"Woman In Chains" by Tears For Fears

For International Women's Day: "Woman In Chains" by Tears For Fears with Oleta Adams. Just phenomenal. After more than thirty years, this song still moves me to absolute tears.

"Somebody, somewhere is trying to breathe..."

 

You better love loving and you better behave
You better love loving and you better behave
Woman in chains
Woman in chains

Calls her man the Great White Hope
Says she's fine, she'll always cope
Woman in chains
Woman in chains

Well I feel lying and waiting is a poor man's deal
And I feel hopelessly weighed down by your eyes of steel
It's a world gone crazy
Keeps woman in chains

Trades her soul as skin and bones
(You better love loving and you better behave)
Sells the only thing she owns
(You better love loving and you better behave)
Woman in chains
(The sun and the moon)
Woman in chains

Men of Stone
Men of Stone

Well I feel deep in your heart there are wounds time can't heal
And I feel somebody somewhere is trying to breathe
Well you know what I mean
It's a world gone crazy
Keeps woman in chains

It's under my skin but out of my hands
I'll tear it apart but I won't understand
(Somebody somewhere is trying to breathe)
I will not accept the Greatness of Man
It's a world gone crazy
Keeps woman in chains

So free her
So free her

(The sun and the moon

The wind and the rain)

http://tearsforfears.com/

Ice Hotel 2023-2024

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The annual Ice Hotel built from actual snow and ice every year in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden has been open for a few weeks now. And every year, the design for the hotel as well as each of the rooms is different! Participating artists and designers come to sculpt and craft the suites into works of art that one can sleep in. This year's line up has some cosmic, lyrical concepts...

BEAVER LODGE - DESIGN BRIAN MCARTHUR & DAWN DETARANDO
Beaver lodge is the humble home of a hardworking pair of beavers. Incredibly industrious, these creatures are critical for a healthy ecosystem from which many other benefits. With their dams, they stabilize water levels and protect against drought, floods and erosion as well as improve water quality. This unique environmental superhero increases biodiversity by creating this wetland habitat.
Walking into this quiet and secure den of chewed logs, mud and grass you are welcomed by a beaver happily chewing near the headboard while its partner is entering with a freshly cut leafy twig.

Let’s hope the chewing does not keep you awake through the long dark night of this winter oasis.

CEREMONY HALL SLAVA - DESIGN THOMASZ CZAJKOWSKI & GRZEGORZ OLCZAK
This year's Ceremony Hall is inspired by the beauty in Ukrainian culture.

The ice columns in the very front of the room were inspired by folk patterns, specifically cross-stitching patterns on traditional clothing. The backrests of the benches portray flowers and animals symbolizing the power of life, and the ornamental patterns carved in the walls of the hall are symbolizing durability and indomitable power of nature: The renewal of life and strength returning each spring.

DREAM WITH A THORN - DESIGN MONICA POPESCU & EMMYLOU VARON
In "Dream with a Thorn" the arid landscape of a desert comes alive, with inspiration from the ancient art of papercutting.

Two dimensional cacti, in a kaleidoscope of textures. Their flat surfaces intersect and fold to create three-dimensional objects, carved from the ice from the Torne River. They symbolize the survival and preservation of this precious water.

The room invites the guests to sleep among the saguaro, barrel and prickly pear cacti, immersing themselves in the beauty of a desert oasis: A testament to nature’s endurance and artistic ingenuity.

ETERNAL FLOW - DESIGN MAXIME VAN BESIEN
Torneälven welcomes you into its Eternal Flow

The phoenix Torneälven has returned from his eternal flow of water and ice. Finding his nest this winter within these snowy walls. Spreading his creative spirit in the present that was once the past, sheltering those who enter his domain. Torneälven represents the past, the present and the future.

FROZEN MOMENT - DESIGN TJÅSA GUSFORS & HANNEKE SUPPLY
Two rats caught in action; they wanted to steal cheese.

The house cat who is supposed to guard the pantry has quietly been watching the energetic labour of the rats.

The rats have now caught sight of the cat. They watch one another.

The cat thinks he might be a bit hungry. Can he care for a chase? He continues to watch, the moment frozen in time.

As long as the rats keep still and not moving, the cat will remain in suspended indecision.

INCEPTION - DESIGN NICOLAS TRIBOULOT & KARL GILLES
Inception is an allegory of the creating of the world. From chaos and darkness emerge a great light and an immense clap of thunder, the universe, time, space and matter.

”Let there be light”, and from light springs the world. The apeiron is followed by the cosmos which is organized in an endless creative impulse.

Here you will enter a white and silent suite, where the architecture evokes the initial chaos. Suddenly the light springs and streaks the walls. Thunder rumbles and fills the room with the sound of creation. The world is re-born before the eyes of the amazed customer.

After the shock, return to the calm.

LIGHT COLLECTORS - DESIGN LISA LINDQVIST & KATE MUNRO
"The winter sun folds into a night sky
as the lands softens towards sleep
There in the shadow of a thousand years
walk in the Ancient gathering light
Their clothes are woven of fleece of stars
And the songs they sing
Are the jewels of the underworld"

"Light Collectors" is a mythical space where imaginary creatures roam. Part human, part animal. They appear to have stepped out of an old saga or fairytale. Here, the guests are invited to create their own narrative or simply enjoy becoming part of the story.

The room has been created with inspiration from looking at the Winter Solstice celebrations common throughout the world, and the magical oagan costumes associated with these celebrations.

MINUS 10 - DESIGN LUC VOISIN & MATHIEU BRISON
MINUS 10 is not just a hotel room: It has been designed as an experimental installation.

Both your body and brain will be challenged here. Why? Because you will have to face gravity and it is all about the inclination!

Every piece of furniture, every decoration and every element of this room is tilted ten degrees from the flat horizontal surface. In here the laws of physics feel different. Your inner ear will do its best to help you stay standing. You might even feel that the room is moving, tilting more and more. You will experience true visceral physical sensations. The good news is that these feelings will fade.

MORNING SONG - DESIGN NATSUKI SAITO & SHINGO SAITO
Mysterious beings like fairies and trolls still liveon this land.

Inspired by the books of they read as a child – by authors like Tove Jansson and Astrid Lindgren – this room in an homage to the beautiful stories, forests and lakes of the North. The room possesses a mysterious Swedish atmosphere.

When entering the room, you will find a world of fairies. Laying down on the bed you can feel the breathing of nymphs and trolls.

NEBULA'S CHILD - DESIGN EDMUND CHAN & TAN TAITIEN
We are made of stardust and carry the universe within us. Inspired by the Pillars of Creation, the room invites you to ponder the delicate equilibrium between the forces of creation and destruction.

Upon entering you find yourself before a nascent star. Brilliant light seeps through its cracked surface. Two swirling columns surge with turbulent matter. Here you can witness their majestic power from a crystalline bed, perfectly positioned to behold the transcendent beauty of celestial creation. Further within a void is looming, dark and enigmatic.

Surrender to weightlessness, gaze towards the radiant dawn and allow the wonders of the cosmos to ignite your spirit and awaken your imagination.

OBSCURA - DESIGN LUKAS PETKO
Obscura is a surrealistic concept, designed to challenge and deceive the viewer’s perception of space and create an immersive experience that blurs the line between reality and imagination.

Fake perspective achieved with the implementation of tools such as lighting, object scaling, slope of the horizontal plane and a distorted checkered pattern, the room appears significantly larger than its actual size when viewed from a specific spot.

OH MY GODDESS - DESIGN ULRIKA TALLVING & GIOVANNA MARTINEZ
Oh my goddess is an homage to the goddess of cacao. The concept is based on the love of chocolate, the cacao ceremony ritual and our connection to the earth and the universe.

"Oh My Goddess wants to encourage visitors to create new traditions and rituals. Here we want to allow them to take a moment to sink down into the earth, follow the roots all the way down to the water and drink from the source of life.

The dark side of the concept is of course how cacao farmers have been colonised, used and abused during history. Today we can all be conscious when buying cacao products, and in that way support a world in which humans treat each other and the earth with respect and love.

SEA INSIDE - DESIGN KRISTINA MÖCKEL
Have you ever wondered how the sea gets into a shell? A question to ask yourselves while walking along the beach, collecting shells. The shells lie on our bedside tables and as we fall asleep, we can hear the sea. There is nothing more beautiful than being lulled to sleep by the sound.

We want you to experience this happening in our suite. We take a closer look inside the shell. Is the sea to be found here?

The room invites you to explore and discover. Surrounded by frozen water you can listen to the distant sea and dream of faraway places. And who knows, maybe you will find the sea...

ŠIELLA - DESIGN ELISABETH KRISTENSEN & LAILA KOLOSTYÁK
Šiella is the talisman
given to Sámi children
for protection
It is hung at the cradle
and later
worn as jewellery

Šiella
Listen
to the sound of
Šiella
When the cold winds
are blowing

To be

Protected

Like the child

Sleeping tight in
the cradle

- Poerty by Laila Kolostyák

TORNE RIVER ANOMALY - DESIGN JACK PRESCOTT & MAT FOSTER
During an exploration expedition in 2011, the Ocean Explorer Team discovered a strange formation on the bed of the Baltic Sea. It was named the ”Baltic Sea Anomaly”. In 2023, several other anomalies have been uncovered, including the one you have entered.

The Torne River has a direct link to the Baltic Sea. Explorers believe that the original ship was abandoned and that the extra-terrestrial forces travelled upstream in the Torne River before crashing, yet again, in Jukkasjärvi.

The room you have entered – the Torne River Anomaly – echoes the notion of a mysterious world that has been preserved in the ice for centuries. You will see a carved narrative depicting other anomalies such as the extra-terrestrial hieroglyphs telling the story of the Baltic Sea Anomaly.

You can visit the Ice Hotel until April...when it starts to melt!

https://www.icehotel.com/

Happy New Year's Eve 2023

What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? 2023!

The sublime songbird Ella sings the ultimate version of this lovely, classic song..."What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"

I hope whatever you do, you have fun. And stay safe.

Happy Hogmanay 2023 - 2024!

Hogmanay is the Scottish New Year's celebration that takes place over the course of several days. While the festival and its customs date back to pagan celebrations of winter solstice, the word Hogmanay itself is harder to trace. Scholars have guessed that the word possibly comes from the French, Norse, or Goidelic languages.

The largest event held in Edinburgh kicks off with a torchlight procession tonight, December 29th, 2023. An enormous crowd of celebrants accompanied by pipers and drummers, fire, and fanfare in a river of light wind through the heart of Edinburgh's Old Town.

Events continue through the 30th. Then December 31st is Auld Year's Eve. Street parties, outdoor concerts, and indoor concerts (there is a traditional candlelit concert at St. Giles' Cathedral, and this year rock group Pulp headlines the Concert In The Gardens in the West Princes Street Gardens) all culminate in an overwhelming firework display at the stroke of midnight.

There are many charming New Year's customs in Scotland. "First footing" is the idea that the first person to cross the threshold of your home is a harbinger of good luck. Starting immediately after midnight, people call on friends, going from house to house for much of the night and even into the morning and next day, with over half the population of Scotland observing the practice of "first-footing." It is good luck for the "first-footer" to be a tall, dark male. Traditionally, this male would bring gifts of a coin (symbolizing prosperity), bread/ black bun fruitcake (symbolizing food), salt (flavor), coal (warmth), or a drink (good cheer). These days, a "first-footer" usually just brings the whiskey!

January 1st is Ne'erday, a contraction of New Year's Day. The celebrating and "first-footing" continue, and many Scots still observe the day with a special dinner of steak pie. However, the annual Loony Dook which takes place in the Firth of Forth (a wacky costumed cold plunge for charity), is not part of the official 2024 Edinburgh Hogmanay events and it is unclear if it is going to happen, albeit unsanctioned.

Haud Hogmanay, everyone!

https://www.edinburghshogmanay.com/
http://www.visitscotland.com/

BEAUTY: Painting For Winter--Miscellaneous Artists

Top to bottom: pine trees by unknown artist; Alta Creek, Whistler, Robert Genn; Winter, Sam Vokey; winter scene by Tom Haugomat; Nezu Shrine In Snow, Tsuchiya Koitsu; winter trees by Ulf Onsberg