posted by Savanah on Feb 27
It is rather refreshing and even a bit delightful, although it feels a bit contrary, to think that there’s another Churchill that immediately comes to mind when we think of London now. Perhaps it shoud be a bit contrary, when the other person is Caryl Churchill. She’s been writing plays for a few decades now, and the idea that she’s still writing new work is reason enough to go to check into a hotel in London and start waiting right now.
When she comes out with a new work, it is a very big deal, and she’s been so very prolific all her life that there are lots of opportunities to enjoy these big deals. Maybe enjoy isn’t the perfect word, because although her plays do offer a certain pleasure, but they can also be very tough. One of the last productions I saw by her was a version of the Skriker, and it was an astounding and riveting evening of theatre. But it was also incredibly disorienting, being about mad faeries that haunt two women in London. This was her most fantastical work, in the pure sense of the term, but by no means unexpected.
She has had quite a career. Her first writings that got attention were radio plays in the 1960s, and even in these first works, we see a profoundly developed sensitivity to the forms of drama, coupled with an enormously astute critique of the world at large, but London social norms in particular. She moved into plays, working with the Royal Court Theatre, and then the Monstrous Regiment, where she developed a collaborative way of constructing her remarkable works. They continue to serve the audiences with an enormous wit, deep intellect, and a profound sadness that makes her the logical successor to Bertolt Brecht.
posted by Savanah on Aug 11
Poole England is a popular tourist destination, which makes great sense since the area has been attracting humans to it since the Iron Age. This is actually one of the interesting features of the city today because it contains many ancient artifacts and relics that have been indigenous to the area, which is something not a great many cities can boast of. Of course, also extremely popular with tourists today are the great beaches and fabulous weather enjoyed all year in and around Poole. There are a diverse collection of reasons that people from all over the world visit the city and stay in an historic, yet comfortable and sometimes luxurious Poole hotel.
There has also been major literary, film and other arts genre figures who have been born in Poole or lived there at some time in their life. Writer J.R.R. Tolkien is included in this population. He lived there for approximately four yours during his retirement. Tolkien is best known for his The Lord of the Rings series. He lived from January of 1892 to September of 1973 and in addition to being a writer he was also a university professor at Oxford. He was also a close friend of C.S. Lewis who was part of the same informal literature group that Tolkien belonged to.
The Lord of The Rings series is an epic fantasy tale that Tolkien began to his earlier work The Hobbit. It has become one of the most influential works of literature in the 20th century and as such has prompted a great deal of academic research into various themes and ideas that are possibly found in it. The basic story involves the main character Dark Lord Sauron who at some point in the distant past had created a single ring that would have power and rule over the other rings of power. This was the ultimate weapon in his ultimate goal of attaining complete control over the Middle Earth.
posted by Savanah on Jul 1
The show that just happened over the past weekend was much more than a rock concert. U2 paid tribute to the late Micheal Jackson, transmitted the concert to the International Space Station, and became Bono’s platform for Human Rights issues throughout the world. When the ninety thousand tickets went on sale in Barcelona, those tickets sold out in a mere fifty-four minutes. And it was not long afterward that the five star Barcelona hotels were booked up as well. These guys are megastars, hailing from a small town in Ireland they have continually sold out shows world-wide for more than two decades. The show this weekend was held at Camp Nou, the stadium and the home of the football team of Barcelona. The stage was immense and the crowd in attendance was punctuated by those, unable to score tickets, surrounding the arena and listening from the grassy parks on the other side of the fences.
The innovative stage design included a massive structure. A giant creature with four metal legs suspended and weighing in at almost four hundred tons. Once Snow Patrol had warmed up the audience, Bono and his band mates took the stage. This was the first date on the upcoming worldwide tour, and as stated, was more than a show. Bono commemorated the fortieth anniversary of the first landing on the moon, spoke frequently about peace and the necessity of that idea in this modern world, and even sent a message to those in the government of South Africa, imploring them to put a non-concerted effort into fighting malaria and AIDs epidemics. The song dedicated to Michael Jackson, was ‘Angel of Harlem’ of which Bono included a montage of Jackson’s songs, including ‘Don’t Stop til You Get Enough’. What started years ago, with a few lads singing about what they believed in, has turned into an institution wherein what they sing about, is something that all have come to believe.
posted by Savanah on Jun 1
The country of South Africa is bound together with arts, interwoven into the culture and the history. Most of the parks and gardens are filled with sculpture, and any restaurant or Cape Town luxury hotel is certain to have pieces of work decorating the walls and the rooms, that are significant to this rich history. On any trip one takes to South Africa, one must find the galleries and museums and stroll through them, not only for the visual entertainment, but for the knowledge that is gained and leads to better understandings of the country and the people of the regions. One such gallery in Cape Town is the South African National Gallery. There are permanent collections here that are rotated to accommodate the touring shows and exhibits. At any given time one will be able to walk through the halls that are filled with everything from sculpture, to photography, textiles and jewelery, paintings and prints on paper.
The museum does lack, however, a significant amount of traditional work from the pre-colonial time period. This is due to the high cost of Western art, and the lack of sufficient funding in order to be able to afford to house the work permanently. There is also not much represented from the 1980’s, as the political situation of Apartheid made it difficult for the gallery to obtain the works of the artists at this time. The gallery has been attempting to obtain more work from this time. Beginning in 1990, work has been done to create a collection of work that celebrates the expression of the different cultures living in Africa. Sculpture and traditional bead-works is part of a collection that is well respected throughout the world. The women of South Africa create this art form in an expressive and articulate manner. The gallery joined the city of Ghana in creating the Bead Society of South Africa, as this is such an important element of the culture. The works in this gallery are stunning and one traveling here should definitely take a few days to experience all that the museum has to offer.
posted by Savanah on Jun 1
There are many sections to the gardens at Kirstenbosch in South Africa. The sections are separated by the streams that run through the garden, trimmed with red alder trees, ferns, and besembos. Fig and camphor trees were planted in 1660 by Jan Van Riebeeck, a Dutch settler. The grounds of the garden support not just the beauty of the natural world, but the science behind it all as well. The National Botanical Institute has their headquarters here. This is an association that administers and supports the international network of research and gardens.
One such facility that focuses on natural history is the Cape Herbarium. All of Cape Town enjoys the benefits of this garden and the scientists, all of the businesses, restaurants and luxury hotels Cape Town offers are surrounded by the indigenous plants and flowers, creating a perfect holiday retreat filled with beauty.
A quarter of a million species are preserved at the herbarium, a collection that was started by scientists and botanists in 1825. This is a combined effort with the South Africa Museum. All the paths that wind throughout the garden are paved, and create easy access to those walking, or in wheelchairs, through the trees that are indigenous through Skeleton Gorge, all the way to Table Mountain’s summit. There are paths that cut through Forest Walk, wherein one can enjoy the beauty and tranquility of the the Yellow-wood trees, the Alders and the Ironwoods.
The two paths that have been specifically designed for wheel chair accessibility are the Silver Tree Stroll and Weaverbird Walk. These provide those with wheels instead of legs, the opportunity to experience the outdoors and nature. There is also a pass that is designed for the blind as well. Aptly titled, the Braille Trail, the plants are labeled throughout, with signs written in…braille. And along this path, there is a specifically designed fragrant garden, in which each of the specimens is labeled with large print and in braille.