Tuneful Architecture

Architecture is music in space, as it were a frozen music.

Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schellin, German philosopher (1775-1854)

Having spent most of my time over the past three weeks indoors, a walk across the park yesterday gave me a new perspective on my place of employment. Fumihiko Maki has created an architectural gem that does seem to reverberate across the surface of the reflecting pools with tuneful music.

Many have been commented on the museum. Below are a few of the news stories, in case you missed them. ;-)

Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/articles/the-aga-khans-new-home-for-islamic-art-1409880616?KEYWORDS=Aga%20Khan

The Art Newspaper
http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Aga-Khans-gift-to-Canada/35472

Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/sites/richardnalley/2014/09/12/keeping-the-faith-a-museum-gifted-by-aga-khan/

The Toronto Star
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/visualarts/2014/0/12/pm_and_aga_khan_open_ismaili_centre_and_the_aga_khan_museum.html

http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/visualarts/2014/09/08/aga_khan_museum_to_open_sept_18.html

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2014/09/15/aga_khan_museum_a_needed_dose_of_civic_ambition_for_toronto_hume.html

Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/new-aga-khan-museum-and-ismaili-complex-opens-in-toronto/article20591864/

CBC
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/stephen-harper-on-hand-for-aga-khan-museum-opening-1.2764535?autoplay=true

City TV
http://www.citynews.ca/2014/09/10/aga-khan-museum-set-to-open-this-week/

Global
http://globalnews.ca/video/1561289/ismaili-centre-and-aga-khan-museum-officially-opened-in-toronto/

The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/sep/16/aga-khan-museum-ismaili-centre-review-toronto?CMP=EMCNEWEML6619I2

Opening Day

Guests bring good luck with them.

Turkish Proverb

What a wonderful scene to having guests lined up at the door at 10am this morning! And what a wonderful noise to hear their excited chatter in the grand corridors of the museum's atrium. We are open for business and truly a museum. Hurrah!

Building a Swing

You carry
All the ingredients
To turn your life into a nightmare-
Don’t mix them!

You have all the genius
To build a swing in your backyard
For God.

That sounds
Like a hell of a lot more fun.
Let’s start laughing, drawing blueprints,
Gathering our talented friends.

I will help you
With my divine lyre and drum.

Hafiz
Will sing a thousand words
You can take into your hands,
Like golden saws,
Sliver hammers,

Polished teakwood,
Strong silk rope.

You carry all the ingredients
To turn your existence into joy,
Mix them, mix
Them!

Hafiz, Persian mystic and poet (1325/26–1389/90) in “To Build a Swing” translated by Daniel Ladinsky

The silence on this blog stands in inverse relationship to the activity over the past weeks as staff rallied to prepare for the opening of the museum by His Highness the Aga Khan on Friday.

This grand event was followed by the launch of the museum's performing arts program with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble under the auditorium's stunning muqarna-inspired dome. The ensemble's fusion of western and eastern musical traditions achieved through listening, empathy, respect and friendship among the diversity of musicians, lifted the spirits of everyone in the audience with its incredible positive energy.

Everyone, including those exhausted by the intense activity over the past weeks, felt the meaning of the words of Hafiz that introduced the evening:

We carry all the ingredients to turn our lives into joy, mix them!

An Interpretation of the Truth

Do not tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don't tell them where they know the fish.

Mark Twain, American author (1835–1910)

Further to my last post, I now present my very own original creation, entitled "Rainbow Trout". While working on this applique, I often thought back to the fish sculpted on the tombs at Saqqara and the artists' accuracy that enabled scholars to identify the numerous species that graced Pharaonic dinner plates. While I take heed of Mark Twain's wise truisms and hope that there are not a lot of fishers among my kind readers who might question the veracity of my depiction, I am satisfied with my fabric interpretation. So undaunted I dive into deeper waters. Stay tuned.