Jet Set Lara: travel, decadence and the pursuit of pleasure

Ashes and Snow in Santa Monica

"In exploring the shared language and poetic sensibilities of all animals, I am working towards rediscovering the common ground that once existed when people lived in harmony with animals. The images depict a world that is without beginning or end, here or there, past or present." Gregory Colbert, Artist, Ashes and Snow

Loyal readers may recall I was sad to miss the Ashes and Snow exhibition in NYC early last summer. The nomadic photography and video exhibition moved to the Santa Monica Pier in January and I managed to catch it there. Spirituality meets magic, dance, sensuality and harmony with nature. I won't even try to describe it. But I encourage you to go if you can. The space housing the exhibition is temporary, created by stacking empty containers serving as a skeleton for the "walls" of the museum. I attached a couple of pictures of the external structure on the Travel photo album. No interior photography is allowed.

If any of you have been to the exhibition, feel free to leave your comments below.

Jet Set Lara, exploring the Science of Pleasure ;)

de Young Gala Opening in San Francisco

I flew to San Francisco Friday evening to join my friend Emma for the gala opening of the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. The museum officially opened to the public Saturday. It was designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron (regular readers may recall my November 2004 blog post about their extraordinary work for the Dominus winery in Napa). Their de Young design was somewhat controversial but I believe it will integrate organically into the surrounding gardens when the museum's copper surface becomes oxidized. Kind of like an old machine left in the garden...

Anyway, I'll return at some point in the near future to appreciate the art without the crowds (and without being handicapped by the champagne!)

Until then, I wanted to share with you Emma's short video of the Cirque du Soleil midnight act from Friday's gala. The performance was in front of the giant photographic mural commissioned from German artist Gerhard Richter (I believe the mural's cost was around $1 million)

If you have already visited the de Young, please feel free to share your opinion below.

See you again later in the week! I'm also trying to convince Emma to contribute to the blog since she is my best friend and confidante... I figured if I announced this in advance I would have a better chance at twisting her arm!

Jet Set Lara, exploring the Science of Pleasure ;)

30 sec Quicktime de Young Video:

San Francisco and NYC update

I was back in San Francisco for the weekend and attended the Eco-Chic Fashion Show & closing party for World Environment Day 2005. The event was fun with lots of beautiful people, San Francisco socialites, celebrities and cool young designers. I even saw one of the Google billionaires there, Sergey, who is very grounded despite his achievements btw.

  I am sad I didn't get the chance to visit the Nomadic museum exhibition in NYC. It only goes until the 6th of June and I won't be back to New York for several days...

Nomadic Museum (New York Metro)

Long line for final days at the Nomadic Museum (NewYorkology.com)

Lara

Opera for the people

Summer is getting closer and it looks as if I might be heading to the Mediterranean once again around July/August. My plans are still fluid, but may include some yachting on the Dalmatian coast, a few days in Italy and a possible hop to the Greek Islands.

One of the things I had in mind for Italy was a night at the Opera in Verona.

Something I regret to have missed in December...

Particularly since I was less than a 90mn or so flight away.

It was the reopening of La Scala on December 7th with the performance of L'Europa Riconosciuta after three years of (controversial to some purists) reconstruction. Salieri's original was performed in 1778 when the neoclassical building was new and Milan was still under the rule of Austrian Empress Maria Theresa. This was not the first renovation; the building was seriously damaged during World War II bombings. However, it officially brings the opera house to the 21st century with much improved sound quality and seat monitors allowing you to follow the opera in multiple languages.

For the lovers of wine and architecture

There is a winery in Yountville, Napa Valley that's truly worth visiting if you manage to somehow receive an invitation (since it's generally not open to the public). The main grape variety at Dominus Estate is Cabarnet Sauvignon although, in order to achieve perfection, the final product is a blend. It has been delivering consistently good wines for many years.

The reason however I am writing about it in this blog is because the winery is also home to a remarkable building designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron who received the 2001 Pritzker Architecture Prize. The structure blends the ancient and the modern, by using local basalt stones encased in a wire mesh. The stones filter the natural light and help maintain optimal temperature conditions year-round by controlling air flow and regulating daytime/nighttime temperature variations. Counter intuitively, and in a decidedly modern twist, the smaller stones are placed below and the heavy ones on top. At night, indoor lighting diffuses through the stones creating a unique effect for the approaching visitor.

The building is large and linear, housing the huge chrome tanks (used for the first stage of fermentation), the cellar where the wine matures in oak for two years, and the bottling/storage area. The dimensions are 100 meters long (333 ft), 25 meters wide (82 ft), and 9 meters high (30 ft).

Lara

Something to look forward to for next year

This must be one of the most spectacular, not well-known theater locations out there, but unfortunately the 2004 season is over. It was recommended to me by a friend who used to live in the UK. It's called the Minack theater and is located 10mn by car  from Land's End.

Lara

Imported comments from my old livejournal blog:
From: kinkymissx Date: October 24th, 2004 - 07:33 pm

I have been to this cliff-top amphitheatre and it is indeed a wonderful theatrical setting though one is often distracted from the drama on stage to the drama of gazing out to sea.

PS. Do check the weather forecast.

Picasso and Greece

I will be heading to Greece early next week and might visit the islands before heading to Athens for the opening ceremony of the Olympics. The secret of the ceremony is out btw, but I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't yet read about it. I'll post about the ceremony next week and share some of my experiences.

Anyway, I was thinking of visiting the island of Andros (slow link) to enjoy the "Picasso and Greece" exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Goulandris Foundation. The exhibit focuses on the influence of ancient Greek art on Picasso's work and will continue until the 26th of September.

Lara

Art Deco Exhibition - San Francisco

If you find yourself in San Francisco, CA before July 4th, I would highly recommend a visit to the Art Deco, 1910-1939 exhibition at the Legion of Honor.

The exhibition examines the evolution and propagation of Art Deco from Paris to other major metropolitan areas around the world. Part of the exhibition focuses on the impact of Art Deco in fashion, architecture and product design/styling.

Lara

Salvador Dali Centennial celebrations

If you appreciate surrealism, try to attend some of the Salvador Dali Centennial celebrations around the world. The Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida has a large collection of the artist's work. Also keep an eye on the Dali exhibition in London's County Hall Gallery (near the London Eye).

And those of you who might not be able to make it to the exhibits could enjoy a large collection of his paintings on the Dali: The Paintings book.

Lara