They look so good together that maybe they would be lost without each other...

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Barcelona's old city is, without doubt, one of the nicest and most romantic of Europe. Its small streets, shops, the air you breathe, everything invites you to wander around, getting to know every place of this charming area. Even if we propose you a route, our best tip is to walk haphazardly around, without rushing, guided by what you see.

The RAMBLA is, of course, the best known landmark of Barcelona, and deservedly so. Meandering down from the Pl. de Catalunya to the Columbus statue, filled with newspaper kiosks, flower and animal stalls, and all sorts of artists, it is undoubtedly the place where everyone comes together, both tourists and locals, from the most inconspicuous to the most exaggerated representative of all sorts of urban tribes.

Of interest is the Miró Mosaic, the Liceu (Opera house), the Mercat de la Boqueria or exhibition centres such as the Palau de la Virreina and the Centre d'Art Santa Mònica.

 

When you feel tired, have a drink at one of the many terraces, try your luck at the Café de la Ópera. Strolling down the Rambla, on your right is the Barri del Raval, formerly known as the "barrio chino", the red-light district of the city. This area no longer has a bad reputation. In the Raval you will find many small restaurants and night bars where you can spend a very pleasant evening. In Calle Montalegre you'll find the Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona, which houses various exhibitions and the restored Museu d'Art Contemporani. Further down the Ramblas, in Calle Nou de la Rambla, is the Palau Güell, by Gaudí. You should not miss Pl. Reial, on your left, with its archway and palm trees (some say the tallest of Europe). It used to have a bad reputation, but has now become one of the safest places in the city. From this square go to Calle Ferran, which leads to Pl. Sant Jaume, where the Palau de la Generalitat and the Town Hall can be found. Once in the Barri Gòtic, the best thing to do is to wander round the small streets, exploring them for yourself. But don't miss the Pl. de Sant Josep Oriol, with its afternoon concerts. Pl. de Sant Felip Neri, the most romantic of the city, the Cathedral with its fine cloister, the Calle del Bisbe and the Pl. del Rei. If you're not too tired, it's time to go shopping around Portaferrissa and Portal de l'Àngel. You're not through with Ciutat Vella yet: you still have to visit the Barri de la Ribera, which is down to the right of Via Laietana, and where, among many others, you can find the Museu Picasso and the church of Santa Maria del Mar, the most representative example of the austere Catalan gothic style. This area, and that of the Pg. del Born, are rich in restaurants and bars where you can have a drink late at night.

 

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In Indian art, a surasundari (literally "celestial beauty") is a young maiden characterizing feminine beauty and graceful sensuality.

 

Buddhist and Jain shrines have featured sensual figures in form of yakshis and other spirits since 2nd century BCE. However, the surasundari motif gained prominence in Indian temple architecture only around the beginning of the 9th century CE. Shilpa-Prakasha, a 9th-century Tantric architectural treatise, declares a monument without a surasundari as inferior and fruitless. The 15th century text Kshirarnava states that the surasundaris should be depicted looking down (adho-drishti), not looking at someone.

 

In temple sculptures, the surasundaris are often depicted as attendants of gods and goddesses. They also manifest as dancing apsaras. A salabhanjika or tree nymph is another variation of a surasundari. Other forms of a surasundari include:

 

Darpani (mirror holder)

Torana (door leaner)

Dalamalika (branch holder)

Padmagandha (smelling like a lotus)

Ketakibharana (with a ketaki flower)

Matrika (mother)

Chamari (fly whisk bearer)

Nartaki (dancer)

Shukasarika (one who plays with a parrot)

Nupurapadika (one who ties anklets)

Mardala (drummer)

Alasyakanya (lazy)

Shubhagamini (thorn remover)

 

The presence of surasundaris in religious shrines is interpreted in several ways. A spiritual interpretation is that they represent shakti (the feminine cosmic energy), and can be considered as both auspicious and empowering. A secular interpretation is that they represent the prosperity of the king who commissioned the temple.

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City Palace, Udaipur, is a palace complex in Udaipur, in the Indian state Rajasthan. It was built over a period of nearly 400 years being contributed by several kings of the dynasty, starting by the Maharana Udai Singh as the capital of the Sisodia Rajput clan in 1559, after he moved from Chittor. It is located on the east bank of the Lake Pichola and has several palaces built within its complex. Udaipur was the historic capital of the former kingdom of Mewar in the Rajputana Agency and its last capital.

 

The City Palace in Udaipur was built in a flamboyant style and is considered the largest of its type in Rajasthan, a fusion of the Rajasthani and Mughal architectural styles, and was built on a hill top that gives a panoramic view of the city and its surrounding, including several historic monuments such as the Lake Palace in Lake Pichola, the Jag Mandir on another island in the lake, the Jagdish Temple close to the palace, the Monsoon Palace on top of an overlooking hillock nearby and the Neemach Mata temple. These structures are linked to the filming of the James Bond movie Octopussy, which features the Lake Palace and the Monsoon Palace. The subsequent publicity has resulted in the epithet of Udaipur as "Venice of the East". In 2009, Udaipur was rated the top city in the World's Best Awards by Travel + Leisure.

 

HISTORY

The city Palace was built concurrently with establishment of the Udaipur city by Maharana Udai Singh, in 1559 and his successor Maharanas over a period of the next 300 years. It is considered the largest royal complex in Rajasthan and is replete with history. Founding of the city and building of the palace complex can not be looked in isolation as the Maharanas lived and administered their kingdom from this palace.

 

Prior to moving their capital from Udaipur to Chittor≤≥, the Mewar kingdom had flourished initially in Nagda (30 kilometres to the north of Udaipur), established in 568 AD by Guhil, the first Mewar Maharana. In the 8th century, the capital was moved to Chittor, a hill top fort from where the Sisodias ruled for 80 years. Maharana Udai Singh II inherited the Mewar kingdom at Chittor in 1537 but by that time there were signs of losing control of the fort in wars with the Mughals. Udai Singh II, therefore, chose the site near Lake Pichola for his new kingdom because the location was well protected on all sides by forests, lakes and the Aravalli hills. He had chosen this site for his new capital, much before the sacking of Chittor by Emperor Akbar, on the advice of a hermit he had met during one of his hunting expeditions.

 

At his capital Udaipur, Maharana Udai Singh soon faced defeat at the hands of Mughal Emperor Akbar. He soon moved to Udaipur to the chosen location to establish his new capital. The earliest royal structure he built here was the Royal courtyard or 'Rai Angan', which was the beginning of the building of the City Palace complex, at the place where the hermit had advised Maharana to build his Capital.

 

After Udai Singh’s death in 1572, his son Maharana Pratap took the reins of power at Udaipur. He was successful in defeating Akbar at the battle of Haldighati in 1576 and thereafter Udaipur was peaceful for quite some years. With this, prosperity of Udaipur ensued, palaces were built on the shore and in the midst of the Pichola lake. Concurrently art, particularly miniature painting, also flourished.

 

But in 1736, the marauding Marathas attacked Udaipur and by the end of the century the Mewar state was in dire straits and in ruins. However, the British came to Mewar’s rescue in the 19th century and soon the State of Mewar got re-established and prospered under British protection, under a treaty signed with the British. However, the British were not allowed to replace them. Once India got independence in 1947, the Mewar Kingdom, along with other princely states of Rajasthan, merged with the Democratic India, in 1949. The Mewar Kings subsequently also lost their special royal privileges and titles. However, the successor Maharanas have enjoyed the trust of their people and also retained their ownership of the palaces in Udaipur. They are now running the palaces by creating a trust, called the Mewar Trust, with the income generated from tourism and the heritage hotels that they have established in some of their palaces. With the fund so generated they are running charitable hospitals, educational institutions and promoting the cause of environmental preservation.

 

LEGEND

Historical legend narrated to the selection of the site for the palace is about a hermit meeting Maharana Udai Singh when he was on a hunting trail in the Udaipur hills. The Maharana met the hermit who was meditating on top of a hill above the Pichola Lake and sought the hermit’s blessings. The hermit advised the Maharana to build his palace at that very spot and that is where the palace complex came to be established at Udaipur.

 

GEOGRAPHY

The city palace located in Udaipur city at 24.576°N 73.68°E, which is set with an average elevation of 598 metres.

 

CLIMATE

The climate of Udaipur reflects the climate at the city palace. It is tropical, with the mercury recording between a maximum of 38.3 °C and a minimum of 28.8 °C during summers. Winter is cold with the maximum temperature rising to 28 °C and the minimum dipping to 11.6 °C. The average annual rainfall is 64 cm.

 

STRUCTURES

The series of palaces packed in the city palace complex, facing east (as customarily appropriate for the Maharana dynasty – the Sun dynasty), behind an exquisite facade of 244 metres length and 30.4 metres height, were built on a ridge on the east of lake Pichola. They were built over a long period, from 1559 onwards, by 76 generations of Sisodia Rajputs or Suryavanshi Rajputs (worshippers of Sun god). Several Maharanas (the title Maharana is distinctly different from Maharajah, as the former connotes a warrior and the latter a ruler or a king) starting with Udai Mirza Singh II, have richly contributed to this edifice, which comprises an agglomeration of structures, including 11 small separate palaces. The unique aspect of this conglomeration is that the architectural design (a rich blend of Rajasthani, Mughal, Medieval, European and Chinese Architecture) is distinctly homogeneous and eye catching. The palace complex has been built entirely in granite and marble. The interiors of the palace complex with its balconies, towers and cupolas exhibit delicate mirror-work, marble-work, murals, wall paintings, silver-work, inlay-work and leftover of colored glass. The complex provides a fine view of the lake and the Udaipur city from its upper terraces.

 

Located with the picturesque backdrop of rugged mountains, beside the Pichola lake on its shore, the city palace complex painted in gleaming white color has been compared to the Greek islands, such as the Mykonos.

 

The famous structures or palaces viewed from the Lake Palace appear like a fort. They are interlinked inside the complex through a number of chowks or quadrangles with zigzag corridors (planned in this fashion to avoid surprise attacks by enemies). Erected in the complex, after entering through the main Tripolia (triple) gate, are the Suraj Gokhda (public address facade), the Mor-chowk (Peacock courtyard), the Dilkhush Mahal (heart’s delight), the Surya Chopar, the Sheesh Mahal (Palace of glass and mirrors), the Moti Mahal (Palace of Pearls), the Krishna Vilas (named after Lord Krishna), Shambu Niwas (royal residence now), the Bhim Vilas, the Amar Vilas (with a raised garden) that faces the Badi Mahal (the big palace), the Fateprakash Palace and the Shiv Niwas Palace (the latest addition to the complex); the last two have been converted into heritage hotels. Details of all these structures are elaborated. The vast collection of structures are termed to form ‘a city within a city’ set with facilities of post office, bank, travel agency, numerous craft shops and also an Indian boutique belonging to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for Nature. The entire complex is the property of the Mewar royal family and a number of trusts take care of the running and maintenance of the structures. The earliest royal structure built in the complex was the Royal courtyard or Rai Angan.

 

GATEWAYS

Gateways, colloquially called Pols, are set to the east of Udaipur city that was established by Maharana Udai Singh II, concurrently with the City Palace. A number of impressive gateways provide access to the palace complex.

 

The main entry from the city is through the 'Bara Pol' (Great Gate), which leads to the first courtyard. Bara Pol (built in 1600) leads to the ‘Tripolia Pol', a triple arched gate built in 1725, which provides the northern entry. The road between this gate and the palace is lined with shops and kiosks owned by craftsmen, book-binders, miniature painters, textile dealers and antique shops. Between these two gates, eight marble arches or Toranas are erected. It is said that the Maharanas used to be weighed here with gold and silver, which was then distributed among the local people. Following the Tripolia gate is an arena in front of the Toran Pol and the facade palace, where elephant fights were staged in the past to test their prowess before starting on war campaigns.

 

The main block of the city palace at Udaipur is approached through a modest door from the Ganesha Deodhi terrace. The door is flanked by whitewashed walls vibrantly painted with martial animals in the traditional Rajput style.

 

AMAR VILAS

Amar Vilas is the uppermost court inside the complex, which is a raised garden. It provides entry to the Badi Mahal. It is a pleasure pavilion built in Mughal style. It has cussed arcades enclosing a square marble tub. Amar Vilas' is the highest point of the City palace and has wonderful hanging gardens with fountains, towers and terraces.

 

BADI MAHAL

Badi Mahal (Great Palace) also known as Garden Palace and is the exotic central garden palace that is situated on a 27 metres high natural rock formation bis-a-bis the rest of the palace. The rooms on the ground floor appear to be at the level of the fourth floor in view of the height difference to its surrounding buildings. There is a swimming pool here, which was then used for Holi festival (festival of colors) celebration. In an adjoining hall, miniature paintings of 18th and 19th centuries are displayed. In addition, wall paintings of Jag Mandir (as it appeared in the 18th century), Vishnu of Jagdish temple, the very courtyard and an elephant fight scene are depicted.

 

The elephant fight depicted in a painting on the wall was a representation of the real elephant fights, which used to be organized by the Maharanas. It is mentioned that the elephants used to be fed hashish (opium) before arranging the fights. An interesting observation is that the word ‘assassin’ is a derivative of the word ‘hashish’. The last such fight was reported in 1995.

 

BHIM VILAS

Bhim Vilas has a gallery of a remarkable collection of miniature paintings that depict the real life stories of Radha-Krishna.

 

CHINI CHITRASHALA

Chini Chitrashala (Chinese art place) depicts Chinese and Dutch ornamental tiles.

 

CHOTI CHITRASHALI

Choti Chitrashali or 'Residence of Little Pictures', built in early 19th century, has pictures of peacocks.

 

DILKHUSHA MAHAL

Dilkhusha Mahal or ‘Palace of Joy’ was built in 1620.

 

DURBAR HALL

Durbar Hall was built in 1909 within the Fatepraksh Palace (now a heritage hotel) Official functions such as State banquets and meetings were held here. The gallery of the hall was used by the Royal ladies to observe the Durbar proceedings. This hall has luxuriant interior with some unusually large chandeliers. Weapons of the maharanas and also some of their unique portraits are also depicted here. The foundation stone for this hall was laid by Lord Minto, the Viceroy of India, in 1909, during the rule of Maharana Fateh Singh and was then called Minto Hall.

 

FATEPRAKASH PALCE

Fateprakash Palace, which is now run as a luxury hotel, has a crystal gallery that consists of crystal chairs, dressing tables, sofas, tables, chairs and beds, crockery, table fountains which were never used. There is also a unique jewel studded carpet here. Maharaja Sajjan Singh had ordered these rare items in 1877 from F& C Osler & Co of London but he died before they arrived here. It is said that the packages containing these crystals remained unopened for 110 years.

 

JAGDISH MANDIR

Jagdish Mandir, located 150 metres north of the city palace, was built in 1652 in Indo-Aryan architectural style. It is a large and aesthetically elegant temple where an idol of Lord Jagannath, a form of Lord Vishnu made in black stone is deified in the sanctum. The temple walls and the sikhara or tower are decorated with carvings of Vishnu, scenes from Lord Krishna’s life and figurines of nymphs or apsaras. A brass image of Garuda (half-bird, half-man image, which is Lord Vishnu’s vehicle), is placed in a separate shrine in front of the temple. Flanking the steps up the temple decoration of statues of elephants are seen. The street square, where the temple is located, is also known as Jagdish Chowk from where several roads radiate in different directions.

 

KRISHNA VILAS

Krishna Vilas is another chamber, which has rich collection of miniature paintings that portray royal processions, festivals and games of the Maharanas. However, there is tragic story linked to this wing of the City Palace. In the 19th century, a royal princess was unable to choose from two suitors seeking her hand in marriage, one from the royal family of Jaipur and another from Jodhpur, and hence in a state of dilemma, she poisoned herself to death.

 

LAXMI VILAS CHOWK

Laxmi Vilas Chowk is an art gallery with a distinctive collection of Mewar paintings.

 

MANAK MAHAL

The Manek mahal approached from the Manak Chowk is an enclosure for formal audience for the Udaipur rulers. It has a raised alcove inlaid completely in mirror glass. Sun-face emblems, in gleaming brass, religious insignia of the Sisodia dynasty are a recurring display at several locations in the City Palace; one of these prominent emblems is depicted on the façade of the Manak Chowk, which can also be seen from the outermost court below. The largest of such an emblem is also seen on the wall of the Surya Chopar, a reception centre at the lower level. Surya or Sun emblem of the Mewar dynasty depicts a Bhil, the Sun, Chittor Fort and a Rajput with an inscription in Sanskrit of a quotation from the Bhagavad Gita (Hindu holy scripture), which means “God Helps those who do their duty". It was customary for the Maharanas to offer obeisance to the Sun facing east, every morning before taking breakfast.

 

MOR CHOK

Mor Chok or Peacock square is integral to the inner courts of the palace. The elaborate design of this chamber consists of three peacocks (representing the three seasons of summer, winter and monsoon) modeled in high relief and faced with coloured glass mosaic, built into successive niches in the wall area or jharoka, These were built during Maharana Sajjan Singh’s reign, 200 years after the palace was established. The peacocks have been crafted with 5000 pieces of glass, which shine in green, gold and blue colours. The apartments in front of the Chowk are picturesquely depicted with scenes of Hindu god Lord Krishna’s legends. At the upper level, there is a projecting balcony, which is flanked by inserts of coloured glass. In an adjoining chamber, called the Kanch-ki-Burj, mosaic of mirrors adorn the walls. The Badi Charur Chowk within this chowk is a smaller court for private use. Its screen wall has painted and inlaid compositions depicting European men and Indian women. Proceeding further from the Mor-Chowk, in the Zenana Mahal or women’s quarters exquisitely designed alcoves, balconies, colored windows, tiled walls and floors are seen.

 

MUSEUM

n 1974, a part of the city palace and the 'Zenana Mahal' (Ladies Chamber) were converted into a museum. The museum is open for public. There is an interesting exhibit of a freaky monkey holding a lamp and also portraits of maharajas displaying a spectacular array of mustaches. ‘Lakshmi Chowk' is an elegant white pavilion in the same precinct.

 

RANG BHAWAN

Rang Bhawan is the palace that used to contain royal treasure. There are temples of Lord Krishna, Meera Bai and Shiva, located here.

 

SHEESH MAHAL

Sheess Mahal or Palace of Mirrors and glasses was built in 1716.

 

A shrine of Dhuni Mata is also located in the complex. This location is considered as the oldest part of the Palace, where a sage spent his entire life meditating.

 

THE PALACE IN FILM & TELEVISION

The palace was used as a hotel in the 1985 James Bond film Octopussy, where Bond (played by Roger Moore) stayed as he began his quest to apprehend the villainous Kamal Khan (Louis Jordan).

 

A 1991 documentary film directed for television by Werner Herzog is called Jag Mandir and consists of footage of an elaborate theatrical performance for the Maharana Arvind Singh Mewar at the City Palace staged by André Heller.

 

The palace was used for filming part of Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (English: A Play of Bullets: Ram-Leela) 2013 directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

 

WIKIPEDIA

Don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved.

 

View from the harbour to Dalt Vila of Eivissa with the

cathedral of Santa Maria d'Eivissa.

 

Although called Ibiza in English and Spanish, the official name is the Catalan Eivissa (as restored in 1986) and its inhabitants call it the or simply Vila ("Town"). It is divided into two main parts: the old town, called the Dalt Vila (literally "Upper Town"), located on a little mountain by the sea, and the modern part, called the Eixample ("extension").

 

Ibiza is widely known and visited for its exciting nightlife. Some of the island's most notable nightclubs include Pacha, Amnesia, Space, and Ushuaïa. These four nightclubs are regularly in the top three of DJ Magazine's annual top 100 global clubs.

for Doe show

pasted in Los Angeles as part of the ArtFabric and Street Art Without Borders

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does it look better witout the tumbleweed?

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All’interno del quartiere “Capo”, l’antico Seralcadio dall’arabo sari-al-qadi, rione del Kadì, denominata così la parte superiore nel suo antico ventre, si estende l’omonimo mercato formato da un quadrivio di vie dove il suo asse principale è costituito dalla via Porta Carini, che prende nome dall'omonima Porta riedificata nel settecento riferendosi all’originale quattrocentesca.

Cuore del mercato è la via Porta Carini e a seguire la via Beati Paoli (nome dell’ innominata e misteriosa setta di incappucciati che tra sei e settecento, proprio in questa via, da un'antica storia si riuniva segretamente in una grotta sita nei paraggi per punire chi perpetrava iniquità e soprusi nei confronti dei deboli e degli indifesi) che incrociandosi con la via Cappuccinelle da un lato e la via Sant' Agostino dall’altro, con la vendita di “ruttame” e “vistita” hanno mantenuto la stessa caratteristica di mercato popolare di una volta.

Quartiere popolarissimo, si formò in età musulmana, oltre il corso del Papireto (uno di primi fiumi oggi sotterranei da cui fu fondata l'antica città fenicia), ed era abitato dagli Schiavoni, pirati e commercianti di schiavi.

Per definizione il mercato del popolo di Palermo, ha saputo mantenere con il suo intricato labirinto viario l’aspetto proprio di un suk orientale, dove trasuda opulenza e magnificenza, ma nello stesso momento, scadimento e limitatezza, prologo grandioso di proteine e vitamine, carboidrati e calorie mascherate da ogni sorta di genere commestibile. Uno stretto budello si allarga e si restringe tra le bancarelle che si proiettano dal di fuori in cui esse stesse nascono “i putii”, la gente lo rende impraticabile perché si sofferma ad osservare, pattuire, tastare e comprare. Nella folla si confondono i venditori nomadi che propongono ai passanti cucina di strada: “sfincione e “sfincionello” cauru e “ scarsu uogliu e chiinu di puvulazzu”.

Ci sono i “riffaturi”, con la lotteria privata, le loro “carrozzelle” (solo il telaio) girano con il trofeo, con un biglietto si può sperare di vincere la spesa per una settimana, una cesta di pesce o una parte di carne o dei soldi o altro genere inerente al consumismo.

I loro clienti non sono mai occasionali, gli stessi detentori e gestori di “putia” partecipano a questa strampalata riffa garantendo allo stesso il suo prosieguo. I venditori creano quella musica capace di penetrare con assordante cantilena in dialetto palermitano, dentro i padiglioni auricolari dei passanti, (“abbanniare”) invitando ad acquistare la loro merce o cantano canzoni con il pretesto di schermire il proprietario della bancarella dirimpettaia.

Confusi dall’allegro vivere stazionano interessanti emergenze architettoniche che si confondono alla degradata residenza popolare, recentemente restaurata, restituendo quell’urbana atmosfera spagnolesca che a suo tempo fece da contorno.

Emerge dai banchi di vendita la facciata barocca della chiesa dell’Immacolata Concezione, che a guardarla da fuori, nasconde le magnificenze conservate all’interno, vero trionfo del barocco fiorito palermitano, orgoglio delle sue maestranze locali. All’entrata quello che più colpisce sono le preziose decorazioni a “mischio e tramischio” apparate lungo le pareti dell’unica navata di una cappella di un ex convento di clausura, rimasta miracolosamente integra dopo la distruzione del suo annesso convento, dovuta alla bonifica dell’aria limitrofa in cui successivamente si poté realizzare il massiccio palazzo di giustizia, opera dovuta al regime fascista.

Gli arabeschi marmi policromi intarsiati secondo un’antica tecnica che solo le maestranze bizantine riuscivano a creare quell’effetto pittorico di cui la tradizione a saputo tramandare.

La stessa tecnica d’intarsio la si ritrova nei due altari laterali, dove i paliotti di marmo sembrano dipinti per impreziosire gli stessi con area sublime. Perfezionano il capolavoro ornamentale gli stucchi, colonne, statue e gli affreschi del tetto che con il pavimento a disegno geometrico realizzato con tasselli di marmo, crea un elegante effetto stereotipo.

Fondamentalmente il mercato è sempre stato luogo particolare per la vendita della carne, anticamente nelle vicinanze esisteva il macello civico detto “bocceria nuova” per la macellazione di becchi e altri animali, diverse sono le “carnezzerie” (termine dialettale conseguente alla dominazione spagnola) e non macellerie come vengono comunemente chiamate, presenti e, le beccherie “chianche” che vendono carne di castrato tagliata tradizionalmente nella “chianca” (dal latino "planta"), un grosso ceppo d’albero, da qui la definizione.

Altro particolare, che stupisce, nel vedere i quarti di carne appesi al di fuori della bottega, usanza sopportata, da quella che fu la presenza ebraica in città, per depurare l’animale del suo sangue, caratteristica è l’esposizione di capretti e agnelli in determinati giorni prefestivi, completamente privi di pelle tranne la coda che mantiene il ciuffo che fanno da quinta come sfondo al negozio.

Interiora e frattaglie, fegati e milze, testicoli e trippa, testine d’agnello e piedi di porco li vende il carnezziere, “mussu”, “carcagnuola” e "masciddaru" si possono acquistare nella bancarella “da Rosone” a porta Carini proprio all’imboccatura basilare del mercato, due piloni di pietra d’intaglio, comprate dalle monache del vicino monastero di SanVito nel 1779 per realizzare il loro belvedere, fanno da scenario al pluricolorato palcoscenico merceologico fatto di tende dai multicolori, dove il sole a stento riesce a penetrare e, di grosse lampade accese anche a mezzogiorno e per tutta la mattinata, e qui che la milza diventa “meusa”, fatta ballare nel grasso bollente e stipata nel pane e mangiata per strada, e qui che la melanzana diventa “quaglia” per metamorfosi di parole, volatile vegetale per l’olio che canta nella padella, un’intricata mano entra in un paniere avvolto da canovacci per tirare fuori “a frittula” risultato di una segreta pietanza.

Particolare e ammicante è vedere il pesce-salato (baccalà) in acqua che sgorga da una specie di rubinetto in una tinozza stagnata con grossi pezzi di pesce ammollati per depurare il sale.

Sanno di sale “arrancitusu” i “buatti” di sarde salate e aperte a portafoglio dalle abili mani del “saliaturi” sopra un tozzo di legno e diliscati, stessa operazione ripete per l’aringa.

A tal proposito in seno alla facciata della chiesa dedicata a San Gregorio Magno, uno degli accessi, quello di sinistra, chiuso a magazzino nel periodo bellico, vi si stivava il baccalà per poi essere rivenduto nel mercato, attualmente il sito occupa una fiorente pescheria tramandata alla nuova generazione da un vecchio esercente che vendeva esclusivamente “baccalà ammollato”, pietanza molto richiesta dai palermitani specialmente nel periodo natalizio.

La seicentesca chiesa che si affaccia sul mercato e sempre stata snobbata dai palermitani ed era definita “a chiesa rù baccalà”, ma le sue origini sono molto antiche, addirittura risalgono ad una preesistenza fondata dallo stesso San Gregorio, utilizzando i lasciti della madre, la palermitana Santa Silvia, la sua statua lignea staziona sull’altare maggiore dell’unica navata della contenuta ed aggraziata chiesa.

Successivamente il complesso monastico e la chiesa vennero strutturati dai normanni per poi passare agli Agostiniani scalzi di cui ancora sono i detentori. L’omonima confraternita costituita all’interno del monastero venera il simulacro ottocentesco di Maria Santissima del Paradiso che festeggia l’ultima domenica di agosto.

In un’angolo della strada, quasi schivo, un uomo piccolo, accovacciato come se pregasse, vende il pane che trae fortuitamente dalle ceste di giunco, a pile, a montagne, a cascate, e “u pani i Paisi” che certuni avventori preferiscono al pane bianco e “inciminato” venduto nei forni, il panificio “Morello” quello con l’insegna liberty per intenderci a piazza Sant’Anna cuore pulsante del “Capo” dove stanno a vigilare Pietro Nolasco e la Madonna della Mercede, ambedue immobilizzati nelle statue di legno, i confrati scelti tra i bottegai in determinate occasioni diventano portatori di una fede pagana e scaramantica facendoli rivivere nelle tradizionali processioni.

Il banco nasconde il venditore dietro una pila che sembra una piramide egizia, tra olive verdi e nere, a fiore, con sale e senza, moresche e lucenti capperi, insiste affinché il compratore assaggi la sua merce che porrà con cortesia e soddisfazione. La vita al mercato inizia molto presto, i mercanti giungono così mattutini affinché possano piazzare la merce “a rrubba”, ceste, cassette, cavalletti, ripiani, lastre, banchi sono le prime masserizie ad essere esposte su di esse verrà riposta la mercanzia con ostentate presentazioni:”a cuvuni, a barricata, accritta “ o lasciata depositata all’interno della sua cassetta. La frutta sistemata e “apparata”, secondo la loro colorazione ed effluvio: giallo, rosso, arancione, verde, viola, ecc.

La verdura disposta a parte: zucchine lunghe all’inpiedi, broccoli (cavolfiore) “stipati” uno sopra l’altro, “sparaceddi” (broccoli), “tenerumi” (i calli della pianta di zucchine) “stinnicchiati e ammugliati”, melanzane a “munzieddu”, “cacuocculi”(carciofi) a fasce. Caratteristica palermitana è l’esposizione dei prezzi, vengono attaccati ad una asticella di legno con un cartoncino su quale si indicano le cifre, lo zero è sempre accompagnato con una codina piccola quasi invisibile. Oltre ad indicare i prezzi nei “pizzica”, si usa scrivere il tipo di merce rifilata per catturare la percettibilità dell’avventore: uva italia di Pantelleria, pesce locale, sarde vive, pesce spada di Porticello, ecc.

Nel pomeriggio, da una grossa pentola di rame “quarara” scaturisce del fumo invitante, sono le patate bollite o le “domestiche” che solo a Palermo i nostri fruttivendoli sanno apprestare.

Il variopinto pesce disteso sui banchi di ghiaccio è accostato amorosamente, illuminato da grandi lampade e bagnato in continuazione per esaltarne le qualità organolettiche, ma sono i pesci grandi quelli che contano: tonno e pesce spada, tagliati a tranci alla vista degli avventori che prediligono il pesce gramo che è chiamato a supplire con l’immaginazione i piatti opulenti.

Inoltrandosi nel vivo del mercato tra cortine di modeste edilizie, intervallati da edifici che presentano particolari architettonici come le ringhiere dei balconi, testimonianza di un florido artigianato del ferro battuto che all’interno del mercato avevano le loro officine, rimane qualcosa all’estremo confine della strada dove si esauriscono le bancarelle del mercato, dove passando si scorgono gli angusti varchi d’avviluppate vie e cortili. Il mercato delegato da sempre a remote attività commerciali e artigiane, nasconde una piccola curiosità folcloristica e rituale.

L’opera dei pupi trova nel signor Andrea Gulino un abile costruttore di marionette, nel quartiere trovava un profondo riscontro nei suoi abitanti con la presenza di antichi teatri ormai scomparsi, la costruzione dei pupi con la caratteristica corazza a fatto sì che questa arte venisse trasmessa nella costruzione di armature che le confraternite utilizzano nelle processioni del Venerdì Santo.

Un rituale dove vede impegnati tutti gli esercenti è la devozione a San Giuseppe che si trasforma nelle tradizionali “Vampe” organizzate fra gli incroci e i cortili affinché esorcizzano la negatività, ma la protezione per una migliore vendita è affidata alla Vergine che viene esposta nelle numerose edicole votive sparse per il mercato e sempre adorna di fiori.

Fa da pannello la vetusta chiesa parrocchiale, unica fino a tempo addietro nel quartiere, il resistente prospetto contenente una scultura in marmo dell’Immacolata del 1624, introduce in un’aula tripartita, la chiesa originale del XIII secolo, di essa si conserva soltanto un affresco in una delle navate laterali di quel periodo, in una cappella sono conservate le statue cinquecentesche dei SS. Cosma e Damiano provenienti dall’omonima chiesa sita alla fine della strada.

Luogo abituale di ritrovo sono le taverne dove oltre a bere si fa da mangiare, spesso associato da una serie di giochi tipici attorno al tavolo, il più popolare è “u Tuoccu”, distribuite fra le vie del mercato, oggi alcune di esse si sono trasformate in dinamiche trattorie, è il caso di citare quella in Piazza Porta Carini: Trattoria “supra i mura” adiacente alle vecchie mura che costeggiavano il quartiere ancora esistenti, che propone cucina locale e frequentato dagli abitanti della zona e dai venditori del mercato in quanto è aperto solo a mezzogiorno. La fiaschetteria “ Fiasconaro” a sempre venduto vino imbottigliato e bevande alcoliche, marsala e zibibbo invecchiate nelle botti si smerciano alla “domanda”. La vecchia Focacceria “Butera” si è dovuta adeguare ai tempi, oltre a preparare il tradizionale pane “cà meusa” si approntano panini espressi.

La strada mercato è da considerarsi una delle più antiche esistenti in città, essa dalla contrada “Guilla” tagliava il quartiere con un lungo asse che conduceva all’esterno della città murata, verso settentrione e lo fa ancora oggi lasciando fuori la circolazione veicolare per permettere ai pedoni di assaporare e arruffarsi tra straordinarie fragranze di ogni sorta di alimenti e dalle spezie che qui vengono venduti all’aperto sulle bancarelle: cumino, passolina e pinoli, peperoncino in polvere, finocchio in grani, zafferano in polvere (giallo per alimenti) e aromi vari, anche i sapori non sono cambiati: il pane appena caldo, magari farcito di panelle o “fieddi” (melanzane), crocchè e rascaturi, sfincione o assaggiare i loro biscotti che i panettieri elaborano o degustare i dolci e la rosticceria della longeva gelateria-pasticceria Longo: iris, cartocci, spitini, arancine, ravazzate, torrone, sfoglio, taralli, gelati, tutto “ben di Dìu” che i palermitani “licchi” amano.

E se non bastasse proprio accanto alla dolceria, staziona da sempre quello dello ”scaccio”, calie e simienza, fave “caliate”, noci e castagne, fichi secchi e datteri, il tutto per denti buoni, “u passatiempu ri palermitani”. “Fillata” vendevano gli attempati salumieri con la loro merce esposta che tagliavano a mano o con una più moderna affettatrice, facevano da contorno i caci: caciovallo, pecorino, cannestrato esposti in tutta la loro forma, oggi poco è cambiato.

Durante la contrattazione e facile ad essere chiamati ad assaggiare la frutta o altro, vi faranno costatare di persona sulla qualità della merce e tutto questo con garbo e gentilezza, accogliendovi con un sorriso che scaturisce dal buonumore che nasce dal rapporto umano che questi luoghi ogni giorno sprigionano.

Il mercato a ritrovato le vetuste concorrenze, extracomunitari si sono integrati e si spartiscono la piazza con i locali vendendo riso basmati e altri prodotti, alcune donne tamil comprano l’uva da un fruttivendolo, il pizzicagnolo fa assaggiare “a murtatella” ad una tunisina. Ogni giorno questo mercato che rappresenta il vecchio legame tra esso e la città, nasce e ritrova linfa attraverso il suo ciclo vitale.

Todo eso en lo que crees, en lo que confias, en lo que sientes. Eso que mas alla del mundo encuentras. Eso que te abraza cuando piensas que no puedes mas. Algo que lamentas no ver. Porque el amigo no se ve, no se toca, no se huele. Simplemente lo sientes.

 

~Vincent van Gogh

 

That Vincent--what a way with words. And with the brush. For my money, no one created more emotional impact using small strokes, impasto swirls, and vivid colors in the post-impressionist era. Of course, the quote in no way suggests that the above photo has any of those same qualities. But I must admit to giving serious consideration to lobbing off part of my ear after I saw it. Is that bad? Right, keep the ears.

 

Happy Gorgeous Green Thursday!

 

Definitely not a starry night

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© Steven Brisson. Do not use without permission.

twitter | facebook | tumblr | stevenbrisson.com

Real picture without filter

Without 49ers in SB 56, there's no reason to watch Super Bowl game on TV, flower photography is fun !

Billikid, from New York City, pasted as part of street art without borders...that same Jim Morrisson was pasted in Seoul, Korea and Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.

So great to see a fox without any signs of mange, I think this is the moment I was rumbled hence the look on the face. I don't think I've seen this fox before, with the changeover of foxy personnel lately they're a real mystery. I was sitting at the bottom of this bank as it was getting dark and unbeknownst to me a fox was walking towards me from behind and above, it must have seen me at the last moment and it actually jumped right over me in panic ! I had no idea it was approaching and just suddenly saw an airborne fox above me, nearly gave us both a heart attack I think.

"3 Poppies"

 

MOSAIC: auction~exhibition to benefit Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières

 

April 1 through April 27 at BiddingForGood.com/DWB-MSF

 

Cristina D'Avena & Gem Boy

Carroponte - Sesto San Giovanni - Milano

11 Luglio 2013

  

© Mairo Cinquetti

 

© All rights reserved. Do not use my photos without my written permission. If you would like to buy or use this photo PLEASE message me or email me at mairo.cinquetti@gmail.com

 

Cristina D'Avena nasce a Bologna lunedì 6 luglio 1964 da Alfredo, medico, e da Ornella, casalinga. All'età di 3 anni e mezzo esordisce cantando "Il valzer del moscerino" alla decima edizione della rassegna canora per bambini Zecchino d'Oro; il brano si aggiudica il 3º posto. Dopo l'esperienza allo Zecchino d'Oro, rimane all'Antoniano come componente del Piccolo Coro fino al 1976, ma continuerà a frequentarlo per altri 5 anni accompagnando la sorella Clarissa, nata 10 anni dopo di lei e anche lei diventata nel frattempo componente del coro.

 

Nel 1981 Cristina è una diciassettenne studentessa di Liceo Classico che vede il canto solo come un hobby. In quel periodo, Alessandra Valeri Manera, l'allora responsabile della tv dei ragazzi della neonata Canale 5, era alla ricerca di una voce femminile che potesse interpretare la sigla della serie animata giapponese "Pinocchio": per questo motivo interpellò Augusto Martelli, direttore artistico-musicale della rete nonché figlio del maestro Giordano Bruno Martelli. Fu proprio Martelli padre, tramite il figlio, a segnalare a Valeri Manera il nome di Cristina D'Avena, avendo egli avuto modo di frequentarla fino a poco tempo prima presso il Piccolo Coro dell'Antoniano. Dopo essere stata sottoposta ad un provino discografico, Cristina, ancora minorenne, firma un contratto di esclusiva (a cui è legata ancora oggi) con l'etichetta discografica di Canale 5, la Five Record (in seguito ridenominata RTI Music, oggi inglobata in RTI s.p.a.), e diviene così l'interprete della canzone "Bambino Pinocchio" composta da Martelli figlio che di lei all'epoca disse: « Diventerà una grande cantante ». Il successo commerciale del relativo 45 giri diede effettivamente inizio alla carriera di Cristina: da allora non ha mai smesso di incidere e, grazie alla quantità di sigle da lei registrate, è l'unico personaggio dello spettacolo la cui voce è presente sulla tv italiana ininterrottamente dai primi anni '80 almeno una volta al giorno, 7 giorni su 7, 365 giorni l'anno.

 

Sempre da questo periodo inizia a pubblicare numerosi singoli ed album, che complessivamente venderanno un totale di circa 6 milioni di copie: nel 1983, infatti, Five Record dà vita a "Fivelandia", il primo volume di quella che diventerà una longeva collana destinata a contenere le sigle dei cartoni animati in onda sulle reti del biscione; un appuntamento fisso dell'autunno a cadenza annuale, a cui si aggiungerà, a partire dal febbraio 1987, la sua versione primaverile anch'essa a cadenza annuale dal titolo "Cristina D'Avena con i tuoi amici in tv". Tra le canzoni di maggior successo dei primi anni, particolare menzione per "Canzone dei Puffi" del 1982 (grazie alla quale verrà premiata con il suo primo Disco d'Oro per le oltre 500.000 copie vendute) e "Kiss me Licia" del 1985 (Disco di Platino per le oltre 100.000 copie vendute del relativo album): quest'ultima è la sigla a cui la cantante dichiarerà più volte di essere maggiormente legata.

 

A partire dal settembre 1986 raggiunge, tuttavia, una popolarità ulteriore a quella già acquisita in 5 anni con la sola interpretazione delle sigle, nonché una notevole visibilità, quando interpreta il ruolo di Licia nella prima di 4 serie di telefilm per ragazzi intitolata "Love me Licia": la serie è basata sulla protagonista e sui personaggi del cartone animato giapponese "Kiss me Licia" (che aveva fatto il suo debutto 12 mesi prima), del quale questa produzione italiana con attori in carne e ossa prosegue idealmente le vicende. È così che quella che fino a questo momento era quasi soltanto una voce (quel timbro così particolare che milioni di bambini italiani avevano già imparato a riconoscere) diventa di fatto un volto, il volto di una ragazza dall'aspetto più giovane dei suoi 22 anni che l'intero pubblico, anche quello più adulto, ora conosce e apprezza già. A "Love me Licia" seguiranno "Licia dolce Licia" nella primavera 1987, "Teneramente Licia" nell'autunno 1987 e "Balliamo e cantiamo con Licia" nella primavera 1988; le serie vengono trasmesse il lunedì, il mercoledì e il venerdì alle ore 20:00 su Italia Uno in diretta concorrenza coi telegiornali Rai e raggiungono insperati ascolti record.

 

Nel 1987, mentre i brani da lei incisi ammontano già ad un centinaio, Cristina registra un brano in lingua francese: si tratta della versione francofona della sigla italiana "Lovely Sara" (da lei già interpretata pochi mesi prima), destinata ad accompagnare la messa in onda di "Princesse Sarah" che sarà il primo cartone animato ad essere trasmesso su La Cinq, rete televisiva francese di proprietà di Silvio Berlusconi costruita sul modello di Canale 5. Grazie a questa sua incisione la cantante, che per la prima volta vide apparire il proprio nome sulla copertina di un disco pubblicato e distribuito esclusivamente all'estero, è conosciuta e ricordata ancora oggi dai bambini francesi degli anni '80.

 

Conclusasi la saga di Licia nella primavera 1988, dall'autunno Italia Uno decide di mettere in scena proprio Cristina e la sua realtà quotidiana, costantemente impegnata tra gli studi universitari alla Facoltà di Medicina e il lavoro di cantante. Non a caso, durante l'ultima puntata dei telefilm di Licia, Cristina D'Avena compare nel ruolo di se stessa annunciando la sua intenzione di metter su una band musicale. Pochi mesi dopo viene infatti trasmessa su Italia Uno "Arriva Cristina", a cui seguiranno "Cristina" nell'autunno 1989, "Cri Cri" nell'autunno 1990 e "Cristina, l'Europa siamo noi" nell'autunno 1991. "Cri Cri" si compone di due serie da 36 episodi l'una, mentre "Cristina, l'Europa siamo noi" viene trasmessa da Retequattro anziché da Italia Uno e alle ore 19:00 anziché al consueto orario delle 20:00. Come già avvenuto per le 4 serie di Licia, per ognuno di questi telefilm Five Record pubblica un disco contenente la sigla e tutti i brani cantati all'interno degli episodi: i primi tre album diventano Dischi di Platino.

 

Tra i suoi concerti più riusciti quelli realizzati nel novembre 1989 e 1990 al PalaTrussardi di Milano, a cui assistettero un totale di circa 20.000 spettatori, e quello del 1992 al FilaForum di Assago (13.000 persone in sala e 3.000 all'esterno) i cui incassi sono stati interamente devoluti alla Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro.

 

Con alle spalle la stessa autrice-produttrice degli esordi ed una casa discografica che, grazie solamente alle sue canzoni, nel 1991 ottiene un fatturato di oltre 9 miliardi di lire, negli anni '90 la cantante prosegue, regolarmente e senza interruzioni, ad incidere nuove sigle e a pubblicare CD; numeri, i suoi, che tanti artisti blasonati, ancora oggi, le invidiano. Persino la cantante Mina, nel 1994, inciderà ed inserirà in uno dei suoi album una cover di una canzone di Cristina del 1988 dal titolo "Sempre attento al regolamento"; per l'occasione, testo e titolo furono modificati e la canzone divenne "Tu dimmi che città".

 

All'attività musicale e discografica si aggiunge l'attività di conduttrice e co-conduttrice televisiva (nonché radiofonica) iniziata già nel 1989 col varietà del sabato sera di Canale 5 "Sabato al circo", esperienza grazie alla quale Cristina, insieme a tutto il cast del programma, si aggiudicherà il Telegatto nella categoria "Programmi per ragazzi". Il programma andrà avanti per quattro anni, fino al 1992, quando cambia titolo, rete e giorno di programmazione e diventa "Il Grande Circo di Retequattro", in onda per 16 settimane da mercoledì 7 ottobre. Assieme a Gerry Scotti presenta per due anni lo speciale di Capodanno di Canale 5, in onda il 31 dicembre 1989 con il titolo "L'allegria fa 90" e il 31 dicembre 1990 con il titolo "Evviva l'allegria". Dall'8 novembre 1992 conduce su Italia Uno "Cantiamo con Cristina", la versione per bambini del "Karaoke" di Fiorello che va in onda alle ore 20:00 della domenica: in ogni puntata si affrontano due squadre che si sfidano sulle note delle sigle di Cristina. Nella stagione 1993/94 farà parte del cast della sesta edizione di "Buona Domenica", al fianco di Gerry Scotti e Gabriella Carlucci: qui, tra le altre cose, conduce la rubrica "Radio Cristina" dove commenta lettere e fax inviati dai più piccini e si esibisce in alcuni numeri musicali e di danza (in questi spazi avrà anche modo di eseguire le canzoni dell'album "Cristina canta Disney" fresco di pubblicazione). Avrà poi il ruolo di inviata speciale in giro per l'Italia nella quinta edizione di "La sai l'ultima?", in onda su Canale 5 nella stagione televisiva 1995/96 e condotta da Gerry Scotti assieme a Paola Barale. A partire dal 15 settembre 1996, invece, conduce per due anni di seguito, alternandosi settimanalmente col doppiatore ed amico Pietro Ubaldi, il contenitore di cartoni animati e giochi telefonici "Game Boat", in onda tutti i giorni nel preserale di Retequattro; in questo periodo, tra l'altro, viene pubblicato il quattordicesimo capitolo di "Fivelandia", premiato con il Disco di Platino per le oltre 100.000 copie vendute. Nel 1998, nel 1999 e nel 2000 ritorna allo Zecchino d'Oro in qualità di co-conduttrice al fianco di Cino Tortorella e Milly Carlucci. Nell'autunno 1998 è chiamata da Fabio Fazio per condurre con Andrea Pezzi il varietà del venerdì sera di Rai Due "Serenate", ideato dallo stesso Fazio che inizialmente doveva esserne il conduttore. Su Rai Uno, invece, condurrà il tradizionale "Concerto di Primavera", sia ad aprile 1999 che ad aprile 2000, oltre che lo special natalizio "Buon Natale a tutto il mondo" di cui sarà la presentatrice sia nell'edizione del 1999 che in quella del 2000.

 

Nel 1998 debutta anche al cinema, seppur con un cameo: interpreta infatti se stessa in una scena del film "Cucciolo" di Neri Parenti accanto a Massimo Boldi, con il quale aveva già lavorato ai tempi di "Sabato al circo".

 

Nel dicembre 2002 Cristina festeggia ufficialmente 20 anni di carriera (sebbene l'incisione di "Bambino Pinocchio", la sua prima sigla per un cartone animato, risalga al secondo semestre del 1981) con la pubblicazione di un doppio CD dal titolo "Cristina D'Avena: Greatest Hits" (ma il titolo inizialmente previsto è "Cristina D'Avena: Vent'anni"), che raccoglie i più grandi successi della cantante (il CD 1 è relativo agli anni 1981-1990, il CD 2 agli anni 1991-2002) e include una nuova versione, riarrangiata e reinterpretata per l'occasione, della sua prima sigla. Proprio nel giorno d'uscita del disco, il 6 dicembre, dall'auditorium di Cologno Monzese la rete televisiva satellitare Video Italia le dedica, in prima serata e in diretta contemporanea su Radio Italia, una puntata di oltre 2 ore della sua trasmissione "Serata con...", durante la quale la cantante esegue dal vivo gran parte dei brani dell'album, in quella che si rivela essere una vera e propria festa-concerto a cui prendono parte fan storici, amici e collaboratori di vecchia data.

 

Il suo nome per oltre 20 anni è stato professionalmente associato in modo indissolubile a quello di Alessandra Valeri Manera: responsabile dei programmi per ragazzi delle tv del biscione dal 1980 al 2001 e a conti fatti talent scout e creatrice del personaggio "Cristina D'Avena", Valeri Manera è stata anche ideatrice, autrice, direttrice artistica e produttrice di tutti i lavori della cantante alla quale è legata da una sincera amicizia, sebbene dal 2001 la sua attività si sia ridotta ad una composizione saltuaria dei testi di sigle. In coppia con Valeri Manera, nel 2002 Cristina firma per la prima volta come autrice una sua canzone dal titolo "I colori del cuore". Nel 2007 firma da sola il testo di una sua sigla per un cartone animato (il titolo del brano, e della serie, è "Dolce piccola Remì") e da allora, di tanto in tanto, alcune delle sigle da lei interpretate portano il suo nome come unica autrice delle parole.

 

Il 14 aprile 2007, al Roxy Bar di Bologna, Cristina celebra 25 anni di successi con un grande concerto, accompagnata dall'irriverente gruppo dei Gem Boy con il quale inaugura una collaborazione che dura ancora oggi. In questa occasione riceve da Red Ronnie il prestigioso riconoscimento "Gandhi 9.11", un totem luminoso creato dall'artista Marco Lodola e destinato a quei personaggi che si sono maggiormente distinti come portatori di pace. Nello stesso anno, poi, si verifica un vero e proprio record per la cantante: alla cifra di 1.210 euro si chiude l'asta online del CD del 1989 "Cristina D'Avena e... i tuoi amici in TV 3", venduto sul portale eBay il 10 settembre. La vendita viene resa nota e definita dalla divisione italiana del sito come « il primato mai raggiunto online da un CD in Italia »; non a caso, la versione CD dell'album è considerata uno tra i pezzi più rari nella produzione discografica della cantante, non tanto per le 14 sigle in esso contenute (reperibili comunque su altre pubblicazioni successive) ma poiché, nella sua versione digitale, venne stampato in un numero limitatissimo di copie rispetto ai classici formati utilizzati all'epoca (sebbene per ancora pochi anni), vale a dire l'LP e l'MC. Il record è stato addirittura superato il 10 novembre del 2011, quattro anni dopo, quando un'altra copia messa all'asta è stata venduta alla cifra di 3.010,00 euro.

 

In questa fase della sua carriera, nonostante da tempo non abbia più un programma tutto suo, la cantante continua a farsi vedere dal pubblico televisivo accettando l'invito di numerose trasmissioni Rai o Mediaset che la chiamano per intervistarla o per vederla esibirsi; nella puntata del 16 febbraio 2008 del programma di prima serata di Rai Uno "I Migliori Anni" si registrerà un picco di ascolti pari a 7.618.000 telespettatori proprio nel momento della sua partecipazione al programma in cui dal vivo canta la sigla di "Kiss me Licia". Nello stesso anno pubblica due libri per bambini, di cui la cantante è autrice e narratrice, dal titolo "Le fiabe di Fata Cri: Fata Cri e i draghetti pasticcioni" e "Le fiabe di Fata Cri: Fata Cri e il ballo degli scoiattoli": quest'ultimo venderà 37.500 copie.

 

Dopo aver scritto e interpretato la sigla della serie animata "Twin Princess - Principesse Gemelle" che diverrà il suo primo singolo ad essere commercializzato come download digitale, nel 2009 realizza un disco che si distacca dalle sigle tv per le quali è da sempre conosciuta: per la prima volta infatti si rivolge al grande pubblico, non solo a quello dell'infanzia, e lo fa con un album dal titolo "Magia di Natale", in cui reinterpreta 12 brani della tradizione natalizia, classici e moderni, tutti arrangiati dal maestro Valeriano Chiaravalle. Il disco è anche l'occasione, per la cantante, di incidere per la prima volta in lingua inglese. Nell'album figura anche una cover di "Childhood", brano di Michael Jackson con il quale l'artista ha voluto rendere omaggio al Re del Pop.

 

Da giovedì 21 gennaio 2010 torna a lavorare in tv: è nel cast della seconda edizione del programma di prima serata di Italia Uno "Matricole & Meteore". Nello show, composto da 8 puntate e condotto da Nicola Savino e Juliana Moreira, ha il doppio ruolo di ospite fisso e inviata speciale nei panni di una principessa alla ricerca del Principe Azzurro; nelle varie puntate si esibisce anche in alcuni medley di sigle fra le tante incise nel corso della sua carriera. Dal 28 febbraio dello stesso anno è testimonial di Intervita ONLUS, organizzazione umanitaria internazionale impegnata in progetti di sviluppo nel Terzo Mondo attraverso il sostegno a distanza, per la quale registrerà 15 messaggi promozionali trasmessi da Canale 5. A partire dal periodo autunnale, le serie di telefilm che la videro protagonista tra l'86 e il '91 riacquistano visibilità nonché rinnovata fortuna grazie alla loro riproposizione da parte del canale Hiro di Mediaset Premium e, poco tempo dopo, anche per mano di La5 che le trasmette, tutte le sere, allo stesso orario della prima messa in onda, vale a dire alle 20. Visto il grande successo riscosso (la fascia oraria in cui vengono trasmessi risulta essere la più seguita per la rete), la casa discografica della cantante decide di ristampare, per la prima volta su CD e dopo oltre due decadi di assenza dal mercato discografico, le colonne sonore di ciascuna delle 8 serie, raccogliendole in due box multidisco intitolati "Licia e i Bee Hive Story" e "Arriva Cristina Story", che appassionati vecchi e nuovi accoglieranno con straordinario entusiasmo.

 

Anche nel nuovo millennio la cantante ha continuato e continua a tenere concerti in tutta Italia, sia da sola che accompagnata dal gruppo dei Gem Boy; uno dei suoi ultimi concerti più fortunati è sicuramente quello tenuto ad Avellino nel maggio del 2010 dove, tra bambini e adulti, ha raccolto oltre 15.000 spettatori.

 

Nel gennaio 2011 incide una sigla per la prima volta in duetto con una voce femminile: quella di Alessia Volpicelli, piccola paziente del C.R.O. (Centro di Riferimento Oncologico) di Aviano; il brano, di cui la D'Avena è anche autrice, si intitola "Emily della Luna Nuova". Nello stesso periodo firma anche il testo di una canzone per uno dei concorrenti del programma televisivo "Io Canto": si tratta del brano "Tutto quello che ho" incluso nell'album d'esordio di Simone Frulio dal titolo "Tredici".

 

L'anno successivo la cantante torna in tv e approda su Super!: per tutta l'estate è infatti la conduttrice di "Karaoke Super Show!", la prima produzione del canale televisivo per ragazzi edito da De Agostini. In onda nel week-end dalle più belle piazze della riviera romagnola, il programma prevede la partecipazione di due squadre composte da bambini, genitori e nonni che si sfidano interpretando i grandi tormentoni estivi, le canzoni dello Zecchino d'Oro più amate e naturalmente le più famose sigle dei cartoni animati di Cristina. Ma il 2012 è anche l'anno del 30º anniversario del debutto artistico di Cristina D'Avena: per festeggiare questa ricorrenza viene messa in atto una serie di celebrazioni a partire già dal dicembre 2011, quando apre il fanclub ufficiale della cantante che gli ammiratori chiedevano insistentemente da tempo. Ad aprile del 2012 i festeggiamenti proseguono con l'inaugurazione del suo negozio online, all'interno del quale è possibile trovare gran parte della sua sempre più abbondante produzione discografica oltre a tanti prodotti e gadget esclusivi, scelti e ideati direttamente da Cristina in persona. Le celebrazioni di questo importante traguardo si materializzano anche a livello discografico con la nascita di un grande progetto in due parti dal titolo "30 e poi...", che debutta nei negozi di dischi il 27 novembre 2012 con l'uscita del triplo CD "30 e poi... Parte Prima". L'album è composto da 3 CD che racchiudono un totale di ben 70 sigle originali dei cartoni animati più famosi degli anni '80, '90 e 2000; la scaletta è impreziosita dalla presenza di tre sigle inedite (una risalente al '95, una al '99 e un'altra ancora al 2009) qui pubblicate per la prima volta in assoluto e di una ora disponibile per la prima volta su CD, da una reinterpretazione di Cristina del classico natalizio "O Holy Night", da un megamix dei suoi storici successi anni '80 e infine da una cover del brano "L'anno che verrà" di Lucio Dalla, con la quale l'artista vuole rendere omaggio al cantautore suo concittadino. Il progetto "30 e poi..." prosegue quindi nel 2013 con una serie di iniziative a tema e si concluderà nell'autunno dello stesso anno con l'uscita di "30 e poi... Parte Seconda".

Liz Ruffell-Boettcher, Marge Elliott, Guy Simon, Richard Sherwood. Photographed without flash at dusk. Guy's suit looks indistinctive but compare it to the next picture.

These photos were taken 9 months ago, in July 2022.

 

A few months ago I started a page on Instagram where I post a limited number of my footwear photos. Posting them quickly on Instagram makes it possible for you to view them without having to wait months for them to appear here.

 

My username on Instagram is onlymeknow9876 My name there is Stupid Me

 

I will, as I have time, continue to post the full collection, including the photos put up on Instagram.

 

Summer, time to wear my barefoot shoes again. While I also go "fully" barefoot sometimes, I wear these often. I can go into stores, walk around downtown, go to the park, whatever, without attracting the negative attention that being fully barefoot sometimes does ("No Shoes, No Service"). Although, I've gone into a couple of delicatessins, 7-11's, etc. with no shoes and never been told to leave.

 

I have, actually, been asked, when wearing these , why I'm wearing such worn out shoes (which almost never happens with the shoes with holey soles or uppers). I say I like to wear barefoot but this way most people don't find it strange. Usually end of discussion.

Id. Please

 

Must be seen this way to fully appreciate it View On Black

 

Please also look @ the rest of my Photostream and my galleries- Thank you www.flickr.com/photos/dcwhite/

www.flickr.com/photos/dcwhite/galleries/

 

No Group Invites/ Graphics or adverts Please, Invita a ningún Grupo / Gráficos Por favor, No gruppo invito / Grafica per favore, No Group Invite / Graphics S'il vous plaît, "Bitte keine Gruppeneinladungen/ keine Grafiken", they will be deleted.

 

Please don't use this image on any websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved

so since I was tagged by like 7 people for this I figured I should probably actually do it xD

 

1:From all the dolls you own,who is your favorite and why.

without any doubt, Lena.

Lena is my oldest and most significant character.

I'd say that I definitely have days where I favor other dolls as far as who I want to play with, but Lena will always be my favorite.

 

2:Explain how you managed to get into BJD collecting.

one of my best friends went to an anime convention where junkyspot was vending, and she decided that she wanted one.

when she was waiting for her first doll and after she got him she was sending me tons of pictures and I thought they were really neat and that I'd like to have one but didn't really know what I wanted.

then I realized that I could sort of use them as a way to make my roleplay characters real, so I started to look for a doll that I thought could work for what I wanted and ended up ordering my dollzone aimi in december of '09.

 

3:Name the very first doll you ever bought.

Like I said above, that was my dollzone aimi.

at the time I had intended her to be Lena, but in the end she just really didn't quite ever fit for me; so I decided to reshell Lena as a minifee ryeon and developed a new character, Livi, for the aimi 'cause I love her to bits even if she didn't work out quite as I'd originally planned.

 

4:Which doll do you plan to buy next?

well it may sort of depend on a couple of things, but right now I'm planning to try and get my second minifee next.

I'm still not sure exactly what face sculpt I think will work best for the character though 'cause I was thinking karsh, but I'm super indecisive and probably won't actually settle on one until I can actually afford her xD

I'm also lusting hardcore for realpuki pupu, so if he were to become available when I have the money I'm not sure I'd be able to pass him up.

 

5:Are you currently waiting on any dolls?

nope.

I'm currently pretty broke after purchasing my new camera, so no new dollies for me right now xD

 

6:How many dolls do you currently have?

I currently have 2 minis, 1 pukifee, 1 pukipuki, 1 floating multihead, and sort of 2 floating yosd size heads that I don't actually have in my possession right now (but I wouldn't say that I'm waiting on them 'cause they weren't purchases)

 

7:Name the very last doll you bought.

Lena, my minifee ryeon.

and Nomi, my juri multihead came along with her as a free event gift.

 

8:What is the worst thing about this hobby?

drama.

but I think that's really an issue in any hobby.

 

9:What is the best thing about this hobby?

the friends that I've made for sure, some of my best friends are people who I've either met or grown closer to through the doll hobby.

also all of the offshoot hobbies that have come from bjd collecting.

I've always sewn, but not as seriously as I do now that I sew for dolls 'cause I guess I've kind of finally found the type of sewing I'm best at, and I've gotten much more into photography of both dolls and other things since I started collecting.

 

10:Which is your best dolly photo (of yours)

I really don't know.

it kind of changes all the time.

like, currently I'm quite fond of "forever yours.", the photo that I took of Lena and Erin together on saturday.

actually though, I'd be curious to see what you all think my best photo is?

 

11:Which is your favourite BJD company?

fairyland, as if that wasn't abundantly obvious xD

but I'm also quite fond of pipos and alchemic labo

12:Who are on your wish list?

like I said before, minifee girl of undetermined sculpt to be izzy. realpuki pupu. possibly souldoll lester to be michael, but I'm still holding out hope for more options in that size range. bodies for my floating heads. and I'd really love to have a lusis/minifee hybrid, but I don't know who she'd be so she's not on the priority list xD

 

13: Are there any dolls you wished you had never purchased?

nope.

I buy dolls because I want them, and even if that want doesn't last and I end up selling them I did still want them at one point so what is there to regret.

 

14: Who's your favourite face up artists?

well currently I have dolls painted by mendokusai and tsuminaki, so obviously I'm very fond of their work.

I also really love xhanthi's work and would love to have a doll painted by her at some point.

 

15:What is a must when considering a purchase/pose ability/faceup/age/etc?

pose ability is pretty important to me 'cause I have pretty high standards since both dollzone minis and all fairyland dolls are fantastic posers; but in the end, whether or not the sculpt is what will work best for the character is most important since most of the dolls I have plans for are pre-existing characters of mine that I already have clear pictures of in my head.

 

and I'm not actually tagging anyone, I'm just tagging the people who tagged me so they actually see my answers.

if you haven't already been tagged by someone to do this and you want to do it then have at it!

#OnceUponATime

 

In spring 2013 I organized #SpaceBembel, a #SpaceSocial where a group of #SpaceTweeps got together again to share some space fun in Frankfurt.

As one of my mottos is "no #SpaceTweetup without a proper badge" I designed one and distributed it to all participants.

What I had started back then became kind of a tradition in the meantime:

Inspired by several #Space- and #ScienceTweetups I painted logos for every event I attended,

got them printed on badges for all, as well as thank-you posters, t-shirts, etc. as memento of our shared adventures.

 

And 2013 has been quite a ride :-)

#SpaceBembel *

#ASE26 *

#BuraMooN 1 & 2 * #SpaceKoelschX * #CERNTweetup * #ItIsStonehengeReunionOClock * #ScienceTweetup

 

And 2014 is also amazing already:

I already created designs for #SpaceFestVI and #AlexTweetup taking place in May

and @SpaceUpUK in July 2014.

I am very much looking forward to sharing these events with so many friends from all over the world.

 

More to come ;-)

www.flickr.com/photos/spaceholix/collections/721576354819...

 

So #AlexTweetup is about our trip to Baikonur shared by 16 dedicated #SpaceTweeps and two #SpaceMascots named #PinkLittleDragon and @CamillaSpace.

All of us will share this unique adventure of witnessing the Soyuz launch of our German astronaut Alexander Gerst ( #FF @Astro_Alex ) to #ISS on 28. May 2014 via Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels.

 

Here is the collection of my brainstorming and the design process as well as many pictures of the past 5 years, from the day at #TdLR09, where we "met" Alexander Gerst and the other #shenanigans for the very first (but not the last) time, shortly after their assignments for a trip to #ISS.

Oh yes, there was a time before twitter and other social media ;-)

 

www.flickr.com/photos/spaceholix/sets/72157644182872632/

 

My latest design features the #NebraSkydisk - one of the most beautiful and most fascinating archeological and astronomical artefacts ever found - until today.

This is the oldest-known illustration of our cosmos so far, with an estimated age of 3600 years (!!!), the earliest known diagram of the heavens, which makes it one or may be THE most important archaeological discovery of the twenty-first century.

It was discovered by treasure hunters on July 4th 1999 near the city of Nebra in Germany and since then fascinates not only the experts as its history is really exciting from then till now.

www.dailymotion.com/video/x1a45jq_the-nebra-sky-disc-anci...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebra_sky_disk

www.bibliotecapleyades.net/arqueologia/nebra_disk.htm

 

I fell in love with this beauty as soon as I saw it the very first time several years ago.

And I always wanted to paint it one day!

So what better match could there be than combining this masterpiece -created by stargazers thousands of years ago, who loved observing (and already started understanding) our night sky- with two fantastic #SpaceEvents in May 2014.

#SpaceFestVI in Pasadena ( www.spacefest.info/VI/brochure.html ), THE #SpaceEvent of the year, where many astronauts of the dawning of space exploration did reunite and inspire all of us

and then -end of May- our #AlexTweetup - where we celebrate the launch of @esa astronaut Alexander Gerst, whose mission name is #TheBlueDot (!!!).

Both events bring people together (again), who travel all around the world to share their love of space and our beautiful blue marble …

And I am really honored that sharing my badges and designs with so many #SpaceTweeps AND astronauts of the very first era of space exploration until today made so many people smile again. And these smiles seem to be contagious ;-D

I cannot really explain it, there simply is this very special close link between us.

 

NOTE:

#NebraSkyDisk is under the copyright of the Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt

- Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte -

www.lda-lsa.de/en/nebra_sky_disc/

 

As my design project is an artistic realization for two private travel groups, I was kindly given official permission to integrate the #NebraSkydisk in my artworks here.

Hence I have to emphasize that my artwork may ONLY be shared as per following license:

CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 DE

creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/de/

 

I herewith explicitly send my thanks to the

STATE OFFICE FOR HERITAGE MANAGEMENT AND ARCHAEOLOGY

- THE STATE MUSEUM OF PREHISTORY IN HALLE / GERMANY -

and - as asked for - I will gladly send pictures of my design as well as badges and photos of #SpaceFestVI in Pasadena and #AlexTweetup in Baikonur to the Museum for its collection / exhibition.

 

It is my pleasure to share the #NebraSkydisk far beyond the borders of Germany - especially during events, which only can take place, because some people started documenting their night-sky-observations thousands of years ago.

 

#SpaceholixThenAndNow ;-)

 

Covered below is an overview of all the details embodied in my #AlexTweetup mission logo

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

#AlexTweetup

- Facebook group for all #SpaceTweeps interested in the trip to the launch of Alexander Gerst on 28. May 2014

www.facebook.com/groups/AlexanderTweetup/

 

Baikonur * May 26th - 30th 2014

- Travel period for #AlexTweetup in Baikonur

www.dlr.de/dlr/presse/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-10308/471...

 

BLUE DOT

- Mission name of Alexander Gerst

blogs.esa.int/alexander-gerst/

 

XL

- Mission no. 40 - in roman numerals

 

THEN + NOW

- Connection between space exploration THEN #NebraSkydisk (dated about 3.600 years ago in Germany) and NOW (#BlueDot mission of German astronaut Alexander Gerst)

 

WISEMAN * GERST * SURAJEW

- names of the international crew of mission no. 40

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expedition_40

 

SHAPING THE FUTURE ...

Mission theme of Alexander Gerst's mission #BlueDot

www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight/Astronauts/A...

 

... IN LEO

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low_Earth_orbit

- Abbreviation LEO #LowEarthOrbit - the home of #ISS

 

CONSTELLATIONS:

 

LEO

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_(constellation)

- reflecting LowEarthOrbit - the orbit of #ISS

 

DRACO

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draco_(constellation)

 

- representing #DRAGON - the partially reusable spacecraft developed by @SpaceX, which has docked to #ISS already several times and will deliver cargo regularly.

We enjoyed seeing the capsule used during the maiden flight in Florida at SpaceX Launch Control Center during an event before the #NASATweetup for #STS135

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draco_(rocket_engine)

- also representing #PinkLittleDragon - the travel buddy of #The2AndAHalfSpaceTweeps @LightspeedLeo @4tuneQkie and @travelholic ( avoving @Spaceholix ) and our #SpaceMascot.

This #VIP #VeryInspiringPinkLittleDragon is traveling all around the world with us and he already has attended several great #SpaceTweetup and #ScienceTweetup events organized by @NASA @DLR_de @ESA @CERN @Helmholtz_de as well as #ASE26 #SpaceFestV and #SpaceFestVI

and he has already met many of the most inspiring #SpaceExplorers and #Astronauts from the #Mercury and #Apollo era - till today, as well as #scientists @MeteoriteMen #CometHunters ...

 

SWAN

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cygnus

- representing the footprint / autograph of our dear friend and great #SpaceMascot and #VIP #VeryIntelligentPoultry:

@CamillaSpace is encouraging not only children of all ages to ask questions about the Sun and space and she was planned to be part of this mission accompanying NASA astronaut @astro_reid on his trip to #ISS.

Her footprint is heading from the Swiss flag (home country of Camilla's "executive secretary" Romeo Durscher ( about.me/romeoch ) to the US flag via #ISS

about.me/camillacorona

www.wired.com/2012/11/camilla-nasa-rubber-chicken/

 

XXVIII

V

MMXIV

- 28. 05. 2014 = launch date of mission 40 in roman numerals stylised in shape of ISS

 

* “ @ “ AND “ # “

- reflecting the tools of the peer-to-peer connection of astronauts @Astro_Alex and @astro_reid and many others with #SpaceTweeps and future space enthusiasts, who will further spread news about the adventures all around the world via social media channels, e.g. @twitter, Facebook, Google+ and others.

 

16 FLAGS

www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/par...

- representing all current international partners and participants cooperating on #ISS – the most ambitious international collaboration ever

which -in my eyes- really would be worthy of the nobel peace prize www.spacesafetymagazine.com/iss-nobel-peace-prize/

Between the flags I left additional room for more countries to join that global project in the near future.

Especially in difficult political times like today this cooperation hopefully will enable our world to grow together more closely step by step.

 

Now we are looking forward to this trip and are curious how everything will work out.

This definitely is a very adventurous trip and if someone had told me 5 years ago, when we met that guy in blue for the very first time that we would be going to KAZAKHSTAN half a decade later to see HIS launch, I would NEVER EVER have believed it.

It seems our lives as #Spaceholix have many surprises in store for us ;-)

If YOU want to know more about all this, just follow the hashtag of our group:

#AlexTweetup

;-)

Liquid Sworder from France, pasted as part of street art without borders

without such a thing, I am merely blind.

 

large view here please

The Cirneco dell'Etna is a small breed of dog originally from Sicily. This hound was historically used to hunt rabbits and can work for hours without food or water.The breed also has a keen sense of smell and is primarily built for endurance over harsh terrain such as that of Mount Etna. It is the smallest of the Mediterranean island hunting hounds, the others being the Pharaoh Hounds and Ibizan Hounds.Today they are increasingly kept for the sport of conformation showing and as pets, due to their low coat maintenance and friendly nature, although as an active hound they do need regular exercise. A Cirneco should measure from 43-51 cm (17-20in) and weigh between 10–12 kg (22-26lb). As with other breeds, those from hunting stock can lie outside these ranges.

 

The Cirneco dell'Etna is a small hound-type dog used in Sicily for rabbit hunting. It is found all over the Italian island and particularly in the area surrounding the active volcano, Mount Etna,where the dogs hunt on terrain formed by volcanic lava. Its presence in Sicily is noteworthy as one of the few ancient breeds that have undergone very little manipulation by man. Instead, the breed has been rigorously selected by nature for its ability to work for hours. The dog we have today is an extremely hardy breed. Affectionate and friendly, it is considered easier to train than some of its sighthound cousins. The Cirneco has been in Sicily for thousands of years. Most authors agree that the origins of the hound-type dog lie among ancient Egyptian prick-eared dogs. Bas-reliefs discovered along the Nile and dated around 4000 B.C. depict what could be the Cirneco today. Most probably, the Phoenicians spread these prick-eared, hound-type dogs as they sailed along their trade routes between Northern Africa and the Mediterranean coasts. Ancient records of hounds with upright ears and a pointed muzzle are found in many countries in that part of the world. The most vivid proof of the presence of the Cirneco dell’Etna in Sicily for at least the past 2500 years is the many coins minted between the 5th and 3rd centuries B.C. depicting exemplars of the breed. In particular, the Cirneco dell’Etna is used on coins minted at Segesta, with about 150 variations. In 400 B.C., Dionysus was said to have built a temple dedicated to the God Adranos on the south-western slope of the volcano, just outside the city of Adrano. Many dogs were bred there and legend claims that a thousand Cirnechi guarded the temple.The Cirneco was rarely seen and little known outside Sicily until 1932. Now Cirnechi have also been exported to many European countries where their elegant conformation has helped make them a success in the show ring and many have become FCI International Show Champions. The dog's affectionate temperament and adaptability make it an excellent family companion.

 

El cirneco del Etna es una raza de perro oriunda de Sicilia. Este tipo de lebrel de pequeño tamaño forma parte de un conjunto de razas caninas del Mediterráneo cuyo origen se encuentra en Egipto, y entre las que se encuentra el podenco Ibicenco. Se trata de un perro adaptado a terrenos difíciles, apto para la caza de conejos y liebres.Los machos miden entre 46 y 50 cm, y pesan de 10 a 12 kg, y las hembras miden entre 42 y 46 cm, pesando de 8 a 10 kg. La cabeza es alargada y estrecha y el hocico afilado y puntiagudo, con un stop muy poco pronunciado. La trufa es de color marrón claro, y los ojos, pequeños, pueden ser ocre claro, ámbar o grises. Las orejas, erguidas, son triangulares y puntiagudas, y están implantadas altas. El lomo es recto y largo, y el pecho no demasiado amplio, con la musculatura pectoral poco desarrollada, al contrario que las patas, fuertes y con una musculatura bien desarrollada. La cola, implantada baja, es gruesa y de diámetro uniforme. El manto, de color tostado o tostado y blanco, tiene un pelaje corto y espeso en la cabeza, orejas y patas y liso y semilargo en el tronco y la cola.Su nombre puede proceder del de la antigua ciudad de Cirene, donde Aristóteles, en De natura animalium, dice haber visto un perro cuya descripción coincide con la de este.Aunque parece claro que la raza es autóctona de Sicilia, es posible que fuese anterior a la civilización egipcia, y que hubiese sido llevado al norte de África por los fenicios. Esta hipótesis se vería confirmada por la existencia de una estatuilla hallada cerca de Siracusa, datada alrededor del 4000 a.c.Se encuentran representaciones del cirneco en monedas sicilianas del siglo Vl al siglo III a.c., y parece que se le tenía en gran consideración, como demuestra el hecho de que en una de las monedas halladas en la antigua ciudad siciliana de Segesta se le represente junto a una divinidad fenicia con facciones humanas. Desde entonces las características de la raza han permanecido prácticamente inalteradas, gracias en gran medida a los campesinos, que conservaron su pureza criándolo por su utilidad para cazar en las pendientes del Etna, de lava solidificada y difícilmente accesibles.

 

Der Cirneco dell’ Etna ist eine von der FCI anerkannte italienische Hunderasse, die von der Insel Sizilien stammt (FCI-Gruppe 5, Sektion 7, Standard Nr. 199).Frühere Studien gingen davon aus, dass der Cirneco dell'Etna von Jagdhunden abstammt, die zur Pharaonenzeit im Niltal gezüchtet wurden. Der Cirneco dell'Etna sei dann mit den Phöniziern nach Sizilien gekommen. Neueste Untersuchungen unterstützen allerdings eine andere Theorie: Der Cineco dell'Etna stammt ursprünglich aus Sizilien und lebte an den Abhängen des Ätna. Münzen und Gravuren aus der römischen Epoche belegen, dass Hunde dieses Typs bereits vor Christi Geburt auf Sizilien vorkamen.

Der Cirneco dell'Etna ist mittelgroß (bis zu 50 cm und bis zu 12 kg schwer), quadratisch gebaut, schlank, aber dennoch widerstandsfähig und robust. Das Fell ist kurz, sehr glatt und fest. Dabei ist das Fell auf dem Rumpf und der Rute ungefähr 3 cm lang. Die Fellfarbe ist falbfarben, von intensiv bis verwaschen, wie isabell-sandfarben. Weiße oder gescheckte Exemplare können vorkommen; in der Regel weist der Cirneco dell'Etna jedoch nur geringe weiße Abzeichen auf.Die Ohren sind auffällig groß und stehend typisch wie auch bei den Podencos.Der Cirneco dell'Etna wird zur Jagd auf Wildkaninchen verwendet. Sein Verbreitungsgebiet umfasst vor allem die Region um den Ätna, an dessen Abhängen er die Kaninchen im Gebüsch und Geröll aufstöbert. Er treibt die Kaninchen aus ihren Verstecken hervor, so dass die Jäger zum Schuss kommen können.

 

Le Cirneco de l'Etna (Cirneco dell’Etna) est un chien originaire de Sicile. La Fédération cynologique internationale l'a répertorié dans le groupe 5, section 7, standard n° 199.

Cirneco de l'Etna.....Chien de type lévrier bien qu'il soit classé dans le groupe 5. Chien adapté aux terrains difficiles qui chasse le lapin sauvage.Chien de nationalité italienne primitif qui descendrait des chiens de l’époque des Pharaons. Mais il pourrait s’agir d’une race autochtone d’origine sicilienne.

 

O cirneco do Etna (em italiano: Cirneco dell’Etna) é uma raça quase desconhecida fora da Itália, já que permaneceu isolada na Sicília por praticamente 2 000 anos. Em 1939 foi reconhecida como raça. Comum aos cães de raças antigas, estes têm dificuldade de adaptação ao mundo urbano, pois precisam de constante atividade e são difíceis de adestrar, embora sejam vistos como animais muito fiéis. Podendo pesar até 12 kg, tem como peculiaridade as grandes orelhas largas e eretas, o longo pescoço e a cabeça estreita.

 

Сицилийская борзая или Чирнеко дель Этна — порода собак. Происходит с Сицилии. Изначально выращивалась для охоты на зайца. Классические исследования собачьих пород, распространенных в Средиземноморском регионе, пришли к заключению, что Чирнеко Дель Этна происходят от античных охотничьих собак, выведенных в долине Нила в эпоху фараонов, собак, получивших достигших Сицилии благодаря Финикийцам. Но согласно последним исследованиям получила одобрения теория, согласно которой эта порода имеет непосредственно сицилийское происхождение, зародившись в окрестностях Этны. Монеты и гравюры доказывают, что Чирнеки существовали в этом регионе за много веков до нашей эр Собака примитивного типа, элегантного и утонченного сложения, среднего размера, не громоздкая, сильная и крепкая. По морфологическому сложению — собака удлиненных линий, легкого сложения; квадратного формата; шерсть тонкая.

Охотничья собака, выведенная для охоты на кролика по сложной местности; обладает большим темпераментом, но в то же время мягкая и привязчивая.

 

Cirneco dell’etna on italialainen koirarotu. Se on vinttikoiran tyyppinen pystykorvainen, alkukantainen ja harvinainen rotu. Cirneco dell’etnan tarkka alkuperä jää hämärän peittoon, mutta se on hyvin vanha rotu ja muuttunut vuosisatojen saatossa vain vähän. Rotu on saanut olla melko rauhassa, ja vasta viime vuosina sen jalostukseen on puututtu.Rotu on nykyisin lähinnä seura- ja harrastekoira. Italiassa sitä käytetään yhä villikaniinien metsästykseen. Cirneco on nopea koira, ja ketteränä se pystyy vaihtamaan suuntaa nopeasti esimerkiksi metsästyksen aikana. Cirneco käyttää metsästäessään kuuloaan, näköään ja hajuaistiaan.Cirneco dell’etna on luonteeltaan temperamenttinen, eloisa, ystävällinen, iloinen ja leikkisä koira. Cirnecon leikkisyys säilyy yleensä vanhoihin päiviin asti. Cirneco on myös hyvin läheisyyttä rakastava koira, ja sen lempipaikka onkin yleensä kainalossa sohvalla tai peiton alla omistajansa vieressä. Cirneco kiintyy voimakkaasti perheeseensä ja tulee yleensä hyvin toimeen ystävällisenä ja lempeänä koirana kaikenikäisten ihmisten kanssa. Miellyttämisenhalua cirnecolla ei ole kovin paljon, joten ilman hyvää motivointikeinoa se ei välttämättä aina tottele ainakaan ensimmäisellä käskyllä. Cirnecolla on kuitenkin miellyttämisenhalua enemmän kuin yleensä vinttikoirilla. Cirneco tarvitsee johdonmukaisen ja määrätietoisen peruskasvatuksen.

Cirneco dell’etna on ikivanha rotu, jonka juuret johtavat 1000-luvulle ennen ajanlaskun alkua. Joidenkin mielestä se polveutuu Egyptin viimeisten dynastioiden faaraoiden koirista ja niistä koirista, joita foinikialaiset kauppiaat toivat Italiaan. Tutkimukset antavat aiheen olettaa, että se olisi Sisilian alkuperäisrotu. Cirneconnäköisiä korkokuvia on löydetty faaraoiden haudoista, mm. Luxorista ja Ben-Hassanista. Sisiliasta on myös löydetty 45 cm korkea luuranko, joka muistuttaa cirnecoa suuresti. Luuranko on paikallistettu vuoteen 1400 eaa. Nykyisin kyseinen luuranko on nähtävissä Pigorini-museossa Roomassa. Myös vanhoista Sisiliasta löytyneistä kolikoista on löydetty cirnecoa esittäviä koiran kuvia.

 

Il cirneco dell'Etna è un cane appartenente ad una razza molto antica, che ha subito poche manipolazioni nel corso dei secoli.Le origini del cirneco risalgono al 1000 a.C. Si dice che questa razza derivi dai cani dei Faraoni egiziani delle ultime dinastie e da cani importati in Sicilia dai commercianti fenici. Successivi studi hanno indicato che molto probabilmente il Cirneco è una razza autoctona siciliana.Il cirneco dell'Etna appartiene alla classe dei cani da caccia di tipo primitivo; è un animale molto veloce e per questo viene utilizzato soprattutto nella caccia al coniglio selvatico e alla lepre.Si presenta con una figura molto snella, con gambe lunghe, orecchie dritte e con un corpo muscoloso ma nello stesso tempo molto elegante. Ha un fiuto eccezionale ed è agilissimo nel cambiare direzione durante l'inseguimento della preda. Da notare che, sebbene l'aspetto del cirneco ricordi quello dei levrieri, non caccia a vista ma usa l'olfatto, come un cane da cerca; secondo la classificazione della Federazione Cinologica Internazionale (F.C.I.), tutti i cani appartenenti alla razza dei "levrieri" appartengono al 10º gruppo, mentre il cirneco è inserito nel 5º Gruppo, quello delle razze di tipo primitivo.Generalmente raggiunge l'altezza di 46-50 cm al garrese negli esemplari maschi, mentre le femmine misurano dai 42 ai 46. Il peso del maschio si aggira intorno ai 10-12 kg, mentre le femmine raggiungono gli 8-10. La lunghezza del tronco è in media uguale all'altezza al garrese: il cirneco ha dunque una costruzione quadrata. È strutturato da una massa muscolare che comprende l'80% del corpo. Si presenta snello e, se nutrito in modo adeguato, mantiene una linea elegante e slanciata.Cane velocissimo e molto agile, è capace di raggiungere persino i 40/45 km/h nella corsa.I colori del mantello del cirneco dell'Etna vanno dal sabbia dorato al cervo scuro; non necessariamente devono essere presenti macchie bianche, ma possono essercene su tutto il corpo; sebbene molto rari, ne esistono colorati di bianco arancio (come nel setter inglese) e di bianco puro (pur non essendo propriamente albino). Il colore riconosciuto dagli standard di razza è il fulvo più o meno intenso, isabella e sabbia, con lista bianca in fronte, al petto, piedi bianchi, punta della coda bianca e ventre bianco.Dotato di grande intelligenza, è generalmente indipendente e solitario. Generalmente diffidente con gli estranei, si affeziona ad un solo padrone. Si può dire che abbia le sue simpatie e antipatie a pelle: con alcuni individui non socializza e alla loro vista abbaia; con altri inizialmente si mostra aggressivo ma poi socializza e con altri ancora prova un feeling immediato e socializza subito. È un cane che per il padrone darebbe tutto se stesso.Se correttamente socializzato da cucciolo, evidenzia un carattere molto disponibile e gioioso e privo di diffidenze anche verso le persone appena conosciute.Se cresce in un ambiente familiare, dove ha ricevuto tutti gli stimoli nei confronti dell'ambiente esterno, ama essere portato a spasso e incontrare altri cani e persone, anche se sconosciuti. Se lasciato libero, soprattutto in luoghi di campagna, cambia visibilmente espressione; tutti i muscoli si tendono, ama ispezionare l'ambiente circostante e, anche se all'inizio sembra indipendente, in realtà sa sempre dove si trova il suo padrone e puntualmente ritorna sotto la sua attenzione. Prima di liberare un cirneco in un luogo aperto occorre aver rafforzato un rapporto sereno e di fiducia. Il cirneco è un cane primitivo e rispetto ad altri animali domestici, molto spesso è un soggetto che porta rancore se trattato male, non dimentica facilmente uno sgarbo subito, non sopporta di essere rimproverato con eccessiva durezza.La vita media di questo cane è molto elevata, quindici anni circa, ma esistono esemplari che vivono anche venti anni.

 

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Graffiti (plural; singular graffiti or graffito, the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire (see also mural).

 

Graffiti is a controversial subject. In most countries, marking or painting property without permission is considered by property owners and civic authorities as defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime, citing the use of graffiti by street gangs to mark territory or to serve as an indicator of gang-related activities. Graffiti has become visualized as a growing urban "problem" for many cities in industrialized nations, spreading from the New York City subway system and Philadelphia in the early 1970s to the rest of the United States and Europe and other world regions

 

"Graffiti" (usually both singular and plural) and the rare singular form "graffito" are from the Italian word graffiato ("scratched"). The term "graffiti" is used in art history for works of art produced by scratching a design into a surface. A related term is "sgraffito", which involves scratching through one layer of pigment to reveal another beneath it. This technique was primarily used by potters who would glaze their wares and then scratch a design into them. In ancient times graffiti were carved on walls with a sharp object, although sometimes chalk or coal were used. The word originates from Greek γράφειν—graphein—meaning "to write".

 

The term graffiti originally referred to the inscriptions, figure drawings, and such, found on the walls of ancient sepulchres or ruins, as in the Catacombs of Rome or at Pompeii. Historically, these writings were not considered vanadlism, which today is considered part of the definition of graffiti.

 

The only known source of the Safaitic language, an ancient form of Arabic, is from graffiti: inscriptions scratched on to the surface of rocks and boulders in the predominantly basalt desert of southern Syria, eastern Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia. Safaitic dates from the first century BC to the fourth century AD.

 

Some of the oldest cave paintings in the world are 40,000 year old ones found in Australia. The oldest written graffiti was found in ancient Rome around 2500 years ago. Most graffiti from the time was boasts about sexual experiences Graffiti in Ancient Rome was a form of communication, and was not considered vandalism.

 

Ancient tourists visiting the 5th-century citadel at Sigiriya in Sri Lanka write their names and commentary over the "mirror wall", adding up to over 1800 individual graffiti produced there between the 6th and 18th centuries. Most of the graffiti refer to the frescoes of semi-nude females found there. One reads:

 

Wet with cool dew drops

fragrant with perfume from the flowers

came the gentle breeze

jasmine and water lily

dance in the spring sunshine

side-long glances

of the golden-hued ladies

stab into my thoughts

heaven itself cannot take my mind

as it has been captivated by one lass

among the five hundred I have seen here.

 

Among the ancient political graffiti examples were Arab satirist poems. Yazid al-Himyari, an Umayyad Arab and Persian poet, was most known for writing his political poetry on the walls between Sajistan and Basra, manifesting a strong hatred towards the Umayyad regime and its walis, and people used to read and circulate them very widely.

 

Graffiti, known as Tacherons, were frequently scratched on Romanesque Scandinavian church walls. When Renaissance artists such as Pinturicchio, Raphael, Michelangelo, Ghirlandaio, or Filippino Lippi descended into the ruins of Nero's Domus Aurea, they carved or painted their names and returned to initiate the grottesche style of decoration.

 

There are also examples of graffiti occurring in American history, such as Independence Rock, a national landmark along the Oregon Trail.

 

Later, French soldiers carved their names on monuments during the Napoleonic campaign of Egypt in the 1790s. Lord Byron's survives on one of the columns of the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion in Attica, Greece.

 

The oldest known example of graffiti "monikers" found on traincars created by hobos and railworkers since the late 1800s. The Bozo Texino monikers were documented by filmmaker Bill Daniel in his 2005 film, Who is Bozo Texino?.

 

In World War II, an inscription on a wall at the fortress of Verdun was seen as an illustration of the US response twice in a generation to the wrongs of the Old World:

 

During World War II and for decades after, the phrase "Kilroy was here" with an accompanying illustration was widespread throughout the world, due to its use by American troops and ultimately filtering into American popular culture. Shortly after the death of Charlie Parker (nicknamed "Yardbird" or "Bird"), graffiti began appearing around New York with the words "Bird Lives".

 

Modern graffiti art has its origins with young people in 1960s and 70s in New York City and Philadelphia. Tags were the first form of stylised contemporary graffiti. Eventually, throw-ups and pieces evolved with the desire to create larger art. Writers used spray paint and other kind of materials to leave tags or to create images on the sides subway trains. and eventually moved into the city after the NYC metro began to buy new trains and paint over graffiti.

 

While the art had many advocates and appreciators—including the cultural critic Norman Mailer—others, including New York City mayor Ed Koch, considered it to be defacement of public property, and saw it as a form of public blight. The ‘taggers’ called what they did ‘writing’—though an important 1974 essay by Mailer referred to it using the term ‘graffiti.’

 

Contemporary graffiti style has been heavily influenced by hip hop culture and the myriad international styles derived from Philadelphia and New York City Subway graffiti; however, there are many other traditions of notable graffiti in the twentieth century. Graffiti have long appeared on building walls, in latrines, railroad boxcars, subways, and bridges.

 

An early graffito outside of New York or Philadelphia was the inscription in London reading "Clapton is God" in reference to the guitarist Eric Clapton. Creating the cult of the guitar hero, the phrase was spray-painted by an admirer on a wall in an Islington, north London in the autumn of 1967. The graffito was captured in a photograph, in which a dog is urinating on the wall.

 

Films like Style Wars in the 80s depicting famous writers such as Skeme, Dondi, MinOne, and ZEPHYR reinforced graffiti's role within New York's emerging hip-hop culture. Although many officers of the New York City Police Department found this film to be controversial, Style Wars is still recognized as the most prolific film representation of what was going on within the young hip hop culture of the early 1980s. Fab 5 Freddy and Futura 2000 took hip hop graffiti to Paris and London as part of the New York City Rap Tour in 1983

 

Commercialization and entrance into mainstream pop culture

Main article: Commercial graffiti

With the popularity and legitimization of graffiti has come a level of commercialization. In 2001, computer giant IBM launched an advertising campaign in Chicago and San Francisco which involved people spray painting on sidewalks a peace symbol, a heart, and a penguin (Linux mascot), to represent "Peace, Love, and Linux." IBM paid Chicago and San Francisco collectively US$120,000 for punitive damages and clean-up costs.

 

In 2005, a similar ad campaign was launched by Sony and executed by its advertising agency in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Miami, to market its handheld PSP gaming system. In this campaign, taking notice of the legal problems of the IBM campaign, Sony paid building owners for the rights to paint on their buildings "a collection of dizzy-eyed urban kids playing with the PSP as if it were a skateboard, a paddle, or a rocking horse".

 

Tristan Manco wrote that Brazil "boasts a unique and particularly rich, graffiti scene ... [earning] it an international reputation as the place to go for artistic inspiration". Graffiti "flourishes in every conceivable space in Brazil's cities". Artistic parallels "are often drawn between the energy of São Paulo today and 1970s New York". The "sprawling metropolis", of São Paulo has "become the new shrine to graffiti"; Manco alludes to "poverty and unemployment ... [and] the epic struggles and conditions of the country's marginalised peoples", and to "Brazil's chronic poverty", as the main engines that "have fuelled a vibrant graffiti culture". In world terms, Brazil has "one of the most uneven distributions of income. Laws and taxes change frequently". Such factors, Manco argues, contribute to a very fluid society, riven with those economic divisions and social tensions that underpin and feed the "folkloric vandalism and an urban sport for the disenfranchised", that is South American graffiti art.

 

Prominent Brazilian writers include Os Gêmeos, Boleta, Nunca, Nina, Speto, Tikka, and T.Freak. Their artistic success and involvement in commercial design ventures has highlighted divisions within the Brazilian graffiti community between adherents of the cruder transgressive form of pichação and the more conventionally artistic values of the practitioners of grafite.

 

Graffiti in the Middle East has emerged slowly, with taggers operating in Egypt, Lebanon, the Gulf countries like Bahrain or the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and in Iran. The major Iranian newspaper Hamshahri has published two articles on illegal writers in the city with photographic coverage of Iranian artist A1one's works on Tehran walls. Tokyo-based design magazine, PingMag, has interviewed A1one and featured photographs of his work. The Israeli West Bank barrier has become a site for graffiti, reminiscent in this sense of the Berlin Wall. Many writers in Israel come from other places around the globe, such as JUIF from Los Angeles and DEVIONE from London. The religious reference "נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן" ("Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman") is commonly seen in graffiti around Israel.

 

Graffiti has played an important role within the street art scene in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), especially following the events of the Arab Spring of 2011 or the Sudanese Revolution of 2018/19. Graffiti is a tool of expression in the context of conflict in the region, allowing people to raise their voices politically and socially. Famous street artist Banksy has had an important effect in the street art scene in the MENA area, especially in Palestine where some of his works are located in the West Bank barrier and Bethlehem.

 

There are also a large number of graffiti influences in Southeast Asian countries that mostly come from modern Western culture, such as Malaysia, where graffiti have long been a common sight in Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Since 2010, the country has begun hosting a street festival to encourage all generations and people from all walks of life to enjoy and encourage Malaysian street culture.

 

The modern-day graffitists can be found with an arsenal of various materials that allow for a successful production of a piece. This includes such techniques as scribing. However, spray paint in aerosol cans is the number one medium for graffiti. From this commodity comes different styles, technique, and abilities to form master works of graffiti. Spray paint can be found at hardware and art stores and comes in virtually every color.

 

Stencil graffiti is created by cutting out shapes and designs in a stiff material (such as cardboard or subject folders) to form an overall design or image. The stencil is then placed on the "canvas" gently and with quick, easy strokes of the aerosol can, the image begins to appear on the intended surface.

 

Some of the first examples were created in 1981 by artists Blek le Rat in Paris, in 1982 by Jef Aerosol in Tours (France); by 1985 stencils had appeared in other cities including New York City, Sydney, and Melbourne, where they were documented by American photographer Charles Gatewood and Australian photographer Rennie Ellis

 

Tagging is the practice of someone spray-painting "their name, initial or logo onto a public surface" in a handstyle unique to the writer. Tags were the first form of modern graffiti.

 

Modern graffiti art often incorporates additional arts and technologies. For example, Graffiti Research Lab has encouraged the use of projected images and magnetic light-emitting diodes (throwies) as new media for graffitists. yarnbombing is another recent form of graffiti. Yarnbombers occasionally target previous graffiti for modification, which had been avoided among the majority of graffitists.

 

Theories on the use of graffiti by avant-garde artists have a history dating back at least to the Asger Jorn, who in 1962 painting declared in a graffiti-like gesture "the avant-garde won't give up"

 

Many contemporary analysts and even art critics have begun to see artistic value in some graffiti and to recognize it as a form of public art. According to many art researchers, particularly in the Netherlands and in Los Angeles, that type of public art is, in fact an effective tool of social emancipation or, in the achievement of a political goal

 

In times of conflict, such murals have offered a means of communication and self-expression for members of these socially, ethnically, or racially divided communities, and have proven themselves as effective tools in establishing dialog and thus, of addressing cleavages in the long run. The Berlin Wall was also extensively covered by graffiti reflecting social pressures relating to the oppressive Soviet rule over the GDR.

 

Many artists involved with graffiti are also concerned with the similar activity of stenciling. Essentially, this entails stenciling a print of one or more colors using spray-paint. Recognized while exhibiting and publishing several of her coloured stencils and paintings portraying the Sri Lankan Civil War and urban Britain in the early 2000s, graffitists Mathangi Arulpragasam, aka M.I.A., has also become known for integrating her imagery of political violence into her music videos for singles "Galang" and "Bucky Done Gun", and her cover art. Stickers of her artwork also often appear around places such as London in Brick Lane, stuck to lamp posts and street signs, she having become a muse for other graffitists and painters worldwide in cities including Seville.

 

Graffitist believes that art should be on display for everyone in the public eye or in plain sight, not hidden away in a museum or a gallery. Art should color the streets, not the inside of some building. Graffiti is a form of art that cannot be owned or bought. It does not last forever, it is temporary, yet one of a kind. It is a form of self promotion for the artist that can be displayed anywhere form sidewalks, roofs, subways, building wall, etc. Art to them is for everyone and should be showed to everyone for free.

 

Graffiti is a way of communicating and a way of expressing what one feels in the moment. It is both art and a functional thing that can warn people of something or inform people of something. However, graffiti is to some people a form of art, but to some a form of vandalism. And many graffitists choose to protect their identities and remain anonymous or to hinder prosecution.

 

With the commercialization of graffiti (and hip hop in general), in most cases, even with legally painted "graffiti" art, graffitists tend to choose anonymity. This may be attributed to various reasons or a combination of reasons. Graffiti still remains the one of four hip hop elements that is not considered "performance art" despite the image of the "singing and dancing star" that sells hip hop culture to the mainstream. Being a graphic form of art, it might also be said that many graffitists still fall in the category of the introverted archetypal artist.

 

Banksy is one of the world's most notorious and popular street artists who continues to remain faceless in today's society. He is known for his political, anti-war stencil art mainly in Bristol, England, but his work may be seen anywhere from Los Angeles to Palestine. In the UK, Banksy is the most recognizable icon for this cultural artistic movement and keeps his identity a secret to avoid arrest. Much of Banksy's artwork may be seen around the streets of London and surrounding suburbs, although he has painted pictures throughout the world, including the Middle East, where he has painted on Israel's controversial West Bank barrier with satirical images of life on the other side. One depicted a hole in the wall with an idyllic beach, while another shows a mountain landscape on the other side. A number of exhibitions also have taken place since 2000, and recent works of art have fetched vast sums of money. Banksy's art is a prime example of the classic controversy: vandalism vs. art. Art supporters endorse his work distributed in urban areas as pieces of art and some councils, such as Bristol and Islington, have officially protected them, while officials of other areas have deemed his work to be vandalism and have removed it.

 

Pixnit is another artist who chooses to keep her identity from the general public. Her work focuses on beauty and design aspects of graffiti as opposed to Banksy's anti-government shock value. Her paintings are often of flower designs above shops and stores in her local urban area of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Some store owners endorse her work and encourage others to do similar work as well. "One of the pieces was left up above Steve's Kitchen, because it looks pretty awesome"- Erin Scott, the manager of New England Comics in Allston, Massachusetts.

 

Graffiti artists may become offended if photographs of their art are published in a commercial context without their permission. In March 2020, the Finnish graffiti artist Psyke expressed his displeasure at the newspaper Ilta-Sanomat publishing a photograph of a Peugeot 208 in an article about new cars, with his graffiti prominently shown on the background. The artist claims he does not want his art being used in commercial context, not even if he were to receive compensation.

 

Territorial graffiti marks urban neighborhoods with tags and logos to differentiate certain groups from others. These images are meant to show outsiders a stern look at whose turf is whose. The subject matter of gang-related graffiti consists of cryptic symbols and initials strictly fashioned with unique calligraphies. Gang members use graffiti to designate membership throughout the gang, to differentiate rivals and associates and, most commonly, to mark borders which are both territorial and ideological.

 

Graffiti has been used as a means of advertising both legally and illegally. Bronx-based TATS CRU has made a name for themselves doing legal advertising campaigns for companies such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Toyota, and MTV. In the UK, Covent Garden's Boxfresh used stencil images of a Zapatista revolutionary in the hopes that cross referencing would promote their store.

 

Smirnoff hired artists to use reverse graffiti (the use of high pressure hoses to clean dirty surfaces to leave a clean image in the surrounding dirt) to increase awareness of their product.

 

Graffiti often has a reputation as part of a subculture that rebels against authority, although the considerations of the practitioners often diverge and can relate to a wide range of attitudes. It can express a political practice and can form just one tool in an array of resistance techniques. One early example includes the anarcho-punk band Crass, who conducted a campaign of stenciling anti-war, anarchist, feminist, and anti-consumerist messages throughout the London Underground system during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In Amsterdam graffiti was a major part of the punk scene. The city was covered with names such as "De Zoot", "Vendex", and "Dr Rat". To document the graffiti a punk magazine was started that was called Gallery Anus. So when hip hop came to Europe in the early 1980s there was already a vibrant graffiti culture.

 

The student protests and general strike of May 1968 saw Paris bedecked in revolutionary, anarchistic, and situationist slogans such as L'ennui est contre-révolutionnaire ("Boredom is counterrevolutionary") and Lisez moins, vivez plus ("Read less, live more"). While not exhaustive, the graffiti gave a sense of the 'millenarian' and rebellious spirit, tempered with a good deal of verbal wit, of the strikers.

 

I think graffiti writing is a way of defining what our generation is like. Excuse the French, we're not a bunch of p---- artists. Traditionally artists have been considered soft and mellow people, a little bit kooky. Maybe we're a little bit more like pirates that way. We defend our territory, whatever space we steal to paint on, we defend it fiercely.

 

The developments of graffiti art which took place in art galleries and colleges as well as "on the street" or "underground", contributed to the resurfacing in the 1990s of a far more overtly politicized art form in the subvertising, culture jamming, or tactical media movements. These movements or styles tend to classify the artists by their relationship to their social and economic contexts, since, in most countries, graffiti art remains illegal in many forms except when using non-permanent paint. Since the 1990s with the rise of Street Art, a growing number of artists are switching to non-permanent paints and non-traditional forms of painting.

 

Contemporary practitioners, accordingly, have varied and often conflicting practices. Some individuals, such as Alexander Brener, have used the medium to politicize other art forms, and have used the prison sentences enforced on them as a means of further protest. The practices of anonymous groups and individuals also vary widely, and practitioners by no means always agree with each other's practices. For example, the anti-capitalist art group the Space Hijackers did a piece in 2004 about the contradiction between the capitalistic elements of Banksy and his use of political imagery.

 

Berlin human rights activist Irmela Mensah-Schramm has received global media attention and numerous awards for her 35-year campaign of effacing neo-Nazi and other right-wing extremist graffiti throughout Germany, often by altering hate speech in humorous ways.

 

In Serbian capital, Belgrade, the graffiti depicting a uniformed former general of Serb army and war criminal, convicted at ICTY for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide and ethnic cleansing in Bosnian War, Ratko Mladić, appeared in a military salute alongside the words "General, thank to your mother". Aleks Eror, Berlin-based journalist, explains how "veneration of historical and wartime figures" through street art is not a new phenomenon in the region of former Yugoslavia, and that "in most cases is firmly focused on the future, rather than retelling the past". Eror is not only analyst pointing to danger of such an expressions for the region's future. In a long expose on the subject of Bosnian genocide denial, at Balkan Diskurs magazine and multimedia platform website, Kristina Gadže and Taylor Whitsell referred to these experiences as a young generations' "cultural heritage", in which young are being exposed to celebration and affirmation of war-criminals as part of their "formal education" and "inheritance".

 

There are numerous examples of genocide denial through celebration and affirmation of war criminals throughout the region of Western Balkans inhabited by Serbs using this form of artistic expression. Several more of these graffiti are found in Serbian capital, and many more across Serbia and Bosnian and Herzegovinian administrative entity, Republika Srpska, which is the ethnic Serbian majority enclave. Critics point that Serbia as a state, is willing to defend the mural of convicted war criminal, and have no intention to react on cases of genocide denial, noting that Interior Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vulin decision to ban any gathering with an intent to remove the mural, with the deployment of riot police, sends the message of "tacit endorsement". Consequently, on 9 November 2021, Serbian heavy police in riot gear, with graffiti creators and their supporters, blocked the access to the mural to prevent human rights groups and other activists to paint over it and mark the International Day Against Fascism and Antisemitism in that way, and even arrested two civic activist for throwing eggs at the graffiti.

 

Graffiti may also be used as an offensive expression. This form of graffiti may be difficult to identify, as it is mostly removed by the local authority (as councils which have adopted strategies of criminalization also strive to remove graffiti quickly). Therefore, existing racist graffiti is mostly more subtle and at first sight, not easily recognized as "racist". It can then be understood only if one knows the relevant "local code" (social, historical, political, temporal, and spatial), which is seen as heteroglot and thus a 'unique set of conditions' in a cultural context.

 

A spatial code for example, could be that there is a certain youth group in an area that is engaging heavily in racist activities. So, for residents (knowing the local code), a graffiti containing only the name or abbreviation of this gang already is a racist expression, reminding the offended people of their gang activities. Also a graffiti is in most cases, the herald of more serious criminal activity to come. A person who does not know these gang activities would not be able to recognize the meaning of this graffiti. Also if a tag of this youth group or gang is placed on a building occupied by asylum seekers, for example, its racist character is even stronger.

By making the graffiti less explicit (as adapted to social and legal constraints), these drawings are less likely to be removed, but do not lose their threatening and offensive character.

 

Elsewhere, activists in Russia have used painted caricatures of local officials with their mouths as potholes, to show their anger about the poor state of the roads. In Manchester, England, a graffitists painted obscene images around potholes, which often resulted in them being repaired within 48 hours.

 

In the early 1980s, the first art galleries to show graffitists to the public were Fashion Moda in the Bronx, Now Gallery and Fun Gallery, both in the East Village, Manhattan.

 

A 2006 exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum displayed graffiti as an art form that began in New York's outer boroughs and reached great heights in the early 1980s with the work of Crash, Lee, Daze, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. It displayed 22 works by New York graffitists, including Crash, Daze, and Lady Pink. In an article about the exhibition in the magazine Time Out, curator Charlotta Kotik said that she hoped the exhibition would cause viewers to rethink their assumptions about graffiti.

 

From the 1970s onwards, Burhan Doğançay photographed urban walls all over the world; these he then archived for use as sources of inspiration for his painterly works. The project today known as "Walls of the World" grew beyond even his own expectations and comprises about 30,000 individual images. It spans a period of 40 years across five continents and 114 countries. In 1982, photographs from this project comprised a one-man exhibition titled "Les murs murmurent, ils crient, ils chantent ..." (The walls whisper, shout and sing ...) at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.

 

In Australia, art historians have judged some local graffiti of sufficient creative merit to rank them firmly within the arts. Oxford University Press's art history text Australian Painting 1788–2000 concludes with a long discussion of graffiti's key place within contemporary visual culture, including the work of several Australian practitioners.

 

Between March and April 2009, 150 artists exhibited 300 pieces of graffiti at the Grand Palais in Paris.

 

Spray paint has many negative environmental effects. The paint contains toxic chemicals, and the can uses volatile hydrocarbon gases to spray the paint onto a surface.

 

Volatile organic compound (VOC) leads to ground level ozone formation and most of graffiti related emissions are VOCs. A 2010 paper estimates 4,862 tons of VOCs were released in the United States in activities related to graffiti.

  

In China, Mao Zedong in the 1920s used revolutionary slogans and paintings in public places to galvanize the country's communist movement.

 

Based on different national conditions, many people believe that China's attitude towards Graffiti is fierce, but in fact, according to Lance Crayon in his film Spray Paint Beijing: Graffiti in the Capital of China, Graffiti is generally accepted in Beijing, with artists not seeing much police interference. Political and religiously sensitive graffiti, however, is not allowed.

 

In Hong Kong, Tsang Tsou Choi was known as the King of Kowloon for his calligraphy graffiti over many years, in which he claimed ownership of the area. Now some of his work is preserved officially.

 

In Taiwan, the government has made some concessions to graffitists. Since 2005 they have been allowed to freely display their work along some sections of riverside retaining walls in designated "Graffiti Zones". From 2007, Taipei's department of cultural affairs also began permitting graffiti on fences around major public construction sites. Department head Yong-ping Lee (李永萍) stated, "We will promote graffiti starting with the public sector, and then later in the private sector too. It's our goal to beautify the city with graffiti". The government later helped organize a graffiti contest in Ximending, a popular shopping district. graffitists caught working outside of these designated areas still face fines up to NT$6,000 under a department of environmental protection regulation. However, Taiwanese authorities can be relatively lenient, one veteran police officer stating anonymously, "Unless someone complains about vandalism, we won't get involved. We don't go after it proactively."

 

In 1993, after several expensive cars in Singapore were spray-painted, the police arrested a student from the Singapore American School, Michael P. Fay, questioned him, and subsequently charged him with vandalism. Fay pleaded guilty to vandalizing a car in addition to stealing road signs. Under the 1966 Vandalism Act of Singapore, originally passed to curb the spread of communist graffiti in Singapore, the court sentenced him to four months in jail, a fine of S$3,500 (US$2,233), and a caning. The New York Times ran several editorials and op-eds that condemned the punishment and called on the American public to flood the Singaporean embassy with protests. Although the Singapore government received many calls for clemency, Fay's caning took place in Singapore on 5 May 1994. Fay had originally received a sentence of six strokes of the cane, but the presiding president of Singapore, Ong Teng Cheong, agreed to reduce his caning sentence to four lashes.

 

In South Korea, Park Jung-soo was fined two million South Korean won by the Seoul Central District Court for spray-painting a rat on posters of the G-20 Summit a few days before the event in November 2011. Park alleged that the initial in "G-20" sounds like the Korean word for "rat", but Korean government prosecutors alleged that Park was making a derogatory statement about the president of South Korea, Lee Myung-bak, the host of the summit. This case led to public outcry and debate on the lack of government tolerance and in support of freedom of expression. The court ruled that the painting, "an ominous creature like a rat" amounts to "an organized criminal activity" and upheld the fine while denying the prosecution's request for imprisonment for Park.

 

In Europe, community cleaning squads have responded to graffiti, in some cases with reckless abandon, as when in 1992 in France a local Scout group, attempting to remove modern graffiti, damaged two prehistoric paintings of bison in the Cave of Mayrière supérieure near the French village of Bruniquel in Tarn-et-Garonne, earning them the 1992 Ig Nobel Prize in archeology.

 

In September 2006, the European Parliament directed the European Commission to create urban environment policies to prevent and eliminate dirt, litter, graffiti, animal excrement, and excessive noise from domestic and vehicular music systems in European cities, along with other concerns over urban life.

 

In Budapest, Hungary, both a city-backed movement called I Love Budapest and a special police division tackle the problem, including the provision of approved areas.

 

The Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 became Britain's latest anti-graffiti legislation. In August 2004, the Keep Britain Tidy campaign issued a press release calling for zero tolerance of graffiti and supporting proposals such as issuing "on the spot" fines to graffiti offenders and banning the sale of aerosol paint to anyone under the age of 16. The press release also condemned the use of graffiti images in advertising and in music videos, arguing that real-world experience of graffiti stood far removed from its often-portrayed "cool" or "edgy'" image.

 

To back the campaign, 123 Members of Parliament (MPs) (including then Prime Minister Tony Blair), signed a charter which stated: "Graffiti is not art, it's crime. On behalf of my constituents, I will do all I can to rid our community of this problem."

 

In the UK, city councils have the power to take action against the owner of any property that has been defaced under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 (as amended by the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005) or, in certain cases, the Highways Act. This is often used against owners of property that are complacent in allowing protective boards to be defaced so long as the property is not damaged.

 

In July 2008, a conspiracy charge was used to convict graffitists for the first time. After a three-month police surveillance operation, nine members of the DPM crew were convicted of conspiracy to commit criminal damage costing at least £1 million. Five of them received prison sentences, ranging from eighteen months to two years. The unprecedented scale of the investigation and the severity of the sentences rekindled public debate over whether graffiti should be considered art or crime.

 

Some councils, like those of Stroud and Loerrach, provide approved areas in the town where graffitists can showcase their talents, including underpasses, car parks, and walls that might otherwise prove a target for the "spray and run".

 

Graffiti Tunnel, University of Sydney at Camperdown (2009)

In an effort to reduce vandalism, many cities in Australia have designated walls or areas exclusively for use by graffitists. One early example is the "Graffiti Tunnel" located at the Camperdown Campus of the University of Sydney, which is available for use by any student at the university to tag, advertise, poster, and paint. Advocates of this idea suggest that this discourages petty vandalism yet encourages artists to take their time and produce great art, without worry of being caught or arrested for vandalism or trespassing.[108][109] Others disagree with this approach, arguing that the presence of legal graffiti walls does not demonstrably reduce illegal graffiti elsewhere. Some local government areas throughout Australia have introduced "anti-graffiti squads", who clean graffiti in the area, and such crews as BCW (Buffers Can't Win) have taken steps to keep one step ahead of local graffiti cleaners.

 

Many state governments have banned the sale or possession of spray paint to those under the age of 18 (age of majority). However, a number of local governments in Victoria have taken steps to recognize the cultural heritage value of some examples of graffiti, such as prominent political graffiti. Tough new graffiti laws have been introduced in Australia with fines of up to A$26,000 and two years in prison.

 

Melbourne is a prominent graffiti city of Australia with many of its lanes being tourist attractions, such as Hosier Lane in particular, a popular destination for photographers, wedding photography, and backdrops for corporate print advertising. The Lonely Planet travel guide cites Melbourne's street as a major attraction. All forms of graffiti, including sticker art, poster, stencil art, and wheatpasting, can be found in many places throughout the city. Prominent street art precincts include; Fitzroy, Collingwood, Northcote, Brunswick, St. Kilda, and the CBD, where stencil and sticker art is prominent. As one moves farther away from the city, mostly along suburban train lines, graffiti tags become more prominent. Many international artists such as Banksy have left their work in Melbourne and in early 2008 a perspex screen was installed to prevent a Banksy stencil art piece from being destroyed, it has survived since 2003 through the respect of local street artists avoiding posting over it, although it has recently had paint tipped over it.

 

In February 2008 Helen Clark, the New Zealand prime minister at that time, announced a government crackdown on tagging and other forms of graffiti vandalism, describing it as a destructive crime representing an invasion of public and private property. New legislation subsequently adopted included a ban on the sale of paint spray cans to persons under 18 and increases in maximum fines for the offence from NZ$200 to NZ$2,000 or extended community service. The issue of tagging become a widely debated one following an incident in Auckland during January 2008 in which a middle-aged property owner stabbed one of two teenage taggers to death and was subsequently convicted of manslaughter.

 

Graffiti databases have increased in the past decade because they allow vandalism incidents to be fully documented against an offender and help the police and prosecution charge and prosecute offenders for multiple counts of vandalism. They also provide law enforcement the ability to rapidly search for an offender's moniker or tag in a simple, effective, and comprehensive way. These systems can also help track costs of damage to a city to help allocate an anti-graffiti budget. The theory is that when an offender is caught putting up graffiti, they are not just charged with one count of vandalism; they can be held accountable for all the other damage for which they are responsible. This has two main benefits for law enforcement. One, it sends a signal to the offenders that their vandalism is being tracked. Two, a city can seek restitution from offenders for all the damage that they have committed, not merely a single incident. These systems give law enforcement personnel real-time, street-level intelligence that allows them not only to focus on the worst graffiti offenders and their damage, but also to monitor potential gang violence that is associated with the graffiti.

 

Many restrictions of civil gang injunctions are designed to help address and protect the physical environment and limit graffiti. Provisions of gang injunctions include things such as restricting the possession of marker pens, spray paint cans, or other sharp objects capable of defacing private or public property; spray painting, or marking with marker pens, scratching, applying stickers, or otherwise applying graffiti on any public or private property, including, but not limited to the street, alley, residences, block walls, and fences, vehicles or any other real or personal property. Some injunctions contain wording that restricts damaging or vandalizing both public and private property, including but not limited to any vehicle, light fixture, door, fence, wall, gate, window, building, street sign, utility box, telephone box, tree, or power pole.

 

To help address many of these issues, many local jurisdictions have set up graffiti abatement hotlines, where citizens can call in and report vandalism and have it removed. San Diego's hotline receives more than 5,000 calls per year, in addition to reporting the graffiti, callers can learn more about prevention. One of the complaints about these hotlines is the response time; there is often a lag time between a property owner calling about the graffiti and its removal. The length of delay should be a consideration for any jurisdiction planning on operating a hotline. Local jurisdictions must convince the callers that their complaint of vandalism will be a priority and cleaned off right away. If the jurisdiction does not have the resources to respond to complaints in a timely manner, the value of the hotline diminishes. Crews must be able to respond to individual service calls made to the graffiti hotline as well as focus on cleanup near schools, parks, and major intersections and transit routes to have the biggest impact. Some cities offer a reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of suspects for tagging or graffiti related vandalism. The amount of the reward is based on the information provided, and the action taken.

 

When police obtain search warrants in connection with a vandalism investigation, they are often seeking judicial approval to look for items such as cans of spray paint and nozzles from other kinds of aerosol sprays; etching tools, or other sharp or pointed objects, which could be used to etch or scratch glass and other hard surfaces; permanent marking pens, markers, or paint sticks; evidence of membership or affiliation with any gang or tagging crew; paraphernalia including any reference to "(tagger's name)"; any drawings, writing, objects, or graffiti depicting taggers' names, initials, logos, monikers, slogans, or any mention of tagging crew membership; and any newspaper clippings relating to graffiti crime.

First of all, I see from the Church of England website, the dedication is Laurence rather than Lawrence, so will correct my previous shots.

 

And with St Laurence, I have completed the listed churches in the Dover Deanery, a task that has taken some seven and a half years, and in which I have been frustrated by three churches that remained locked to me. But thanks to the internet and requesting access, I did finally get inside Whitfield, Preston and Betteshanger and cross them off the list.

 

I did see inside Hougham too, about 15 months ago during the Heritage Weekend, but found that the parish had arranged a festival to take place art the same time, and the inside was covered in quilts and carpets.

 

Of course.

 

St Laurence is situated on a down between Dover and Capel, and the village is dominated by the TV mast which beams us all TV and radio in the area. You approach the village up steep and narrow lanes from the Old Folkestone Road, or from River in Dover, and the church itself is in the middle of Church Hougham, down a dead end lane.

 

Unlike on previous visits, the door was unlocked so I dd not have to find a keyholder. The lightswitch beside the door lit just a single bulb above the doorway to the porch, but on a bright winter day, the church was full enough with light.

 

It was clear that the south wall of the chancel is leaning out at an alarming angle, but in fairly recent times, a buttress has been built to save it from falling.

 

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In its day this must have been a magnificent church. Its day would have been during the period 1100 to 1150, for a large building was constructed at this time. Even today the remains are impressive. As in many east Kent churches there is no chancel arch. There is a tremendous lean to the south chancel wall. It also shows the blocked arcade to a former south chapel. The north chapel has an impressive east window in Early English style which was copied by the Victorians when they replaced the chancel east window, and for once it is possible to compare the Victorian and medieval work almost side by side. While nineteenth-century windows are fine elsewhere in the church this juxta-position at Hougham clearly demonstrates the superiority of the medieval work. By far the most interesting feature at Hougham is the tower. The arch from the nave is particularly lofty and leads into an extremely tall and spacious chamber which can best be described as cavern-like.

 

www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Hougham

 

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OR Huffam, as it is called, and frequently written in Domesday, Hicham, being so denominated from its high situation, lies the next parish eastward from Polton. Part of it only is within this hundred of Bewsborough; another part is within the hundred of Folkestone; and the residue is within the jurisdiction of the cinque ports, and of the corporation of the town and port of Dover. A borsholder, for that part of this parish which is within the hundred of Bewsborough, is chosen at the court leet of the hundred.

 

THE PARISH of Hougham lies among the high eastern hills of Kent, in a healthy though a very rude and wild country. In the midst of it are two streets, called Church Hougham, and East Hougham; in the former of which the church stands, and at the south-west part of it, a hamlet called West Hougham. Great part of this parish is full of small inclosures, interspersed with frequent coppice wood, and much rough ground. The soil is but poor and barren, consisting of either chalk or a red earth, covered with a rotten slint stone, with which the narrow roads here abound. Towards the eastern part of it the ground lies high, being an open uninclosed down, across which the high road leads from Folkestone to Dover, quite to the sea-shore, over which the chalk cliffs here rise to a great height; from hence there is a most beautiful prospect over the channel, and the Bologne hills on the coast of France. Near the bottom of these cliffs are three holes, called Lydden Spouts, through which the subterraneous waters empty themselves continually on the beach of the shore; and the belief of the country is, that the waters of the Nailborne, at Drelingore, in Alkham, at least four miles distant, communicate subterraneously with these spouts, which increase as the springs heighten by wind and weather. Over these spouts, in the middle of the cliff, are two large square rooms cut out of the chalk, one within the other; they are called the Coining-house, and have a very difficult way to come at them, the cliff here being upwards of four hundred feet high.

 

When the plague raged in London in the year 1665, it was brought to Dover, and great numbers died there of the pestilence in that and the following years, for the burial of whom a piece of ground was bought in this parish, on the side of the hill fronting the pier fort, and consecrated for that purpose. It is computed that upwards of nine hundred of those who died of this pestilence were buried in it, since which it has been constantly known by the name of the Graves.

 

Henry Benger, gent. was of Hougham, and resided here anno 1619, and descended from John Benger, of Maningford, in Wiltshire. They bore for their arms, Or, a cross vert, surmounted by a bendlet, gules. (fn. 1)

 

THE PARISH OF HOUGHAM was part of those lands which were given to Fulbert de Dover, for the desence of Dover castle, (fn. 2) which made up together the barony of Fulbert, or Fobert, as it was usually called, being held in capite by barony, of which Chilham became the chief seat, or caput baroniæof which this place, as appears by the book of Dover castle, was afterwards held by knight's service. Among these lands was included THE MANOR OF HOUGHAM, otherwise called THE ELMES, at times called by the names of Great Hougham, alias Chilverton; and likewise Southcourt, from its situation in regard to the manor of Northcourt, alias Little Hougham, in this parish.

 

This manor was held in manner as above-mentioned by a family who took their surname of Hougham from it. This family bore for their arms, Argent, five chevronels, sable; which Philipott (fn. 3) says they bore in allusion to those of their superior lords, of whom they held lands, the Averenches, or Albrincis, lords of the barony of Folkestone, whose arms were, Or, five chevronels, gulesFrom this family of Hougham descended those of Weddington, in Ash, near Sandwich, now extinct; and from the latter collaterally, those now of St. Paul's near Canterbury. One of the above mentioned family, Robert de Hougham, held it in king Richard I.'s reign, and was present with that king at the siege of Acon, in Palestine. At length his descendant Robert de Hougham, leaving two daughters his coheirs, of whom Benedicta was married to John de Shelving, and the other to Waretius de Valoignes, the latter became entitled to this manor, on the share of his wife's inheritance; and in the 14th year of king Edward III. obtained a charter of free-warren for this manor of Hougham. He left two daughters his coheirs, one of whom married Sir Francis Fogge; the other Maud, married Thomas de Aldelyn, or Aldon, who in her right became possessed of this manor.

 

Thomas de Aldelyn, or Aldon, as the name was afterwards written, died possessed of this manor in the 35th year of the above reign; but it should seem that he had no further interest in it but for his life, for Maud his wife before her death had infeoffed William Tapaline and others in this manor, and they passed it away to Stephen, Richard, and John de Combe, the latter of whom was of Hastingligh, and afterwards became sole possessor of it. He conveyed this manor in the 10th year of king Richard II. in trust to sell it; after which it came into the name of Heron, in which it remained at the end of king Henry IV.'s reign, and from which it was after some interval alienated to William Fineux, gent. of Swingfield, who had three sons; Sir John Fineux, chief justice of the king's bench, who purchased Haw-house, in Herne, under which, an account of him and his descendants may be seen; William, to whom his father gave this manor of Southcourt; and Richard, who was of Dover. (fn. 4)

 

William Fineux, who had this manor of Southcourt by gift of his father, resided at Hougham, and dying possessed of it in 1534, s.p. he by his will gave it to William, the eldest son of his brother Richard deceased, who afterwards resided here, and in his direct descendants it continued down to Thomas Fineux, gent. of Dover, who in king Charles II.'s reign passed away this manor to Robert Breton, gent. who resided at the mansion, called the Elmes, in this parish, formerly the residence of the Nepueus, several of whom lie buried in this church, which seat he had purchased of William Nepueu, esq. of Twickenham, the grandson of Peter, the first builder of it, who was a native of France, and came over to England upon the edict of Nantes, and brought with him a considerable property. He died in 1658, and lies buried in Hougham church. They bore for their arms, Azure, a fleece, or. Robert Breton above-mentioned was descended from the Bretons, of Barwell, and on the mother's side from the Bassingtons, of Temple Rothley, in Leicestershire, being the son > of Nich. Breton, of Norton, near Daventry. He died possessed of this estate, and was buried in this church. His great-grandson M. Breton, esq. afterwards of Kennington-house, (fn. 5) alienated both manor and seat to Robert Lacy, esq. who resided at Elmes, where he served the office of sheriff in the year 1739, and he died possessed of them about the year 1746; upon which they came to his son-in-law Granado Piggott, esq. who in 1749 passed them away to Mr. Phineas Stringer, of Dover, who died in 1757, leaving two sons, Phineas, of whom hereafter; and George, of Canterbury. Phineas, the eldest son, is of Dover, and married the daughter of Mr. Richard Rouse, of Dover, by whom he has an only daughter and heir, married to Mr. Edward Broadrip, gent. of Dover. He bears for his arms, Per chevron, or, and sable, in chief, two eagles displayed of the second; in base, a fleur de lis of the first. He succeeded his father in this manor and seat, and is the present owner of them.

 

A court baron is held for this manor, the boundaries of which, as I am informed, begin at High-cliff, from whence they extend along the coast, to a place called Jews-gut, and there leaving the cliff, on towards Capel, whence including West Hougham, they go down to the Elmes, and the land of Dover priory.

 

THE MANOR OF HOUGHAM-COURT, alias NORTHCOURT, which latter name it took from its situation in regard to the former described manor of South court, was comprehended as part of those lands which, as has been mentioned before, were given to Fulbert de Dover, and with other lands made up the barony of Fobert, of which it was held afterwards by knight's service, by the family of Basing, of eminent account in the city of London during the reigns of king John and king Henry III. for the high offices of trust which they bore in it. At length Sir Thomas de Basing succeeding to this manor, he alienated it to Adam Sare, whose heirs were in the possession of it in the 20th year of king Edward III. How it passed afterwards, I have not found, till the beginning of king Henry VI.'s reign, when it was alienated to Clive, commonly called Cliffe, a family of good account in the counties of Salop and and Essex; from whence, at the latter end of that reign, it passed by sale to William Hextal, esq. of East Peckham. One of his daughters and coheirs Margaret, entitled her husband Wm. Whetenhall, esq. commonly called Whetnall, citizen and alderman of London, to it. (fn. 6) His descendant William Whetenhall about the middle of king Henry VIII.'s reign sold it to John Boys, esq. of Fredville, in whose descendants it continued down to Major John Boys, of Fredville, who possessed it in 1656.

 

Before his death he alienated this manor; but now it passed afterwards I have not learned, only that it became vested in the name of Woodroofe; and in the year 1720, William Woodroofe, clerk, of Cambridgeshire, sold one moiety of it to John Walker, citizen and draper, of London, who passed it away to Francis Cabot, and he, at his death in 1753, devised it to his widow Barbara, as she did to her father Mr. Robert Cooper, of Salisbury, and her brother in law William Barnes. In 1786, this moiety was in possession of Robert, son of the above-mentioned Robert Cooper, and of Anne Barnes, and they joined in the sale of it to Mr. Michael Becker, of Dover, who in 1792 sold it to Mr. Philip Leman, of Dover castle, the present owner of it.

 

The other moiety continued afterwards in the descendants of William Woodroofe above-mentioned down to the Rev. Mr. Woodroofe, of Shoreham, in this county, the present possessor of it; so that this manor remains in undivided moieties at this time.

 

There is no court held for this manor; to it is annexed the right to wreck of the sea along the coast, from High cliff to Archcliff fort.

 

SIBERTON, alias SIBERSTON, is a manor in the north-east part of this parish, which made likewise part of the barony of Fobert before-mentioned, of which it was held by knight's service. John de Herste held this manor in the 2d year of king John, and in the 20th year of king Edward III. the heirs of another John de Herst held it by the description of lands in Siberston, of the barony of Chilham, by the like service, and the payment of ward to Dover castle; not long after which it appears to have been in the possession of a family who took their surname from it, one of whom, Richard de Siberston, as appeared by an old dateless deed of that time, demised it to John Monins, in whose descendants it continued down to Edward Monins, esq. of Waldershare, whose lands were disgavelled by the act of the 2d and 3d Edward VI. He died possessed of it in the 6th year of that reign, and by his will gave this manor of Seberston, to his second son George Monins, and he sold it to Thomas Pepper, jurat of Dover, who dying in the 17th year of queen Elizabeth, gave it to Thomas, son of Richard Pepper, and he in king James I.'s reign alienated it to Moulton, of Redriff, in whose descendants it remained at the time of the restoration of king Charles II. 1660, after which it was alienated, after some intermediate owners, to Mr. Phineas Stringer, of Dover, whose son, of the same name, is the present possessor of it.

 

But this manor, by unity of possessionhas for some year since been so blended with that of Hougham, otherwise called the Elmes, above described, that it is now accounted one and the same manor.

 

THE TITHES of the manor of Siberston, lying in Elms bottom, in this parish, were part of the possessions of the priory of St. Martin, in Dover, and continued so till the dissolution of it in the 27th year of Henry VIII. when this portion of tithes, among the rest of the possessions of the priory, came into the king's hands, who granted it with the scite and other possessions of the priory, in his 29th year, to the archbishop in exchange, in manner as has been already frequently mentioned before, in which state it has continued ever since, his grace the archbishop being at this time entitled to the inheritance of it. John Monins, esq. of Canterbury, is the present lessee of it.

 

FARTHINGLOE, alias VENSON DANE, is another manor in this parish, which was antiently part of the possessions of the canons of St. Martin, under the general title of whose possessions it is thus entered in the survey of Domesday:

 

In Beusberg hundred. In Ferlingelai, William the son of Ganfrid holds one suling, and there he has in demesne one carucate, and four villeins, with one carucate. It is worth four pounds. In the time of king Edward the Confessor, six pounds. Sired held it as a prebend.

 

And immediately following, under the title of the same possessions:

 

In Hicham, Balduin holds one suling, and there he has four villeins, and five borderers, with two carucates. It is worth four pounds. In the time of king Edward the Confessor, one hundred shillings. Eduuin holds it.

 

As the canons of St. Martin's priory had other possessions in this parish, besides the manor of Farthingloe, the latter entry no doubt contains the description of them, and includes their estate here, called Venson Dane, alias Wellclose, mentioned below, which together with the manor of Farthingloe, remained parcel of the possessions of the above priory, till the final suppression of it in the 27th year of king Henry VIII. when they both came into the king's hands, who granted them in his 29th year to the archbishop in exchange, as has been already more particularly mentioned before; since which this manor of Farthingloe, with the estate of Venson Dane, alias Wellclose, has remained parcel of the possessions of the see of Canterbury, his grace the archbishop being at this time entitled to the inheritance of them. The interest of the present lease is vested in the widow of Mr. Nath. Walker, deceased, and Mr. John Marsh (the present occupier); the former possessing the lands, and the latter the great tithes, for their respective shares.

 

This estate is exempted from the payment of the great or corn tithes. There is not any court held for this manor.

 

The manor of Farthingloe was held of the prior and canons in king Henry III.'s time, by a family, who from their residence at it, took their surname from it. One of them, Matilda de Farthingloe, is mentioned by Prynne, anno 44 Henry III.

 

MAXTON, or Maxton court, is another manor situated in this parish, at no great distance from Farthingloe, which in king Henry III.'s reign, as appears by the book of knights fees kept in the king's remembrancer's office, was in the possession of Stephen Manekyn, who held it by knight's service of the barony of Fobert, and together with other lands elsewhere made up that barony, and were given for the desence of Dover castle. After this it seems to have been divided into moieties, and to have been held by Richard Walsham, and Alice, daughter of Stephen Manekin, who alienated the whole of it to William, son of Nicholas Archer, of Dover, whose seal was, A stag's head, caboshed, as appears by a deed in the Surrenden library, dated anno 17 Edward III. His son William Archer, in the 21st year of the next reign of king Richard II. passed it away by sale to John Alkham, of Alkham, a family of good estate in this neighbourhood, in the descendants of which this manor remained for some time; but at the latter end of king Edward IV. it was become the property of Roger Appleton, from whom it passed to Hobday, and thence to Harman, of Crayford, from which name it was sold by Thomas Harman to Sir James Hales, who at or about the middle of queen Elizabeth's reign alienated it to Andrews, of Dover, who some few years afterwards sold it to Pepper, and he in king James I.'s reign conveyed it to Sir Thomas Wilford, of IIden, who in king Charles I.'s reign passed it away to Mr. William Richards, of Dover, whose descendant of the same name, devised it to his nephew John Sladden, of Dover, merchant, as he did to his sister Mary, who carried it in marriage to Mr. Thomas Fagge, of Dover, whose trustees, after his death, to perform the uses of her will, sold it in 1783 to Tho. Biggs, esq. of Dover, the present owner of it, who has much improved the mansion of this manor, by making several additional buildings to it. A court baron is held for this manor.

 

Charities.

 

THOMAS PEPPER, jurat of Dover, by his will in 1574, de vised to the poor within the parishes of our Lady of Dover and Hougham, one annuity of 40s to be distributed equally between them, issuing out of his manor of Syberstone, and the lands belonging to it, with power to distrain, &c. now vested in Phineas Stringer, esq. and the money is distributed to such as do not receive weekly allowance of the parish.

 

There is a house divided into two small dwellings, inhabited by two persons placed there by the churchwardens and overseers of the poor; but how it came to the parish is not known.

 

The poor constantly maintained are about twenty-five, casually fifteen.

 

HOUGHAM is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Dover.

 

The church, which is dedicated to St. Laurence, is an ancient building, but small, consisting of two small isles and a chancel, having neither tower nor steeple, but it has a place for three small bells. In the chancel lie buried several of the families of Hougham and Malmaines; the brasses of whose stones have been long since torn off, though the lines of their portraitures still remain. In the chancel is a monument for Wm. Fyneux, esq. son of Robert. He died in 1587; arms, Vert, a chevron, between three eagles displayed, or, crowned, gules, impaling Warren, azure, a cross, or; in the first and fourth quarters, a martlet; in the second and third, a chaplet of the second. Another for Peter Nepeau, gent. who lies buried in a vault underneath; he built and resided at the Elmes, in this parish, still continuing the trade of a merchant; he died in 1658. William, his only surviving son, married Sarah, daughter of Mr. Bulteel, of Tournay, in Flanders, who was also buried in this chancel. His youngest son William succeeded to the Elmes, which he sold, and settled at Twickenham; he died in 1710; arms, Azure, a fleece, or. Another for Robert Breton, esq he died in 1707; arms, Azure, a bend between six mullets, pierced, or. And for William Hannington, esq. who married a daughter of William Monings, lieutenant-governor of Dover-castle; he died in 1607.

 

¶This church was part of the possessions of the priory of St. Martin, to which it was appropriated by archbishop Stratford, in 1345, and a vicarage endowed in it, (fn. 7) both which were at the suppression, in the 27th year of king Henry VIII. granted with the scite of the priory and other possessions of it in the exchange to the archbishop, with a reservation of the antient pension from the prior of forty shillings to the vicar, in manner as has been frequently more particularly mentioned before. In which state they now continue, his grace the archbishop being possessed of the appropriation of this church, with the advowson of the vicarage of it. The parsonage is called Little Hougham court, which with the tithes are held under the archbishop by Mr. Thomas Walker, of Dover. The glebe land is ninety acres.

 

In 1588 here were one hundred and twenty communicants, and it was valued at forty pounds per annum. This vicarage is valued in the king's books at 6l. 13s. 4d. Archbishop Juxon, anno 14 Charles II. augmented this vicarage with twenty-five pounds, to be paid by the lessee of the great tithes, which was again confirmed anno 22 of that reign. The vicar still receives the antient pension of forty shillings from the archbishop. It is now a discharged living of about the clear yearly value of forty-six pounds.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol9/pp451-462

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Il bacino di Arcachon è un bacino di acqua salata, comunicante con l'Oceano Atlantico, situato in Francia nel dipartimento della Gironda, tra le città di Arcachon e Lège-Cap-Ferret. Fa parte delle Landes della Guascogna. A differenza degli stagni delle Landes, il bacino comunica con l'Oceano Atlantico tramite un passaggio, attraverso il quale la marea oceanica sposta quotidianamente una quantità considerevole d'acqua. L'alta marea si produce regolarmente ogni 12 ore circa. Durante la bassa marea, il bacino si riduce ad un'unione di canali navigabili. I canali ed i banchi di sabbia evolvono nel tempo sotto l'influenza della marea: circa 370 milioni di metri cubi d'acqua sono scambiati quotidianamente tra bacino e oceano, con una velocità media di circa 2 m/s, portando con sé molta sabbia. I sedimenti sabbiosi mobili che caratterizzano questo bacino sono distribuiti principalmente delle correnti di marea, che formano canali e barre secondo una tipica configurazione di piana di marea. Il passaggio con l'Oceano, la cui navigazione è resa problematica dalle numerose correnti, è dominato a sud dalla duna del Pyla e a nord dal Cap Ferret. La duna è imponente e ben visibile da gran parte dei comuni che si affacciano sul bacino: Arcachon, Lège-Cap-Ferret, Arès, Andernos-les-Bains, La Teste-de-Buch, Gujan-Mestras. Al centro del bacino si trova l'île aux oiseaux (isola degli uccelli): l'isola, che non ha corrente elettrica, ospita soltanto alcune palafitte e case in legno usate dagli ostricoltori. L'estensione dell'isola aumenta considerevolmente con la bassa marea.

Il bacino è inoltre alimentato di acqua dolce dal fiume Leyre, che è all'origine della sua formazione. Il bacino attira ogni estate un numero considerevole di turisti, che vi praticano la pesca e numerosi sport nautici. La principale attività del bacino (ed anche risorsa economica, assieme al turismo) è però l'ostricoltura: la presenza regolare della marea infatti permette di costruire delle strutture in cui coltivare le ostriche che, nel corso della giornata, vengono periodicamente sommerse dall'acqua. A sud-est del bacino vi è inoltre la riserva ornitologica del Teich, parco visitabile, che offre la possibilità di osservare da vicino, nel loro habitat naturale, una gran quantità di uccelli marini e non, stanziali e migratori.

 

Le bassin d’Arcachon (Laca d'Arcaishon en gascon) est une lagune mésotidale située dans les Landes de Gascogne, en Gironde, entre les villes de La Teste-de-Buch au sud, Lège-Cap-Ferret à l’ouest et le delta de la Leyre à l’est. Lui seul interrompt le cordon dunaire de 250 km de la Côte d’Argent, qui s'étend de l’estuaire de la Gironde au fleuve Adour. À la différence des grands lacs landais, il est largement ouvert sur l’océan Atlantique par l’intermédiaire des passes du bassin d’Arcachon et constitue une petite mer intérieure de 155 km² à marée haute et de 40 km² à marée basse. On y pratique l’ostréiculture, la pêche et la navigation de plaisance. Depuis le 8 juin 2014, il abrite le parc naturel marin du bassin d'Arcachon. Le bassin d'Arcachon fait partie du Pays de Buch, il est situé au cœur des Landes de Gascogne, à mi-chemin entre la pointe de Grave et Capbreton, au sud-ouest du département de la Gironde à une cinquantaine de kilomètres de Bordeaux. Le bassin est de forme triangulaire, délimité par plus de 80 km de côtes plates ou dunaires boisées. Le pourtour du bassin commence, dans le sens trigonométrique (antihoraire) au Pyla-sur-Mer puis remonte au nord vers Arcachon oblique à l'est puis au sud et à nouveau à l'est au niveau de La Teste-de-Buch. Il remonte au nord-ouest au niveau du delta de la Leyre puis à partir de Lège descend au sud-ouest jusqu'au Cap-Ferret, en face du Pyla-sur-Mer. Au centre du bassin se trouve « l'île aux oiseaux » et ses cabanes tchanquées. En plus de recevoir à La Hume de l'eau en provenance du lac de Cazaux (via le canal de Cazaux), à Lège celle venant du lac de Lacanau (via le canal des Étangs) et sur tout son pourtour des eaux de ruissellement via plusieurs ruisseaux ou quelques crastes, le Bassin est aussi alimenté en eau douce par l'Eyre. Ce petit fleuve côtier de 80 km de long, issu de la forêt des landes, est à l'origine de la formation du bassin d'Arcachon. En apportant un flux continu d'eau, il contribue à empêcher l'obstruction des passes par les sables venus de l'océan. L'ouverture sur l'océan Atlantique se fait par un accès unique, les « passes », un ensemble de chenaux d'environ trois kilomètres de large permettant la circulation de l'eau entre le bassin et l'océan. La force des courants de flux et de reflux rendent délicats les franchissements de ces passes, surtout aux marées de grands coefficients pour la navigation ; des accidents mortels de marins expérimentés sont régulièrement constatés. La localisation et la structure des passes suivent une évolution cyclique dont la période est d'environ 80 ans: les passes sont en fait deux chenaux grosso modo parallèles (la Passe sud et la Passe nord) dont le tracé se déplace en direction du sud-est (du Cap-Ferret vers la dune du Pilat). Quand la passe la plus au sud atteint la plage au pied de la dune, elle se rétrécit puis « disparait » alors qu'une nouvelle passe se forme vers le nord, du côté du Cap, transformant ainsi l'ancienne « Passe nord » en une nouvelle « Passe sud ». Le balisage (bouées de navigation) est sans cesse corrigé et les cartes marines nécessitent une mise à jour permanente. À la différence des grands lacs landais (Hourtin et Carcans, Lacanau, Cazaux et Sanguinet, Biscarosse et Parentis) cet écosystème original est largement ouvert sur le golfe de Gascogne et la marée fait pénétrer et sortir deux fois par jour des masses d'eau considérables. Le bassin est partiellement isolé de l'océan par un cordon dunaire comprenant notamment le Cap Ferret, la dune du Pilat et le banc d'Arguin (classé réserve naturelle). Des bancs de sable mobiles charriés par les courants marins en modifient sans cesse le tracé et favorisent les organismes aquatiques non fixés dans les passes et sur les bancs de sable qui évoluent au cours du temps particulièrement lors de fortes tempêtes mais aussi plus simplement et inexorablement sous l'effet des marées (environ 370 millions de mètres cubes d'eau sont échangés entre le bassin et l'océan chaque jour, à une vitesse moyenne d'environ 2 m/s, emportant le sable se trouvant sur les bords des passes) et du courant marin (longeant le littoral du nord vers le sud, il charrie environ 600 000 mètres cubes de sable par an). Localement les herbiers de zostères (Zostera noltii) accueillent, accueillaient ou pourraient accueillir une riche faune ou microflore épiphyte. Le en tant que vaste zone humide et pour son caractère original, ce bassin occupe une place importante dans la Trame verte et bleue nationale, mais le bon état écologique n'y est pas atteint. En particulier des algues vertes prolifèrent anormalement et les zostères, pour des raisons mal comprises et probablement multifactorielles y sont en forte régression ce qui est préoccupant car en tant qu'herbier aquatique elles fixent le fond et sont un abri et une source de nourriture pour un grand nombre d'autres espèces. L'azote et les pesticides agricoles et urbains apportés par les pluies et eaux de ruissellement10, ainsi que les biocides des antifoolings sont suspectés. Le bassin d'Arcachon jouit d'un climat doux avec un ensoleillement important tout au long de l'année (2100 heures en moyenne sur le bassin). Les hivers y sont pluvieux mais rarement rigoureux. Il neige toutefois une ou deux fois par an en général. En revanche, les tempêtes d'automne et d'hiver soufflent souvent avec force sur le bassin, rendant les passes impraticables. On a relevé plus de 170 km/h lors du passage des tempêtes Klaus en 2009 et Martin en 1999. Les étés y sont secs et chauds, et rarement caniculaires. La brise thermique se lève en effet souvent l'après-midi, les épisodes de fortes chaleurs ayant du mal à persister dans la durée. De violents orages venus du golfe de Gascogne touchent épisodiquement le bassin (juin 1987, juillet 2003, septembre 2004), occasionnant parfois d'importants dégâts. Les températures maximales moyennes varient de 11 ou 12 °C en hiver à 25 ou 26 °C l'été. La température de la mer dans le bassin est de 13 ou 14 °C alors qu'elle est en moyenne de 10 ou 11 °C dans l'océan en hiver. En été, le bassin se réchauffe pour atteindre jusqu'à 22 ou 23 °C alors qu'elle atteint 19 à 21 °C sur l'Atlantique.

 

Arcachon Bay (in French, the Bassin d'Arcachon, and known locally simply as "le Bassin") is a bay of the Atlantic Ocean on the southwest coast of France, situated between the Côte d'Argent and the Côte des Landes, in the region of Aquitaine. The bay covers an area of 150 km² at high tide and 40 km² at low tide. Some of its geological features are natural preservation areas. The general shape of the Bassin d'Arcachon is that of an equilateral triangle pointing north, the southwest corner of which is open to the sea, between Cap Ferret and the town of Arcachon (more specifically, its suburb Pyla-sur-Mer), through a 3 km narrow channel (Les Passes). On the north shore is the town of Arès, then Andernos-les-Bains on the northeast. Just south of the entrance is The Great Dune of Pyla. Nearly in the middle of the bay is a very particular island: L'île aux Oiseaux (Isle of the Birds). The Bassin still has a link to the sea perhaps because of the Eyre river that runs from the Landes forest and has its mouth (Delta de l'Eyre) in its southeast corner. Otherwise the Bassin would have become blocked by the sandbanks built up by the tides. In the past, similar areas became lakes (called in French lacs or étangs) and are nowadays filled with fresh water. On the French Atlantic coast, running north-south between the Gironde estuary to the Adour river mouth, are the Lac d'Hourtin-Carcans, the Lac de Lacanau, the Étang de Cazaux et de Sanguinet, the Étang de Biscarrosse et de Parentis, the Étang d'Aureilhan, the Étang de Léon, the Étang de Soustons, the Étang Hardy, the Étang Blanc and the Étang de Garros. Arcachon Bay is the last water area that remains open to the ocean.

Large on black !

James Turrell. Born USA 1943. Within-without-2010

Lighting installation, concrete and basalt stupa, water, earth.

National Gallery of Australia

{Défi du 3 au 17 février 2011} Self sans-tête / without head Self

 

Accès au groupe défi self!

 

Always diptychs, the colors of the night, my vision of story... My Stories

Pier 45 (Christopher Street Pier), Greenwich Village, Manhattan

 

The Empire State Building is today the best-known symbol of New York City. Its name, Its profile, and the view from its summit are' familiar the world over, and a visit to New York is generally conceded to be incomplete without a trip to the Empire State Building's observatory.

 

The Empire State was the final and most celebrated product of the skyscraper frenzy produced by the economic boom of the 1920s, and'the most prominent of the modernistic towers that created the midtown skyline in those years. Its completion in April, 1931, on the former sits of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, marked the transformation of midtown from New York's preeminent residential area for the social elite into the commercial center of the metropolis.

 

The engineering and construction of the Empire State Building were perhaps the most awesome accomplishments of its creators. Its design, in many ways shaped by the constraints of time, cost, and structure, was the finest work of architect William Lamb, chief designer for Shreve, Lamb 6 Harmon. The slender, modernistic silhouette he created fit the building so well that even today, when it is no longer the tallest, it remains one of the handsomest of New York's skyscrapers.

 

With the decline in construction which accompanied the Depression, and the tendency in the post-war period towards shorter, denser office buildings, the Empire State it 1250 fser remained the world's tallest building until the 1970s, when the Sears Building in Chicago took the title of the world's tallest, end the World Trade Center took the title of New York's tallest. Yet despite the loss of the title which was one of the sources of its original renown, the Empire State Building remains New York's most widely recognized symbol, and the city's quintessential landmark.

 

The Site Development of Midtown Manhattan into the commercial center of New York

 

The site of the Empire State Building was part of a farm, owned by John Thompson, which was acquired In 1827 by William B. Astor. The site remained in Astor hands over a hundred years of development until Its purchase, in 1929, by the Empire State Building Interests.

 

Astor was the second son of John Jacob Astor, founder of the Astor dynasty in America. Using the family fortune, he acquired a great deal of undeveloped property in Manhattan, foreseeing that the northward expansion of New York along the island would eventually make his property worth many times its original price. Over the next fifty years, the area around 34th Street and Fifth Avenue developed first into an outlying rowhouse neighborhood of New York, and then into the city's most fashionable residential area.

 

By the 1850s, Fifth Avenue was lined with the palaces of the Vanderbilts, A.T. Stewart (the "merchant prince," one of New York's wealthiest men), and other millionaires. The Astors themselves moved from Astor Place up to Fifth Avenue in 1859, when John Jacob Astor, Jr., built his house at the northwest corner of Fifth and 33rd Street; shortly thereafter his brother William Backhouse Astor built an adjoining house at the southwest corner of Fifth and 34th Street. The Astor houses soon became known as the central meeting place of New York society, and home to the famous balls thrown by Mrs. Astor for "the four hundred," New York's social elite.

 

Following the traditional pattern of Manhattan growth, the city's hotels, theaters, clubs, and restaurants followed the residential development up Fifth Avenue. By the 1890s, guides to the city identified "the great hotel district" as lying "between 23d and 59th Streets, and Fourth and Seventh Avenues.... in that territory, which is little less than two miles long by a half mile wide, are half of the leading hotels of the metropolis.

 

In 1890, William Waldorf Astor, son of John Jacob Astor, Jr., having decided to move to London, tore down his house and filed plans for the Waldorf Hotel, a thirteen-story building designed by Henry J. Hardenbergh and completed in 1893. in 18S7, the neighboring Astor house having been demolished, the Astoria Hotel was erected by Astor's aunt, and connected to the Waldorf to form the Waldorf-Astoria. The new hotel soon became a major social institution of New York.

 

Forty years later the area was changing again, largely because of the influx of department stores just before and after World War i. During the final decades of the 19th century New York's fashionable stores had clustered in the area called the "Ladies Mile," along Fifth and Sixth Avenues and Broadway between 11th and 23rd Streets.

 

Altman's started the new trend northward by moving in 1906 from Sixth Avenue and 18th Street to Fifth Avenue at 34th Street. Others followed, and by the early 1920s Fifth Avenue was lined from 34th Street north by stores such as Best s, Tiffany's, Franklin Simon, Bonwit Teller, Lord & Taylor and Arnold Constable. Along with the department stores came several tall

 

office buildings, beginning in 1902 with the Flatiron Building at Fifth Avenue and 23rd Street.' Rider's New York City Guide noted that "Hotels and restaurants that have long been landmarks, such as the Manhattan, the Buckingham and Sherry's, have disappeared and tall office buildings are multiplying even on the side streets.

 

Newspapers picked up on the changes taking place in the area. Capt. William J. Pedrick, executive vice-president of the Fifth Avenue Association, was quoted extensively on the development of Fifth Avenue; he noted in particular the avenue's new tall commercial buildings: the 15-story New York Trust, the 34-story Squibb Building, the 58-story Salmon Jower (500 Fifth Avenue), and the plans for the Empire State Building.

 

To demonstrate the rate of change on Fifth Avenue, Rider's Guide gave a capsule history of the site across Fifth Avenue from the Waldorf-Astoria: a house belonging to Dr. "Sarsaparilla" Townsend, popularlzer of soft drinks, was replaced in 1867 by the "marble palace" of A.T. Stewart; in the 1890s the house was converted for use by the Manhattan Club; in 1901 it was demolished to make way for the four-story Knickerbocker Trust Building, to which, finally, in 1920-21 were added another twelve stories to create the Columbia Trust Building.

 

The changeover of Midtown Manhattan from social to commercial center was finally consummated by the demolition In 1930 of the Waldorf-Astoria Itself, and the opening on its site the following year of the Empire State Building, a speculative office building and the tallest In the world.

 

A New, Modernistic Midtown Skyline and the Skyscraper Race

 

A new skyline was created for the newly commercial Midtown by the progressively larger office buildings being erected during the 1920s, Since the beginnings of skyscraper development in New York in the last decades of the 19th century, architects had tried to adapt historical sty.es to the modern American invention of the skyscraper. The most successful and famous of these attempts produced the Woolworth Building (Cass Gilbert, 1913), the sixty-story Gothic tower christened the "Cathedral of Commerce." Towards the end of the 1920s, however, under the influence of a "modernism" derived in part from the European Art Deco, New York architects created a new "skyscraper style" which, it has been argued, more fully expressed the nature--the verticality, the metal structure, the sense of an industrial and technological future—of the skyscraper. The series of skyscrapers constructed in midtown, including ;be Chrysler, Daily News, McGraw-Hill, Chanin, RCA (now GE), Fuller, and Empire State buildings, helped Introduce the new modernistic Art Deco style to urban America, and defined midtown's characteristic look for the next several decades, until the new round of skyscraper buildings began in the 1960s.

 

At the same time, the builders of skyscrapers began to reach for progressively greater heights. The WooIworth Building's sixty stories

 

had rested unchallenged for a decade, and Its observatory was considered to have the finest view of New York.

 

In the late 1920s, however, the new commercial buildings began to challenge the title. A 110-story building announced in 1926 by developer John Larkin was never built, but in 1929 two towers, the Bank of Manhattan (927 ft, 70 stories) downtown on Wall Street, and the Chrysler Building (1,050 ft, 77 stories) in Midtown on East **2nd Street, competed in a race to see which would be the new tallest building in the world. The race was heightened by the rivalry between the architects of the two buildings, H. Craig Severance and William Van Alen, who had formerly been partners.

 

Chrysler won by arranging to have the building's spire secretly constructed inside the building and then jacked up through the top at the last minute. Shortly thereafter, however, the Chrysler Building lost Its title to the Empire State Building.

 

The Empire State Building was a speculative office building planned by John J. Raskob, who hired former New York State Governor A1 Smith to be president of the Empire State Company. As an executive of General' Motors, Raskob no doubt considered himself a rival in many ways of Walter Chrysler.

 

According to rental manager Hamilton Weber, the originally planned 86 stories of the Empire State Building were only four feet higher than the Chrysler Building, and "Raskob was worried that Walter Chrysler would pull a trick—like hiding a rod in the spire and then sticking it up at the last minute." Hence, according to Weber, the Idea for the 14-story dirigible mast which raised the building's height to 1250 feet but proved, in the end, to be unusable for its Intended purpose. The Chrysler and Woolworth buildings, seeing there could be no hope of competition with the Empire State, eventually closed their own observatories.

 

The 1920s procession of skyscrapers might have continued producing ever taller buildings: according to a Herald Tribune article discussing the Empire State project in 1930, "Charles F. Noyes let it be known some time ago that he was considering erecting 150 floors over two square blocks in the old mercantile district downtown."

 

The Depression put an end to any such plans, however, and the Empire State Building remained the tallest by far of the city's commercial towers.

 

John Jacob Raskob and Al Smith.

 

The man who conceived the idea for the world's tallest speculative office building was a self-made multi-millionaire industrialist named John J. Raskob.

 

Born Into a poor family in Lockport, New York, Raskob went to work early In life to support his widowed mother and family. He found work as a secretary for a small street railway company in Lorain, Ohio, that happened to be owned by Pierre Du Pont, of the Du Pont chemical industry family.

 

When Du Pont bought the Dallas Street Railway Company In Texas, he made Raskob treasurer, and eventually he took Raskob with him to Wilmington, Delaware, where Du Pont became president of E.I. Du Pont de Nemours and Raskob became vice president in charge of finance.

 

Early In the century, Raskob Invested heavily In the newly formed General Motors Corporation, and convinced Du Pont to do the same.

 

In 1915, Du Pont became chairman of General Motors, and in 1918 Raskob became chairman of its Finance Committee. The spectacular growth of the value of General Motors stock made Raskob a multi-millionaire, and one of the wealthiest men in the country. Shortly before the Depression Raskob co-authored an article in the Ladies' Home Journal entitled "Everybody Ought to be Rich."'

 

Aside from his organizational abilities, Raskob's chief contribution to General Motors was the invention of the installment plan for buying automobiles.

 

Like many businessmen of the time, Raskob was interested in politics, and like most millionaires he was a Republican. His entry into politics, however, was as a contributor to the gubernatorial campaign of populist Democratic governor A1 Smith. Raskob was introduced to Smith in New York City in 1926.16 The two men came from similar backgrounds--poor Irish Catholic famlies—and shared a dislike of the Prohibition amendment, an issue in Smith's later campaign for the presidency. They became friendly, and Raskob volunteered generous contributions to Smith's 1926 gubernatorial re-election campaign. Although many of Smith's closest aides distrusted Raskob, they were unable to prevent his appointment two years later as campaign manager for Smith's unsuccessful 1928 race with Hoover for the Presidency, an appointment which resulted in the anomaly of a conservative Republic millionaire becoming Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

 

(One of Raskob's first actions as Chairman was to move thecommittee to offices in the General Motors Building on West 57th Street.)

 

Although Raskob was blamed by some Smith aides for the loss of the 1928 election, and by others for Smith's gradual shift towards a more conservative political philosophy, the relationship between the two men remained strong. When Raskob decided to get into the real estate business, and to build the tallest building in the world, he offered Smith the $50,000 a year job of President of the Empire State Corporation.

 

Al Smith and the World's Tallest Building: Public Relations at the Highest Levels."

 

Raskob's rationale for building the world's tallest building, and for making Governor Smith its president, was never clearly stated, although several explanations have been offered. Unlike its immediate predecessors—the Woolworth Building for Frank W. Woolworth and his company, the Manhattan Company Building for the Bank of Manhattan, and the Chrysler Building for Walter Chrysler and his company—the Empire State was not built to symbolize one man or company: it was not the General Motors Building or Raskob Tower, for instance.

 

The Empire State Building was instead simply a speculative office building, and it was named for New York State, home of the building and the state of which Al Smith had been four times governor. Rather than being a corporate symbol, the building became identified as the world's tallest building and a venture of Al Smith's.

 

The explanation of its height offered by the company in Its various promotional brochures was simply that of a human adventure, carrying on "the Pharaoh's dream":

 

Down through the ages, men have yearned and toiled and planned, that they might build a structure nearer to the skies than ever had been built before. Something of this great desire burned in the souls of the Pharaohs of Egypt, when the Great Pyramid of Gizeh was erected, 451 feet high, equal to thirty-four stories. St. Peter's, at Rome, lifts its dome 435 feet toward the sky. That slender and marvelous minaret in Cairo spears the heights at 280 feet and the Cremona Campanile in Italy rises 396 feet above the earth. The famous Cathedral of Cologne attains an altitude of 512 feet; the Washington Monument is 555 feet high. Then came the era of steel, heralded by the world-famous Eiffel Tower in Paris, 984 feet high, useless except as an awe-inspiring demonstration of what men, steel and machinery can accomplish.

 

The Woolworth Tower was for long the world's tallest building, rising in beautiful Gothic design to a height of sixty stories, 792 feet. The Bank of Manhattan at last surpassed it with its height of 838 feet, only to be in turn surpassed by the 1046 foot elevation cf the Chrysler Building's topmost spire. But Empire State is higher than all these. It carries to triumphant completion the vaulting ambition of the Pharaohs, of Pope Julius when he began the building of St. Peter's.

 

As for bringing ex-Governor Smith into the project, Raskob apparently suggested at the time that he was going to build the Empire State Building to give his old friend a job. Smith, having lost the presidential election and retired from the governorship of New York, faced an uncertain future.

 

His friend, actor and producer Eddie Dowling, recalled being present at the moment of Raskob's offer, the occasion being a dinner thrown by the New York State Democratic party for newly elected Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt. Smith and Dowling had gone to the men's lounge during a lull in the proceedings, and Smith was telling him of his worries, when Raskob appeared and announced, "Don't worry, A1, I'm going to build a new skyscraper--biggest in the wor!d--and you're going to be president of the company," maintaining that he was doing it all to give Smith a high-paying job.

 

The key to understanding the actual motives behind the height of the building and the involvement of Governor Smith seems to involve a newly developing science that was becoming more and more important to the art of architecture: advertising.

 

Advertising seems to have become an accepted function of office buildings in the 1920s. Arthur Tappan North, writing on the subject, noted:

 

The incorporation of publicity or advertising features in a building is frequently an item for consideration.... This feature, when possessing intrinsic merit, is consonant with and is a legitimate attribute of good architecture. It stimulates public interest and admiration, is accepted as a genuine contribution to architecture, enhances the value of the property and Is profitable to the owner in the same manner as are others forms of legitimate advertising.

 

The Empire State Company in fact launched an extensive advertising campaign capitalizing on several features of the building: its "historic site," formerly that of the Astor Mansion and the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel; its convenience ot the two rail terminals in midtown; "a board of directors that inspires confidence;" and its advertising campaign, run by the public relations firm of Belle Moscowitz, former political aide to Al Smith, hit all the leading New York newspapers 'week after week with very clever ads.

 

The value of advertising for the Empire State Building was picked up by the Real Estate Magazine, in an article entitled "Good Publicity Something More Than 'Hitting1 Front Page," in which the Empire State Building was singled out as an excellent example of how it should be done:

 

The Empire State Building has received extensive newspaper attention because of former Governor Smith's connection with the enterprise and through a number of clever creative publicity stunts, notable the mast which will top the building as a mooring spot for Zeppelins duly authorized by official Washington with reporters and cameramen obligingly on hand.-1

 

The two primary subjects of the advertising, however, the two attributes most closely identified with the building, were the involvement of Al Smith, and the building's unmatched height.

 

Al Smith's relationship to the enterprise was frankly stated In the booklet released on May ], 1931> for the building's opening ceremonies:

 

Raskob and his associates selected a leader, a man so well known to the public that his very presence placed the seal of integrity upon their undertaking. He was Alfred E. Smith, four times Governor of New York State, Presidential candidate of the Democratic Party.... known and beloved by his countrymen. He became president of Empire State, Inc. even while the mighty structure was only a dream.

 

Lists of the building's board of directors invariably began with Alfred E. Smith, and ended humbly with John J. Raskob. A New Yorker article of early

 

1931 noted that the building was "inevitably associated with ex-Governor Al Smith, fn its earlier stages his picturesque statements made excellent publicity and drew all New York's attention to the steelwork as it grew to dizzy heights."

 

Smith's biographers have noted that his functions at the building were "largely ceremonial.... The staff handled all the rental and maintenance problems, while Smith served as attention getter, greeter, and publicity man delux." To the public, however, the building was Al Smith's, and from the opening ceremonies, when his grandchildren, as representatives of "posterity," cut the ribbon at the main entrance, through the following years of giving tour upon tour to visiting royalty, politicians, sports heroes, and celebrities of every kind, he remained the building's symbol.

 

Similarly, the building's height played a major role in the company's public relations campaign. Besides constantly comparing the building's height to other tall monuments, the company emphasized the extraordinary daring of the construction workers involved in erecting the world's tallest building by commissioning photographer Lewis Hine to document the work.

 

The Company arranged for a special mechanical cage that would enable Hire to be swung out into the air to photograph the most difficult feats. The photographs were then used in advertisements, and put on display in the ground floor store windows.

 

The publicity value of tall buildings was apparently considered to be great enough that it could actually be figured in as a legitimate "expenditure," designed to bring increased prestige and, presumably, income. R.H. Shreve, one of the Empire State Building's architects, wrote in 1930 that the constraints of zoning, wind-bracing, and general costs of a very tall building determine a point...

 

...where the balance begins to swing back and the rate of return on capital investment begins to diminish as the building goes higher, unless the owner gets a markedly greater unit return for the higher space, or charges the decrease in the direct net return to "advertising."

 

Justification for this approach was probably found in the tremendous public interest which developed during the late twenties in skyscraper heights.

 

The New York Sun published a list of the fifty tallest buildings in New York, arranged by height, and shortly afterwards the architectural journal Pencil Points found It necessary to reprint it, in January 1931, noting that "Interest in the heights of New York skyscrapers does not seem to abate, if we may judge by the inquiries concerning them received in this office."

 

A cartoon in the same issue showed an architect with a rendering of a pointed skyscraper and a caption reading: "Enthusiastic Architect: 'You See, This Spike Runs Down the Entire Length of the Building and if Anyone Builds a Taller Building We Can Jack Up the Spike and Still Be the Tallest!"

 

In short, Raskob's strategy was based on an aggressive advertising campaign to market the Empire State Building, a speculative real-estate venture, as the world's tallest building, headed by the world's most popular former politician, with the world's most competent board of directors, on the world's most prestigious site, and the world's most

 

daring engineering feat, with Ai Smith personally conducting the world's famous to see the world's most overwhelming view.

 

If advertising was indeed the goal of the builders of the Empire State Building, they were extraordinarily successful. Twenty years later, Collier's described the effect of the building on the publicity-minded:

 

Douglas Leigh, who makes those superspectacular signs for Broadway, is itching to transform the top into a giant soft-drink bottle, or a glowing cigarette. Human flies want to walk up the front, flagpole sitters want to sit on the lightning rod, and high-wire artists want to traipse through space over to the Chrysler tower at Forty-second Street,

 

The effort spent on public relations paid off much sooner than the building's promoters imagined. Two weeks after the project was announced the stock market crashed, and throughout the early years of the Depression the building remained seriously undertenanted. The Empire State Building was saved from bankruptcy, in part, by the million or so visitors to the observation decks each year who paid one dollar a piece admissions.

 

Shreve, Lamb & Harmon

 

John J. Raskob was no doubt attracted to Shreve, Lamb 6 Harmon by their business-like approach to architecture. Raskob first encountered Shreve S Lamb in 1926 when his company, General Motors, commissioned a new headquarters on West 57th Street from the firm. He must have been impressed by their performance; he may also have considered it an advantage that Shreve, Lamb £ Harmon had been called in as consulting architects for the Bank of Manhattan Building, and therefore had some experience in races for the "tallest building" title, as well as experience working with the Starrett & Eken construction company which built the^Bank of Manhattan and which was later awarded the Empire State contract.

 

Richmond Haroid Shreve (1877" 1946) was born in Cornwall is, Nova Scotia, son of a former Dean of Quebec Cathedral. He studied architecture at Cornell University, graduated in 1502, and spent the next four years on the faculty of the College of Architecture there. While at Cornel! he supervised construction of Goldwiri Smith Hall, designed by the prominent New York firm of Carrere £ Hastings, and at the conclusion of the work he joined the firm.

 

William Frederick Lamb (1883-1952), son of New York builder William Lamb, was born in Brooklyn. After graduating from Williams College in 1904, he studied at the Columbia University School of Architecture, and then went to Paris to study at the Atelier Deglane. Having received his diploma from the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1911, he returned to New York and joined Carrere S Hastings. in 1920, both Shreve and Lamb became partners in the new firm of Carrere £ Hastings, Shreve & Lamb.

 

Four years later they broke away to form Shreve & Lamb, and in 1925 they were joined by Arthur Loomis Harmon (1878-1958) to form Shreve, Lamb & Harmon.Harmon, born in Chicago, had studied at the Art Institute there, and graduated from the Columbia University School of Architecture in .1901. From 1902 to 1911 he was a designer in the office of McKim, Head & White, in 1912-13 an associate of the firm of Wall is & Goodwlllie, and then practiced under his own name until joining Shreve £ Lamb. His work alone included battle monuments at Tours, Cantigny and Somme-Py in France, a YMCA in Jerusalem, and the award-winning Shelton Hotel in New York.

 

Of the three architects in the firm, Lamb was generally acknowledged to be the designer, and Shreve the administrator. Shreve was also active as a planner outside the firm's work; he was the director of the Slum Clearance Committee of New York after its formation in 1933, and chief architect of the group preparing plans for the Williamsburg Housing Project, as well as chief architect of the Vladeck Houses on the Lower East Side and also of Parkchester in the Bronx.

 

Shreve, Lamb & Harmon worked principally on commercial office buildings, although they also designed a number of estates and residences in the New York suburbs, and a few apartment houses in Manhattan, Their residential work largely in the neo-Tudor and other popular styles of the 1920s, while their commercial work tended to be spare and functional, reflecting little of the Beaux-Arts ornament for which Carrere & Hastings had been famous.

 

Their buildings in New York, including 500 Fifth Avenue, 14 Wall Street, the Lefcourt National Building, and the Mutual of New York Building, and also their commissions outside the city, such as the Standard Oi! Building in Albany, the Reynolds Tobacco Company building in Winston-Salem, and the Chimes Building In Syracuse, are all similarly designed with unadorned limestone cladding, metal framed windows, and simple set-back massing, occasionally with Art Deco or Streamlined ornamental motifs.

 

The spareness and economy of the firm's designs were a reflection of several architecturai notions gaining currency in the 1920s. As office buildings grew larger and their engineering and financing more complex, the nature of architecture had to adapt to new conditions, Many architects in the 1920s and 1930s, recognizing new constraints, adapted the language of the international Style and functionalist schools of thought and wrote about a new art of architecture.

 

All three architects in the firm wrote on the subject of the changing nature of architecture. Harmon listed the various forces at work on design as: steel construction, congested business areas, the need for light and air, property shape, internal lighting, zoning, the ratio of rentable area to overall area, the cost of steel, wind bracing, and elevators. William Lamb, the partner concerned least with organization and most with design, concurred:

 

An interesting development in the planning of present day office buildings is the change in the conception that the architect has of his work. The day that he could sit before his drawing board and make pretty sketches of decidedly uneconomic monuments to himself has gone. His scorn of things "practical" has been replaced by an intense earnestness to make practical necessities the armature upon which he moulds the form of his idea. Instead of being the intolerant aesthete, he Is one of a group of experts upon whom he depends for the success of his work, for the modern large building with its complicated machinery is beyond the capacity of any one man to master, and yet he must, in order to control the disposition and arrangement of this machine, -have a fairly accurate general knowledge of what it is all about. Added to this he must know how to plan his building so that it will "work" economically and produce the revenue for which his clients have made their investment.39

 

Lamb's design inclinations corresponded very well to the kind of work that Shreve brought into the office. Mrs. Lamb recalls that his tastes in most matters tended to the simple and classical. The architecture he loved best was the spare Romanesque of the southern French cathedrals. Among his contemporaries he greatly admired Raymond Hood, particularly his spare, vertical Daily News Building; HoGd also wrote about the practical side of architecture, dismissing fantastic design as unnecessary. The two men were close friends. Although Lamb's "work had much of the Modernistic to it, his opinion of the flamboyant variety of Moderne represented by the Chrysler Building was rather low—he referred to it once as the "Little Nemo school of architecture," meaning fancy and fantastic, like the comic strip. He never considered his work to be in any way describable as "Art Deco."

 

Precisely because the firm was a well-organized producer of practical and unadorned office buildings, it was able to organize the myriad elements involved and produce a striking, handsome, but still economical design for the Empire State Building, which was above all a creation of business considerations and an unrivalled engineering feat.

 

Conception and Design

 

According to the architects, the Empire State Building was largely shaped by the various economic and engineering considerations involved.

 

The program was short enough—a fixed budget, no space more than 28 feet from window to corridor, as many stories of such space as possible, an exterior of limestone, and completion by May 1, 1931, which meant a year and six months from the beginning of sketches, The first three of these requirements produced the mass of the building and the latter two the characteristics of its design.

 

Planning of the building's layout — involving the placement of elevators, utilities, ventilation, and pipe shafts in such a way as to obtain the maximum amount of rentable office space-~centered on a prototypical plan for the 30th floor, at which point the tower legally began to rise with a zoning-mandated floor-area of one-quarter the lot size.

 

The principles, established by these cooperative investigations, which covered a period of four weeks, together with the owner's requirements... formed the complete program. The "parti" was arrived at in two hours, the evening before a meeting of the owner's corporation. An all-night "charette" produced the next day a series of five or six of the essential plans, an elevation, a perspective, and a fairly accurate tabulation of rentable areas and cube.

 

Lamb described the plan arrived at through the various consultations:

 

The logic of the plan is very simple. A certain amount of space in the center, arranged as compactly as possible, contains the vertical circulation, toilets, shafts and corridors. Surrounding this is a perimeter of office space 28 feet deep. The sizes of the floors diminish as the elevators decrease in number. In essence there is a pyramid of non-rentable space surrounded by a greater pyramid of rentable space....^

 

The massing of the building was to a great extent affected by the elevator system. The elevators were placed in four banks parallel to the building's main axis, with those on the east and west sides being the low-rise group. The low-rise elevators drop off as the building rises, enabling the tower to step back...

 

...from the long dimension of the property to approach the square form of the shaft, with the result that instead of being a tower, set upon a series of diminishing setbacks prescribed by the zoning law, the building becomes all tower rising from a great five-story base.^

 

Elevators and budget were said to be the determining factors of the building's height. The elevator contractor, and Starrett Brothers and Eken, asked independently to calculate the height limit of the building based on their economic priori tie:;, each arrived at a limit of eighty stories plus five for the executive offices.

 

Floor-plan, massing, and height arrived at, the architects turned to the building's exterior. The spare design, based on massing and vertical window strips, was a product of both the building program's practical needs, and Lamb's aesthetic preferences.

 

The exterior is defined almost entirely by a system of vertical strips of windows, projecting slightly beyond the limestone walls, set in continuous vertical metal surrounds, and separated by dull aluminum spandrels; these strips are arranged singly, in pairs, and in sets of three, and run continuously from bottom to top. There is almost no ornamental detail, other than modernistic ripples in the aluminum spandrels and modernistic caps where the window strips terminate at building setbacks.

 

The practical source of the window system was "the last and perhaps_ the most important item in the owner's program-speed of construction."

 

Completion of the building by May 1st was required because that was the traditional day for the signing of new commercial leases in the city, and therefore of crucial importance in the economic planning of a speculative office building. With such a complex building program, construction had to proceed smoothly and as quickly as possible. The advantages of the system were outlined by Shreve in a special article.

 

The total effect of the massing, height, and window-spandrel-wall design is of a very tall tower, rising from a five-story base, and topped by a modernistic spire. The window strips break up the mass of the building, and emphasize its verticality, while the elimination of reveals creates effectively a smooth glass, metal, and stone skin. The expression

 

of the building's taliness is simple arid elegant, the epitome of the kind of design most admired by William Lamb.

 

On the question of the building's style, Lamb wrote:

 

Whatever "style" it may be is the result of a logical and simple answer to the problems set by the economic and technical demands of its unprecedented program.

 

He never thought of it as Art Deco. Much of the ornament can only be described as "modernistic," especially the glass and steel dirigible mooring mast, and in that sense would fall under the generic term "Art Deco" or "Moderne," but the design of the building has little in common with that of the flamboyant Chrysler Building, almost its contemporary and the generally accepted prototypical Art Deco skyscraper.

 

In its reliance on stacked massing, vertical window strips, and simplicity of materials, and in the public insistence by its architects that these elements were largely determined by sheer practical necessity, the Empire State Building seems closer to Raymond Hood's Daily News Building, also contemporary with it.

 

It is quite possible that Lamb discussed his work with his close friend Hood; he admired his work, and the Daily News was Hood's most recent success at the time. The Daily News Building is also riot a purely Art Deco creation, but in some respects an International Style slab; similarly, Hood's contemporary McGraw-Hill Building combines aspects of both, If the Empire State Building, a spare tower on a base with some modernistic details, belongs In a line of succession, it might be that of the News and McGraw-Hill Buildings, followed by the RCA tower in Rockefeller Center, of which Hood was a chief designer.

 

By contrast with the News Building, however, the Empire State is thoroughly symmetrical, and not treated with bright colors. Unlike many skyscrapers, it does not present an overwhelming mass: in midtown, pedestrians are conscious only of its five-story base, which blends into the scale of the area, while from a distance It presents 3 slender silhouette, rising from the center of the metropolis, which Is visible and recognizable from almost every point in the city and some beyond. In this sense, the Empire State Building is in its own class, and its design reflects what it, uniquely, is.

 

Description

 

Although the 1250-foot high Empire State Building is often described as 102 stories tall, that is not quite accurate. The major portion of the building is comprised of 80 stories of commercial office space, with five stories above that for the building's executive offices, and the observatory at the 86th floor. The enormous metal "mooring mast" above the building contains only an elevator encircled by a staircase, and no floors per se; its height, however, is considered by the Empire State Building management to be the equivalent of 14 stories; these, added to the 86 offices floors and two basement levels, produce the figure of 102 stories.

 

The building's tower sits on a five-story base, with facades at the lot line on West 33rd Street, Fifth Avenue, and West 34th Street. The base is a monumental modernistic version of a classical scheme: basement, colonnade, and attic. The basement is formed by the first floor shops and entrances •> the colonnade is approximated by a giant order of molded stone piers piers flanking vertical window strips; and the attic consists of small windows alternating with molded stone panels.

 

The Fifth Avenue facade centers on the building's main entrance which consists of a central pair of doors flanked on either side by a revolving door; a three-story high, three-bay wide set of windows set in modernisticalIy-designed patterns; and an attic story of a pair of windows, all set off from the rest of the facade by two giant molded-stone piers topped by stylized stone eagles above which are inscribed the words EMPIRE STATE. The rest of the facade is comprised of monumental bays, three on either side.

 

Each bay consists of a storefront of chrome-metal and glass at the first floor levei, two three-story vertical window strips separated by a narrow stone mull ton and flanked by a wide stone pier with a modernistic top in place of a capital, and two windows at the fifth-floor level separated by a narrow squat molded-stone mull ion and flanked by wide squat stone piers. These three bays are set off from the central*-entrance bay by a half-bay comprising one vertical strip of windows, and end at either corner with a half-bay set between two monumental stone piers.

 

The identical 33rd and 34th Street facades each comprise three sections of monumental bays, similar to those on the Fifth Avenue facade, separated by two entrance bays. The three sections consist of six, seven, and six bays, slightly emphasising the central section. The two entrance bays on either facade, which project slightly outward, are less elaborate versions of the main Fifth Avenue entrance bay: doors at the first floor level, three vertical window strips, and a three-window attic story, all enframed by a wide stone surround.

 

The two West 33rd Street entrances, however, are actually recessed; these entrances have sets of side doors perpendicular to the building front, and front revolving doors; a moderne light fixture hangs In the center of the recess; the doors are aluminum, set in marble walls.

 

Streamlined metal marquee-type canopies with curving corners project over the entrances on West 33rd and West 34th Streets; each is ringed by three sets of continuous horizontal metal bands. The original storefronts are almost entirely glass-fronted. Each has a black-granite base, a cornice of horizontal molded-aluminum bands framing a black-granite panel, and a central recessed entrance, and each is separated from the next by narrow molded aluminum mull ions topped by modernistic finials.

 

The storefronts form a glass wall which projects three feet beyond the five-story base and forms a banding around it; the continuous black-granite cornices are at the same level as the metal canopies over the 33rd and 34th Street entrances and form a black band course at that level. Several of the storefronts have been unsympathetically altered.

 

The design scheme above the five-story base is determined simply by massing and fenestration. On both the eastern, Fifth Avenue, facade and the western, rear, facade, the tower is dramatically set back above its base, and rises, with shallow setbacks at the 21st and 25th floors, to the 30th floor; from there It rises unobstructed to a .shallow setback at the 72nd floor, then to the 81st floor setback, somewhat more pronounced, which marks the top of the commercial office portion of the building--wi th corresponding elevator banks—and the beginning of the five-story executive suite; a final setback at the 85th floor marks the observatory. Above the tower rises the metal-faced dirigible mooring mast, topped by an enormous television broadcasting antenna.

 

The tower on the east and west facades is nine bays wide from the sixth to the 25th floor, seven bays wide to the 72nd floor, six bays wide to the 81st floor, and five bays wide to the mooring mast.

 

The north (34th Street) and south (33rd Street) facades, wider than the east and west facades, are fifteen bays wide from the sixth to the 21st floor, eleven bays wide to the 30th floor, and nine bays wide to the mooring mast; the nine bays from the 30th floor up are divided into three sections of three bays each: a central section enframed by two projecting side sections; the central section rises unbroken to the 85th floor, while the flanking projecting sections rise to a shallow setback at the 72nd floor and another at the 81st. The various setbacks produce a symmetrical massing that emphasizes the verticality of the building, and creates at the lower levels the effect of a tower rising from a layer of surrounding tapered masses.

 

A fenestration pattern of long vertical window strips is used to break up the mass of the building and emphasize Its verticality. Each window In the vertical strips protrudes slightly from the Indiana limestone cladding of the tower, and is enframed by a strip of nickel-chrome-steel ; each window is separated from the one above by a dull aluminum spandrel with modernistic molding. Where the vertical window strips rise to a setback, they end in simple modernistic metal caps, and begin again above the setback. The three central window strips on the north and south sides end at the 85th-floor level in much larger and more elaborate modernistic metal plates.

 

The strips on most of the building are arranged in pairs, each level comprising two adjacent windows separated by a nickel-chrome-steel mull ion and enframed by nickel-chrome-steel surrounds, each window having an accompanying dull aluminum spandrel; several bays however comprise triple window strips, while others comprise single window strips. The alternation between paired, triple, and single strips Is used to create a horizontal rhythm of vertical lines accentuating the center of each facade.

 

On the east and west facades, all windows are arranged in paired vertical strips, with these exceptions: the outer bay on either side from the sixth to the 25th floor, and the outer four bays on either side from the 21st to the 25th floor, consist of single vertical window strips; the outer bay on either side from the 72nd to the 81st floor likewise consists

 

Sf a single vertical window strip, and also the outer two bays from the 81st to the 84th floods. The arrangement on the wider north and south fronts Is more complicated. The outer two bays, on either side, which rise from the sixth to the 21st floor, are paired vertical window strips.

 

The next five bays on either side, rising from the sixth floor to a shallow setback at the 25th, and projecting out past the central section, are symmetrically arranged with a centra! paired-window strip bay in the center flanked on either side by two single window strips; these bays above the 25th floor setback to the 30th floor are rearranged as two paired vertical strips and a triple strip. The central five bays, from the sixth to the 30th floors, are paired vertical window strips. Above the 30th floor, where these facades are divided into two projecting sections flanking a central section, the latter comprises three paired window strips, while the former are symmetrically arranged as a triple-window strip flanked on either side by a paired window strip.

 

Rising above the 86-story office building is the aluminum, chrome-nickel-steel and glass mast, originally designed to be used for mooring dirigibles but now serving only as a support for the upper observatory tower, and housing for display lights, Four progressively smaller rectangular levels form a base from which springs a cylindrical shaft rising to a conical top. The sides of the levels forming the base are ringed by continuous horizontal metal banding. At each of the four corners of the cylindrical shaft, rising to half its height, Is a set of three overlapping metal wings from which the shaft appears to grow; the four sides of the shaft are formed by continuous glass walls.

 

The top is Jr. three sections: a cylindrical enclosed observation level, still used, of the same circumference as the shaft; a second, smaller cylindrical level surrounded by an open-air observation area, no longer in use, originally Intended as a landing platform for dirigible passengers; and a top section In the shape of a truncated cone--pierced by eight circular openings--which houses the mooring mechanism and beacon lights, and which is topped by a metal mooring pole; each of these three sections is ringed by continuous tubular metal bands. The mooring mast Is now the base for a 200-foot high television antenna, added In 1953, which completes the silhouette of the building as It has been known since that year.

 

Empire State Building: Symbol of New York

 

Following the uncertain first years of the Depression, during -which the half-tenanted building was nicknamed "Smith's Folly*" or the "Empty State Building," the Empire State became a successful commercial office building. The continuing northward trend of Midtown took the prime corporate tenants whom Raskob had hoped to attract away to office buildings north of 42nd Street; the tenancy of the building therefore has since bean largely drawn from the surrounding garment district. Among others housed In the building are the notions, shoe, shirt and hosiery industries, as well as many international corporations and banks.

 

The Empire State Building, however went beyond the aspirations of

 

Raskob for a prestigious and profitable commercial office building. The success of the observatory in drawing crowds of tourists, arid the guided tours by Governor Smith for all visiting celebrities, started a process which helped make the building famous the world over. March 1940 saw the building's four-millionth visitor (actor Jimmy Stewart), and May 1971 its forty millionth. "

 

The Empire State Building's place as symbol of New York derives perhaps equally from its function as a place to visit, from where the most spectacular view of Mew York can be had, and its function as a centrally located landmark, whose slender, pointed silhouette can be seen literally from miles around, marking out midtown Manhattan, the center of the metropolis. The famous silhouette has been reproduced in countless images, and small statues of the. building have been spotted in Far-Eastern bazaars 55 as well as In Times Square tourist shops. The building has figured In television and movies--most famous of these being King Kong—as a symbol of the summit of New York, the greatest creation of a great city.

 

In the 1970s, when the building lost Its title as world's tallest, the office of Shreve, Lamb & Harmon announced a plan to remove the mooring mast above the 86th floor observatory and replace it with twenty stories of office space, to reestablish the building's position as world's greatest skyscraper. The plan—apparently more a public relations ploy than a serious proposal —was quickly forgotten, and indeed would have been counter-productive, as It would have destroyed the silhouette by which the building is known.

 

Despite the loss of Its "world's tallest." title, In fact, the Empire State Building has lost none of Its original distinction or renown. Its design, its history, and perhaps also its position In the center of the city, have all helped it retain Its symbolic significance.

 

On the occasion of its 50th anniversary—May 1, 1981--a special proclamation was Issued by the Mayor of New York, declaring the week of May 1-8, 1981, to be "Empire State Building Week."

 

The Empire State Building remains New York's preeminent landmark.

 

- From the 1981 NYCLPC Landmark Designation Report

WIthout the fancy lighting

I last visited St Paul Without one day, years ago, and on the only occasion finding it unlocked, that inside was the annual Kent Women's Union meeting, fair.

 

I was made welcome enough, but it was also packed with people, so got some general shots and thought I would return.

 

At some point.

 

Years go by, and after reposting shots on Twitter and FB, I realise I have to go back. Anyway, Sunday and we were in Canterbury for a walk, and I take us down past St Paul, not expecting it to be open, but it was Sunday morning, the door was open and the congregation was gathering.

 

I go in and:

 

he young man by the door greets us: is it OK if I take some shots? I ask.

 

Sure, you're not that chap off the Facebook Churchcrawling group, er, Jones?

 

Bishop Brian Jones, I ask?

 

Yes.

 

Yes, that is me, I admitted.

 

You're very prolific, great shots.

 

Fame at last.

 

So, with some people, but not crowded, I went round to snap the details, memorials and nooks of the church.

 

-------------------------------------------

 

Why ‘St. Paul’s without the Walls’? The word ‘without’ once meant ‘outside’. This Church was built ‘without’ (outside) the city walls now just across the ring road. We refer to it here also as just ‘St. Paul’s’.

 

The origins of St. Paul's Church and the reason for its existence lie in the proximity of the ruins of the Abbey (now called St. Augustine’s). It is believed that it was built as a chapel by the abbey for local people and overseen by them as a place of worship and instruction.

 

In 1300 however there was a controversy between the Abbey and the Archbishop in regard to the right to present a priest to the ‘living’ (install a priest paid to minister here).

 

The Archbishop seems to have won. Parishioners had the right to be buried in the Abbey cemetery and in 1591 a burial area was created in Longport (now closed and since 1951 an open space at the bottom of St. Martin’s Hill).

 

Sometime in the last quarter of the 13th century the Church was enlarged eastwards creating the space now occupied by our organ ( built in 1901).

 

In the organ space and sadly no longer visible there is another piscina and a three tiered seat or sedilia for the priest and deacons.

 

A further extension took place around 1320 southwards creating a second larger aisle and a great east window. The south wall was pulled down to be replaced by purbeck marble pillars and a further wall.

 

Dissolution of the Monasteries c1540 had a serious economic effect on the City of Canterbury. The destruction of Thomas Becket’s tomb meant no more pilgrims and a great loss of income. In 1570 a Visitation (inspection by senior clergy) recorded that there were 90 houses in this Parish and 243 communicants. In 1681 St. Paul's was united with the ancient church of St. Martin.

 

The worshippers at St. Martin’s were ordered to view St. Paul’s as ‘their proper church’ (fortunately they seem to have stayed at St. Martins!) (Both parishes continued side by side until the 1970s when the Parish of St.

Martin & St. Paul was formed with one Parochial Church Council). By the early 19th Century St. Paul’s was described as ‘a small, mean building’ and in poor repair. All that would change with the advent of William Chesshyre!

 

The print of St. Paul's in 1828 shows a rather shabby building in a busy street. In 1842 William John Chesshyre arrived as Parish Priest. He was a wealthy man who resided in his mother’s house at Barton Court (now Barton Court Grammar School on St. Martin’s Hill/Longport).

 

Chesshyre died in his fifties in 1859 but in his seventeen years in the Parish he oversaw a dramatic extension and refurbishment of St. Paul's under George Gilbert Scott as well as the founding of St. Paul's School (closed and demolished in the 1960s).

 

The tower was substantially rebuilt and a third aisle built southwards creating the space we enjoy today. An elaborate altarpiece was created in the sanctuary with the choir seated in the traditional chancel under a decorated ceiling. A new font replaced the ancient one now stored in the Church cellar in three pieces. Whatever nave seating existed was replaced by pews provided under a national church scheme to help clergy pew their churches.

 

n 1985 Canon Reg Humphriss oversaw a reordering (programme of interior changes) project that brought the altar forward, removed the altarpiece and moved the choir to the north aisle. The font was also moved from its traditional place at the back of the Church to its present position. This opening up of space reflected changes in worship patterns but it meant the loss of the chapel and the positioning of the choir rather close to the very powerful organ. In 2012-2013 a further reordering took place.

 

The key element of this was the replacement of the fixed pews with modern seating allowing creative use of space and the restoration of the chapel. New choir stalls enabled the choir to be positioned further from the organ. In line with current developments new technology has been installed including a screen that descends electronically from the tie beam over the chancel. The chancel itself was levelled and extended and recarpeted and new digital lighting installed. We are now able to offer traditional and innovative worship and welcome people to use the church for concerts and conferences using also the Parish Centre built in 2005.

 

www.martinpaul.org/historyofstpauls.htm

Graffiti (plural; singular graffiti or graffito, the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from simple written words to elaborate wall paintings, and has existed since ancient times, with examples dating back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire (see also mural).

 

Graffiti is a controversial subject. In most countries, marking or painting property without permission is considered by property owners and civic authorities as defacement and vandalism, which is a punishable crime, citing the use of graffiti by street gangs to mark territory or to serve as an indicator of gang-related activities. Graffiti has become visualized as a growing urban "problem" for many cities in industrialized nations, spreading from the New York City subway system and Philadelphia in the early 1970s to the rest of the United States and Europe and other world regions

 

"Graffiti" (usually both singular and plural) and the rare singular form "graffito" are from the Italian word graffiato ("scratched"). The term "graffiti" is used in art history for works of art produced by scratching a design into a surface. A related term is "sgraffito", which involves scratching through one layer of pigment to reveal another beneath it. This technique was primarily used by potters who would glaze their wares and then scratch a design into them. In ancient times graffiti were carved on walls with a sharp object, although sometimes chalk or coal were used. The word originates from Greek γράφειν—graphein—meaning "to write".

 

The term graffiti originally referred to the inscriptions, figure drawings, and such, found on the walls of ancient sepulchres or ruins, as in the Catacombs of Rome or at Pompeii. Historically, these writings were not considered vanadlism, which today is considered part of the definition of graffiti.

 

The only known source of the Safaitic language, an ancient form of Arabic, is from graffiti: inscriptions scratched on to the surface of rocks and boulders in the predominantly basalt desert of southern Syria, eastern Jordan and northern Saudi Arabia. Safaitic dates from the first century BC to the fourth century AD.

 

Some of the oldest cave paintings in the world are 40,000 year old ones found in Australia. The oldest written graffiti was found in ancient Rome around 2500 years ago. Most graffiti from the time was boasts about sexual experiences Graffiti in Ancient Rome was a form of communication, and was not considered vandalism.

 

Ancient tourists visiting the 5th-century citadel at Sigiriya in Sri Lanka write their names and commentary over the "mirror wall", adding up to over 1800 individual graffiti produced there between the 6th and 18th centuries. Most of the graffiti refer to the frescoes of semi-nude females found there. One reads:

 

Wet with cool dew drops

fragrant with perfume from the flowers

came the gentle breeze

jasmine and water lily

dance in the spring sunshine

side-long glances

of the golden-hued ladies

stab into my thoughts

heaven itself cannot take my mind

as it has been captivated by one lass

among the five hundred I have seen here.

 

Among the ancient political graffiti examples were Arab satirist poems. Yazid al-Himyari, an Umayyad Arab and Persian poet, was most known for writing his political poetry on the walls between Sajistan and Basra, manifesting a strong hatred towards the Umayyad regime and its walis, and people used to read and circulate them very widely.

 

Graffiti, known as Tacherons, were frequently scratched on Romanesque Scandinavian church walls. When Renaissance artists such as Pinturicchio, Raphael, Michelangelo, Ghirlandaio, or Filippino Lippi descended into the ruins of Nero's Domus Aurea, they carved or painted their names and returned to initiate the grottesche style of decoration.

 

There are also examples of graffiti occurring in American history, such as Independence Rock, a national landmark along the Oregon Trail.

 

Later, French soldiers carved their names on monuments during the Napoleonic campaign of Egypt in the 1790s. Lord Byron's survives on one of the columns of the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion in Attica, Greece.

 

The oldest known example of graffiti "monikers" found on traincars created by hobos and railworkers since the late 1800s. The Bozo Texino monikers were documented by filmmaker Bill Daniel in his 2005 film, Who is Bozo Texino?.

 

In World War II, an inscription on a wall at the fortress of Verdun was seen as an illustration of the US response twice in a generation to the wrongs of the Old World:

 

During World War II and for decades after, the phrase "Kilroy was here" with an accompanying illustration was widespread throughout the world, due to its use by American troops and ultimately filtering into American popular culture. Shortly after the death of Charlie Parker (nicknamed "Yardbird" or "Bird"), graffiti began appearing around New York with the words "Bird Lives".

 

Modern graffiti art has its origins with young people in 1960s and 70s in New York City and Philadelphia. Tags were the first form of stylised contemporary graffiti. Eventually, throw-ups and pieces evolved with the desire to create larger art. Writers used spray paint and other kind of materials to leave tags or to create images on the sides subway trains. and eventually moved into the city after the NYC metro began to buy new trains and paint over graffiti.

 

While the art had many advocates and appreciators—including the cultural critic Norman Mailer—others, including New York City mayor Ed Koch, considered it to be defacement of public property, and saw it as a form of public blight. The ‘taggers’ called what they did ‘writing’—though an important 1974 essay by Mailer referred to it using the term ‘graffiti.’

 

Contemporary graffiti style has been heavily influenced by hip hop culture and the myriad international styles derived from Philadelphia and New York City Subway graffiti; however, there are many other traditions of notable graffiti in the twentieth century. Graffiti have long appeared on building walls, in latrines, railroad boxcars, subways, and bridges.

 

An early graffito outside of New York or Philadelphia was the inscription in London reading "Clapton is God" in reference to the guitarist Eric Clapton. Creating the cult of the guitar hero, the phrase was spray-painted by an admirer on a wall in an Islington, north London in the autumn of 1967. The graffito was captured in a photograph, in which a dog is urinating on the wall.

 

Films like Style Wars in the 80s depicting famous writers such as Skeme, Dondi, MinOne, and ZEPHYR reinforced graffiti's role within New York's emerging hip-hop culture. Although many officers of the New York City Police Department found this film to be controversial, Style Wars is still recognized as the most prolific film representation of what was going on within the young hip hop culture of the early 1980s. Fab 5 Freddy and Futura 2000 took hip hop graffiti to Paris and London as part of the New York City Rap Tour in 1983

 

Commercialization and entrance into mainstream pop culture

Main article: Commercial graffiti

With the popularity and legitimization of graffiti has come a level of commercialization. In 2001, computer giant IBM launched an advertising campaign in Chicago and San Francisco which involved people spray painting on sidewalks a peace symbol, a heart, and a penguin (Linux mascot), to represent "Peace, Love, and Linux." IBM paid Chicago and San Francisco collectively US$120,000 for punitive damages and clean-up costs.

 

In 2005, a similar ad campaign was launched by Sony and executed by its advertising agency in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Miami, to market its handheld PSP gaming system. In this campaign, taking notice of the legal problems of the IBM campaign, Sony paid building owners for the rights to paint on their buildings "a collection of dizzy-eyed urban kids playing with the PSP as if it were a skateboard, a paddle, or a rocking horse".

 

Tristan Manco wrote that Brazil "boasts a unique and particularly rich, graffiti scene ... [earning] it an international reputation as the place to go for artistic inspiration". Graffiti "flourishes in every conceivable space in Brazil's cities". Artistic parallels "are often drawn between the energy of São Paulo today and 1970s New York". The "sprawling metropolis", of São Paulo has "become the new shrine to graffiti"; Manco alludes to "poverty and unemployment ... [and] the epic struggles and conditions of the country's marginalised peoples", and to "Brazil's chronic poverty", as the main engines that "have fuelled a vibrant graffiti culture". In world terms, Brazil has "one of the most uneven distributions of income. Laws and taxes change frequently". Such factors, Manco argues, contribute to a very fluid society, riven with those economic divisions and social tensions that underpin and feed the "folkloric vandalism and an urban sport for the disenfranchised", that is South American graffiti art.

 

Prominent Brazilian writers include Os Gêmeos, Boleta, Nunca, Nina, Speto, Tikka, and T.Freak. Their artistic success and involvement in commercial design ventures has highlighted divisions within the Brazilian graffiti community between adherents of the cruder transgressive form of pichação and the more conventionally artistic values of the practitioners of grafite.

 

Graffiti in the Middle East has emerged slowly, with taggers operating in Egypt, Lebanon, the Gulf countries like Bahrain or the United Arab Emirates, Israel, and in Iran. The major Iranian newspaper Hamshahri has published two articles on illegal writers in the city with photographic coverage of Iranian artist A1one's works on Tehran walls. Tokyo-based design magazine, PingMag, has interviewed A1one and featured photographs of his work. The Israeli West Bank barrier has become a site for graffiti, reminiscent in this sense of the Berlin Wall. Many writers in Israel come from other places around the globe, such as JUIF from Los Angeles and DEVIONE from London. The religious reference "נ נח נחמ נחמן מאומן" ("Na Nach Nachma Nachman Meuman") is commonly seen in graffiti around Israel.

 

Graffiti has played an important role within the street art scene in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), especially following the events of the Arab Spring of 2011 or the Sudanese Revolution of 2018/19. Graffiti is a tool of expression in the context of conflict in the region, allowing people to raise their voices politically and socially. Famous street artist Banksy has had an important effect in the street art scene in the MENA area, especially in Palestine where some of his works are located in the West Bank barrier and Bethlehem.

 

There are also a large number of graffiti influences in Southeast Asian countries that mostly come from modern Western culture, such as Malaysia, where graffiti have long been a common sight in Malaysia's capital city, Kuala Lumpur. Since 2010, the country has begun hosting a street festival to encourage all generations and people from all walks of life to enjoy and encourage Malaysian street culture.

 

The modern-day graffitists can be found with an arsenal of various materials that allow for a successful production of a piece. This includes such techniques as scribing. However, spray paint in aerosol cans is the number one medium for graffiti. From this commodity comes different styles, technique, and abilities to form master works of graffiti. Spray paint can be found at hardware and art stores and comes in virtually every color.

 

Stencil graffiti is created by cutting out shapes and designs in a stiff material (such as cardboard or subject folders) to form an overall design or image. The stencil is then placed on the "canvas" gently and with quick, easy strokes of the aerosol can, the image begins to appear on the intended surface.

 

Some of the first examples were created in 1981 by artists Blek le Rat in Paris, in 1982 by Jef Aerosol in Tours (France); by 1985 stencils had appeared in other cities including New York City, Sydney, and Melbourne, where they were documented by American photographer Charles Gatewood and Australian photographer Rennie Ellis

 

Tagging is the practice of someone spray-painting "their name, initial or logo onto a public surface" in a handstyle unique to the writer. Tags were the first form of modern graffiti.

 

Modern graffiti art often incorporates additional arts and technologies. For example, Graffiti Research Lab has encouraged the use of projected images and magnetic light-emitting diodes (throwies) as new media for graffitists. yarnbombing is another recent form of graffiti. Yarnbombers occasionally target previous graffiti for modification, which had been avoided among the majority of graffitists.

 

Theories on the use of graffiti by avant-garde artists have a history dating back at least to the Asger Jorn, who in 1962 painting declared in a graffiti-like gesture "the avant-garde won't give up"

 

Many contemporary analysts and even art critics have begun to see artistic value in some graffiti and to recognize it as a form of public art. According to many art researchers, particularly in the Netherlands and in Los Angeles, that type of public art is, in fact an effective tool of social emancipation or, in the achievement of a political goal

 

In times of conflict, such murals have offered a means of communication and self-expression for members of these socially, ethnically, or racially divided communities, and have proven themselves as effective tools in establishing dialog and thus, of addressing cleavages in the long run. The Berlin Wall was also extensively covered by graffiti reflecting social pressures relating to the oppressive Soviet rule over the GDR.

 

Many artists involved with graffiti are also concerned with the similar activity of stenciling. Essentially, this entails stenciling a print of one or more colors using spray-paint. Recognized while exhibiting and publishing several of her coloured stencils and paintings portraying the Sri Lankan Civil War and urban Britain in the early 2000s, graffitists Mathangi Arulpragasam, aka M.I.A., has also become known for integrating her imagery of political violence into her music videos for singles "Galang" and "Bucky Done Gun", and her cover art. Stickers of her artwork also often appear around places such as London in Brick Lane, stuck to lamp posts and street signs, she having become a muse for other graffitists and painters worldwide in cities including Seville.

 

Graffitist believes that art should be on display for everyone in the public eye or in plain sight, not hidden away in a museum or a gallery. Art should color the streets, not the inside of some building. Graffiti is a form of art that cannot be owned or bought. It does not last forever, it is temporary, yet one of a kind. It is a form of self promotion for the artist that can be displayed anywhere form sidewalks, roofs, subways, building wall, etc. Art to them is for everyone and should be showed to everyone for free.

 

Graffiti is a way of communicating and a way of expressing what one feels in the moment. It is both art and a functional thing that can warn people of something or inform people of something. However, graffiti is to some people a form of art, but to some a form of vandalism. And many graffitists choose to protect their identities and remain anonymous or to hinder prosecution.

 

With the commercialization of graffiti (and hip hop in general), in most cases, even with legally painted "graffiti" art, graffitists tend to choose anonymity. This may be attributed to various reasons or a combination of reasons. Graffiti still remains the one of four hip hop elements that is not considered "performance art" despite the image of the "singing and dancing star" that sells hip hop culture to the mainstream. Being a graphic form of art, it might also be said that many graffitists still fall in the category of the introverted archetypal artist.

 

Banksy is one of the world's most notorious and popular street artists who continues to remain faceless in today's society. He is known for his political, anti-war stencil art mainly in Bristol, England, but his work may be seen anywhere from Los Angeles to Palestine. In the UK, Banksy is the most recognizable icon for this cultural artistic movement and keeps his identity a secret to avoid arrest. Much of Banksy's artwork may be seen around the streets of London and surrounding suburbs, although he has painted pictures throughout the world, including the Middle East, where he has painted on Israel's controversial West Bank barrier with satirical images of life on the other side. One depicted a hole in the wall with an idyllic beach, while another shows a mountain landscape on the other side. A number of exhibitions also have taken place since 2000, and recent works of art have fetched vast sums of money. Banksy's art is a prime example of the classic controversy: vandalism vs. art. Art supporters endorse his work distributed in urban areas as pieces of art and some councils, such as Bristol and Islington, have officially protected them, while officials of other areas have deemed his work to be vandalism and have removed it.

 

Pixnit is another artist who chooses to keep her identity from the general public. Her work focuses on beauty and design aspects of graffiti as opposed to Banksy's anti-government shock value. Her paintings are often of flower designs above shops and stores in her local urban area of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Some store owners endorse her work and encourage others to do similar work as well. "One of the pieces was left up above Steve's Kitchen, because it looks pretty awesome"- Erin Scott, the manager of New England Comics in Allston, Massachusetts.

 

Graffiti artists may become offended if photographs of their art are published in a commercial context without their permission. In March 2020, the Finnish graffiti artist Psyke expressed his displeasure at the newspaper Ilta-Sanomat publishing a photograph of a Peugeot 208 in an article about new cars, with his graffiti prominently shown on the background. The artist claims he does not want his art being used in commercial context, not even if he were to receive compensation.

 

Territorial graffiti marks urban neighborhoods with tags and logos to differentiate certain groups from others. These images are meant to show outsiders a stern look at whose turf is whose. The subject matter of gang-related graffiti consists of cryptic symbols and initials strictly fashioned with unique calligraphies. Gang members use graffiti to designate membership throughout the gang, to differentiate rivals and associates and, most commonly, to mark borders which are both territorial and ideological.

 

Graffiti has been used as a means of advertising both legally and illegally. Bronx-based TATS CRU has made a name for themselves doing legal advertising campaigns for companies such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Toyota, and MTV. In the UK, Covent Garden's Boxfresh used stencil images of a Zapatista revolutionary in the hopes that cross referencing would promote their store.

 

Smirnoff hired artists to use reverse graffiti (the use of high pressure hoses to clean dirty surfaces to leave a clean image in the surrounding dirt) to increase awareness of their product.

 

Graffiti often has a reputation as part of a subculture that rebels against authority, although the considerations of the practitioners often diverge and can relate to a wide range of attitudes. It can express a political practice and can form just one tool in an array of resistance techniques. One early example includes the anarcho-punk band Crass, who conducted a campaign of stenciling anti-war, anarchist, feminist, and anti-consumerist messages throughout the London Underground system during the late 1970s and early 1980s. In Amsterdam graffiti was a major part of the punk scene. The city was covered with names such as "De Zoot", "Vendex", and "Dr Rat". To document the graffiti a punk magazine was started that was called Gallery Anus. So when hip hop came to Europe in the early 1980s there was already a vibrant graffiti culture.

 

The student protests and general strike of May 1968 saw Paris bedecked in revolutionary, anarchistic, and situationist slogans such as L'ennui est contre-révolutionnaire ("Boredom is counterrevolutionary") and Lisez moins, vivez plus ("Read less, live more"). While not exhaustive, the graffiti gave a sense of the 'millenarian' and rebellious spirit, tempered with a good deal of verbal wit, of the strikers.

 

I think graffiti writing is a way of defining what our generation is like. Excuse the French, we're not a bunch of p---- artists. Traditionally artists have been considered soft and mellow people, a little bit kooky. Maybe we're a little bit more like pirates that way. We defend our territory, whatever space we steal to paint on, we defend it fiercely.

 

The developments of graffiti art which took place in art galleries and colleges as well as "on the street" or "underground", contributed to the resurfacing in the 1990s of a far more overtly politicized art form in the subvertising, culture jamming, or tactical media movements. These movements or styles tend to classify the artists by their relationship to their social and economic contexts, since, in most countries, graffiti art remains illegal in many forms except when using non-permanent paint. Since the 1990s with the rise of Street Art, a growing number of artists are switching to non-permanent paints and non-traditional forms of painting.

 

Contemporary practitioners, accordingly, have varied and often conflicting practices. Some individuals, such as Alexander Brener, have used the medium to politicize other art forms, and have used the prison sentences enforced on them as a means of further protest. The practices of anonymous groups and individuals also vary widely, and practitioners by no means always agree with each other's practices. For example, the anti-capitalist art group the Space Hijackers did a piece in 2004 about the contradiction between the capitalistic elements of Banksy and his use of political imagery.

 

Berlin human rights activist Irmela Mensah-Schramm has received global media attention and numerous awards for her 35-year campaign of effacing neo-Nazi and other right-wing extremist graffiti throughout Germany, often by altering hate speech in humorous ways.

 

In Serbian capital, Belgrade, the graffiti depicting a uniformed former general of Serb army and war criminal, convicted at ICTY for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide and ethnic cleansing in Bosnian War, Ratko Mladić, appeared in a military salute alongside the words "General, thank to your mother". Aleks Eror, Berlin-based journalist, explains how "veneration of historical and wartime figures" through street art is not a new phenomenon in the region of former Yugoslavia, and that "in most cases is firmly focused on the future, rather than retelling the past". Eror is not only analyst pointing to danger of such an expressions for the region's future. In a long expose on the subject of Bosnian genocide denial, at Balkan Diskurs magazine and multimedia platform website, Kristina Gadže and Taylor Whitsell referred to these experiences as a young generations' "cultural heritage", in which young are being exposed to celebration and affirmation of war-criminals as part of their "formal education" and "inheritance".

 

There are numerous examples of genocide denial through celebration and affirmation of war criminals throughout the region of Western Balkans inhabited by Serbs using this form of artistic expression. Several more of these graffiti are found in Serbian capital, and many more across Serbia and Bosnian and Herzegovinian administrative entity, Republika Srpska, which is the ethnic Serbian majority enclave. Critics point that Serbia as a state, is willing to defend the mural of convicted war criminal, and have no intention to react on cases of genocide denial, noting that Interior Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vulin decision to ban any gathering with an intent to remove the mural, with the deployment of riot police, sends the message of "tacit endorsement". Consequently, on 9 November 2021, Serbian heavy police in riot gear, with graffiti creators and their supporters, blocked the access to the mural to prevent human rights groups and other activists to paint over it and mark the International Day Against Fascism and Antisemitism in that way, and even arrested two civic activist for throwing eggs at the graffiti.

 

Graffiti may also be used as an offensive expression. This form of graffiti may be difficult to identify, as it is mostly removed by the local authority (as councils which have adopted strategies of criminalization also strive to remove graffiti quickly). Therefore, existing racist graffiti is mostly more subtle and at first sight, not easily recognized as "racist". It can then be understood only if one knows the relevant "local code" (social, historical, political, temporal, and spatial), which is seen as heteroglot and thus a 'unique set of conditions' in a cultural context.

 

A spatial code for example, could be that there is a certain youth group in an area that is engaging heavily in racist activities. So, for residents (knowing the local code), a graffiti containing only the name or abbreviation of this gang already is a racist expression, reminding the offended people of their gang activities. Also a graffiti is in most cases, the herald of more serious criminal activity to come. A person who does not know these gang activities would not be able to recognize the meaning of this graffiti. Also if a tag of this youth group or gang is placed on a building occupied by asylum seekers, for example, its racist character is even stronger.

By making the graffiti less explicit (as adapted to social and legal constraints), these drawings are less likely to be removed, but do not lose their threatening and offensive character.

 

Elsewhere, activists in Russia have used painted caricatures of local officials with their mouths as potholes, to show their anger about the poor state of the roads. In Manchester, England, a graffitists painted obscene images around potholes, which often resulted in them being repaired within 48 hours.

 

In the early 1980s, the first art galleries to show graffitists to the public were Fashion Moda in the Bronx, Now Gallery and Fun Gallery, both in the East Village, Manhattan.

 

A 2006 exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum displayed graffiti as an art form that began in New York's outer boroughs and reached great heights in the early 1980s with the work of Crash, Lee, Daze, Keith Haring, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. It displayed 22 works by New York graffitists, including Crash, Daze, and Lady Pink. In an article about the exhibition in the magazine Time Out, curator Charlotta Kotik said that she hoped the exhibition would cause viewers to rethink their assumptions about graffiti.

 

From the 1970s onwards, Burhan Doğançay photographed urban walls all over the world; these he then archived for use as sources of inspiration for his painterly works. The project today known as "Walls of the World" grew beyond even his own expectations and comprises about 30,000 individual images. It spans a period of 40 years across five continents and 114 countries. In 1982, photographs from this project comprised a one-man exhibition titled "Les murs murmurent, ils crient, ils chantent ..." (The walls whisper, shout and sing ...) at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris.

 

In Australia, art historians have judged some local graffiti of sufficient creative merit to rank them firmly within the arts. Oxford University Press's art history text Australian Painting 1788–2000 concludes with a long discussion of graffiti's key place within contemporary visual culture, including the work of several Australian practitioners.

 

Between March and April 2009, 150 artists exhibited 300 pieces of graffiti at the Grand Palais in Paris.

 

Spray paint has many negative environmental effects. The paint contains toxic chemicals, and the can uses volatile hydrocarbon gases to spray the paint onto a surface.

 

Volatile organic compound (VOC) leads to ground level ozone formation and most of graffiti related emissions are VOCs. A 2010 paper estimates 4,862 tons of VOCs were released in the United States in activities related to graffiti.

  

In China, Mao Zedong in the 1920s used revolutionary slogans and paintings in public places to galvanize the country's communist movement.

 

Based on different national conditions, many people believe that China's attitude towards Graffiti is fierce, but in fact, according to Lance Crayon in his film Spray Paint Beijing: Graffiti in the Capital of China, Graffiti is generally accepted in Beijing, with artists not seeing much police interference. Political and religiously sensitive graffiti, however, is not allowed.

 

In Hong Kong, Tsang Tsou Choi was known as the King of Kowloon for his calligraphy graffiti over many years, in which he claimed ownership of the area. Now some of his work is preserved officially.

 

In Taiwan, the government has made some concessions to graffitists. Since 2005 they have been allowed to freely display their work along some sections of riverside retaining walls in designated "Graffiti Zones". From 2007, Taipei's department of cultural affairs also began permitting graffiti on fences around major public construction sites. Department head Yong-ping Lee (李永萍) stated, "We will promote graffiti starting with the public sector, and then later in the private sector too. It's our goal to beautify the city with graffiti". The government later helped organize a graffiti contest in Ximending, a popular shopping district. graffitists caught working outside of these designated areas still face fines up to NT$6,000 under a department of environmental protection regulation. However, Taiwanese authorities can be relatively lenient, one veteran police officer stating anonymously, "Unless someone complains about vandalism, we won't get involved. We don't go after it proactively."

 

In 1993, after several expensive cars in Singapore were spray-painted, the police arrested a student from the Singapore American School, Michael P. Fay, questioned him, and subsequently charged him with vandalism. Fay pleaded guilty to vandalizing a car in addition to stealing road signs. Under the 1966 Vandalism Act of Singapore, originally passed to curb the spread of communist graffiti in Singapore, the court sentenced him to four months in jail, a fine of S$3,500 (US$2,233), and a caning. The New York Times ran several editorials and op-eds that condemned the punishment and called on the American public to flood the Singaporean embassy with protests. Although the Singapore government received many calls for clemency, Fay's caning took place in Singapore on 5 May 1994. Fay had originally received a sentence of six strokes of the cane, but the presiding president of Singapore, Ong Teng Cheong, agreed to reduce his caning sentence to four lashes.

 

In South Korea, Park Jung-soo was fined two million South Korean won by the Seoul Central District Court for spray-painting a rat on posters of the G-20 Summit a few days before the event in November 2011. Park alleged that the initial in "G-20" sounds like the Korean word for "rat", but Korean government prosecutors alleged that Park was making a derogatory statement about the president of South Korea, Lee Myung-bak, the host of the summit. This case led to public outcry and debate on the lack of government tolerance and in support of freedom of expression. The court ruled that the painting, "an ominous creature like a rat" amounts to "an organized criminal activity" and upheld the fine while denying the prosecution's request for imprisonment for Park.

 

In Europe, community cleaning squads have responded to graffiti, in some cases with reckless abandon, as when in 1992 in France a local Scout group, attempting to remove modern graffiti, damaged two prehistoric paintings of bison in the Cave of Mayrière supérieure near the French village of Bruniquel in Tarn-et-Garonne, earning them the 1992 Ig Nobel Prize in archeology.

 

In September 2006, the European Parliament directed the European Commission to create urban environment policies to prevent and eliminate dirt, litter, graffiti, animal excrement, and excessive noise from domestic and vehicular music systems in European cities, along with other concerns over urban life.

 

In Budapest, Hungary, both a city-backed movement called I Love Budapest and a special police division tackle the problem, including the provision of approved areas.

 

The Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 became Britain's latest anti-graffiti legislation. In August 2004, the Keep Britain Tidy campaign issued a press release calling for zero tolerance of graffiti and supporting proposals such as issuing "on the spot" fines to graffiti offenders and banning the sale of aerosol paint to anyone under the age of 16. The press release also condemned the use of graffiti images in advertising and in music videos, arguing that real-world experience of graffiti stood far removed from its often-portrayed "cool" or "edgy'" image.

 

To back the campaign, 123 Members of Parliament (MPs) (including then Prime Minister Tony Blair), signed a charter which stated: "Graffiti is not art, it's crime. On behalf of my constituents, I will do all I can to rid our community of this problem."

 

In the UK, city councils have the power to take action against the owner of any property that has been defaced under the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 (as amended by the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005) or, in certain cases, the Highways Act. This is often used against owners of property that are complacent in allowing protective boards to be defaced so long as the property is not damaged.

 

In July 2008, a conspiracy charge was used to convict graffitists for the first time. After a three-month police surveillance operation, nine members of the DPM crew were convicted of conspiracy to commit criminal damage costing at least £1 million. Five of them received prison sentences, ranging from eighteen months to two years. The unprecedented scale of the investigation and the severity of the sentences rekindled public debate over whether graffiti should be considered art or crime.

 

Some councils, like those of Stroud and Loerrach, provide approved areas in the town where graffitists can showcase their talents, including underpasses, car parks, and walls that might otherwise prove a target for the "spray and run".

 

Graffiti Tunnel, University of Sydney at Camperdown (2009)

In an effort to reduce vandalism, many cities in Australia have designated walls or areas exclusively for use by graffitists. One early example is the "Graffiti Tunnel" located at the Camperdown Campus of the University of Sydney, which is available for use by any student at the university to tag, advertise, poster, and paint. Advocates of this idea suggest that this discourages petty vandalism yet encourages artists to take their time and produce great art, without worry of being caught or arrested for vandalism or trespassing.[108][109] Others disagree with this approach, arguing that the presence of legal graffiti walls does not demonstrably reduce illegal graffiti elsewhere. Some local government areas throughout Australia have introduced "anti-graffiti squads", who clean graffiti in the area, and such crews as BCW (Buffers Can't Win) have taken steps to keep one step ahead of local graffiti cleaners.

 

Many state governments have banned the sale or possession of spray paint to those under the age of 18 (age of majority). However, a number of local governments in Victoria have taken steps to recognize the cultural heritage value of some examples of graffiti, such as prominent political graffiti. Tough new graffiti laws have been introduced in Australia with fines of up to A$26,000 and two years in prison.

 

Melbourne is a prominent graffiti city of Australia with many of its lanes being tourist attractions, such as Hosier Lane in particular, a popular destination for photographers, wedding photography, and backdrops for corporate print advertising. The Lonely Planet travel guide cites Melbourne's street as a major attraction. All forms of graffiti, including sticker art, poster, stencil art, and wheatpasting, can be found in many places throughout the city. Prominent street art precincts include; Fitzroy, Collingwood, Northcote, Brunswick, St. Kilda, and the CBD, where stencil and sticker art is prominent. As one moves farther away from the city, mostly along suburban train lines, graffiti tags become more prominent. Many international artists such as Banksy have left their work in Melbourne and in early 2008 a perspex screen was installed to prevent a Banksy stencil art piece from being destroyed, it has survived since 2003 through the respect of local street artists avoiding posting over it, although it has recently had paint tipped over it.

 

In February 2008 Helen Clark, the New Zealand prime minister at that time, announced a government crackdown on tagging and other forms of graffiti vandalism, describing it as a destructive crime representing an invasion of public and private property. New legislation subsequently adopted included a ban on the sale of paint spray cans to persons under 18 and increases in maximum fines for the offence from NZ$200 to NZ$2,000 or extended community service. The issue of tagging become a widely debated one following an incident in Auckland during January 2008 in which a middle-aged property owner stabbed one of two teenage taggers to death and was subsequently convicted of manslaughter.

 

Graffiti databases have increased in the past decade because they allow vandalism incidents to be fully documented against an offender and help the police and prosecution charge and prosecute offenders for multiple counts of vandalism. They also provide law enforcement the ability to rapidly search for an offender's moniker or tag in a simple, effective, and comprehensive way. These systems can also help track costs of damage to a city to help allocate an anti-graffiti budget. The theory is that when an offender is caught putting up graffiti, they are not just charged with one count of vandalism; they can be held accountable for all the other damage for which they are responsible. This has two main benefits for law enforcement. One, it sends a signal to the offenders that their vandalism is being tracked. Two, a city can seek restitution from offenders for all the damage that they have committed, not merely a single incident. These systems give law enforcement personnel real-time, street-level intelligence that allows them not only to focus on the worst graffiti offenders and their damage, but also to monitor potential gang violence that is associated with the graffiti.

 

Many restrictions of civil gang injunctions are designed to help address and protect the physical environment and limit graffiti. Provisions of gang injunctions include things such as restricting the possession of marker pens, spray paint cans, or other sharp objects capable of defacing private or public property; spray painting, or marking with marker pens, scratching, applying stickers, or otherwise applying graffiti on any public or private property, including, but not limited to the street, alley, residences, block walls, and fences, vehicles or any other real or personal property. Some injunctions contain wording that restricts damaging or vandalizing both public and private property, including but not limited to any vehicle, light fixture, door, fence, wall, gate, window, building, street sign, utility box, telephone box, tree, or power pole.

 

To help address many of these issues, many local jurisdictions have set up graffiti abatement hotlines, where citizens can call in and report vandalism and have it removed. San Diego's hotline receives more than 5,000 calls per year, in addition to reporting the graffiti, callers can learn more about prevention. One of the complaints about these hotlines is the response time; there is often a lag time between a property owner calling about the graffiti and its removal. The length of delay should be a consideration for any jurisdiction planning on operating a hotline. Local jurisdictions must convince the callers that their complaint of vandalism will be a priority and cleaned off right away. If the jurisdiction does not have the resources to respond to complaints in a timely manner, the value of the hotline diminishes. Crews must be able to respond to individual service calls made to the graffiti hotline as well as focus on cleanup near schools, parks, and major intersections and transit routes to have the biggest impact. Some cities offer a reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of suspects for tagging or graffiti related vandalism. The amount of the reward is based on the information provided, and the action taken.

 

When police obtain search warrants in connection with a vandalism investigation, they are often seeking judicial approval to look for items such as cans of spray paint and nozzles from other kinds of aerosol sprays; etching tools, or other sharp or pointed objects, which could be used to etch or scratch glass and other hard surfaces; permanent marking pens, markers, or paint sticks; evidence of membership or affiliation with any gang or tagging crew; paraphernalia including any reference to "(tagger's name)"; any drawings, writing, objects, or graffiti depicting taggers' names, initials, logos, monikers, slogans, or any mention of tagging crew membership; and any newspaper clippings relating to graffiti crime.

Selfportrait without photoshop

 

Modelo, fotografía y edición: Gerardo Katssenian

 

# Web

# Facebook

# 500px

To win without risk is a triumph without glory.

 

Kayla Miller by Ryan Christopher VanWilliams - September 2012

 

© Ryan Christopher VanWilliams. All rights reserved. If using this image elsewhere, please attribute proper credit.

www.RCVWphoto.com/

Textured in Oil Paint without distorting its original colors, and mood.

  

Varanasi- also known as, Banaras, or Kashi, is a city in the northern India, dating to the 11th century B.C., is regarded as the spiritual capital of India. The city draws Hindu pilgrims who bathe in the Ganges River’s sacred waters and perform funeral rites. Along the city's winding streets are some 2,000 temples, including Kashi Vishwanath, the “Golden Temple,” dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Buddha is believed to have founded Buddhism here around 528 BCE when he gave his first sermon, "The Setting in Motion of the Wheel of Dharma", at nearby Sarnath.

  

The city's religious importance continued to grow in the 8th century, when Adi Shankara established the worship of Shiva as an official sect of Varanasi. During the Muslim rule through Middle Ages, the city continued as an important centre of Hindu devotion, pilgrimage, mysticism and poetry which further contributed to its reputation as a centre of cultural importance and religious education. Tulsidas wrote his epic poem on Rama's life called Ram Charit Manas in Varanasi. Several other major figures of the Bhakti movement were born in Varanasi, including Kabir and Ravidas.

 

Guru Nanak visited Varanasi for Maha Shivaratri in 1507, a trip that played a large role in the founding of Sikhism.

 

In the 16th century, Varanasi experienced a cultural revival under the Mughal emperor Akbar who patronised the city, and built two large temples dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu, though much of modern Varanasi was built during the 18th century, by the Maratha and Brahmin kings.

 

Varanasi has been a cultural centre of North India for several thousand years, and is closely associated with the Ganges. Hindus believe that death in the city will bring salvation, making it a major centre for pilgrimage. The city is known worldwide for its many ghats, embankments made in steps of stone slabs along the river bank where pilgrims perform ritual ablutions. Of particular note are the Dashashwamedh Ghat, the Panchganga Ghat, the Manikarnika Ghat and the Harishchandra Ghat, the last two being where Hindus cremate their dead and the Hindu genealogy registers at Varanasi are kept here.

 

The Ramnagar Fort, near the eastern bank of the Ganges, was built in the 18th century in the Mughal style of architecture with carved balconies, open courtyards, and scenic pavilions.

 

Among the estimated 23,000 temples in Varanasi are Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Shiva, the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple, and the Durga Temple. The Kashi Naresh (Maharaja of Kashi) is the chief cultural patron of Varanasi, and an essential part of all religious celebrations.

 

Varanasi is a remarkable educational and musical centre in India, where many prominent Indian philosophers, poets, writers, and musicians live or have lived, and it was the place where the Benares gharana form of Hindustani classical music was developed. One of Asia's largest residential universities is Banaras Hindu University (BHU).

 

This is the Hospital of St John Without the Barrs and Chapel in Lichfield.

 

Found it hard trying to take shots of it from the road - too much traffic. This is the best I could get.

 

Some shots include the Ford Tempest car showroom opposite.

 

On St John Street.

 

Grade I listed.

 

Hospital of St John Without the Barrs and Chapel, Lichfield

 

LICHFIELD

 

SK1109SE ST JOHN STREET

1094-1/8/167 (South West side)

05/02/52 Hospital of St John without the

Barrs and Chapel

(Formerly Listed as:

ST JOHN STREET

(South West side)

St John's Hospital, including

Master's House and Chapel)

 

GV I

 

Almshouses and chapel. Founded 1135, by Bishop Roger de

Clinton; refounded 1495, by Bishop William Smith, when the

almshouse range was built; alterations and additions,1929, and

large addition of 1966-7 by Louis de Soissons; chapel extended

1829 and restored 1870. Brick with ashlar dressings; tile

roof; ashlar chapel.

PLAN: long range with later ranges forming U-plan, with chapel

to north. 2 storeys; 9-window range.

EXTERIOR: facade articulated by 8 large projecting stacks with

offsets, now disused; offset buttress to right end. Entrance

between 6th and 7th stacks has Tudor head in architrave with

label mould battened door with strap hinges; oval plaque

above, erected 1720, records the refounding of 1495, a

cartouche above with the arms of Bishop Smith. Most windows

are small, with brick sills, chamfered jambs and ashlar

lintels, and leaded glazing; larger window to left of

cartouche, windows to right of entrance are larger, that to

ground floor with brick label, that to 1st floor has 2-light

casement with small-paned glazing; right end has 2 small

windows to ground floor and later gabled oriel above, with

1:3:1-light single-chamfered-mullioned window.

Right return next to chapel has blocked elliptical-headed

window and leaded light. Left end has 1929 additions forming

canted angle and wing to rear, 1966 additions of single-storey

return wing and 2-storey rear wing.

Rear elevation has 4-centred entrance to cross-passage with

brick arch and niche above with C19 statue. 2-light, 3-light

and single-light windows to left; to right are six 2-storey

canted bays of 1929 with 1:2:1-light windows.

INTERIOR: some flat joists with runout stops; front corridor

inserted 1929. Chapel has single-vessel nave and sanctuary,

with north aisle of 1829.

East end: coped gable with kneelers and offset angle

buttresses to right; segmental-pointed window of 5

double-cusped lights, small window of pointed arch above and

enriched C19 rainwater head to left; blind return has cornice.

North aisle has coped west gable with kneelers and gabled bell

cote, angle buttresses; 3-light west window has intersecting

tracery; north return has similar windows flanking

buttress/stack.

South elevation has offset buttresses; double-chamfered

pointed entrance to left end; 2-light plate tracery window,

lancet, 3-light window and 2-light square-headed window both

with Perpendicular tracery, and traceried lancet to right end.

INTERIOR: roof has cusped arch braces to collars and queen

struts; sanctuary has blocked 3-light square-headed window to

north; 3-bay arcade to north aisle has octagonal piers and

head stops to hoods; north aisle has king post roof; west end

has vestibule with re-used panelling. Fittings: sanctuary has

bolection-moulded fielded panelling, fluted frieze and

cornice, large central panel with frieze with grapes and

wheat; piscina to south with arch over restored bowl; gabled

tabernacle to north; encaustic tiles. Aisle has organ to west

end and small octagonal font.

Monuments to members of the Simpson family to west end and C19

stained glass to south; 1984 east window by John Piper.

The hospital was founded as a place of refuge for pilgrims

after the city gates were closed, run by a community of

Augustinian brothers and sisters; it was refounded as an

almshouse and school in 1495, the school becoming the Grammar

School in the C16.

(Victoria History of the County of Stafford: Oxford: 1970-:

P.279-89; Clayton H: St John's Hospital Lichfield: Lichfield:

1984-).

  

Listing NGR: SK1176909160

 

One of the chimneys.

ⓒRebecca Bugge, All Rights Reserved

Do not use without permission.

 

This brass sculpture was made in eastern Tibet in the 18th century and shows "the tutelary protector Kharamukha Samvara, an unusual ass-headed form of Samvara associated with the highest level of tantric teachings, the Anuttara Yoga tantras." (to quote the museum's own description of the object.

 

Victoria and Albert museum, named after the British queen and her consort, was founded in 1852. It has the world's greatest museum of decorative art and design, with a permanent collection spanning over 5 000 years and including 4 500 000 objects. The museum is divided into 145 galleries and houses objects of marble, iron, glass, ceramics among others. The collection of Italian Renaissance objects is the largest outside of Italy. But there is also collections of Asian artifacts. And everything is neatly divided into collections - be it plaster-castings or Chinese art.

 

The museum is often abbreviated V&A.

Phillip fully deboxed, both with and without his cape. He doesn't have any stamping on his back. He can free stand fairly stably, but I used his stand when I put his cape on. He has a false shirt that is hidden unless you take off his cape.

 

I received the Platinum Aurora and Phillip Doll Set today, March 11, 2019. I bought it from the Disney Store UK on its release date, February 26, 2019. It shipped on March 1, 2019. The cost was 500 GBP + 28 GBP shipping, through PayPal, which came out to be $724 US. This is about $100 less than buying it from the US Disney Store when it is released on March 16 ($750 + 9.5% tax = $821).

 

It came double boxed. The outer shipping box was rather flimsy, and one end of it was crushed. But the inner shipper was undamaged, being protected by a crumpled layer of heavy wrapping paper. It had Cart #69 of 300 written on the shipper, which equates to edition number 269 of 650, as apparently Europe gets numbers 201 through 500.

 

The doll box has a unique design. The front lid has two flaps that have a magnetic closure, and a large orange four leaf design attached to the left flap. The dolls are dimly seen through frosted plastic windows in cutouts of the lids. There are rose gold foil trim in the plastic window and cardboard lid. The full title of the set is 60th Anniversary Disney Sleeping Beauty: The Aurora and Prince Phillip Collector Doll Set. It is a limited edition of 650. It contains a Certificate of Authenticity and individual doll stands. The description of the set in the back of the box states that this is a wedding doll set.

 

Aurora is in a primarily rose gold colored wedding gown, with white satin bodice, rose gold two tiered veil with lace trim, rose gold crown and necklace with white gems. There is gems and gold and rose gold embroidery in the outer skirt, and embossed detail in the inner white skirt. I will describe further detail after I fully debox the dolls.

 

Prince Phillip is in a silver faux leather tunic, with puff upper sleeves in silver and red, and silver lower sleeves with embroidery on the cuffs. He is wearing black pants and boots. He has a full length red velvet cape with red satin lining. He has a black belt with a false buckle that slides along the belt (I had to center it on his waist after opening the box). He has dark brown rooted hair. His expression is rather bland.

 

Aurora is clearly the star of this set, and it's too bad that Phillip doesn't match her in elegance and detail.

 

The set is still available on the UK Disney Store site.

 

Disney Store Sleeping Beauty and Prince Philip Limited Edition Doll Set

UK Disney Store

Released 2019-02-26

Gianna Nannini

Mediolanum Forum - Assago (MI)

27 Aprile 2013

 

© Mairo Cinquetti

 

© All rights reserved. Do not use my photos without my written permission. If you would like to buy or use this photo PLEASE message me or email me at mairo.cinquetti@gmail.com

 

Immagine protetta da copyright © Mairo Cinquetti.

Tutti i diritti sono riservati. L'immagine non può essere usata in nessun caso senza autorizzazione scritta dell'autore.

Per contatti: mairo.cinquetti@gmail.com

 

1956 - Gianna Nannini nasce a Siena 14 giugno.

1975 - A 19 anni, e con 7 di conservatorio alle spalle, lascia la famiglia per andare a vivere a Milano. Qui frequenta numerosi locali ‘off’ dove si fa subito notare dalla storica Dischi Ricordi che le offre il primo contratto e pubblica il suo primo album: GIANNA NANNINI.

1977 - Intreccia le prime collaborazioni importanti, come quella con la PFM. Esce il secondo Lp, UNA RADURA. Inventa i suoi primi concerti piano- voce.

1979 - Esce l’album CALIFORNIA, il disco della svolta rock che, insieme al singolo "America", metafora del sogno masturbatorio/narcisista americano, la farà approdare, nel 1980, ai primi posti delle classifiche anche in Germania e nel Nord Europa

1981 - Dopo l’uscita di “G.N.”, album dal sapore sperimentale, Gianna incontra Peter Zumsteg, manager di vasta esperienza internazionale, con il quale fonda l’etichetta autogestita Gienne. La loro collaborazione durerà ventitre anni .

Compone la colonna sonora del film “Sconcerto Rock” di Luciano Mannuzzi, prodotto da Bernardo Bertolucci.

1982 - Dall’incontro col produttore Conny Plank (Eurythmics, Devo, Kraftwerk, Ultravox) nasce LATIN LOVER, a cui collaborano musicisti come Annie Lennox, Jackie Liebezeit (Can), Hannette Humpe. Questo quinto album è un grande successo europeo (disco d'oro in Germania, Austria e Svizzera) a seguito del quale, nell’ottobre dello stesso anno, Gianna salirà sul palco del leggendario Rockpalast di Essen insieme a Kid Creole & The Coconuts e a Little Steven.

1983 - Interpreta il ruolo di Titania nel primo film di Gabriele Salvatores “Sogno di una notte di mezza estate”; collabora anche alla colonna sonora del film.

1984 - Esce PUZZLE. La canzone “Fotoromanza”, il cui videoclip porta la firma di Michelangelo Antonioni, è il leit-motiv dell'estate e le fa vincere il Festivalbar, Vota la voce e Telegatto d'oro. In primavera il suo tour europeo riscuote grande successo; a questo fa seguito, nell’estate dello stesso anno, il tour italiano che sfocia nella registrazione del primo cd live di Gianna, TUTTO LIVE. Tiene concerti a Berlino, al Montreux Jazz Festival, a Siena e a Colonia.

1986 - Sull’onda dei grandi consensi internazionali, esce il nuovo album, PROFUMO, che viene rilasciato in tutta Europa e vende oltre 1.000.000 di copie.

1987 - É l’anno della consacrazione di Gianna: con MASCHI E ALTRI, sua prima raccolta di hit, vende oltre un milione e mezzo di copie in Europa; il 1° maggio partecipa a un concerto eccezionale: insieme a Sting e Jack Bruce canta, alla Schauspielhaus di Amburgo, una selezione di canzoni di Bertoldt Brecht e Kurt Weill. Lo show verrà trasmesso sulle reti Rai e su diversi canali televisivi europei. Il successo di critica e di pubblico in tutta Europa è ormai grande.

1988 - Esce l’album MALAFEMMINA prodotto insieme ad Alan Moulder (Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails).

1989 - É l’anno dei Mondiali di Calcio in Italia. Gianna scrive un testo assieme a Edoardo Bennato, e lo canta su musica di Giorgio Moroder: è “Un’estate italiana”, la sigla di Italia '90, le cui royalties relative al testo vengono devolute ad Amnesty International.

1990 - Nasce l’album SCANDALO prodotto con Dave M. Allen (The Cure) e una band di musicisti di diversi paesi europei insieme ai quali, ancora una volta, Gianna riempie gli stadi di mezza Europa. Il successo della trionfale tournée è documentato da un album dal vivo e da un long form video dal titolo “Giannissima”.

1993 - Esce in tutta Europa il nuovo album X FORZA E X AMORE, album radical folk, contenente canzoni ispirate al “cantar toscano”. Il singolo ‘Radio Baccano’ ospita anche la partecipazione di Jovanotti

1995 - Esce DISPETTO, un album che per la terza volta vede la collaborazione di Dave M. Allen, già produttore dei Cure. Nello stesso periodo Gianna si laurea in filosofia con una tesi dal titolo “Il corpo nella voce - Relazioni corpo-voce in una prospettiva di antropologia musicale”. In questi anni l’impegno di Gianna per le cause civili e umanitarie si rafforza: tra gli appuntamenti più importanti, il Concerto di Solidarietà per gli Immigrati a Cinecittà, in cui Gianna si esibisce sul palco insieme, tra gli altri, a Pino Daniele, Jovanotti e Luca Carboni; il Concerto per il Tibet a Torino, che la vede protagonista assieme a Timoria, Nomadi e un Coro di 16 Monaci Tibetani e l’Extravaganza Club Tour, organizzato usando esclusivamente energia solare. Quest’ultima iniziativa segna l’inizio della collaborazione di Gianna con gli attivisti di Greenpeace, fino a vederla, nel luglio del 1995, al centro dell’azione più eclatante dell’organizzazione ambientalista in Italia: alle 11.40 del mattino, con un “commando” di attivisti, Gianna si arrampica su un balcone di Palazzo Farnese a Roma, sede dell’Ambasciata Francese, e improvvisa un concerto di protesta contro la decisione di riprendere gli esperimenti nucleari nell’atollo di Mururoa. Il 1996 è anche l’anno di BOMBOLONI, antologia di alcuni dei suoi greatest hits.

1997 - Dalla partnership con il produttore Fabrizio Barbacci (Ligabue, Negrita) prenderà vita nel settembre del ’98 il nuovo album CUORE.

1998 - CUORE porta alla collaborazione artistica con Wil Malone (The Verve, Depeche Mode, Who, Dido, Massive Attack) che curerà gli archi dell’album.

2000 - Gianna inaugura il nuovo millennio a Torino davanti a 500.000 persone.

2001 - Gianna si trasferisce per qualche mese a Catania dove collabora con un trio post-punk di Catania e con la scrittrice Isabella Santacroce; da questo nuovo incontro nasce il disco ARIA (2002) dove Gianna compie una grintosa escursione fuori dagli schemi, fondendo il suo rock melodico mediterraneo con un pop-rock elettronico contemporaneo.

Nello stesso periodo Gianna comincia a lavorare alla colonna sonora del film “Momo alla conquista del tempo”, su incarico di Enzo D’Alò, il più celebre regista italiano di cartoni animati.

Da sempre impegnata a favore del disarmo, ma con discrezione, al fine di scongiurare qualsiasi strumentalizzazione, in risposta all’11 settembre Gianna partecipa in incognito alla Marcia della Pace Perugia-Assisi.

2003 - Per due volte consecutive si reca a Baghdad per dare il suo contributo alla ricostruzione dell’accademia delle belle arti e alla scuola di musica.

2004 - E’ l’anno di PERLE: la sua aggressiva anima rock fa posto a una dimensione più intimista, riproponendo al pubblico 12 piccoli gioielli della sua discografia e l’inedito “Amandoti”, cover dell’omonimo brano di Giovanni Lindo Ferretti, in versione acustica.

Dopo l’uscita di questo album Gianna decide di voltare pagina e di affidare il suo management ad Adele Di Palma per Cose di Musica.

2005 - Pubblica con Rizzoli il suo primo libro: IO, “autoscatto senza rimpianti”, antidiario a ritmo di rock.

2006 - Il 27 gennaio esce GRAZIE, album coprodotto con Wil Malone, subito al primo posto nelle classifiche italiane e disco di diamante (350mila copie) dopo solo 6 mesi.

2007 - E’ l’anno della PIA. Opera lirica moderna (libretto di Pia Pera) composta da Gianna già 12 anni prima. Nell’attesa che l’Opera venga messa in scena da David Zard, viene realizzato l’album PIA COME LA CANTO IO, anche questo con la produzione musicale di Wil Malone. Il disco rappresenta una sorta di florilegio della stessa Opera, dove la voce di Gianna interpreta tutti i personaggi. Questi come altri testi dell’opera saranno inclusi in una tournée di concerti in tutta Italia; storico quello all’Arena di Verona, sotto la pioggia, come pure le due serate di tutto esaurito a Roma.

2007/2008

É anche l’anno dell’album GIANNABEST, in pochi mesi ancora disco di diamante, una raccolta dei suoi più grandi successi, accompagnati da tre inediti. Seguono concerti nei principali palasport Italiani e teatri di tutta Europa, che segnano ogni volta il tutto esaurito. A Londra si esibisce al famoso Sheperd’s Bush Empire.

2008 - La canzone “Colpo di Fulmine” scritta da Gianna e interpretata da Lola Ponce e Giò di Tonno vince il Festival di Sanremo.

2009 - Esce il nuovo bellissimo album GIANNADREAM (Solo i sogni sono veri), che ancora una volta si avvale della collaborazione di Wil Malone. Contiene 10 canzoni inedite: qui il rock, una volta di più, si apre alla melodia sinfonica.

Hartley is the third of the parishes that make up modern Longfield.

 

Situated down a long and narrow leafy lane, a modern church centre built against the west end is the fist thing you see after leaving the car park.

 

Inside, there are some fine wall paintings surviving, and interesting glass.

 

------------------------------------------

 

In 1876 Hartley was described as a quiet, out of the way place with hop gardens on every hand, three or four comfortable farmhouses, a smith's forge and a few scattered cottages. The church of All Saints is mentioned as the only building of interest. The present building dates from the early 12th century and, like so many others, probably replaced one of Saxon origin. Amongst our neighbours, the churches of Fawkham, Ridley and West Kingsdown are of a similar age.

 

The church, which is flint with tiled roof, is a simple one comprising nave and chancel without aisles or chapels. A vestry and porch were added in the 19th century. All that remains of the Norman church are two small round-headed windows, one to the left of the porch as you enter the church, and the other in the north wall, and the impressive south door which still contains the original oak panels and wrought iron hinge work.

 

During the 13th century the chancel and chancel arch were rebuilt and, with the insertion of two large windows in the nave, the church took on its present shape. The only other remaining part of the medieval church is in the nave roof. Looking up, one can see the fine oak tie beams linking the north and south walls. On the top of these are three crown posts indicative of a 15th century date.

 

There is little in the church to remind us of the next three centuries. The parish registers should start in 1538 but the earliest register is lost. Now the registers of baptisms, marriages and burials start in 1712 and continue without a break to the present day. A Book of Remembrance was placed in the chancel in 1981 and records the names of departed loved ones.

 

During the last hundred years the church has undergone some necessary repairs and alterations. The east wall was rebuilt and vestry added in 1860-3. The stained glass in the south windows is of Victorian origin. The west wall and turret were rebuilt in 1892 and the porch in 1899. The bell turret, which existed in medieval times, is known to have been extensively repaired in 1750 and again in 1818. This caring work continues and the east window, which was filled with stained glass in 1898 to the memory of Adam Tait, was restored and re-ordered by the Friends of All Saints and parishioners with the generous assistance of the P & O Company in 1987.

 

www.fawkhamandhartley.org.uk/History/All%20Saints%20Churc...

 

-------------------------------------------

 

HARTLEY.

NEXT adjoining south-eastward lies Hartley, called in Domesday, Erclei, in the Textus Roffensis, Herdei.

 

This parish, which is but little known or frequented, contains about twelve hundred acres, part of which is a large wood, called Hartley-wood, containing one hundred and fifty acres, at the northern boundary of it; the soil of it is chalky, light, and much covered with flints. The church stands on the hill, round which there is no village, though here, and at Hartley-green, about a quarter of a mile northward from it, there are several stragling houses. The western part of this parish lies in the valley, called Hartley-bottom, along which the road leads to Wrotham and Trosley.

 

This place, at the taking the survey of Domesday, was part of the vast possessions of Odo, the great bishop of Baieux, and half-brother to the Conqueror; under the general title of whose lands it is thus described there.

 

Ralph Fitz Turald holds Erclei of the bishop (of Baieux.) It was taxed at one suling. The arable land is . . . . . In demesne there are 2 carucates and 9 villeins, with 6 cottagers, having 3 carucates. There are 3 servants, and wood for the pannage of 10 bogs. The whole manor was worth 3 pounds, and now 100 shillings; a certain woman held it.

 

In the same record, a little further on, under the same title of the bishop of 'Baieux's lands, is this entry:

 

Ralph Fitz Turald bolds Erclei of the bishop (of Baieux.) It was taxed at 1 suling. The arable land is half a carucate, and there are now 30 acres of arable. In demesne there is 1 carucate and 6 villeins, having half a carucate. There are 12 acres of meadow. In the time of king Edward the Confessor and afterwards, it was 40 shillings, now 4 pounds. Hunef, held it of earl Harold.

 

On the disgrace of the bishop of Baieux, which happened about four years after the taking this survey, all his lands and possessions became forfeited to the crown.

 

THE MANOR OF HARTLEY, soon after the Conqueror's reign, became part of the possessions of the noble family of Montchensie, (fn. 1) one of whom, Warine de Montchensie, was owner of it in the reign of king John. In the 37th year of king Henry III. he ob tained a charter of free-warren for this manor, and died next year, being then reputed one of the most valiant, prudent, and wealthy men in this kingdom. He left a son and heir William, and a daughter Joane, who had married William de Valence, the king's half brother. William de Montchensie, two years after, had possession granted of all his father's lands; not long after which, he took part with the discontented barons; and when the king was made prisoner at the battle of Lewes, in the 48th year of his reign, and the barons had summoned a parliament in his name, he was one of the chief of those that sat therein. (fn. 2) Notwithstanding, he was afterwards taken at Kenilworth, a little before the battle of Evesham, and his lands seized, yet he had soon after such favor shewn him, for his sister's sake, that they were freely restored to him again; and in the 6th year of king Edward I. he obtained full pardon, with other favors afterwards, among which was that of the view of frank-pledge, and the courts belonging to it in all his lands. He was killed at the siege of Drosselan-castle, in Wales, in the 17th year of that reign, leaving one daughter and sole heir, Dionisia, who was shortly afterwards married, through the king's means, to Hugh de Vere, third son of Robert, earl of Oxford, who in the 17th year of it had possession granted of the lands of her inheritance. In the 1st year of king Edward II. he was summoned to the king's coronation, as was Dionisia his wife, by whom it seems he had no issue; for on her death, in the 7th year of that reign, it was found that she died possessed of this manor of Hartley, among others, holding it of the king in capite, and that Adomar de Valence, earl of Pembroke, son of Joane and William de Valence before-mentioned, was her next heir. (fn. 3)

 

Aymer, earl of Pembroke, was greatly favored and employed both by king Edward I. and II. but in the 17th year of the reign of the latter, attending the queen into France, he was murdered there, in revenge, for the death of the earl of Lancaster, this earl being one of those who had passed sentence of death upon him at Pontefract two years before. (fn. 4) He left no issue, though he had three wives. Upon which John, son of John de Hastings, by Isabel his wife, the earl's sister, and John, son of John Comyn, of Badenagh, by Joane his other sister, were found to be his coheirs and next of kin, but Mary de St. Paul, his widow, surviving him, had next year for her dowry an assignation of this manor, among others. She died possessed of it in the 51st year of king Edward III. (fn. 5) Upon which it came to John de Hastings, great grandson of John de Hastings before-mentioned, who was found to be coheir, and next of kin to Aymer de Valence, earl of Pembroke.

 

John de Hastings before-mentioned, was then an insant, and at the coronation of king Richard II. being not quite five years old, claimed to carry the great golden spurs; and shewing sufficient evidence of his right to do that service, it was adjudged to him, and a deputy allowed him for that purpose, by reason of his non-age. He was afterwards unfortunately killed at a tournament at Woodstock, anno 13 king Richard II. (fn. 6) having married Philippa, daughter of Edmund Mortimer, earl of March, by whom he left no issue. Upon his death Reginald, lord Grey, of Ruthyn, was found to be his cousin, and next heir of the whole blood, as descended from John de Hastings and Isabel his wife, one of the sisters and heirs of Aymer de Valence, earl of Pembroke.

 

Philippa, countess of Pembroke, survived her husband; and having afterwards married Richard Fitzalan, earl of Arundel, (to whom she was second wife) he had this manor in dowry with her.

 

The earl was sined for this marriage four hundred marcs to the king, in consideration of which he was pardoned. Some time after which, observing the dangerous tendency of the times, and the implacable hatred that reigned in the king's breast against him, he retired into the country, having obtained a special dispensation from attending the parliament, or any other public employment. Notwithstanding which, the king searing him, soon afterwards got him into his power by fair words, and then sent him to prison, and quickly after brought him to his trial; and though he pleaded the king's promises and charter of pardon, he received a most severe sentence, to be drawn, hanged, quartered, &c. The rigour of which was somewhat softened, for he only lost his head at London, the king himself being a spectator of the execution. After his death his widow Philippa still kept possession of this manor, of which she was possessed at the time of her death, in the 2d year of king Henry IV. she then bearing the title of countess of Pembroke. (fn. 7)

 

On this, Reginald, lord Grey, of Ruthyn, became entitled to it, as next of kin, and heir of Aymer, earl of Pembroke, and as such at the coronation of king Henry IV. he carried the great golden spurs. Great quarrels arising between this Reginald, who had large possessions in Wales, and Owen Glendower, they had recourse to arms, and in the sequel Reginald was taken prisoner by the latter in Wales, and was obliged to give ten thousand marcs for his ransom; to raise which king Henry IV. in his 4th year granted licence to Robert Braybrooke, bishop of London, and others, then feoffees of several of his lordships, to fell the manor of Hertelegh, among others, towards raising that sum. (fn. 8) They sold it to John Urban, of Southfleet, who died possessed of it in the 8th year of king Henry V. (fn. 9) as did his son John in the 4th year of king Henry VI. (fn. 10) on which it came to his sister Emma Penhale, who died next year, (fn. 11) and left it to her son, and he held it in the 2d year of king Edward IV. as appears by the book of Dover in the exchequer.

 

In the 13th year of king Henry VII. William Cressel, esq. died possessed of the manor of Hartley, which he held of the king in capite by knight's service. (fn. 12) His son, Richard Cressel, in the beginning of the next reign, sold it to Draper; who passed it away to Ballard; and he conveyed it to William Sedley, esq. of Southfleet, at the latter end of the reign of king Edward VI. (fn. 13) in whose descendants it continued, in the same manner as the manor of Southfleet did, down to Sir Charles Sedley, bart. of Nuthall, in Nottinghamshire, who, in 1770, sold it to William Glanvill Evelyn, esq. of St. Cleres, in Ightham, the present owner of this manor.

 

Charity.

JOHN WALKER, esq. of Fawkham, who died in 1625, by his will bequeathed a coat, and a gown of good russet cloth, to two of the poorest men, and two of the poorest widows of this parish; to be delivered on Christmas-day yearly to each. After which they were to attend the service in the church of Fawkham, and then return to his mansion-house there, where they were to have a plentiful dinner. (fn. 14)

 

HARTLEY is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese and deanry of Rochester. The church is dedicated to All Saints. It is a small building, consisting of one isle and a chancel, having a pointed steeple at the west end, in which are two bells.

 

Among other inscriptions in this church, on the north side is a memorial for James Burrow, gent. of Kingsdown, obt. 1728, æt. 53; and for Elizabeth, his wife, daughter of John Cox, gent. of Stansted, obt. 1729; above, these arms, azure three fleurs de lis ermine impaling sable a chevron argent, between three attires of a stag fixed to the scalp of the second.

 

¶It is a rectory, and was formerly of the patronage of the Talbots, earls of Shrewsbury; to whom it came from their ancestor, Gilbert Talbot, who on the death of Mary de St. Paul, widow of Aymer de Valence, earl of Pembroke, in the 51st year of king Edward III. was found by inquisition to be her heir, and next of kin. It was lately in the patronage of the earl of Plymouth, (fn. 15) afterwards of the reverend Thomas Blomfield, and since of his son, Thomas Blomfield, esq. who sold his interest in it to Richard Forrest, esq. who died in 1796. Since which it has been sold by the trustees appointed by his will, to the reverend Mr. Bradley, rector of this parish, who married Mr. Forrest's daughter, and he is now owner of this advowson.

 

In the 15th year of king Edward I. this church was valued at twelve marcs. By virtue of the commission of enquiry, issuing out of chancery in 1650, it was returned, that Hartley was a parsonage, with a house, and eight acres of glebe land, all worth sixty pounds per annum; one master Eves enjoying it, and preaching there. (fn. 16) It is valued in the king's books at seven pounds, and the yearly tenths at fourteen shillings. It is now of the value of about two hundred guineas per annum.

 

www.british-history.ac.uk/survey-kent/vol2/pp452-458

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