Tag Archives: contemporary

Pompidou Photo Essay — Part 2

Here we go with a continuation of the Pompidou photo essay!

Did you ever wonder what the inside of the Pompidou looked like? Or what all of those clear plastic tubes on the exterior of the structure were for? These photos should answer some of that.

 

The vast interior lobby of the Centre Pompidou


 

Walkway through one of the clear plastic tunnels at the Pompidou


 

Even the elevators between the exhibit floors go through the clear plastic tubes on the outside of the building!


 

 

View of the Parisian landscape from the VERY top of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France


 

Come back soon for MORE from the Pompidou including pieces of artwork inside!

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Perfectly Wonderful Pompidou

We simply adore Paris and from past experience I know that staying in just the right place makes all of the difference in how much you enjoy your visit. Our very small but simply wonderful apartment in the Marais which I had sourced from airbnb enhanced our brief citybreak in Paris on several levels. The neighbourhood was wonderful and a mere few blocks from our front door was the Centre Pompidou.

A few hours after our arrival in Paris, we strolled through a misty rain down the street at dusk and past the Pompidou. It is an astonishingly odd building and it continues to be controversial. Many people snicker at the exterior facade and the brightly coloured ‘plumbing pipes’ that look like nothing else in the neighbourhood. It grew on me!

 

Centre Pompidou at dusk


 

Close-up of Centre Pompidou in Paris, France


 

Then we walked around to an open plaza in back and took photos of the wonderful sculptural objects in the Stravinsky Fountain.

 

Stravinsky Fountain next to the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France


 

Moving elements within the Stravinsky Fountain next to the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France


 

Next up — photos of the inside of this vast museum and some of the wonderful artwork in the collections.

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Quayside & Baltic Mill Contemporary Art Centre in Newcastle Upon Tyne UK

The temperatures are still distinctly wintery and the air was full of rain and delicate snow flurries on Sunday. But one of the places on our things-to-do list for Newcastle was a visit to the Baltic Mill Contemporary Art Centre. We also wanted a chance to see the architecture of the buildings and bridges along the Quayside since we had heard so many positive things about that area.

We drove to the closest Park-and-Ride area for the Metro and just sat and watched the stations go by as we travelled from one part of Newcastle into the heart of the city.

 

On board the Metro in Newcastle Upon Tyne UK


 

Gateshead Station for the Metro in Newcastle Upon Tyne


 

Emerging at the Gateshead Station, we took the escalators up the surface and braved a very cold and blustery walk past the lovely Tyne Bridge which looks like a miniature of the Sydney Harbour Bridge because it was built by English firm Dorman Long and Co Ltd, of Middlesbrough, the same contractors who built the many-times-larger bridge in Australia.

 

Tyne Bridge in Newcastle Upon Tyne UK


 

15 minutes of walking-against-the-wind later, we arrived at the The Sage Gateshead, a spectacularly funky and shiny and contemporary building that houses everything from concert halls to music studios to cafes and gift shops and more. The place was buzzing with activity on that cold winter day as people mixed and mingled, ate and drank, relaxed in the warmth. Just take a look at all of the upcoming events by clicking on the link above.

 

The Sage Gateshead centre for the arts and music on the Quayside in Newcastle Upon Tyne UK


 

Walking through the building to the east facade entry, we saw the re-purposed historical building that houses the Baltic Mill Contemporary Art Centre. in the near distance and traversed the levels of stairs down toward the waterfront setting.

 

Baltic Mill Contemporary Art Centre in Newcastle Upon Tyne UK


 

We had such high hopes — truly — but our favourite parts of this museum ended up being the cafe and the gift shop — and that’s a sad statement. We knew full well that this was a small museum and could not be compared to the many major urban museums we have seen all over Europe for the last 2-1/2 years. But we certainly had expected more and both left feeling quite disappointed by the visit. The exhibits currently on offer were simply bland and odd and, in several cases, quite dated — not in a good way. I wasn’t allowed to take any photos inside so I can’t let you judge for yourselves. For us, it was all too-little and too-uncritically-examined and we both had a sense of been-there-seen-that a long time ago. Ah well — at least the admission was free!

The best thing about the Baltic Mill for us was the viewing platform on the 5th level which has simply splendid look-outs over the Quayside area and the juxtaposition of old bridge, new bridge, old buildings, new buildings and all tied up with the pretty ribbon of the Tyne snaking its watery way through the middle.
 

View of Quayside in Newcastle Upon Tyne from viewing platform at Baltic Mill Contemporary Art Centre with Sage Gatehead, Tyne Bridge, and Millennium Bridge.


 

Come back soon for more photos and articles about Newcastle including one on the small but elegant Laing Art Gallery.

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Thoughtful Words & Contemporary Art in Barcelona

Something to ponder perhaps???

Some Objects Of Desire — a work of art by Lawrence Weiner which is seen high on the wall of the white-on-white lobby of MACBA — the museum of contemporary art and design in Barcelona, Spain.

 

Some Things by Lawrence Weiner at MACBA in Barcelona, Spain


 

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Architectural Photos of CCCB Museum in Barcelona

This is a mixed bag of both black and white and colour photography today. These photos give you a brief glimpse of the architecture of the lovely CCCB museum in Barcelona.

Some of the more angular shots were better presented in black and white. For visual punch, I love bright blue-sky days. But more and more often lately I seem to be defaulting back to black and white which returns me to my early days in journalism and blissful hours spent in the darkroom.

Enjoy!

 

Entrance sign at CCCB museum in Barcelona, Spain


 

Man passing though courtyard entry arch into the CCCB contemporary art museum in Barcelona, Spain with St. Geoge & the Dragon sculpture overhead on building facade.


 

A St. George & the Dragon sculpture above the archway entry into the CCCB museum in Barcelona, Spain.


 

Entry-exit ramp at the Barcelona, Spain museum CCCB.


 

Old meets new in the two buildings housing the CCCB museum of contemporary art.


 

The crisp geometric angles of the interior lobby in the CCCB museum of contemporary art and culture in Barcelona, Spain.


 

Escalator to upper galleries at the Barcelona, Spain contemporary museum CCCB.


 

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9 Days In Spain: Intro

Barcelona for 8 days and Figueres for 1 — heaven! From traditional and historic to ancient to cutting edge contemporary, Spain has it all. We have just returned from a 9 day trip to Spain to celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary, so there will be an entire series of posts coming up in the days ahead.

I took over 2,000 photos during that trip — but then again, I typically shoot 3-4 of each scene or item so that I can choose the optimum image afterward. Some might call that a bit of overkill, but I end up with a better stock portfolio that way!

Here’s a few teaser pictures of what you will see in the weeks ahead.
 

Ruins of the previous Roman city in their excavation site beneath the streets of Barcelona, Spain


 

Contemporary sculpture to honour the volunteers for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain


 

The crossing lights in Barcelona, Spain reflect the fact that there are rather a LOT of cyclists as well as pedestrians crossing at the intersections.


 

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Please respect the words and images on this page.
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