Happy Decoration day / Memorial Day! Don't forget to remember your passed loved ones and those who have so bravely fought for our freedoms. 
I decided last minute to stay in town and because of the hot weather have been nesting. Lilies from the Dupont farmers market.
[Image: From the drawing instruments collection of the CCA, courtesy of the Canadian Centre for Architecture].
[Image: "Unknown photographer. Konstantin Melnikov (1890-1974) and his wife stand before their house" (1927); courtesy of the Canadian Centre for Architecture].
[Image: From Scenes of the World to Come: European Architecture and the American Challenge, 1893-1960 at the CCA; courtesy of the Canadian Centre for Architecture].
[Image: "William Notman & Son, Building encased in ice after a fire, 65-83 Little St. James Street, Montreal" (1888); courtesy of the Canadian Centre for Architecture].
[Image: A "telescopic" book from the Great Exhibition in London (1851); courtesy of the Canadian Centre for Architecture].
A lot of life was just added to New York Avenue here in DC recently thanks to the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
Her large and colorful sculptures bring a smile to the face of everyone who sees them. The expressions they evoke are of pure joy and exuberance, just what dreary downtown needs sometimes! Even while taking these pictures, I got a lot of comments on how great they were.
The sculptures are in stark contrast to much of the art that is featured throughout the city: overwhelmingly traditional and much of it very staid and seriously themed.
The purpose of the exhibit is to bring the museum into the streets and the community. I think it will also bring some attention to NMWA which I have to admit I've never visited, despite living a mere 3 blocks away!
Saint Phalle liked to challenge the notion of what fine art is, and these pieces are no exception. Whimsical yet still monumental, I would imagine a lot of people enjoy these pieces a lot more than they would a trip to their local museum (or so they would think). Art is to be enjoyed, and these are undoubtably joyful!
They celebrate women, children, cultural diversity and love. I think we can all get behind those subjects.
Every 1 to 3 years, the installation will be changed out, but I hope this one remains longer rather than not. Even the signage for Saint Phalle is fun!
Do you have a favorite local statue or exhibit to bring a smile to your face everyday? I would love to hear about it!
:: NANCY BUTLER - G9 6/08 - image via Portland Grid Project
""Being here is a kind of spiritual surrender. We see only what the others see. The thousands who were here in the past, those who will come in the future. We've agreed to be part of a collective perception. It literally colors our vision. A religious experience in a way, like all tourism."
This is one of fifty a hundred maps marking geotagged Flickr and Picasa photos in cities. Here, obviously, is New York City. Clusters abound towards the Statue of Liberty, near the World Trade Center site, from the Brooklyn Heights promenade, on the High Line, in Central Park, at the United Nations and in most of Midtown south of the park. No surprises. The other cities are here.
(via Coudal)
CA: 
UK: 
"Reading statistics about Wal-Mart is rather like reading about outer space: the numbers are so huge they don't really sink in. In 2000, The UN reckoned that the company's sales were bigger than the gross domestic product of three quarters of the world's economies. Six years later, those figures had all but doubled."
Villa Hermína in Černín, Czech Republic by HŠH architekti, 2010. See architektur.aktuell for an article on the building by David Pasek (in German, in English here) with photos of the interior.
To contribute your Flickr images for consideration, just:
:: Join and add photos to the archidose pool, and/or
:: Tag your photos archidose
[Image: A fun-ride isolated amidst its paved surroundings, by Christoph Morlinghaus].
[Image: Photo by Christoph Morlinghaus; contact the artist].
[Image: Photo by Christoph Morlinghaus].
[Image: Photo by Christoph Morlinghaus].
[Image: Photo by Christoph Morlinghaus].
[Image: Photo by Christoph Morlinghaus].
[Image: Photo by Christoph Morlinghaus].
[Image: Photo by Christoph Morlinghaus].
One of the grandest monuments in DC which dominates the skyline is the National Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral Church of St Peter and St Paul (Episcopalian). As the 2nd largest church in the United States and 6th in the world, that comes as no surprise. It also holds the record as the highest point in DC, a fact that's easy to believe when you stand on the 7th floor observation deck surveying the entire city!
The idea was rooted in Pierre L'Enfant's 1791 plan of DC for the need of a church of national significance. It wasn't until 1907 that construction began (with President Theodore Roosevelt presiding the foundation laying ceremony) and the Cathedral was officially 'finished' in 1990 with President George H W Bush in attendance. It has indeed been of national importance as it has been host to numerous state funerals and memorial services.
The original architect was Frederick Bodley, a well-known English architect, who was replaced upon his death after WWI with Philip Hubert Frohman - who developed and expanded upon the original plans. Much like it's predecessors, the great European middle age cathedrals, the style is primarily gothic. However, the difference lies in the fact that while the churches in Europe were built over centuries (explaining their varied styles throughout the buildings), the national cathedral was purposefully built as a 'hodgepodge' to appear like the precedents: So a 'fake' evolved style if you will. It makes it all the more interesting!
What I love most about the building though is that while it is rooted in the gothic cathedral tradition, there is a lot of our modern world at play. Many of the stained glass windows and sculptures depict our modern age: robots, space travel and even Darth Vader!
The National Cathedral is, to me, an Opera of a building. By that I mean it combines all the arts into one package: secular and religious, modern and antique, embroidery, stained glass, architecture, sculpture, gardens, painting. You name it, they have it. Not to mention the views of the city!
Now for some of the delicious details. The one side transept (I forget which and both are different) has this beautiful blue ceiling. I love the juxtoposition of patterns! In the pictures above, you almost sense the scale of the space, ENORMOUS. I love the groin vaulting in the ceiling and the way the stained glass adds so much color to the Indiana Limestone interior.
Like all good gothic cathedrals, here are the flying buttresses behind the rear chapel.
I loved the adjoining buildings of the cathedral school - like an old English country manor!
The basement level is of course a bit gloomy, but full of as many details and workmanship as the rest of the cathedral. I loved this view looking up the stairs into the main church.
In this capital on the outside, you see a bit of the modern 'edge' - a robot amongst the figures!
As our national cathedral, much of our countries history is depicted. This statue of Abraham Lincoln rests in the front of the nave.
Above one of the interior front doors is Eleanor Roosevelt among some others who are celebrated for their good work.
I loved this modern iron gate down in the basement. The handle is a large iron hummingbird.
The craftsmanship of everything in the building is breathtaking. Even this simple handrail is so elegant. 
Thousands of hand embroidered cushions fill the space -each one amazing in its' own right. This one fits with the space travel themed stained glass windows.
