self-archive part ten
California Academy of Science; Monday is the day the Exploratorium is closed. I went to a museum that I felt "spoke" to my museum today with my great friend. We took the BART downtown and then emerged from underground and began to walk. Oh and P.S., it was completely pouring. I was feeling pretty down on my choice of coat/poncho. You see, I had thought San Francisco was far enough north to be cold. In that school of thought, I didn't bring my rain coat or jacket, but instead brought two polar fleece ponchos. Layered they are very warm, and both keep you dry in the rain. One has a hood, but is khaki (mmech), and the other has no hood but is green. Maybe you have seen said "ponchos"? At any rate, I really should've brought my raincoat and a jacket. End of story.
We emerged and walked down believed street (in the wrong direction) getting very wet. The rainy season has begun here, and with it I am ushered into San Francisco's changing of the wheel. I feel more and more at ease here......especially after today's breakfast. I ate at this place called Boogaloo's, and it was mighty delicious. It was on Valencia, nearish to the Mission and 21st BART stop. I had a the Classic and it had the most delicious vegetarian herb gravy ever. Really. On a biscuit.
After asking a knowledgeable San Franciscan, we determined which was to actually walk to get to the Museum. After several wet blocks, we arrived.
From the outside, I was already getting ready for something big. I had looked at the website, and it seemed potentially wonderful. Instead, I found something that didn't even have that beautiful "museumness". No esta el jefe museo. We walked in and instantly you are put out onto Dinosaurs. I rather liked this. Its what most people want to see, right? Haven't we all been obsessed with dinosaurs at some point or another? I was. I got great ideas for drawing/watercoloring at another time (when I am finally home), but felt very unsatisfied with the depiction. Many things were below eye level or was above. I felt like I wasn't represented in the perspectives of the space. Which is odd, but I am a middler, and am normally catered to. There were a few spaces where you can touch fossils, which were very very smooth. Like a river rock smooth. But the displays showed the dinosaurs really de-contextualized, in every way. There was one big plastic ecosystem recreation, but it looked so dated, that it really held no authority. It reminded me of national parks visitor center. I have been to several and without fail they have some type of recreation of "what it must've looked like" - yeah, if everything was made of plastic. I guess we are getting pretty close to that , huh?
The Steinhardt Aquarium was sharing this same tiny temporary space. I didn't expect that and was pretty thrown off mentally when i went straight from Dinosaurs to fish and then to specimens. I really felt like the botanical world was underrepresented (I do have a bias). In general, there wasn't much to see. What was present, didn't inspire curiousity, it proposed to present fact. However, they did bring up issues of eating sustainable seafood. There was a free guide for choosing sustainable seafood, but its rack was empty. The workers there wore aprons and had one tidal pool demonstration area, that had a counter and was surrounded by tide pool recreated tanks. The workers seemed relaxed but like they were talking about personal problems.
Throughout the experience, Blake and I were left to wonder "How happy were the animals that were there, actually?" I suppose that as with the penguins, some are bred in that captive life, before they were felt stronger and then let back into the wild (it was the same for some fish). At least thats not permanent. There was no real interactivity, and I felt like none of the exhibits spoke with one another. A giant assemblage.
Blake says that in "the old museum, there was a traveling exhibit of skulls. Their permanent collection was three times the size. They had a Planetarium. Their cramming of animals into cages to maximize space was offensive. It felt tailored to the Museum district aesthetics. I am excited about the new plans for the building. It looks potentially incredible."
The new building, which plans to be finished in 2008, is to be the largest "green" building on earth. I felt like that spoke to the CAB redesign and its mighty mighty (expensive) waterfall. It will have an undulating living roof and be back in the Golden Gate Park. I realize that the museum is in a time of transition and really understand the choices they made on what to exhibit. Everyone wants to see dinosaurs bones and live penguins. The Aquarium is probably also popular so they have to include components of that. The Naturalist center was also open on a much smaller scale, and had the most to offer about the museum. I am not sure how much wonder or resonance in its current state the California Academy of Science has. There was no logical flow; although it is one long continuous narrative of life on earth. Seeing dinosaurs and bizarre fish inspire wonder but there aren't opportunities throughout the spaces for extra information or where to take your additional questions. As far as controversy, it did address some things that could fit into this category: 1) that big dinosaurs like the T-Rex couldn't run fast because they are simply too big to move like that. They have a display that is working to dispel some of the ideas the movie "Jurassic Park" invented. 2) that even though the T-Rex is the most commonly known dinosaur there have only been 11 skeletons found which suggests they were fairly rare. 3) that fish harvesting for consumption is degrading the oceanic ecosystem and that making choices at a consumer level contribute to remediation.
Due to the conditions of being in the middle of the remodel, my experience at the California Academy of Sciences was deeply affected. I will go visit the new space though when it opens. Observing the visitors kind of made me ill. Sometimes that happens at the Exploratorium, where I just see parents being so something, what's the word...? I don't know what to call it, but I see many adults putting a load on their children's shoulders. Parents don't necessarily know answers to questions children might come up with about marine life or really any one of the exhibits. Frank Oppenheimer (who I am getting pretty into) talks of the importance of helping to provide an environment where confidence and questioning can flourish. I did not feel as if this place supported those things. The Gift shop even seemed less meaningful. Sounds strange, I know. It looked like the tame version of the Exploratorium's gift shop. Very tame.
I really enjoyed the dinosaur bones, and was inspired by them. After spending all my time at the Exploratorium, this place seemed pretty old-school. A quiet atmosphere where there is a line between what you see and how everything gets there.
I felt like I needed to really see a museum after that. We toyed with the idea of going to the SF MOMA, which eventually ended in me flipping a coin in the lobby of the MoAD. The Museum of the African Diaspora is where we went and I really enjoyed it. I wasn't particularly interested in any of the exhibits, but was interested in the museum itself. By the end, there was something I deeply appreciated about all of the exhibits. I watched this "movie" on Toussaint L'Overture, and it was really interesting on many levels that all sound critical, so just ask me later if you are interested. Cornell West does speak in it, a redemptive factor.
The museum as a whole, filled its space beautifully. Everything felt like it had the space to breath. There was not necessarily any interactivity available, but you did get to push some buttons and choose what you wanted to hear about. I felt like the museum spoke to true culture, namely food, music, art, and leaders. The way everything was mounted was very artful, and the furniture (hey Marcie, wink wink) and benches were "African" or really hyper-modern (i.e. clear plastic cafe type chairs). Upturned basket, solemn printed cushion bench, I sit, I sit.
The gift shop had mostly what appeared to be artisan looking crafts, but to be honest they were closing, and I didn't want to cramp their flow.
Then we went to Cafe Prague, in North Beach, and had cappuccinos and some blueberry coffee cake-y type thing with a lil' bit of ice cream and chocolate syrup. We laughed hysterically the whole way about the different aspects of our existences and got wet although we did have one very "janky" umbrella. We have all learned a new word today "janky" which means something similar to "jacked up". When things are torn up or broken/maimed/abused and very much showing it. I really liked that place, but we eventually left and went to City Lights. This was my first time in said bookstore. I have read about it for over a decade now, and finally stepped through its jamb. It has a good bookstore-y-ness, and thankfully it was raining, so it was the perfect bookstore weather. I tried to look for a good chapbook to get, but there system of categorization for them and displaying seemed blah and I became frustrated. I went upstairs to the poetry room. I liked that it had signs saying pull up a chair. I several books I wanted, but I am trying to limit my expenditures at this time, and just bought the greatest book. Its called "A Cabinet of Natural Curiosities" and is a huge Taschen(TM) color plates book of scientific illustrations ranging from anemones to snakes. I am very excited about utilizing its amazing-ness when I have some quality studio time. I do not know how I am going to get it home. I have been reading and watching a lot of things about Frank Oppenheimer, and its been really interesting. He's one of those people I wonder why haven't I known about him (and his brother) before? Oh, right because he was an official communist for 5 years - is that it? I don't really know, I'm just guessing. He has solid ideas, and it seems as though he lived them.
We emerged and walked down believed street (in the wrong direction) getting very wet. The rainy season has begun here, and with it I am ushered into San Francisco's changing of the wheel. I feel more and more at ease here......especially after today's breakfast. I ate at this place called Boogaloo's, and it was mighty delicious. It was on Valencia, nearish to the Mission and 21st BART stop. I had a the Classic and it had the most delicious vegetarian herb gravy ever. Really. On a biscuit.
After asking a knowledgeable San Franciscan, we determined which was to actually walk to get to the Museum. After several wet blocks, we arrived.
From the outside, I was already getting ready for something big. I had looked at the website, and it seemed potentially wonderful. Instead, I found something that didn't even have that beautiful "museumness". No esta el jefe museo. We walked in and instantly you are put out onto Dinosaurs. I rather liked this. Its what most people want to see, right? Haven't we all been obsessed with dinosaurs at some point or another? I was. I got great ideas for drawing/watercoloring at another time (when I am finally home), but felt very unsatisfied with the depiction. Many things were below eye level or was above. I felt like I wasn't represented in the perspectives of the space. Which is odd, but I am a middler, and am normally catered to. There were a few spaces where you can touch fossils, which were very very smooth. Like a river rock smooth. But the displays showed the dinosaurs really de-contextualized, in every way. There was one big plastic ecosystem recreation, but it looked so dated, that it really held no authority. It reminded me of national parks visitor center. I have been to several and without fail they have some type of recreation of "what it must've looked like" - yeah, if everything was made of plastic. I guess we are getting pretty close to that , huh?
The Steinhardt Aquarium was sharing this same tiny temporary space. I didn't expect that and was pretty thrown off mentally when i went straight from Dinosaurs to fish and then to specimens. I really felt like the botanical world was underrepresented (I do have a bias). In general, there wasn't much to see. What was present, didn't inspire curiousity, it proposed to present fact. However, they did bring up issues of eating sustainable seafood. There was a free guide for choosing sustainable seafood, but its rack was empty. The workers there wore aprons and had one tidal pool demonstration area, that had a counter and was surrounded by tide pool recreated tanks. The workers seemed relaxed but like they were talking about personal problems.
Throughout the experience, Blake and I were left to wonder "How happy were the animals that were there, actually?" I suppose that as with the penguins, some are bred in that captive life, before they were felt stronger and then let back into the wild (it was the same for some fish). At least thats not permanent. There was no real interactivity, and I felt like none of the exhibits spoke with one another. A giant assemblage.
Blake says that in "the old museum, there was a traveling exhibit of skulls. Their permanent collection was three times the size. They had a Planetarium. Their cramming of animals into cages to maximize space was offensive. It felt tailored to the Museum district aesthetics. I am excited about the new plans for the building. It looks potentially incredible."
The new building, which plans to be finished in 2008, is to be the largest "green" building on earth. I felt like that spoke to the CAB redesign and its mighty mighty (expensive) waterfall. It will have an undulating living roof and be back in the Golden Gate Park. I realize that the museum is in a time of transition and really understand the choices they made on what to exhibit. Everyone wants to see dinosaurs bones and live penguins. The Aquarium is probably also popular so they have to include components of that. The Naturalist center was also open on a much smaller scale, and had the most to offer about the museum. I am not sure how much wonder or resonance in its current state the California Academy of Science has. There was no logical flow; although it is one long continuous narrative of life on earth. Seeing dinosaurs and bizarre fish inspire wonder but there aren't opportunities throughout the spaces for extra information or where to take your additional questions. As far as controversy, it did address some things that could fit into this category: 1) that big dinosaurs like the T-Rex couldn't run fast because they are simply too big to move like that. They have a display that is working to dispel some of the ideas the movie "Jurassic Park" invented. 2) that even though the T-Rex is the most commonly known dinosaur there have only been 11 skeletons found which suggests they were fairly rare. 3) that fish harvesting for consumption is degrading the oceanic ecosystem and that making choices at a consumer level contribute to remediation.
Due to the conditions of being in the middle of the remodel, my experience at the California Academy of Sciences was deeply affected. I will go visit the new space though when it opens. Observing the visitors kind of made me ill. Sometimes that happens at the Exploratorium, where I just see parents being so something, what's the word...? I don't know what to call it, but I see many adults putting a load on their children's shoulders. Parents don't necessarily know answers to questions children might come up with about marine life or really any one of the exhibits. Frank Oppenheimer (who I am getting pretty into) talks of the importance of helping to provide an environment where confidence and questioning can flourish. I did not feel as if this place supported those things. The Gift shop even seemed less meaningful. Sounds strange, I know. It looked like the tame version of the Exploratorium's gift shop. Very tame.
I really enjoyed the dinosaur bones, and was inspired by them. After spending all my time at the Exploratorium, this place seemed pretty old-school. A quiet atmosphere where there is a line between what you see and how everything gets there.
I felt like I needed to really see a museum after that. We toyed with the idea of going to the SF MOMA, which eventually ended in me flipping a coin in the lobby of the MoAD. The Museum of the African Diaspora is where we went and I really enjoyed it. I wasn't particularly interested in any of the exhibits, but was interested in the museum itself. By the end, there was something I deeply appreciated about all of the exhibits. I watched this "movie" on Toussaint L'Overture, and it was really interesting on many levels that all sound critical, so just ask me later if you are interested. Cornell West does speak in it, a redemptive factor.
The museum as a whole, filled its space beautifully. Everything felt like it had the space to breath. There was not necessarily any interactivity available, but you did get to push some buttons and choose what you wanted to hear about. I felt like the museum spoke to true culture, namely food, music, art, and leaders. The way everything was mounted was very artful, and the furniture (hey Marcie, wink wink) and benches were "African" or really hyper-modern (i.e. clear plastic cafe type chairs). Upturned basket, solemn printed cushion bench, I sit, I sit.
The gift shop had mostly what appeared to be artisan looking crafts, but to be honest they were closing, and I didn't want to cramp their flow.
Then we went to Cafe Prague, in North Beach, and had cappuccinos and some blueberry coffee cake-y type thing with a lil' bit of ice cream and chocolate syrup. We laughed hysterically the whole way about the different aspects of our existences and got wet although we did have one very "janky" umbrella. We have all learned a new word today "janky" which means something similar to "jacked up". When things are torn up or broken/maimed/abused and very much showing it. I really liked that place, but we eventually left and went to City Lights. This was my first time in said bookstore. I have read about it for over a decade now, and finally stepped through its jamb. It has a good bookstore-y-ness, and thankfully it was raining, so it was the perfect bookstore weather. I tried to look for a good chapbook to get, but there system of categorization for them and displaying seemed blah and I became frustrated. I went upstairs to the poetry room. I liked that it had signs saying pull up a chair. I several books I wanted, but I am trying to limit my expenditures at this time, and just bought the greatest book. Its called "A Cabinet of Natural Curiosities" and is a huge Taschen(TM) color plates book of scientific illustrations ranging from anemones to snakes. I am very excited about utilizing its amazing-ness when I have some quality studio time. I do not know how I am going to get it home. I have been reading and watching a lot of things about Frank Oppenheimer, and its been really interesting. He's one of those people I wonder why haven't I known about him (and his brother) before? Oh, right because he was an official communist for 5 years - is that it? I don't really know, I'm just guessing. He has solid ideas, and it seems as though he lived them.
Comments