Jaunted - Tag: museums

New York: Dalí Travel: Painting and Film at the MoMA

sedona — 2008-08-27T11:30:18-05:00

September around the corner means it's time for a dose of cultural inspiration pronto. Head to the Museum of Modern Art through September 15 to see Dalí: Painting and Film, which explores the mega-role that films and cinema played in the artist's work.

With more than 130 paintings, drawings, scenarios and films by Salvador himself, the exhibit delves into his true passion--cinema--which served to ignite his creativity in other media. Collaborations of his work with various filmmakers are staged right alongside relevant paintings and drawings.

This one's not for the faint of heart though, as Dalí had an eye for the macabre. To wit: Un Chien Andalou, a film made together with Luis Buñuel, features the gag-worthy sequence of a human eye being slit by a razor. Creepy!

Oh, and can't make it to the museum with your busy fall schedule--or just want to save yourself $20? Check out the online exhibit instead.

Related Stories:
· Dalí: Painting and Film [Official Site]
· Museums coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: king.jabe]

Doha: Architecture Travel: Hidden Museum in the Desert

Dan Gould — 2008-08-27T10:30:17-05:00

A giant sand dune is going to be home to the new Museum of Modern Arab Art in Doha, Qatar. From a distance, it just looks like another pile of sand, like thousands of others in the desert. Upon closer inspection, it becomes apparent that the dune isn't quite what it seems.

Architect Rafael Viñoly designed the museum to blend seamlessly with its environment. In a possible reference to historic Bedouin tents, Viñoly has used a sand-colored stretched canvas-like material to cover the 350,000 square foot space.

This camouflaged building will house Sheikh Hassan Bin Mohammed Al-Thani's large collection of Arab art dating from the early Qur'anic period to modern times. And, you'll find plenty of other treasures to explore at the MOMAA. The collection includes 5,000 paintings, 700 antiques, sculptures, metalwork, ceramics, a calligraphy section, photography and more. The museum is scheduled to be finished by 2011.

Related Stories:
· Enormous Artificial Sand Dune To House Museum of Modern Arab Art [Gizmodo]
· Rafael Viñoly Architects [Official Site]
· Architecture Travel coverage [Jaunted]

London: Tourist Traps: Believe It Or Not, Ripley's Finally Opened in London

amandak — 2008-08-25T09:33:16-05:00

A few months back we we speculated about just how unnecessary the London Ripley's Believe It or Not museum was going to be. Last week it officially opened so now we are all invited to spend a whopping £17.95 (over US$33) to see the latest collection of the weird and wonderful.

The stats say that this Ripley's has just 500 artifacts, which doesn't sound like much, but they do spread over four floors and include such local specialties as a replica of the Tower Bridge made out of matchsticks. Gotta see that (not).

We're also not sure we need to see the two-headed cow (apparently not much of a rarity--the Ripley's company has 80 of 'em) or the graphic of singer Ray Charles created out of 8,000 Post-It notes. Yes, there'll be tourists who visit this new museum, but no, we won't be among them. We have enough weird and wonderful stuff on our desk.

Related Stories:
· Ripley's London [Official Site]
· Welcome to a Weird Old World [This is London]
· Ripley's Believe It or Not Coming to London in August [Jaunted]

[Photo of non-matchstick Tower Bridge: wallyg]

Baltimore: Good Ink: Baltimore Tattoo Museum

BS — 2008-08-19T11:00:13-05:00

Most visitors to Baltimore don't look much further than the National Aquarium and the other family-friendly sites at the Harborplace. But venture just a little further into downtown, and Charm City has some of the quirkiest little attractions around.

Case in point: the Baltimore Tattoo Museum, a shrine to the craft and history of body art. The museum includes exhibits highlighting each of the "forefathers" of tattoo art, including their original artwork and tools, and also traces the history of body art in America, explaining how tattoos went from carny culture sideshow to pop star must-haves and symbol of teenage rebellion.

Of course, like at every good museum, there's also a gift shop, so if you're inspired, you can get yourself some ink from one of the museum's seven in-house tattoo artists.

Related Stories:
· Baltimore Tattoo Museum [Official Site]
· Tattoo Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Baltimore Tattoo Museum]

Cleveland: Museum Travel: Cleveland Rocks Less Than New York Sketch

egw — 2008-08-13T15:00:09-05:00

So much for all the little kids growing up on the skids: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a Cleveland, Ohio institution, is expanding to New York City and Las Vegas in a de facto admission that Cleveland does not, in fact, rock.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is expected to announce the creation of the New York annex to the Hall of Fame with pals Billy Joel and Clive Davis. But the company responsible for the move, Running Subway Productions, is affiliated with Premiere Productions, the outfit recently forced to settle with the New York State Attorney General over its South Street Seaport show, "Bodies... The Exhibition."

"Bodies" is still open for business at South Street even after it was forced to disclose to its visitors that its human remains are probably the products of torture and execution in Chinese prisons. According to Running Subway's website, that's supposed to "enlighten, empower, fascinate, and inspire" visitors.

While the new rock museum's full contents have not been announced, planned New York artifacts will include a Chevrolet once owned by Bruuuuuce Springsteen and some remnants from the demolition of CBGB. The Vegas annex, we suspect, will focus more on entertainers who have drifted to Sin City in their later years. Was that sparkly jumpsuit obtained under duress?

[Photo: daruth]

Castelló: Architecture Travel: Reactivate!! Instant Urbanism

Dan Gould — 2008-08-11T13:30:09-05:00

The Espai d' Art Contemporani de Castelló museum, near Valencia, Spain is hosting a fantastic exhibit called REACTIVATE!! Highlighting architecture projects that transform underused and forgotten urban areas and buildings into vital public spaces, it runs through August 31.

The designers in the show have thrown out the notion of loitering and use temporary and modular structures to reshape the cityscape into a more interactive and enjoyable place to relax, play and connect with fellow residents. Nicknamed "instant urbanism," the projects of REACTIVATE!! turn transient areas permanent.

One interesting stand out is Popelka Poduschka's installation at the inner courtyards of the Museumsquartier in Vienna. In the summertime, 116 colorful over sized geometric furniture elements are scattered throughout the area, creating a playground that provides places to do some work or soak up the sun. In the winter, they are all piled together like building blocks, making an indoor gathering area where refreshments are served and DJs spin.

Related Stories:
· Espai d' Art Contemporani de Castell� [Official Site]
· Instant Urbanism [Worldchanging]
· Architecture coverage [Jaunted]

Louisville: Mancations Travel: Playing with Wood in Louisville

kjb — 2008-08-01T10:18:35-05:00

If heading out to see "Mamma Mia" on the big screen isn't your idea of a good time, then how about an adventure to Louisville, Kentucky? Your lady friend--or friends?--definitely won't want to go, so stay a few days and make it a mancation.

The point of the trip is the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. Since guys love baseball and jokes about hardwood, it's perfect.