Baklava
Baklava originates from the 15th century Ottoman empire. It is specifically a Turkish dish but other countries in the Mediterranean have created alternate versions of it. Baklava was created by layering thin pieces of pastry with chopped nuts in between and covered in honey syrup.
Baklava was considered a luxury dessert. It was made in palaces for the rich, on religious celebrations or weddings. Now you can find baklava sold anywhere, in street markets, stores, and even at home; due to the simple ingredients.
Baklava is the most delicious dessert, one of my favourites. I have tried the original Turkish style baklava with pistachios; as well as with cashew and walnut. I have made it once before.
Baklava is commonly served during islamic celebrations such as Eid, and on weddings. It is also common to be served as a party dessert or given as a gift. It can be eaten as a snack for anytime, and it goes well with turkish tea.
Installation Art
"Beauty"
The creator of this installation art is Olafur Eliasson. His creations enhance ordinary natural experiences, using materials like water air and light. His art is focused on environement.
The installation art I chose is the "beauty", which he created in 1993. it is made from water and light. water mist is sprayed in a pitch-black room and light is shined on it, creating a rainbow. You can only see the rainbow depending on the angle you are looking at it from. I like this installation art because this scientific process is creative and magnifies the pre-existing beauty of the rainbow.
The meaning of "beauty" is vision and perception change how you view the environment. when standing close to the mist you can't see anything but the farther back at a certain angle you go the more you can see the rainbow. Eliasson created this art to connect the viewers to the space around them, and to be aware of the beauty of the environment.
Redwood Cutting
I chose the surrealist artwork called 'redwood cutting' by the artist Vladimir Kush. He is a Russian contemporary painter born in Moscow. He graduated from the institute of fine arts to became a portraitist and in 1987 started creating his own pieces. In 1993 he was discovered by a French art dealer and his surreal art was introduced to the art market. He now owns a successful art gallery in Hawaii and four galleries around the US.
the 'redwood cutting' uses symbols and joining of objects in unusual combinations. This painting references the redwood forests in California being cut down, during the 20th-century redwood was very valuable due to the fact that they are immune to fungi and resistant to forest fires. Due to the cutting of these trees, only 120 thousand acres of them remain which was once 2 million acres.
The painting is symbolic of the destruction and loss caused by these events. firstly the axe is symbolic of the trees being cut. The axe tree is also an unusual combination of objects and ironic because it shows the handle of the axe made of the very thing being destroyed. Further Observing the painting a butterfly is seen resting on the axe tree which shows that there is still life after this destruction. However, it looks like the tree is about to collapse and cause the butterfly to fly away which symbolizes the last bit of life left about to depart. Lastly, I observed the symbol of the sunset in the back, which means the day is over, and we can't change what happened in the past.
I liked this surrealist art because of the emotions it draws and the message it gives to all audiences. it is a timeless piece that brings the feeling of loss and regret to the viewer, which Kush was looking for. The purpose of this artwork was to remind the destruction that continues to occur to forests and the devastating effects it can have .
