Often today it seems the line between follies and works of art in public places, is increasingly blurred. With fewer opportunities to build permanent follies, in urban environments, artists and architects are constructing temporary sculptures and fanciful buildings which reference the past and the future to stir our imagination. One such artist is the Auckland [...]
Archive for November, 2007
Eerie fusion of past and present
Posted in Folly-esque, Modern Folly, Retro folly, Uncategorized, tagged architecture, artwork, Folly, public art on November 27, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Lupercal grotto found under Rome
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged ancient rome, architecture, Folly, grotto, lupercal, lupercale, mosaic, palatine, shells on November 20, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Remote control camera image of grotto under the Palatine Hill in Rome OK it’s not a modern folly, in fact it’s an ancient grotto but it’s only just been found and I am so excited I have to include it here. My favourite follies are artificial grottoes, decorated with shells, which were “reinvented” during the [...]
Flights of Fancy
Posted in Build Your Own, Folly-esque, Modern Folly, tagged airplane house, architecture, Folly on November 18, 2007 | 1 Comment »
The Airplane House Nigeria by Said Jammal Strictly speaking a folly should be a building with no useful purpose. So houses don’t really qualify, or do they? What if the convention that form follows function has been completely abandoned, if the builder has not just torn up the form book but comprehensively trashed it to realise [...]
Pure Folly but Fun
Posted in Build Your Own, Folly-esque, Modern Folly, Retro folly, tagged architecture, Folly, grotto, shed on November 13, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
If you fancy a modern garden folly, but lack the imagination or time, to build one, you can always consult the folly designer Phil Game. Phil’s work has recently been brought to my attention by Shedworking and includes some very cheerful and eccentric sheds. But his scope is wider than that. Pictured above is a folly [...]
“Look within yourself and welcome the light”
Posted in Folly-esque, Modern Folly, Uncategorized, tagged architecture, Folly, grotto, sky space, skyspace, turrell on November 1, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
The Sky Spaces of James Turrell (1943-) I first encountered Kielder Forest, in northern Northumberland many years ago when I was walking the Pennine Way. It was impressive but rather soulless with the conifer plantations smothering the original landscape. At that time the reservoir was under construction. I first encountered the “sky spaces” of James [...]
