LUMINOUS - the Art of Asia at SAM

Website for this image: Poem Scroll with a Deer

by aleks

'LUMINOUS • The Art of Asia'  exhibition at Seattle Art Museum will be displayed till January 8th, 2012  - make sure you see it, as it is quite extraordinary.  It showcases the jewels of SAM’s Asian collections, from Chinese bronzes and Japanese lacquers to Korean ceramics and South Asian sculpture and painting;  but the collection itself is not what drew me in:  how many more vases, scrolls and kimonos one can see in a lifetime -  it is the way it is presented which makes it all very special.

This particular exhibit is all about context - something usually very missing  in museums and  easily making me leave the place when I'm sufficiently dazzled and overwhelmed, but not necessarily wiser.

Artist Do Ho Suh, who put it together, was exceptionally mindful about that very aspect - seeing his way  of arranging material  is a super-satisfying experience and easily incorporated into what one already knows: by learning how objects circled the globe, lost and gained value depending on surroundings, their original meaning (usually sacral) as opposed to current meaning  (esthetic).

I was particularly touched by a story and exhibit of 'Poem Scroll with a deer' - it turns out that SAM owned the second half of a 72' scroll like forever, but it wasn't until last year's scroll's visit to japan, that it was reunited with the first half, that was in pieces and dispersed among public and private collections there!  here is the scroll and the story:

http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/exhibit/interactives/deerscroll/webSAM_deer.swf

Website for this image: The literature Network Forums

I like to visit exhibitions twice: once with a guide and once by myself (not necessarily in that order)  - this one I'd like to visit many, many times.

Here is more info on the exhibition:

Luminous: The Art of Asia

October 13, 2011–January 8, 2012

SAM Simonyi Special Exhibition Galleries

Hours:

Wednesday–Sunday: 10 am–5 pm

Thursday & Friday: 10 am–9 pm

Monday & Tuesday: closed

Free Days:

All free day programs include access to special exhibitions as well as all SAM collections and installations. Exceptions may apply to special exhibits that carry a surcharge.

First Thursdays: Free to all

First Friday: Free to seniors (age 62+)

Second Fridays, 5–9 pm: Free to teens (ages 13–19) with ID

trying pics + welcome msg saved

ようこそ日本庭園においでくださいました。• Yōkoso Nihon teien ni oide kudasai mashita • Welcome to the Japanese Garden!

You’ve come to an informal place where all the lovers of the Seattle Japanese Garden can meet, exchange ideas, information and seasonal oohs and ahs. 

SJG in WA Park Arboretum is now closed till February 2012. Address: 1075 Lake Washington Blvd E, Seattle WA 98112 • Call (206) 684-4725 for tours & directions.

what moron search engine referred this blog for viewing?

this is a TEST blog.  where i check things out to see how they work.  nobody should be looking here, but stats say it had 9 views today:(.  drat.

i followed one of the links to referring site and surely there it is.  i apologize if you were dragged here - i have some real blogs - one about homeless people, one about japanese garden and one about polish films - check my profile to get to them.

Check out music from Glen Still - Spoken Word

how to add music - didn't work:(

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critique of BS

by rpacht
1:  Origins:  Koi are NOT mutant Indonesian river carp. Systematics: Koi are common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and belong to the “minnow family” family cyprinidae the largest family of fishes with over 2000 species with “primitive” body designs.  Most are small and believed to have originally evolved in Southeast Asia.  Carp are thought to have originated in Western Asia (Caucasus area).  Because of their fast growth and desirability as food fish, they were transported nearly everywhere in Eurasia quickly. Carp have great value as aquaculture animals in that they grow very quickly, tolerate a wide range of conditions (temperature, salinity, oxygen concentration) and food sources.  Koi live 20-30 years on average and can attain about 50 % of maximum size in the first two years.

Cyprinus carpio vs carassius auratus:  Koi are not a unique species nor are they the same as “goldfish” (carassius auratus) they are not even in the same genus.  They share the same family so are cousins if you will.  Goldfish share lineage with “Crucian Carp” (Carassius carassius) that has been raised as a food fish in China for more than 2000 years


To those who are interested, there is a really easy way to differentiate carp from goldfish which are selected for many of the same characteristics and can be easily confused.  Koi have barbells around the mouth goldfish do not.  These are not “feelers” but olfactory sensors .  These are to aid the fish in finding food on/in the bottom substrate as they are benthic feeders.  One look at a koi’s sub-terminal mouth would tell one intuitively that they do not feed standing on their tails in the water column as the speaker  indicates.   The guides went on a garden visit over in Kirkland a couple of years ago and the owner of a spectacular koi pond and grotto tried to sell this same foolishness.  Either it was the same lady or there is some general misconception about this.  If the fish are standing on their tails to feed it is because they have been trained to do so.


Koi breeding is not an area of expertise for me but when asked to talk to the guide classes on several occasions I did some research on the history of it which I will present here:

.
First record of carp in Japan about 200 AD kept by emperor.  They were brought from China.  A red mutant was discovered in Japan not Indonesia
In the 1820s in Niigata prefecture in rice irrigation ponds koi breeding and selection began. In 1800s in Europe scale mutations appeared, were selected by German monks  and came to Japan in the 20th century. In the early 19th century color mutations that appeared were selected and bred and by the late 19th century color patterns were fixed to an extent.  In 1914 some of the most beautiful varieties were displayed at an exposition in Tokyo and some were presented to crown prince Hirohito. Until 20th century breeding was confined to the Niigati region.  Many color and scale variations have been developed mostly but not exclusively in Japan.  There are over 100 named varieties today.

The myth of a 200+ year old carp is exactly that, a myth.  Jesse brought to my attention a New York Times article about such a fish and I did a bit of research on the report.  There is no otolith data or even scale data to support such a claim.

In fairness I should note the handful of truths in Anon’s notes.  Females do grow larger than males which is true of most fishes and biological organisms in general. A meter in length for a maximum is about right and about 10kg or so.

how to attach word documents to a post

is it at all possible?  last cont. ed. lecturer came with 'tips' word doc. it would be nice to make it available to guides, without copying the whole thing.  ok, let's check embedit, here


never mind, didn't work.


how about google docs, here:
Belinda checklist.