picking cichorium

I found out about Eliasson’s installation on the East River, The New York Waterfalls, from NYT. I surely deemed the project interesting, but did not read up on it due to the lack of time. Several days ago, I rode in a cab with a friend, saw The Waterfalls, and started babbling away about public art, telling the engineer type about the Running Fence of Christo and Jeanne Claude. “Nah, but how does it work and how much electricity are they wasting on it?” – he asked the questions that naturally popped up in his head. Well, the website dedicated to the project does tell us how the waterfalls were installed, how they work, but keeps quiet about the energy consumption. Apparently, the answer is “A LOT” since the project is reported to be the second most expensive in the city’s history. Whether a part of the money does come from the city’s budget, or all of it is from the Public Art Fund and other organizations, let us rejoice for the minor spending boost, since the economic stimulus package does not seem to be doing its job. According to The Economist, apparently the “consumers are planning to spend only somewhere between 20% and 40% of the rebate. The rest will go towards paying down debt or into savings accounts” (“Stimulus and Shopping,” The Economist, May 29th, 2008).

Jokes aside, I recommend to see the four beasts driving on the FDR or riding the Q train. I will spare you of the blackberry pictures of the project, since it is best seen live or on the pictures by the pros.

I think there is a pressing need to create an “unbelievable, but absolutely true” category over here.

Two things that cought not only my eye, but also lots of my attention this week were the “Big Brain Theory” and a BBC article about genetic experiments in Taiwan. It appears that the cosmologists are having a Hylas-Philonous dialogue all over, and the Taiwanese will soon enjoy a new barn lighting system.

Indeed, the world is a fascinating place. I am not intelligent enough to carry a conversation with any peer or student of Mr. Hawking, but the NYT article gave me acute flashbacks to “The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” Boltzmann brains seem like something one would definitely find on the Heart of Gold, however probable the cosmologists think they are :)

One of my idiosyncratic friends is quirky Ms. Hu, the face behind the Oddfishie designs. Michele is a New York based jewelry designer. Check out some of her things on stylism.com. If you are interested to see her works live, I will probably wear these earrings every day for the next open-ended forever, so come closer and check them out when you see me next time.

A friend who runs a non-profit is putting up an interesting event. if you are in NYC this Fri, come hang.