Wednesday 10 August 2016

Out And About

I had my brother visiting for a few days, also coinciding with my aunt and uncle being in town on Sunday. Having tried to make the most out of a couple of intense days also means a lot of photos to sort out afterwards… And when it comes to blogging, I hardly know where to start! But why not from the beginning…

Per arrived on Saturday for lunch. The weather was rather dull, but in the afternoon I suggested we might go and see an exhibition at Navet Science Center here in Borås – a place which I have never got round to visiting at all before (inside), as it’s mostly a place set up for kids to explore various mysteries of natural sciences, technology and mathematics in a playful way. But this summer they also have a special life-size exhibition about dinosaurs going on.

Now some of you may be afraid that I’ve been struck by sudden dementia, because you are feeling quite sure that you have already seen a dinosaur exhibition on this blog quite recently… Don’t worry! You’re right; and I remember it too. That was a different exhibition, though – a travelling one, only in town for a few days, and a bit more circus-like. For some reason, dinosaur exhibitions must be very popular just now! This one is not permanent either; but here for a few months (all summer). But my overall impression is that it felt a tad bit more serious than the other one, somehow. (If serious is the right word…)

2016-08-06 Navet, disonsaurier 2

Anyway, my brother was pleased to see that these dinosaurs seemed at least to be updated enough in Dino fashion to show some fur and feathers.

2016-08-06 Navet, disonsaurier 3

(The bottom left one for example seemed to at least have enough hair to have what I’d call ‘a bad hair day’.)

CIMG6438-001 (2015-09-04)

This (above) is a photo from last year, but it shows some of the exterior of the (old, industrial, but modernised) building housing the Science Center. Below the window to the left of the entrance, you can see a tiny little something… It is one of the street art paintings by David Zinn from last year’s street art festival. This one has been well protected in its rather sheltered position:

DSC_0647 

We also took a look at a couple of the contributions to this year’s sculpture biennale in the neighbourhood. (I’d seen them before, so you might have, too! But my brother had not.)

Per DSC_0007

Me in the background, behind Ernst Billgren’s Guardian Angel.
And below, the sculpture as seen from where I was standing.

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…Among the birches, the sculpture Skyddsängel (guardian angel) keeps watch. The artist says that the way we perceive a place is not logical. What is it, then, that makes a place feel safe or unsafe?… (Quote from the sculpture biennale brochue)

Can’t say that sculpture makes me feel much safer…
Nor the next one:

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Sarkofag L (sarcophagus) – by Matthias van Arkel
This artwork leans nonchalantly against the sapling (… and…) reminds us of our own mortality. In the textile city of Borås, the details of the work and its bale-like shape readily suggest bundles of used clothing ready to be sent off for recycling…”

Sharing with Outdoors Wednesday.
(Well, at least the modern sculptures are outdoors! – and the original dinosaurs, waaaay back in ancient times, would of course have been too…)

10 comments:

  1. Isn't it odd how dinosaurs are often presented as fierce and savage animals? The animals I see are usually quiet, even the salt water crocodiles that live around here. Lions and tigers can be very dangerous but when I see them in real life they are quiet just like you and me. I wonder why dinosaurs are represented in attack mode. Do you think it is an attempt to make palaeontology interesting?

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    1. Louise, personally I'd regard any huge animal as (potentially) dangerous... Lions may sleep most of their day but that hardly makes them "safe" :)

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  2. I always love it when you show your art! The bad hair dinosaur is rather funny looking. The one beside you getting swallowed is the strangest dino I have ever seen. His daddy must have been a giraffe. I do agree the colorful bundle looks like used textile. But more maybe like a bundle of balloons, too. You are looking good! The street painting is just adorable! Wish it was on our street! But the Guardian Angel resembles nothing I recognize except some giant acorns!? What a fun post full of interesting and cute things!

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    1. Ginny, I agree that striped dino reminds of a giraffe; but if so I suppose HE must be the daddy :) (If he was, I think it was a good choice by his offspring to lose the beak and sharp claws...)

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  3. Those dinosaurs (I was typing "dinosours" first...!) look pretty serious to me :-D
    I'd love to explore that museum. Sounds like you did have an intense couple of days with your brother and relatives, and it is nice to see you in some of the pictures, too.

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    1. Meike, that's one of the advantages of being out and about in company for a change... The photos with me in them were taken by my brother.

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  4. I love the dinosaurs and this makes me glad I didn't live back then looking at you standing under those giant jobs that could bite your head off in one bite. I do like the way they did the dinosaurs really pretty well attractive Maybe. Glad you had fun with your family. I like the guardian angel but will say no comment on the bale of rags

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    1. Sandra, that dinosaur exhibition was worth visiting for the selfie set-up alone (haha). More seriously, I guess what an exhibition like this offers, is a '3D sensation' of how huge some of them really were (and the variety in sizes between different kinds).

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  5. The dinosaur with you standing underneath really does show the scale rather well. I suppose the very size of many dinosaurs makes them appear intimidating but, as Louise said, most of the time they were probably just eating or sitting around digesting. Mind you the carnivorous dinosaurs would be fierce just preparing breakfast.

    I confess that I don't recall the Guardian Angel but perhaps I just expunged it from my memory banks as something I didn't want to recall.

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  6. Graham, neither of those two pieces from this year's biennale will be counted as my favourites. They just happened to be very close to where we were walking anyway! :)

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