DannyB

Ornament and Crime

The West End of Frankfurt is opulent and partly gated. The atmosphere is sedate and filled with the exalted breath of those who know they have money power. There is a great sense of private property and I feel conspicuous taking photographs. Do they imagine I am a master criminal planning an elaborate heist? ItContinue reading “Ornament and Crime”

Sketches of Offenbach

Making sketches can be a useful way to understand buildings. One tends to notice more because concentration is granted to the subject. One slowly improves and gets to the end with more or less the correct number of doors and windows, no floors missing and the roof and the walls joining together. Being in theContinue reading “Sketches of Offenbach”

Heimat Siedlung

Kubler suggests that architecture is like an envelope. This is a useful, if partial, analogy. But let us take this idea of ‘envelope’ for a moment. An envelope suggests something that is wrapped around and contained, secure, private and that it prevents the contents being revealed. This is not actually what Kubler means, he isContinue reading “Heimat Siedlung”

The Modern Lovers

I have visited the Städel Museum in Frankfurt am Main on several occasions It is a favourite space and something new is always discovered. But bizarrely I have only just discovered there is a basement full of ‘modern’ or ‘contemporary’ art. Is it new? I dare not enquire for fear of further embarrassment. It generallyContinue reading “The Modern Lovers”

Von Offenbach nach Sachsenhausen

The next day, I decided to go for a further walk. But first I did some shopping at the local supermarket and the baker’s. I have been reading Marshall Berman’s All That is Solid Melts into Air. The opening chapter which deals with Goethe’s Faust is densely packed with ideas and hints and suggestions. IContinue reading “Von Offenbach nach Sachsenhausen”

IG Farben Building

I thought for a change to spend the day in Frankfurt am Main. I took the S bahn to the Hauptbanhof and then walked around the West End. There are many examples of bourgeois modernism and Gründerzeit (used as an architectural period). The IG Farben Building has a complex history, but as with most buildingsContinue reading “IG Farben Building”

EFFY-N Bulk Carrier (general cargo)

The ship’s voyage since the beginning of June includes Durban, Richards Bay and Saldanha Bay in South Africa. Then to Rotterdam Botlek and on to St Petersburg. It is now on its way to Iskenderun in Turkey. Iskenderun is a major port and industrial centre with a large steel plant. It is close to theContinue reading “EFFY-N Bulk Carrier (general cargo)”

Supra – Bulk Carrier

On its way from Gdansk, Poland to Cartagena, Spain. I have been reading German Cities and Bourgeois Modernism, 1890-1924 by Maiken Umbach. An excellent book. There are no examples of bourgeois modernism around the port area, but there are some impressive concrete structures and infrastructure engineering. The lichens and sea weed experience a great dealContinue reading “Supra – Bulk Carrier”

TYSLA – Vehicle Carrier

I am still experimenting with WordPress. There is some good, some bad. I have also just bought a new camera and sat on a beach this afternoon experimenting with that. I can’t get the photographs to represent properly on this blog. Wondering whether I need a different design. Tysla is a vehicle carrier on itsContinue reading “TYSLA – Vehicle Carrier”

Consumption

MSC Sao Paulo on its way from Bremenhaven to Le Havre. An earlier voyage this year included Liverpool, Montreal and Antwerp. It has a carrying capacity of 4688 TEU. It sails under the flag of Liberia and its home port is Monravia. Over 50 percent of the population of Liberia live below the poverty line.Continue reading “Consumption”