【推荐1】A Workshop With Gina Rae La Cerva

Course Description

Eating is a daily necessity, a pleasure, and an act of creativity. Food connects us to our ancestors, our landscapes, and our bodies. In this generative memoir (回忆录)-writing workshop led by award-winning writer Gina Rae La Cerva, we’ll use the subject of food as a starting point to find deeper truths about ourselves. We’ll access deep memories, connect to our childhoods, examine our heritage, and reflect on our personal growth. Through short prompts (提示词), longer writing assignments, and readings, we’ll examine the craft of writing about food, highlighting the tools needed to create incredible food writing.

Four Total Sessions

Session 1(Thursday, 9/21,7-8:30 PM ET): Origins: Exploring food heritage and how it plays a role in our connection with eating today.

Session 2(Thursday, 9/28,7-8:30 PM ET): Landscapes: Places where food is grown, prepared, and enjoyed.

Session 3(Thursday, 10/5,7-8:30 PM ET): Appetite & Pleasure: Longing and satisfaction. Session 4(Thursday, 10/12,7-8:30 PM ET): Food Futures: Freedom, and community.

Price

$225 per person

What Else You Should Know

Sessions will be streamed over Zoom. Within 72 hours after each session, students will receive access to a recording, which they can watch for up to two weeks after the course ends. Instructors may use Google Classroom for communication outside of class.

Please reach out to us at experiences@atlasobscura.com if you have any questions, requests, or accessibility needs.

【推荐2】Architects have long turned to the past for inspiration. In this age of concrete and steel, however, they’re more likely to look for aesthetic(美学的)influence than technical know-how. But an ancient Chinese construction technique called dougong is a remarkable exception.

Consisting of a series of wooden brackets(支架)with no nails or fasteners, it’s over 2,500 years old and commonly found in Chinese architecture, such as Beijing’s Forbidden City. Many structures built during the Tang and Song dynasties featured “curtain walls” which were non-load-bearing. As a result, the unsupported wood shouldering the weight might break. Designers needed a technique which would more evenly spread the burden across their structures. Their solution was dougong.

Engineering has come a long way since the ancient Chinese building technique was in fashion. But there’s a timeless quality to it. Modern-day designers in many areas are adopting it to produce amazing and stable work of architecture. Among them is Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, who used dougong-inspired methods for his recent buildings: Yusuhara Wooden Bridge Museum and Café Kureon, a 2,120-square-foot restaurant.

For architect Terrence Curry, the attraction of using ancient methods is about finding something that can “speak to Chinese identity”. His structure Dougong Cube, now part of the School of Architecture, Tsinghua University in Beijing, was constructed using classical-style brackets and over 2,000 boards. “It has fundamental structures of dougong, but we just aren’t using it in the way it was intended to be used. We’re really pulling it out-emphasizing its beauty and complexity, and the way it works,” said Curry. “The shape and function of dougong is directly related to properties of wood, and the ability of people who make these buildings. In this way, there’s little need for decoration because the structure and design give it its distinctive look.”