Guggenheim

Last time I came to New York I didn't get to visit this internationally renowned museum, as we came on the only day it was closed. So as you can imagine, I've been dying to go again and explore this significant art museum and architectural icon.

I will be honest, I was expecting more artists' work for the money I paid to get in, but I did happen to love the main artist on display; Vasily Kandinsky (who I will mention more in another post on this blog). I was also blown away by the architecture of this place, it just stood out from all the rest of the buildings in New York, it really is one of a kind in this City. But what more could you expect from Frank Lloyd Wright, who is famous for his unique designs. He once said that he thought that art museums lacked atmosphere, so here he wanted to create more than just a space to hang paintings. He definitely achieved this, I was impressed with many aspects of the museum, but especially the spiriling gallery. It's just so simple yet captivating, you could tell from everyone's awed expressions that this was impressive.

Another great thing about this gallery, was that you were given audio commentary, so you could select certain paintings and hear all about them. People tend walk and look at the paintings at different paces, so being able to choose what you listened to was really interesting and useful. Overall I would say that I did enjoy the Guggenheim, the fact that it's visually stimulating itself really does help to reflect the art work inside. Shame about the admission price, but truly inspiring.

Museum of Natural History

I realise that my blog is starting to look a lot like a photo album of New York, but I am genuinely impressed and inspired by everything I post. And of course New York is full of inspiring things, the Museum of Natural History being one of them. The main thing I loved about it was how they'd put so much effort into making everything look authentic, even the tiniest details weren't missed. All the displays looked so realistic, which can be quite scary but ads to the overall feel of the museum. Not only is it a visually exciting museum, but you can learn a lot here too. I can't imagine anyone getting bored here, not even a child.

St. Ives Tate

Having been to Cornwall and staying in St. Ives, I had to visit the Tate. They had an option for free entry after a certain time on a Friday, so being a poor student I decided this would be the best idea. Unfortunately I have to say, I'm glad I didn't have to pay any money as it wouldn't have been worth it. The architecture of this building is brilliant, it stands out but blends seemingly into it's surroundings. However I felt let down by the lack of content inside. I remember coming out of the gallery thinking, is that it. I realise it's not like the Met in New York with never ending space, but I still felt a little let down. They could have utilised the space better in order to fit more in. Also I didn't understand why they had chosen the artists that were in there, perhaps it's me being too subjective, but I didn't see anything I liked.

All in all, it was slightly disappointing, but you can't deny that this is a brilliantly designed building.

Which biome was your favourite?

After five years of visiting the South West of England, I finally managed to visit The Eden Project. Of course, what better day to visit than when hurricane Bill was making his last appearance. Unfortunately the rest of Cornwall had the exact same idea. I feel that if it wasn't as busy I would have enjoyed it more. But no matter how many people you have to share a biome with, you can't ignore the amount of time and effort that must have gone into this place.

Both the rainforest and mediterranean biome had their own appeal. The bigger and more grand rainforest biome certainly leaves an impression. But I have to say I think the little details made it interesting, for example, all the drawings on the walls (see above).

In saying that, the architechture of Eden is definetely what you come here to see. I was strangely in awe of the way some of the triangles opened and closed to moderate the temperature within the biome (see above). This really did show me that Eden isn't just a big greenhouse.