Keys come in many shapes –
For Frank this week – a Key to my heart and attention found in the streets of Stettin last week – Forestforever.
Art
Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #59 – Angles
Last week Patti used a lovely old English rhyme for the challenge – this week we would love to see your interpretation of what difference angles can do… for our perception of the world.
I was a teacher for many years, and my classes often discussed today’s society, history or literature. For better understanding of other people’s opinions, I used to give a simple example using the numbers 6 and 9. Depending on where you sit or stand, it might be 9 or 6 that you see. If you are not wise enough to envision how the person sitting at the other side of the table might see it, you will always have some trouble understanding other people’s point of view. (The world today… and forever?)
The importance of different ways of seeing the same object, thing, person, happening…cannot be overestimated. And now I hope you will have some fun with it too!
Angles is the challenge!
If you find you have no time to photograph something new from different angles, I am sure you have pictures in your archives to use – because, I guess many camera people work just like I do… Every year I take pictures of the same house, the same people, the same forest… but maybe just not from the same angle!
My choices are two: One sand sculpture from the Denmark exhibition –
– and one sculpture from Stykkishólmur, Iceland.
The fascinating thing is that these two are totally different and so are their messages. But, both sculptures need you to walk around them to get the details, the picture, the whole story, the complete message. So, what would Your interpretation be?
We are looking forward to seeing all your fascinating Angles!
Thank you, Patti, for last week’s challenge, Something old, new, borrowed and blue that really got us thinking – So many creative posts from you all!
Tuesday Photo Challenge – Sculpture
Dear Frank, so glad you came back despite the delay! – Here comes a ship instead of a plane. I doubt it could have brought you home though…
Iceland, Reykjavik – The Sun Voyager.
The artist is Jón Gunnar Árnason, Sun Voyager is described as a dreamboat, or an ode to the Sun. A dream of hope, progress and freedom.
Tuesday Photo Challenge – Ancient
Tuesday Photo Challenge – Ancient
Frank challenges us with things ancient – and Amber is fossilized tree resin, which has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects, like these necklaces. Amber is used in jewelry since the Stone Age. It has also been used as a healing agent in folk medicine
In Poland you can easily find several shops in every city selling beautiful works of this art.
Friendly Friday: Design
I love Design. In 2016 I wrote about one of our most famous designers, Camilla Thulin. Much of clothes for the stage, but also ”ordinary” fashion. Snows theme is Design!
Just to look at her sketches is pure joy.
Shoes…
Kaftans – favourites with Camilla
Tuesday Photo Challenge – Technology
Lens-Artists Challenge #37: History
For this week’s challenge, Patti has chosen History. At first I wanted to write about Riga, the capital of Latvia, whose history begins as early as the 2nd century. But inspired by a visit there, I have chosen a piece of puppetry history instead – an art form very much alive in Latvia.
According to Wikipedia, puppetry is a form of performance that involves the manipulation of puppets – inanimate objects, that are animated or manipulated by a human called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of his/her hands, arms, or control devices such as rods or strings to move the body, head, limbs, and in some cases the mouth and eyes of the puppet. The puppeteer often speaks in the voice of the character of the puppet, and then synchronizes the movements of the puppet’s mouth with this spoken part.
The earliest puppets probably originated in Egypt, where ivory and clay articulated puppets have been discovered in tombs. Puppets are mentioned in writing as early as 422 B.C.E. In ancient Greece, Aristotle and Plato both made reference to puppetry.
This art form occurs in almost all human societies where puppets are used for entertainment through performance, as sacred objects in rituals, as symbolic effigies in celebrations such as carnivals, or as a catalyst for social and psychological change in transformative arts.
There are many different varieties of puppets, and they are made of a wide range of materials, depending on their form and intended use. They can be extremely complex or very simple in their construction. The simplest puppets are finger puppets and sock puppets. Familiar examples of hand puppets are Punch and Judy. Marionettes are suspended and controlled by a number of strings, plus sometimes a central rod attached to a control bar held from above by the puppeteer.
In Riga, we just happened to walk past the puppet theater, went inside and met – Alexander! A charming young man who showed us around and tried to explain, in broken English, about the theater and the puppets. These special ones behind the glass were handled by him alone. You can see him at work as a puppeteer in the poster shot above.
Some more history of puppetry
Many types of folk art puppetry developed in disparate regions of the world, and some are still practiced today. In Japan, the sophisticated bunraku tradition evolved out of rites practiced in Shinto temples. The Vietnamese created the unique practice of water puppetry, in which wooden puppets appear to walk in waist-high water; this was originally developed hundreds of years ago as a response to the flooding of rice fields. Indonesian shadow puppets are another example of a long-held folk tradition. Ceremonial puppets were also used in several pre-Columbian Native American cultures.
In medieval Italy, marionettes were used in the production of morality plays by the Christian church. The famous comedic puppet tradition of commedia dell’arte evolved in the face of censorship by the church. Later, the plays of William Shakespeare were sometimes performed with puppets in place of actors.
In Sweden there is no great tradition of Puppetry, but it still exists as an art form for small children. In Latvia they have several performances every day. For both young and older children – and for adults as well. Do you have this art form in your country?
Nowadays the Art of Puppetry is experiencing something of a real renaissance all over the world, touching hearts and minds and engaging new spectators of all ages. Puppetry is a unique cultural treasure, which invites you to experience such a magical way of art that cannot be created or substituted by any other form of art. The task of our puppet theatre is to introduce this special kind of theatre arts in such a way, that the wonders of puppetry world would find their home in the heart of every child.
Vilnis Beķeris
General Director of Latvia Puppet Theatre
Finally, some history of the theater in Riga
The early beginnings of the Puppet Theater date back to 1942, when during the war the National Art Ensemble of the Latvian SSR ( Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic) was formed in the city of Ivanov in Russia. From there originates a group of puppeteers, whose shows were watched by evacuated soldiers and Latvian people. On the 4th of October 1944 the National Puppet Theater of the Latvian SSR opened, run by poet Mirdza Ķempe and writer and translator Jānis Žīgurs.
Thank you to Patti for letting us share so many things, events and places of historic interest. Welcome to join in the historic tour! And please don’t forget the tag Lens-Artists so people can find you in the reader!
Thursday Thoughts – Looking Back
Do you sometimes look back and remember what happened the same month the year before? I seldom do…but thought I would try it today, as Totti’s birthday is approaching, and our wedding anniversary as well. But let’s start off with the strawberry tents – and a sculpture. Last week I saw the tents were up again – how I long for those strawberries!
In the header you see the last spell of snow on March 8, 2018. Not much this year so far.
Then, I had the privilege of meeting the world’s oldest blogger – Dagny, 106 years old. She was hit by a car this winter, but is still going strong… after a short hospital visit.
Totti turned 10 and my husband and I celebrated 40 years of marriage.
A memorable month – I wonder what will come out of March 2019? Milo is a new family member, and Totti will turn 11…Do you think summing up sometimes is a good thing?
Why or why not?
Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round
Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round
The world is spinning – round. But not much is really, really round, is it? For Frank:
Still, there are many quite round things that I really love…like Dalí’s art and his home in Figueres, Spain. And the Beehive in Kew Gardens!
Leya 
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