Below are the 8 most recent journal entries recorded in derridaisdead's LiveJournal:

Wednesday, March 30th, 2005
3:47 pm	Precious dolls One of the great things about exploring a new city on your own is that you can indulge all your own peculiar passions as long as you like with no one elbowing you to move on to the next item on the agenda.  Two of my peculiar passions happen to be 19th century to turn-of-the last century "anything" and handmade toys.  These hilarious, and sometimes quite creepy, old dolls, which I came upon in a toy museum in Prague, sent me over the edge of pure joy.  Their expressions are priceless.  You can really feel the presence of the toymakers with these dolls.  I can only hope that my photos manage to capture of a hint of the aura that each one possesses. http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/derridaisdead/album?.dir=/f290&.src=ph&.tok=ph8LbwCBUwJpZnFP (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Tuesday, March 29th, 2005
7:33 am	I really dug Prague. Before I left, I frequently got the comment from friends that had already visited Prague that I "wouldn't need more than a couple of days to see ALL of Prague." Did we visit the same city? Or have Americans become over-priveleged world travelers that they have simply stopped "seeing" the quirks and eccentricities of a city that's not the size of Paris or London or NYC? Hmmm. I guess I was lucky to have a friend to stay with that's a native of the city. I did the main sites on my own during the day (though I couldn't even do nearly all of those) and then she took me in the night to tourist-free pubs and to see a cool techno pop band called "Khoiba" at the Roxy, and then also some kick-ass Shakti-type jazz at the Acropolis. I loved the museums, too. Prague has some of the best art collections from the 60s and 70s that I've ever seen (which really suited me since my thesis is on this period of art museums). The contemporary art scene is fab too. Even the bars often have an artist's touch in the design. I wish Boston used more of its artists for public spaces instead of the usual interior design firms. If I lived in Prague, I could probably visit Veltrinzi Palace once a week for a year and get something completely different out of each visit. The place is huge and they don't even have enough art yet to fill the entire place (you can pay admission by just the floor you want to see). But the amount of really excellent late modern and contemporary art they do have is still quite large. One afternoon there was certainly not enough. I felt actual physical pain in having to make the decision to have to pass by so many great pieces of art in order to get through the place. I just hate that feeling. http://lava.ds.arch.tue.nl/gallery/praha/f62.html The other museum that really moved me (as well as my Czech friend) was Kampa Museum. http://www.museumkampa.cz/ I love "bite size" museums where you can take in the great design of the building and enjoy a handful of great artists in one afternoon and be able to leave the place energized instead of pained and exhausted. I've always like Frantisek Kupka but being able to see a substantial collection of one artist's work really allows you to start understanding that aritst's own personal visual language. Current Mood: awake Current Music: Khoiba (Comment on this)
Friday, March 18th, 2005
3:18 pm	Melon Mousee?? Inspiration Soup?? We are taking a break from museums today. Inspiration Soup? Oh yeah! http://www.candyboots.com/wwcards.html God bless candyboots for finding these cards and putting them up on a web site for us all to enjoy. You've GOT to click on EVERY picture. There isn't a single one worth missing. Not one. Current Mood: amused (Comment on this)
Wednesday, March 16th, 2005
10:29 pm	My Czech Republic I leave for Prague on Monday. I'm visiting and staying with a good friend who had to return to her country as part of her Fullbright agreement. She says that I "of all people will really love Prague." Undoubtedly. It's Europe after all. But I guess she must mean that Prague is probably chock full of cool architecture and cafes that welcome hours of lounging and reading and people watching. Yup. That's my kinda town. Undoubtedly all the good URLs concerning the Czech Republic were taken when these fine people came up with this one: http://www.myczechrepublic.com Current Mood: chipper (Comment on this)
Monday, March 14th, 2005
9:21 pm	Toto, I don't think we're in Germany anymore ... A reason to visit Baltimore! Yes? http://www.avam.org/ So ... what is visonary art, you ask? Well, the web site says "like love, you know it when you see it." (You do? I sure as heck don't ...but that's a great myth. And a nice analogy for a musem web site. Not too serious, which is kinda refreshing ...) http://www.avam.org/stuff/whatsvis.html Anyway, I love this museum already. The enthusiasm is radiating from the web design and bubbly text. And they've got expansion plans ... oh, yes, they've got plans. Big plans! I want to go and spend all day in the Tall Sculpture Barn and feel like a kid again. Do you think they'd let me bring a brown bag lunch in there, with a soda can wrapped in tin foil to keep it cold (which never quite worked)? Current Mood: amused Current Music: Jack Johnson - On and On (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, March 12th, 2005
7:36 pm	Should there be such a place? The Simpsons: Episode: The Dad Who Knew Too Little Jan. 12 03 SI-1403 "...Homer decides to hire Detective Dexter Colt to find out all about Lisa, so that she'll think he's a great dad and won't be mad at her anymore. Dexter charges him $50 a day plus expenses and begins his investigation. Later Homer receives a report about Lisa and starts to do things that she would like, he invites her to go to an animal rights protest rally and visit the Museum of Sadness and Oppression..." Actually -- I like the idea better for just a Museum of Sadness. Oppression is too political. I'm not feeling political. Maybe it could be more like a lending library. Check out sad movies, sad art, sad music ... to be returned when spirit is fully restored. Ironically*, doesn't sad art actually make one feel better. *Say what you will about the film Reality Bites, but it contains a great scene. The woman interviewing Winona Ryder's character demands that she define the word "irony." Winona's character hems and haws and finally blurts out "well, I know it when I see it!" Indeed. Current Mood: disappointed (Comment on this)
Thursday, March 10th, 2005
6:40 pm	Only the Germans Museum Island? Traeume ich? http://www.museumsinsel-berlin.de/ This is otherwise a dull web site. But a friend assured me that the Pergamon Temple (which contains the Pergamon Altar) is truly awe-inspiring. No labels required. One more thing to add to the pilgrimage list. Based on a casual survey of a handful of German museum websites, I'd have to say that the Germans seems like a rigid bunch. (yeah, I know -- ya think?) And yet, as a friend once said to me, what flies in the face of that stereotype is that Germans also enjoy a good Cuckoo Clock. (she put it better than that but I can't remember how...) Current Mood: excited (Comment on this)
1:17 am	Chinati Foundation I think the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, TX has to be one of the strangest museums in the country. Check it out: http://www.chinati.org/english2/index.htm And yet, I want to make the pilgrimage. Current Mood: pensive (2 Comments |Comment on this)