» Where In The World Is My Rhodia?
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 4.13.2008
On a blustery Sunday afternoon, my Rhodia found itself face-to-face with Santiago Calatrava’s Quadracci Pavilion of the Milwaukee Art Museum. The cold wind blowing from mishigami, the “great sea” that is Lake Michigan, was unrelenting. But it never dampened the impact of the Spanish architect’s first building in the US. This architectural marvel, dubbed by the museum’s director as “a monumental project, encompassing an exceptional architectural and engineering masterpiece” is simply stunning. One of the many awe-inspiring features of Calatrava’s addition to the original Museum buildings designed by Eero Saarinen and David Kahler, is the The Burke Brise Soleil. You don’t have to be an architect to appreciate this wing-like extension of the building. And we’ve learned that it’s not just there for the sake of aesthetics. It’s actually there to serve as a sun screen, and it can be raised and lowered to control both temperature and the light coming into the glass-enclosed reception hall of the structure. On this particular day, as museum-goers enjoy the last day of a special exhibition, Art in Bloom, its wings were cooped, like a bird on a shivery April day. While there, we also took the chance to pose in-front of the orange sculpture, “The Calling”, by Chinese-born American abstract expressionist, Mark di Suvero, an apt conclusion to our fun-filled, albeit brief and beer-free trip to Mil Town.
Every second Monday of each month, we will be featuring a new, “Where In The World Is My Rhodia?” segment here. Please do send us your photos with a brief description of your trip, and let’s circumnavigate the world, Rhodia style!
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