I’m in Milan! If I come across a wind mobile I will consider buying internet on a usb stick. Never have I felt the need to be so dependent on the interwebs.
Milan is a drab looking city, but it’s more city-like than Rome or Florence. Florence is like a trip to the countryside and there is some amazing touristy thing at every corner. For Milan, there are tall business buildings, apartments, subway lines, and other things progressive places have. But you really can’t call it beautiful.
The weather here is chilly and rainy. It’s not so good because it’s like easy-to-get-sick weather. On top of that, my stupid cheap umbrella flipped out and out of frustration I threw it out. Apparently it is going to rain all week : (
Today I went to a special Anish Kapoor exhibit. He exhibited his works in two separate locations. I say special because it is for two days only. Either that or these are the last two days the exhibition is running. The first one we went to was called cathedral, supposedly to mock a cathedral space and experience. It really is this giant metal tunnel that you walk through. There is no light except from what light is coming in from the entrance behind you and you cannot see where the tunnel ends because it is behind a wall. I went through the tunnel myself and it was a scary experience. I’m not afraid of the dark, but I don’t enjoy the darkness and not being able to know where you are going. It was so dark (it’s a tunnel with no light) you wouldn’t be able to see your hand if you held it close to your face. I had to stop in the middle of the installation at one point when I realized that I couldn’t see where I was heading or where I was in space just to mentally realign myself. “Oh my god,” I was thinking, “[firstly] I wish I wasn’t in here all alone,” and secondly “I have to go back to the entrance (where there is light)” Because you don’t know where or how the tunnel ends and it feels as though the walls are closing in on you, but you’re not sure. And you have no choice except to go forwards until you see the exit which is a very faint glow of light. However, I saw a kid go through it alone and he was having so much fun, yelling, shouting, and stamping his way towards the dark abyss. So maybe I am afraid of the dark, and just a scardy cat.
His second installation was based on mirrors. You would enter a room of differently shaped mirrors that would change the environment. Some would turn you upside down, make you look fat, tall etc. This one, too, was lots of fun to experience.
mirror makes your view turn upside down.
the exhibit was held here, at the rotunda.
After, we went to the Duomo. Apparently, it is the world’s largest gothic church. It was built to house the city’s population of 40,000 and contains a non-decomposed corpse of a famous individual. I also heard that it contains the peg that was used for the crucifixion of Jesus. We were not allowed near the altar, but I assume it was there. It was also time for mass when we were there so I was able to experience a bit of the beginning of mass. It sounded really nice, and it puts me in awe when you can hear the beautiful sound of hymns and look at the impressive architectural interior of the Duomo. Back then, people did so much out of their religious faith and passion. Building the Duomo must be a lifetime of work. I didn’t get to go to the rooftop though. I somehow forgot in the rush of things and just left. Hopefully if I have time I will return and go on the rooftop.
Next to the Duomo is a building full of shops. I don’t know the significance of the building, but the space was very open and bright and distinctly styled. It wasn’t like a mall or anything. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen a mall in Italy yet. Maybe there is no such thing?
1. live corpse of a priest? 2. view down the nave
There is a tradition in the shopping gallery to rub your heels against a bull’s testicles. There is a spot on the bull that has been worn down, and you have to use your left leg and turn three times in order to get good luck.
We split afterwards and I went to visit a design bookstore at 10 Corso Como which is apparently Milan’s coolest showroom. What a treat! There were books on fashion design, graphic design, industrial design, architecture, food, and children’s books with really good illustrations. I found the next item to add to my collection of books. Pop up books! The ones here are beautifully made and ever so cute. I have not seen them anywhere else. I also noticed that Bruno Munari makes a lot of little books of inspiration. They are cute and fun to have but I think I am going to do something similar to that for myself. The idea behind is really nice, and I always love inspiration books. You can never get enough of inspiration.(So, like a personal collection based off of the style of Bruno Munari..) I was also very tempted to purchase the Issey Miyake evian bottle, but I didn’t …yet.
1. 10 corso como, a really cool, and unaffordable concept store, 2. hello kitty beaded bags. I don't know why hello kitty is so popular here.
Wow this is a long post! We have a very busy week in Milan ahead of us, so I returned home “early”. I put it in quotations because it isn’t really early, but it is probably the earliest I have returned to my room since this trip began.
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