Lights On Bergamo Installation – Dialog(ue) translation nit

A little history ~ A translation nit ~ Photos

Lights On installation at night, in Pizza della Libertà Bergamo.

We love this (unfortunately) temporary installation in Piazza della Libertà of Bergamo. Why? This piazza and surrounding buildings, especially the Palazzo della Libertà and its stark and imposing front, have always left us kind of cold. Add to that, a fountain in the middle of the piazza that is so large that you can’t even see into it. You must look up. Unapproachable. Not to the scale of humans. Who designed this?

A little history

The Palazzo della Libertà was completed in 1940 and was the headquarters of the National Fascist Party. It was designed by Alziro Bergonzo (1906 – 1997), an Italian architect who worked in the style called Stile Littorio. (This style refers to an architectural language developed in Italy in the 1930s that featured many public buildings commissioned by the Fascist regime until its fall.)

So, I guess we are not big fans of this architectural style with its monumental scale, purposely not human-scale, and we would say slightly pretentious appearance. There are aspects of it that are pleasing but on the whole it's off-putting.

Enter this light installation Lights On Bergamo - Objects of Common Interest sponsored by the Confindustria Bergamo for 2023’s Cultural Capital Celebration in which Brescia and Bergamo are the hosts. The installation softens the piazza. Steps are added so you can climb up to the fountain. A series of light tubes softens the front of the palazzo. On the whole, everything is more approachable, more to human scale. We are not sure the Fascist Party or Bergonzo would agree, but we would love for this installation to stick around.

A translation nit

Reading the information about the exhibit that was presented on site, we saw a common pattern used in translating Italian to English. Here are the original (assuming Italian was source) and translated (English) descriptions with the part in bold that we take issue with.

Italian: Objects of Common Interest è stata invitata a proporre un'installazione artistica in occasione di Capitale della Cultura 2023 che vede Brescia e Bergamo assumere il ruolo di "città illuminata". La proposta mira ad integrare quattro temi chiave: città e natura, tesori nascosti, la città che inventa e la cultura come cura. L'obiettivo è quello di definire la visione di un territorio attrattivo e consapevole delle proprie potenzialità. Bergamo dialoga con la modernità, partendo dai suoi punti di forza — la radice manifatturiera e il forte senso di appartenenza - e li coniuga con i valori dell'innovazione e della sostenibilità economica, sociale e ambientale, grazie anche alla capacità evocativa dei linguaggi dell'arte e della cultura.

English: Objects of Common Interest were invited to propose an intervention for 2023's Cultural Capital which sees Brescia and Bergamo take the title of the 'illuminated city'. The proposal in response seeks to integrate four key themes: city and nature, hidden treasures, the city that invents and culture as a cure. The aim is to define a new vision for an attractive territory aware of its potential. Bergamo dialogues with modernity, starting from its strengths - manufacturing roots and sense of belonging - and combines them with the values of innovation and with economic, social and environmental sustainability, thanks also to the evocative capacity of art and culture as languages.

In Italian, the phrase Bergamo dialoga is translated as “Bergamo dialogues with”. This translations sounds strange in English. What about “Bergamo interacts with” or “Bergamo engages with”? Yes, dialogue is technically correct as a verb, but who uses it commonly? Beyond that, we can’t tell you how many installation or exhibition descriptions we’ve seen where the "work of art” dialogues with “you” or it’s “surroundings”. Curators and writers use this wording when they can’t find anything concrete to say, or anything to say in plain English.

So, let’s put our money where our mouths are and give you our translation. Items in bold are our additions and deviate from official translation.

English (our translation): The studio Objects of Common Interest was invited to present an installation for Italy’s Capital of Culture 2023 where Brescia and Bergamo take on the role of “illuminated city”. The resulting work integrates four key themes: city and nature, hidden treasures, a city that invents, and culture as a cure. The aim is to define a new vision for an economically dynamic region aware of its potential. Bergamo embraces the future, building on its strengths – its manufacturing roots and a sense of community – combining them with innovation and economic, social, and environmental sustainability thanks to the evocative power of the language of art and culture.

* Dynamic in the sense of attracting business not beauty. See AttrACT - Accordi per l’attrattività.

Photos

The description of the Lights On installation in Italian and English.

Left: Under the portico of Palazzo della Libertà in Bergamo, with moon. Right: Lights On installation at night.

Left: The Piazza della Libertà on a gray day in Bergamo, Italy - with Chiesa di San Marco belltower visible. Right: The unforgiving geometry of the Piazza della Libertà broken just a little by the Lights On installation. 

The Light On installation winding light tubes.

Casa Taller Delfin - Lima, Peru

Casa Taller Delfin Sculptures

We were kicking around the Barranco District for our last few days in Peru, staying at the 3B – Barranco’s Bed & Breadkfast. We picked up a map of the district (Descubra Ruta Turística) at the Tourism Information Center inside the Biblioteca Manuel Beingolea in the Parque de Barranco. On the map is the first time we saw a mention of Casa Taller Delfin. When we walked up the entrance on a lazy Sunday afternoon, it seemed closed. The web site is cryptic in that it just prompts you to send an email and gives no further information, but don’t be afraid to send an email to schedule a visit. We ended up going two days later and were led on a pleasant 45 minute tour. Casa Taller Delfin is a B&B (www.secondhomeperu.com), and home to Delfin (“casa”), his studio (“taller” - see the Facebook page for photos), and a gallery. The property is perched on the edge of the cliff overlooking the ocean. As you enter from the street, Jr. Domeyer 366, you immediately encounter the main house which is formal and stately. As you make toward the ocean, you realize that many of the interesting parts of the property, like the studio and gallery are out of sight, clinging to the side of the cliff. Scattered all around the property are interesting sculptures by Delfin.

Victor Delfin (1927 - ) is a Peruvian sculptor and painter who is the creator of the popular and large El Beso (“the kiss) sculpture in the El Parque del Amor (Love Park) in the Miraflores district of Lima. If you visit Casa Taller Delfin, you’ll get a good sampling of his work and likely get to see him working in his studio. When we were there we was working on a large canvas, and he took a break to chat with us for a few minutes. It’s amazing how open Delfin is to visitors and sharing his house.

Left: Victor Delfin at Work in His Studio; Right: Hands Holding Lights (made by Delfin)


Sculptures at Casa Taller Delfin


El Beso (The Kiss) in El Parque del Amor (love Park), Miraflores

Google Heads – Legends of the Sea Sculptures

This post shows all of the “Legend of the Sea” sculptures by Viktor on the Google Campus in Mountain View. I think these sculptures are fun to look at and engaging for their solidness. Also, their eyes stare beyond you, as if daydreaming and unaware you are staring at them. Beyond the title of “Legend of the Sea” – most people who pass by probably won’t know who these busts are commemorating without Googling it? (Couldn’t resist.)

See my previous trip post to Mountain View for other imagery around the Google campus.

Left: “Always Gracious” carved by Viktor (2008) in honor of Legend of the Sea Zale Parry
Center: “Oceanographic Technician” carved by Viktor (2004) in honor of Legend of the Sea Jacques-Yves Cousteau (1910 – 1997)
Right: “Spirit of Thalassa” carved by Viktor (2006) in honor of Legend of the Sea Philippe Cousteau (1940 – 1979), son of Jacques-Yves Cousteau

Left: “Her Deepness” carved by Viktor (2004) in honor of Deep Ocean Pioneer, Sylvia Earle (b. 1935)
Right: “Navigator” carved by Viktor (2005)in honor of Legend of the Sea Jean-Michel Cousteau (b. 1938), son of Jacques-Yves Cousteau

Left: “Shark Masters” carved by Viktor (2009) in honor of Legend of the Sea Ron (1934 – 2013) and Valerie (b. 1935) Taylor
Center: “Bridge to the Oceans” carved by Viktor (2008) in honor of Legend of the Sea Lloyd Bridges (1913 - 1998)
Right: “US Navy Diver” carved by Viktor (2006) in honor of diving hero Carl Brashear (1931 - 2006)



“Fishy Business” carved by Viktor (2003) to inspire young explorers

Images from a Noogler Week in Mountain View

Left: “Her Deepness” carved by Viktor in 2004 in honor of Deep Ocean Pioneer, Dr. Sylvia A. Earle – on the Google Campus;  Right: “Oceanographic Technician” carved by Viktor in 2004 in honor of Legend of the Sea, Jacques Yves Cousteau.


A Noogler is a new Google employee. Typically, each Noogler spends his first week of employment in orientation at Google’s Mountain View headquarters. Travelmarx went through the experience. It’s fun, exciting, overwhelming, motivating, and much more. It’s a week of learning about the company and about yourself as you try on the new culture you have been hired into. In this blog post, I won’t go into detail about the orientation because it will ruin the surprise for you (and I suppose you are reading this because you are going) and the details will likely change over time. Instead, I’ll talk about some of the things and places that caught my attention. My manager to-be suggested I stay two weeks at orientation which meant I spent the weekend in the area and could explore a little more.

GBikes

During the week, I was smitten by the GBikes. You can use them to travel around Google’s spread-out campus. These bright yellow, blue, red, and green bike - what did you expect for colors? - are fun to ride and make you feel like a kid. Some call them clown bikes. You pick up a bike where you find it and drop it off at your final destination. It leads to some bikes being in the oddest of locations. No problem, little bike gremlins come around in the night and rebalance the bike distribution. You can borrow helmets from lobbies before you jump on the bikes. Read more on the bikes in this Wired article.

GBikes in Front of 1200 Charleston Rd, Mountain View

A Piece of the Berlin Wall

One day between orientation sessions, one of the guys we ate lunch with said: “hey I know where a piece of the Berlin Wall is close by.” That was enough for us to jump on our GBikes and go find it. The piece or more accurately, two pieces, were located at 2685 Marine Way, or thereabouts. It’s in a parking lot, not visible from the road. I didn’t realize so many of the segments of the Berlin Wall have been distributed around the world. One of the pieces, has a heart surrounding the words “Wir Liebe Dich” (We Love You).

A Piece of the Berlin Wall in Mountain View

A Deborah Butterfield Horse

As I was riding between buildings (Crittenden to the Headquarters building) one day I saw a Deborah Butterfield horse grazing in a brown field along Crittenden Lane. The plaque below it reads “Cast Bronze Horse, Deborah Butterfield, May 2001, A Gift to the People of Mountain View, From SGI.” Friends tell me that Silicon Graphics (SGI) was once located in buildings now occupied by Google or at least in the area. Now, only the horse tells the story.

Left: Deborah Butterfield Horse on Crittenden Lane; Right: View of Google Campus Looking South from Vista Slope. Looking South

The Stevens Creek Trail

The Stevens Creek Trail, runs north and south, following the Stevens Creek. The trail starts just south of El Camino Real (California State Route 82) all the way to the San Francisco Bay. Just north of the Google campus, you can connect up the Permanente Creek Trail and trails leading the Palo Alto Baylands. I used the Stevens Creek Trial to ride back and forth to campus from my apartment in Mountain View.

Left: Stevens Creek Trail Bridge Near Moffett Field Boulevard and West Valley Freeway (85); Right: Stevens Creek Trial Near the Ames Substation


Left: View from Stevens Creek Trail Toward Moffett Field; Right: Snail on Rumex Near Shoreline Amphitheatre

The Palo Alto Baylands

Just a stone’s throw from the Google campus you will find the Baylands Nature Preserve. I borrowed a bike from the Google Bike Shop for the weekend and took off early on Saturday morning to explore the preserve. I ended up at the Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretive Center, built on pilings at the edge of the salt marsh. Nobody was home and the building was not officially open, yet the door was open. Inside, there are some exhibits explaining the ecosystem of the marsh and the history of the area, but it was a bit of disappointment. Read the brochure online to get an overview. There are information plaques talking about plants and animals scattered throughout the preserve, but the preserve is too big to understand or appreciate in one visit.

Left: Water, Mud, Sky at the Palo Alto Baylands; Center: Palo Alto Baylands (Byxbee Park) Pylons; Right: James Moore – ‘Bliss in the Moment’ – Sculpture, Near Hawk Pond

Android Figures

One thing I’ll say about Google is that, like many tech companies, there is no shortage of code names for various products. The code names for the Android operation system are some of the catchiest. They are rendered larger than life outside of Building 44 on Charleston Road.

Left: Android Code Names in the Large; Right: A Loon Balloon at a TGIF Event

Stanford

If it all started at Stanford, Google that is, why not visit? The Google history page says that Larry Page and Sergey Brin met in 1995 at Stanford. Let’s see, I was already in a midlife crisis in 1995. Oh never mind me.

Back to Stanford. I’d never been there so a little campus sightseeing was in order. I first dropped by with Wild Dingo on Saturday. Then on Sunday, I rode over from Mountain View and tool a self-guided podcast tour, Plants, Animals, and Science Art on the Stanford Campus.

Left: Alexander Calder – ‘Le Faucon’ (1963); Center: Henry Moore – ‘Large Torso: Arch’ (1962-63); Right: Rodin - Burghers of Calais (1884 - 1895)

Stuff To Do in the Area as a Noogler

Admittedly, this list is skewed to my tastes, but here it goes:

• Filoli
• Computer History Museum
• Stanford
• Rengstorff House
• Moffett Field Museum
• Intel Museum (previous blog post: Intel Museum : Journey Through Decades of Innovation)

A Wall and a Portal: Metaphors for a Career Change?  Left: A Piece of the Berlin Wall; Right: Garden Gate at Filoli.

The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden

“Civitas” [1988] - Audrey Flack (left) and “Karma” [2011] - Do-Ho Suh (right)

“Monumental Head of Jean d'Aire” from “The Burghers of Calais” [1884-86, enlarged 1901-10] - Auguste Rodin (left) and “Overflow” [2005] - Jaume Plensa (right)

The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden is adjacent to the Museum (NOMA) in City Park, New Orleans. Admission is free. We were surprised by how much we liked this 5 acre park. We were expecting a sterile sculpture experience, but we alas, we were wrong. First, the sculptures (57+ pieces) are amazing. You may not care for them all, but there is guaranteed to be a piece or two to make you stop, gawk, and wonder how you could get it into your own garden. Second, the setting works well. Under mature live oaks and other trees, there is a sense of, well, maturity about the garden. The setting and layout lends itself to discovering hidden pieces, like an Easter egg hunt; you can’t take the whole garden in a glance by any means. It takes several laps around to begin to appreciate the layers and different views of the works.

Garden Vistas with Lagoon

“Hercules the Archer” [1947] - Antoine Bourdelle (left) and “Riace Warriors I, II, III, IV” [1983-1988] - Elisabeth Frink (right)

“Heroic Man” [1930-34] - Gaston Lachaise (left) and “Monkeys” [1998-2001] - Rona Pondick (right)

 Views of “Karma” [2011] - Do-Ho Suh
 

“Karma” [2011] - Do-Ho Suh (left) and “Standing Man with Radiating Words” [2006] - Leslie Dill (right)
 

Two Views of “Large Seated Cardinal” [1983] Giacomo Manzu

“The Labors of Alexander” [1967] - Rene Magritte (left) and “Window and Ladder - Too Late for Help” [2008] - Leandro Erlich (right)


“Three Figures and Four Benches” [1979] - George Segal (left) and “Una Battaglia (A Battle)” [1971] - Arnaldo Pomodoro (right)

“Venus Victorius” [1914] - Pierre Auguste Renoir with “Reclining Mother and Child” [1975, 77] – Henry Moore in the background (left) and golden archer, unidentified (right)

Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden Brochure and Map of the Garden