Mary Harrsch: June 2009

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

An elevator that takes you from hell to heaven

I subscribe to "Candelight Stories" and today I received an email including a post about a short film created by artist Marco Brambilla for installation in the elevators of the Standard Hotel in New York City. If you choose to go up in the elevator the film takes you from the depths of hell to the artist's vision of heaven. Likewise, if you descend, you travel from the euphoria of heaven to the artist's interpretation of hell. Quite an interesting application of multimedia. This film is in HD, however, so if your bandwidth is marginal like mine (1.5 Mbps DSL) the film will start and stop as it buffers the data download.

Civilization by Marco Brambilla from CRUSH on Vimeo.

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History really does come alive for me!

I appreciate history from all historical periods but I have always been especially interested in ancient Mediterranean cultures. Although I am fascinated by ancient Egypt, I became totally entranced by ancient Rome after reading the "Masters of Rome" series of novels by Colleen McCullough and in particular the life of Julius Caesar. McCullough's novels, "The First Man In Rome", "The Grass Crown", "Fortune's Favorites", "Caesar's Women", and "Caesar", made this complex personality come to life. He was not the cold and calculating tyrannical conqueror often depicted by various historians apparently with their own political axes to grind. He was a tender lover, a skilled orator and advocate, a talented poet and historian, a consumate politician, and a man with integrity as well as cunning and military genius.

Collecting Historical Dolls

Although I have collected period dolls casually for several years, I did not become a serious historical doll collector until I visited a website put up by another historical doll enthusiast who specialized in Cleopatra dolls. I was amazed at all of the different versions of the Queen of Egypt that had been produced over the years by various doll companies and individual artists. I resolved that day to focus my doll collection and use this hobby to help disseminate historical information in an interesting and enjoyable format. More >>

Collecting pictures of dead people I don't even know

I began collecting Cameo Creations in 1994 when I found two portraits at a local flea market. At the time I did not realize there was such a variety of subjects, frame styles and even objects including mirrors, wall shelves and candlesticks that featured the distinctive ornate style highlighted by portraits of women primarily from the 18th and 19th centuries. My son once told his friends that his mother was little strange because the house was full of pictures of dead people we didn't even know! I have purchased some for as little as $6 but they average $12 - $22 for the 7 1/2" size depending on where you find them and the type and condition of the frame, the glass, and the image. I eventually discovered that they are often auctioned up on Ebay and have obtained several in this way including the four portraits featured on this page. The majority, however, I have found at flea markets and in scattered antique shops. I have also found Ebay to be a valuable reference source. I have purchased some portraits that no longer bear the identifying sticker but by looking at others offered for sale on Ebay I have been able to identify mine.

Movieland Wax Museum brought back childhood memories

Being a very strict disciplinarian, my father only allowed us to have one formal outing a week and I usually chose the local theater that ran double features (now a thing of the past) on Friday and Saturday nights. At that time the film industry offered many historical pageants like Ben Hur, Spartacus, and El Cid which not only appealed to my love of history but ignited my passion for cinema, a passion that has not dimmed over the decades. Sadly, Movieland Wax Museum has closed. But, you can revisit it through my website along with different Madame Tussaud's and The San Francisco Wax Museum, too!

Mary Harrsch

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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

An elevator that takes you from hell to heaven

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