Jan

An Idiom Abroad

by Joyce McGreevy on January 3, 2017

The statue of the Duke of Wellington in Glasgow shows that Scotland's fashions go beyond the wordplay of clothing idioms. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Trafficking in high fashion, Glasgow style.
The Duke of Wellington monument at the Gallery of Modern Art.
© Joyce McGreevy

A Wordplay Stitch in Time

Sew, a funny thing happened on the way to a textile exhibition. One morning in Glasgow, I stopped at a café to write. The assignment: draft a column about the wordplay of clothing idioms.

I’m no smarty pants, but I hoped to leave readers in stitches so I put on my thinking cap, booted up my laptop, and buckled down to work. As cellphone users aired their dirty linen in public, I felt hampered and wished they would put a sock in it.

Then the barista buttonholed me with a shirty question.

“Wherever do you writers get your material?” he asked starchly.

His remark needled me, but surely I could pin down a sharp reply. A stitch in time saves nine, but darn it, the next ten minutes unraveled as I hemmed and hawed.

Awkward silence cloaked the café. You could have heard a pin drop.

A 17th century glove from Glasgow's Burrell Collection inspires off-the-cuff wordplay and other clothing idioms. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The gloves were off. I grasped for an off-the-cuff remark.
A 17th century glove, Burrell Collection, Glasgow.
© Joyce McGreevy

The Truth Can Be Crewel

The truth is, we writers fly by the seat of our pants, sometimes crafting stories from whole cloth, sometimes hanging on by a thread. We spin a good yarn, yet often feel as if we’re pulling the wool over our own eyes.

I considered embroidering the truth, as if I always had a trick up my sleeve. But my tongue was tied, so I zipped my lip. I was skirting the issue, and in Scotland one can get kilt for such things.

Seeing that I hadn’t a notion, my questioner dropped the topic like a missed stitch. Hat in hand, I weaved uncertainly into the fog that blanketed the city of Glasgow.

A Queen's Park street in Glasgow leads to a textile exhibition that inspires the wordplay of clothing idioms. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Before me loomed a patchwork of city streets. I knitted my brow, feeling crotchety.
© Joyce McGreevy

Haberdasher-ing Down the Road

The road unspooled before me, shimmering in patches, as veils of cloud cover gradually lifted. With a few quid burning a hole in my pocket, I threaded my way through Pollok Country Park. There I saw people surging toward the museum that housed the Burrell Collection.

The Hornby Portico in Glasgow leads to a textile exhibition, a visual reminder of clothing idioms' wordplay. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

A coat of arms crowns the site of strategic textile maneuvers.
The Hornby Portico, 16th century, Glasgow.
© Joyce McGreevy

As a traveler on a shoestring budget, I seek out pockets of inspiration that won’t cost the shirt off my back. Like museums, where I feel as comfortable as an old shoe.

So in I darted.

There it was—a textile exhibition perfectly tailored to the situation: Gilt and Silk: Early 17^th Century Costume.

Oh, I see: This was truly a stitch in time.

A 17th century petticoat at a textile exhibition in Glasgow, Scotland reminds us that a stitch in time is more than wordplay. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

How do you order remnants of chronological events? In sequins, of course.
Detail from a 17th century petticoat, Burrell Collection.
© Joyce McGreevy

Material Witness

I realize textile exhibitions bore the pants off some people. But I grew up in a close-knit family where a head for style went hand in glove with an eye for art. We’ve always cottoned to costume displays and would go at the drop of a hat.

Turns out it was final curtain for the Burrell Collection. The museum was about to bolt its doors until 2020, allowing renovators to roll up their sleeves and gussy up the place.

In other words, this textile exhibition was no dress rehearsal.

Silver and gold embroidery at a textile exhibition in Glasgow reflect the gilt-y pleasures of wordplay and clothing idioms. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Taking a shine to silver and gold threads made me feel gilt-y.
© Joyce McGreevy

Cloth Encounters

Intent on bobbin’ my head at as many items as possible, I zigzagged from display to display.

Some of the clothing knocked my socks off.

Like a woman’s waistcoat made of linen and polychrome silk. The snug little bodice brought new meaning to tightening one’s belt. Ah, but those silver-gilt threads in a pattern of flowers and foliage had me wearing my heart on my sleeve.

A 17th century noblewoman's waistcoat at a textile exhibition in Glasgow, Scotland threads the needle between clothing idioms' wordplay and their source. (Image @ Joyce McGreevy)

Wealthy noblewomen had a vested interest in waistcoats.
A 17th century waistcoat, Burrell Collection.
© Joyce McGreevy

Satin’s Handiwork

Some items left me hot under the collar. Like the outfit worn by the little boy in this painting.

A medieval ruff, as depicted in a painting in Glasgow, Scotland, inspires the wordplay of clothing idioms. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Seems like ruff circumstances for a little kid.
Detail from a painting by unknown artist, Burrell Collection.
© Joyce McGreevy

I guess M’Lord Senior was a stuffed shirt. And M’Lady had a bee in her bonnet about handling play-clothes with kid gloves.

Meanwhile, another area was bursting at the seams.

Museum-goers had fanned out around the highlight of the show—a crimson silk satin petticoat. You can bet your boots that showcasing this extremely rare article was a feather in the cap of the museum’s director.

Thus did the hours unfold. I stared at historical fashion like it was going out of style.

A 17th century textile exhibition in Glasgow provides rich material for clothing idioms and wordplay. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Nothing’s petty about a 17th century petticoat. The layered look was big back then.
© Joyce McGreevy

Nothing Old Hat Under the Sun

Finally, it was time to throw in the towel. With a new experience under my belt, I felt once again ready to toss my hat into the ring. (As a freelancer, I wear many hats in order to line my pockets while pulling myself up by my own bootstraps, as I refuse to ride another’s coattails.)

So I returned to work and tied up a few loose ends.

A 17th century cap at a textile exhibition in Glasgow, Scotland is "a tip of the hat" to clothing idioms and wordplay. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Hat trick: This embroidered cloth became a close-fitting cap.
© Joyce McGreevy

True, I still hadn’t answered the question of where writers get their material. Not every mystery can be sewn up in a neat little package.

But by following a stitch in time at the textile exhibition and collaring a few clothing idioms, I’d reconnected with the fabric of life. And my guess is, there’s a pattern in there somewhere.

A detail of a 17th century cap at a textile exhibition in Glasgow, Scotland "puts a cap on" clothing idioms and wordplay. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Animals on caps symbolized the senses. H’ats all, folks!
© Joyce McGreevy

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Joyce McGreevy 4 Comments

Scotland/The World's Art & Design/Wordplay

Dec

Creative Thinking in Copenhagen

by Joyce McGreevy on December 5, 2016

A cyclist crosses a bridge between islands in Copenhagen, an example of the Danish design that makes this city a Capital of Creative Thinking. (Image © Copenhagen Media Center and Thomas Høyrup Christensen)

Cycle from one island to another in Denmark’s capital city.
© Copenhagen Media Center/ Thomas Høyrup Christensen

The Danish Design of Everyday Life

On a map, Denmark’s 400+ islands resemble a dropped plate. It’s a fitting symbol, considering how Danish design breaks the mold. To the east spanning several islands is Copenhagen—arguably, the Capital of Creative Thinking.

“Danish design” connotes minimalist beauty—Arne Jacobsen’s famous “Egg” chair, Poul Henningsen’s pendant lamps, and other streamlined functional objects.

It doesn’t take a tour of Designmuseum Danmark to recognize that Copenhageners appreciate sophisticated simplicity.

Examples of minimalist furniture and lighting, that reflects the creative thinking of Danish design. (Image © Copenhagen Media Center and Morten Bjarnhof)

Danish design is known the world over.
© Copenhagen Media Center/ Morten Bjarnhof

But Danish design also encompasses creative ideas for everything from transportation to work-life balance, making Copenhagen one of the most livable cities in the world.

City of Cyclists

One of the first things you see are thousands of people crisscrossing the city on bikes. (Don’t mistake a bike lane for a sidewalk though, or it’ll be the last thing you see.) Last year Copenhagen cycled past Amsterdam to claim the title of world’s most bike-friendly city.

Cyclists and pedestrians cross a car-free bridge in Copenhagen, where creative thinking and Danish design influence the daily commute. (Image © Copenhagen Media Center and Thomas Rousing)

There are five times more bikes than cars in Copenhagen.
© Copenhagen Media Center/ Thomas Rousing

More than 60% of Copenhageners use bikes to commute to work, cart around groceries, and attend social gatherings. Politicians cycle to parliament at Christiansborg Castle (a.k.a. “Borgen”). The Crown Prince and Princess shuttle the kids to school in a cargo bike.

The Cykelslangen or "Bicycle Snake" in Copenhagen, is a cycle superhighway that reflects Danish design and creative thinking. (Image © Ursula Bach)

The Cykelslangen or “Bicycle Snake,” offers a shortcut, great views, and optimal traction.
© Ursula Bach

It helps that Denmark is flat as thin-sliced rye, its highest point 560 feet above sea level. Another advantage: a network of 28 bike-only highways. By improving health and reducing vehicle-related costs, the Cycle Superhighway could cut annual public expenditure by 40.3 million euros ($42M).

Libraries for Time Travelers

Danish design integrates past and present. Take Copenhagen’s Royal Danish Library, for example. From the half-hidden garden at Slotsholmen, it’s a red-brick National Romantic style building (1906), a sanctuary of silent hallways, long desks, and rare books, some over 900 years old.

The Royal Library Garden view of the 1906 Royal Library in Copenhagen reflects the Danish design and creative thinking of "Romantic Nationalist" architecture. (Image © Copenhagen Media Center and Martin Heiberg)

Hidden from the main streets behind Copenhagen’s Parliament is the Royal Library Garden.
© Copenhagen Media Center/ Martin Heiberg

Then a wooden walkway leads you into the ultramodern wing, a soaring, glass atrium framed by wave-like balconies. Ribbons of sunlight direct your attention to steeply ramped escalators below.

You are standing in the heart of the “Black Diamond.”

An interior view of the Black Diamond, an ultramodern extension of the Danish Royal Library in Copenhagen, showcases Danish design and creative thinking. (Image © Copenhagen Media Center and Nicolai Perjesi)

Book it to Copenhagen to check out this library.
© Copenhagen Media Center/ Nicolai Perjesi

A breathtaking trapezoidal structure of black granite and glass, the Black Diamond extends the old library to the waterfront. It also features a 600-seat concert hall, restaurants, and a bookshop.

The Black Diamond in Copenhagen reflects both sunlight and the creative thinking of Danish design. (Image © Copenhagen Media Center and Ty Stange)

Take a beach chair, book, beer or coffee, and relax like a local beside the library.
© Copenhagen Media Center/ Ty Stange

But that’s not the end of the time travel. Because in Denmark, citizens can use RFID-enabled cards to visit nearly 200 libraries even when staff are not on duty.

Balancing Budgets and Diets

Copenhagen can be expensive. But it’s bemusing when tourists name-drop Copenhagen’s five-star hotels—and then complain about the cost of a beer.

A gargoyle of a crab in Copenhagen shows how humor and creative thinking influence Danish design. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Only a gargoyle could be crabby in Copenhagen.
© Joyce McGreevy

As Copenhageners know, it’s all about balance. My budget apartment in the fashionable Frederiksberg neighborhood offered a wealth of extras, including a high-tech laundry and a charming balcony garden that writers usually only have in movies. With nearby parks and public transportation, it’s hard to go wrong.

Smørrbrød, or Danish open sandwiches, at Torvehallerne Market, Copenhagen, shows that creative thinking in Danish design extends to Nordic cuisine. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

“S’more smørrbrød, please!” Torvehallerne Market makes fine dining affordable.
© Joyce McGreevy

So spending a few kroner more for smørrebrød, the traditional Danish open sandwich, won’t break the bank. Besides, that higher tab ensures workers a living wage. As for beer, do as locals do: buy a cold one at a convenience store, sit beside the canal (yes, it’s legal), and enjoy the view. It’s free.

A view of Trangraven, Copenhagen shows how Danish design and creative thinking work in tandem with nature. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

You are never more than a few steps from a beautiful view in Copenhagen.
© Joyce McGreevy

Cashless in Copenhagen

(Danish designed paper currency and coins may be phased out by 2025, as creative thinking influences monetary policy.

Most Danes pay by mobile phone, not kroner.

Speaking of balancing budgets, Denmark is getting rid of money.

Danes use cash for less than 6% of all payments.

Now the city that accepts mobile payments for even the smallest purchases is set to become the first world capital of cashless society.

Critics raise concerns about fraud and institutional control. Supporters say phasing out currency and coins will reduce tax fraud, disrupt black markets, and save millions in minting costs.

It’s Easier Being Green

Copenhagen is on track to become carbon-neutral by 2025. More than 40% of Denmark’s electricity is powered by renewable energy sources. Plans to switch bus lines to biogas or electricity will reduce carbon emissions another 20%.

Windmills on Copenhagen's urban horizon exemplify how creative thinking and Danish design affect energy policy. (Image © Kontraframe)

By 2020, 50% of Copenhagen’s energy will come from wind power.
© Kontraframe

Denmark discourages gasoline consumption with a whopping 180% tax on new cars, but waives this for electric vehicles. Drivers of EVs also enjoy free city parking. Hear that, U.S. cities?

Organic produce at Torvehallerne Market, Copenhagen suggests the creative thinking and Danish design of Nordic cuisine. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Named European Green Capital in 2014, Copenhagen leads the world in
organic food consumption.
© Joyce McGreevy

Danish Designed Attitudes

What about Denmark’s reputation as the happiest place on earth?

“I think you mean Disneyland,” says local guide Rekke, citing the place inspired by Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens.

The carousel at Tivoli, the amusement park in Copenhagen, is an icon of Danish design and creative thinking. (Image © Copenhagen Media Center and Anders Bøgild)

Tivoli, the 170-year-old amusement park in Copenhagen.
© Copenhagen Media Center/ Anders Bøgild

She jokes that Hans Christian Anderson, Danish fairytale author and erstwhile Copenhagen resident, invented the genre known as “Nordic Noir.” As evidence, Rekke cites the grim ending of the original “Little Mermaid.”

The final resting place of Hans Christian Andersen is a reminder of this author's creative thinking and the uniquely Danish design of his fairytales. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Andersen’s ultimate fairytale ending? Digteren is Danish for “Poet.”
© Joyce McGreevy

But ask Rekke, “How happy are you?” and she says, “Very. Nine out of ten.” This turns out to be a typical response in Copenhagen.

Making a Living, Having a Life

One reason is work-life balance. By four o’clock, Copenhagen is abuzz with families heading home for the evening. Overtime is discouraged, yet productivity is high.

Hence the Danish word arbejdsglæde, or “happiness at work.”

Office culture is rarely hierarchical and workers speak their minds. (Just don’t boast, even at job interviews; it’s not the Danish way.)

Outdoor diners at Papirøen, or Paper Island, a former storage facility, enjoy the benefits of Copenhagen's creative thinking toward Danish design. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Once a storage facility, Papirøen (“Paper Island”), is the place for global street food.
© Joyce McGreevy

Similarly, Danish government works by way of consensus. No single party holds the majority.

In 2010 Copenhagen’s parliament inspired an idealistic TV series, Borgen, a sleeper hit worldwide. NPR called it “Denmark’s West Wing, but even better.”

Mutual trust is a fundamental Danish value. According to one EU index, voter turnout in Denmark tops 85% and 96% of Danes know someone they could rely on in time of need.

The environs Stork Fountain, Copenhagen showcases the creative thinking of Danish design. (Image © Copenhagen Media Center and Ty Stange)

Newly graduated midwives dance at Stork Fountain. In Denmark, taxes are high,
and benefits cover college tuition, medical care, and more.
© Copenhagen Media Center/ Ty Stange

Remember That Dropped Plate?

Trust may explain why one quirky custom remains popular in Copenhagen. Every New Year, Danes toss old dishes at the doors of friends. The higher the pile of broken plates, the more you’re loved.

An assortment of Nordic cuisine on Royal Copenhagen plates at Restaurant Kronberg, Copenhagen exemplifies the creative thinking of Danish design. (Image © Copenhagen Media Center and Ty Stange)

The Nordic diet emphasizes sustainably produced, fresh local foods.
© Copenhagen Media Center/ Chris Tonnesen at Restaurant Kronberg

Oh, I see: From broken plates to bicycle highways, open libraries to cashless culture, work-life balance to falling carbon levels, Copenhagen may well be the Capital of Creative Thinking. Danish design encompasses everything from environmental stewardship to freedom of expression.

Now, how does creative thinking influence your way of life?

Enroll in a free University of Copenhagen class on the Nordic diet here.

Tour the world’s most bike-friendly city here and here.

Borgen is now available on U.S. video sites.

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

Joyce McGreevy 3 Comments

Clever Ideas/Crossing Cultures/Denmark

Oct

Photographing Amazing Places on Earth

by Meredith Mullins on October 18, 2016

Ocean wave over lighthouse in North Portugal, one of the amazing places in the world to photograph. (Image © John North/iStock.)

Lighthouses: A Magnet for the Collision of Nature’s Forces

Some of the most amazing places on earth are at its edges. Drama is inevitable at these gateways to the vast beyond.

Collisions of nature’s forces are expected—at the polar tips and rugged coastlines, at the intersection of earth, sea, and sky.

These are the same places that made the early explorers afraid of the treacherous, cavernous ledges—at the edge of the flat world—as the curves of the earth disappeared from their view.

And it is here—in these natural theaters—that productions are anything but ordinary.

A lighthouse showing one of the amazing places on earth for photography. (Image © Logboom/iStock.)

The Stalwart Lighthouse

Many of these battles of the forces cast the lighthouse as the lead character.

These beacons, by their very purpose, sit on the cusp of land and sea, dotting the outlines of the continents with their steadfast blazes of light.

Sometimes the lighthouses even go outside the edges, perched on isolated tiny rock islands, as if becoming a part of the sea themselves.

They stand strong and sturdy, lighting the way to safe harbor. And they offer good fuel for powerful photographs of humanmade architecture withstanding the forces of nature—especially when the surf is up.

Giant wave over Douro River lighthouse, one of the amazing places on earth to photograph. (Image © Zaharias Pereira de Mata/iStock.)

There are lighthouses that are mentioned often for their history, style, and setting, such as the Tower of Hercules in northwestern Spain, the Hook Head Lighthouse in Ireland, and Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse “at the end of the world” in Argentina (just east of the southernmost city in the world).

Tower of Hercules, a lighthouse in Spain, one of the most amazing places on earth to photograph. (Image © Hapaks/iStock.)

There are lighthouses that are famous for the westerly storms that lash them with vicious wind and waves, such those in Portugal, western France, and England.

Waves crushing against a lighthouse barrier at Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England, one of the most amazing places on earth to photograph. (Image cg Design Pics/Thinkstock.)

But in the past year, it is the Porthcawl Lighthouse that has drawn worldwide attention, especially with a voracious internet audience.

And Then There Was Porthcawl

The Porthcawl Lighthouse on the south coast of Wales does not make any of the Top Lighthouses in the World lists, but those list makers haven’t taken into account the brutal storm winds and gargantuan waves that sweep in from the west through the Bristol Channel.

Giant wave over Porthcawl lighthouse, one of the amazing places on earth to photograph. (Image © D.W. Ryan/iStock.)

All of the elements—the formation of the jetty, the slope of the barrier wall, the winds, the tides, and the movement of the sea—come together a few rare times a year to create towering walls of water.

It’s a good thing the lighthouse is made of cast iron or it would be crushed by the force of these raging mountains.

Photographer storm addicts, like American tornado chasers in the Midwest, check the weather during storm season to make sure they are at the right place at the right time, camera in hand. And photography gods willing, the sea begins to explode.

Waves hitting the barrier at the Porthcawl lighthouse in Wales, one of the most amazing places on earth to photograph. (Image © Steven Garrington.)

On any given storm day, the pack of photographers at Porthcawl is like a press corps huddle, although the sound of the clicking shutters is muffled by the roar of the wind and sea.

Each artist adventurer is hoping for the one original climactic moment of impact, when sea and structure collide, or dance passionately around each other with frenzied energy.

Although there have been many great photographs of Porthcawl, a single member of the wave-inspired photo corps emerged as a celebrity in his own right this year.

Waves threatening Porthcawl lighthouse, with light rays in the background, one of the most amazing places on earth to photograph. (Image © Steven Garrington.)

Wales native, Steven Garrington, posted his Porthcawl image from a 2014 storm on his Flickr site, and tens of thousands of views later, he was awarded the second most liked image on Flickr for 2015. (He was out-liked by a shot of the launch of Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket.)

This honor blasted his story through the blogosphere and art community.

He is humble about his new internet fame. He admits in a BBC interview that he is self-taught and still learning from all the helpful comments on his Flickr site.

He shot his first Porthcawl storm in 2008 and then again in 2014 and 2015. The 2014 image was not posted until 18 months after the storm. Steve likes to let his images settle in for a while.

Waves threatening Porthcawl lighthouse, one of the most amazing places on earth to photography. (Image © Steven Garrington.)

He appreciates the attention on Flickr (he now has more than 110,000 followers), but also admits he doesn’t always agree with the images selected as most popular. In fact, there’s an image of Porthcawl he likes better than the one that got all the 2015 attention.

Hand-like wave threatening the Porthcawl lighthouse, showing one of the most amazing places on earth to photograph. (Image © Steven Garrington.)

Storm Tips

While Steve may or may not shoot another Porthcawl storm, he offered these tips to BBC Arts for photographing storm events.

Carry a plastic bag to stuff your camera into when the spray comes your way.
Wait for the light. It’s not just about giant waves. Photography’s heartbeat is light.
Know the conditions (where are the waves breaking, is the tide coming in or going out, is the weather getting worse?)
Have an escape plan when that wave two or three times larger than you can possibly imagine breaks over the jetty.
Don’t go alone; have a buddy looking out for you. Take turns shooting.

And we add: Don’t ever turn your back on the sea.

Waves to the right of Porthcawl lighthouse in Wales, one of the most amazing places on earth to photograph. (Image © Steven Garrington.)

Oh, I See: 1 + 1 = 3 in the World of Lighthouses

When there are dramatic moments in nature at the most amazing places on earth, the power of this confluence is exponential.

The “Oh, I see” moments become gasps at the sheer beauty and force of nature.

When a talented photographer captures the moment of impact, when the waves leap over every barrier in sight and hang suspended defying every law of gravity, the power is felt to the very core.

And all of us lucky viewers are, quite simply, awestruck.

See the power of nature in action in this Porthcawl video.

Tips courtesy of Steven Garrington and BBC Arts (Get Creative).

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Meredith Mullins 4 Comments

Adventure Travel/The World's Photography/Wales

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