Saturday This & That

It's snowing in New York today. Interesting ;)


Nude by Peter Robinson-Smith

Good day to stay inside. Yesterday though we had all blue skies and we spent all day walking around. At night in SoHo we came across the work of Peter Robinson-Smith who makes beautiful 3D sketches out of mesh, that throw wonderful shadows. Mr. Robinson-Smith sells his work on Wooster street during most of the year. He also has a website: www.petesmithart.com, but if you can try to see the work in person it has so much more depth that the website or photographs communicate.

I am also enjoying the work of Anne Siems, you can too at: www.annesiems.com.

New Engineering School in NYC

Now this is exciting! The city is offering land and a 100 million dollars to universities to set up a new engineering & applied sciences in the city. I think this is excellent news for New York City.
You can read more about the plan at: www.cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/bloomberg-pledges-money-and-land-for-engineering-school/.

Pastry Pride

Pâtisserie From A Corvallo A Day ©Nina Buesing Corvallo

The other night we watched The Kings of Pastry --which is a gem.
I saw the trailer at Film Forum way back and I remember that critics loved it and highlighted the intensity of film, with quotes such as: "I never saw so many strong men sobbing at once." - The Guardian UK and "Forget Masterchef. This is the culinary Hurt Locker." --Herald Scotland.
And it is true the movie is full of tension and dense understated emotion. I found this film absurd and yet full of truth -- and simply beautiful.
Yes, these men are making pastry but it is about so much more as well.
It is about caring& passion, pride & dedication and recognition.
At the beginning of the documentary we see French President Nicolas Sarkozy address the honorees of the competition and remind the listeners to not think of "manual knowledge to be less noble than academic knowledge, less capable to create wealth and well being." To value the artisanal skill as much as the intellectual talent is a good.
Of course to see only men compete is backwards.

Wednesday This & That

Love the new work courtesy Ryan McLennan

Tomorrow: Simen Johan at Yossi Milo Opening Reception and while you are in Chelsea check out Ryan McLennan lastets show at Joshua Liner Gallery.

Listen to Robert Levine discuss his book Free Ride: How Digital Parasites are Destroying the Culture Business, and How the Culture Business Can Fight Back on The Leonard Lopate Show Archive. Interesting segment. BTW Have you pledged? :) It's that time of year.

Tuesday This & That

From A Corvallo A Day ©Nina Buesing Corvallo

These past weeks I have not posted much. I don't have many words these days. But I have been taking more pictures. You can see a snapshot a day over at: www.ACorvalloADay.tumblr.com -- just little vignettes from the quotidian.

Adam Gopnik's new book The Table Comes First: Family, France and the Meaning of Food comes out today and he will have a book signing event at (where else?!) The Strand November 14, 2011 from 7-8 PM.

(via Kottke) The story about a coupled that died hand in hand after 72 years marriage made me tear up.