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Seen and photographed while wandering with Christian. Mitchell Island, Richmond, BC. December 27, 2012.
This pair of towers (at 38 and 41 stories, the Bronx's tallest) was built to provide 871 units of affordable rental housing under the Mitchell-Lama program. Rudolph's design is reminiscent of his earlier Crawford Manor in New Haven: its futuristic-Brutalist appearance belies a fairly ordinary structure of concrete columns and slabs, with precast infill. The walls have Rudolph’s favored “corduroy” texture, which is detailed to imply continuous verticals, as if the huge oval “piers” are the structure and the other spaces are hung between them. In fact, the ovals are rather poorly-lit bedrooms, with closets shoved against the real columns, and the pre-fab corduroy surfaces are simply cladding. The project is thus a perfect “Duck” per Venturi and Scott Brown’s critique of Crawford: conveying the message “Super-Modern Building found here” displaces all other concerns. (The living rooms do take advantage of the kingly views, though.) The Baroque curviness is meant to evoke the geometry of the adjacent parkway, while staving off the client’s desire for a circular building.
The whole thing is an air-rights cap over the Mosholu rail yards; Rudolph had hoped to further cap the parking deck with a leafy trellis and townhouse-style units. Perhaps someone pointed out that two- and three-story buildings perched atop a three-story concrete cliff made for fairly unconvincing "townhouses." Nonetheless, the scheme's biggest failing (at a design level) is its insufficient urbanity; as with some other Mitchell-Lama projects, I suspect cost savings found in unconventional sites contributed to a long-term sense of (unpleasant) isolation. There is no walking route to, or into, the buildings that is not in some wise a slog. As well, today's residents are suffering from a major recent rent hike (after getting it partially reduced by the courts).
As landmarks, the buildings are another story - striking, visible for miles, with the rhythm of open and closed surfaces leading to fantastic sculptural effects in strong light. If they just plugged into something more convincing at ground level these might be thought of as classics.
I love the shape, colour and structure of artichoke. Of course you can eat them, lovely, but these ones are allowed to grow and show their violet flowers inside. But we need patience.
The Post Building (formerly Royal Mail West Central District Office) Museum Street, London WC1.
Sony A7 + Canon FD 55mmm f/1.2 Aspherical
Edited ISS070 image of the Richat Structure in Mauritania. Color/processing variant.
Original metadata: GMT064_14_17_Jasmin Moghbeli_SN1067_Africa Eye of Sahara to Southern and Antarctic Lands 50-500mm
Back in March of this year, I photographed this now dessicated stalk when it was covered with healthy growth and flowers. The flowers are long gone, but I like the look of the structure itself.
It wasn't until I was looking at the image on my computer monitor that I noticed this little green spider near the bottom that had produced the silky webs that had been on the branches, but which came off when I moved and handled the branches in setup.
Strobist info: I lit this with a YN560-II in a 24 inch softbox, camera left and pointing to the subject at a 45 degree angle, as the main light and a YN560 in an identical softbox, camera right at half the power of the main light, for fill. I reduced the power on the fill light because I wanted to see some shadows to provide a sense of depth. Both strobes, in manual mode, were triggered by a Yongnuo RF-603N.
Other plants, flowers, fruit or thingys that I've photographed using strobes can be seen in my Strobe Lit Plant set. In the description for that set, I list resources that I've used to learn how to light with off camera flash, and the equipment that I use. www.flickr.com/photos/9422
The flowering plant that this came from can be seen in the comments below.
Children looking down through the see-through floor of
The Hive - Kew Gardens - a 17m high multi-sensory installation commissioned by the UK Government and created by artist Wolfgang Buttress, Simmonds Studio and BDP. It formed the centerpiece of the UK Pavillion at the 2015 Milan Expo.
The structure highlights the importance of pollinators to our future food security.
Built in 1965, this International-style structure was designed by David Cuttino, Jr. It stands just west of the Clarkesville town square. In recent years, the structure has been replaced by a newer facility on the south side of town. The structure appears to sit vacant.
Clarkesville, Georgia is a small town located in the northeast of the state, in the Appalachian Mountains.
The barn at the Oconaluftee Farm Museum in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is a cantilever barn with overhang for storage space. The trail along the Oconaluftee River is one of my favorite places in the Smokies. For 125 in 2025 #96- Structure.
And a Mafersa D Series train arriving at Carrão Station, Line 3 - Red, São Paulo Subway System, Brazil
Located at 38 Bryant Street, San Francisco, this striking structure epitomizes the blend of modern and Art Deco architectural styles prevalent in the city's SoMa district. The building's curved facades and extensive use of glass create a visually appealing aesthetic, harmonizing with the surrounding high-rises. This area, characterized by its proximity to the Bay Bridge, showcases a dynamic urban environment that juxtaposes older architectural designs with contemporary skyscrapers. The neighborhood is a hub of activity, reflecting the pulse of San Francisco’s evolving skyline. The combination of sleek, modern lines with historical architectural elements makes 38 Bryant Street a significant landmark, representing both the city's rich history and its progressive future. This architectural gem is a testament to the innovative spirit that defines San Francisco's urban landscape, offering a unique blend of style and functionality.
On 11th October , 2014, around 2.30 pm we reached our hotel at Leh. After a hurried lunch we proceeded to famous Hemis Monastery. In the late afternoon we reached at Hemis. It was behind a small hill, difficult to figure out such a huge structure from a distant point. We climbed few staircases, crossed a door and finally reached the main courtyard. What a wonderful ambiance it had been, so peaceful and serene. It was getting dark soon, and couldn’t see much of it. The next day we came again and had a vivid look. I was amazed by its richness and traditions of tantric practice of Tibetan Buddhism in such a remote place of the world.
Hemis Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery (gompa) of the Drukpa Lineage, located in Hemis, Ladakh, India. Situated 45 km from Leh, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Hemis Monastery existed before the 11th century and was re-established in 1672 by the Ladakhi king Sengge Namgyal. The annual Hemis festival honoring Padmasambhava is held here in early June.
Terma and tertöns : The essence of Tebetan Buddhism.
Padmasambhava (lit. "Lotus-Born"), also known as Guru Rinpoche, is a literary character of terma (Terma or "hidden treasure"- are key Tibetan Buddhist teaching, which the tradition holds were originally esoterically hidden by various adepts such as Padmasambhava and his consorts, in the 8th century for future discovery at auspicious times by other adepts, known as tertöns. As such, they represent a tradition of continuous revelation in Tibetan Buddhism. Termas are a part of Tantric Literature. Tradition holds that terma may be a physical object such as a text or ritual implement that is buried in the ground (or earth), hidden in a rock or crystal, secreted in a herb, or a tree, hidden in a lake (or water), or hidden in the sky (space). Though a literal understanding of terma is "hidden treasure", and sometimes objects are hidden away, the teachings associated should be understood as being “concealed within the mind of the guru”, that is, the true place of concealment is in the tertön's mindstream. If the concealed or encoded teaching or object is a text, it is often written in dakini script: a non-human type of code or writing).
Terma is an emanation of Amitabha (Amitābha or Amideva, is a celestial buddha described in the scriptures of the Mahāyāna school of Buddhism. Amitābha is the principal buddha in the Pure Land sect, a branch of Buddhism practiced mainly in East Asia, while in Vajrayana Amitābha is known for his longevity attribute, magnetising red fire element, the aggregate of discernment, pure perception and the deep awareness of emptiness of phenomena. According to these scriptures, Amitābha possesses infinite merits resulting from good deeds over countless past lives as a bodhisattva named Dharmakāra. "Amitābha" is translatable as "Infinite Light," hence Amitābha is also called "The Buddha of Immeasurable Life and Light" ).
Terma that is said to appear to tertons (A tertön is a discoverer of ancient texts or terma in Tibetan Buddhism) in visionary encounters and a focus of Tibetan Buddhist practice (Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet, Mongolia, Tuva, Bhutan, Kalmykia and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, and India (particularly in Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Dharamsala, Lahaul and Spiti district in Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim. It is also practiced in Northeast China. Religious texts and commentaries are contained in the Tibetan Buddhist canon such that Tibetan is a spiritual language of these areas. The Tibetan diaspora has spread Tibetan Buddhism to many Western countries, where the tradition has gained popularity. Among its prominent exponents is the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. The number of its adherents is estimated to be between ten and twenty million).
Interested Viewers can see the following documentary on Padmasambhava:
Padmasambhava
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQBbfLtxj8A&spfreload=10
History
Hemis Monastery existed before the 11th century. Naropa, the pupil of the yogi Tilopa, and teacher of the translator Marpa is connected with this monastery. A translation was made by A. Grünwedel (Nӑro und Tilo,: Festschrift Ernst Kuhn, München 1916) of Naropa's biography that was found in Hemis monastery.
In this manuscript Naropa (or Naro) meets the "dark blue" (Skr.: nila: dark blue or black) Tilopa (or Tillo), a tantric master, who gives Naropa 12 "great" and 12 "small" tasks to do in order to enlighten him to the inherent emptiness/illusoriness of all things. Naropa is depicted as the "abbott of Nalanda" (F. Wilhelm, Prüfung und Initiation im Buche Pausya und in der Biographie des Naropa, Wiesbaden 1965, p. 70), the university-monastery in today's Bihar, India, that flourished until the sacking by Turkish and Afghan Muslim forces. This sacking must have been the driving force behind Naropa's peregrination in the direction of Hemis. After Naropa and Tilopa met in Hemis they travelled back in the direction of a certain monastery in the now no longer existing kingdom of Maghada, called Otantra which has been identified as today's Otantapuri. Naropa is consered the founding father of the Kagyu-lineage of the Himalayan esoteric Buddhism. Hence Hemis is the main seat of the Kagyu lineage of Buddhism.
In 1894 Russian journalist Nicolas Notovitch claimed Hemis as the origin of an otherwise unknown gospel, the Life of Saint Issa, Best of the Sons of Men, in which Jesus is said to have traveled to India during his "lost years." According to Notovitch, the work had been preserved in the Hemis library, and was shown to him by the monks there while he was recuperating from a broken leg. But once his story had been re-examined by historians, Notovitch confessed to having fabricated the evidence. Bart D. Ehrman states that "Today there is not a single recognized scholar on the planet who has any doubts about the matter. The entire story was invented by Notovitch, who earned a good deal of money and a substantial amount of notoriety for his hoax". However, the Indian Pandit Swami Abhedananda also claims to have read the same manuscript, and published his account of viewing it after his visit to Hemis in 1921. Abhedananda claims on the book jacket that it was translated for him with the help of a "local Lama interpreter." In the same vein, Notovich did not initially translate the manuscript, but reported his Sherpa guide did so as Notovitch could not read the original text. Notovich's version of the manuscript was translated from Tibetan to Russian to French to English. According to Swami Abhedananda's account, his Lama's translation was equivalent to the one published by Notovich. The Gutenberg Project has published the entire manuscript as a free ebook.
Hemis Festival
The Hemis Festival is dedicated to Lord Padmasambhava (Guru Rimpoche) venerated as the Dance Performance at Hemis Monastery representative reincarnate of Buddha. He is believed to have been born on the 10th day of the fifth month of the Monkey year as predicted by the Buddha Shakyamuni. It is also believed that his life mission was, and remains, to improve the spiritual condition of all living beings. And so on this day, which comes once in a cycle of 12 years, Hemis observes a major extravaganza in his memory. The observance of these sacred rituals is believed to give spiritual strength and good health. The Hemis festival takes place in the rectangular courtyard in front of the main door of the monastery. The space is wide and open save two raised square platforms, three feet high with a sacred pole in the center. A raised dias with a richly cushioned seat with a finely painted small Tibetan table is placed with the ceremonial items - cups full of holy water, uncooked rice, tormas made of dough and butter and incense sticks. A number of musicians play the traditional music with four pairs of cymbals, large-pan drums, small trumpets and large size wind instruments. Next to them, a small space is assigned for the lamas to sit.
The ceremonies begin with an early morning ritual atop the Gompa where, to the beat of drums and the resounding clash of cymbals and the spiritual wail of pipes, the portrait of "Dadmokarpo" or "Rygyalsras Rimpoche" is then ceremoniously put on display for all to admire and worship.
The most esoteric of festivities are the mystic mask dances. The Mask Dances of Ladakh are referred collectively as chams Performance. Chams performance is essentially a part of Tantric tradition, performed only in those gompas which follow the Tantric Vajrayana teachings and the monks perform tantric worship.
Source: Wikipedia and others.
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