The hand in the Desert, Chile
A high five from the people of Antofagasta, Chile
More than 25 Years ago, the city of Antofagasta, the isolated center of Chile's copper mining industry, asked Santiago Sculptor Mario Irarrazabal to create a monument to the emptiness of the Atacama Desert. In March 1992 the city unveiled the result : four outstretched fingers and a thumb, made of concrete over an iron frame. The sculpture is taller than an NFL goalpost.
The massive hand is located an hour south of Antofagasta. There's literally nothing but sand and low hills for miles in every direction, so many travelers on Chile's route 5 do a double take when they see the hand looming near the highway like a relic of a lost civilization. The only other destination anywhere nearby is Cerro paranal observatory 60 miles south, home to South America's largest telescopes. the complex there doubled as the hotel that James bond burns down in "Quantum of Solace".
Chilean sculptor Mario Irarrazabal is responsible for this very weird work of art rising out of the sand in the the middle of "Chile's Antofagasta". Irarrazabal is known for his work associated with human suffering and this huge unnerving sculpture captures a feeling of loneliness, exacerbated by its desolate and secluded location.
Catacombs, Paris, France
In the late eighteenth century, when major public health problems tied to the city's cemeteries led to a decision to transfer their contents to an underground site. Paris authorities chose an easily accessible site that was at the time, located outside the capital. The former Tombe - Issoire quarries under the plain of Montrouge. The first evacuation were made from 1785 to 1787 concerned the largest cemetery in Paris, the Saints- Innocents cemetery.
The site was consecrated as the " Paris Municipal Ossuary" on April 7, 1786 and from that time forward, took on the mythical name of " Catacombs", in reference to the roman catacombs ,which had fascinated the public since their discovery. starting in 1809 the catacombs were opened to the public by appointment.
0 Comments