archives, Collections, cultures, Fashion, Heritage, Intangible Heritage, Love, Photography, Style, Uncategorized

amasunzu, a hairstyle of cultural pride

I spend way too long trawling through social media and suffering from some form of fomo, but today my social media habit was fruitful. Today, I stumbled upon the amasunzu, a traditional hair style of Rwandans, mainly men (but Lupito Nyong’o did sport the amasunzu for the Oscars in 2018).

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Back in its heyday the amasunzu was worn in more than 30 ways. It is created by cutting a chunk of hair on the side and allowing it to grow into the elaborate crescent-shapes While, it isn’t as prevalent anymore you can still find people maintaining this unique and eye-catching culture.

check out the short and sweet documentary about it too.

further reading:

Almost 100-Year-Old Pictures Show How Amazing The Traditional Rwandan Hairstyle Was

http://www.hintmag.com/post/amasunzu–may-05-2016-2246?fbclid=IwAR11-oF3W7JQmfXULkPTNn8_rjf5fN27S6VN3uE3_ozHQVmxC46sdfmaQFw

https://www.neatorama.com/2015/07/30/The-Amasunzu-A-Uniquely-Rawandan-Hairstyle/

https://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/229110

Art, Collections, Curatorial, Engaging the public, Exhibitions, Heritage, International Museum Day, Memory, Museum Objects, Museum Storage, Museums, Photography, Uncategorized

happy international museum day

happy international museum day!

to celebrate i am sharing photographs from the tumblr people sleeping in museums.

who hasn’t had a sneaky nap in a museum? they are the perfect place to rest your weary eyes and legs.

anyway happy international museum day and enjoy!

further readings:

https://peoplesleepinginmuseums.tumblr.com/

Architecture, Art, Artists and artworks, Collections, Digital, Heritage, Photography, Uncategorized

oh such beauty

As you all are aware, I am a serial procrastinator and avoider. I am one of those people that don’t open up my messages because if i haven’t opened it yet I haven’t seen it. For instance, I have avoided calling my gym trainer for the past two weeks because I am not ready to deal with what she is going to say to me. I should probably call her. Anyway, the important thing is that me avoiding and procrastinating my real life has gotten me back into posting so yippee.

So, what is this post going to be about? it is about the opulent architecture of italy.

These photos are amazing and seeing as I just came back from a little trip to the beautiful land of italy, i thought it appropriate. The photographer is David Burdeny and he is an architect turned photographer. He has now moved his attention toward the opulent architecture of Italy.

Burdeny takes the viewer into these spaces, some still private homes, others transformed into museums, others shuttered permanently and falling into decay is just wonderful.

They are wonderful and gorgeous. Have a look below:

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further readings:

http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/david-burdeny-italy-architecture

http://www.davidburdeny.com/

Art, Artists and artworks, children, Collections, Heritage, Public Spaces, Street Art, Uncategorized

bansky strikes again.

Bansky is amazing.

The infamous artist has struck again with a a scribbly school girl bowling a realistic tyre along a 14 ft wall and note to Bridge Farm primary school in bristol.

Banksy School01-1.jpg

What could the meaning of this work be? Some believe it is referencing Martha Cooper’s Street play series, and is using dark humor to comment on kids growing up in today’s world.

The work came with a letter saying: “Dear Bridge Farm School, thanks for your letter and naming a house after me. Please have a picture, and if you don’t like it, feel free to add stuff. I’m sure the teachers won’t mind. Remember, it’s always easier to get forgiveness than permission. Much love, Banksy.”

What a cool dude!

further readings:

http://www.juxtapoz.com/news/street-art/new-banksy-in-bristol/

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/jun/06/banksy-leaves-mural-and-cheeky-note-in-bristol-school-as-thanks-for-tribute

Art, Artists and artworks, Collections, Engagement, Uncategorized

Glass Portraits and Sliced Bread

Here is something pretty awesome I found on the internet today: Glass Portraits!

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They are done by self – taught artist, Loren Stump. He makes a variety of beautiful glass artworks but he is well known for his skills at murrine. It is a 4 000 year old Mideast technique where coloured patterns or images made in a glas cane are revealed when cut in cross-sections. Murrine are designed by layering different colours of molten glass around a core, then heating and stretching it into a rod. Once cool, the rod is sliced like loaf of bread revealing these awesome artworks.

The artist has had 40 years experience with this technique and able to create amazing paintings in glass. His most famous is a complex and unique interperation of Leonardo da Vinci’s painting Virgin on the Rocks. He used hundreds of glass rods to create each detail, building the portrait one component at a time. If you want to buy a slice, it would set you back $5,000 a slice.

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If you want to learn how to do the murrine technique, watch the video below.

Happy Tuesday everyone!

further readings:

http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/loren-stump-murrine

Sliced Glass ‘Paintings’ and Portraits by Loren Stump

Slice Into These Incredible Glass Artworks

Archaelogy, archives, Collections, cultures, Curatorial, Engagement, Engaging the public, Museum Objects, Museum Storage, Museums, Uncategorized

behind the scenes in museums

Anthropology Collections, Smithsonian Institution's Museum Support Center

I am sure you know that the most museums only display about 2 % of their objects in their collection. This might be due to space, restoration of certain objects, the sensitive nature of the objects themselves, etc etc.

Traditionally, museums have always kept their secret collections hidden in storage, where no members of the public are ever allowed to visit. BUT, thankfully for us now, this is changing. Museums are opening up, making open storage, where visitors are able to get a backstage pass and visit all these undisplayed collection of objects. It is happening all over the world and is not really a new phenomenon in today’s age. It still is pretty cool though.

The Smithsonian team at the National Museum of Natural History have gone one step further and made public images of these beautiful hidden collections.

The images are just amazing. They not only show the vast collection of the museum owns, but also allows us into a glimpse of some of the work museum professionals do.