27 January 2012

E X C U R S I E : I N S E L H O M B R I O C H

 Just some snaps from the Insel Hombrioch Museum near Dusseldorf which I visited in the name of 'research' last week.  The former NATO base was redeveloped as a sythesis of art and nature in 1994, allowing this so-called 'neglected corner of the earth' to become something quite beautiful. It's a totally different sort of art experience; there are no guards (and hardly any other people at all!) or signs to explain the artwork, and some of the buildings don't house anything at all. Paths, sculptures and gardens weave effortlessly together and there's no way of knowing where the art ends and nature begins. But I guess that's probably the point. Enjoy :)

8 January 2012

T H E S E A T H E S E A

I  thought I would share some pictures of my trip back home to the Kingdom over Christmas.

After around 4 days of sofa surfing, and with cabin fever brewing, me and my sis decided to get out of the house for a few hours and take a wee donder to the Harbour and Ravenscraig Castle, where there are also some really brilliant pieces of land art on display. Designed to integrate with rather than oppose the landscape, each piece is site specific and reflects the coastal environment in a subtle, elegant fashion. Donald Urquhart's Sea Beams play homage to the vast colour spectrum of the sea (and seem to work whatever the weather), whilst the Portal and Sailor's Walk Window capture and frame specific views over to the Bass Rock and Edinburgh. The steps between park and Harbour are adorned with two stone inscriptions by the wonderful Thomas A. Clark, and allude to the changing light conditions as you travel between. Other works include Alec Finlay's bird boxes with crossword puzzles written on them (they're pretty tough though... and where are the blimmin' answers?) and the shaded wall also by Donald Urquhuart. The artwork, both individually and collectively, really make such a difference to the area and I'm so happy that Kirkcaldy (...ok, Dysart) is home to them. You can read more about the project here

NB - I've added in some other pictures of the artwork taken in Summertime which are a bit better quality. Nope it wasn't as sunny as that in December!     

7 January 2012

L I K E C L O C K W O R K

Here I am, back again! I told you I was going to be a better blogger :) As a new resident of Amsterdam (!) I should hopefully have some interesting things to share over the next few months. Today I stumbled upon the most AMAZING design shop in the centre, called Droog. Choc a block with an inspired selection of lights, furniture, fabrics and loads of other knick knacks, ranging from fairly priced to the available-upon-request ridiculous, this is the Ikea of the designer. Naturally, I came away with a few ideas for my own home including the stick on the wall light and the invisible shelf. I also love those smooshed (I can't think of a better word , too much J-shore I think!) faux plastic ceramic cups, but I doubt they would survive the flight home. I hope you enjoy :) 

6 January 2012

W H E R E I ' M A N Y M O R E

Source

So who's been crap at blogging lately? Ahem.

It seems like the longer you're away the harder is it to come back. Moral of the story, don't go AWOL in the first place!

In light of this, I've decided - in typical start of the year fashion - to dedicate more time and effort to my blog. I know I'm never going to be a one-post-a-day sorta girl, but I reckon I could aim for one a week at the very least. I'm the stupid thing is, I'm always looking at stuff, its the actual writing the entry and posting it part that I seem to fail at. Here are my lastest internet finds and inspirations. Unfortunately I'm still swooning over Elle Interiors and not thinking about budgets and the like, but oh well that's half the fun :)

 More to follow soon...