Hey there blog readers!
In my last post I said I was going to create a Christmas tree thing out of branches I found in the yard. I did do that. And then I didn’t post it because I am kind of embarrassed at how it turned out. But, I said I would share it, so, I will. It is held together with only twine. I think I need to use wire instead so it’s more stable. I also got the idea of making a ‘Christmas tree’ out of wire hangers. So, stay tuned for that! In my head that should be easier, but we shall see …
Anyway, without further ado – try not to laugh too hard!
So, since my last post, I went to Washington DC for a couple days with my friend Cilla (one night stayover). Stayed at the Kimpton Donovan – loved it! I love Kimpton Hotels.
The main reason I wanted to go to DC was to see an exhibit at the Renwick Gallery: “Murder Is Her Hobby: Frances Glessner Lee and the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death.”
In the 40’s and 50’s, Ms. Lee created several tabletop dioramas depicting death scenes. They were created as a tool to teach homicide detectives how to notice clues. The level of detail is AMAZING. She actually knitted stockings for the dolls using pins. There are 19 dioramas total. The exhibit is there until January 28 if you are into it.
For this one, by looking at the clues, we surmised that this woman went up to her attic, was reading old love letters, got depressed and hung herself. The ‘answers’ are not provided – the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner still uses these pieces for training!
This one was multiple-roomed and featured a dead woman and baby (both shot in the head), and a dead husband. The kitchen had a shot gun on the floor and a blood stain. This photo has the dead woman and husband. And you can’t see it but there is a shotgun shell behind the rocking chair. We were talking to some other people there and we weren’t sure exactly what happened, but surmised that the husband killed the mom and baby, and then maybe accidentally shot himself with the shotgun due to where his body was and where the blood on his body was also.
It was a really fascinating exhibit! (although admittedly morbid)
The other exhibit was a full-size replica of a subway station. The installation included the sound of a subway train arriving, but, of course, it never does.
The cool thing about this exhibit is that it’s made with wood and foam (styrofoam). So, the whole thing was about illusion.
Here is another interesting piece of art – it is entirely constructed from a McDonald’s bag. The top is torn into connected little pieces that form a tree inside the bag. Pretty amazing!
After the Renwick we wandered back to the hotel for the free wine hour – there was white (sauv blanc) and red (merlot? can’t remember), plus some sushi and snacks. Did I say I love Kimpton Hotels??
Later, our friends Brian and Jen met us there, and we walked down 14th Street to a Tapas restaurant called Estadio. The food was really good!
After dinner, back to the hotel where (embarrassing admission coming up) I watched the season finale of ’90 Day Fiancé.’ I don’t know why I like that show so much – it’s so silly! Oh well …
Next morning we got up, did our exercising, and then headed to Lincoln’s Waffle Shop for breakfast – it’s a no frills diner. We both had eggs over easy with salmon cake. Food was decent.
Then on to the Hirshhorn Museum, where it turned out Ai Wei Wei had an exhibition!
It was a circular exhibit all made out of LEGOs! Apparently LEGO initially would not provide the LEGOs to create the art because they didn’t want their product associated with any political statements (all of the pictures are people who have been prosecuted for standing up for their beliefs), but they later changed and said the art could be created with LEGOs as long as a disclaimer was made that LEGO had nothing to do with the political content. There was also wallpaper that Wei Wei made (sorry – I forgot to take a photo) that initially just looked like pretty wallpaper and then you realize there are security cameras, the Twitter bird, handcuffs, and other things in the pattern. Pretty amazing. The initial installation of the LEGOs was at Alcatraz.
Here is a sculpture piece at the entrance to the Hirshhorn:
And some other art within the Hirshhorn:
View riding the escalator down to the basement
This guy is giant – if he stood up he would be at least 20 feet tall. And interesting tidbit – I actually previously saw this sculpture in London!
After Hirshhorn we went out to the Mall and took in some more sights. The weather was amazing – 60oF in December!
This house is actually just 2D
This tree is entirely made out of metal!
Next stop, the National Gallery to see ‘A Street In Venice’ by John Singer Sargent. Why? ‘Cuz the main subject happens to look a lot like yours truly. I must have lived in Italy in a previous life!
Weird, eh?
After that we walked towards the White House to try to see the National Christmas Tree. There must have been something going on because all the streets around the White House were blocked off so we couldn’t see it. Merry F*ckin Christmas to us!
Then we slogged back to the hotel to get our bags. In total we walked 8 miles so we were pretty tired.
Then onto the Metro to get back to Union Station to catch our train home.
Below is a nice perspective of Metro Center station:
Stay tuned to see if I actually try making a ‘tree’ out of hangers!