Monday, December 03, 2007

Of penguins at exhibitions


Ever since my late uncle and I exchanged penguin jokes, and I asked people to look for penguin items for me to use to tease him, people have continued to give me penguin stuff assuming I was the collector. Thus the perception became reality. My daughter has been the most original in finding unique penquins, everything from penguin PJs to salt and pepper shakers and pens.

This will seem like a diversion in topic but it isn’t. My baked bean/cassoulet friend kept telling me I had to go see the glass exhibit at the Ariana Museum by the artist Marcoville. This museum is a palace next to the UN and features ceramics. When my New York friend came to visit it seemed like a perfect time to go.

Sadly my camera batteries gave out before I could snap all the photos that I wanted to take. One of the creations was a floor to ceiling at least foot thick school of tiny individual clear glass fish that tinkled as a soft breeze from a nearby fan caressed them. To add depth a few of the fish were dark.

Walking through the exhibition with its life sized trees was like magic followed by the giggles produced when we discovered the overly nippled cancan dancers (see web sites)
www.ville-ge.ch/mah/index.php?content=8.2.1.1.1.1.&id_eve=227&langue=frs
www.musee-ceramique-sevres.fr/documents/mnc_t7_DP_Marcoville.PDF

What has this got to do with penguins? Well Marcoville, the artist, also had a glass penguin sculpture and that photo I snapped right before the batteries died. If you look closely you can see some of the fish that escaped from the school to help you imagine the number of fish. The sculpture might look good with the other penguins that I own, assuming of course I had larger living quarters, assuming that I would be able to lift the glass without cutting myself and assuming I could take it home on the tram and assuming that I did not get stopped by the guards. Anyone who visits the exhibition will find the penguins in place. Just too many assumptions.

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