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Sphere Within a Sphere

Italian sculpture Arnaldo Pomodoro donated this globe in 1982 and sits in front of the Berkeley Library. The sphere has a 3d shape and is sculpted out of bronze which gives it the shiny gold exterior. It almost gives off an abstract feeling with the middle gaping open to reveal some sort of gears. I personally think this is a unique sculpture that makes one think about what it might actually mean.

Doctor Lawson

This bust caught my eye because, out of no where, my cousin started getting really excited saying "That's my name! That's my name!". I could not find any historical information on Doctor Lawson but I did note the detail in the way the bust was carved. The cream hue of the sculpture is pretty normal for busts complements the dark tones of the library very well. I'm glad my cousin spotted this sculpture.

The Old Library

This library at Trinity College houses 200,000 rare books. The ceiling has a barrel vault all the way through the room. It was originally built between 1712 and 1732 but then renovations were done around 1856 for more space for all the many books. My first impression of this library was that I just walked into the library at Hogwarts. I was mesmerized by all the old books and the tall majestic ceilings. It made me wish Harry Potter and Hogwarts were in the real world. 

Documentary Response 4: St. Canice's Cathedral & Round Tower, Magnhild Opdøl's "Pilot" & "Invitation to Love", & Magnhild Opdøl's "Fear of the Unknown" & "Fawn"

St. Canice's Cathedral & Round Tower
The cathedral and round tower are found in Kilkenny, Ireland and were established in the 6th century. The cathedral is of gothic architecture with all the pointed arches that are found in the cathedral.

For over 800 years there have been worship services in this cathedral. The cathedral has a number of stain glass windows and two of those windows were from the Harry Clark Studio in Dublin. 

A picture of some of the stain glass windows in the cathedral

One of the sights in the cathedral is the Bishop of Ossory's chair which has been around since 1120. 

The Bishop's chair

As for the tower, it is known to be one of two towers in Ireland that still allows access for people to climb. The tower is also the oldest structure in Kilkenny City that is still standing.

I really enjoyed seeing the cathedral and climbing the tower. When I first went in the tower, I thought it was going to be another tower with a spiral staircase but it was totally different. It was back to back ladder staircases that were extremely nerve wracking to climb but it just made the experience at the top that much better because the climb was a difficult one. 

Magnhild Opdøl's Pilot & Invitation to Love

After visiting St. Canice's Cathedral and Round Tower, we went to the Butler Museum, also in Kilkenny, to see Magnhild Opdøl's art exhibit. Two of the pieces in her exhibit were called Pilot and Invitation to Love. 

These two pieces were essentially a donut box before it was folded and put together and donut boxes stacked on top of each other. The Pilot seemed almost like a blue print that was put on the wall to show what the boxes were made out of. 

The Invitation to Love was built in a way that looked like a building made of pink donut boxes. It was very neat to see that each box had a specific place and a specific purpose in that place. 

The artist was referencing the TV series Twin Peaks with these pieces which I have never seen but she emphasized the desserts in the series and went with the donut for the dessert since it was a cop show.

I was completely fascinated by the design and structure of the donut boxes and just how many boxes there were was extremely amazing.

Magnhild Opdøl's Fear of the Unknown & Fawn

The second Opdøl piece I chose to write on was the Fear of the Unknown and Fawn. 

The first piece showed a postcard on the wall of a doe and two fawn staring of into the dark while the second piece was a bronze casting of Bambi in a glass dome gazing off after the doe and two fawn. 

I really liked how the artist chose a real Bambi toy to make the fawn gazing at the other deer because it made the fawn more innocent and sad while incased in a glass dome. The fawn is all alone and looking almost longingly at the other three deer who are not noticing the fawn because of their own issue with the darkness ahead of them. The way these pieces were set up where the fawn was turned and gazing upon the three deer was really amazing. The distance between the deer was real and was felt because the actual distance between the pieces was real.

Me and Bambi

Documentary Response 3: Ross Castle, Muckross House, & Blarney Castle

Ross Castle
Ross Castle was built in the 15th century and was originally owned by the O'Donoghue's. During the 16th century, Lord Muskerry aquired the ownership during the Second Desmond Rebellion. Muskerry rented out the castle and lands to Valentine Browne where, during the Irish Confederate Wars, the castle was one of the last castles to surrender to Oliver Cromwell's Roundheads. The only reason they surrendered was because of the prophecy that said the castle could not be taken until ships on water appeared around the castle. Once they saw ships around the castle, they grew nervous and surrendered. After the wars, though, the Brownes were able to take back the property and lands once they proved that their heir was not old enough to partake in the rebellion. The castle itself had five stories inside plus a roof. The castle was made out of stacked and mortored stone with very thick walls. A parapet was found on the roof to protect the soldiers when shooting their arrows or guns. I actually thought there would be more to the castle that would be visible to us in this day. However, it was still beautiful grounds and the cute little tiny doors were adorable.

    

Muckross House

Muckross House was designed by a Scottish architect who was hired by Henry Arthur Herbert and his wife. It was built in 1843 in the design of a Tudor style. In the 1850s, some enhancements were made to the mansion in planning for Queen Victoria's visit in 1861. Because of these improvements, some financial struggles came upon Herbert and he was forced to sell the estate. Eventually, it was bought by William Bowers Bourn, who was a wealthy Californian, to give to his daughter as her wedding present to celebrate her marriage to Arthur Rose Vincent. In 1932, it was given to the State by The Bourn's and Arthur Vincent in memory of their late daughter and wife. The house was under construction the day we went to see it so it wasn't as glorious as I'm sure it usually was and as I said before, it was built in the style of the Tudor mansion. The grounds were what really caught my eye, though. There was so much open space and it was absolutely beautiful scenery with the water in the distance and the huge field of grass.

Blarney Castle

Around 1210, Blarney Castle was built in Blarney, near Cork, Ireland. However, it was destroyed in 1446 but rebuilt by McCarthy, Lord of Muskerry. The castle was attacked during the Irish Confederate Wars and was taken by Parliament but was once again given to a McCarthy after The Restoration. During the Williamite War in the 1690s, McCarthy was seized and his property and Blarney Castle were taken by the Williamites. The ownership changed multiple times until the 1700s when it was bought by the Govenor of Cork, Sir James St. John Jefferyes. During the 19th century the Jefferyes and the Colthurst descendants married and the property is still owned today by the Colthursts. What makes the Blarney Castle so popular today is the fact that it is home to the Blarney Stone, which some say once kissed, will give you the gift of eloquence. I enjoyed experiencing the Blarney castle and stone. It was a little nervewracking walking up those tiny stairs to get to the stone but once I was up top, I was thrilled to be there. The castle had a parapet just like Ross Castle and a turret.