#optimisticanthro

Trying to make the most out of my last day in Rome. After the Pantheon, it was off to Cooking Class with @inromecooking. Chef Phillipe taught us how to make tiramisu, homemade pasta alla carbonara, and a lovely arugula salad with thin-sliced beef. Chef's 9 American students enjoyed the fruits of our labor with an amazing lunch under this beautiful ceiling. It's now six hours later and I am still full. I've taken cooking classes in a handful of countries - including aindia and Morocco. And I love how food teaches so@much about culture, geography, history, and values. The nuances of Italian food, and even the differences between the food in Rome and Tuscany, is no exception. #havelovewilltravel #optimisticanthro #cooking #cookingclass #italy #italia #rome #roma #ceiling #paintedceiling #travel #travelphotography #architecture (at InRome Cooking)

In my part of Columbia Heights, street art is fairly rare. So, it was cool to spot this new piece from @absurdlywell just across the street from my apartment. #streetart #stencil #graffiti #dc #washingtondc #columbiaheights #letsgo #oprah #oprah2020 #absurdlywell #optimisticanthro #adjacentpossible (at Columbia Heights)

A few of my favorite details from Mark Bradford’s “Pickett’s Charge” at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC. Pickett’s Charge was the final charge of the Battle of Gettysburg, which historians cite as the critical turning point of the Civil War and, consequently, of American history. “Politically and socially, we are at the edge of another precipice. I’m standing in the middle of a question about where we are as a nation.” – Mark Bradford #art #artinstallation #artexhibit #markbradfor #pickettscharge #tyrningpoint #detail #texture #color #civilwar #dc #washingtondc #museum #artmuseum #smithsonian #hirshhorn #hirshhornmuseum #optimisticanthro #adjacentpossible (at Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden)

Colorful, homemade salad on a grey day. Ingredients: spinach, mandarin oranges, strawberries, goat cheese, homemade breaded chicken (egg, flour, tarragon, sage, salt, pepper, and corn flake crumbs). Dressing is balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and black pepper. #washingtondc #dc #homecooking #cooking #salad #colorfulsalad #spinachsalad #greens #colors #textures #homemade #food #foodporn #optimisticanthro (at Columbia Heights)

I often share pictures of patterns that catch my eye, but my head is usually filled with a million things at once, and increasingly, I trust that the connections and answers will emerge. I think that’s why this part of @ouchhh’s iota immersive installation spoke to me. It’s part of @artechouse’s exhibit Parallel Universe. #dc #washingtondc #thedistrict #art #lightart #artinstallation #immersiveart #soundart #artexhibition #artechousedc #artechouse #emergence #havelovewilltravel #optimisticanthro #ouchhh #iota (at ARTECHOUSE)

I’m a big advocate of the power of the “adjacent possible,” the potential and serendipity created when you notice and connect the unlikely. So this morning I headed down to @artechouse for a much needed dose of inspiration from their recently opened exhibit - a set of immersive visual and sonic installations - called Parallel Universe. I was particularly entranced by the largest installation, iota, and sat through its Lighetti meets electronic dance music soundtrack and morphing projected light patterns four times. This gave me time to pay attention to my responses to and preferences for certain sections, the connections I was making between the experience and the larger world, and awareness of the culture of how others engage with the new and novel such as art exhibits and tourist sites. Anthropology always weilds its head! So, I snapped some pictures of how others were engaging with the installation. There were couples, friends, families, and other solo visitors like me. There was a small child strapped to his mom’s chest, and the oldest person I spotted was probably in her 50s, though overall the group probably skewed late 20s to early 30s. Not surprisingly, cell phones figured prominently in the room. A lot of folks, myself included captured video of the installation and took selfies. Others staged more elaborate images with the help of friends, poses, props, choreography, and even the staff. Some visitors sat still and let the installation wash over them while others changed position and location to see how it impacted the experience. Overall, well worth the visit. Here are some of my favorite images of people interacting with the exhibit. . . #acreativedc #ouchhh #artechousedc #artechouse #art #installation #immersiveart #immersiveexperience #light #lightart #projection #sound #paralleluniverse #iota #silhouette #artexhibition #havelovewilltravel #optimisticanthro #adjacentpossible #washingtondc #dc (at ARTECHOUSE)

Should you find yourself in Malibu, I highly recommend you pay a visit to the Adamson House, the first beach house in the town which features an extraordinary array of Spanish-revival style Malibu tiles. The tiles were created in the family’s own factory which used to be nearby and operated for five years. In addition to being the family home built in 1929 by the Rindge family (Adamson is the name of the man who managed their ranch and married their daughter), it was also a place to showcase their factory’s “Malibu tiles.” Apparently there were 100s of ceramic tile manufacturers in greater Los Angeles in the 1920s, but the Rindges’ tiles were unique because theirs was the only factory that could make an orange-coral color. No photos allowed inside the house, which is particularly extraordinary in the bathrooms and kitchen, but I loved this fountain. Also, visiting this place has really got me thinking about tiling my kitchen backsplash. #california #socal #malibu #adamsonhouse #spanishtiles #malibutile #tiles #fountain #tileart #rindge #atlasobscura #havelovewilltravel #optimisticanthro (at Adamson House)

It was quite fogged over in Malibu all afternoon, but that didn’t keep some intrepid folks hanging at the famous Surfrider Beach. The fog made everything a bit magical and also gave the illusion that the sky and sea had become one. Everyone I passed was so friendly. I think like me, they were just happy to be near (or in a few folks’ case) on the ocean. I did ask the couple with the metal detectors (only the woman is featured in this series) what the best thing they had ever found was. He didn’t miss a beat and told me “a quarter.” We all laughed and then he said that they used to occasionally find nice rings (in one case they helped a woman find one she dropped in the sand) but now adays there are too many people with metal detectors. Who knew!? #california #socal #malibu #surfrider #surfriderbeach #pch #beach #ocean #pacificocean #surfer #pier #fog #lifeguardstand #friends #beachwalking #metaldetecting #metaldetector #havelovewilltravel #optimisticanthro (at Surfrider Beach)