Daily Archives: September 21, 2024

‘Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces’ captured in new monograph like no book before

The masterpiece status of many works of the midentury modern movement is no longer in any doubt, after decades of casual disdain and outright dismissal. We’re living in an age where ‘Brutalism’ is no longer a pejorative and brutalist architecture thrives, and even the most obscure piece of 1960s-era concrete design can become a social media sensation.A spread from the Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces, featuring Arturo Mezzedimi’s Addis Ababa City Hall, Ethiopia, 1965(Image credit: Phaidon)Flick through the ‘Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces’With all that said, there’s still a dearth of decent information about fine, but overlooked modernist architecture of the period. Dominic Bradbury’s new monograph, Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces, hopes to redress the balance, combining the trademark Phaidon aesthetic excellence with an insight into how the new architecture embodied not just optimism and change, but also the monolithic power of governments and corporations alike.A spread from the Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces, featuring Manuel Gutiérrez’s School of Mechanical Engineering Workshops, Villanueva Catholic University, Havana, 1959(Image credit: Phaidon)There’s a lot of familiar material, from the work of John Portman to recently renewed and reassessed icons like the Transamerica Building, covering not just America and Europe, but Asia, Australia, Africa and the Middle East, as befits the ‘Atlas’ of the title. All in all, there are 450 buildings here, each represented with a potted history and a picture or two of the structure at its best, often in glowing black and white before the reality of weathering, maintenance and insensitive alterations kicks in.American Embassy, Eero Saarinen, Grosvenor Square, London, Great Britain, 1960(Image credit: Balthazar Korab Collection)Among the acknowledged classics – the publishers highlight that fans of Arne Jacobsen, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, Eero Saarinen, Alvar Aalto, Marcel Breuer, Frank Lloyd-Wright, and Oscar Niemeyer won’t go hungry – there are plenty of lesser-known gems to discover.Xanadu, Ricardo Bofill, Calpe, Alicante, Spain, 1971 (Image credit: Phaidon)At its best, midcentury modernism eschewed familiar forms and typologies in favour of elaborately expressionist designs, with schools, banks, churches and private houses sharing similar material and structural approaches, all jostling for attention in an age of novelty, visual drama and faith in technology.Hawaii State Capitol, John Carl Warnecke and Belt, Lemon & Lo, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States, 1969(Image credit: Peter Clarke)Bradbury, an occasional Wallpaper* contributor, is a prolific and highly respected architectural journalist, with many monographs under his belt. The Atlas is a fine synthesis of scholarship and style, a book that’ll definitely enhance your armchair architectural expeditions.A spread from the Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces(Image credit: Phaidon)Atlas of Mid-Century Modern Masterpieces, Dominic Bradbury, Phaidon, £100, Phaidon.com, Amazon.co.ukReceive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.

Word from Smokies: Children’s book about girl’s love for caterpillars

The first time Camilla saw a caterpillar, she mistook the creature for a more fantastical apparition: a dragon wearing sunglasses. But when she learned the insect’s actual identity — a hickory horned devil, the 5-inch-long caterpillar that transforms into the regal moth — Camilla wasn’t disappointed. She was entranced.Thus begins the story of “Camilla and the Caterpillars,” a new children’s chapter book from Smokies Life written by Frances Figart and illustrated by Matt Brass. Figart, who also holds the position of creative services director at Smokies Life, said that she hopes the tale will give kids “that spark of hope that they can create the future they want for this planet” while helping families “see how important it is for them to support kids in realizing their dreams.”After that first encounter ignites her interest in caterpillars when Camilla is just 4 years old, over the following years she makes it her mission to seek out new species every time her parents take her to a new national park. But when her family moves away from their city apartment into a suburban home with a yard, she can’t find a single caterpillar there.“Compared to the city, it was very quiet,” she narrates as a 12-year-old looking back on her life. “In fact, come to think of it, we couldn’t even hear a bird singing or a bee buzzing.” That’s because the family’s half acre was devoid of native plants and overrun with invasive species.Then Camilla learns from family friend Carlos — who is “getting a PhD in nature” — about a movement that encourages people to create wildlife-friendly habitat in their own backyards. Carlos, Camilla and her parents get to work, and after several years of managing invasive plants and planting native ones, the property becomes home not only to Camilla’s beloved caterpillars but also to bees, bobcats, barred owls and more.Though the story is about a fictional child and her fictional family, it’s informed by Figart’s own journey toward understanding the important role native plants play in the ecosystem. Eleven years ago, Figart bought a home in Asheville whose small yard was filled with “a curious plant” that turned out to be invasive Japanese knotweed. When she started dating the man who later became her husband, he launched a two-year battle to eradicate the invader before the couple married and moved to his 6-acre property in East Tennessee, which he’d planted with a diversity of native species. Meanwhile, he slowly taught her about the important role these plants play in supporting a healthy ecosystem — unlike exotic ornamentals, they offer food to a variety of living things, supporting robust populations of caterpillars, birds and other wildlife.“I am not a green thumb,” Figart said, “and I gravitate more toward animals than plants. But when I started to understand that non-native plants weren’t helping, and it was the native plants that would bring the animals to a particular landscape, I could get behind the concept of planting native.”Figart’s second turning point came in 2023, when she interviewed ecologist and entomologist Doug Tallamy in connection with a talk he gave celebrating park partner Discover Life in America’s 25th anniversary. Since 2007, Tallamy’s work has focused on encouraging Americans to replace grassy lawns with native plants. There are an estimated 40 million acres of lawn in this country — converting half that amount to native habitat would support wildlife in an area larger than Great Smoky Mountains, Yosemite, Yellowstone, Badlands and Denali national parks combined.More:Word from the Smokies: New George Masa biography reveals startling discoveries“On our property [in Pennsylvania], I’ve been counting the number of moth species in the last five years that are now making a living at our house because we put the plants back, and I’m up to 1,199 species that have come back to our 10 acres,” Tallamy told Figart. “That’s 44% of all the species found in the entire state of Pennsylvania. It’s because we put the plants back. What would happen if everybody put the plants back?”Tallamy gave his talk on Earth Day in April 2023. Two weeks later, Figart emailed him to ask if they could chat about a book concept. That conversation took place on May 15, and within three weeks Figart had sent Tallamy a draft of “Camilla and the Caterpillars.”Figart hopes that young readers will see bits of themselves in Camilla, who she describes as “an introverted child” who connects to the world through stories of adventure, with imaginary dragons and fairies as the main characters. Meeting the hickory horned devil shows her that nature can be “even more amazing than make-believe stories,” spurring a newfound passion for the outdoors that gives her “a niche and a way to feel comfortable in the world.”The text of the book didn’t change much from that initial version, but Figart knew that quality illustrations would be vital to bringing readers into Camilla’s world of adventure and imagination. For that, she contacted Knoxville-based artist Matt Brass.More:Word from the Smokies: New children’s book helps kids explore mysterious world of firefliesThough Brass had never illustrated a children’s book before, Figart loved the colorful, imaginative style he exhibited in his other work, such as the commemorative, place-based sticker designs he produces for his company Smoky Outfitters. And for Brass, who previously spent 17 years with an ad agency specializing in sustainability and environment, departing as vice president of creative, Camilla’s message resonated loudly.“I actually have a yard like that myself,” he said. “We have very little grass, and we have a lot of native plants, a lot of insects. So it’s very close to home for me.”Brass’s first priority as he began work on “Camilla” was to develop the title character, creating a look that was both distinctive enough to communicate her unique personality and versatile enough to display the range of emotions Camilla experiences throughout the story, as well as her growth from a four-year-old in the book’s first pages to a sixth grader in its last ones. He described his approach to the scenes as “a visual version of how Charlie Brown handled audio” — that is, the adults are stylized characters that almost fade into the background, while the children, Camilla and Carlos’ son Diego, are more detailed. With support from Smokies Life’s Design Team Manager Karen Key, who designed the book, Brass used a digital tablet to create his illustrations, applying a collection of digital watercolor washes to saturate the scenes with the vibrant color that imbues the fantastical quality found in “Camilla’s” pages.The result, he said, is something he’s proud of — both artistically and philosophically. It’s easy to get caught up in the world’s seemingly unsolvable big-picture problems, but lately, Brass has been embracing the idea of simply getting up in the morning and doing whatever right thing is within his control to do. Just one year after planting his lawn with native species, he can see the tangible results of this new philosophy whenever he looks out the window.“There’s a little bitty world in my backyard that didn’t exist, and that’s a powerful thing and a beautiful thing,” he said. “I haven’t changed the world, but I’ve created a little world of my own where these creatures are living.”More:Word from the Smokies: Book teaches youths about need for wildlife crossingsThat’s a priceless gift, Figart agrees. About five years ago, she put up trail cameras to monitor her property’s nighttime visitors, and now she’s regularly treated to images of bear, deer, fox, coyote, opossum, skunk, raccoon, long-tailed weasel, flying squirrel and bobcat.“These precious members of the animal kingdom are here because we have returned the plants that belong here,” she said, “restoring the landscape as Camilla and her family do.”A pair of upcoming book signings will introduce “Camilla and the Caterpillars” to the public. Smokies Life and Discover Life in America will host a book launch from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, at Ijams Nature Center in Knoxville, Tennessee. Krista De Cooke, of Homegrown National Park, will speak, and Figart and Brass will sign books. Figart will speak at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, during the NC High Peaks Trail Association annual meeting held at Burnsville Town Center in Burnsville.Purchase a copy of “Camilla and the Caterpillars” at SmokiesLife.org. For information about how to establish your own Homegrown National Park, visit HomeGrownNationalPark.org.Holly Kays is the lead writer for the 29,000-member Smokies Life, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the scientific, historical, and interpretive activities of Great Smoky Mountains National Park by providing educational products and services such as this column. Reach her [email protected].

Oral traditions are fading—Nirmala Sitharaman gives an important reminder at book launch

New Delhi: Today’s kids are losing exposure to the richness of our heritage, a challenge that requires collective action to ensure future generations inherit this cultural wealth, said Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the launch of the book ‘Life, Death and Ashtavakra Gita’.
The event, held at the India International Centre, Delhi, saw discussion on the importance and impact of ancient texts, particularly those like the Ashtavakra Gita, and how the wisdom contained within these texts remains pertinent to contemporary time and contributes significantly to personal growth. 
The book combines Bibek Debroy’s translation of the Ashtavakra Gita with the personal thoughts of Hindol Sengupta, who has shared his experiences and insights. It highlights the timeless teachings of Ashtavakra Gita and explores its relevance to contemporary life.

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Praising the authors’ work, Sitharaman, who was the chief guest for the event, said, “What Bibek has done is remarkable. He is not just a translator; he has given a divine touch to our ancient wisdom”. She also reflected on the challenges of translating the Ashtavakra Gita, highlighting its complexity and the depth of understanding required for such a task.The panel — Sitharaman, authors Debroy and Sengupta, and Rishi Suri, Co-founder, Grin Media — at the event also talked about the necessity of making India’s eternal stories accessible to contemporary audiences, ensuring that their deep insights resonate within the complexities of modern life.Sitharaman highlighted how the Ashtavakra Gita imparts essential wisdom regarding life and death, stressing the significance of ‘gyaana’ (knowledge) and ‘vairagya’ (detachment). “Without gyaana, one cannot truly grasp the teachings of this text,” she said, identifying these concepts as fundamental to the discourse of the Gita.
Ashtavakra Gita is a dialogue between the king Janaka and the sage Ashtavakra.The text talks about oneself and raises questions like ‘who you are’, ‘what you are’, ‘what’s your purpose’, ‘why are you here’, and ‘where will you go next’. It deals with self-realisation and self enlightenment. “In the ‘Ashtavakra Gita’, there is no fear in discussing death,” Sitharaman asserted, drawing parallels with other philosophical traditions within Hinduism.Relevance in today’s time 
The authors and the publisher seek to present this work in a manner that ensures that the profound insights of the ‘Ashtavakra Gita’ resonate with contemporary audiences, enriching their lives through the lens of ancient wisdom.Hindol Sengupta underscored the importance of transforming “India’s eternal wisdom” into accessible narratives for contemporary audiences and readers. “We all have to live imperfect, messy, troubled lives. How does this wisdom matter at all?” he asked, stressing the need for relevance in spiritual teachings. His work on Ashtavakra Gita emerged from a personal crisis that forced him to seek deeper meanings amid the chaos of life.“The Ashtavakra Gita provides us with a key, a code, a password, that can unlock the path that gives us a glimpse of true freedom,” Sengupta said. He compared the transformative power of spiritual knowledge to tasting honey for the first time, which awakens a sense of possibility beyond everyday existence.
The discussions took a personal turn when the authors shared their personal struggles, loss, and the quest to understand death through the Ashtavakra Gita.Sengupta explained how the wisdom of this text helped him face the reality of his father’s illness, a pivotal moment in his journey toward adulthood. “Perhaps no child in India truly grows up until he has to face the death of a parent,” he said.Debroy too shared his sentiment, saying that engaging with such texts creates a sense of detachment from worldliness and ambitions. This detachment allows one to navigate the turmoil of life with greater equanimity. “I wouldn’t say it has reduced my ambition or anything like that, but one definitely gains perspective,” he insisted.
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India’s literary treasures
The conversation moved toward the broader implications of reviving India’s vast literary treasures. Sitharaman also emphasised the wealth of knowledge embedded in regional languages and their texts and the necessity of rediscovering and disseminating these texts. “We have immense work available in regional languages that need to be republished,” she added, encouraging collaborative efforts to bring these stories to light.
Sitharaman also gave a reminder to everyone of the urgent need to preserve oral traditions that are rapidly fading generation by generation.The event concluded with the speakers emphasising that by embracing this knowledge and translating it into our lived experiences, we not only honour our past but also illuminate paths to personal freedom and understanding in the present.(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)