Repository of my thoughts and images of art, literature, travel, and life.
Thinking about too much stuff just makes you hungry and sleepy sometimes. When conference food just isn't enough, there are times that you just step out and see what else is out there. Dante Coffee Shop is fair. After the National Human Rights Museum tour, there is just that desperate need for coffee. We have not … Continue reading Lighter side, on random coffee, cakes and cookies
One of the most thought-provoking things that I have witnessed in Taipei is their National Human Rights Museum. Albeit all the sensitive issues that this may provoke, at the very essence, they are preserving their painful memories so that they may never allow the same suffering to happen to their people ever again. It was an … Continue reading Memories of Painful Pasts: Human Rights Museum
Before Taipei, I have never even heard of Sigur Ros. My music taste got stuck in the 90s for some time. The past few months has been a rediscovery. Sigur Ros, is a very new find. It is the type of music that you might need to learn to listen to, rather than fall in … Continue reading Lights of Sigur Ros
I love museums, obviously. But not all artworks are found inside museums and galleries. Some of the most interesting ones are found outside it. Such accidents could be really quite fun. This tube of paint installation is something that can be found near the Shida night market. We ran into this on the very first … Continue reading Outside the Museum, walking Taipei
Part I was actually my previous post, the Petit Louvre. As I said, we got to visit the museum at night, which is a very rare opportunity. Unfortunately, we only had until 9 p.m. to walk through everything. From the Petit Louvre, we go on to the more traditional aspect of the National Museum of History. My … Continue reading National Museum of History, Part II
I've never been to the Louvre. I hope to remedy that someday. But I have been to the Petit Louvre! Thanks to the opening cocktails of Museum 2012, we got to see this at night, with no other visitors except us. Petit Louvre is a special exhibition of the National Museum of History in Taipei. Basically, … Continue reading Petit Louvre at the National Museum of History
One of the most interesting presentation of art history I have seen in recent memory is the Museum of Taipei University of Education's modern art timeline. Basically, they have a linear timeline, interspersed with artist's names. Walking through the timeline, you can see replicas of the artworks. This approach basically gives a visual feel of the … Continue reading 3-Dimentional Art History
Why was I in Taipei anyway? I was there for the Museum 2012 conference. But being in a conference means much more than just sitting in conference rooms. I was scheduled to present my paper on the 3rd day. The first two involves key notes, plenary sessions, and museum tours. I will tell the story … Continue reading Museum 2012, getting there
It happens to the best of us. You are wandering around a new city, a new country, trying to preview your venue for a conference, the next thing you know--you really need to pee. It was a mixture of desperation and humor. Some establishments are not really friendly. I got shouted at for trying to … Continue reading Witch House, of bras and obscenity
Portia Placino 