AN ANNIVERSARY gift to ourselves recently was a trip across the Peace Arch Border via Quick Shuttle into the US to see the famed
Infinity Mirrors art show at the
Seattle Art Museum. I knew we were getting close when I saw the Space Needle at a distance from the highway.
The landmark observation tower hovered over the city the way the artist on a television screen hovered over visitors at her exhibition.
At first glance
Yayoi Kusama's flamboyance contradicted her statement, "I want to live
hidden in the world that lies midway between mystery and symbol."
I soon realized her colourful outfit blended in with the art. The creations were housed in small enclosures where, due to her request, two or three people at a time could spend a scant 20 to 30 seconds. This was frustrating since it took 10 seconds to adjust my camera and get oriented in an unfamiliar setting. I would need to return to the back of the line each time I wanted another 20 seconds.
Can you see my husband looking up at the lantern above? The display of lights and mirrors was mesmerizing. Enveloped by the warmth of the scene and feeling at one with the cosmos, we would have appreciated several minutes in this room. Unfortunately the
Infinity show was far too finite to be fully enjoyed.
We were permitted plenty of time in a roomful of dots, however, covering everything from ceiling, furniture to floor. That's me, a speck among specks, sticking a few dots of my own onto the walls.
At the above display, visitors peered into boxes, their faces transported onto mirrors within a dizzying kaleidoscopic display.
Aside from the special exhibit, the art museum is a diverse gallery where one can linger. Many paintings are traditional and/or historical while others are experimental and unique in some way.
This huge mouse caught my attention. At first it seemed whimsical but on closer inspection, when I looked beneath the large paws, it was a bit unnerving.
The artist, Katarina Fritsch, once wrote about her work
Man and Mouse,
"This is an image of a completely unbalanced relationship in which two people are missing each other completely. It is a terrible image, but I find it funny as well."
I wondered about the relationship between artist and viewer. Art often requires contemplation but in
Infinity Mirrors, only glimpses were granted by Kusama whose patrons were part of the palette, drifting in and out of her artwork plan.
Visit
Postcards From Penelope Puddle to view more scenes.
To see more sights from around the globe visit
OUR WORLD at the sidebar.
.jpg)
Copyright by Penelope Puddlisms
IT WAS THE LAST day of the Mom’s The Word: Remixed play in my world. My husband and I went to Granville Island in Vancouver to see the comedy about professional women adjusting as stay-at-home "amateur" moms.
We got there with an hour to spare so had time to soak in the atmosphere on a rare sunny day last weekend in southwest BC. As I write this a week later on BC Day (a statutory holiday that falls on the first Monday in August), it is just starting to feel consistently warm.
Everyone was out and about enjoying the lovely summer weather.
A crow and seagull were getting a bird's eye view of the popular shopping and art district. Granville Island is located in False Creek across from downtown Vancouver's peninsula and under the Granville Street Bridge.
Some people were boating and others were paddling.
My husband (wearing a khaki colored jacket) was happily sitting.
Since it was around lunch time, many were eating, including the seagulls that were eager to pick up the tasty scraps.
Pigeons gathered around the scattered bird seed.
Some children gathered to watch the birds peck at their food ...
while others tried to shoo the feathery creatures away.
Child rearing was the theme of the zany comedy we came to see. The walls of the small newly re-opened 32-year-old Revue Stage rang with laughter. Imperfect parents in the audience related to the stark realities portrayed brilliantly by the comedic actresses. Coping during the changing and often difficult stages of a child's life was funny in hindsight. But the tears I shed at the end were not from laughter but from a sentimental reminder that the love parents feel for their children is no joke.
WE ARRIVED EARLY at Granville Island to take in the atmosphere before seeing the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee musical at the Arts Club Theatre in Vancouver.
The sun blazed in Vancouver and thousands of tourists and locals were out enjoying the scene. While people strolled walkways, rowboats skimmed and speedboats bounced over False Creek beneath the Burrard Bridge that connects downtown Vancouver to the Kitsilano district.
Mimes clowned around with their pretty umbrellas adding colour to the day.
Talented entertainers were everywhere, including Jorge Alfaro who played multiple flutes filling the air with mystical sounds.
I was glad to later learn that Jorge’s haunting tunes are on YouTube. This Pied Piper is definitely worth following.
With feet in flames, this pair fired up the crowd with their amazing acrobatics.
An array of beautiful flowers scented the air.
The Public Market was stuffed with a medley of fresh foods, including locally grown vegetables.
It was time to see the show. We could not have been more impressed with the brilliant performances of the Spelling Bee cast. Mostly I laughed out loud at the musical comedy. But I also shed a tear or two during the moving moments.
Granville Island Stage has brought joy to many thousands of people throughout the decades. So I was glad to discover they are expanding with the help of donations, despite BC government cutbacks to the arts.
We finished the day with a fantastic meal at the Sandbar Restaurant from where we had a bird's eye view of the city.
Winged wildlife, especially seagulls, were also looking for a good meal.
These birds leave their mark everywhere. We couldn't help but notice the unwanted smudge surprise on tbe car windshield as we headed home on a cloudless and otherwise clearly wonderful day.