Foliage thoughts
A couple of weeks ago my Dad handed me this image of this building, the Quai Branly Museum, by Jean Nouvel.
Has anyone seen it? It conjures up so many ideas about gardens, buildings, and cities all with multiple uses and forms intertwined with each other.
It also makes me think a lot about Permaculture, a term that I learned from a friend of mine. I’m making small steps towards learning more about it. There are two local places that my dear Permaculture friend has told me about which I want to visit. One is Path of Freedom and they have a fantastic blog. Another, is this place, which I’m dying to see; my friend has promised to take me there soon.
We live in an apartment and so we don’t have a garden, but a small patio. Someone described to me some planters that looked something like this:
I finally found a store that sells them. Great for small places.
Here is a foliage beast that has been in my unconscious for so long that I think he is forever seared into every doodle or drawing that I make. I have been thinking about him a lot as a fantasy Permaculture idea.
“The Tinder Box:” The dog ran with the princess on his back by Kay Nielsen.
He is scanned from a very old Hans Christian Andersen book that was my Mom’s when she was a child.
Again, I love the ideas here of multiplicity and hybrid. The dog beast is a not only a pet, but also a resting place for the tired princess, a transportation vehicle, and a roaming garden.
Lastly, and this has nothing to do about Permaculture or foliage, but with those moments right before I go to sleep. When it is dark and I’m in bed and I close my eyes for the very first time before I go to sleep one random, unknown image will pop up.
Last night, it was this:
What is your before-sleep image?
This is the first time I’ve been to your site and I’m glad this was the first post I read. I really love the top image. It’s amazing, domestic vertical gardening has nothing on this! Secondly, I love Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Tinder Box”. Actually, I have an ancient book of his tales given to me as a kid which I read over and over. There’s something very dark and tragic in his fairtales.
I want to visit the Path of Freedom house, too! I think they still offer tours. Maybe we can sign up for a tour together sometime.
Posts full of permaculture, foliage and wide eyed beasts from fairy tales make for a happy morning read with my coffee.
take care, g
I love this post! Your hypnagogic dog is beautiful. I hope you’ll have good luck with your upside-down tomatoes! It’s like they’re doing yoga.
xoxo
Karin
hi alyssa.
this is one fabulous post. i really love the museum building with all of the green. beautiful. lovely sketches too. the upside down tomato planter is quite cool. t and i are very interested in permaculture as well. xo shari
The witch gets a really bad deal in that Tinderbox story.
I remember when you sent me this image of the dog-garden creature, along with a great watercolored comic with a green person wheelbarrowing around a whole bunch of bodyparts.
Getting letters from you was always such treasure.
First your banner blew me away as soon as i see it, and then i thought this building was so much like your banner, such a strange and wonderfully mystifying blog …
Hi saya,
I’m happy to hear of another who obsessed over HCA tales. The tinderbox is one of my favorites, too.
Hi Jill,
Maybe someday we’ll find ourselves there, sooner than we think:)
Hi gracia,
That beast goes well with any coffee drink that is for sure! Here’s to your home, the birthplace of permaculture.
Hi Babblecat,
Thank you! “Hypnagogic,” is such a great word!
Hi shari,
So much to learn about permaculture and I’m just scratching a little bit on the surface. My friend just gave me 47 hours of Bill Mollison talking about permaculture. I would love to hear more of what you have learned about it.
Hi stefan,
That dog has been following me wherever I go, I completely forgot that I sent him to you. That comic book I sent you sounds creepy I hope that it wasn’t. There are just some really bad witches.
Hi tash,
Thank you! I’m so happy that you like my banner and that you find my blog strange and mysterious– all descriptions that I like when I think about gardens.
What a fantastic building, I’m off to check out the link now.