Here is some art by Christoph Niemman.

He writes the "Abstract City" blog in the new york times. He is a prophet.

http://niemann.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/bio-diversity/

hampstead, outside of london.

photo taken by caitlin, who has mad photography skills.

a tree house

today im feeling sick and drinking some peet's black tea in my room. i worked at early bird granola yesterday and it felt so good to be back in a kitchen. after, abby and i ate some granola with ricotta, sat in the large fountain in the park and then retired to her dorm for some violet tea, talk and work.

I was just looking at photos of my art piece that I made for the Senior Winter Art Show at my high school, Urban. The project was about people watching and I decided to document my findings. I think I would like to continue logging people watching in a journal here in New York. Above are a few photos of the project and here is my artist statement:

I have always had a curiosity about other people’s habits and rituals. Also, I find it intriguing to observe how people interact with others in public spaces. Combining these two interests, I decided to study people waiting at the N Judah bus stop on the corner of Cole and Carl and record three elements that are involved in constructing a first impression. The first element is a physical description of the individual, including age, gender and clothing. The second are the habits, movements and mannerisms of the individual. The third element is in the eye of the beholder: the imagined back-story of the individual that the viewer creates and imposes. From these three layers, I decided to use a variety of transparent papers to convey how all three ingredients are mixed together and overlap to create a depiction of the person.

This art is a documentation of regular people who may seem disconnected from a distance, but when examined more closely, are very similar and share many qualities and characteristics. Though I did not interact or speak with these individuals, I now realize that it is impossible to get to know a person unless you take the time to get to know them personally. I became conscious of how physical characteristics and behaviors influence how others perceive a person, even though these superficial traits do not reveal an individual’s true nature. Furthermore, a strikingly small range of behaviors were exhibited while they were waiting for the bus, including pacing, checking the time, reading, and stepping out into the street. I expected to recognize some of the same individuals waiting at this corner since I observed the same place repeatedly, but never did. When the bus came each time and collected all of the people I was watching, I always felt this odd attachment and loss, feeling that I would never see or meet these people, nor would I ever know their true stories. Please flip through the booklets and read about each person.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/12/in-the-night-kitchen/?emc=eta1

"In The Night Kitchen" is a book that has been read to me hundreds of times when I was a kid. I wish cities were really made out of milk cartons and whisks. This article above is about how cooking can seep into late night insomnia. It also summarizes how i feel about swimming. I think the time in the middle of the night should be taken advantage of more often; we can be productive at all hours. When I have a kitchen next year I will mainly be staying up late whipping up olive oil cake.. and here is a recipe for blood orange and olive oil cake that I made recently:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/18/dining/181arex.html

I love these old photos of Paris rooftops. I am hoping to take a train here later next week, we shall see how if my plans materialize. Yesterday, my mom and I walked around London's Soho neighborhood, and indeed there were narrow, twisting roads. We went to Fernandez & Wells cafe to split a piece of clementine cake and each had a cappuccino and then proceeded to Monmouth for cappuccinos take two. Afterwards, we came across an art installation and decided to peak inside. The artist, Alice Anderson, had a huge amount of rapunzel-esque red hair spilling out of a window and seeping inside the front door. Inside we saw a web of this hair where you could see the different layers and knots. I read part of her artist statement and she said that memories can be interpreted as reconstructions and even become a new fiction story in their own right. This idea resonated with me because I just finished an essay for my writing class about Waltz With Bashir and I investigated the idea of distorted memory.

You can look at some photos of the exhibit here:

http://www.riflemaker.org/s-now

Finally it is Spring Break and I am visiting my sister who is studying abroad in London! The red eye plane I was in was nearly empty, so everyone rearranged and lied down in their own row. It felt futuristic, especially because we were flying in the middle of the night. After the flight, I met my dad at the South Kensington tube stop and then we took one more stop to get to the Sloane Square station. Then we walked a few blocks to an apartment that we are renting in Belgravia and I napped for seven hours! We met Amanda for an italian dinner and we talked about all of our plans for the coming week.

A few days ago I went for a swim at the NYU pool for a study break. Swimming has the ability to revitalize me no matter what my mood is. Its something I want to start doing on a regular basis. I'm excited to swim in lakes and rivers this summer, but until then, indoors will do. In other news, I am sick with a cold and am trapped studying in the library for midterms. Tomorrow I leave for London to visit my sister who is studying abroad there! I've got a lot of packing and laundry to do...

I still dream about Moma's Bauhaus exhibit. In particular, the 1930s collages strike me as beautiful portals into this past time period. These works inspire me to continue working in a sketchbook and making art. I have been interested in starting a weekly art class at the Art Student League uptown. Both figure drawing and collage assemblance classes are appealing options!

After a full day of studying for midterms yesterday, I went to Hillary's to cook spaghetti with fava beans, pistachios and mint for dinner. Then we made lemon poppyseed cake to celebrate Sophia's birthday a little bit early. Then we migrated to Abby's for an Oscar viewing party, complete with baked apples and tea. I always love watching the Oscars and seeing movies juxtaposed with others.

Here is the link for the pasta dish. I highly recommend trying out this spring recipe:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/06/french-in-a-flash-spaghetti-with-pistachio-recipes.html

Sunday in New York is different than it was in San Francisco. Here, it has become a cafe hopping day. This morning I stationed myself at Third Rail coffee and had two cappuccinos while studying for my philosophy midterm. I have learned to love both the functionality and taste of caffeine. Third Rail is my new favorite spot. Its on Sullivan Street and everyone who works there is really friendly and they call customers by first name. They always make intricate designs on top of the drinks, making the transition from a drink to an art form. Last week I had a lavender and honey scone which was delicious.

http://www.thirdrailcoffee.com/

Today marks a few things: the turn into Spring and the beginning of my blog. Here in New York, it has been in the mid 50s all day and the sun is at large. I saw cats basking in the sun, the first peaches in a food store, sandals and optimism. My excitement for Spring and warm weather is manifested in this photo of french children at a puppet show in Paris.