Oct

Creative Expression in the Name of Fun

by Meredith Mullins on October 1, 2014

The vélocipèdes, creative expression with bicycles at funfairs, part of the Musée des Arts Forains (Photo © Meredith Mullins)

The oldest carousel at the Musée des Arts Forains in Paris
Photo © Meredith Mullins

The Art of Funfairs and Carnivals

The sights and smells of carnivals and funfairs are layered deep in memory.

We remember . . .

taking pride in choosing our favorite horse on the carousel
eating airy sugar in cotton candy clouds
digging deep to find our inner superman, someone capable of winning the largest and furriest of the stuffed animals
living for the heart-stopping, stomach-spinning rides

We were having so much fun at the funfairs that we probably didn’t give full attention to the detailed art and design of the structures, backgrounds, and carnival characters—creative expression that was especially imaginative if we lived in 19^th century Europe.

Three carved horses on a carousel, creative expression via funfairs at the Musée des Arts Forains (Photo © Meredith Mullins)

Choose your favorite galloping wooden character.
Photo © Meredith Mullins

Oh, I See the Treasures (Now that I’m Really Looking)

A visit to the Musée des Arts Forains (Museum of Fairground Arts) in Paris brings the beauty of the funfair treasures into clear focus and takes us back in time from 1850 to 1950.

The architecture, sculptures, and paintings that make up the rides and games of this era are a special kind of theater.

Everything works together in this museum of memorabilia to set the stage—a world full of illusion, energy, fanciful characters, magic, and color.

A confectionery, creative expression from the 19th century at the Musée des Arts Forains (Photo © Meredith Mullins)

The confectionery at the Musée des Arts Forains
Photo © Meredith Mullins

Cultural and Artistic Variety in the World of Funfairs

Cultural variety is evident in the museum collection, which was gathered from all over Europe by actor and antiques dealer Jean Paul Favand.

Character for the ball game, creative expression that tests throwing skill at the fun fair and at the Musée des Arts Forains (Photo © Meredith Mullins)

The game of passe-boules, a test of ball-throwing skills (circa 1920)
Photo © Meredith Mullins

For example, the horse tails of the French carousel horses are usually carved in wood. The German horse tails are made of horsehair.

The main carousel has traditional wooden horses and carriages, but the museum also has a carousel of Venetian gondolas as well as one of old-fashioned bicycles.

The Vélocipèdes carousel in motion, creative expression at fun fairs shown at the Musée des Arts Forains in Paris. (Photo © Meredith Mullins)

Peddle power on the Vélocipèdes carousel
Photo © Meredith Mullins

The speedy bicycle carousel, the Vélocipèdes (circa 1897), goes 62 kilometers (38 miles) per hour thanks to ambitious riders’ fueling the rotation with their frenetic peddling.

Off to the Races

Another cultural difference is the creative approach to the racing games. The customary horse races are part of the museum collection, where you advance your horse by rolling balls into the high-value holes.

horse race at the Musée des Arts Forains, creative expression in a traditional way. (Photo © Meredith Mullins)

And they’re off . . .
Photo © Meredith Mullins

But, only in French culture would you have La Course des Garçons de Café (the race of the café waiters). The traditional horses are replaced by mustachioed waiters carrying trays of wine glasses. They leap along, at a startling pace—surprising because you rarely see them move that fast in real café life.

waiters in La Cours des Garçonsfrom the carnival game, creative expression at funfairs (Photo © Meredith Mullins)

La Course des Garçons de Café
Photo © Meredith Mullins

Seeing Things Differently

After a visit to the Musée des Arts Forains, I see things differently. I see the beauty of the wood-carved horses, the painted games, the ornate statues and wall murals.

wooden carousel horse with red halter, creative expression from the Musée des Art Forains (Photo © Meredith Mullins)

The beauty of an era past
Photo © Meredith Mullins

I see the technical marvel of the vélocipèdes that can spin at 38 mph and make me hold on for dear life as my high-wheeler takes the curves.

But most of all, I see myself differently—metaphorically of course, but also physically. In the hall of mirrors, without even trying, I lost 20 pounds.

That’s my kind of funfair.

Hall of mirrors, creative expression in the Musée des Arts Forains. (Photo © Meredith Mullins)

The Hall of Mirrors makes dreams come true.
Photo © Meredith Mullins

The Musée des Arts Forains is open during the Journées du Patrimoine in September, during the holiday week in December, and for private tours and events.

Comment on this post, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins Comments

France (Paris)/The World's Art & Design

Sep

Cannery Row Catalysts: John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts

by Meredith Mullins on September 1, 2014

B&W photo of Ed Ricketts at the Pacific Biological Laboratories on Cannery Row, creative inspiration for John Steinbeck.

Ed Ricketts at his lab on Cannery Row
© Pat Hathaway Collection/www.caviews.com

Creative Inspiration among Friends

We should all be so lucky to have a friend, a creative inspiration, like Ed Ricketts.

John Steinbeck said that “knowing Ed Ricketts was instant.”

After the first moment, I knew him; and for the next eighteen years I knew him better than I knew anyone.

They were best friends. They fed each other ideas. They told each other truths. The jolted each other beyond the boundaries of the ordinary. They refreshed each other.

Character and Charisma

The unique elements of Ed’s character showed up often in Steinbeck’s work. He was Doc in Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday, Dr. Phillips in the short story “The Snake,” Friend Ed in Burning Bright, Doc Burton in In Dubious Battle, Jim Casy in The Grapes of Wrath, and Doctor Winter in The Moon is Down.

Ricketts wasn’t really a doctor. He had no degree. He was simply devoted and passionate about his work, as a marine biologist, philosopher, writer (Bach to Buddhism), and renaissance man.

And he was a significant catalyst for Steinbeck’s writing as well as a role model for living life to the fullest.

His mind had no horizons. He was interested in everything.

Ricketts was not a stellar businessman, but he was a workaholic who followed the tides and established a system for studying and recording marine life that is still a model today. He wasn’t just interested in where things lived but how they lived.

If you asked him to dinner at seven, he might get there at nine. On the other hand, if a good low collecting tide was at 6:53, he would be in the tide pool at 6:52.

He kept the most careful collecting notes on record, but sometimes he would not open a business letter for weeks.

Once, a cheesecake arrived in the mail. Three months later, Ed opened it.

The Pacific Biological Laboratories on Cannery Row, creative inspiration for Steinbeck and Ricketts (Photo Meredith Mullins)

The Pacific Biological Laboratories still standing on Cannery Row
© Meredith Mullins

The lab that Ricketts lived and worked in—Pacific Biological Laboratories—is still on Cannery Row in Monterey, California. When you visit, you can hear the waves crashing just outside the back door, testimony to how perfect the lab was as a setting for Ricketts’ study.

Cannery on Cannery Row, a place for creative inspiration for John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts (Photo © Meredith Mullins)

Now tourist attractions, the fish canneries were the center of life and livelihood on Cannery Row.
© Meredith Mullins

Life on Cannery Row

The street, too, was full of life. The canneries and characters were captured by Steinbeck in the novel Cannery Row.

Cannery Row is . . . a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.

After the novel Cannery Row was published in 1945, the lab (and Ed) became even more of a magnet for visitors and evenings of music, deep conversation, food and drink.

And, even though the book made Ricketts more famous (and infamous) than he ever wanted to be, he forgave Steinbeck. He found the book “exceedingly funny, with an undertone of sadness and loneliness.”

Gone Too Soon

Ed Ricketts died tragically (at age 50), his car hit by a train when it stalled on the tracks on his way to get food for the usual gathering of friends back at the lab.

Memorial to Ed Ricketts at the train tracks on Cannery Row, the place where creative inspiration bloomed for John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts (Photo © Meredith Mullins)

A memorial to Ed Ricketts at the site of the fateful train crash
© Meredith Mullins

In life and in memoriam, it was clear that his friends loved him. Steinbeck’s writing showed his exceptional character. The creative inspiration he provided to so many people was undeniable.

Doc would listen to any kind of nonsense and change it for you to a kind of wisdom. Everyone who knew him was indebted to him. And everyone who thought of him thought next, ‘I really must do something nice for Doc.’

“Oh, I See” Moments

Every description of Ricketts, for me, became an “Oh, I see” moment—lessons from life and literature. He was inspiring. A true bohemian with a generous and honest soul.

Of all the tributes, one stood out, words offered by Steinbeck in Ricketts’ eulogy—traits that were at the core of their mutual respect.

The free exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world.

Steinbeck added that one of Ed’s most admirable qualities was his ability “to receive anything from anyone, to receive gracefully and thankfully, and to make the gift seem very fine.”

Thank you Ed and John. Your gifts were very fine.

Close up of Ed Ricketts memorial on Cannery Row, creative inspiration for John Steinbeck's novels. (Photo © Meredith Mullins)

Renaissance man and bohemian spirit—Ed Ricketts
© Meredith Mullins

The Steinbeck quotes are from Cannery Row and About Ed Ricketts/Sea of Cortez, with acknowledgment to Viking Press and Penguin Books.

Find more information about Monterey, CA here.

Comment on this post, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins 1 Comment

Literary World/USA

Aug

Creative Inspiration, Supermoon Style

by Meredith Mullins on August 25, 2014

Supermoon with fir trees offers creative inspiration in 2014

The Howling Moon

There are nights when the wolves are silent and only the moon howls.
—George Carlin

The August Supermoon made headlines. No surprise. We seem to revere supersize things (Mayor Bloomberg’s jumbo soda ban notwithstanding). And, we often look to the sky for creative inspiration and a connection to the rhythms of the earth.

Who wouldn’t love a full moon so big and so bright, you could almost reach out and touch the textured craters?

Everyone was excited. Astronomers. Photographers. Lovers. Howlers. Skywatchers. Media Magnates. There were “Oh, I see” moments all over the world, as the supermoon was promoted, studied, photographed, and discussed.

Supermoon over mountain, offering creative inspiration in 2014 (Photo © Kathryn Kemp-Griffin)

By the Light of the Perigean Moon

The phenomena of Supermoons happens often enough to add terms like “apogee” and “perigee” to our vocabulary, and yet rarely enough to gain media attention and send people in search of a vista where the moon will be clearly visible.

A Supermoon occurs when the moon, sun, and earth are aligned (called syzygy), and when the moon comes closer to the earth than its standard orbit (the exact definitions vary, but the gist is that the moon comes closer to the earth than normal by about 10%).

When the moon is closest to the earth, it’s called perigee. When it’s at its farthest, it’s called apogee (a micro moon).

Supermoon at the Pinnacles National Park, offering creative inspiration in 2014 (Photo © David Taggart)

A Year of Supermoons

This year offered five Supermoons. The first two, in January, were new moons, not so super to the eye. The other three, however, are full moons—July, August, and one yet to come on September 9.

Although the difference between a Supermoon and a regular moon is difficult to detect for the average viewer, the perigee is said to be about 14% bigger and 30% brighter.

Scientific studies show that Supermoons have no significant link to natural disasters, but the tug on the oceans is visibly stronger (higher and lower tides).

The Supermoons stir the creative juices, as well as (possibly) throwing a bit of “lunatic” energy out into the cosmos.

Supermoon over Monterey harbor, offering creative inspiration in 2014 (Photo © Meredith Mullins)

Photographers capture the Supermoon with varying artistic vision, in up-close-and-personal portraits and in conjunction with other elements—a halo around a statue’s head; a glowing orb in the palm of a hand; a distant circle, dwarfed by something larger in the foreground; mysterious silhouettes with the moon as backdrop.

Supermoon off rear deck of a cruise ship, offering creative inspiration in 2014 (Photo © Lauren Gezurian-Amlani)

Hype and Hyperbole

The August Supermoon was well hyped in the media, and the upcoming Supermoon will surely take center stage on the evening of September 9th. Creative inspiration will continue.

I say, whatever it takes to inspire us to stop for a moment and look at a beautiful rising moon in the stillness of the night . . . is OK by me.

Comment on this post and include your best Supermoon photograph, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Thank you to Kathryn Kemp-Griffin for introducing me to the George Carlin quote.