the goat farmer's almanac

From our trip to Anne's last weekend, here's a few shots of Fallingwater and the Chiluly installation at the Phipps Conservatory . And, a few brief words on each ....

"Does this seem like a house built in 1936?" was the first question our guide asked as we entered the living room at Fallingwater. "Well, yes, it does" was my immediate thought although most of our tour group didn't agree. Two questions kept coming to mind as we walked in and around this magnificant building. Did Wright -- or his engineers -- make the most of currently available technology? And, what would the house look like if built today? I've not a real clue as to the first except for a notion that there must have been better alternatives to the heavily reinforced concrete used in the cantilevered terraces. There's no doubt Wright's ideas could be more completely realized with today's construction technologies. For example, current plastics eliminate the need for the heavy metal framing used in the window framing thus better enabling the sightlines Wright desired in his "cornerless" window framing schemes.

I enjoy botanical gardens such as the Phipps because as with any biosphere they are places of infinite and sublime discovery. Chiluly's pieces at the Phipps worked best for me when I had to discover them buried in the ecospace such as this Ikebana or when they stood on their own, such as the float boat, as if in a retail display. What didn't work were those rooms where the plants were overwhelmed by the glass. Witness the Cobalt Fiori room where the lovely and subtle Bismark palms and curry plants are mere back drop for a kitschy display of alien shapes and colors reminiscent of a fifties sci-fi movie set.

On another level, judging from the number of them he's done, these Chiluly installations must be a windfall for botanical gardens. The Phipps was packed on our Saturday afternoon visit as if it were a Matisse exhibit at the Modern. More power to them all!

Labels: Fallingwater Chiluy Phipps Conservatory