It was nice that the University of Adelaide, State Library, Art Gallery of South Australia and Museum of Science were next to each other in a nice spot in downtown Adelaide.
It was a lovely almost ridiculous surprise that I pumped into the Uluru by accident. I had no bloody idea about the Rock til I took a flight to Alice Springs. It was an intensive but nice experience to see the unique natural landscape at Uluru and Kata Tjuta national park. Also, I learned more about aboriginal cultures, the rock art, the waterhole, the respect they gave for the old bushland.
I just tried to be a smart tourist in a wild desert area by visiting the reptile centre in Alice Springs for some crucial survival skills. In case, I got a bite from a snake, who knew haha.
I grow up in a big city jammed by 9 million people so it’s a very strange thing for me to visit the land of plenty time. Nothing can bother or amuse people in Alice Springs, the Parrtjima festival is not a big deal with them either. Besides the town centre and residency area, wild animals such as red kangaroos, rock wallabies, snakes, and dingos are active in the desert 🌵 It’s not a surprise for the neighborhood if a kangaroo just jumps in and kicks out everything in the backyard. And yes, that morning, I and my mate Jess saw all those wild animals, there was even a big corpse on the way and a dingo staring at us from far far away. Thank god, we got out there safe and sound.
My orientation about Melbourne was very amazing, “What an artsy city, art is everywhere.” I and a friend stayed in Collingwood, where used to be a place for junkies and working-class then turned into a cool spot to hang out for creatives. Jamaica Plain in Boston also shared a familiar story.
National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) was definitely on the top of my list and I was so thrilled by the exhibition named Escher x nendo there. It was a huge success and it took more than 30 minutes to queue even we bought the online ticket already. For people paying at the entrance, it would take at least an hour! However, the experience was totally worthy since the exhibition extended the senses and perception of audiences. It was great enough that I decide to come back again as joining the Masterclass at NGV to learn more about the process from 2 senior curators and the exhibition designer.
As a visual artist who is into installation and interactive art, I came all the way long from Melbourne and took a couple days off to see the Parrtjima festival in Alice Springs.
Painting projection – This installation is such a success since it draws a lot of attention and interaction (from kids). A good reference for both motion and interactive design
The signature performance ‘The language of country” Ankhentype Aere-kenhe of kinship from the aboriginal culture in the outback during Parrtjima Lighting Festival 2019. Two kilometers of the MacDonnell Ranges would be the vivid canvas for a series of significant lighting effects.
The former title of this article was A trip to the spiritual valley of an ancient kingdom but I thought it was such an abstract and serious one so I just changed it to something more interesting and straightforward ahahah. Because I spent so much time and effort for this writing so it would be great if it could draw more attention ahaha. Ok, here we go!
My Son Sanctuary is a cluster of abandoned and ruined Hindu temples, which was used as a spiritual center during the reign of the Champa kingdom. The ruins consist about 70 temples and other buildings but only 20 ones remain because of the time and destruction during the Vietnam War. The temple complex is divided into 10 groups named with the letters of the alphabet by archeologists covering a total of 142 hectares. As of 1999, My Son has been recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site; it is often compared with other historical temple complexes in Southeast Asia, such as Angkor Wat of Cambodia and Borobudur of Java, Indonesia.
Opens daily from 6: 30 am to 4: 30 pm / Admission: 100,000 VND (less than $5) this price includes transport to archaeological groups inside. The vans/ jeeps will take you to the interior of the temple complex and it only takes 5 to 10 minutes on foot from an archeological site to another. The slope is easy to walk so there is no need for specific footwear.
If you are into archeology and mythology, a visit to the Museum of Cham Sculpture in Danang for a certain foundation before this trip is pretty worthy. Admission is 40,000 VND (less than $2). The museum opens from 7am to 5pm.
Caution: My Son was a Vietcong base during the Vietnam War and therefore, the entire area was mined. Thus, staying in the paths defined and established areas is highly recommended. In fact, the largest temples of group B – the center group – was destroyed dramatically by US carpet bombing in 1969.
Also, My Son locates in the valley surrounding with small mountains and jungle, sunscreen, sunglasses, and water are essential items.
In Champa culture, Mahaparvata is considered as the holy Mount Meru in Indian mythology, where gods reside like Mount Olympia and 12 gods and goddesses in Greek mythology. The unique shape of Mahaparvata summit has a familiar feature of the legendary bird Garuda – brings peace and wealth for the kingdom as long as symbolizes for the royal sanctuary. Once upon the time, foreigner traders took this Mount as a milestone to navigate My Son sanctuary and Champa kingdom.
My Son Sanctuary is dedicated to the worship of the god Shiva, the destroyer and transformer. Besides the statues and carvings of this god, there are lingams that are an abstract representation of phallus (the masculine) – the Hindu deity, Shiva. Along with lingam, the yoni represents for vulva (the feminine).
About the architecture and construction techniques developed by Cham builders are not completely understood. Most of the temples were made of red brick, and only one (the temple labeled “B1”) was made of stone.
On the way to the exit, you can see a short performance of Champa culture which starts at 2: 30 pm. The introduction during this mini-show is presented both in Vietnamese and English. Apsara dance is the highlight of the performance.
The appreciation of mundane little things embraces your inner spirit.
The MET! Aw, aw, aw the MET! I need art museums to survive!
The Museum of Modern Art, NYC. I freaked out because of the super crowd! But I was so happy that I could die when I saw Les Demoiselles d’Avignon in flesh and bone, The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh and amazing body works by Gustave Klimt and Henri Matisse.
Museum of Fine Art/Boston. My favorite place in Boston! Have been there so many many time already for Art History class and healing my broken heart.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Garden. Fenway area!
Harvard Square. Harvard Art Museum. All Harvard museums! I got a one-year pass for only $35!
