Fuzzy Bus » Arts & Culture

Brian Burland’s Bermuda

Christine — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 02:10:00 +0000

Bermuda is an unusual place with an unusual history. Most of the visitors will likely come and go without looking too deeply into its past and present, but there is a treasure trove of events and people that have left a deep influence on the world at large. It’s politically part of the Caribbean, although it isn’t geographically so, and its weather is a legendary attraction to visitors at the luxury hotels Bermuda offers. This makes it a particularly lovely spot for any vacation, and the island lifestyle is appealing to anyone looking to get away. It’s also been a place that attracts writers, but the literary history is rather short compared to other islands in the region.

There are perhaps several reasons for this, and they do seem connected to the history of the place. However, this year, with the passing of Brian Burland , it’s certainly time to re-visit his influence on the literary world. His creative output was impressive, but he was constantly struggling with book sales. Although his novels have been widely acclaimed, he doesn’t have a large readership on the island itself. It’s enough to have put him entirely out of print, but this year seems to have changed that for the better. Now his voice can be recognized, and the insider’s view of Bermuda might be known locally, and once again to the rest of the world.

Brian Burland’s Bermuda is a post from: Fuzzy Bus

Art and Shopping in Singapore

Christine — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:04:51 +0000

Where on this planet can you find a place that brings together two passions at once — art and shopping? Singapore provides the answer to this question in the form of Vivocity in the Harbourfront Precinct. Travelers in the hotels of Singapore will discover a building designed by world renowned architect Toyo Ito, in his first major project outside of Japan. Vivocity’s design is meant to evoke the idea of sea waves, and its home to entertainment and shopping businesses, providing an excellent environment in which to relax. As the largest retail center in Singapore, the shopping practically takes care of itself, but what about the art? There are six major works by international artists at Vivocity for its patrons to enjoy.

On the Harbourfront boardwalk, you’ll find a twenty foot tall sphere of flowers by Korea’s Choi Jeong-Hwa. Set among the Promenade’s trees, it brings a great deal of color to its setting. The Flower Tree causes people to stop and almost literally smell the flowers. From the Netherlands, Marc Ruygrok has created Gogo, a thirty-three foot tall rocket, colored a brilliant red, that greets patrons as they enter the parking area of Vivocity. It resembles a rocketship one might find in a science fiction B-movie from the 1950s. Then there’s an elongated Snowman, another tall work at forty-three feet, also on the Promenade, rising high above the second story terrace and looking into the third story Sky Park. Inges Idee from Germany has provided Vivocity with gigantic Snowflakes, each about three feet wide, sitting atop the Sky Park. Combining this art work with that of the Snowman, there’s a curious comment on nature, snowflakes and snowmen sitting in the tropics, the man-made version of these items lasting even in the warm 80 degree heat of Singapore.

If you’re of a more romantic frame of mind, you’ll discover Aphrodite’s Roses, a series of four giant rose blooms that serve as seating for the patrons, designed by Hiroshi Yoshimiza from Japan. The sculpture, There, by Netherland’s Henk Visch, depicts a gymnast going through a work out on a horizontal bar some twenty feet above the water. Finally, you have Vivo Punch, work created by Hong Kong’s Michael Cheung, also known as Punchman. His human-like figures are playful and colorful and add an extra level of energy to the Sky Park. For those engaged in the eternal struggle between art and commerce, they may find a merger of the two at Vivocity.

Art and Shopping in Singapore is a post from: Fuzzy Bus

Clothes for a Summer Hotel in New York

Christine — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:44:02 +0000

Clothes for a Summer Hotel continues its short run at the Hudson Guild in New York. It’s a hot item and popular with many tourists, as well as residents, so guests staying in some of Manhattan’s best hotels should try and get their tickets as soon as possible. Also, remember that there are some great theatre packages available in New York for accommodations, dinners and a show so make sure and check out all of your available options. New York is known for having the best theatre, the best dining options and hotel accommodations, to there is no way to lose when making plans to visit the city and enjoy its diverse features.

Clothes for a Summer Hotel was written by Tennessee Williams who is well known for his great, and sometimes cryptic dialogue and well formed female characters. In fact he has created some of the most famous characters from women on the American Stage. This is the case with this play, though interestingly one of the main female characters is based on real life famous personality, Zelda Fitzgerald. The play is one of Williams’ ghost plays and deals with the restless spirits of another literary great F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda. The two were known in real life for their extremely passionate and somewhat unconventional relationship and this continues in their afterlife.

The script takes strong liberties with concepts such as timelines, dates and chronological associations, which is frequently the case when created great drama from dramatic life contexts. In addition, the play deals with the ghosts of these characters so that is already extending the typical suspension of disbelieve which is a traditional theatrical convention. The past and present fuse into a stream of experiences and the story features an appearance from lively characters such as Ernest Hemingway. It is only schedule to run through the 21st of this month, so get your tickets fast.

Clothes for a Summer Hotel in New York is a post from: Fuzzy Bus

The Princeton University Art Museum

Christine — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 14:02:46 +0000

One of the most famous museums in the world today, began as a simple building to house a collection of porcelain items and pottery. The University Art Museum of Princeton now has a Picasso sculpture adorning the entrance way, and is filled with more than sixty thousand pieces of rare and famous art works, artifacts and samples of history from around the world, through a range of all the different time periods from Classical, to pre-Colombian to modern art.

All media is represented as well, from drawings of the old masters, beautiful works in stained glass, bronze sculptures and photography. The formation of the art department for Princeton University was begun in 1882, when the president of the university, James McCosh put two men in charge…General George McClellan and William C. Prime. Both men had very strong convictions to developing a department which valued works of art throughout history.

At first the museum was referred to as the Museum of Historic Art and contained in the collection predominantly archaeological artifacts. Slowly, paintings began to be included in the collection, which is most likely due to the addition to the staff, of Frank Jewett Mather, who was hired to teach courses on Renaissance Art. It was during this time that an expansion to the original museum became necessary, for storage space and for exhibition wall space.

Now it is one of the most outstanding and impressive university museums where classes are held and where visitors can witness the changes through time, and the influence art has had on those changes for many societies of the world. A walk through this museum is like a walk through many museums…a walk through the history of not only different societies, but through the minds of those people living in those societies through time. To find a hotel conveniently located close to the museum, click here. Any visit to this region of New Jersey would not be complete without experiencing all that the Princeton University Art Museum has to offer, to the mind and to the soul, of what it means to be human and to create.

The Princeton University Art Museum is a post from: Fuzzy Bus

Art and Music of Hong Kong

Christine — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:05:45 +0000

We have your Hong Kong hotel. We have carefully selected our hotels based on a consistently high level of service, design, and comfort. Combining the best of old world niceties, like hospitality, charm, and taste, with the best of contemporary technology and sensibility, your stay here will be a unique metropolitan experience that will provide a lovely introduction to Hong Kong. We recommend taking in a fantastic meal, served by top chefs who are schooled in the best methods for preparing international cuisine, enjoying a perfectly decadent bath, and then a fantastic night’s sleep in our gorgeous and sumptuous rooms, and then set out to explore the city.

Hong Kong is one of the most bustling and exciting metropolises in the world, and has a well-deserved reputation as a world-class center. There are tons of activities here for visitors of all ages, and plenty of offerings to choose from any day of the week. There are excellent museums and galleries, fantastic theaters and opera houses with some of the most interesting live art in Asia, and an increasingly steady supply of alternative spaces presenting edgy and experimental work for local and international audiences. There is certainly an eclectic mix of offerings as well as artists. Bahouki is one excellent example of this.

There may be very few Celtic bands as exciting as Bahouki. The three-piece ensemble from Scotland and Ireland play a broad range of traditional folk from the Celtic regions, and have an unusual energy and enthusiasm which is both gratifying and infectious. It is even more exciting that they are based in Hong Kong, offering another cultural influence into the musical landscape. They play in Hong Kong as well as on mainland China, with occasional gigs to Thailand and Malaysia. Bahouki presents old sounds with a new edge, adding a good dose of humor into the mix. This is an excellent way to spend an evening in Hong Kong, enjoying the local culture with an infusion of Celtic sounds, with fiddles and flutes and all the rest to make for hours of great fun and entertainment.

Art and Music of Hong Kong is a post from: Fuzzy Bus

Suffolk Witch Hunter

Christine — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:57:37 +0000

The Suffolk region of England is full of nature beauty and scenic wonders. It has an interesting history and many important figures have had their origins in this area. While this is beautiful and peaceful region, it was also home to one of England’s most famous witch hunters, Mathew Hopkins. This aspect of history is now regulated to lore and legend, though it was once a fundamental aspect of the social belief system in England as well as throughout Europe. The Suffolk hotels are not likely to have witches and warlocks hiding in secret rooms, though haunted hotels are a very popular tourist attraction throughout the world.

It is believed that Hopkins held the title of Witch Finder General in his career that was most active during the English Civil War. He conducted his searches throughout Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex. One of the interesting aspects of the witch trials and prosecutions that distinguished England from the rest of Europe is the fact that they did not burn accused witches, but only hung them. The height of his career lasted from 1645 to 1647 and while England did not legally allow torture to be used as a means of investigation, Hopkins was well known for his own special tactics used for confession.

One of the most famous aspects of his career is the book he wrote regarding witch hunting. The Discovery of Witches is believed to have been written in 1647 and quickly became a guiding tool for identifying both witches and their familiars. One of the methods he used for determining a witch was to cut a woman’s arm. He would use a blunt knife to make the rough incision and if the suspected woman didn’t bleed than it was taken as proof that she was a witch. Witches were also detected by finding what was known as the devil’s mark on her body. This would be any form of boil and sometimes moles and warts were included.

Suffolk Witch Hunter is a post from: Fuzzy Bus

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Cricket in Cardiff

Christine — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:09:57 +0000

I’m a cricket fan. I’m an Aussie who lives in London. I love food. So, when I read that Cardiff had a festival which combined the two, cricket and food, I just had to go. I made reservations at a Cardiff Hotel and drove as fast as I could away from London and on over to Wales.

The two events Cricket and Food are actually two separate events, but for me that didn’t matter. I’ll be able to feast on the sporting excellence of a Cricket game and also sample culinary excellence at the Food and Drink Festival after the game. Seems like pure heaven to me. When I arrived, checked in and headed off to the Cricket Match where I got to see the npower Ashes Test in Sohphia Gardens, it was easy for me to obtain information about where to go for the food and drink festival after the game. I was able to hop onto a water taxi from the Swalec Stadium and dropped back off at Cardiff Bay. Right where the Food and Drink festival was happening. I felt right at home with an array of Aussie wines, foods and ingredients. See, there was a special Aussie Zone in a restaurant located in the Wales Millennium Center. Of course there were delicious foods from Wales to sample, and from around the world. Have about three full hours of sampling my way through the festival, I had a chance to chill out with a cool drink with views over the water.

The next day, I treated myself to other events which the festival offered. There was a craft market and a farmer’s market which were very nice, I even got to create my own dish using local produce from the farmers market, but what I really enjoyed was taking a workshop to learn how to make artisan ice-cream and a master wine class. By the time I got back to my hotel room that evening, I was satiated, happy and floating in memories of Cricket and fine cuisine.

Cricket in Cardiff is a post from: Fuzzy Bus

John Goodman Performs in New York

Christine — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:41:30 +0000

John Goodman is currently starring in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival production of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. He is an American actor, most known for his movie roles, though he is also an accomplished stage actor. Many film actors have their roots and training in theatre, though they have migrated to film because there is usually better pay. For these actors, the theatre seems to remain in their blood and after achieving commercial and financial success in film, they often return to their true passion, which is the stage. Tourists often visit New York to see a Broadway or Off-Broadway production and major film stars add to the excitement of any show. Guests at the many 4 star hotels New York are often there specifically to catch the latest hit Broadway play.

Goodman was born on June 20, 1952 in Affton, Missouri. He received a full scholarship for football to what is now Missouri State University though while he was there he received a major injury that quickly ended his football career. After this happened he decided to follow his other passion, acting. He left Missouri in 1975 and headed for New York. He tried to get work in the theatre and took a job as a bartender and food server to pay his bills. He performed in dinner theatres Off-Broadway and was able to find nominal work in commercials and voice-overs. In the 1980s he started to get work in films, and this launched an entire new direction in his career.

Goodman is most known for his role on the television series Roseanne, where he played her husband Dan Conner. The program aired for nine years from 1988 to 1997. Prior to this he had appeared in films such as Eddie Macon’s Run, the Big Lebowski, O Brother Where Art Thou and Raising Arizona. He has also been a regular guest on nighttime talk shows and has been featured as a guest performer in many television series. He had a recurring role as the fictional Speaker of the House in the popular series West Wing. In 2007 he played an ornery judge in the series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip for which he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor.

John Goodman Performs in New York is a post from: Fuzzy Bus

Insomnia Mumbai

Christine — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 17:30:18 +0000

Mumbai is the city of indulgence, you get everything here, only in super size and extra super size. So, don’t just stop with the perk-me-up breakfast served in the Hotels Mumbai India , or an ‘no-time-to-eat’ lunch in Dadar . Get out and explore the taste of Mumbai after the moon rises and bathes the city in promises of culinary delights. Mumbai offers impeccable taste in an exquisite manner. It has a plethora of cool late night spots for the restless and sleepless. Below are just but a few listings to get you started. Some of which Bollywoods stars frequent.

Cloud Nine Cafe , Get a sensational view when eating on the Romeo and Juliet balcony perched on the ninth floor of a hotel. Mumbai will shimmer below the night sky with a relaxed glamour and a sublime energy. Just around the corner is the Cyrus House, a large blue and yellow ground floor restaurant which serves a fast friendly meal through out the day and also serves a ‘rise and shine breakfast’, that is at a very reasonable rate.

Shamiana is a 5 start, 24 hour coffee shop. Don’t go if you are in the mood for fine dinning. Shamiana is, after all, a coffee shop. The ambiance is causal and relaxing. The Char Grilled Salmon is considered the best in Mumbai. For another casual coffee-shop, try Sidewalk, serving a pleasant combination of ala carte and buffets. The fondue’s are to die for. The orange and yellow interior is cheery and soothing.

Now, for a really late, late night hunger go to The Bay View . The Bay View offers a ‘midnight buffet’. Live music and themed dinners are the other highlights of the coffee shop. When there, do try the Fish Koliwada. For an Sunday morning early early breakfast, check out Trattoria, Trats is popularly known to continuously serve pasta and pizzas along side a delightful Capriccio.

And finally, easily the most picturesque locale is the Waterfall Cafe . Soups, desserts are routinely served all day and night. There is also a regular continental and Indian menu to choose from. Their specialty is seafood. They serve the catch-of-the-day well beyond midnight. Alcohol is available until 1 am and beer is served until 4 am. So, whether your suffering from jet-lag or just can’t sleep, Mumbai is open to take care of your restlessness and hunger.

Insomnia Mumbai is a post from: Fuzzy Bus

CAPE 09, The Art Festival of Cape Town, South Africa

Christine — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:16:22 +0000

Four years ago, many of the black citizens in Cape Town were asked about a big white building that stands in the middle of the city. Many answered that it is a courthouse. The building in question is actually the one that houses the National Gallery of South Africa. This speaks tremendously about the past regime of Apartheid, and the effects still noticeable in the city. For many years, whites only were allowed in some of the top Cape Town hotels, restaurants, galleries and museums. Apartheid ended sixteen years ago, but they inequality of the time, and the evidence of the segregation still remains. In many countries, the world of art is sometimes, sadly the realm of the wealthy and the privileged. The Biennial Art Festival organizers are trying to change that.

In response to the economy, and some criticisms of past festivals becoming too commercialized, the festival this year focused on the local artists of Africa, as opposed to the previous years of bringing in famous artists from around the world in order to boost sales and commerce. This was an attempt to attract a new, fresh audience, and to involve the people of Cape Town who had been excluded in previous years. One event was the Young Curators Program, which put five black curators in charge of curating the shows. They were moved to Cape Town for the year and studied under the tutelage of a curator from Cape Town. Educational systems for blacks in South Africa is still lacking, and many of the curators and gallery owners are still mainly white South Africans.

This not only provided these five with the opportunity to fulfill their dreams, but guaranteed the focus of the festival, that of the art of the locals, living and working and celebrating in Cape Town today. The projects are located all around the city, and are more participatory and performance oriented than ever before. Actors and dancers perform throughout various venues. One theater staged a show in which the stage was filled with kids in Obama and Mandela masks. And murals are on the walls of the city’s buildings commemorating the heroes of the country. This is a wonderful time to visit Cape Town and to witness the art of the country.

CAPE 09, The Art Festival of Cape Town, South Africa is a post from: Fuzzy Bus