Tag Archives: gallery

Musee des Arts et Metiers in Paris – Part Two

In this second part of our visit to the Musee des Arts et Metiers in Paris, today we’ll take a peek at some of the LARGE items that are displayed within the converted medieval priory portion of this extraordinary museum.

Designed to mimic the shape of a bat’s wings, this very early airplane by Clement Ader was designed between 1893 and 1897. The very fragile piece of engineering is suspended from the rather ornate ceiling inside the stairwell.

Very early aeroplane (airplane) designed by Clement Ader between 1893-1897

Ornate staircase in the Musee des Arts et Metier in Paris.

The high vaulted ceilings and ornate arches of the old church create the most impressive of the exhibition spaces. It’s quite stunning to walk into this vast area and look up to see several vintage airplaces hanging from the ceiling. On the floor below are old steam engines in a variety of sizes.

Planes above, trains below, automobiles in tiered racks on the side.

On the side of the large chapel are several levels of metal platforms, reached by stairs, which contain a variety of vintage automobiles — all perched high above the ground floor below. It could be a bit of a challenge for anyone with vertigo!

Vintage cars on suspended racks high above the floor below.

A timeless glimpse into the past.

Hope you have enjoyed a peek at this wonderful museum which should be on everyone’s ‘must see’ list when they visit Paris.

Musee des Arts et Metiers in Paris – Part One

One of the best days out we had in Paris was at the glorious Musee des Arts et Metier. This wonderful museum opened right at the end of the 18th Century in what had been an abandoned medieval priory — Saint Martin des Champs. The museum has been expanded, most notably with a more contemporary addition in the 1990s, but the elegant old priory contains some of the most beautiful of the displays under those ornate and vaulted ceilings.

Musee des Arts et Metiers in Paris, France. Housed in a converted medieval priory, this is one of the landmark museums of Paris. Made famous by the novel The Da Vinci Code, it contains a Foucault pendulum.

One example of the treasures within is the room that houses a Foucault Pendulum. I know that the former purpose of the space was reverential, but it still maintains an air of ‘sacred space’ in that hushed room with the pendulum right in the center.

Foucault Pendulum beneath the vaulted ceilings of the Musee des Arts et Metiers in Paris.

The Foucault Pendulum within the Musee des Arts et Metiers in Paris.

When we were there, I noted that the glass table which has the pendulum suspended above it and the glossy flooring all around it appeared to be quite contemporary. That was a bit of a surprise. But as I was doing the research for this article, the information that I discovered explained all of that.

In 2010, the cable that held the pendulum snapped, damaging it badly and shattering the ancient marble floor beneath it. So the more contemporary appearance is a result of the reconstruction in the museum.

All of the photos above are available in my ZENFOLIO PORTFOLIO You may find them in the Portfolio tab under FRANCE — then under PARIS.

Enjoy!

A Peek Inside At Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia

Following on from yesterday’s photo essay on the exterior of Federation Square — soaring spaces, modern lines, lovely light — all of these are elements that add to your enjoyment of a visit to the buildings of Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia. Here’s a peek inside!

The multi-story high atrium at Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia

The descent from street level down into the atrium and toward the National Gallery of Victoria’s Ian Potter Gallery at Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia

The lobby of the Ian Potter Gallery inside Federation Square

Fabulously Fractured Facades in Metro Melbourne, Australia

We had just moved back to Melbourne, Australia in 2002 and this contentious and expensive cluster of buildings and paved courtyards were completed that same year. I remember the first time I saw Federation Square (now generally known by the shortened title of Fed Square) and it seemed raw, unfinished looking, and very windy at the time. But over the years it has grown on me and I now find it ‘interesting’ if not beautiful.

Housing the NGV Ian Potter art museum, ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image), SBS Television and Radio Broadcasting Centre, and a range of cafes, bars, shops, and other cultural offices, Fed Square continues to provoke a love-hate response from both tourists and the citizens of Melbourne. Click on the first link in the article to read about some of the controversial decisions, negative reviews, and blow-out costs that surrounded this project.

$The fractured and fragmented facades of the modern buildings at Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia are a sharp contrast to the more traditional structures all around it.$

The fractured and fragmented facades of the modern buildings at Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia are a sharp contrast to the more traditional structures all around it.

The buildings of Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia contain a cluster of arts organisations, a television and radio broadcasting centre, and several cafes and restaurants..

Another corner of Federation Square in the heart of Melbourne, Australia

Totally Transfixed in Melbourne, Australia

Had to share this with you. As I was pressing the shutter, I knew I had captured a unique moment. The three men sitting motionless on the bench and the woman standing as still as a statue were all completely mesmerised by the same thing — an art installation at the NGV museum in Melbourne, Australia which consisted of a long strand of what appeared to be metallic tape as it was blown back and forth between two large electric fans. It was an interestingly silent moment!

3 seated men & 1 standing woman are mesmerised by metal tape blowing between 2 large electric fans at the NGV art museum in Melbourne, Australia

Photo Of The Day: Angles of Steepness in Melbourne, Australia

Taken from a bridge walkway down onto another glass bridge walkway, a photo of angles and steepness inside the contemporary interior space of the NGV art museum in Melbourne, Australia.

Taken from a high walkway overhead, a lone woman walks on a green-tinted glass bridge within the contemporary interior of the NGV art museum in Melbourne, Australia.

A Tiny and Pretty Dusting of Snow

There you go — I have changed the Weather Widget! Now you can see what the conditions are as we travel around the UK.

In contrast to the bucket loads of snow that has been dumped on the USA and parts of the UK, we had a charming bit of snowy dusting yesterday morning — not a lot, as you can see, but just enough to sparkle, look pretty, and NOT make the roads treacherous. And we had errands to run in the afternoon, so it was good not to fret about road conditions or whether icy streets have been visited by the grit truck.

A small & soft snowfall across the deck toward the garage & garden.

View out the side window toward ever-so-slightly snowy Norfolk fields.

We’ve locked in the first of our travel dates and we’re leaving Norfolk around the 20th-22nd of February. First stop — Newcastle. It’s a place that’s been of interest to us for awhile — ever since reading several articles about how Newcastle had changed its industrial image and had become a vibrant place with a strong cultural scene including museums, film festivals, and art galleries. We are quite looking forward to this!

Back to work. I’m trying to sort out my huge photo backlog!

More soon…

A Wanderful Life

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