Five Bullets 9.16.22
This week: William Klein, The Ansonia, Brooklyn Comes Alive & more
Happy Friday everyone! Welcome back to Circles In Space, where each Friday I share five interesting things. This week’s topics:
Photographer, filmmaker and artist William Klein passed away this week at age 96. I included Klein in my 6.17.22 newsletter after I watched the documentary The Many Lives of William Klein. This week I visited the International Center of Photography’s retrospective of Klein's work, which opened on June 3. The exhibit included Klein's paintings, abstract photography, his creative street and fashion photography, as well as films Broadway By Light and Muhammad Ali, the Greatest. Spanning two large gallery floors, the exhibit was a stunning collection of Klein's creative photographic experimentation. Thanks for your work Mr. Klein!
New York City's Ansonia building, located on Broadway between 73rd and 74th St., has had quite a history. Originally built as a hotel by William Earl Dodge Stokes and designed by French architect Paul Emile Duboy, the Ansonia opened in 1904 and offered its residents many amenities: it was the first air-conditioned building in New York City; it had a farm on its roof with 500 chickens and a lobby fountain with live seals. Among the residents were baseball player Babe Ruth, writer Theodore Dreiser, composer Igor Stravinsky and White Sox player Chick Gandil, who held a meeting at the hotel to discuss the 1919 Black Sox Scandal. In the 1970's Bette Midler and Barry Manilow were among the basement's bathhouse performers. The building was preserved as a landmark in 1980 and converted to apartments in 1992.
Harvard professor and astrophysicist Avi Loeb has begun the Galileo Project - a team of scientists which seeks to find evidence of extraterrestrial technology. You may be familiar with Loeb - he posited that the interstellar comet Oumuamua could've been extraterrestrial in origin. Loeb describes the Galileo Project as 'interstellar archaeology'. If advanced civilizations are out there, they may be capable of sending technology out into the universe. As with Oumuamua, we may have already found evidence of intelligent life if only we were open to the possibility!
Yvon Chouinard, founder of outdoor clothing company Patagonia transferred control of the company to a trust and nonprofit organization. This means that Patagonia's profits will be used to fight climate change instead of enriching shareholders, had the company gone public. Patagonia has supported philanthropic and environmental initiatives throughout it’s existence including becoming a certified B corporation and opposing President Trump's plan to reduce Bears Ears National Monument. Read Chouinard's statement at Patagonia's homepage.
The one-day music festival Brooklyn Comes Alive returns Saturday, September 17th featuring jazz and funk jam bands including scene giants (as well as two of my favorite bands) Medeski Martin & Wood and Lettuce, joined by STS9 and Cool Cool Cool. Anytime I get to see MMW or Lettuce it's always a great show but both bands back-to-back on the same bill? Surely my mind will be blown. If you're into fun, danceable, genre-bending instrumental jam-bands don't miss out this weekend!!
Got something to share? Leave me a comment! I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting things to dive into.
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That's all for this week! As always, thanks for reading and have a great weekend!
Until next time,
KW
Currently reading: Day of Trinity - Lansing Lamont
Currently listening to: Friday Afternoon in the Universe - Medeski Martin & Wood