Green Glass

Glasses

All in a Row

Cafe Aborio, Puke Ariki

New Plymouth May 2010, Ajr

France Comes to New Plymouth

Scenes of Greed

Petit Paris

A little den of deliciousness that I discoved quite by chance, wandering around the streets of New Plymouth to see what had changed since my last visit. I was supposed to be photographing sculptures and architecture but I became distracted by the edible goodies here - which in their own way, are in fact little sculptures. I loved the wonderful red flocked wallpaper!

Uncommon Senses - The Collectors

"The Living Room Project" Lee Mingwei. Image courtesy Govett-Brewster Gallery

Taiwanese-born, New York-based artist, Lee Mingwei is all for inter-personal exchange inspired by ordinary human events and activities; and in his first New Zealand exhibition at New Plymouth’s Govett-Brewster Gallery – “Uncommon Senses” – he presents two projects that include the participation of Taranaki locals. “The Living Room Project” (pictured) becomes the setting for one of my favourite kind of people – COLLECTORS! Assorted Taranaki collectors will ‘take the stage’ in The Living Room, each showing off their collectables for a two-week period. The collectors also become hosts/guides for a day, sharing their passion for collecting and showing off their respective gatherings of chosen objects to the wider public. Great concept; I love it! Included in the project will be collections of: Masks and carvings from Micronesia, West Africa and Canada; Tea cosies; Meccano; Taranaki transferware; Indian saris, shawls, scarves and brassware from the Arabic states; LPs and Posters; and Maori Potatoes. Lee’s exhibition kicks off on December 6th and runs through to March 16, 2009. If you’re a collector keen to see any one of the above collections, go to http://www.govettbrewster.com/ to check the dates for individual collections. The architecturally-minded meanwhile, might enjoy Lee’s second show, “Nomad Exquisite,” which showcases his abiding interest in architectural space, inspired by the work of Japanese architect, Tadao Ando and Ch’an Buddhist aesthetics.

A Dinosaur Named Sue

Top Image supplied by Puke Ariki & Field Museum, Chicago

Bottom Image by Grant Rewi, Auckland; Thanks to Puke Ariki & Field Museum, Chicago

When my sons were small they were obsessed with dinosaurs. They knew the names of almost every prehistoric monster that roamed the earth. So I had to smile when Grant, who now works at Auckland Museum, sent me this photo (bottom image) that he took at New Plymouth’s Puke Ariki recently. “A T.Rex Named Sue”opened in New Plymouth on July 26 and runs until November 2. Sue – a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton measuring 12 feet tall and 42 feet long – was discovered in 1990 by commercial fossil hunter Sue Hendrickson in the Hell Creek Formation in western South Dakota, USA. The largest, most complete and best preserved T.rex skeleton yet discovered, Sue normally resides at Chicago’s Field Museum (their site has some great photos) and it took six 40-foot shipping containers to get her to New Zealand. Unpacking over 200 bones has been a big job – the skull alone measures 5-feet in length and when you see those enormous teeth you begin to appreciate why this monster has been tagged the most terrifying dinosaur of all. Fascinating stuff – and can you imagine Sue Hendrickson’s face when she dug this baby up! www.pukeariki.com www.fieldmuseum.org