Posted in Uncategorized on November 3, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
At first glance I thought this must be in North Africa and the top was a small minaret. However it turns out it is in Sultana in California and is believed to resemble a moonshine jug. There is also an asian perfume called Sultana. So the resonances are considerable.
Apparently the fact that it is [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on November 3, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
In theory follies should be buildings without any practical use. In practice of course many can be used for sitting, admiring the view and enjoying a spot of liquid refreshment.
Taken to its logical extreme therefore (and what are follies if not extreme), why not design your refreshment room to resemble the refreshment you take there.
Hence [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on July 2, 2009 | 1 Comment »
OK so it is a flight of fantasy rather than a folly but what a flight!
Inspired by a visit to the Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya, Brecon resident Gavin Hogg has sculpted the overgrown hedge around his garden into a herd of topiary elephants.
Mr Hogg spent two days crafting the seven adults [...]
Posted in Modern Folly, Uncategorized, tagged architecture, chalet, Folly on February 17, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Case di Libri No 1
Livio De Marchi is a man obsessed with wood. The Italian carver was born in Venezia where, still a child, he worked on ornamental sculpture in the Venetian tradition in the workshop of a joiner and studied art and drawing at the “Accademia di Belle Arti” in Venice.
During his artistic evolution [...]
Posted in Modern Folly, Uncategorized, tagged architecture, concrete tree, Folly, treehouse on February 9, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The Hang Nga Hotel in Vietnam
This offbeat hotel in Dalat in Vietnam goes by various names, among them The Spider Web Chalet, the Hang Nga Tree House and the Crazy House, depending on who you ask.
It is in fact a hotel, designed by Dang Viet Na, a former model and daughter of Truong Chinh, the [...]
Posted in Folly-esque, Modern Folly, Retro folly, Uncategorized, tagged architecture, artwork, Folly, public art on November 27, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
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 based [...]
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 Renaissance in [...]
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 Turrell, nearly [...]
Posted in Folly-esque, Modern Folly, Uncategorized, tagged Modern Folly, viewing platform on October 28, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
The Boston Pendulum
Two themes have converged of late in these pages – bikes and the flat Lincolnshire coast of England’s eastern seaboard.
Back in September I blogged about the Nonument – a bike shed in the seaside resort of Schrevenige, in Holland (this is the spelling on the architects’ website but a Dutch friend tells me [...]
Posted in Modern Folly, Retro folly, Uncategorized, tagged architecture, Folly, observation, Tower on October 20, 2007 | Leave a Comment »
Hurlestone Tower, Lilburn, Northumberland
Several new folly towers were put up to commemorate the new Millennium in 2000. This tower, at Lilburn in Northumberland is again, not really a folly as it is designed as an observation point and a venue for conferences and meetings. (There are even, whisper it, kitchen units inside.)
Nevertheless it is very [...]
