Category: Ecstasis

by jad

The Museum of the Liberation of Rome

Vistas and views in, around, and from the original “Cap Hill.” x The Arch of Constantine near the Colosseum, inspiration for the Arc de Triomphe and all triumphalists for centuries to come. x If you ask me, it’s Golden Hour all day in Rome, but the setting summer sun does all the heavy lifting in travel photography. x On our last day, we went to the Museum of the Liberation of Rome, located in an apartment building at Via Tasso 145 that used to house the cultural offices of the German embassy, before being converted into an SS prison during … Continue reading “The Museum of the Liberation of Rome” →

by jad

Decontextualized Antiquities (and an Auspicious Toe)

I’m bored out of my mind on the flight back to Seattle that’s already been delayed three hours, so here’s a lucky frame I captured of the monument to Cola di Rienzo that’s next to the Campidoglio steps leading up to the Capitoline Museums. x Speaking of luck, here’s an auspicious toe and a couple of stern statues near the Colosseum. x There’s a lot of construction and renovation all over Rome. If I had the book with me, I’d make a reference to one of Italo Calvino’s invisible cities. But I don’t. x Decontextualized antiquities carry an eerie affect. … Continue reading “Decontextualized Antiquities (and an Auspicious Toe)” →

by jad

The Grand Tour Ritual (and the Spanish Steps)

This was my first time in Italy, so, of course, we did all the basic rituals that people have done since the days of the Grand Tour. This one in particular was a top priority, however, the magical thinkers that we are. We even visited it twice; passing through on our first morning in Rome, and then again on our last day, when we did the thing and landed two lucky coins over our shoulders, despite the usual area where people congregate being roped off that day, for some reason. I guess we’ll be returning. Swipe to see how drastically … Continue reading “The Grand Tour Ritual (and the Spanish Steps)” →

by jad

A Part of Us Left in Italy

We’re back in New York, but we’ve left a part of us in Italy. Going through my photos and thinking about our trip feels a little like this scene around Constantine’s Colosso in fragments at the Capitoline Museums: bits and pieces indexing other bits and pieces, a mosaic of affect still in need of putting together. It’s a good thing I have so many photos to go through. I’m going to need more time processing this experience. x Our trip to Italy was a convergence of several “tracks,” for the lack of a better word, one of which being @christine.bingham.art’s … Continue reading “A Part of Us Left in Italy” →

by jad

Gramsci’s Tomb (Arrivederci, Italia)

We’re boarding our flight back to the U.S. in a few minutes. Here are a couple more shots from Italy’s railways in the interregnum. x I really tried my best to pay my respects at Gramsci’s tomb, visiting the “Non-Catholic” cemetery where he is buried on both ends of our trip. Alas, we were thwarted both times by mysterious “technical difficulties” (probably ghosts) that closed the space to the public. No matter. We will be back. Optimism of the will, etc. x Italy’s train stations have some interesting amenities, like this chapel and barbershop. Rail travel was annoying, but all … Continue reading “Gramsci’s Tomb (Arrivederci, Italia)” →

by jad

The Fourth of July in Florence (and Italy’s Trains)

We’re in Florence on the Fourth of July, heading back to Rome tomorrow morning. What better way is there to “celebrate” 250 years of the American experiment than a shot of one of the first things I saw in Italy: a McDonald’s just outside of Roma Termini. We spent a lot of time getting on and off trains during this trip and took way too many photos everywhere we’ve been; I figured I’d get started with posting the “in-between” shots first, as we make our way back to the beginning. x If you’ve ever heard bad things about the trains … Continue reading “The Fourth of July in Florence (and Italy’s Trains)” →

by jad

Expats, the Uffizi Train, and a Photo of a Butt

A few angles and frames from the Met as we get ready to take the train to the Uffizi. x Yesterday, we had lunch with an older couple of American expats who moved to Italy permanently and in protest some 20 years ago, and we were talking about how one of the lesser-acknowledged benefits of living in some regions of Italy is just how much of the famous art is free to see, being part of the texture of active monasteries or churches. x Christine was like “are you taking a picture of a butt” and I said “yeah, and … Continue reading “Expats, the Uffizi Train, and a Photo of a Butt” →

by jad

Near Raphael’s Grave, Thinking About Orientalism

I’m sitting in a room that’s a ten-minute walk from where Raphael is buried in Rome, going through the last couple of shots I took from the exhibit of his life and work at the Met, writing these words while waiting for the sun to start setting, to get respite from the unbearable heat blazing across Europe. And I’m only just now noticing the subtitle the curators had chosen: “sublime poetry.” Being in Italy during this heatwave has been an interesting twist to a challenge we’d already set ourselves. Italy is infamous for its inscrutable ways. But there’s graffiti in … Continue reading “Near Raphael’s Grave, Thinking About Orientalism” →

by jad

MoMA, Duchamp, and a Birthday at the Raphael Exhibit

We’re in the Eternal City of Rome, but my mind’s still in the city that never sleeps—partially, because I’m very jet lagged and have barely slept in the past 48 hours, but mostly because I’ve a shit ton of photos left from our time there and it’s been way too hot to take many photos here. So I’ll be sharing some shots from the art museums we visited. This is the Rothko room at MoMA. 20 years ago, I only visited the Met and spent the whole time in the Modern Art section where I saw a Rothko for the … Continue reading “MoMA, Duchamp, and a Birthday at the Raphael Exhibit” →

by jad

Twenty Years Later: Back in New York, Turning 40

After twenty whole years, I’m back in “the city that blends and mends and tests”—and I still have a screenshot of that split second when my name pops up in the Beastie Boys video as my email avatar. I came here back then as a kind of escape; to be totally anonymous even for a little while; to turn 20 away from everyone, almost to prove a point: that I could make something out of this “great, unstable mass of blood and foam.” And this city did not let me down. It consoled me when I was at my lowest … Continue reading “Twenty Years Later: Back in New York, Turning 40” →