Ice, Ice, Buildings

'Tis the season ... to check out all things snowy!
I've been trolling around the internets to see what people have accomplished using frozen water as a building material thus far -

I've checked out the Ice Hotels a few hundred times already as references for school projects;

there's one in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden, for example:

and in Chena, Alaska:

and even Canadia:

It seems that most of the hotels/structures consider the building to be a plank slate, a clean palate, which is ripe for dressing up with colored lights.  While there's some play with opacity and translucence based on the texture of the ice, I would have expected it to be pumped up even more.  Nevertheless, they've gotta be amazing spaces to experience!

The Oslo Opera House

I was going through my sketchbook and realized I'd never scanned in the sketches I did of the Oslo Opera House way back in August ... So here goes ...

It was designed by a Norwegian firm called Snohetta in 2004. It's a very cool building. Actually I'm enamored of the shell more than the insides, which don't seem to correlate much. There's a Guggenheim thing happening on the interior - in wood - and a floaty, white marble-y thing happening on the exterior.

In all, it's a lovely place to wander around, and to then sit and drink coffee while sketching.

(All images & photos are my own)

Exterior:

The money shot

Actually, the approach isn't that lovely ...

View from the top

Interiors:

Inside looking out

Norwegian Tongue in Cheek

Annnnnd here's a handful of shots from Norway showing the sort of stuff that really interests me when I travel:

Odd, artistic/graphic, and sardonic.

(Which now that I think about it is actually what interests me in general)



A fresh new Norwegian take on a classic prank:


There's very little graffiti to be found in Norway, but when it's there, it's usually fairly clever, and they use a lot of stenciling (my favorite) ...

(Text says that parking is forbidden, and something about towing at the owner's expense)

Ms. M. Lisa shares her esteemed opinion:

This bleak scene was in Flekkefjord, a tiny hint of a non-town:

And the owner of the trailor seems to agree with my surmisal of the place ...

Not so artistic, but it made me stop on the street (in Oslo), chuckle, and snap a pic:

It says "This is not an ashtray. -- Rene Magritte." Pretty meh, but I'm a fan of Magritte, so up it goes. Plus, I appreciate the ironic use of street vandalism to make a point about littering ...

And a few years ago, this was my personal take on Magritte in a little indoor graffiti I made on the loft in my bedroom at the time. I think it's funny.

Here's a link to someone who takes photos of real life with a far more advanced tongue in cheek technique than I, Mr. Matt Stuart.

Snakker du Norsk?

I've returned!

I'm back from the fantastic, 61 degree lushness of Norway, right into sweltering, dirty old Brooklyn.

Awesome:

Mountain Climbing Adventure

Ick:
Outdoor activity-plan-ruining constant rain. Starvation as result of staunch vegetarianism whilst in Scandinavia.

Just a few photos:


They've been building with grass roofs for thousands of years over there, and we're only just starting to think it's a cool 'sustainable trend' ...

Here are some pics of an historical town, Flekkefjord, where I met up with some extended family members. Most of the homes are from the 1700s, made of wood and painted white. Traditionally, white paint was the most expensive - the red color of the barns was originally actually made from a mixture of oil and fish blood, and obviously was the cheapest 'paint.' The habit remains; most houses in the town were white, a sort of historical habit of showing off.
Preikestolen, a precipice near Stavanger ...

A beautiful 5 hour steep hike up and down - if you even mention to a Norwegian that you climbed Preikestolen (Preek-ehh-stO-ln), they will look at you with surprise and respect.

The typical pathway is rocks on top of rocks. Often with water running over them. And then more rocks.

I'm looking forward to posting a bit about the real non-touristy stuff: like good graffiti and funny traffic signs ... :)

Norway Foray

Two years ago I took a trip to Norway to do some amazing sight-seeing.

This year I get to go again, this time with the focus on meeting up with my Norwegian family.


So I'll be away from the 18th - 29th!


In my place, I leave a collection of some images from the last vacay ...

A sampling of cool Scandinavian design ...

This kids' playground was really awesome; the best part, though, was this station, where there's a free book-sharing system in place!

A bar ... made out of ice ... :)

Some cool graffiti in Bergen ...

And something only I find interesting; the different designs for manhole covers in every city!

Oooooooooooooooooooooooo!

I'll be sure to take zillions more pics on this trip (with possibly less emphasis on the surface beneath my feet).