A Second Shoot for Ozwear UGG...

The folks at Ozwear UGG clearly liked the results of Ashlynn’s first shoot as they hired her a second time (and wanted her a third, but the shoot was planned for after she would be leaving Australia).

As is typical, these photos weren’t sent to Ashlynn, but I managed to find them,

Although the setting in a fancy villa was quite nice, Ashlynn said it was very cold inside so she didn’t really enjoy the shoot. Luckily that didn’t stop her from getting great results.

Hard to believe that several of these photos were still featured as late as early December on UGG’s website.

Trouble in Paradise...

Incredibly, there were more than 70 works in the exhibit, so this only touches on a fraction of what we saw. I failed to capture the names of this realistic shopper...

...and these dancers.

The Garden of Earthly Delight IV by Rajib Shaw in 2004 was colorful and whimsical.

Random Fear was a particularly cool installation that was made on site by artist Rafael Rozendaal, who uses the Internet as a universe dominated by a perfectly organized chaos created out of computers, projectors, colors, shapes and mirrors.

It’s might be hard to tell, but Medusa’s First Move: The Council by Folkert de Jong in 2005 was a life-size sculpture made out of Styrofoam of six people around a table on a raft of oil drums, drawing the viewer into a world where there is no hope and madness has become the norm. Couldn’t help but wonder where this huge piece is usually displayed as it took up an entire room.

Lost in Space...

Our destination was the Kunsthal for a science fiction exhibit. I was thrilled to see Robot, known for that iconic line, “Danger, Will Robinson,” from Lost in Space, one of my favorite childhood shows. 

As cool as it was to see items from Terminator, overall we were disappointed by the exhibit. Luckily, there was another exhibit that more than made up for any disappointment.

We much preferred Trouble in Paradise, the private collection of Rattan Chadha, the founder of CitizenM, our favorite hotel chain. The artworks depicted “the human condition with art that gets under your skin.” Black Skin White Mask is made of a huge number of metal cups, spoons and other bits.

Porn by Marc Bijl in 2006 is clearly a modern take on the famous Love sculpture by Robert Indiana from 1970.

Greenback by David Opdyke in 2006 was another mixed media piece...

...made out of army men, tanks and trucks.

Clous-Mannequins by Thomas Hirschhorn in 2006 criticizes the fashion industry with this extreme case of acupuncture, depicting how models are trapped in straight-jackets.

The Walthamstow Tapestry by Grayson Perry in 2009 started out as black and white line drawings on seven large sheets of paper, which were then scanned into a computer where the colors were added. Those files were then sent to Belgium to be woven into this massive tapestry depicting man’s passage from birth to death while exploring the emotional resonance of brand names in our lives and the quasi-religious relationship to consumerism.

This colorful and complex visual journey through contemporary consumer landscape includes such global leading brands as IKEA, Pepsi, 7-11, Disney, Microsoft, KFC, Volvo and Louis Vuitton. It also included Veronica’s former employer: Glaxo Smith Kline.

On the Streets of Rotterdam...

In late May, we headed to Rotterdam to go to an art exhibit. Along the way to the museum, we came across some cool street art.

Especially cool was seeing the progress on the Depot Boijmans van Beuningen, a public art storage facility offering access to the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum’s complete collection, of which only 8% is currently on display. The entire facade will eventually be mirrored...

...but as you can see, there was still a long way to go at that point. It will have six floors with free public access to the rooftop terrace. Can’t wait to check out the views!

Hashing in Stockholm...

That evening we were excited to hash with the Stockholm Underground Hash House Harriettes. It was especially cool that the hare was Laid Bird, whom we had hung out with the night before.

It was late May and despite the blue skies, there was a bit of a nip in the air.

As a slow runner, I was especially lucky to get to run with the fellow who was sweeping (staying at the back to make sure no one got lost) and he gave me nice explanations of what we were running past (all of which, I’ve long forgotten).

They normally have around 40 hashers run with them weekly. It was extra convenient that the pub where the trail started and ended was within walking distance of our hostel.

It was also nice that the photo stop was across from our hostel. 

Opee loved the trail. The sweep was kind to give me a shortcut through a cemetery so I didn’t get too far behind.

As always, Opee had a story to share in the circle...

...and we did a down-down for being visitors. Since it was our first time there, we didn’t have to pay, which was extra convenient as we had never bothered to get any cash. This was our first cashless trip: we used Apple Pay for everything. Ironically, that wasn’t possible during our recent trip to Silicon Valley, home of Apple Computer.

Funny enough, Opee was interviewed by a Swedish blogger that ran alongside him for the last leg of the trail despite clearly not wearing running clothes.

Truth is Dead...

The next day I went to Fotografiska, the Museum of Photography, which was the only museum I paid to enter. 

I got such a good laugh out of the Truth is Dead exhibit by British photographer Alison Jackson, that it alone was worth the price of admission. At first glance all of her photographs look like famous people in unusual scenes...

...such as Prince Harry soaking Queen Elizabeth in champagne...

...or Queen Elizabeth walking her Corgis down a UK High Street.

There was a sign next to the Trump photos reiterating that Donald Trump is not in any of the photos. It is a lookalike, as in all of the other photos, proving that you cannot rely on your own perceptions when it comes to photography. Much like the President, the camera lies. To see more of her images, click here.

I loved the view from the museum’s restaurant, where I especially enjoyed the Sourdough Belgian Blonde which was brewed with leftover sourdough bread from the restaurant.

Next I visited the Stockholm City Museum, which opened in 1942 in a building dating from 1685.

It was interesting to learn about Stockholm’s history.

This wasn’t in the museum, but nearby, and is included to show that I didn’t see any impressive street art. 

Spotted in Stockholm...

I spotted some interesting things that day, including this clever sculpture on a random street...

 ...these street skiers...

...and this sign warning about well-dressed pickpockets. 

That evening Jimmy and I were thrilled to have dinner at our favorite restaurant in the world: Hermans. Since our last visit in 2013, the vegetarian restaurant had gone fully vegan. The food and view were still amazing, so I was happy to be able to go back the following day for lunch even though Jimmy couldn’t join me. 

After dinner we met up with our local hash friend Laid Bird and a few others for beer and a pub quiz at an Irish bar. It was surprisingly fun and successful as we won. On our walk home, we caught sight of this tower’s two clocks that look like eyes. 

These night images turned out surprisingly well. This is looking towards the boat...

 ...and this is looking from the boat at the city hall...

...and towards Old Town.