las vegas: artsy

i was in Vegas this weekend celebrating my brothers big 21st birthday. it was an amazing time. aside from the usual casinos, nightclubs, and 5 foot frozen drink glasses, i was able to actually experience some beautiful architecture and art work.

we visited Crystals in the new City Center during our visit in Vegas. the architecture inside Crystals alone is beautiful to look at. clean sharp lines, interesting angles, and of course high fashion stores fill the inside of the center. it screams sophistication and elegance. it is also home to two very interesting and cutting edge exhibits.

the Glacia exhibit greets you as you enter the center and a slight chill comes over you. Glacia is an exhibit of giant pillars made of ice that rise as tall as 15 feet. the pillars rise from a bed of water and as they rise, intricate three-dimensional patterns are whittled into the ice. the pillars are also blanketed in different hues of lights that gleam off the ice. it’s truly a beautiful sight. one of the pillars in the exhibit is close enough to touch. and yes, we came to realize the pillars were made of real ice. they were cold and smooth to the touch.

the second exhibit we came across was called Halo. just as unexpected at Glacia, Halo exhibits tilted water vortices. this exhibit we were able to walk thru and even stand on. Halo is a maze of spinning and twisting water that seem to resemble tornados and twisters. standing next to one of the water vortices without getting wet was and interesting experience. the water would begin to spin into a vortex from the bottom and stretch to the very top of the container. eventually the vortex would ‘kill’ itself and take on a new shape. this exhibit added motion throughout the center and both exhibits were able to push the boundaries of natural elements–all while being indoors.

these exhibits were created and designed my a company called Wet Design. this is the company that also did the amazing water show outside the Belagio, the Volcano show at the Mirage, among many other water creations across the world.

“if there is magic in this planet, it is contained in water.” -Loren Eiseley

xoxo

“for my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream.”

this semester i have an astronomy class [required science class for asu, not by choice] and it has actually started to draw my attention. looking at stars differently than i ever have, learning the names of different stars and their characteristics. the class brought me back to a piece of art.

starry night by van gogh is by far one of the most amazing pieces of art ever made [as well as one of my absolute favorites]. what makes it so amazing  are the circular strokes that make up the sky and stars. so peaceful and rhythmic. they tower over the small town and illustrate an apparent internal conflict within van gogh. loneliness and sadness are almost swept away in the sky. a beautiful piece of art. b-e-a-uuuuuu-tiful! i wish our sky looked like this. i’d sleep outside every night :)

“when i have a terrible need of – shall i say the word- religion. then i go out and paint the stars.”  -van gogh

xoxo

❥ zo

“Even the knowledge of my own fallibility cannot keep me from making mistakes. Only when I fall do I get up again.”

-Vincent Van Gogh

“The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others.”

-Vincent Van Gogh