Blue hand building... Grand Canary Island“Architecture is a social act and the material theater of human activity.” ~ Spiro Kostof (Architectural historian, 1936 - 1991)
More pictures of the strange -- "unusual" architecture found on the Grand Canary Island. These were photographed by my brother when he performed in an opera there a couple of years ago. The stunning shades of blue covering the stucco walls are eye-catching on their own; but then you begin to see three dimensional sculptured shapes on the sides -- hands!
(You may click the pictures to get a larger view)
These remind me of words or phrases delivered in sign language, however, my knowledge is limited to the ABC's. Molding surrounds some of the hands like picture frames. Honestly, at first, the sight of hand "gargoyles" protruding from the walls of a building creeped me out a bit; but with time, the beautiful positions with their touch of grace and poise gave a more fluid and soft look to the structure. You could say the hands "speak" to me. Perhaps that was what the architect and designer was going for.
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Carmi's Theme: "got the blues".
Blue Monday
It takes a large latch to bolt a heavy door. Las Palmas, Grand Canary Island 
“Knowledge of 'what' is does not open the door directly to what should be.” ~ Albert Einstein
I love the look of heavy doors and in the Grand Canary Islands with architecture styles that show a blend of Islamic, Portuguese, Spanish and Flemish influences, there are a wide variety of doors and latches. Many show the curved arches and ornate decorative bolts through the heavy wood. I will probably never get to see these sights in person, but fortunately I can experience the beauty of the area through my brother and his pictures. He laughs and tells me he isn't any good at photography and I try to give him hints and direction before his next adventure. He did pretty good with those from the Canary Islands although I have to chuckle just a bit at his angles. A lot of his pictures are at odd angles..... his take on that is that it makes the picture look more "artsy". For some things this is fine, but for others, it simply strains the neck to look at them. He has a small point and shoot type of digital camera that is quite good and the more pictures he takes, the better they look. I am in charge of the post-production and in this particular case I thought this lock and latch were so elegant and interesting... not something seen on doors anywhere in this country.
By the way, has anyone else noted that the sepia pictures reveal even more of the metal texture and more of the wood grain than the colored versions? Perhaps color distracts the eye from the tiny details of the picture. At any rate, I loved this picture in its sepia tone for Sepia Scenes.
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Sepia Scenes
Grand Canary Island, July 2009
(Click to enlarge)
"I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world." ~ Albert Einstein
When my brother performed in the Grand Canary Islands, he spent some time walking around and taking in the magnificent mix of architectural styles. This isn't a particularly restful place, as it is a prominent vacation area and Stephen reports that the noise and the lights at all hours of the night make New York City look like a sleepy little rural town. But the ornate detail on the buildings is amazing. I don't know what type of establishment this was... a store perhaps... the name suggests either a nightclub or some sort of restaurant. One thing is for certain, no one could miss this place with the bright facade and the deep contrasting black trim.
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Blue hand building... Grand Canary Island
