494 Zaha Hadid

2年前にバーゼルでヴィトラ社消防所を観て、初めてザハ・ハディドの建築を体感しました。実はそこにそのような建築があることも知らず、11月の凍てつく雨の日に見学者は自分一人というわけで、あまり期待をしていなかったのですが、エッジの効いたユニークなデザインに驚き、しかしどことなく寡黙で控えめな印象の建築を十分に楽しみました。

昨日ザハ・ハディドのアーカイブ展を観て、さらに非常に幸福な感慨を覚えました。建築デザインに「うっとりした」というのはあまりないことです。ひとつとして平凡なプロジェクトはなく、どれもどこか奇抜で未来的、驚きと美しさが絶妙なバランスで共存しています。前衛的と評されることもあるようですが、どこか居心地がよく落ち着く雰囲気を湛え、温かみさえ感じさせます。精緻な数学と自由な感性が織りなす空間の魅力は本当に見事です。何より、そんな小難しいことを考えなくても、SF映画のようなデザインが現実に可能なのだと知るだけで快い驚きでした。

It was the first time that I experienced an architecture of Zaha Hadid when I visited Basel to find Vitra Fire House. Actually I didn't know it existed there, and being a sole visitor in an icy November rain, I didn't expect too much. But it turned out to be a wonderful experience. I was amazed by and enjoyed the edgy and unique design, on the other hand the quietness and modesty.

Yesterday I went to see the exhibition of Zaha Hadid's archives and felt more of the happiness. I'm sure it seldom happens that I was enraptured by the architecture (even though I'm a big lover of architecture). There was not a single project that was commonplace, everything was novel and futuristic, and I could feel the great balance between wonder and beauty. Her works are often referred to as avant-garde but they wear comfortable and composed atmosphere, even with warm spirit. It's truly magnificent that the allure is created by the combination of precise mathematics and free sensibility. After all, free from these fussy thoughts, it was a delightful surprise to know that kind of design which is likely to be seen in SF movies could be realistic. 

493 Album

  

I always put 1 or 2 photos on my post. Naturally there is an archive of the good amount of pictures. I looked at them and would like to shoe some of the typical pictures that well describe my intension which I didn't understand at all.

1. Lots of animals

2. Lots of airplanes

There is no surprise I chose pictures of airplanes so many times but I never noticed that much more pictures of animals appeared so frequently. I like both of natural beauty and industrial beauty and cannot give any priority to either of them. 

3. Lots of movie scenes

I don't remember how many times I have been trying to pretend to be a movie critics here and I don't care if it has succeeded, but the pictures remind me of the excitement of the movie. They are the journalistic part of this blog.

4. Few of foods

I don't avoid food topics--- in fact I love to see the professional photo of fine dishes. I just cannot be comfortable to shoot the food in front of me at a restaurant or a house where I am the guest of.

5. Few of musicians

It's a bit surprising because I love music. But after all music is there for being listened to. Not seen.

6. Few of architecture

It's the thing that I am ashamed of a little and actually I'm going to try to describe more of my favorite architectures with my own words and senses. But it's always awkward for me to show the grand masterpieces in such a small photo and small space. 

492 Warm Boiled Water

健康を維持する方法が誰に言われてでもなく本能的に見出せるときがあります。ここしばらく湯冷まし、つまり沸かしてから少し冷ました温かい湯を飲み物代わりに採るようになりました。忙しい仕事を終えて深夜、さすがにコーヒーやお茶を飲むには遅すぎ、冷たい水を飲むには寒い季節である、ただそれだけの理由でお湯を飲み始めたのですが、これが昔から言われている通り身体には大変良さそうだと気づきました。曰く、お湯で毎日身体を洗い、食器を洗うのと同じことで、お湯で体内を洗い流すことをしながら同時に身体を中から温めているのだそうです。本当に洗われているのかどうかは確かめようもありませんが、身体を温めるという点は、熱々のコーヒーやお茶を飲んだときよりもはるかに意識でき、飲んだとたん瞬時にその効果が現れます。健康にいいという結果はさておき、この体感できる化学反応は何より不思議です。

Sometimes we can find a way to keep health out of nowhere, so to speak, from an instinct. For couple of weeks it has become a habit to me to drink a cup of warm boiled water. In the middle of midnight after a long-hours work, it's too much late for a cup of coffee or tea, on the other hand it's a bit chilly to drink a cold water, so I just started to drink a warm water, which turned to be a great practice for health as it has been said. They say, just like warm water can clean our body or dishes, drinking warm water is to wash our inner body with warming inside. I cannot be sure if the warm water really cleanse away the body but the amazing thing is I can sense that warming effect at the instant I drink the warm water, far better than drinking hot coffee or tea. I don't much care about the benefit for the health it contributes but just have been surprised by the experimental reaction.

491 Celebration

I was really delighted to welcome so many messages to congratulate me on my birthday last week. Usually I think someone's birthday has nothing to do with other person who was not born on the same day, so frankly I am curious about why so many kind friends gave me a wish and celebration. But I know my idea is rubbish because I do care about other people's birthday. But to give and to take is different. When I notice my birthday is something to other person it makes me hilarious. Birthday should be special because this is once in a year to everyone. 

I was born in late-autumn-early-winter season. I kind of have a dream that someday I wish to spend my birthday celebrating marvelous fireworks in winter.

490 The Hundred-Foot Journey

料理、ことにレストランをテーマにした映画が面白いのはよく「目にも楽しい」と言われるように美味しそうな料理が並ぶことが理由かもしれませんが、人によってはそれほど食べ物自体に心動かされるわけでもないとしたら、何が魅力なのでしょう？フレンチ料理とインド料理のレストラン対決を人情豊かに描いた"The Hundred-Foot Journey"を観ながらそれを考えていました。美味しそうなスパイスの数々、出来立てのオムレツ、フレンチのソース、鳩、茸、魚の丸焼き、フレッシュなトマト、色鮮やかなベリーを盛ったひとくちデザートからちょっと奇妙な分子ガストロノミーまで、さまざまな食材が目に飛び込んで来ます。それだけでも目には楽しいのですが、やはり食材を、そしてシェフ達を引き立てるキッチンという空間に入ったような視点が得られるのが料理映画の醍醐味です。誰でも家にあるキッチンですが、プロの料理人達が真剣勝負で立つキッチンは、彼らの出身がインドであろうとフランスであろうと、美味しいものが生み出されるワクワクする気分と凛として研ぎ澄まされた緊張感に満ちています。普通の人間が足を踏み入れることのないプロのキッチンで、食材と料理人が輝く瞬間を捉えた魅力的な映画です。

489 Dance

I noticed that even though I have been writing about dancing so many times here I've never posted an article titled "Dance". Maybe I've not been certain if I can describe it from my limited experience and skills. Now I think I can write about it with a bit of confidence. A moment in the showcase last week, I had a feeling of an attitude towards dancing that was quite different from the past. It was just a moment in the middle of the performance so it may not come again, but as far as I understand, it made me this as follows---

Dance is not a movement or posing which I try to accomplish with using my arms and legs. It's an outer activities with a notion of expected style that I try to capture for years. It's important yes, but the essence of dance is somewhere far beyond. That is in me. The dance should be created from the core emotion and sense of my own, stimulated and inspired by the beat and sound. That is harder to capture than the outer shape of the body but that's the real spirit of free-style dance.

488 Backstage

 Last weekend I spent with my fellow dancers in a theatre all day long for street dance performance. We are no professional and our showcase was only 4 minutes but all I can say is that this was a real experience that we were lucky and tough enough to enjoy.

During the event we frequently entered and spent time at the backstage. In a real excitement and delight of performing I found that this dark, dirty, crowded, narrow and messy space which everyone would dislike turned to be the happiest and most lively, cheerful place of all.