South of Lyon, near the village of Hauterives, I saw a tourist sign for an attraction called the ‘Ideal Palace’. After some research, I found that I had stumbled across an internationally renowned piece of ‘Outsider Art’. Art is always central to my journey and here in France this unexpected and inspiring find forged a real connection with home.
I arrived back from southern India in April, head filled with glorious images and experiences of a country which already had a special place in my heart, I had visited India 23 years ago. With that original trip still vividly remembered, my recent journey was full of comparisons and thoughts on transformation, culture, creativity, history and the changing face of modern India.
VERNACULAR: I have loved my recent travels around Sri Lanka: the people; the countryside; the food and the wildlife, are unique, rich and amazing. However, I have struggled to cope with the country's everyday urban spaces and contemporary architecture, which are often (in my opinion), poor quality and ugly. Perhaps born of: cost restrictions; self-build; lack of planning controls; knowledge of design and a
FULL CIRCLE - AT BIRK CENTRE PARK - HERNING DENMARK At the end of my four month trip to Scandinavia I can look back on a journey filled with spectacular and inspiring experiences. In particular I will remember the many occasions on which I've been impressed and inspired by the way that culture, community, art and design seem central to public life, especially in Denmark.
NORWEGIAN NATIONAL TOURIST ROUTE - TURIST VEGAR: My last post in August (The Steilneset Monument), described an inspiring visit to Vardo which I discovered while following my first Norwegian Tourist Route in Varanger, NE Norway. Impressed with this project and keen to experience as many of the designated routes as possible (during this first trip to Norway), I have followed a few others which have
THE STEILNESET MONUMENT: I arrived at the Steilneset Monument on an overcast and gloomy Sunday evening. Already slightly unnerved by my arrival in Vardo (Norway’s easternmost town), as this involved a 3km trip through a challenging, grey and steep road tunnel under the Barents Sea (which connects Vardo to the Varanger Peninsula in Finnmark). It was 6.30pm, I had the place to myself and in
I have visited a few heritage museums in Denmark and Sweden, totally loving the reconstructed dwellings were you can see authentic room settings filled with objects. Most are from the 17th and 18th Century in a world pre plastics, were most things are hand crafted from natural materials. Form and Function, beautiful and useful objects. The museums are very inspiring, for me its also the
