"It's fruitcake weather!"

There has been no snow fall that has stuck around longer than one evening, but I have enjoyed walking through the dark snowy evenings just the same.

 

Days that were just grey and icy I used for crafting.

I found cloves for a cheap price, and if you cover the entire orange, they do not go wrong, (as in mold) and keep their scent for years, perfect for a closet.

 

On a long walk we finally found Greta Garbo's head stone.

God jul alla!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Konst på Farsta Strand T Bana

Farsta Strand (strand is the Swedish word for beach) is the last station on our line, and since I stopped participating in Roller Derby I never go there.  This station is near the pendletåg- or commuter trains.

I translated the artist plaque but the information did not answer any of my questions.  The mosaic floor is the obvious installation.  I thought the framed reliefs of rock which can be seen through the portholes set along the stairs were the main concept.  But this aspect was not mentioned at all.  Also wood cuts are mentioned and I didn't even see those.  Because this is a end station, as with all end stations the platforms feel as if they are actual a non-working station, unless you happen to get there just as the train is leaving/arriving.  Otherwise the trains sit empty, just sitting, sometime with doors open, sometimes with doors closed.  This station happens to be a fairly cold and uninviting one to actually just sit down in.

I was there on an errand and the hour (for me) was a bit early so I could have missed something.

 

"...There is only one break in the wall; an opening about six feet in width, a little to the north of the village..."

I really love Chester.

I always find something I didn't notice before when I am here.  Also, the wall has been under repair since the second time I came here, so sometimes bits can not be accessed.  I felt as if I had been to the Water Tower or Winter Garden in years.

Which is probably correct.

 

Also the shopping area is divine.

 

"...I'm just a country mile behind, the world..."

I really just went into Manchester so I could see the re-release of '2001: A Space Odyssey'.  I love this film for so many reasons, and I think I love it even more now that I am older.  The two biggest reasons being that I understand the film more now, and also, with so much computer generated effects, this film stands out even more by comparison.  The credit list was so short for one.  There is no dialog for the first twenty minutes or so, and again at the end.  This release in the theatres is also about twenty minutes longer than the original release.  Seeing the film on a large screen made me feel as if I was seeing it for the first time. 

A added bonus was the theater itself, a bar, cafe, book/card shop, artspace and movie theatre. The cornerhouse.

Cornerhouse art space.

Other Manchester perks were The John Rylands library;

 

Also, Oxford Train Station is gorgeous.

 

 

 

 

 

"...I couldn't hit sideways...Oh, just like, just like Sister Ray said..."

I was impressed with all the exhibits at the Liverpool Tate Museum.

Admittedly there was no way to hear sound for the Warhol Commercials, but there was some text, and still we are talking early footage of Deborah Harry, John Waters, The Velvet Underground...

There were original record covers, some that I had never seen, and a few I have just forgotten.

They had a room, I think to emulate 'the exploding plastic inevitable' happening- which brought me right back to mid-to-late 1980s clubs in Los Angeles, with a room draped and darkened, boxed in by projecting cool footage onto all the walls, adding color slides on top and piping through loud, good music, in this case live recordings of The Velvet Underground. 

There was also a small room of Gretchen Bender, including the videos she did for R.E.M., Megadeath, and Babes in Toyland.

Lastly, they had a series of pieces arranged in an interesting way.

The pieces were arranged as 'constellations'- as a means I think to connect pieces together, or ones that could be considered related somehow. There was a room where the art by artists like Renoir, Cezanne, Modigliana in a way that they were staggered - I found it really lovely.

"...some kind of happiness is measured out in miles..."

I took a train from Chester to Liverpool to see the Andy Warhol exhibition at the Tate Modern in Liverpool.  It was well worth the trip,  even with the crowded trains, and crowded Christmas shoppers on the streets.

I walked to a coffee shop I had read about on Bold Street, and then went on to Chinatown, I thought I had read that it was the largest Chinatown in Europe.  All I found was the beautiful arch and a street that looked like a ghost town. I think what I read must have been about the arch itself.

 A lot of this area was empty, beautiful old buildings boarded up.

 I really came to Liverpool on a whim, no real research, and I have never bothered before.  Normally, when I am in this area I go into Wales, or North to Scotland. Also, of course with the season comes short days. 

 Basically my aspirations for my day had a low bar, so I easily exceeded them by means of cheap train fare, no itinerary, and not getting lost even without access to the Internet.  Liverpool had many signs to point tourists the right direction.  The street signs themselves were a bit harder to come by, but all in all, very easy. 

The dock where the Tate is located has a (new seeming by the number of locks) love lock.  If I could have done one more thing in my day it would have been to make it to see 'Another Place' by Antony Gormley.

 

Konst på Norsborg, Hallunda, och Fittja,

Years ago, I did ride out to Norsborg, during midsommar, I spent more time looking around outside the stations than looking for the art inside the stations.

The day was of course very bright, being summer.  Therefore I missed the point of this sculpture, which has a blue light trained on it, to create a bit of optical illusion.

Although, this sculpture is over 300 lbs, the impression is more like a large slinky toy.  The sculpture seems to move as you walk under and around it.

You have to walk out of the pay turnstills to find this piece.

 

On the same line was a piece I had read was neon, so I expected it to be lit.  When I translated the plaque, the is a mention of a neon loop, as well as screen printed film wrapped in plastic.  I asked the ticket agent if he had ever seen it lit, but I think actually he was surprised that it was there at all.

The art was installed in 1993. The intent was both as a symbol of family, and the general good will and color of the rainbow.  As this is on the Norsborg line and the other sculpture had lighting, this makes me think this one should.  

The plaque at Fittja stated that this is a small version of the original piece which is in front of the U.N. in New York City, created in memory of John Lennon and a statement for world peace.  There are also two more in different Tunnelbana locations, Åkeshov, Täby centrum.  So, three of the sixteen mentioned here:

Knotted Gun Sculpture Carl Reuterswärd

 

Konst på Farsta T bana

Farsta is the station that lies one beyond our own, this is where our shopping 'mall' and our local library resides.  We most often walk there, but if we can't find what we want, we sometimes take this train back to our stop which is near our favorite grocery store, and our only Asian food store.  This station has its ticketing booth and hall down below in a covered area, but it is a platform station up top.  This means you would miss out on the art unless you exited the station.  This display was created by Gunnar Larson in 1982, Twenty-two years after the station opened.  

Sweetly, the sign says that the artist wanted to create the feeling and warmth of summer that could handle the wind and cold.

I wonder if all the colored tile was already in place when the artist installed the art, or if it was fitted at the same time.  I would assume that it was already there, as so many of the stations were in the early years fitted out with tile.