The Qwirky Musee Mecanique

I visited the Musee Mecanique on a sunny Sunday afternoon, together with my husband and my daughter. It reminded me of the sounds at a County Fair, or of a Hollywood movie depicting the 1940s or 1950s.

The first sound that welcomed us was that of Laffin Sal. Just hearing that sound and watching the large automaton made me laugh. This place is amazing. There are so many different machines to explore. I began putting coins into the different machines, such as the Carnival. Suddenly, there was music, a little brass band playing, the carousel turning, the man trying his luck at the shooting gallery, so cute!

Then, more coins into the piano player, and that's when the music exploded. Ragtime! It was so much fun to watch little children studying the wheels and pedals and then mimicking piano playing.


The Royal Court, a mechanical diorama, played a Chopin Waltz, while the dancers moved round and round. According to the display, this mechanical diorama was originally displayed at the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco.

I also enjoyed reading the large displays with history of penny arcades in the United States. Wow! these machines used to work on just a penny? Now you need to pay one, two or three quarters to get them working. I put money into a music box, but it did not work!

I even found Regina music box, in beautiful condition. It was a darker color than the one pictured here, but still has a beautiful sound. I had recently seen an episode of "How it's Made" where music boxes were made. It is an intricate process and calibration is essential to get the most beautiful sound possible.

Another fun area had video machines. There was a ping pong video game and I also found a video game similar to one my father played once. You are a driver, and you control your car by turning the steering wheel. The better you drive, and the faster you go, the more points you make. If you are fast enough and don't "crash", you win! This brought back memories.

So, it was a fun visit and I recommend the Musee Mecanique for anyone who wants a bit of old fashioned entertainment. Entrance is free, but fill your pockets with quarters so you can feed the machines. Oh, and save two quarters and a penny to get your very own San Francisco souvenir.

Visit to the Asian Art Museum

Synchronicities. They happen all the time. Sometimes we are aware of them, sometimes we are too busy to notice. But, they happen just the same.
Today, I visited the Asian Art Museum. I looked around once again, this is my fourth visit to the AAM, and I was searching for images and for things that perhaps I had missed before.
Having taken Hannah Sigur's Art of Japan last year and this semester, Art of East Asia, there certainly were pieces that caught my eye and I see now that I have become a more discerning viewer, able to understand a bit more the origins, the themes, and patterns in the sweep of time.
But, that is not why I write this time. This just puts everything in perspective, and lets you see why I talk about synchronicity.
When I arrived on the second floor, there was a group of docents listening to a visiting lecturer in the Japanese Wing. There is a new exhibit on display relating to Japan's Ambassadors (in art and culture) to the United States. I walked around the group and continued my search through the Japan, Korea and China wings. A couple of hours later, I returned to the spot where the group had stood earlier.
There, in the vitrine were pictures of The Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park and of Mr. Hagiwara taken in the early 1900's.



Only last week, Chi had told us about this family and about the Intervention that she and Tanae had done. I found her talk very interesting and was pleasantly surprised by the exhibit. Photos, a sketch, drawings and tea implements with the Hagiwara name were on display. So, here I share some of what I found with you.


Synchronicity. It happens everywhere.

Improbable Monument Ideas

The first idea I had was to make a monument made out of sail-like structures. It would be placed near a body of water and the sails would be made of a material that would fray relatively easily. The purpose of this monument would be a reminder of peace. I thought I could name it "Worldwide Peace Now". That, in itself is an improbable reality, but one that I would love to see. The material of the sails would be fragile, to remind us of the fragility of peace and how we must continue to work towards maintaining peace.


My second idea has to do with fountains and this fountain would be called "The Fountain of Everlasting Love" This fountain would be small - perhaps about 4 feet tall, made out of wood, with a small motor to keep the water circulating. This fountain would be given to anyone who gave a donation of a certain amount, say $100, to the "Foundation of Everlasting Love", which helps people heal from traumatic events. In this way, every person who takes a fountain home will be reminded that their donation has provided loving healing to someone else. This small monument would be multiplied all over the world. Again, the wood would make it a fountain that would eventually disintegrate, unless it is well-cared for.

My third idea has to do with sand. I would build a very large and long frame - about 8 ft x 24ft. The frame would have a bottom, and I'd fill it with sand. This sand frame could be moved from place to place, and kids of all ages could play in it- a kind of giant sandbox. It would be a "Monument to the Fluidity of the Sands of Time". The idea is that every time someone interacts with the sand, it changes. Every day is different, every action brings about a reaction, nothing stays the same.

And, just as I was finishing writing down these ideas, I realized that together, they have the elements found on or near a beach. Maybe I'm just feeling nostalgic.

On Sol Lewitt

Solomon was the wisest of kings. Sol means sun - that's where our word solar comes from. And, since we're on the subject of words and their meanings, I found out that Lewitt means levite in Russian. So, putting these all together, since I believe one's name is of supreme importance in who we become, this led me to the following interpretation - A radiant, wise priest. And, isn't this was what Sol LeWitt was in the world of art?
... more later

Ok, so it is now later, and I have been thinking about this genius, or madman, and what is the difference? Just the fact that LeWitt made us think about art is such a different way, that the concept was just as important as the piece itself was groundbreaking. Or that perhaps how people received the art was totally irrelevant, or even how he had thought of his art was irrelevant. So, it is all topsy-turvy in my mind, but what he produced was ever changing and evolving- as he was.

He showed us that the idea behind the art - the concept- could be the driving force, the seed, if you will, of a process that had a life of its own. He reminds me of those writers who say "Oh, no, I didn't plan it this way, but she showed me that she wanted to tame the tiger she found in the wild." As if the character was the one in charge of the writer's pen and the writer's will was subservient to her whims. So, Lewitt tells us that the concept leads, and he follows, adding, adding, adding until the piece is done.

Oh, and one more thing - art for the masses. I love the fact that we find his art in public spaces or even spaces that no one had decorated before, like roof buildings. Maybe that has to do with his sense of humour. Perhaps he thought that people in airplanes should have something pretty to look at when they were approaching a city.
Who knows?

Intervention at Alamo Square Park

I never thought that doing something totally absurd could be so much fun! Ashley and I went to Alamo Square on a beautiful, sunshiny Thursday afternoon and staked five signs in the grass. These were notices prohibiting photography. Then, we sat down to see what people's reactions would be to the signs.
As I mentioned in my previous blog, we wondered whether people would get angry, think it was a joke, ignore the signs, or maybe even throw the signs away. We found out today.

One woman said "This is cr@p! This is a bunch of cr@p! What if tourists come by and see these signs? An ordinance prohibiting photography would be impossible to enforce! I hope you take these signs away with you." Well, there you have it - an angry person.

Some people read the signs and began talking to each other. They looked around to see if others were noticing the signs, and then just walked away.

Others took pictures of the signs - thinking this was a funny joke. One man picked up a sign, read it, and then stuck it carefully back in the ground! I thought that was precious!

Another man asked me "Do you know what this is all about?" "Yes," I answered, "it is an Intervention". I explained that we wanted to see what would happen if we posted an absurd notice in a public space. What would people's reaction be to being prohibited from photographing a quintessential San Francisco scene. He laughed and said it was brilliant, just brilliant, and proceeded to twitter about it. (Read Ashley's blog to find out what he twittered). While I was talking with him, a second guy walked up to us and asked if the signs were "real". That kept the conversation going and another question was whether the Committee for the Preservation of San Francisco Scenery was trying to keep the scenery as it is, unchanging. I said that we don't want photography to wear away the scenery - that's the reason for the prohibition (tongue in cheek, of course). We all laughed.

One group of young women had their picture taken behind one of the signs. The guy taking their photograph said that San Francisco is the place where laws are made to be broken. Ha! And, right before they left, they pulled up the sign and dropped it on the ground. That was our only casualty.

One guy looked at a sign and just shook his head in disbelief and walked away. Actually, many people looked at the signs and got closer to take a better look. What followed was the shaking of the head, or even scratching of the head.

There was a professional photographer set up with a couple of reflectors, strobes and hefty equipment taking glamour shots of a model, down near the bottom of the hill. Even he walked over to read one of the signs when a passerby alerted him to the "Photography Prohibited" notice. I couldn't hear him, but he just shrugged his shoulders and went back to his picture taking,

And so, we had angry people, disbelieving people, surprised people, delighted people, rebellious people and recording people. All in all, it was interesting to watch the people's responses. What surprised me the most though, was that more of the signs were not pulled up or taken away. Go figure.

Catch Me if You Can

"Welcome to CATCHMEIFYOUCANAIRWAYS. Today, we are stranded in London. Mother Nature seems to be angry and decided to keep our carbon emissions low during this beautiful week in April. Considering all the earthquakes, taifuns, floods, mudslides, sinkholes and whatnot happening around the world, we at CATCHMEIFYOUCANAIRWAYS think our passengers are lucky to be stuck at modern Heathrow Airport. Scientist are telling us that we should be able to take to the skies in a day or two.
Since so many of you have been waiting so long for your flights, we decided that when we get permission to resume our flights, we will park our planes 100 meters from the terminal and let all of our waiting passengers run to the aircraft. The first 150 to arrive will be able to leave on the first flight. The rest of you will wait for the second flight and run to catch that one. This will give you an opportunity to get in some much needed exercise also. We know you have a choice in airlines, and are very happy that you have chosen CATCHMEIFYOUCANAIRWAYS today.
We hope you enjoy your flights!"

Society for the Preservation of San Francisco Scenery

I'm sure that you have seen the iconic San Francisco view of the beautiful painted ladies across the grassy park, with the San Francisco skyline in the background. And, by painted ladies, I don't mean ladies of the night, but those beautiful Victorian era houses that are colorfully painted.
You know which sight I'm talking about because it shows up in movies set in San Francisco and was the opening scene for that family sitcom, Full House. This is one of the most photographed sights in the city.
Ashley and I have been brainstorming about our Intervention Project. She told me that that iconic view is seen from Alamo Square Park, the highest point in the neighborhood known as Alamo Square.
So, she wondered, what would happen if we told people that photography was prohibited in that space? What would their reaction be? How could we do this without getting in trouble? Of course, we would have to let people know that our action is only an intervention. We wouldn't want to ruin someone's visit and let them know that if they wanted to take photographs it is legal to do so.
We would make signs that say "Photography Prohibited by order of the Committee for the Preservation of San Francisco Scenery". We'd mount these signs on pickets and place them around the park. Then, we would record people' reactions to the signs. Would people be upset? Would they ignore the signs? Would they remove the signs? Would they laugh at our signs?
We'll just to have to go, do and see!