in the 1880s" in pictures of the site, but this fell down completely and the remains, despite containing fine carving, were carelessly thrown down the slope into the river, from where they have been lost, presumably carried away in monsoon torrents.

This cave has one of the most elaborate carved façades, with relief sculptures on entablature and ridges, and most surfaces embellished with decorative carving. There are scenes carved from the life of the Buddha as well as a number of decorative motifs. A two pillared portico, visible in the 19th-century photographs, has since perished. The cave has a front-court with cells fronted by pillared vestibules on either side. These have a high plinth level. The cave has a porch with simple cells on both ends. The absence of pillared vestibules on the ends suggest that the porch was not excavated in the latest phase of Ajanta when pillared vestibules had become a necessity and norm. Most areas of the porch were once covered with murals, of which many fragments remain, especially on the ceiling. There are three doorways: a central doorway and two side doorways. Two square windows were carved between the doorways to brighten the interiors.

Each wall of the hall inside is nearly 12 m long and 6.1 m high. Twelve pillars make a square colonnade inside supporting the ceiling, and creating spacious aisles along the walls. There is a shrine carved on the rear wall to house an impressive seated image of the Buddha, his hands being in the dharmachakrapravartana mudra. There are four cells on each of the left, rear, and the right walls, though due to rock fault there are none at the ends of the rear aisle. The walls are covered with paintings in a fair state of preservation, though the full scheme was never completed. The scenes depicted are mostly didactic, devotional, and ornamental, with scenes from the Jataka stories of the Buddha's former existences as a bodhisattva), the life of the Gautama Buddha, and those of his veneration. The two most famous individual painted images at Ajanta are the two over-life size figures of the protective bodhisattvas Padmapani and Vajrapani on either side of the entrance to the Buddha shrine on the wall of the rear aisle (see illustrations above). According to Spink, the original dating of the paintings to about 625 arose largely or entirely because James Fegusson, a 19th-century architectural historian, had decided that a scene showing an ambassador being received, with figures in Persian dress, represented a recorded embassy to Persia (from a Hindu monarch at that) around that date.

CAVE 2

Cave 2, adjacent to Cave 1, is known for the paintings that have been preserved on its walls, ceilings, and pillars. It looks similar to Cave 1 and is in a better state of preservation.

Cave 2 has a porch quite different from Cave one. Even the façade carvings seem to be different. The cave is supported by robust pillars, ornamented with designs. The front porch consists of cells supported by pillared vestibules on both ends. The cells on the previously "wasted areas" were needed to meet the greater housing requirements in later years. Porch-end cells became a trend in all later Vakataka excavations. The simple single cells on porch-ends were converted into CPVs or were planned to provide more room, symmetry, and beauty.

The paintings on the ceilings and walls of this porch have been widely published. They depict the Jataka tales that are stories of the Buddha's life in former existences as Bodhisattva. Just as the stories illustrated in cave 1 emphasize kingship, those in cave 2 show many "noble and powerful" women in prominent roles, leading to suggestions that the patron was an unknown woman. The porch's rear wall has a doorway in the center, which allows entrance to the hall. On either side of the door is a square-shaped window to brighten the interior.

The hall has four colonnades which are supporting the ceiling and surrounding a square in the center of the hall. Each arm or colonnade of the square is parallel to the respective walls of the hall, making an aisle in between. The colonnades have rock-beams above and below them. The capitals are carved and painted with various decorative themes that include ornamental, human, animal, vegetative, and semi-divine forms.

Paintings appear on almost every surface of the cave except for the floor. At various places the art work has become eroded due to decay and human interference. Therefore, many areas of the painted walls, ceilings, and pillars are fragmentary. The painted narratives of the Jataka tales are depicted only on the walls, which demanded the special attention of the devotee. They are didactic in nature, meant to inform the community about the Buddha's teachings and life through successive rebirths. Their placement on the walls required the devotee to walk through the aisles and 'read' the narratives depicted in various episodes. The narrative episodes are depicted one after another although not in a linear order. Their identification has been a core area of research since the site's rediscovery in 1819. Dieter Schlingloff's identifications have updated our knowledge on the subject.

CAVE 4

The Archeological Survey of India board outside the caves gives the following detail about cave 4: "This is the largest monastery planned on a grandiose scale but was never finished. An inscription on the pedestal of the buddha's image mentions that it was a gift from a person named Mathura and paleographically belongs to 6th century A.D. It consists of a verandah, a hypostylar hall, sanctum with an antechamber and a series of unfinished cells. The rear wall of the verandah contains the panel of Litany of Avalokiteśvara".

The sanctuary houses a colossal image of the Buddha in preaching pose flanked by bodhisattvas and celestial nymphs hovering above.

CAVES 9-10

Caves 9 and 10 are the two chaitya halls from the first period of construction, though both were also undergoing an uncompleted reworking at the end of the second period. Cave 10 was perhaps originally of the 1st century BCE, and cave 9 about a hundred years later. The small "shrinelets" called caves 9A to 9D and 10A also date from the second period, and were commissioned by individuals.

The paintings in cave 10 include some surviving from the early period, many from an incomplete programme of modernization in the second period, and a very large number of smaller late intrusive images, nearly all Buddhas and many with donor inscriptions from individuals. These mostly avoided over-painting the "official" programme and after the best positions were used up are tucked away in less prominent positions not yet painted; the total of these (including those now lost) was probably over 300, and the hands of many different artists are visible.

OTHER CAVES

Cave 3 is merely a start of an excavation; according to Spink it was begun right at the end of the final period of work and soon abandoned. Caves 5 and 6 are viharas, the latter on two floors, that were late works of which only the lower floor of cave 6 was ever finished. The upper floor of cave 6 has many private votive sculptures, and a shrine Buddha, but is otherwise unfinished. Cave 7 has a grand facade with two porticos but, perhaps because of faults in the rock, which posed problems in many caves, was never taken very deep into the cliff, and consists only of the two porticos and a shrine room with antechamber, with no central hall. Some cells were fitted in.

Cave 8 was long thought to date to the first period of construction, but Spink sees it as perhaps the earliest cave from the second period, its shrine an "afterthought". The statue may have been loose rather than carved from the living rock, as it has now vanished. The cave was painted, but only traces remain.

SPINK´S DETAILED CHRONOLOGY

Walter M. Spink has over recent decades developed a very precise and circumstantial chronology for the second period of work on the site, which unlike earlier scholars, he places entirely in the 5th century. This is based on evidence such as the inscriptions and artistic style, combined with the many uncompleted elements of the caves. He believes the earlier group of caves, which like other scholars he dates only approximately, to the period "between 100 BCE – 100 CE", were at some later point completely abandoned and remained so "for over three centuries", as the local population had turned mainly Hindu. This changed with the accession of the Emperor Harishena of the Vakataka Dynasty, who reigned from 460 to his death in 477. Harisena extended the Central Indian Vakataka Empire to include a stretch of the east coast of India; the Gupta Empire ruled northern India at the same period, and the Pallava dynasty much of the south.

According to Spink, Harisena encouraged a group of associates, including his prime minister Varahadeva and Upendragupta, the sub-king in whose territory Ajanta was, to dig out new caves, which were individually commissioned, some containing inscriptions recording the donation. This activity began in 462 but was mostly suspended in 468 because of threats from the neighbouring Asmaka kings. Work continued on only caves 1, Harisena's own commission, and 17–20, commissioned by Upendragupta. In 472 the situation was such that work was suspended completely, in a period that Spink calls "the Hiatus", which lasted until about 475, by which time the Asmakas had replaced Upendragupta as the local rulers.

Work was then resumed, but again disrupted by Harisena's death in 477, soon after which major excavation ceased, except at cave 26, which the Asmakas were sponsoring themselves. The Asmakas launched a revolt against Harisena's son, which brought about the end of the Vakataka Dynasty. In the years 478–480 major excavation by important patrons was replaced by a rash of "intrusions" – statues added to existing caves, and small shrines dotted about where there was space between them. These were commissioned by less powerful individuals, some monks, who had not previously been able to make additions to the large excavations of the rulers and courtiers. They were added to the facades, the return sides of the entrances, and to walls inside the caves. According to Spink, "After 480, not a single image was ever made again at the site", and as Hinduism again dominated the region, the site was again abandoned, this time for over a millennium.

Spink does not use "circa" in his dates, but says that "one should allow a margin of error of one year or perhaps even two in all cases".

IMPACT ON MODERN INDIAN PAINTINGS

The Ajanta paintings, or more likely the general style they come from, influenced painting in Tibet and Sri Lanka.

The rediscovery of ancient Indian paintings at Ajanta provided Indian artists examples from ancient India to follow. Nandlal Bose experimented with techniques to follow the ancient style which allowed him to develop his unique style. Abanindranath Tagore also used the Ajanta paintings for inspiration.

WIKIPEDIA

Artem's Laguna Seca Blue BMW F82 M4 Heritage Edition with 18" ARC-8 Wheels in Anthracite by Apex Wheels

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Felix Gonzalez-Torres by Marc Wathieu

2

View at Felix Gonzalez-Torres "Specific Objects without Specific Form" retrospective at Wiels, february 2010.

WIELS premieres a major traveling retrospective of Felix Gonzalez-Torres’ oeuvre, including both rarely seen and more known artworks, while proposing an experimental form for the exhibition that is indebted to the artist’s own radical conception of the artwork.

Gonzalez-Torres (American, b. Cuba 1957-1996), one of the most influential artists of his generation, settled in New York in the early 1980s, where he studied art and began his practice as an artist before his untimely death of AIDS related complications. His work can be seen in critical relationship to Conceptual art and Minimalism, mixing political activism, emotional affect, and deep formal concerns in a wide range of media, including drawings, sculpture, and public billboards*, often using ordinary objects as a starting point—clocks, mirrors, light fixtures. Amongst his most famous artworks are his piles of candy and paper stacks from which viewers are allowed to take away a piece. They are premised, like so much of what he did, on instability and potential for change: artworks without an already preset or specific form. The result is a profoundly human body of work, intimate and vulnerable even as it destabilizes so many seemingly unshakable certainties (the artwork as fixed, the exhibition as a place to look but not touch, the author as the ultimate form-giver).

To present the oeuvre of an artist who put fragility, the passage of time, and the questioning of authority at the center of his artworks, the exhibition will be entirely re-installed at each of its venues halfway through its duration by a different invited artist whose practice has been informed by Felix Gonzalez-Torres’ work. A first version of Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Specific Objects without Specific Form by curator Elena Filipovic will open to the public and on March 5, 2010, the artist Danh Vo will re-install the exhibition, effectively making an entirely new show.

Text source :

www.wiels.org/site2/event.php?event_id=160

Ian Botham's Sticky Wicket by Matthew Wells

1

Welcome fellow Paddington Bear spotter! My photostream features all 50 Paddingtons. If you would like to shortcut to a specific one, please use the links below

No. 1: Love, Paddington X (Lulu Guinness) |

documenta kassel 2022 D15 PRESS CONFERENCE at the stadium by Thierry Geoffroy / Colonel : Artist

Collaboration beetween Biennalist and Ultracontemporay

Art Format

www.emergencyrooms.org/formats.html

Documenta From Wikipedia,

The Fridericianum during documenta (13)

documenta is an exhibition of contemporary art which takes place every five years in Kassel, Germany. It was founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau (Federal Horticultural Show) which took place in Kassel at that time.[1] It was an attempt to bring Germany up to speed with modern art, both banishing and repressing the cultural darkness of Nazism.[2] This first documenta featured many artists who are generally considered to have had a significant influence on modern art (such as Picasso and Kandinsky). The more recent documentas feature art from all continents; nonetheless most of it is site-specific.

Every documenta is limited to 100 days of exhibition, which is why it is often referred to as the "museum of 100 days".[3] Documenta is not a selling exhibition. It rarely coincides with the three other major art world events: the Venice Biennale, Art Basel and Skulptur Projekte Münster, but in 2017, all four were open simultaneously.

Etymology of documenta

The name of the exhibition is an invented word. The term is supposed to demonstrate the intention of every exhibition (in particular of the first documenta in 1955) to be a documentation of modern art which was not available for the German public during the Nazi era. Rumour spread from those close to Arnold Bode that it was relevant for the coinage of the term that the Latin word documentum could be separated into docere (Latin for teach) and mens (Latin for intellect) and therefore thought it to be a good word to describe the intention and the demand of the documenta.[4]

Each edition of documenta has commissioned its own visual identity, most of which have conformed to the typographic style of solely using lowercase letters, which originated at the Bauhaus.[5]

History

Stadtverwaldung by Joseph Beuys, oaktree in front of the museum Fridericianum, documenta 7

Art professor and designer Arnold Bode from Kassel was the initiator of the first documenta. Originally planned as a secondary event to accompany the Bundesgartenschau, this attracted more than 130,000 visitors in 1955. The exhibition centred less on "contemporary art“, that is art made after 1945: instead, Bode wanted to show the public works which had been known as "Entartete Kunst" in Germany during the Nazi era: Fauvism, Expressionism, Cubism, Blauer Reiter, Futurism and Pittura Metafisica. Therefore, abstract art, in particular the abstract paintings of the 1920s and 1930s, was the focus of interest in this exhibition.

Over time, the focus shifted to contemporary art. At first, the show was limited to works from Europe, but soon covered works by artists from the Americas, Africa and Asia. 4. documenta, the first ever to turn a profit, featured a selection of Pop Art, Minimal Art, and Kinetic Art.[6] Adopting the theme of Questioning Reality – Pictorial Worlds Today, the 1972 documenta radically redefined what could be considered art by featuring minimal and conceptual art, marking a turning point in the public acceptance of those styles.[7] Also, it devoted a large section to the work of Adolf Wolfli, the great Swiss outsider, then unknown. Joseph Beuys performed repeatedly under the auspices of his utopian Organization for Direct Democracy.[8] Additionally, the 1987 documenta show signaled another important shift with the elevation of design to the realm of art – showing an openness to postmodern design.[9] Certain key political dates for wide-reaching social and cultural upheavals, such as 1945, 1968 or 1976/77, became chronological markers of documenta X (1997), along which art's political, social, cultural and aesthetic exploratory functions were traced.[10] Documenta11 was organized around themes like migration, urbanization and the post-colonial experience,[11] with documentary photography, film and video as well as works from far-flung locales holding the spotlight.[7] In 2012, documenta (13) was described as "[a]rdently feminist, global and multimedia in approach and including works by dead artists and selected bits of ancient art".[12]

Criticism

documenta typically gives its artists at least two years to conceive and produce their projects, so the works are often elaborate and intellectually complex.[13] However, the participants are often not publicised before the very opening of the exhibition. At documenta (13), the official list of artists was not released until the day the show opened.[14] Even though curators have often claimed to have gone outside the art market in their selection, participants have always included established artists. In the documenta (13), for example, art critic Jerry Saltz identified more than a third of the artists represented by the renowned Marian Goodman Gallery in the show.[14]

Directors

The first four documentas, organized by Arnold Bode, established the exhibition's international credentials. Since the fifth documenta (1972), a new artistic director has been named for each documenta exhibition by a committee of experts. Documenta 8 was put together in two years instead of the usual five. The original directors, Edy de Wilde and Harald Szeemann, were unable to get along and stepped down. They were replaced by Manfred Schneckenburger, Edward F. Fry, Wulf Herzogenrath, Armin Zweite, and Vittorio Fagone.[15] Coosje van Bruggen helped select artists for documenta 7, the 1982 edition. documenta IX's team of curators consisted of Jan Hoet, Piero Luigi Tazzi, Denys Zacharopoulos, and Bart de Baere.[16] For documenta X Catherine David was chosen as the first woman and the first non-German speaker to hold the post. It is also the first and unique time that its website Documenta x was conceived by a curator (swiss curator Simon Lamunière) as a part of the exhibition. The first non-European director was Okwui Enwezor for Documenta11.[17]

TitleDateDirectorExhibitorsExhibitsVisitors

documenta16 July – 18 September 1955Arnold Bode148670130,000

II. documenta11 July – 11 October 1959Arnold Bode, Werner Haftmann3381770134,000

documenta III27 June – 5 October 1964Arnold Bode, Werner Haftmann3611450200,000

4. documenta27 June – 6 October 196824-strong documenta council1511000220,000

documenta 530 June – 8 October 1972Harald Szeemann218820228,621

documenta 624 June – 2 October 1977Manfred Schneckenburger6222700343,410

documenta 719 June – 28 September 1982Rudi Fuchs1821000378,691

documenta 812 June – 20 September 1987Manfred Schneckenburger150600474,417

documenta IX12 June – 20 September 1992Jan Hoet1891000603,456

documenta X21 June – 28 September 1997Catherine David120700628,776

documenta118 June – 15 September 2002Okwui Enwezor118450650,924

documenta 1216 June – 23 September 2007Roger M. Buergel/Ruth Noack[19]114over 500754,301

documenta (13)9 June – 16 September 2012Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev187[20]904,992[21]

documenta 148 April – 16 July 2017 in Athens, Greece;

10 June – 17 September 2017 in KasselAdam Szymczykmore than 1601500339.000 in Athens

891.500 in Kassel

documenta fifteen18 June 2022 – 25 September 2022 in Kasselruangrupa[22]

2012's edition was organized around a central node, the trans-Atlantic melding of two distinct individuals who first encountered each other in the "money-soaked deserts of the United Arab Emirates". As an organizing principle it is simultaneously a commentary on the romantic potentials of globalization and also a critique of how digital platforms can complicate or interrogate the nature of such relationships. Curatorial agents refer to the concept as possessing a "fricative potential for productive awkwardness," wherein a twosome is formed for the purposes of future exploration.[23]

Venues

documenta is held in different venues in Kassel. Since 1955, the fixed venue has been the Fridericianum. The documenta-Halle was built in 1992 for documenta IX and now houses some of the exhibitions. Other venues used for documenta have included the Karlsaue park, Schloss Wilhelmshöhe, the Neue Galerie, the Ottoneum, and the Kulturzentrum Schlachthof. Though Okwui Enezor notably tried to subvert the euro-centric approach documenta had taken, he instigated a series of five platforms before the Documenta11 in Vienna, Berlin, New Delhi, St Lucia, and Lagos, in an attempt to take documenta into a new post-colonial, borderless space, from which experimental cultures could emerge. documenta 12 occupied five locations, including the Fridericianum, the Wilhelmshöhe castle park and the specially constructed "Aue-Pavillon", or meadow pavilion, designed by French firm Lacaton et Vassal.[24] At documenta (13) (2012), about a fifth of the works were unveiled in places like Kabul, Afghanistan, and Banff, Canada.[13]

There are also a number of works that are usually presented outside, most notably in Friedrichsplatz, in front of the Fridericianum, and the Karlsaue park. To handle the number of artworks at documenta IX, five connected temporary "trailers" in glass and corrugated metal were built in the Karlsaue.[25] For documenta (13), French architects Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal constructed the temporary "Aue-Pavillon" in the park.

Rahmenbau (1977) by Haus Rucker und Co.

A few of the works exhibited at various documentas remained as purchases in Kassel museums. They include 7000 Eichen by Joseph Beuys; Rahmenbau (1977) by Haus-Rucker-Co; Laserscape Kassel (1977) by Horst H. Baumann; Traumschiff Tante Olga (1977) by Anatol Herzfeld; Vertikaler Erdkilometer by Walter De Maria; Spitzhacke (1982) by Claes Oldenburg; Man walking to the sky (1992) by Jonathan Borofsky; and Fremde by Thomas Schütte (one part of the sculptures are installed on Rotes Palais at Friedrichsplatz, the other on the roof of the Concert Hall in Lübeck).

documenta archive

The extensive volume of material that is regularly generated on the occasion of this exhibition prompted Arnold Bode to create an archive in 1961. The heart of the archive’s collection comes from the files and materials of the documenta organization. A continually expanding video and image archive is also part of the collection as are the independently organized bequests of Arnold Bode and artist Harry Kramer.

Management

Visitors

In 1992, on the occasion of documenta IX, for the first time in the history of the documenta, more than half a million people traveled to Kassel.[26] The 2002 edition of documenta attracted 650,000 visitors, more than triple Kassel's population.[27] In 2007, documenta 12 drew 754,000 paying visitors, with more than one-third of the visitors coming from abroad and guests from neighboring Netherlands, France, Belgium and Austria among the most numerous.[28] In 2012, documenta (13) had 904,992 visitors.[21]

References

Adrian Searle (June 11, 2012), "Documenta 13: Mysteries in the mountain of mud", The Guardian.

Roberta Smith (June 14, 2012), Art Show as Unruly Organism The New York Times.

Arnold Bode coined this phrase for the first time in the prologue of the first volume of the catalogue: documenta III. Internationale Ausstellung; Catalogue: Volume 1: Painting and Sculpture; Volume 2: Sketches; Volume 3: Industrial Design, Print; Kassel/Köln 1964; p. XIX

Kimpel, Harald: documenta, Mythos und Wirklichkeit. Köln 1997, ISBN 3-7701-4182-2

Alice Rawsthorn (June 3, 2012), A Symbol Is Born The New York Times.

The documenta IV Exhibition in Kassel (1968) German History in Documents and Images (GHDI).

Helen Chang (June 22, 2007), "Catching the Next Wave In Art at Documenta", The Wall Street Journal.

Roberta Smith (September 7, 2007), "Documenta 5" The New York Times.

Gimeno-Martinez, Javier; Verlinden, Jasmijn (2010). "From Museum of Decorative Arts to Design Museum: The Case of the Design museum Gent". Design and Culture. 2 (3).

dX 1997 Archived 2013-06-14 at the Wayback Machine, documenta XII.

Stephan Valentin (June 12, 2007), An art show in Kassel, Germany, rivals Venice Biennale The New York Times.

Roberta Smith (June 14, 2012), Art Show as Unruly Organism The New York Times.

Kelly Crow (June 8, 2012), A Party, Every Five Years, for 750,000 Guests The Wall Street Journal.

Jerry Saltz (June 15, 2012), Jerry Saltz: "Eleven Things That Struck, Irked, or Awed Me at Documenta 13" New York Magazine.

Michael Brenson (June 15, 1987), "Documenta 8, Exhibition In West Germany", The New York Times.

Michael Kimmelman (July 5, 1992) "At Documenta, It's Survival Of the Loudest", The New York Times.

Jackie Wullschlager (May 19, 2012) Vertiginous doubt Financial Times.

Julia Halperin, Gareth Harris (July 18, 2014) How much are curators really paid? Archived July 20, 2014, at the Wayback Machine The Art Newspaper.

Holland Cotter (22 June 2007). "Asking Serious Questions in a Very Quiet Voice". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-08-29.

Ulrike Knöfel (8 June 2012). "What the 13th Documenta Wants You to See". Der Spiegel.

"904,992 people visit documenta (13) in Kassel". documenta und Museum Fridericianum Veranstaltungs-GmbH. 16 September 2012. Archived from the original on 25 February 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2013.

Russeth, Andrew (2019-02-22). "Ruangrupa Artist Collective Picked to Curate Documenta 15". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2020-01-05.

"In Germany, Disguising Documentary As Art". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-09-28.

Stephan Valentin (June 12, 2007), An art show in Kassel, Germany, rivals Venice Biennale International Herald Tribune.

Roberta Smith (June 22, 1992), A Small Show Within an Enormous One The New York Times.

d9 1992 Archived 2014-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, documenta XII.

Adrian Searle (June 19, 2007), 100 days of ineptitude The Guardian.

Catherine Hickley (September 24, 2007), "Documenta Contemporary Art Show Draws Record 754,000 to Kassel", Bloomberg.

Carly Berwick (May 17, 2007), "Documenta 'Mystery' Artists Are Revealed; Buzz Strategy Fizzles", Bloomberg.

Rachel Donado (April 5, 2017), German Art Exhibition Documenta Expands Into Athens, The New York Times.

Catherine Hickley (November 27, 2017), Documenta manager to leave post after budget overruns The Art Newspaper.

Further reading

Hickley, Catherine (2021-06-18). "This Show Sets the Direction of Art. Its Past Mirrored a Changing World". The New York Times.

Nancy Marmer, "Documenta 8: The Social Dimension?" Art in America, vol. 75, September 1987, pp. 128–138, 197–199.

other biennales :

Venice Biennial , Documenta Havana Biennial,Istanbul Biennial ( Istanbuli),Biennale de Lyon ,Dak'Art Berlin Biennial,Mercosul Visual Arts Biennial ,Bienal do Mercosul Porto Alegre.,Berlin Biennial ,Echigo-Tsumari Triennial .Yokohama Triennial Aichi Triennale,manifesta ,Copenhagen Biennale,Aichi Triennale

Yokohama Triennial,Echigo-Tsumari Triennial.Sharjah Biennial ,Biennale of Sydney, Liverpool , São Paulo Biennial ; Athens Biennale , Bienal do Mercosul ,Göteborg International Biennial for Contemporary Art

www.emergencyrooms.org

www.colonel.dk/

lumbung

Short concept by ruangrupa for documenta 15

"We want to create a globally oriented, cooperative, interdisciplinary art and culture platform that will remain effective beyond the 100 days of documenta fifteen. Our curatorial approach aims at a different kind of collaborative model of resource use—economically, but also in terms of ideas, knowledge, programs, and innovation."

ruangrupa’s central curatorial approach for documenta fifteen is based on the principles of collectivity, resource building, and equal sharing. They aim to appeal not just to an art audience but to a variety of communities, and to promote local commitment and participation. Their approach is based on an international network of local, community-based organizations from the art and other cultural contexts and can be outlined by the Indonesian term lumbung. lumbung, directly translatable as “rice barn,” is a collective pot or accumulation system used in rural areas of Indonesia, where crops produced by a community are stored as a future shared common resource and distributed according to jointly determind criteria. Using lumbung as a model, documenta fifteen is a collective resource pot, operating under the logics of the commons. It is an agglomeration of ideas, stories, (wo)manpower, time, and other shareable resources. At the center of lumbung is the imagination and the building of these collective, shared resources into new models of sustainable ideas and cultural practices. This will be fostered by residencies, assemblies, public activities, and the development of tools.

Interdisciplinarity is key in this process. It is where art meets activism, management, and networking to gather support, understand environments, and identify local resources. These elements then create actions and spaces, intertwine social relations and transactions; they slowly grow and organically find a public form. This is a strategy “to live in and with society.” It imagines the relations an art institution has with its community by being an active constituent of it. Strategies are then developed based on proximity and shared desires.

The main principles of the process are:

• Providing space to gather and explore ideas

• Collective decision making

• Non-centralization

• Playing between formalities and informalities

• Practicing assembly and meeting points

• Architectural awareness

• Being spatially active to promote conversation

• A melting pot for and from everyone’s thoughts, energies, and ideas

#documentakassel

#documenta

#documenta15

#artformat

#formatart

#rundebate

#thierrygeoffroy

#Colonel

#CriticalRun

#venicebiennale

#documentafifteen

#formatart

#documentacritic

#biennalist

#ultracontemporary art

protestart

TJ's BMW F80 M3 with 18" ARC-8 Wheels in Anthracite by Apex Wheels

F8X- specific wheels required for brake clearance: www.apexraceparts.com/store/wheels/arc-8-wheels/18x10-et2...

Front: 18x9.5" ET22 with 275/35-18 tires

Rear: 18x11" ET44 with 305/35-18 tires

Artem's Laguna Seca Blue BMW F82 M4 Heritage Edition with 18" ARC-8 Wheels in Anthracite by Apex Wheels

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F8X- specific wheels required for brake clearance: www.apexraceparts.com/store/wheels/arc-8-wheels/18x10-et2...

Front: 18x9.5" ET22 with 275/35-18 Nitto NT01

Rear: 18x11" ET44 with 305/35-18 Nitto NT01

Factory M4 Competition Package Alignment Specs

Lowered on Macht Schnell Competition Springs w/ Factory EDC

Owner:

www.instagram.com/ruskii_m4

Ben and Jessica by Sean Setters

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Ben and Jessica had a very specific idea in mind for the use of their photos--they wanted to create a family calendar with pictures adorning certain days. Both of their birthdays would have a headshot, while their anniversary would have a picture of them together. They also wanted a couples shot as the cover of the calendar.

I liked the headshots we got, but I liked the shots of them together most. They had a wonderful chemistry that seemed to really shine through the camera lens. They were a fantastic pair to work with.

strobist: 1 White Lightning x1600, slightly camera left (a bit high), diffused by a Large Paul C Buff Foldable Octabox. 1 Quantaray shoe-mount flash, camera left and right (slightly behind subjects), 1/4 CTO gelled, bare. Flashes and strobe triggered via Cybersyncs; strobe powered via Vagabond II. A Singh-Ray Vari-N-Duo was used.

Rhododendrons by John

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Specific species name welcomed please...

palmed in abstract by Edward Kreis

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palm frond in mono

All of my images are under protection of all applicable copyright laws. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from myself is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to dK.i Photography and Edward Kreis with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (website). I can be contacted through the contact link provided on this website.

Ferrari Dino 206SP by - KMP -

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This specific car, s/n 026, participated in the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1967 but was taken out of the race due to suspension problems 65 laps in. Nearly two months later, it burned to ashes during practice for the Nurburgring 1000km. After the accident, the chassis was sent back to Maranello to await repairs, but the damage was to such an extent that Ferrari deemed it not worth the expense to repair. In 1969, it was purchased by a French collector, Pierre Bardinon, but the chassis remained untouched and unrepaired. In 1982, the chassis was purchased by Italian Ferrari collector Currado Cupellini. He began a lengthy and comprehensive restoration with help from Ferrari. However, the engine and gearbox were not the same as used in the original. It was an Ex-Tasman 246 F2 unit wîth Hewland gearbox. The car was raced a few times in the mid-90's at tracks such as Mugello and Spa-Francorchamps. In 1997, it participated in Ferrari's 50th anniversary celebration. Shortly after, it was sold to Bernie Carl in Wahsington DC. He sent it to the UK to have a proper engine (Tipo 231B) and gearbox (Tipo 537) fitted to it. The engine used was a rare twin-plug, fuel-injected unit which produces over 240hp.

www.barchetta.cc/english/All.Ferraris/Detail/Dino/026.206...

www.conceptcarz.com/vehicle/z8788/Ferrari-206-S.aspx

The team, Scuderia Filipinetti, was based in Geneva, Switzerland. It no longer exists today.

Herbert Müller (Swiss, 1940-1981) and Günter Klass (German, 1936-1967) were the drivers in the Sebring race. Both drivers died in racing accidents. Herbert was killed in a Porsche 908 at the Nurburgring 1000km in 1981, while Günter was killed in a Dino just like this one at Mugello just under two months after this one burned. While Herbert returned for the Nurburgring 1000km, he was partnered with Jean Guichet (French, 1927- ).

Anselm Kiefer - I Sette Palazzi Celesti by Cristian Cri

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Anselm Kiefer

I Sette Palazzi Celesti

L’installazione site-specific I Sette Palazzi Celesti, realizzata per HangarBicocca in occasione della sua prima apertura nel 2004, deve il suo nome ai Palazzi descritti nell’antico trattato ebraico Sefer Hechalot – il “Libro dei Palazzi/Santuari” risalente al IV-V sec. d.C. – dove si narra il simbolico cammino d’iniziazione spirituale di colui che vuole arrivare al cospetto di Dio.

L’opera rappresenta il punto d’arrivo dell’intero lavoro dell’artista e sintetizza i suoi temi principali proiettandoli in una nuova dimensione fuori dal tempo: essi contengono infatti in sé l’interpretazione di un’antica religione (quella ebraica); la rappresentazione delle macerie dell’Occidente dopo la Seconda Guerra Mondiale; la proiezione in un futuro possibile da cui l’artista ci invita a guardare le rovine del nostro presente.

Le sette torri, del peso di 90 tonnellate ciascuna, hanno altezze variabili tra i 14 e i 18 metri e sono realizzate in cemento armato utilizzando come elementi costruttivi moduli angolari ottenuti dai container utilizzati per il trasporto delle merci. Il loro antecedente è il progetto de La Ribotte a Barjac nel sud della Francia, residenza dell’artista tra il 1993 e il 2007, composto di edifici, cunicoli e gallerie che si snodano su una vasta superficie nella campagna francese.

Anselm Kiefer

The Seven Heavenly Palaces

The site-specific The Seven Heavenly Palaces installation, created for HangarBicocca in 2004, is one of the most important works by the German artist Anselm Kiefer. It takes its name from the palaces described in an ancient Hebrew tract, the Sefer Hechalot or "Book of Palaces", which describes the symbolic path of spiritual initiation of those who wish to enter into the presence of God.

The work represents the culmination of Kiefer's entire artistic career, summing up his main themes and projecting them into a new, timeless dimension. This can be seen in the way it interprets an ancient religion (Judaism) and represents the ruins of the West after the Second World War. It also shows us a projection into a possible future, from which the artist invites us to look back at the ruins of our own present.

The seven towers, which weigh 90 tonnes each and vary in height between 14 and 18 metres – are made of reinforced concrete, using the corner units from goods containers as construction modules. Their forerunner is the La Ribotte project in Barjac, in the South of France, where the artist lived from 1993 to 2007. This consists of buildings, passageways and tunnels that wind their way across a vast area of the French countryside.

"Pantalones Rotos" by Wilfredo Prieto by Latitudes | Barcelona

Conceived by Wilfredo Prieto as his project for the Composiciones programme, “Pantalones rotos” (Torn Jeans), 2012, is realised by the horses of the Guàrdia Urbana de Barcelona. The action-sculpture takes place at the Mounted Unit’s stables, a historic venue next to the city zoo that is not normally open to the public and whose exercise paddock is overlooked by the twin towers of the Torre Mapfre and Hotel Arts. In his work Prieto makes reference to an image which appears on the tag of every pair of classic Levi’s denim jeans—two horses trying in vain to break a pair of the reinforced trousers. Since their invention in 1873, Levi Strauss & Co.’s famous copper-riveted denim has become synonymous with the working people of the western United States—cowboys, lumberjacks, and railroad workers. Yet in “Pantalones rotos”, this symbol of the American frontier myth has been already torn apart with bathos as two harnessed horses each drag one half of a torn pair of jeans. – Latitudes

Wilfredo Prieto (Sancti Spiritus, Cuba, 1978) pursued art studies at the Instituto Superior de Arte (Higher Institute of Fine Arts ISA), graduating in 2002. Prieto’s recent solo exhibitions include: ‘Ping Pong Grid’, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana, Cuba (2015); ‘Speaking Badly about Stones’, S.M.A.K, Ghent, Belgium (2014); ‘Incidences from the Private to the Public and from the Public to the Private’, NMAC Foundation, Cádiz, Spain (2013); ‘Leaving Something to Chance’, Sala de Arte Público Siqueiros, México (2012); ‘Balancing the curve’, Hangar Bicocca, Milan, Italy (2012); ‘Amarrado a la pata de la mesa’, Centro de Arte 2 de Mayo (CA2M), Móstoles, Madrid (2011); and has participated in group shows such as ‘Under the same sun: Art from Latin America Today’, Guggenheim Museum, Nueva York (2014); ‘Coup d’éclat, En résonance’, Biennale d'art contemporain de Lyon, Francia (2009); ‘Untitled’, 12th Istanbul Biennial, Turquía (2009). Prieto has been awarded the Cartier Award (Frieze Art Fair, London, 2008) and the UNESCO Prize for the Promotion of the Arts (2000).

––

“Pantalones rotos” (2012/2016) was commissioned for the second edition of the Barcelona Gallery Weekend (29 September–2 October 2016) as part of the “Composiciones” programme.

Curated by Latitudes for the second time (see 2015 edition), the project further explores Barcelona as a rich fabric of the historic and the contemporary, the unfamiliar and the conspicuous. Resisting an overall theme, and instead developing from the artists’ responses to the specificity of each context—people as well as places—the five art projects form a temporary thread that links evocative locations and public space, running parallel to the Weekend’s exhibitions in galleries and museums.

In its second edition, "Composiciones" presents interventions by Lúa Coderch (Club Billar Barcelona); Regina Giménez (Antigua Fábrica de Can Trinxet, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat); Lola Lasurt (Biblioteca Pública Arús); Robert Llimós (connecting all the participating galleries) and Wilfredo Prieto (Unitat Muntada de la Guàrdia Urbana de Barcelona). Their projects offer moments of intermission, intimacy and bewilderment throughout the weekend, highlighting some lesser-known aspects of the city’s cultural heritage and municipal life.

Conceived and curated by Latitudes | www.lttds.org

Photo: Roberto Ruiz / Courtesy: Barcelona Gallery Weekend.

Info: www.lttds.org/projects/composiciones2016/

Social media documentation: storify.com/lttds/composiciones-five-commissions-curated-...

Thailand - Bangkok - Wat Phra Kaeo - 18 by Manfred Sommer

The Wat Phra Kaew (Thai: วัดพระแก้ว, RTGS: Wat Phra Kaeo, IPA: [wát pʰráʔ kɛ̂ːw], English: Temple of the Emerald Buddha; full official name Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, Thai: วัดพระศรีรัตนศาสดาราม, IPA: [wát pʰráʔ sǐː rát.ta.náʔ sàːt.sa.daː.raːm]) is regarded as the most sacred Buddhist temple (wat) in Thailand. It is a "potent religio-political symbol and the palladium (protective image) of Thai society". It is located in Phra Nakhon District, the historic centre of Bangkok, within the precincts of the Grand Palace.

The main building is the central phra ubosot, which houses the statue of the Emerald Buddha. The legendary history of this Buddha image is traced to India, five centuries after Gautama Buddha attained Nirvana, until it was finally enshrined in Bangkok at the Wat Phra Kaew temple in 1782 during the reign of Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke, King Rama I (1782–1809). This marked the beginning of the Chakri Dynasty of Thailand (the present head of the dynasty is Bhumibol Adulyadej, King Rama IX.) The Emerald Buddha, a dark green statue, is in a standing form, about 66 centimetres (26 in) tall, carved from a single jade stone ("emerald" in Thai means deep green colour and not the specific stone). It is carved in the meditating posture in the style of the Lanna school of the northern Thailand. Except for the Thai King, no other person is allowed to touch the statue. The King changes the cloak around the statue three times a year, corresponding to the summer, winter, and rainy seasons, an important ritual performed to usher good fortune to the country during each season.

While legend traces this statue to India, its rich historical records dates its finding in Cambodia in the 15th century, moved to Laos in the 16th century and then to Vientiane where it remained for 215 years, and finally to Thailand in the 18th century. Considering the long history and the prophecy of the sage Nagasena that the Emerald Buddha would bring "prosperity and pre-eminence to each country in which it resides", the Emerald Buddha deified in the Wat Phra Kaew is deeply revered and venerated in Thailand as the protector of the country.

LEGEND

The earliest legend about the iconic image of the Emerald Buddha is that of Nagasena, a saint in India who, with the help of Hindu god Vishnu and demigod Indra, had the Emerald Buddha image made, 500 years after Buddha attained Nirvana. With his psychic powers Nagasena predicted that:

The image of the Buddha is assuredly going to give to religion the most brilliant importance in five lands, that is in Lankadvipa (Sri Lanka), Ramalakka, Dvaravati, Chieng Mai and Lan Chang (Laos).

As regards the historical legend of Wat Phra Kaew, it was originally known as the "Wat Pa Yia", (Bamboo Forest Monastery) in the Chiang Rai province of Northern Thailand. The wat was struck by a lightning storm in 1434, when the octagonal Chedi broke open and revealed the Emerald Buddha (made of Jade), locally known as Phra Kaew Morakot. From there it was moved initially to Vientianne and finally to Bangkok where it was sanctified in the temple called at that time Wat Phra Kaew.

Another legend mentions that attempts made by the King of Chiang Mai to possess the statue after it was found in 1434; these failed thrice because the elephants transporting the statue refused to proceed beyond a crossroad in Lampang. The King of Chiang Mai considered the incident to be a strong divine directive and allowed the Buddha statue to remain in Lampang, where it remained for the next 32 years in an exclusively built temple.

HISTORY

According to legend the Emerald Buddha statue originated in India, however other legends claimm it was originally from first vassal Kingdom of Cambodia. The image disappeared when Burmese raiders sacked Ayuttaya also spelt "Ayudaya" and the image was feared lost.

Continuing with the legend of the saint Nagasena of India, after remaining in Pataliputra (present day Patna) for three hundred years, the Emerald Buddha image was taken to Sri Lanka to save it from a civil war. In 457, King Anuruth of Burma sent a mission to Ceylon with a request for Buddhist scriptures and the Emerald Buddha, in order to promote Buddhism in his country. These requests were granted, but the ship lost its way in a storm during the return voyage and landed in Cambodia. When the Thais captured Angkor Wat in 1432 (following the ravage of the bubonic plague), the Emerald Buddha was taken to Ayutthaya, Kamphaeng Phet, Laos and finally Chiang Rai, where the ruler of the city hid it. Cambodian historians recorded capture of the Buddha statue in their famous Preah Ko Preah Keo legend.

The Emerald Buddha reappeared in a chance discovery in Chiang Rai, Lanna in 1434, after a lightning storm struck a temple. The Buddha statue fell down and was chipped. The storm had washed away some of its mud plaster covering (mud coat or stucco used to be laid to safeguard valuable Buddha images). The monks, after removing the plaster around the statue, discovered that the image was a perfectly made Buddha image from a solid piece of Jade, a precious stone. After that, the image moved around a few temples in Lanna. It was then moved to Chiang Rai, then Chiang Mai, from where it was removed by prince Chao Chaiyasetthathirat to Luang Prabang, when his father died and he ascended the throne of both Lanna and Lan Xang, in 1551. The statue remained there for twelve years. King Chaiyasetthathirat then shifted it to his new capital of Lan Xang in Vientiane in the 1560s. He took the Emerald Buddha with him and thereafter the image remained in Vientiane for two hundred and fifteen years until 1778. In the early 18th century, the Kingdom of Lan Xang was divided into 3 different kingdoms; Vientiane, Luang Prabang, and Champassak.

King Taksin of Thonburi (Siam, now Thailand) was crowned king in 1768 (he had defeated the Burmese), reigned for fifteen years, uniting the kingdom and expanding its territorial jurisdiction. Chao Phya Chakri (Chakri is a title) a renowned army general and associate of Taksin, in 1778, defeated the Vientiane and shifted the Emerald Buddha from Vientiane to Thonburi where it remained till Taksin's death. It was then installed in a shrine close to Wat Arun. Chroniclers mention that Taksin had become senile and consequently he was put to death by Chao Phra Chakri. Chao Phra Chakri then took over the reins of the Rattanakosin Kingdom. He adopted the title Rama I and shifted his capital across the Menam Chao Phra river to its present location in Bangkok. The Emerald Buddha was also moved across the river with pomp and pageantry and installed in the temple of Wat Phra Keo. It resides in the Wat Phra Kaew in the precincts of the Grand Palace. Rama I, after he moved the capital from Thonburi to Bangkok, had the temple consecrated in 1784. The King had ordered replacing an old temple at this site by building a new temple as part the construction of his new capital. It was built as an exclusive temple complex for the display of holy buildings, statues, and pagodas. The formal name of Wat Phra Kaeo is Phra Sri Rattana Satsadaram, which means "the residence of the Holy Jewel Buddha."

Phibunsongkhram, a World War II hero of Thailand, the Prime Minister, Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces in 1941 had signed a formal treaty of alliance between the two Buddhist countries of Thailand and Japan in the divine presence of the Emerald Buddha in the wat. He had royal ambitions of shifting the capital from Bangkok to his home town Phetchabun along with the Emerald Buddha. He later gave up his plan under public pressure and also fear of bombing during the war.

However, there are also claims that the statue was originally in Sri Lanka. Art historians of Thailand claim that it was carved in the 14th century in Thailand only. All these theories are discounted on the grounds that none of the historians could get a close look at the statue.

ARCHITECTURE

Wat Phra Kaeo has a plethora of buildings within the precincts of the Grand Palace, which covers a total area of over 94.5 hectares. It has over 100 buildings with “200 years royal history and architectural experimentation” linked to it. The architectural style is named as Rattanakosin style (old Bangkok style). The main temple of the Emerald Buddha is very elegantly decorated and similar to the temple in ancient capital of Ayudhya. The roof is embellished with polished orange and green tiles, the pillars are inlaid in mosaic and the pediments are made of rich marble. The Emerald Buddha is deified over an elevated altar surrounded by large gilded decorations. While the upper part of this altar was part of the original construction, the base was added by King Rama III. Two images of the Buddha, which represent the first two kings of the Chakri dynasty, flank the main image. Over the years, the temple has retained its original design. However, minor improvements have been effected after its first erection during Rama I's reign; wood-work of the temple was replaced by King Rama III and King Chulalongkorn; during King Mongkut's reign, the elegant doors and windows and the copper plates on the floor were additions, Rama III refurbished the wall painting (indicative of the universe according to Buddhist cosmology) and several frescoes that display the various stages of the Buddha's life; three chambers were added on the western side by King Mongkut; in the chamber known as 'Phra Kromanusorn' at the northern end, images of Buddha have been installed in honour of the kings of Ayudya; and in the 19th century, In Khong, a famous painter executed the wall murals. The entry to the temple is from the third gate from the river pier.

The entrance is guarded by a pair of yakshis (mythical giants – 5 metres high statues). The eponymous image Buddha in brilliant green colour is 66 centimetres in height with a lap width of 48.3 centimetres. It is carved in a yogic position, known as Virasana (a meditation pose commonly seen in images in Thailand and also in South India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia). The pedestal on which the Emerald Buddha deified is decorated with Garuda (the mythical half-man half-bird form, a steed of Rama, who holds his mortal enemy Naga the serpent in his legs) motifs It is central to Thai Buddhism. The image made with a circular base has a smooth top-knot that is finished with a "dulled point marking at the top of the image". A third eye made in gold is inset over the elevated eyebrows of the image. The image appears divine and composed, with the eyes cast downward. The image has a small nose and mouth (mouth closed) and elongated ears. The hands are seen on the lap with palms facing upwards.

The entire complex, including the temples, is bounded by a compound wall which is one of the most prominent part of the wat is about 2 kilometres length. The compound walls are decorated with typically Thai murals, based on the Indian epic Ramayana. In Thai language these murals are known to form the Ramakian, the Thai national epic, which was written during the reign of Rama I. The epic stories formed the basic information to draw the paintings during the reign of King Rama I (1782–1809). These paintings are refurbished regularly. The murals, in 178 scenes, starting with the north gate of the temple illustrates the complete epic story of Ramayana sequentially, in a clockwise direction covering the entire compound wall. The murals serve to emphasise human values of honesty, faith, and devotion.

There are twelve salas that were built by Rama I, around the temple. They house interesting artefacts of regions such as Cambodia and Java. One of these salas had an inscription of Ramkamhaeng, which was shifted, in 1924, to the National Library. During the reign of King Mongkut, the Phra Gandharara – small chapel on the southwest corner – and a tall belfry were new additions.

WORSHIP & CEREMONIES

Early in the Bangkok period, the Emerald Buddha used to be taken out of its temple and paraded in the streets to relieve the city and countryside of various calamities (such as plague and cholera). However, this practice was discontinued during Rama IV's reign as it was feared that the image could get damaged during the procession and also a practical line of thinking that Rama IV held "that diseases are caused by germs, not by evil spirits or the displeasure of the Buddha". The image also marks the changing of the seasons in Thailand, with the king presiding over the seasonal ceremonies.

Like many other Buddha statues in Thailand, the Emerald Buddha is dressed in a seasonal costume. It is a significant ritual held at this temple. In this ritual, dress of the deity is changed three times a year to correspond to the seasons. In summer it is a pointed crown of gold and jewels, and a set of jewelled ornaments that adorns the image from the shoulders to the ankles. In winter, a meshed dressing gown or drapery made of gold beads, which covered from the neck down like a poncho is used. During the rainy months, a top-knot headdress studded with gold, enamel and sapphires; the gold attire in the rainy season is draped over the left shoulder of the deity, only with the right shoulder left bare while gold ornaments embellish the image up to the ankles. The astrological dates for the ritual ceremonies, at the changing of the seasons, followed are in the 1st Waning Moon of Lunar Months 4, 8 and 12 (around March, July and November). The costume change ritual is performed by the Thai king who is the highest master of ceremonies for all Buddhist rites. On each occasion, the king himself "cleans the image by wiping away any dust that has collected and changing the headdress of the image". Then a king's royal attendant climbs up and performs the elaborate ritual of changing garments of the image as the king is chanting prayers to the deity. On this occasion, the king sprinkles water over the monks and the faithful who have assembled to witness the unique ritual and seeks blessings of the deity for good fortune during the upcoming season. The two sets of clothing not in use at any given time are kept on display in the nearby Pavilion of Regalia, Royal Decorations and Coins in the precincts of the Grand Palace. While Rama I initiated this ritual for the hot season and the rainy season, Rama III introduced the ritual for the winter season. The robes, which the image adorns, represents that of monks and King's depending on the season, a clear indication of highlighting its symbolic role "as Buddha and the King", which role is also enjoined on the Thai King who formally dresses the Emerald Buddha image.

A ceremony that is observed in the wat is the Chakri Day (begun on April 6, 1782), a national holiday to honour founding of the Chakri dynasty. On this day, the king attends the ceremony. The present king Rama IX, with his Queen, and entourage of the royal family, the Prime Minister, officials in the Ministry of Defence, and other government departments, first offer prayers at the Emerald Buddha temple. This is followed by visit to the pantheon to pay homage to the images of past Chakri rulers that are installed there.

The coronation ceremony, which marks the crowning of the king, is an important event of the Chakri dynasty. One such recent event took place when the present Rama IX was crowned the King. On this occasion, the King came to the Chapel Royal- the Wat Phra Keo – in a procession wearing a 'Great Crown'. After entering the chapel, the king made offerings of gold and silver flowers to the deity and also lighted candles. He also paid homage to the images of Buddha that represented the past kings of the dynasty. In the presence of assembled elite clergy of the kingdom, he took a formal vow of his religion and his steadfastness to 'Defend the Faith'.

RULES OF ENTRY & CONDUCT

The sacred temples in Thailand follow a dress code, which is strictly followed. Men must wear long pants and sleeved shirts and shoes; women must wear long skirts. Visitors who arrive dressed otherwise may rent appropriate clothing items at the entry area of the temple. It is compulsory to remove the shoes before entering the temple, as a sign of respect of the Buddha, as is the practice in all other temples in Thailand. While offering prayers before the Buddha image, the sitting posture should avoid any offensive stretching of feet towards the deity; the feet should be tucked in towards the back.

OTHER MONUMENTS

While the surrounding portico of the shrine is an example of Thai craftsmanship, the perimeter of the temple complex has 12 open pavilions. These were built during the reign of Rama I.There is plethora of monuments in the temple complex. These are:

GRAND PALACE

The former residence of the King, the Grand Palace, adjoins the temple. The King makes use of this Grand Palace for ceremonial functions such as the Coronation Day. The King’s present residence is to the north of this Grand Palace and is known as the Chitlada Palace. The four structures surrounding the temple have history of their own. At the eastern end is the Borombhiman Hall (built in French architectural design), which was the residence of King Rama VI, now used as guest house for visiting foreign dignitaries. It has the dubious distinction of having been used as the operational headquarters and residence of General Chitpatima who attempted a coup, in 1981. The building to the west is the Amarindra hall, earlier a hall of Justice, now used for formal ceremonies. The Chakri Mahaprasat is the largest hall in the Grand Palace, built in 1882 by British architects, the architecture of which is fusion of Italian renaissance and Traditional Thai architecture. This style is called farang sai chada, (meaning: "Westerner wearing a Thai crown") as each wing has a shrine (mandap) crowned by a spire. Ashes of the Chakri kings (five ancestors) are enshrined in the largest of these shrines, also known as the pantheons, that were rebuilt after a fire in 1903 during Rama IV's reign. Ashes of the Chakri princess who could not become kings are enshrined in an adjoining hall. The throne room and the reception hall are on the first floor, while the ground floor houses a collection of weapons. The inner palace had the King’s harem (the practice was discontinued during King Rama VI's time who decreed the one wife rule), which was guarded by well trained female guards. Another hall in the palace is the 'Dusit hall' in Ratanokosin-style, which runs from east to west, which was initially an audience hall but now converted into a funerary hall for the Royal family. Royal family corpses are kept here for one year before they are cremated in a nearby field. There is also a garden which was laid during rama IV's reign. The garden depicts a "Thai mountain-and-woods-fable" mountain scenes where the coming of age ritual of shaving the topknot of the Prince is performed.

PAGODAS

The temple grounds also depict three pagodas to its immediate north, which represent the changing centres of Buddhist influence. One such shrine to the west of the temple is the Phra Si Ratana Chedi, a 19th-century stupa built in Sri Lankan style enshrining ashes of the Buddha.

LIBRARY

Rama I also built a library in Thai style, in the middle of the complex, known as the "Phra Mondop". The library houses an elegantly carved Ayutthaya-style mother-of-pearl doors, bookcases with the Tripitaka (sacred Buddhist manuscripts), human-and dragon-headed nagas (snakes), and images of Chakri kings.

During the 19th century, the Royal Pantheon was built in Khmer style to the east of the temple, which is kept open for only one day in year, in the month of October to commemorate the founding of the Chakri dynasty.

MODEL OF ANGKOR WAT

The temple complex also contains a model of Angkor Wat (the most sacred of all Cambodian shrines). In 1860, King Mongkut ordered his generals to lead 2,000 men to dismantle Angkor Wat and take it to Bangkok. Modern scholars suggested that the king wanted to show that Siam was still in control of Cambodia, as France was seeking to colonise Cambodia at that time. However, the king's order could not be fulfilled. A royal chronicle written by Lord Thiphakorawong (Kham Bunnag), then foreign minister, recorded that many Thai men fell ill after entering Cambodian wilderness. The chronicle also stated that forest-dwelling Khmer people ambushed the Thai army, killing many leading generals. King Mongkut then ordered the construction of the model within Wat Phra Kaew, instead of the real Angkor Wat that could not be brought to Bangkok. Mongkut died before he could see the model. Its construction was complete in the reign of his son, Chulalongkorn.

HERMIT STATUE

A hermit's bronze image, which is believed to have healing powers, is installed in a sala on the western side of the temple. It is near the entry gate. It is a black stone statue, considered a patron of medicine, before which relatives of the sick and infirm pay respects and make offerings of joss sticks, fruit, flowers, and candles.

NINE TOWERS

On the eastern side of the temple premises there are nine towers. They were erected during the reign of Rama I. Each tower is affixed with glazed tiles, with different colours for each tower, supposed to denote colours of the nine planets.

ELEPHANT STAUES

Statues of elephants, which symbolize independence and power, are seen all around the complex. As Thai kings fought wars mounted on elephants, it has become customary for parents to make their children circumambulate the elephant three times with the belief that that it would bring them strength. The head of an elephant statue is also rubbed for good luck; this act of the people is reflected in the smoothness of the surface of elephant statues here.

WIKIPEDIA

Felix Gonzalez-Torres by Marc Wathieu

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View at Felix Gonzalez-Torres "Specific Objects without Specific Form" retrospective at Wiels, february 2010.

WIELS premieres a major traveling retrospective of Felix Gonzalez-Torres’ oeuvre, including both rarely seen and more known artworks, while proposing an experimental form for the exhibition that is indebted to the artist’s own radical conception of the artwork.

Gonzalez-Torres (American, b. Cuba 1957-1996), one of the most influential artists of his generation, settled in New York in the early 1980s, where he studied art and began his practice as an artist before his untimely death of AIDS related complications. His work can be seen in critical relationship to Conceptual art and Minimalism, mixing political activism, emotional affect, and deep formal concerns in a wide range of media, including drawings, sculpture, and public billboards*, often using ordinary objects as a starting point—clocks, mirrors, light fixtures. Amongst his most famous artworks are his piles of candy and paper stacks from which viewers are allowed to take away a piece. They are premised, like so much of what he did, on instability and potential for change: artworks without an already preset or specific form. The result is a profoundly human body of work, intimate and vulnerable even as it destabilizes so many seemingly unshakable certainties (the artwork as fixed, the exhibition as a place to look but not touch, the author as the ultimate form-giver).

To present the oeuvre of an artist who put fragility, the passage of time, and the questioning of authority at the center of his artworks, the exhibition will be entirely re-installed at each of its venues halfway through its duration by a different invited artist whose practice has been informed by Felix Gonzalez-Torres’ work. A first version of Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Specific Objects without Specific Form by curator Elena Filipovic will open to the public and on March 5, 2010, the artist Danh Vo will re-install the exhibition, effectively making an entirely new show.

Text source :

www.wiels.org/site2/event.php?event_id=160

No. 38: Good Morning, London by Matthew Wells

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Welcome fellow Paddington Bear spotter! My photostream features all 50 Paddingtons. If you would like to shortcut to a specific one, please use the links below

No. 1: Love, Paddington X (Lulu Guinness) |

Family tree - Monrad by Sigurdór Guðmundsson

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This is from a family gathering in august. Here Andreas Úlfur is being written in the family tree. That specific family line goes back few hundred years. See the line to Andreas Úlfur for yourself: (It's in danish....)

;-)

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1 : Hans Monrad/Mondrath

(Hans Monrad stammer fra Ungarn, hvor faderen var møller. Melder sig til krigstjeneste under den tyske Kejser og udmærker sig i den grad under den første krig mod tyrkerne, at han blev Kejserlig general i Thüringen. Blev adlet og fik befaling til at føre en halv¬måne (Mond) i sit våben til minde om tyrkerkrigen og et hjul (Rath) til minde om sin forrige stand, deraf navnet Monrad.)

2 : Jacob Monrad.(Jacobus Hanssøn Monradus)

(Døde meget gammel 1578 i Cappeln. Var år 1500 præst i Lütten-dahl 2 mil fra Goslar. Sammen med Luther var han medunder skriver af den Augsburgske Confession. Medskriver af den Bergenske bog, kaldet: Formula Concordiæ, trykt i Frankfurt a. Oder 1581. Jacob Monrad var gift med Luthers søster von Bora, andre mener Luther's hustrus - Catharina von Bora - søster.) Gift med: von Bora/Bohrn

3 : David Monrad. † 1579

4 : Johannes Monrad. 1566- 6/2 1623

5 : David Monrad. 18/10 1591-1653/9

6 : Elisabeth Davidsdatter Monrad. 1644-1718/20. Gift med: Jørgen Marcussen. 1617-1682/3. Kappelan i Assens 1645

7 : Marcus Monrad. 1669-1716

8 : Phillip Ditlev Monrad. 1709-

9 : Marcus Nicolaj Monrad. 16/1 1746-1808

10 : Anne Matthia Monrad. 1/1 1804-ca. 1888. Gift 25/3 1836 med: (6B/A) Christian Clemmensen. 31/10 1811-0/7 1894

11 : Niels Peter Clemmensen. 20/8 1838-1931

12 : Christian Clemmensen. 1868-5/3 1912

13 : Aksel Juel Clemmensen. 26/5 1902-1990. Gift 29/6 1930 med: Sigrid Elisa Monrad Mikkelsen, f. 1903.

14 : Kirsten Augusta Juel Clemmensen. 26/6 1932. Gift 18/10 1958 med: Jan Willy Andersson. 20/1 1931-16/5 1986.

15 : Helle Juel Andersson. 21/9 1960

16 : Sigrid Cecilie Juel Hansen

17 : Andreas Úlfur Juel Sigurdórsson

Sport Specific Workout by Team Swimex

IED disposal at Camp Hero by Canadian Army | Armée canadienne

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Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan Specific 16 Jun 2011

IED disposal at Camp Hero

Master Corporal Chris Wessel, an Operational Mentor and Liaison Team (OMLT) Engineer from Task Force Kandahar provides instruction to Afghan National Army (ANA) Engineer Company Basic Demolition Course at Camp Hero, Kandahar. He is providing instruction on the conventional munitions and IED disposal, to members of the ANA 4th Kandak, 1st Brigade of the 205th (Hero) Corps, Engineer Company.

Task Force Kandahar continues to conduct security operations to help Afghans build a country that is more secure, stable and prosperous, and no longer a safe haven for terrorists. More training of the Afghan National Security Forces is required to meet this goal, and to protect the gains for which Canadian soldiers have fought and sacrificed.

Canadian Forces Image Number AR2011-0233-029

By Cpl. Tina Gillies with Roto 10, Task Force Kandahar, Afghanistan.

_____________________________Traduction

Aérodrome de Kandahar, Afghanistan Le 16 juin 2011

Le Caporal-chef Chris Wessel, un ingénieur de l’Équipe de liaison et de mentorat opérationnel (ELMO) de la Force opérationnelle Kandahar, donne un formation aux participants au Cours élémentaire de destruction – Compagnie du génie de l’Armée nationale afghane (ANA), au Camp Hero à Kandahar. Le cours porte sur la neutralisation des munitions conventionnelles et des IED, et il est dispensé aux membres du 4e Kandak de l’ANA, 1re Brigade du 205e Corps (Hero), Compagnie du génie.

La Force opérationnelle en Afghanistan continue de mener des opérations de sécurité afin d’aider les Afghans à bâtir un pays plus stable et prospère, où règne la sécurité et où les terroristes ne trouvent plus refuge. Pour atteindre cet objectif et pour protéger tout ce pour quoi les militaires canadiens se sont battus et ont fait des sacrifices, les Forces de sécurité nationales afghanes ont besoin de plus d’instruction.

Image des Forces canadiennes numéro AR2011-0233-029

Par le Cpl Tina Gillies avec Roto 10, Force opérationnelle Kandahar, Afghanistan

Bronx - NYBG: KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature - Narcissus Garden by Wally Gobetz

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Narcissus Garden, a site specific installation of one of Yayoi Kusama's most famous works, was installed in the Native Plant Garden at the New York Botanic Garden. It consists of 1,400 mirrored stainless steel balls floating and rearranging themselves in the water. Kusama first performed the Narcissus Garden in 1966 at the 33rd Venice Biennale, where she laid 1500 plastic mirrored orbs on the ground, selling them for $2 apiece to passersby. Named after a myth by Ovid named Echo and Narcissus, Kusama's intention was for everyone to see their own reflection in the orb, and in turn, fall in love with it. In subsequent exhibitions, Kusama had the orbs made from steel instead of plastic and in some installations, set them in bodies of water where they could shift with the course of the wind and current.

KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature, on display from April through October 2021 following a Covid-related postponement, showcases contemporary Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama's lifelong fascination with the natural world beginning with her childhood spent in the greenhouses and fields of her family’s seed nursery.

The New York Botanical Garden, spanning some 250 acres of Bronx Park, was founded in 1891 on part of the grounds of the Belmont Estate, formerly owned by the tobacco magnate Pierre Lorillard, after a fund-raising campaign led by Columbia University botanist Nathaniel Lord Britton, who was inspired to emulate the Royal Botanic Gardens in London.

Secrets bien gardés | Secrets well guarded by Cire Siupud

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These photographs are the first in a series of a body of work in progress. Through this work I am exploring the specific light that one can find in churches and temples.

I was lucky as a kid to have my grandmother living a couple of houses away from ours. Visits to her were frequent, and they were always celebrated with hugs and smiles, an avalanche of kisses, and her unconditional love. Of the memorable moments spent with her, some of the best were when she was taking me to church. I would be at her side, upstairs, as she was playing music. She was indeed the village church’s organist. Sunny days at mass were a pure delight for me: I would sit there and observe the play of light coming through the windows and stained glasses, and I would patiently contemplate its subtle transformations inside the church and through the course of the ceremony. Mass was somehow a sensual ritual for me, a mix of wonder for the light, and sensations collected from the burning incense, the chants, the music, and the people, all of it. The culminating moment was when the church would go empty, the artificial lighting would go off, and I would stand there, alone, with the remains of this intimate experience I just had.

As I grew older, my relationship with church, religion and faith got challenged, like for many of us. Inside opened spaces of doubt and reflection.

In parallel, I am also interested in observing the place worship has taken in our modern lives. Some religious communities are being deserted, their churches are being sold and converted into luxurious condos. Other values, other rituals, are filling the landscape of society. So, what purpose do serve, nowadays, those sacred objects, those icons, those statues, those institutions and their buildings and their symbols? The boundaries of the places these photographs take me now are somewhat uncharted. I find myself chasing their well-guarded secrets. Would the light found in places of worship contribute to the mystical experience? Would this specific light lie at the heart of spirituality and do indeed lead to contemplation?…

This study is a tribute to Margot, my beloved and regretted grandmother.

1:43 Volkswagen T2 Westfalia Berlin (Premium Classixx die cast model conversion) by Dizzyfugu

Not a whif, but rather a custom build for a friend who recently sold his VW T2 camper - originally bought as a restauration project, but reality reared its ugly head and time turned out to be too sparse for this hobby.

However, I dediced to create a model of the specific T2 camper as a memorabilia piece, on a low budget, though.

The basis is a 1:43 scale die cast model from Premium Classixx, a manufacturer that also supplies VW's own fan shop. The company produces lots of limited series models (typically 500 per run), and they are nicely detailed (out- and inside), even though the paint is a bit thick.

I tried to find a basis that was close to the real bus, yet available and affordable - and in my shortsightedness I bought an orange/ivory T2a camper with a Westfalia tent roof, which appeared quite close to the original, at least at first glance.

I am not a VW expert, but I soon realized (actually while work was already in progress!) that the model I bought is T2a, while the bus I wanted to recreate is a later T2b!!! Rats!

At a cursory glance the differences are minimal, but they are there, and they are quite fundemantal.

For instance, front and rear differ between the two T2 models. On the front, the T2b blinkers are placed high, right under the windscreen, while the T2a has them further outside, above the bumbers. The latter are also different, they are extended around the corners, reaching under the front doors. The latter could be easily mended through trimming, while the blinkers were a more complicated affair - I filled the original openings and created a new air inlet for the front (well, it had to be re-done, anyway in the course of re-painting the bus) with new blinkers with a home-printed water-slide decal, some silver decal sheet and clear paint.

The rear end, esp. the brake lights, are totally different, but I left them as is, because a modification would have been much too complicated. But I am agitated that I did not notice the differences before I bought the bus model...

The tent roof is, BTW, also different, but I stuck to the OOB shape because I did not have a view from the top of the real bus' roof.

Internally, the camper received a complete re-design of the furniture, because the seats and other elements like the kitchen block were arranged almost completely different.

The upholstery and wall covers had also to be changed: the model came with an olive green interior (Yuck! Almost RLM02!) and red/blue seats, and I had to change them into a leather brown interior with green/yellow seats. In the original bus, the front seats had furthermore been replaced with more modern (Eighties Golf Mk. II?) parts with head rests, so they were modified accordingly and became two-tone grey.

Another neat internal detail from the original bus is a fake flower chain in rainbow colors that used to hang from the rear view mirror. This distinctive piece was scratched with wire, sawdust and enamel paint.

Music boxes were scratched, too, and hung into the boot, right behind the back window.

While the model came with painted/printed curtains in the windows, I had to re-do them, too, because their sand color would have been too dark; the paint was carefully wet-sanded away, as good as possible, and the free areas patched up with a pale yellow.

On the exterior, the colors had to be changed completely. The ivory roof and the bumpers became white, like the roof, while the wheels received yellow rims (their shape does not match the original rims, either...).

A really big challenge was the spare wheel that is attached to the bus' front: I was not able to get an additional wheel from the manufacturer, so I had to re-cast the spare wheel from one of the model's parts. With an alginate mold and 2C putty the stunt worked, somehow, but it took several attempts and experiments to get it more or less right.

Around the hull, several small details were added, e .g. an individual plug socket, a scratched tow coupling and other very small things.

On the model's basis (it comes in a clear display box with a piece of cobblestone street), I added a flat dish which traditionally collected oil from the engine - created from aluminum foil and a square plastic stencil.

The overall hull color was, after having been wet-sanded, changed from orange to a bright lime green. In order to stay close to the original and not present a "cleaned-up" result of a restauration, I tried to emulate the original's bus slightly shaggy look - after all, it never evolved from its "pre restauration" status to something more solid. Consequently, there's some visible rust, and on the flanks you can see the red primer coat shine through here and there, the original paint finish is rather cloudy and somewhat preliminary.

In order to re-create this look I gave the model a basic coat with mineral red, sanded it, and on top of that I added a coat of green (a mix of Humbrol 38 and 36, it comes surprisingly close to the real tone) with a flat, soft brush,for a slightly uneven, streaky look.

Some areas were later treated with a slightly different mix of the Humbrol colors, and some anti rust primer added at specific areas. Even though there are some areas where the paint gathered into a bumpy surface, the look I achieved is quite convincing!

Beyond the new T2b front grill, as mentioned above,many other things on the exterior were printed as decals at home. This includes the license plates, but also many stickers on the front and back end of the bus. Photographs of the original bus were the basis, and the result is good for the 1:43 scale.

Finally, the model received a coat with Italeri's Semi Gloss acrylic varnish, which creates a good finish that comes close to the original bus, which is/was also never really shiny.

Well, I hate building cars, and the bus was actually not an exception. But I took it as a challenge, and, after all, creating an individual present (with an emotional hook) is always a good motivation.

In the end I must be satisfied with the result, but the model became not as "good" or close to the real world bus as I had hoped for - but this might be crabbing on a very high level. But as long as you do not take a close look, the result is quite convincing, and I hope that the bus model will be well received.

DR. Bambi Black - age 16-007A - Lust labs by Shiny-Moniree

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The story of DR. Bambi Black - Book 1 - The mad scientist

Chapter 1 - The little nerd

Chapter 2 - Doctors work

Chapter 3 - Lulu Lusting

Chapter 4 - Lulu's lust

Chapter 5 - Toy factroy

Chapter 6 - The CEO of SX5

Chapter 7 - Mist making

Chapter 1 - The little nerd

Bambi Black’s creation and subsequent abilities are rooted in the advanced genetic engineering practices of the Cindergloom sector. Not born through natural reproduction, she was manufactured at Clone-Lab-42 on the planet Cindergloom. This facility specialized in creating high-intelligence, genetically modified beings designed to survive in extreme environments. Her biological development was intentionally halted to maintain a specific physical state. Through specialized DNA modification, her IQ reached 140 within a year, leading her to invent advanced technologies and decode DNA. Having become a biological anomaly herself, she was hired by Vicky Voluptuous at Lust Labs, where she was appointed as a doctor with her own laboratory. Designated as 16-001, she—like all clones—was born at age 16 with a full repository of age-appropriate knowledge uploaded to her mind.

Dr. Bambi Black serves as the Chief Executive Officer and lead researcher of Lust Labs in Protocol-984. A highly intelligent yet morally ambiguous scientist, she focuses on addressing the biological crisis of human sterility and widespread DNA degradation. Dr. Black is credited with foundational research on human sexual response and the development of the "orange mist," a substance that amplifies the powers of "Anomalies"—individuals born with unique genetic mutations. Her work is driven by the hypothesis that the genetic code of these anomalies, specifically those with high-level libido markers, holds the key to reversing the Y-Z virus that has plagued humanity for over a millennium.

Chapter 2 - Doctors work

Six years later, Dr. Bambi Black had become a renowned sexologist, developing numerous drugs to boost libido in both humans and anomalies. Passionate about the subject, she authored several erotic comics depicting women pursuing sexual encounters. Because the world of Cindergloom suffered from extremely low libido, humans were typically cloned rather than born. One of Bambi’s inventions was a "green liquid" sold in 250ml cans for 150 volts. This substance maximized libido, allowing men to reach 10 to 20 orgasms and women to experience sustained arousal for hours. Despite the drug's assistance with sexual function, none have achieved the correct genotype to conceive a child.

Bambi engaged in sexual activity with random men several times a week. After consuming a green liquid that induced intense lust, she would continue for hours each night. She subsequently tested herself at the lab, but the results remained inconclusive. Within Cindergloom, promiscuity and nymphomania were not stigmatized; many believed that frequent sexual activity might eventually save the planet, as one individual could hold the key to the perfect genome. To avoid wasting this potential, girls who completed their schooling could obtain a sex license. This permitted them to engage in sexual activity whenever and wherever they chose, including in public. Bambi did not possess a sex card license. She determined that her work in decoding the genome and eliminating the Y-Z virus would become too difficult if she became a nymphomaniac. However, she continued to create new sex toys and test them on girls with sex cards, who were known as sex dolls.

Almost all the sex dolls wore latex clothing, as latex is a well-known fetish that is considered both visually appealing and arousing. Bambi always wore latex and frequently shopped for more in her spare time. Some referred to her as a rubber or sex doll, a title she embraced.

Chapter 3 - Lulu Lusting

Dr. Bambi Black tested numerous sex dolls, all of whom exhibited nymphomania and sought more sexual activity than the city could provide. Due to their insatiable nature, Bambi required them to sign consent forms before testing. The maximum libido level was 12; exceeding this typically resulted in death from sexual overstimulation, while most subjects lost consciousness at level 8. Upon waking, many would beg for more until they fainted again. Bambi experienced her own intense nights, covering herself in latex and utilizing sex toys until she reached level 9 before losing consciousness. To trigger the correct genetic response, the body must maintain a state of twelve for at least one hour. This induces an overdrive state, allowing male sperm to initiate the synthesis of new DNA required to conceive a human child. Even if only one woman in Cindergloom possessed this capability and it occurred only once, she would retain the necessary DNA to combine with existing genetic material and preserve the human race.

Over the past few weeks threes been talk of a new sex-doll, a shiny latex fetish slutty girl named Lulu Lusting. On the day she fished school she rushed over the get her sex card with sex toys in her dripping wet and as soon as she came out the office she got a group of random big men to gang-bang her in the street and she was too horny to wait. She paid for lots of green-liquid and give it to the men. After she's been seen all over Protocol-984 masturbating with sex toys, begging to random men to fuck her not caring who about to see. when she not having gang-bangs, she walks about with vibrating dildo in her. Hearing this Bambi deemed she was the one she She went out into Protocol-984 looking for her. where looked at the hover train Station, she met a sexy hot latex human girl named Teagan Tennyson who worked on the trains. Bambi found that Teagan know most who came there so Bambi ask her to tell Lulu Lust there’s a job for her in Lust labs.

Afew days later where in lust labs The bell rang so Bambi talked on the speaker saying, I'm Bambi Black the CEO of lust labs. She saw on the CTV is was a very sexy hot latex grl, who then said down the speaker, "its you, you I'm your biggest fan" Bambi cut across her saying "I'm working right now," Lulu called Wait!!! I'm Lulu Lusting, I come for a job, You can test any kind of sex on me am happy to take it all for your research." Bambi unlocked the door saying "take the left lift down 50 floors." So Lulu did. Lulu came out in her sexy full red latex outfit saying "look how sexy i look, I'm a really big slut you known," She lifted up her latex mini-skirt showing sex toys in both holes, and virbaters on her clut. The room had lots of wires, cables and pipes, that the walls was had to see. The was all kinds of machines big and small. lots of test tubes filled with things. the room was dim and there where many kinds of sex toys everywhere to be tested on someone soon.

Bambi watch her looking at all the sex toys with excitement "But Lulu, I see your a very greedy girl. But you need to sigh the papers 1st. If you do, you will be owned by lust lubs. Let me tell you before you sign it. As your Libido is so high, we need to test its level to understand the why and how, I deem that your DNA could could be the key on fixing the DNA code the AI bots took from the humans 1,010 years ago, there for no more cloning and no more X-z zomibes running about the badlands in the north. We will move along with it bit by bit and I need the data to be under-stood. But I will make sure you will enjoy it and your will be forever cumming. Lulu then said "the feeling of getting fucked in all 3 holes at ones I love, but with your help, I wish to feel way more of the kinkiest sexual pleasure a girl could ever feel," Bambi got a pen saying "I promise to give you want you want. if you let me use you as a lab rat" Lulu signed her name saying you promised."

Chapter 4 - Lulu's lust

As soon as Lulu sign the lab papers to become a lab rat sex doll DR. Bambi Black got to work. saying "To start will need to see how high your sex drive. Bambi put Lulu into a sex machine were she lay back on a latex bed, the latex was Inflatable and latex Inflatable pillow was added, robot dildos came and took the dildos out of Lulu ass and pussy then they put the new dildos in and started to side in and out back and forth with no sign of slowing down, Lulu orgasmed hard with a greedy grin. Bambi on the holo-computers as lots of coding came up. Lulu cummed again. Bambi went on saying "I see you have an DRD4 gene, but the coding is higher then what I've seen, Mine are FOXP2 and BDNF genes, but you have one here i've not seen. Your libido level coming up as 12+, 12 is the highest it go, interesting, very interesting, Your sexual pleasure level is higher then all, but you can still walk about cumming lots and talk to people. Your dopamine reward pathways are on a loop, your fetish of latex turns you on yet you wear nothing but latex, having sex and masturbating gives you dopamine that you had is why your an slutty nymphomaniac.

Your genetic variant Sexually: Bisexual with your MHC genes, makes you very sexy pretty lets you turn your self on from your self and making you more slutty. Mutations in the CFTR gene that all clones have, you still got it but there some codes here I've not seen, seems when you where being cloned in the Protocol-984 - cloning center, there had zapped you with not just the yellow liquid but tested orange mist, and something else here to. Your Anomalie X geno Is a high rank so this means I can push you more then what would kill a human or an Anomalie X who is at a lower rank. Miss Lusting I can a sure you, you going love it here. Bambi asked what level do your sex toys always vibrate on?" Lulu who had orgasumed 20 times while Bambi talked said "Level 10," Bambi them pushed them to Level 10 and said "Them dildos will vibrate, side in and out till I turn the machine off, It will never power down or slow down. Bambi put her black latex coat on, saying "I'm clocking out now," Lulu go worried thinking the test was now over." then Bambi said "but I sure you can handle them all night long. Bambi walked out the lab putting off the lights, saying "Sweet dreams."

That night, back at home, Bambi dressed in her latex sleepwear, inserted latex dildos, and climbed into her latex bed to watch CCTV footage of Lulu. Bambi enjoyed her kink, reminiscent of the hentai comics she used to create. She contacted her boss, Vicky Voluptuous—a Rank 5 Anomaly with the "Demonic Desire" superpower—to discuss Lulu. Vicky confirmed she was watching the videos, expressed her approval, and instructed Bambi to continue the good work.

Next day Bambi went to a meeting about Lulu and to talk about her lust levels at 12 + and that Lulu is always in a state of Ecstasy who always want more, and for it the never end, and that she not need sleep. a sexy latex hottie spoke up named Teanna Temptress who was a central figure within the power structure of Protocol-984, she was a very alluring individual who was the CEO of SX5, a corporation specializing in advanced technology, robotics, and laboratory research. She asked Bambi saying "If this Lulu is as slutty as you say, Has she not stated making orange mist?" and if you can get her to then I shell fund your work most then any can." Bambi said it can be done if she had the power cells. Teanna replayed saying "I can make that happen"

Chapter 5 - Toy factroy

Next day Bambi entered in a tight black latex sleeved-mini-dress. black latex leggings, and shiny black boots, she was excited to see what kind of ahegao lulu would have. "Sorry I didn't come in yesterday; I had a meeting, mostly about you. Don't worry, though—I monitored you with my tech for 47 hours non-stop. It seems you could use a lot more, yes?" Lulu moaned a lustful yes, craving more. Bambi replaced Lulu's toys with thicker, bumpier latex dildos. She placed a large one between Lulu's breasts, extending to her mouth; Lulu happily began to lick and fellate it while her new dildos penetrated her lower orifices, fast, hard, and deep. Bambi continued working while observing Lulu. "Since you are such a naughty girl—a trait I adore— while putting her hand on her skirt feeling a virbating dildo in her - I will keep you in this orgasmic state. Your lust is charging the power cells, which I can use to create orange mist." Everyone in Cindergloom knew that orange mist was difficult to produce and strictly banned, as it could amplify an Anomaly's power, sometimes pushing them to Rank 5. At Rank 5, Anomalies are formidable; last year, an Anomaly named White-Bolt used her abilities to strike many with lightning bolts, destroying 11 CEO towers. Her power was so immense that she triggered an EMP, leaving the city without electricity for a week. Orange Mist was banned. It possesses the ability to modify technology without requiring a shutdown.

Bambi sent called in all kinds of sex bots to fuck Lulu lots. Lulu was always having an latex virbating dildio, double penetration, and mostly an triple penetrations also. Bambi only removed the dildo in Lulu's mouth once per day just for a little talk to see how she was doing. But all lulu wanted was more sex asking for her dildos to be thicker and bumper. Lulu was soo greedly-slutty, That Bambi had to make new kinds of even kinkier sex toys just to try and keep up with her lust. Bambi put in dildos covered in bumpy rubber lobes, some dildo spun inside her holes while sliding in and out. Virbators on her clut and nipples. Lulu's eyes kept roling to the back of her head, As the weeks went on Bambi was getting kinkier also as she was testing many toys on her self. Bambi stopped going out from her lab while she would do slutty things with Lulu like have Lulu licking her pussy while Bambi was modding new toys to ram into Lulu's pussy. Bambi had her own sex toy factory so she could design any sexy toy from her digital art and 3d print them.

6 weeks later and DR. Banbi Black had had Lulu Lusting in a state of never ending orgams testing all kinds of sex toys in her while always under lots of robotic latex virbating dildios, double penetration and triple penetrations. Lulu was clade on shiny black latex, like a rubberdoll, face coverd, and with more latex layers over her catsuit such as all latex, miro-mini-skirter skirt, stockings, gloves. even her her lusting holes were coated in rubber and open to let thick latex rubber dildos fuck her like crazy with not even an second rest, the sex toys were changed over so fast as one toys pulled out to with a new one put back in a second later. it to Lulu felt as if the same toys had changed within her, Lulu loved it while she moaned in her lust and greed wishing for more while she swam in her slutty greedy dreams of the most unthinkable things.

Chapter 6 - The CEO of SX5

Dr, Bambi Black heard the sound of high heel boots cat-walking into the lab and a very sexy girls voice saying "Getting any where with this whore, Docter? The sound of a whip hitting the table as Dr. Bambi Black said "Yes Lulu's lust is very high that her geno could hold the key to fixing the virus and ending the Y-Z virus." "you think I care about them lifeless zombies, I'm Teanna Temptress and I hold order in this city, I had not funded you 122 brillion volts to play with the dead, I want the mist, has it changed to red yet?" "Red said Bambi, "yes red" said Teanna, like the eyes of Vicky Voluptuous the boss of this lab, you heard of Demonic Desire?" its an old story there is a demon running lust lubs." "is that so? said Bambi, Teanna replayed saying "have you seen your boss? and the super powers of rank 5, Demonic Desire is what she was named?" I was... Teanna cut across Bambi saying, I'm in contoll of the Ai Titans, not you as I'm the CEO of the advanced technology, robotics, and laboratory corporation SX5, I have my own plan to fix this word that you, your boss and my boss not need to know about, My lab is under high lock downs, I pay you to work and shut up,

Bambi watch Teanna now next to Lulu as Teanna's gloved hand slide over Lulus smooth slippery latex lubed latex clade body and down into her pussy, "So about this sex doll Lulu" said Teanna, "Latex, extreme kinky sex, sex toys and gangbangs, double penetration and triple penetration, paizuri's, Come on Bambi look at all the orange mist she making from her lust and pleasure, I want you to push her more, I need more mist." "I got plans to, but I was waiting for you to say so 1st" said Bambi, "and I just did" Lulu heard the sounds of the high heels of Teanna walking out while Bambi then watched Teanna walking out saying, I latex hottie like me always gets what ever she wants." Bambi head her high heels going out down the hall till she was gone.

More about: Bambi

Name: Bambi Black

Her parents: None, Bambi was a lab clone.

Race: Anomalie - born with powers

Superpower: Very high IQ

Clone place: Protocol-984 - clone-lab-42

Planet: Cindergloom

Universe: 17Z9

Multiverse: 0018

Superverse: 002

Age in image: 16 - was cloned and born age 16 but had been 16 for 7 years making her a full age of 23, But she has not aged due to her DNA modded coded. So her age is put as 16-007A = meaning shes been 16 for 7 years due to being an Anomalie.

Height : 5,1

Hair colour: Brown

Eye colour: Light-blue

Favourite Colours: Black and white

Sexually: Changes based on what drugs she takes.

License: Lab license

Job: works at Lust labs

Libido: Changes based on what drugs she takes.

Personality: Always hard at work trying to come up with new ideas, not fearful in testing out new theorys and will sometimes go too far to get what shes looking for.

Favourite fashion: Shiny latex outfits,

aimage011-Luzern-11161 by tisdalem2001

A Ride on the Rheingold, 12 March 1980

My March 1980 Eurailpass trip did not have too many specific objectives. I pretty much made up my itinerary as I went along, thinking "this might be a good idea" and doing it.

There were a few things I'd wanted to do and among them were rides on Germany's Rheingold and Le Mistral in France. Both were TEEs in 1980, 1st class only. The TEE network was not as extensivfe by 1980 as it had been a few years earlier with some TEEs having been replaced by or reclassified as Intercity trains with 2nd class as well as 1st class cars. In fact, Germany's Intercity fleet ran every hour with a diner and first class cars that came from the same pool as TEEs would use.

I'd read about the Rheingold in various publications since the 1960s. At one time, it had featured a dome car, but that was gone by 1980. It was one of the few European trains with a lounge car as well as a diner.

I''d wound up in Switzerland after starting my travels in Spain and probably decided to use the Rheingold to leave Switzerland when I got there. At the time, the Rheingold was a Geneva-Amsterdam train with through cars from Milan and Chur. The Milan car ran on the Tiziano, a Milan-Hamburg train classed an IC in Germany, and is what I rode as the Tiziano swapped directions and power in Luzern after crossing the Gotthard line.

The Rheingold trip was my first time in Germany after having been interested in Germany railways since the late 1960s when I got Marklin model trains, and I was very impressed by the 200 km/h running in placed behind a Class 103 electric as well as the overall eifficiency and level of service of the DB. I had gotten used to that level of service, if not quite the speed in several days in Switzerland, but the DB really made a strong positive impression. The Rheingold was one fo the few trains where I ate in the dining car...despite having a 1st class railpass, this was definitely a budget trip and I usually got food at grocery stores or cheap restaurants, as diners are expensive.

While waiting at Luzern for the Tiziano, the Metropolitano came through southbound. This was a Frankfurt-Milan IC train with FS 2nd class cars, DB 1st class and, in Switzerland, a Swiss diner and baggage car that looked quite a bit older than the sleek Italian and German coaches.

The trip on the Rheingold had a bit of comedy at the Dutch border...Dutch customs searched my bags. I had been on the road for close to 2 weeks since leaving my friends in Belgium and had gone through just about all of my clothes, underwear and socks in that time. I was planning to find a laundromat in Amsterdam as I'd have all day in the Netherlands, so the customs officer got a nosefull of my dirty laundry as he searched for contraband. I was thinking, "You don't smuggle drugs INTO the Netherlands, you buy them in Amsterdam and take them elsewhere!" I had nothing illegal with me, just a lot of film, cameras and dirty laundry.

The Rheingold stuck aroundd for a few more years at the TEE network turned into IC and EuroCity trains. I saw it in 1984, by which time, its cars had an extra stripe to distinguish them from the normal DB IC 1st class and dining cars.

I just checked and today there is no through Geneva-Amsterdam service. Taking a combination of TGV, and Thalys via Paris with a change of stations takes about 2 1/2 hours less time than the 1980 Rheingold did. From Basel, once again, the trip is faster, but entails several changes of trains, including one ICE and Thalys route with changes at Koln and Brussels. TGVs and ICEs do not lend themselves to having cars switched in and out.

Paddington Jack by Matthew Wells

Welcome fellow Paddington Bear spotter! My photostream features all 50 Paddingtons. If you would like to shortcut to a specific one, please use the links below

No. 1: Love, Paddington X (Lulu Guinness) |

Paddington Bearing Up by Matthew Wells

Welcome fellow Paddington Bear spotter! My photostream features all 50 Paddingtons. If you would like to shortcut to a specific one, please use the links below

No. 1: Love, Paddington X (Lulu Guinness) |

It's Kraken, Gromit! by Matthew Wells

Would you like a take a shortcut to a specific Gromit?

aimage006-Luzern-Re6-6-Metropolitano-11679 by tisdalem2001