The architecture of London is presented almost by all architectural styles: from the baroque and art-deco to a postmodernism and hi-tech. Many medieval buildings have not saved because of the Great fire of 1666 which has destroyed more than 13,000 London buildings, and air-bombardments during the Second World War.
The Norman architecture to England was brought by William the Conqueror. From constructions of Norman style is known the London Tower which has started to be constructed by William the Conqueror and was repeatedly completed by other British Kings. Besides in the same style is executed the Westminster Hall constructed in 1097. At that point in time it was the biggest hall in Europe.
Norman Architectural Style for London
One of the brightest samples of this architectural style is the Westminster Abbey. Other samples of this period in London have not remained. The XIX-century is the time of the variety of architectural styles. In the neo-Gothic Style is constructed the well-known building of Parliament with Big Ben Tower. This building has been constructed after a fire on October, 16th, 1834 on a place of the old Westminster palace.
London City Hall by Fosters + Partners
In the XX-century in a London City there were skyscrapers: the Shard by Renzo Piano, the Lloyd’s of London, a mega-complex the Canary Wharf (Docklands). Norman Foster became the leading British architect, he constructed skyscraper SwissRe or 30 St Mary Axe and the New City Hall (the mayor house).
Architecture in London, 8 out of 10 [based on 540 votes]
Iraq's government is investigating reports that the ancient archaeological site of Khorsabad in northern Iraq is the latest to be attacked by the Islamic State militant group.
The foundations of an ancient palace in the Assyrian city of Khorsabad which has reportedly been looted and destroyed by Islamic State militants near the Iraqi city of Mosul [Credit: Polaris]
Adel Shirshab, the country's tourism and antiquities minister, told The Associated Press there are concerns the militants will remove artifacts and damage the site, located 15 kilometers (9 miles) northeast of Mosul. Saeed Mamuzini, a Kurdish official from Mosul, told the AP that the militants had already begun demolishing the Khorsabad site on Sunday, citing multiple witnesses.
On Friday, the group razed 3,000-year old Nimrud and on Saturday, they bulldozed 2,000-year old Hatra — both UNESCO world heritage sites. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has called the destruction a "war crime," and a statement by his spokesman on Sunday night said Ban was "outraged by the continuing destruction of cultural heritage in Iraq" by theIslamic State group.
Khorsabad was constructed as a new capital of Assyria by King Sargon II shortly after he came to power in 721 B.C. and abandoned after his death in 705 B.C. It features a 24-meter thick wall with a stone foundation and seven gates.
Since it was a single-era capital, few objects linked to Sargon II himself were found. However, the site is renowned for shedding light on Assyrian art and architecture.
The sculptured stone slabs that once lined the palace walls are now displayed in museums in Baghdad, Paris, London and Chicago.
The Islamic State group currently controls about a third of Iraq and Syria. The Sunni extremist group has been campaigning to purge ancient relics they say promote idolatry that violates their fundamentalist interpretation of Islamic law. A video released last week shows them smashing artifacts in the Mosul museum and in January, the group burned hundreds of books from the Mosul library and Mosul University, including many rare manuscripts.
At a press conference earlier Sunday, Shirshab said they have called for an extraordinary session of the U.N. Security Council to address the crisis in Iraq.
"The world should bear the responsibility and put an end to the atrocities of the militants, otherwise I think the terrorist groups will continue with their violent acts," he said.
For the earliest Egyptologists, a trip to the Egyptian Museum in Turin was considered indispensable. The museum's new director is seeking to return the almost 200-year-old museum to its one-time prominence, boosted by an overhaul of the collection and exhibit space of near-pharaonic proportions.
The inner coffin of Kha is seen at the Egyptian Museum of Turin, Italy, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 [Credit: AP/Antonio Calanni]
Museum director Christian Greco, who arrived in Turin 10 months ago, well into an ambitious five-year reinstallation of the museum's considerable treasures, aims to make the Egyptian Museum the second-most important in the world, after Cairo.
"Our museum needs to be back on the international scene," Greco said in an interview in front of the ancient Temple of Ellesjia on Tuesday, as the museum showed off its five-year, 50-million-euro ($53.6-million) reinstallation. `'For too many years we have been absent. For too many years, the focus has been on building and renovating the museum."
The coffin of Tabakenkhonsu is displayed at the Egyptian Museum of Turin, Italy, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 [Credit: AP/Antonio Calanni]
The museum, founded in 1824, is filled with treasures found in digs commissioned by Savoy kings and completed with the finds of Italian Egyptologist Ernesto Schiaparelli. The vast holdings include a captivating statue of Ramses II, one of the world's most important papyrus collections and nearly the entire contents of an architect's tomb dating back well over 3,000 years.
The large-scale renovations nearly doubled the space, allowing many artifacts to be taken out of storage and a more complete and modern exposition of those already on display. The museum remained open during the years of work, rotating closures of wings.
Ancient Egyptian statues are displayed at the Egyptian Museum of Turin, Italy, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 [Credit: AP/Antonio Calanni]
"It is a very important improvement from an archaeological and Egyptological point of view," said Guillemette Andreu, former director of Egyptology at the Louvre in Paris and member of the Turin Egyptian Museum board who toured the museum on Tuesday. She praised the chronological organization of the reinstallation from the 4th century B.C. to the Coptic period, new lighting and modern showcases.
Andreu said the Turin collection is unique because alongside masterpieces, it includes many objects that describe daily lives, funerary customs, religion as well as architecture and philosophy. "Even if you are not a scholar of Egypt, you can see how great this civilization was," she said.
A visitor walks at the Egyptian Museum of Turin, Italy, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 [Credit: AP/Antonio Calanni]
The revamp puts the 6,500 objects on display in their archaeological context, transforming it from what Greco called `'an encyclopedia of Egyptology from A to Z," and includes 3-D films using historical photos that depict the moment of discovery.
"Turin has a fantastic collection and an incredible history, and to have it redisplayed in a modern museological way is fantastic," said Neal Spencer of the British Museum, who attended the Turin museum's opening and is on the advisory board. `'It is a very immersive experience. The collection really can tell the story of Egypt across several millennia."
The coffin of Merit, architect Kha's wife, is seen at the Egyptian Museum of Turin, Italy, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 [Credit: AP/Antonio Calanni]
The museum already belongs on the European itinerary of any Egyptologist, amateur or otherwise, along with the British Museum in London, the Louvre in Paris and the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection in Berlin. But Greco's ambition is to make it a more integral part of the scientific community, restoring its standing to the one it enjoyed when one of Egyptology's founding figures, Jean-Francois Champollion, famously declared: `'The road to Memphis and Thebes passes through Turin."
Greco, a 39-year-old Italian who was previously at the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, the Netherlands, announced on Tuesday that the Turin museum in May will join an ongoing, 40-year-old dig in Saqqara, Egypt, that was founded by his former employer and the University of Leiden. Greco is also working on a coffin project with the Vatican and trying to organize a joint exposition of artifacts from the craftsmen's village of Medina with the Louvre.
A cameraman shoots an ancient Egyptian statue at the Egyptian Museum of Turin, Italy, Tuesday, March 31, 2015 [Credit: AP/Antonio Calanni]
"I suspect Greco has a lot of irons in the fire that are going to be very exciting that will be of real benefit to Egyptology and to world culture," said Kara Cooney at the University of California, Los Angeles, who will be traveling to Turin in June to look at the museum's coffins.
The museum is among the top 10 visited in Italy, with a record 567,000 visitors last year. Greco could like to increase that to more than 700,000. The opening of the expanded museum a month before the Expo 2015 world's fair in Milan, just a 40-minute train ride away, is expected to bring a boon in visitors, along with the rare exposition of the Shroud of Turin from April 19-June 24.
More information:
EGYPTIAN MUSEUM: Turin, Italy. Tuesday-Sunday, 8:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Full admission, 13 euros.
Author: Colleen Barry | Source: The Associated Press [March 31, 2015]
The remains of a Norman castle similar to the Tower of London have been found buried under the court of a disused prison.
The remains of a medieval keep have been discovered under the exercise yard and basketball court of Gloucester Prison. Archaeologists say the keep, which had walls up to 12 feet wide and measured around 100 feet in length, would have resembled the Tower of London [Credit: Andrew Higgins/SWINS]
The old walls of the keep, dating back to 1110, were unearthed by archaeologists investigating the site in the centre of Gloucester before it is redeveloped.
The castle was the first in Gloucester to be built of stone and housed three chapels, two drawbridges and a royal chamber for both the King and Queen.
Neil Holbrook, chief executive of Cotswold Archaeology, said: "I am surprised by what we found.
"I knew there was a castle but I had expected more of it to have been destroyed."
He said the design was thought to have resembled Canterbury cathedral and the Tower of London.
The castle keep was around 100 feet long and 65 feet across, according to archaeologists. It housed three chapels, two drawbridges and a royal chamber for both the King and Queen. Archaeologist said they were 'surprised' so much of the walls had survived beneath the prison's basketball court [Credit: Andrew Higgins/SWINS]
He added: "It would have been a powerful symbol of Norman architecture.
"As you came to Gloucester you would have seen the cathedral and the castle, which is representative of how important the city was in Norman Britain."
The keep wall, which is 12 foot wide, was found just 60cm below the basketball court that would have been used by prisoners.
The keep itself is estimated to have been 30m long and 20m across, indicating how big the actual castle was.
It was used as the city jail for two hundred years prior before the prison was built in 1780 and the castle was demolished.
Archaeologists had assumed the castle had been totally destroyed when it was demolished in the 18th century. They said the remains give an idea of how important Gloucester was in Norman England [Credit: Andrew Higgins/SWINS]
The remains of the walls had been buried for more than 200 years.
Gloucester Prison closed in March 2013 and was bought by City and Country Group, which is running a public consultation on its future use.
It is not yet decided what elements of the castle will be taken into account when constructing the new build.
City and Country are considering what to do with the site and as a result of the dig finds they have altered plans to include elements of the sites history.
From the Old Coal Station to the Modern Housing Complex
In many cities of the world directly in the city center there are the power stations. However, in London are going to transform old power station into quite modern multipurpose complex.
In London practically in city center directly on the bank of Thames there is an old coal power station. Because the such awful smoking monster is absolutely bad for center of London, the old station was been closed. And now, plan to convert this place into a multipurpose complex where will be: luxury apartments, hotels, showrooms, cafe, fitness clubs, fashion boutiques etc.
Modern London Apartments
Architectural company «Rafael Viñoly Architects» has received the grant from «The UK's Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment» on creation of the project of reorganization of old coal factory in the center of London in a modern multipurpose complex. This power station, certainly, will remain, as a history monument. Here there will be the 1st non-polluting energy office-center. Thus, power station will still develop energy, truth, now by means of solar batteries and wind turbines.
Round this building will the whole micro-district of new infrastructure: modern offices, new shops, sports arenas. Besides it, in plan to create the new station of the London underground. An excellent example of the modern utilization of the old infrastructural projects.
Opening April 27 (and running until July 24, 2016) at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the landmark international loan exhibition Court and Cosmos: The Great Age of the Seljuqs features spectacular works of art created in the 11th through 13th century from Turkmenistan to the Mediterranean.
One of the most productive periods in the history of the region from Iran to Anatolia (in modern Turkey) corresponds to the rule of the Seljuqs and their immediate successors, from 1038 to 1307.
The Seljuqs were a Turkic dynasty of Central Asian nomadic origin that established a vast, but decentralized and relatively short-lived, empire in West Asia (present-day Turkmenistan, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey).
Astrolabe, A.D. 1102–1103 [Credit: MET/Museo Galileo: Institute and Museum of the History of Science, Florence]
Under Seljuq rule, the exchange and synthesis of diverse traditions—including Turkmen, Perso-Arabo-Islamic, Byzantine, Armenian, Crusader, and other Christian cultures—accompanied economic prosperity, advances in science and technology, and a great flowering of culture within the realm.
Approximately 270 objects—including ceramics, glass, stucco, works on paper, woodwork, textiles, and metalwork—from American, European, and Middle Eastern public and private collections are shown. Many of the institutions have never lent works from their collections before. Among the highlights are a dozen important loans from Turkmenistan—the exhibition marks the first time that Turkmenistan as an independent country has permitted an extended loan of a group of historical objects to a museum in the United States.
Head of a Central Asian Figure, 12th–13th century [Credit: MET/Purchase, Friends of Islamic Art Gifts, 2014]
Under the Great Seljuqs of Iran, the middle class prospered, spurring arts patronage, technological advancements, and a market for luxury goods. In contrast, in Anatolia, Syria, and the Jazira (northwestern Iraq, northeastern Syria, and southeastern Turkey)—which were controlled by the Seljuq successor dynasties (Rum Seljuqs, Artuqids, and Zangids)—art was produced under royal patronage, and Islamic iconography was introduced to a predominantly Christian area.
Furthermore, a number of artists had immigrated to the region from Iran in response to the Mongol conquest in 1220. Because patrons, consumers, and artists came from diverse cultural, religious, and artistic backgrounds, distinctive arts were produced and flourished in the western parts of the Seljuq realm.
Double-Page Frontispiece from a Kitab al-Diryaq (Book of Antidotes), A.D. 1198–99 [Credit: MET/Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris]
Exhibition Overview
Arranged thematically, the exhibition opens with a display of artifacts that name the Seljuq sultans and members of the ruling elite. In Central Asia and Iran, inscriptions appeared on coins and architecture. Stucco reliefs representing royal guards, amirs, and courtiers serve to evoke the courts of the Great Seljuq rulers whose names did not appear on objects.
In Anatolia, Syria, and the Jazira, names of Seljuq successor rulers and images appeared on a range of objects. Here, the famous 12th-century cloisonné dish bearing the name of Rukn al-Dawla Dawud, a leader of the Artuqids, is featured.
Standing Figure with Jeweled Headdress, 12th–early 13th century [Credit: MET/Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Lester Wolfe, 1967]
In the second section, the courtly environment and activities associated with the sultans and their courtiers appear on stucco reliefs, ceramics, metalwork, and other media. While depictions of the Seljuq elite on these works were not intended as actual portraits, the distinctive Central Asian facial type was a standard of beauty under Seljuq rule.
The earliest extant manuscript of the Shahnama (Book of Kings)—the Persian national epic—created in Anatolia in 1217 is a highlight of this section. Additionally, the remarkable Blacas ewer, with its myriad details of life connected to the court, is prominently exhibited.
Seated Figure with Jeweled Headdress, 12th–early 13th century [Credit: MET/Victoria and Albert Museum, London]
The three centuries under Seljuq rule were also a period of inventions; and the many advances in science, medicine, and technology were reflected in the manuscripts, scientific instruments, and medical implements of the time. Pages from the early 13th-century illustrated manuscript The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices feature some of the fanciful inventions of the Muslim polymath and creative genius Ibn al-Razzaz al-Jazari, whose inventions ranged from clocks and water wheels to automata (robots).
Also noteworthy is an early Islamic astrolabe. (Among the many things that could be determined by means of this complex navigational instrument was the direction of Mecca, and hence the direction of prayer.) Also on view is an intricate pharmacy box with separate compartments for musk, camphor, and other ingredients typical of the medieval pharmacopoeia.
"Sultan Ghiyath al-DIn Muhammad I b. Malik Shah Enthroned", folio from a Majma al-tavarikh (Assembly of Histories) of Hafiz-i Abru, ca. 1425 [Credit: MET/Yale University Art Gallery, Gift of Mary Burns Foss]
Seljuq art abounds with depictions of real, mythological, and hybrid animals on objects large and small. Animal combat was a favorite theme in Iranian art. The double-headed eagle was adopted as the standard of the Seljuq successor states in Anatolia and the Jazira. Harpies (composite creatures having the body of a bird and the face of a human) and sphinxes (beasts with the body of a lion, face of a human, and occasionally the wings of a bird) appear frequently.
The exquisite Vaso Vescovali—a lidded bowl engraved and inlaid with silver and decorated with complex astrological imagery—features eight personifications of planets on the lid along with the 12 signs of the zodiac and their associated planets on the base, within a profusion of other ornamentation.
The Seljuqs actively promoted Sunni Islam throughout their territory, building madrasas and mosques, and sponsoring the production of Qur’ans and other religious texts. A number of rare and beautifully ornamented examples of the book arts from the time of the Seljuqs are on view. In Syria, the Jazira, and Anatolia—where the majority of the local population, including some of the ruling elite, was Christian—artifacts bearing Christian iconography continued to be made. And a ritual vessel from Georgia, with a Hebrew inscription, attests to the presence of Jewish populations as well. The same artists often served various religious communities. Hence, the styles and artistic traditions of one group merged with those of another.
The sixth and final section of the exhibition focuses on the funerary arts. A variety of tomb markers, cenotaphs, funerary furniture, and patterned textiles discovered in Seljuq tombs are shown. In a proper Muslim burial, the deceased is wrapped in two or three sheets of plain white cloth; the presence of expensive textiles in a funerary context indicates that popular customs and official practice differed significantly.
The exhibition is made possible by the NoRuz at The Met Fund and the Iranian-American Community.
Source: Metropolitan Museum, New York [April 30, 2016]
I promised a break-down on Chris Nolan’s latest project, Inception, and here it is. Complete with confirmed news, rumours and cast list. Prepare to become enthused, nay, extremely intrigued.
Batman fans went into cardiac arrest last year when Nolan announced his next film would not be a third Batman instalment, rather a film he had written several years earlier. Details of the plot are being keep under tighter wraps than Tutankhamen with the actors forbidden to give away any of the details.
When asked about the movie by MTV recently, cast member and my favourite Joseph Gordon-Levitt had this to say (or not say):
"Here’s the thing… I cant wait to talk to you about [Inception] but I’ve been very specifically asked not to talk about it. I want to respect [director Chris Nolan's wishes] because I love his movies and I’m so honored and grateful to be working with him. He’s got a really specific idea and way he wants people to be presented with this thing."
This, in my humble opinion, hints there are more than a few twists which would spoil the movie if known beforehand. Here is what we know about the plot so far; a CEO-type becomes involved in a blackmailing scandal. That’s it. Actually, Nolan also described the film as being set “within the architecture of the mind”. The films genre falls under the action, sci-fi, thriller categories and Nolan is no amateur at creating an amazing story. In fact, just knowing he has penned this latest effort makes me feel in safe hands considering he has previously written these masterpieces ; The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, The Prestige, Memento, Following and Doddlebug. His wife, Emma Thomas, is teaming up with him again to produce and Nolan is also directing.
I think this guy is one of the most creative cinema masterminds working and frankly I would go and see a Pizza Hut commercial if he made it. Fanaticism aside, this sounds so very, very exciting. And interesting. Inception is being shot in five countries including Morocco and a significant portion in Kananaskis, Alberta (a rural district in the Canadian Rockies). Oh, and it has a budget of $200 million. Yeah baby, $200 MILLION!
I know what you’re thinking — there are more than 10 Worst Movie Posters titles listed here. Bingo, and I’m sure other people out there could add some more titles to this list because essentially the answer depends on what YOU see. For example, a friend said Pirates of the Caribbean was in there but I couldn’t see it so didn’t add it. Another example is the cartoon of a man wearing a ball gown. Technically this could be the movie title Cinderella Man, the boxing movie with Russel Crowe, or the Jerry Lewis classic Cinderfella — it just depends on what you see. Also, the shaking building with love hearts could be Sex and the City or the Tilda Swinton drama Love Factory. So have some fun with this. If you think you’ve seen something I haven’t then please add a comment. Since I forgot about this mission for half a year I will make it up to you by starting a new mission; next time I go to the movies I intend to yell out every title when this ad comes on. I wonder how long until I’m escorted out?
