When we were at Playmobil Funpark early this week I bought a planter in the shape of a Playmobil head. (You may also notice that ‘clean desk‘ isn’t the current status.)
Category: Flashes
subscribe to this category with rss
Neues Museum
While in Nürnberg this week, the three of us visited the Neues Museum. I’m not entirely sure what the Neues Museum wants to be. The building is a massive architectural statement, sitting right inside of the medieval city walls. Their collection is a mix of general design history and German modern art, and the current temporary exhibition was about novel materials that are either circular, fully recyclable, or climate neutral. It made me want to have a Steel Case Flex Perch stool. They’re made from recycled electronic waste, usually unrecyclable, and are fully recyclable themselves. Very Waste Tide, and as a former electronic engineering student it appeals to me. I mailed a Dutch office project firm today, who carry the brand. We explored, saw some interesting things, some old tropes as well, had fun.
E and Y, walking on Klarissenplatz, along the facade of the Neues Museum towards the old city wall. (E and I were there 19 years ago)
E and Y in the Neues Museum. Y had the use of an old hand held camera from E, and was snapping pictures, sometimes from slightly unconventional positions…
Literaturhaus Nürnberg
We spent a few days in Nürnberg this week. Our hotel was in walking distance from the old innercity. In the mornings we walked down the street towards the looming medieval tower of the Frauentor, and had breakfast at the Literaturhaus, a literary cafe and restaurant just across the street from Neues Museum. E had scouted it out as a likely breakfast place before our arrival, as the breakfast surcharge in our hotel was quite a princely sum. It was a pleasant and calm place, with friendly staff that remembered us immediately after our first visit, and picked up on our preferences and habits instantly (like knowing our tea preference for breakfast, and that I took a double espresso shortly after our extended breakfast).
Looking over the posters with the names of the authors that had recently presented there or were slated to do so in the near future, was a good way to explore some new names (to me) in German language literature. Added some to my reading list.
The Literaturhaus Nürnberg on Luitpoldstraße.
Gallariji Galore
This week I visited Valletta, Malta. The old town’s facades have many so-called gallariji. A gallarija is a woodpanel-enclosed balcony. They became common it seems from the late 17th century onwards. It gives the city streets a distinct character from other places.
On the corner of the Arch Bishop Street and Old Bakery Street, photo Ton Zijlstra cc by nc sa
Looking down Arch Bishop Street, photo Ton Zijlstra cc by nc sa
On West Street facing St. Paul’s Cathedral, photo Ton Zijlstra cc by nc sa
Above the stairs of Triq-Il-Batterija, photo Ton Zijlstra cc by nc sa
We wanted to make our top floor space more usable and a more comfortable space to be in. When we moved in we envisioned it as a space where we could tinker, make etc. Or have a project set-up and not needing to clear it away every day. We removed the two (standing) desks, and replaced them with lots of drawers. E put all 27 of them together. We added a large dining table to serve as work surface. Much better atmosphere, and even Y immediately embraced it as the space she uses for her drawing and crafting things. We dubbed it the atelier.
Clean Desk
Clean Desk policy rarely works for me. It is so seldom achieved it deserves a photo. This time around it was only achieved because I switched out the desk itself. No escape from clearing it completely.