Irish Folk Furniture

Loving this piece directed and filmed by Tony Donoghue with a camera bought on eBay for €150. It's so sweet that I felt all glowy and warm watching it.

Snail trail: the track of a journey

How long did this snail (or slug, let's not presume anything here) take to travel across the step, make the ingenious loop and somehow manage to leave the building? Answers in a tweet please! @orlaghob

"Leak" - HardbackHenid's tribute to Cornelius and John Cage

The rain doesn't end this week! "Now how can I get some different sounds from this unexpected drop intruding into my room?" It's a rainy June day and cabin fever demands a little play."Totally arty like!"



ANd this is just the rain falling on the roof; lovely!

Tibet in France – Lerab Ling

My summer volunteer experience is in full swing; busy like normal life, but with a massive temple in the back yard and staying in a tent. Not yet enlightened, but maybe another 3 aeons might do the trick. All the same, have been looking and seeing and working on my mindfulness. Here are a few snaps of where I am for you to imagine...

Full photo story here
Location: Lerab Ling

Halloween – New England

Spider webs

Sedate selection

Back garden extravagnaza, Salem

Actual original "witches" house in Salem town. 

 Cosmetic's Store adds glitz

For sure

Same Room – Oh So Different Room

New York Times Interactive piece here. Fascinating how people live so differently with the same starting point. Photography by Corine Vermeulen. 
Via G.

Richard Florida – Who's Your City?

I really did say to myself in 2004 " It doesn't matter where I do my MA, it's more about what I do and what I want from it". Well, ahem, I discovered that I got that so wrong. It did matter, and it does matter where I live. A friend of mine, who was also on that course was fascinated by how the city environment affects us, and did an amazing project on psychogeography. Anyhows, I also realise the power of place when I check out the hits to one of my sites and see that there's something about California, Texas and New York that seems to return to it. I like the Monocle 'Top 25 Most Liveable Cities', because I like the magazine. So, when I came across this book I immediately ordered it:

It’s a mantra of the age of globalization that where you live doesn’t matter ... According to Richard Florida, this is wrong. Place is not only important, it’s more important than ever... Globalization is not flattening the world; on the contrary, the world is spiky. Place is becoming more relevant to the global economy and our individual lives. The choice of where to live, therefore, is not an arbitrary one. It is arguably the most important decision we make, as important as choosing a spouse or a career. In fact, place exerts powerful influence over the jobs and careers we have access to, the people meet and our “mating markets” and our ability to lead happy and fulfilled lives.

On his creative class website, are interesting data maps and a nice questionnaire to help you compare your own choice of top cities. Below, a global map of innovation locations, and personality areas in the States.

The Professional Walker

My Dad spent his working life walking farms, talking to farmers, looking at the land. For many years he was part of the Irish State's project to divide common lands amoung locals, and once that was done he helped oversee grant allocations from the EU. Despite being part of bureacracies, at the core of what he did best was to walk, look, listen and interact with land and the people on it. I think that's amazing, don't you agree Richard Long?

A Ransacked Country House - Co. Tipperary

A distant relative had lived here for 86 years before reluctantly giving into the nursing home. Sure enough the property has been continuously raided by burglars (my parents use a different word). It's so sad to see a grand house crumble; a life plundered. Check out David Creedon's shots of similar houses around Ireland.

Debbie Godsell

These are multi-pannelled prints by Cork-based artist Debbie Godsell. I love how she manages to take the kitschy elements of Irish souvenirs and tourist symbols and somehow makes them tasteful (to me at any rate). She says of them: "They represent an idyllic, romantic and unreal Ireland where shamrocks, rainbows, and milkmaids replace politics, finance and endless rain. This is a place where the sun always shines in summertime."

debbie godsell online

500 Pencils

Felissimo has designed this range of pencils for social designer. Each one is named individually. You can't buy the whole 500 in one go: but over 20 months. Like my old Quest magazines, or your favourite subscription magazines.... well, kind of.

via designboom

Ghosts of the faithful departed - David Creedon

These are so beautiful and haunting. Check out the book

Between 2005 and 2007 David Creedon photographed many of the abandoned, derelict houses to be found throughout Ireland, whose owners had fled, mainly due to dire poverty during the 1950s, leaving an unmarried family member behind to maintain the property’s upkeep or run the farm. When in turn they passed away, ownership was usually passed to far-flung relatives. Now, in a new millennium, these houses lie deserted, awaiting the return of owners whose dreams of coming home may never be realised.

A tribute to a home

This is my dream home, built by Grace Weir and Joe Walker. It literally blends into the countryside.