Events | Sun in NYC May 15

Sun Rises    @  05:38 EDT
Sun Sets      @  20:06 EDT

Solar Noon  @ 12:52 EDT

Temperature 62F

 

 

events | Hurricane Irene visits Sun Farm

Irene has finally passed and moved away. As one of the hundreds million people living in the effected areas I experienced anticipation, fear and relief —when the anticipated hurricane then transformed into tropical storm passed my dwelling and finally left.

I recorded the hurricane passage as artist view of how forces of nature transform the landscape, excerpts from video and photographs of a 24-hour period during the passing of the hurricane in Sun Farm, a land art project in the Hudson Valley can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RryhTNOdHd4

Less powerful than expected yet Irene brought high wind and a relentless gush of rain which eventually resulted in flood. The vibrant summer hues turned into unsaturated, almost grey, tones. I was very impressed by how transient weather systems can transform the “permanent” landscape.

Excerpts

Excerpts from the conceptual multimedia project

“Axes Mundi: Perceptions and Understanding of Places as Intersections of Space, Time and Culture"

camminando | Wind Power in Massachusetts

Anticipating the hurricane I am organizing photos, from my summer walkabouts —which did not cover a large geographic area, although quite concentrated from a cultural standpoint.
Approaching the Mohawk trail, a quite interesting view in the Berkshires was a wind farm —seen here from Hancock Road.

And below an aerial view of the wind farm from http://www.bing.com/maps/

Excerpts from the conceptual multimedia project

“Axes Mundi: Perceptions and Understanding of Places as Intersections of Space, Time and Culture"

camminando | Places: Framing Nature and Inner States at Hawk Rock

I learned of Hawk Rock from an article in the NY Times. The rock grouping stands in an hemlock forest in the town of Kent, Putnam County, New York State, about 75 miles north of New York City. Hawk Rock was presented in the article as one of those magical places of the planet, where some people can have mystical experiences; it reminded me of the magical charisma of Monte Soratte, near Rome, a destination of several weekend trips during my youth. Hawk Rock requires only a short detour from my usual route to Sun Farm, and yesterday I finally decided to take some time off from the usual weekend “work in the land”, right on May 21, the day of the so much talked “rapture”, a quite proper time to have the mystical experiences, as claimed by the folk stories on Hawk Rock.
The map tells me that the rock is located 1.6 miles from the parking area. It was warm and humid as the bugs reminded me when I entered the forest; the rain accumulation of the past week made the otherwise comfortable trail filled with mud and engorged the streams running through the forest.
Forests are always dense of meaning, symbols and metaphors. I started finding my own symbols in the forest trails leading to the rock, trying to achieve what in the article was defined as “a portal to another dimension”. The path were interrupted by countless tree trunks; some of the fallen trees were actually framing not well identified views; I associated these otherwise unnoticed trail interruptions to “symbolic gates”. My perceptions were particularly alert and started noticing many nature scenes: spiral coiling of worms, a vivid color salamander, concerts of chirping birds, complex fractal shapes of the widespread ferns, the loud sound of streams. We stopped briefly at Balanced Rock, which is, similarly to Hawk Rock, what geologists define as “erratic” a rock transported from a different location by a glacier during the last Ice Age. A few hundreds feet later, we finally reached Hawk Rock, a thirty-foot high monolith, whose majestic presence is accentuated by its location in the center of an evergreen grove, emerging from a soft carpet of evergreen needles.
Do not expect spectacular views or hawks flying around you; Hawk Rock is only at an elevation of 600 feet. I did not have a mystical experience. But the hike brought me calm and a serene meditative state of mind, in a perception of nature framing an inner spiritual landscape…and this can perhaps be considered entering another dimension, beyond the tumultuous overload of perceptions of urban life.

"Gates" on the way to Hawk Rock

Encounter with a salamander

Balanced Rock

Views of Hawk Rock

A stone chamber

Excerpts from the conceptual multimedia project

“Axes Mundi: Perceptions and Understanding of Places as Intersections of Space, Time and Culture"

road trip | Bridges and Tunnel of Chesapeake Bay: Water Power

A very powerful series of perceptions arises from travelling through the bridges and tunnel of Chesapeake Bay, above and under the Atlantic ocean: disappearing and reemerging in the water, with no land in the horizon...

Excerpts from the conceptual multimedia project

“Axes Mundi: Perceptions and Understanding of Places as Intersections of Space, Time and Culture"

road trip | Sun Setting and Rising in Oak Island

Excerpts from the conceptual multimedia project

“Axes Mundi: Perceptions and Understanding of Places as Intersections of Space, Time and Culture"

road trip | Sun Rising on the Atlantic Ocean at Tybee Island, Easter

Excerpts from the conceptual multimedia project

“Axes Mundi: Perceptions and Understanding of Places as Intersections of Space, Time and Culture"

road trip | Sun Setting on the Savannah River

Excerpts from the conceptual multimedia project

“Axes Mundi: Perceptions and Understanding of Places as Intersections of Space, Time and Culture"

road trip | Miami, South Beach

Excerpts from the conceptual multimedia project

“Axes Mundi: Perceptions and Understanding of Places as Intersections of Space, Time and Culture"

road trip | Miami by Night

Excerpts from the conceptual multimedia project

“Axes Mundi: Perceptions and Understanding of Places as Intersections of Space, Time and Culture"

road trip | Paradise Found?

Excerpts from the conceptual multimedia project

“Axes Mundi: Perceptions and Understanding of Places as Intersections of Space, Time and Culture"

road trip | Florida: Sunset at St. Pete Beach

After a hot day in the car, I finally made to the Gulf of Mexico coast of Florida and I was rewarded with one of the most magical sunset ever witnessed.

Excerpts from the conceptual multimedia project

“Axes Mundi: Perceptions and Understanding of Places as Intersections of Space, Time and Culture"

road trip | The Sound of the Blue Ridge

After a day of major rain and flooding today the Virginia sky turned to bright blue, almost constant visual field at the zenith interrupted only by puffy clouds. Ideal day to enjoy the breathtaking views of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Excerpts from the conceptual multimedia project

“Axes Mundi: Perceptions and Understanding of Places as Intersections of Space, Time and Culture"