Art & nature at Storm King Art Center

Posted on September 18, 2016 by Toothpicker

Scenery on the way to Storm King Art Center in New Windsor

My trip to New York was split between staying in the city and spending time with my good friend and her family in Connecticut, and without a doubt it was the best way to enjoy what New York REALLY has to offer. Many visitors to New York rarely venture out of the city, but there is so much to see and do when you leave the city behind. And Storm King Art Center (it’s not so much an art center but rather a sculpture park) is certainly worth leaving the city for.

Many visitors don’t realise that there are many world-class museums located outside of the city. On my last visit, we visited the stunning and spacious Dia: Beacon contemporary art museum on the banks of the Hudson River in Beacon. Hence I was keen to visit a similar art museum for us to spend the day. My friend searched on the internet and found out about the 500-acre open-air museum near Storm King Mountain in Mountainville, which is only about an hour’s drive north from New York City. Soon enough, we were off in her car driving to one of the leading sculpture parks in the US, if not the world.

Top: Alexander Liberman’s Adonai 1970-71; 2nd left: Tal Streeter’s Endless Column 1968; 2nd right: Arnaldo Pomodoro’s The pitrarubbia group 1975-76; Bottom: Kenneth Snelson’s Free ride home 1974

Our arrival time was delayed due to a slight detour (which I will write about in my next entry), and we were left with only two/three hours in the afternoon to see the vast site. With more than over 100 sculptures scattered around the site, we decided to rent a bike each as we figured that it would be impossible to see much on foot.

The nonprofit Art Center was founded in 1960 by Ralph E. Ogden and his son-in-law, H. Peter Stern, the owners of the neaby Star Expansion Company. The museum building was originally built as a weekend house by a New York banker; and in 1959, the Ralph E. Ogden Foundation bought the house and its surrounding land, with the intention of establishing an art center for visual art and music. Ogden‘s original collection started with a trip to the studio of sculptor David Smith (see below), and over time, the collection grew, in both numbers and size. More land was acquired and the ongoing project was oversaw by landscape architect William A. Rutherford, Sr over a 45-year period.

Top: Mark Di Suvero’s sculptures; 2nd right: Henry Moore’s Reclining Connected Forms 1969; 3rd row: Dennis Oppenheim’s Entrance to a garden 2002; 4th row: Louise Nevelson’s City on the high mountain 1983

I think May, September and October are the best months to visit New York because the weather is usually mild around this time. It was around mid 20s on the day, so it wasn’t too hot or humid. The bike idea turned out to be a brilliant one because it was breezy and fun to ride along the path with hardly any other visitors around! It has been a long time since I felt so carefree and blissful! Being able to enjoy art and nature without crowds or traffic simply puts one at ease immediately, hence we loved every moment of our time there!

Top: Museum building; 2nd left: interior of the builing; 2nd right: Dennis Oppenheim; 3rd left: David smith’s sculptures; 3rd right: Louise Nevelson; bottom row: Louise Bourgeois’ Number seventy-two (the no march) 1972

I have always been a big fan of sculpture parks, and I particularly like Hakone Open-Air Museum just outside of Tokyo and Henry Moore‘s Perry Green in Hertfordshire (see my earlier post entry). But this vast scale of this park took us by surprise and it is particularly spectacular when you are standing next to the mammoth sculptures created by the most famous sculptors and artists from the 20th century.

The center also hosts regular exhibitions, and during our visit, several outdoor pieces by American conceptual artist Dennis Oppenheim were installed, including a previously unrealised one – Dead Furrow – based on his original drawing from 1967.

Top left: Josef Pillhofer’s Reclining man 1964; Top right: Nam June Paik’s Waiting for UFO 1992; 2nd row: Isamu Noguchi’s Momo Taro 1977-78; Bottom: Ursula Von Rydingsvard’s For Paul 1990-92

I have to admit that we were not fond of every sculpture at the park, since some of them are too abstract and perplexing to our liking. However, their arrangements do not obstruct the surrounding and every sculpture seems to blend well with the landscape. Our sole regret was that even with a map, we were unable to locate all the sculptures and we wished that we had more time to explore the park properly.

Top row: Alexander Calder’s Five swords 1976; 2nd left: Menashe Kadishman’s Suspended 1977; 2nd right: Dennis Oppenheim’s Dead Furrow 2016; Bottom: Zhang Huan’s Three legged buddha 2007

Top: Andy Goldsworthy’s Storm king wall 1997-98; 2nd row: Roy Lichtenstein’s Mermaid 1994; 3rd row: Mark Di Suvero’s Mother peace 1969-70; 4th row: RIchard Serra’s Schunnemunk fork 1990-91; Bottom: Mark Di Suvero’s Frog legs 2002

At the end of the day, we felt so uplifted and joyous, and I considered the visit to be the highlight of my trip. So, I highly recommend this amazing place; go and see it for yourself the wonders of art in nature!

Street life in Paris

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Toothpicker

This summer, a few overseas friends who visited both Paris and London told me that they enjoyed London much more than Paris. When I asked them the reasons, they said that the streets of Paris feel unsafe and chaotic, whereas London feels more vibrant and safer. I wasn’t surprised by this as I have also noticed that Paris is not what it used to be anymore, hence, I have not had the urge to cross the Channel in the last two years. Interestingly, new figures also suggest that London has beaten Paris, to become the world’s most popular city for tourists.

However, Paris is still one of most beautiful cities in the world and it is always inspirational, so it would hard for me to stay away from it for long. And since I know the city quite well, I try to stay away from touristy spots, so my experiences would most likely differ from my friends’. And somehow, as a Londoner, I feel the need to defend Paris because I think the city still has certain characteristics and charms that London lacks…

First of all, I think Paris is a more walkable city than London because it is much smaller and easier to navigate. I love walking in Paris because it is like a living museum. Aside from the beautiful historical architecture and inspiring shop window display, you can always find something intriguing on the streets including the following:

Art & dogs – Random art pieces (see above) and anything related to dogs…

People – Parisians are actually not as unfriendly as people imagine, in fact, I have come across many friendly people. And for me, the best places for people watching are food markets and parks…

Architecture & landmarks – On the surface, historical buildings seem to dominate Paris’ cityscape, yet new contemporary architecture is being added ‘discreetly’ in recent years. However, these new buildings are not as obvious and as imposing as the ones in London, you will need to seek out them out amongst the old (which I will write about in one of my next few entries)…

Markets – I love food markets esp. in Paris where I can spend hours just wandering… I love the colours, smell, variety of food on offer and the interactions between shoppers and with the stall vendors…

Graffiti and street art– In one of my old entries, I have mentioned about Paris’ graffiti and street art scene, and like London, it is now part of the urban landscape. Nuisance or art, it’s up to you to decide…

Not only Paris has more elegant looking Vélib’ bikes ( compare to Boris‘ more masculine bikes in London) with their bike sharing scheme, they also have Autolib‘, an electric car sharing service that was launched as a complement to Vélib’ in 2011 ( a scheme which will also be introduced in London soon). With the wide boulevards, Paris streets are definitely safer to cycle than London, though what you need to be careful of is the mad and quick-tempered drivers!

On a more serious note, both London and Paris have their issues of homelessness. While the British government has recently launched ‘stricter’ rules to combat the issue due to an increase of Eastern Europeans entering the country; the French Government has adopted a more tolerant attitude and so homelessness is becoming more problematic all over France.

It is hard to avoid begging gypsies with their young children in the centre of Paris, and even temporary street dwellings are on the rise. According to a memorial book compiled by campaign group “Les Morts de la Rue” (Dead in the Streets), a total of 453 homeless people died on the streets of France last year, and the numbers are likely to increase unless some drastic measures are put in place to tackle the problem.

This issue has even been highlighted in a multi-award winning short film directed by Bernard Tanguy. Je pourrais être votre grand–mère ( I could be your grandmother) is inspired by a true story of a young business lawyer, Joël Catherin, who helped and wrote hundreds of cardboard signs for the homeless people in his posh Paris neighbourhood. You can watch the short film below (though there is no English subtitles):

Je pourrais être votre grand-mère (2010), directed by Bernard Tanguy

To be continued…

The tranquil beauty of Yangshuo

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Toothpicker

Main: Camel hill in the background; bottom right: Moon hill

It has been years since I last visited China ( Hong Kong and Macau don’t count), and Guilin has always been on my mind, so I suggested it to a friend who was also keen on exploring this part of China.

Our original plan was to spend more time in Yangshuo ( an area famous for its natural scenery outside of Guilin) and do activities such as cycling and hiking. However, we were not prepared for the sudden drop in temperature on the first day and my friend fell ill the day after ( luckily it wasn’t bird flu). Hence, apart from bamboo rafting on the first day, she spent the next day in bed and I ended up cycling and doing sightseeing on my own.

I have heard a lot about Yangshuo’s picturesque scenery, yet beyond the specular views, I also felt very calm here. Being able to hear the sounds of birds, hens, cows and dogs, and seeing farmers and villagers working and living like their ancestors for generations was wonderful. Yes, there were some tourists traps too, but this is China after all, so it is almost unavoidable.

Top and main: Bamboo rafting down the river; bottom left: Yulong bridge from the Ming dynasty; bottom right: plastic bottles and rubbish floating around!

Bamboo rafting was an activity recommended by our hotel, and despite our hesitation at the beginning about safety issue, we finally agreed to do the 90 minute ride down the river. Once on the raft, we noticed that it didn’t have any life jackets, but we were also relieved to see that the river is actually quite shallow. Our initial dam got us both slightly wet and made us laugh hysterically, but we were able to enjoy the ride more afterwards. The activity itself is very commericalised with many eager photographers taking photos of us and trying to sell them back. Though for most part of the journey we were alone on the river, which was fun and relaxing. The downside was seeing plastic bottles and other rubbish floating around at one point, which was a real shame.

Cycling in rural Yangshuo…

The next day, I cycled around the rural countryside, which was probably the most popular and best way to see the area. A local elderly woman on a bike saw me reading a map ( hand-drawn by the hotel staff) and told me to check out a nearby ancient village called Jiuxian. I was slightly sceptical at first but she told me to follow her ( and her bike) and then showed me the route into the village. Thanks to this kind local, I spent the next hour or so wandering around this small village but intriguing historical village dating back to 621 AD ( Tang Dynasty).

With the rapid development of China in recent years, ancient villages are disappearing fast, so to see this village still intact was quite a pleasant surprise. I only wish that other historical villages like this one would be preserved and not be demolished or rebuilt into “Disneyland style” villages ( wishful thinking)…

An authentic and historical village, Jiuxian

Later in the evening, I went to see the rather touristy and chaotic ( in terms of traffic and people at the entrance) light show, “Impression Sanjie Liu” directed by Zhang Yimou. And no surprise, it reminded me very much of his opening ceremony at the Beijing Olympics. There are some spectacular visual effects, and I like the fact that all the performers are all locals ( farmers, fishermen and children etc), however, I just didn’t ‘feel’ for it.

Overall, I enjoyed my short stay in Yangshuo, I like its ruralness, lushness ( which reminds me of the English countryside) and friendly people… and it triggered my interest to explore other rural parts of China that hopefully also convey the same authentic and charming quality.

The people and animal…

My Cigno Seventy

Posted on July 22, 2012 by Toothpicker

Finally, the sun is out and I was able to take my beloved Cigno Seventy out for a ride in my local area…

As a huge supporter of online shopping, I buy almost everything online ( except for fresh food) including my bicycle from Italy! Two years ago, I was looking for a foldable bike for leisure, and when I saw the the Cigno range of retro bicycles inspired by the legendary Graziella, icon of the years 60/70, I fell in love with them immediately! I was slightly torn between buying a Brompton or a Cigno, but decided to go for latter, which was also cheaper! With so many colours to choose from, it was hard to make a decision, but I eventually went for the orange Amsterdam… ( I wonder if this subconsciously influenced the colour of my company’s logo?)

I have to admit that I am a sucker for beautiful designs, so practicality sometimes is not too high on my list! I think this bike is comfortable and great for leisure, but probably not suitable for commuting on the busy streets in Central London. It is also not very light, so it is not as practical as the Bromptons and cannot be carried around easily. However, my bike does attract a lot of attention and compliments, and it does its job very well, so I can say that I am a proud and happy owner of this lovely bike!

Sukhothai historical park

Posted on May 9, 2012 by Toothpicker

If I have to choose the most wonderful and sustainable airport in the world, Sukhothai airport would be on the top of my list ( see below)! It is privately owned by Bangkok airways and serves only two arrivals from Bangkok daily. Not only it is beautifully designed in traditional Thai style, it also has an organic farm as well as a small zoo with animals like zebras and horses! I was so distracted by its beauty that I left the airport without my luggage! I had to return to the airport an hour later and an officer just grinned at me as if he had been expecting me… and when I identified my luggage, he insisted on carrying it all the way to the car for me. Would I receive this kind of service at airports elsewhere? I doubt it!

Since I started traveling independently at the age of 19, I have made a few mistakes by picking the wrong travel season i.e. visiting Morocco/ Sahara and Egypt in the summer. And finally, cycling around Sukhothai in their hottest season…

Not only it was boiling, I was also given a ‘PINK HELLO KITTY’ bicycle by the owner of my guest house who rents bikes to their guests! He spoke little English but insisted that it was right for me… All I could think of was that I wouldn’t be seen dead in this if I was in London, yet reluctantly I accepted and tried to see the hilarious side to it…

I have been warned by my B & B owner, Tong not to cycle around the park before 4pm, but I couldn’t resist the temptation… Though not long after cycling in the heat, I had to escape to the Ramkhamhaeng National museum because it was too unbearable! Looking around, I only saw foreigners cycling in the heat, the Thais were nowhere to be seen…

Considered as the ‘first national capital’ and an Unesco world heritage site, the Buddhist temple sites and statues at Sukhothai are truly spectacular, especially the restored 13th century, Wat Si Chum ( the temple of the bodhi tree – see below). There are secret passages between the outer and inner walls with depictions of Buddha’s life, where devotees were able to climb up to get a glimpse of the seated Buddha statue ( this experience has now been recreated at the museum).

The historical park itself overs an area of 70 square kilometres with just under 200 ruins, but there are many sites outside of the park that are rarely visited by tourists. For safety reasons, Tong warned me to stick within the area shown on the map and not to venture too far out, which I did follow.

Strangely, there are hardly any cafes or rest areas within the park, and when I eventually found one, I was happy to pay the ‘tourist’ price for an iced lemon tea and downed it within a few minutes!

At around 6pm, cars started to appear at the park and groups of (wise) Thais with fans and cameras in their hands emerged enthusiastically. While I sat there exhausted and dehydrated, I realised I must have looked like an idiot to them with my pink bicycle parked nearby…

However, watching the sunset, I felt incredibly moved… Was it worth the sweat and energy? Yes, but if I ever return again, I would do it the Thai way…

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Tag Archives: cycling

Art & nature at Storm King Art Center

The tranquil beauty of Yangshuo

My Cigno Seventy

Sukhothai historical park