Maya Lin has a new exhibit at Washington’s Corcoran Gallery of Art.

It grew out of a desire to take what I do outside and bring it inside …. I thought, what if I could bring a hill inside - take it up to the ceiling, maybe even let people walk on it. … These works are asking us to pay close attention to the world around us.”

- Maya Lin, via The Baltimore Sun.

Maya Lin @ Wikipedia.

~ Karl Jones

© karljones for Babel: The multilingual, multicultural online journal and community of arts and ideas, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Amy: “We’ve got Jeremy Melcamp from Borders here today — and he’s got something really special for us.  Now, what am I holding here?

Jeremy: We call it Book.  Now Amy, try to find the plug on there.

Amy: I don’t see one!

Jeremy: That’s because Book is the new wireless platform that never needs to be charged.  Now, go ahead and turn a page.

Amy: The pages are really turning!  And … there’s different words on each one!

Jeremy: It’s got an intuitive, touch-based interface that we’re very proud of.

Amy: This could be huge, but … where are people going to keep all their Book?

Jeremy: That’s the best part, Amy.  Book works with the shelves you have at home.

- Link to Penny Arcade.

~ Karl Jones

© karljones for Babel: The multilingual, multicultural online journal and community of arts and ideas, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Artful and practical at the same time: I like it a lot.

From Instructables.

Via Apartment Therapy.

Via Boing Boing.

~ Karl Jones

© karljones for Babel: The multilingual, multicultural online journal and community of arts and ideas, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Icehouses that look like dice:  dICEHOUSES.

The dICEHOUSES Shanty “reminds folks that there is no more efficient source of warmth than sitting across the table from one’s family, some good friends or strangers and playing some good ol’ table top games. Each of the five dICEHOUSES is stocked with The Book of Hoyle, playing cards, dice and games for all to play.”

dICEHOUSES bLOG

Art Shanty Projects

access+ENGAGE Issue 38.1

~ Karl Jones

© karljones for Babel: The multilingual, multicultural online journal and community of arts and ideas, 2009. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Kimono as Art: The Landscapes of Itchiku Kubota

Kimono will tour the United States for six months with only two stops: San Diego, California and Canton, Ohio.

Kimono as Art: Link.

~ Karl

© karljones for Babel: The multilingual, multicultural online journal and community of arts and ideas, 2009. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Dedicated to Dr. Georgi Kitov

Seuth III Tomb and Temple

One of the most impressive monuments of the Thracian civilization in the Valley of the Thracian Kings, is the Heroon (a Temple-Tomb of a Hero of Royal status) of Sueth III. It was discovered on September 4th  2004, by the famous Bulgarian archaeologist Georgi Kitov (1943-2008). The temple was buried under the 20 m high (ap. 66 ft) “Golyamata Kosmatka” mound.

It represents a remarkable Thracian Heroon built accordingly to the Thracian Orphic cult traditions of the end of V C. /beginning of the IV C. BCE. Serving also as a symbolic tomb of Seuth III, it contained an enormous treasure, exhibited now in the Kazanluk Museum and Art Gallery “Iskra”. More than 70 silver, gold and bronze objects, which were used as ritual offering to the Gods, were discovered during the excavations.

The Temple was used between the end of the V C. BCE and the beginning of the III C BCE, when a symbolic burial ceremony of Seuth III took place, the famous founder of the Thracian city of Seuthopolis, located only 10 km (7.5 miles) away. After the symbolic burial ceremony, the Temple was closed and the entrance sealed and buried.

ARCHITECTURE

Seuth III Tomb and Temple - Keystone and Ceiling

The Thracian Heroon (Temple Tomb) Goliamata Kosmatka is comprised by a 13 m (app. 42 ft) dromus (hallway), an antechamber and a burial chamber. A 26 m (app. 89 ft) procession road leads to the temple’s main entrance.

From the monumental entrance, the dromus leads to a small circular antechamber with vaulted ceiling. Both the dromus and the antechamber are built with large cut stones, linked together in places by bronze braces or just shaped to perfectly fit the architectural design. There were frescoes on the walls of the dromus and the antechamber, which were damaged by fire in the Antiquity, and, unfortunately, lost forever.

Seuth III Tomb and Temple - Marble Door with Apollo Head - Detail

Two marble doors, leading to the main chamber, are ornate and painted with red and ochre. The heads of Helios/Apollo and Medusa or Dionysus are sculpted with magnificent artistry on the doors. The theory of the second head being of Dionysus belongs to Prof. Valeria Fol and it makes sense for a Thracian Heroon: Helios is the symbol of the heaven/sun world and Dionysus – the mediator between the afterward and the underworld.

The main burial chamber is a sarcophagus type, with a large offerings/burial bed, an offerings table and a round cupola ceiling with a central keystone. The offerings/burial bed is made out of one single piece of stone weighting 60 m tones. It was also decorated with red paintings, remains of which can be seen even now. The ritual bed was covered with gold and red fabric, fragments of which were discovered during the excavations.

TREASURES

70 objects, from which several ornaments and jewelry weighting a total of 1 kg ( 2 pounds) of solid gold, as well as bronze, silver artifacts and semi-precious stones, were found in the Temple’s Burial Chamber and its surroundings.

Seuth III Tomb and Temple - Seuth III Bronze Head

Just in front of the Temple, 7 m (25 ft) from the main entrance, was made one of the most spectacular discoveries, helping the scientists to identify the Temple as symbolic burial site of Seuth III: a huge bronze head, with eyes made out of semi-precious stones, probably belonging to a 6 feet tall statue. The detail and great artistic value of the bronze head made believe the specialists that this was the statue of Seuth III and the head was separated on purpose, following the Thracian Orphic burial traditions.

In the dromus was discovered a sacrificial burial of a horse – a tradition seen in other Thracian Tombs.

The majority of the treasures were found in the main sarcophagus burial chamber. Objects of the armament of the King, horse trappings, and a lot of gold and silver objects, were buried there and meant to show the Seuth III important status as King-Priest of the Temple. The clothes found in the burial chamber were made of leather, decorated with gold. A head of an lion and gold leaf ornaments are embellishing the fine apparel of the King. Three clay amphorae containing wine were discovered in the chamber, proving once again the Dionysian/Orphic connection.

Seuth III Armament:
The armament buried in the Seuth III Temple was made of iron (arrow tips) and gilded bronze. The sword of the king was found inside of a leather scabbard, covered with gold decorations. The helmet of the King was made also of bronze, with silver decorations covered with gold. The kneecap protectors were made also of bronze with incredibly detailed gold plated silver decorations depicting the Great Goddess-Mother and gryphons with enormous wings.

Seuth III Tomb and Temple - Gold Horse Trappings

The most impressive of the Seuth III armament is the set of horse trappings and decorations. Made of gold, depicting Gods and animals, the set justifies the story of Homer depicting the arrival of King Rhesus on the Trojan battlefield: “His chariot is bedight with silver and gold, and he has brought his marvelous golden armour, of the rarest workmanship–too splendid for any mortal man to carry, and meet only for the gods.” (Homer, Iliad, Book X).

Cult Objects

An elegant quaich type of phialae, the royal crown, as well as the other royal jewelry were made of solid gold. The Seuth III crown was made of fine maple leaves and Acer samaras. There are two silver objects, two bronze objects and a silver pear shell covered with gold.

One of the most elegant cult objects is the solid gold phialae. It is made from 400 grams (almost a pound) of gold. It has two long handles and a decoration of the Vergina Star on the bottom. In 2008, a copy of it was chosen by the International Association of Sommeliers as a prize for the best sommelier.

Seuth III Tomb and Temple - Gold Cult Objects

Another wine drinking vessel (the wine was very important element during the Thraician Orphic cult rituals and later in the Dionysian Mysteries) was decorated with flames and leafs.

Mystery findings

A Negro head, made of gold, also was among the cult offerings in the burial chamber. Until now there is no explanation why it was there.

Coins

Several gold, silver and bronze coins were found. Several coins with the Vergina Star might suggest the links of Seuth III with the Macedon Dynasty, although these relationships are not scientifically established.

Together with the Alexandrovo Thracian Tomb, the Seuth III Temple and Tomb is one of the most important discoveries of Dr. Kitov, the Bulgarian Thracology and archaeology in the last 20 years. It is also a place for constant research and discoveries. Open to the public since 2006, it represents an impressive element of every cultural tourism tour across Bulgaria.

Acknowledgments:

Enormous thanks to Prof. Valeria Fol for her feedback on this article.
This article wouldn’t be possible without the information received from TEMP – the organization for Thracian Expeditions for Mound Research, founded by Dr. Georgi Kitov and lead now by his wife, Dr. Diana Dimitrova, after his tragic death in 2008.

Links:

The Iliad by Homer
Rhesus of Thrace, Wikepedia Article
Georgi Kitov, Wikipedia Article

Georgi Kitov, In Memoriam, Cultural Realms Article, in English

Georgi Kitov, In Memoriam, Cultural Realms Article, in Bulgarian

© Rossitza Ohridska-Olson for Babel: The multilingual, multicultural online journal and community of arts and ideas, 2009. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

And then recently I realized that the feeling a friend was describing to me about falling in love with his partner was the same feeling I am having about my whole life: Chest filled with joy! Heart asking, “How did I get so damned lucky?”

I am having this feeling about myself, about my life, rather than about any particular person, and yet I am finding myself surrounded by love—all different kinds of it—a kind of love continuum. Friends, lovers–all wonderful people who enrich my life.

And I have also allowed myself–finally–to fall in love with other people.

I think what it means to me now is, “I feel all this love in my life, and [the person I'm saying it to] is a focus for this love.” I think what must have kept me from really feeling free to love others was a fear that they would not return the love, or that they would leave and take their love away–it has certainly happenned like that in the past.

Now, I don’t fear that their leaving would take the love away because I am not getting love from others so much as I am giving it to myself through them.

It is not the other person who gives us love

It is we who love ourselves though this other person; thus, when they go away, they don’t take the love with them because it was never theirs to give us, it is only ours to give ourselves through them.

Thus, we can hope that our lovers are loving themselves through us, as we are loving ourselves through them, but we are also not going to take their self-love away by no longer being in their lives.

Love Corollary: This kind of love never has to be selfish or jealous, because there is no fear of losing it–so it does not need to be restrictive.

My Lesson: To be in love, first find yourself and love yourself.

Go easy on yourself, be gentle; don’t be afraid and never abandon yourself (to love with wild abandon need not mean abandoning yourself or your heart’s well-being).

~Wei Ming Dariotis

© weimingdariotis for Babel: The multilingual, multicultural online journal and community of arts and ideas, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: love, relationships

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Sorry I’ve been away for awhile.  I’ve been licking my wounds and starting new projects.  Of the many artists I am writing for, I’d like to introduce two of them.  Both are based in San Francisco.  One is a fantastic young photographer named Paula Poortinga.  Her work can be seen at www.paulapoortinga.com.  Another is a great new singer named Dylan Charles Germick, whose songs can be heard at www.germart.org.

I hope you enjoy their work as much as I do.

Thanks,

David Rodich

© davidrodich for Babel: The multilingual, multicultural online journal and community of arts and ideas, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: interesting artists

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

There are more than 300 known colonies in the French capital, up from about 250 five years ago, according to the National Beekeepers’ Association. Hives have appeared on the roof of the Opéra Garnier, on balconies and in parks.

Bees are thriving in cities because “flowers and plants are changed constantly and there aren’t pesticides,” said Moncelli, who co-owns the hotel with her husband, Pascal.

The success of a three-year-old French program to encourage beekeeping in cities, the largest such project in the world, is sparking hope of a revival among their country cousins. Global agriculture, valued at € 153 billion, or $214 billion, relies on pollination by bees, according to the French National Institute of Agricultural Research, or INRA.

As in the United States and in Britain, where bee colonies are dying, about 300,000 to 400,000 French hives have disappeared every year between 1995 and 2007, victims of pesticides, pollution and disease.

- International Herald Tribune: Link.

Via Technocrat.net.

~ Karl Jones

© karljones for Babel: The multilingual, multicultural online journal and community of arts and ideas, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

The meeting, at the UN, is looking at ways of meeting the Millennium Development Goals — targets on reducing global poverty by the year 2015.

Donors hope the money will be enough to eradicate malaria by that time.

Malaria still kills more than a million people each year, according to the World Health Organization.

- BBC News, 26 September 2008: Link.

See also:

• Roll Back Malaria
• Global Malaria Programme @ WHO
• Malaria @ CDC

~ Karl Jones

© karljones for Babel: The multilingual, multicultural online journal and community of arts and ideas, 2008. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags:

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh