#north shore architect

[lillu-kr]

Poolhouse Boston

Pool house - large rustic backyard rectangular and concrete paver natural pool house idea

[ivedone-itagain]

Boston Outdoor Kitchen Outdoor Kitchen Patio kitchen: a sizable rustic stone patio kitchen idea for the backyard with a pergola

[sunflowers-and-sims]

Front Yard Porch in Boston An example of a mid-sized traditional concrete paver front porch design with a roof extension.

[spacelee919]

Elegant Interiors by North Shore’s Top Designers

[drugstoreprincess]

Victorian Exterior Boston Exterior view of a large, ornate, beige, three-story house

[northernbeachesbuilder]

Architects North Shore | Northernbeachesbuilder.com.au

Get the perfect architects for your North Shore project with Northernbeachesbuilder.com.au. Our experienced team of professionals will work with you to create your dream home or business space with quality and care.

[imclimbingthestairsoforthanc]

Okay! Thank you! 😭

I’d really like to know how finrod acts when hes in love with reader or has a massive crush on reader, like Headcanons for that situation or maybe like a fic where he gets all happy and giddy when reader is in the room, how he always tries to stick by readers side and always tries to spend more time with them, always praising them, slowly confessing his love in different ways.. (not nsfw!)

Thats all!

Thank you! (Again)!😭💖💖

*I rly hope this made sense cuz English isn’t my first language*

makes perfect sense and I love this request. its my first time writing Finrod and honestly Im so in love right now. this is just part one but there will be a part two coming :) i hope you like it

By The Sea - Finrod x Reader (Pt. 1)

Finrod finds more than he expected when taking a long holiday to his mothers home in Alqualondë.

A/N: for certain ..... purposes ..... making finrod do they same thing I do when im nervous, i went ahead and gave him his fathers rings

Finrod wanted to be sure that his name was at the top of the list to petition for the new project you proposed to be approved. He wasn’t quite sure exactly what the project was; all he knew was that it had something to do with ship construction and the royal family, and if his name in black ink was enough to keep you around, then write away he would.

It did not, in fact, keep you around. Finrod wasn’t sure why he thought it would. You were, after all, an architect, and visits to the royal court in the great hall were likely few and far between. After about a week and a half since the proposal–when he first was enamored with you, Finrod decided that he needed to do something.

“I have never heard a bigger lie,” said Artanis coolly.

Finrod shrugged. “It’s the truth,” he said, “They never gave directions to the worksite.”

Artanis sighed. “Why do you need to know anyways?”

“I have been tasked with checking up on the progress for the foundations of the project.”

Artanis cut her eyes. She didn’t believe him, but directed him to the worksite nonetheless.

Finrod went north for hours upon hours, it seemed; it was not even one hour. He could hear the wind cut through the fabric of the tents and the waves crash onto the rocky shores. The closer he got, the harder it was for him to think of something to say to you. He could call out your name, but then decided that would be too casual. Besides, you might think it strange that he held on so dearly to your name after a meeting so brief one couldn’t even call it a real meeting. He could introduce himself, but what would he say after that? 

“Hello,” came a rich voice, and Finrod realized that deep in his thoughts he stumbled right upon you.

His clothes felt hot and his ring felt tight around his finger. He wondered if his hair had turned to frizz, as it tended to do with all the sea salt in the air. It was all he could do not to stutter.

“Hello,” he replied, “I am Finrod of the house of Finarfin.”

A moment passed.

“I know who you are,” you said. He wondered if you meant to be so harsh until you spoke again, voice softened, “What can I help you with?”

Finrod swallowed. “I have been tasked with checking on the progress on the foundations of the project,” he said. The lie barely slipped through his teeth.

“Really?” you said with a polite smile and twitching eyebrows that betrayed your confusion to the golden-haired prince, “They sent someone out two days ago.”

“Ahh,” Finrod said quietly, “Well there must have been some confusion.” 

“I see.”

The silence was tangible. You swallowed. You remembered who he was–Findaráto Ingoldo, firstborn of the crown prince of the Falmari–how could you forget? You’d been dreaming of him since you’d seen him last Tuesday, but now that he was here, all those clever, witty things you said to him as you dreamed of meeting properly seemed to have left you.

Finrod watched your eyes dance to the scene behind him–when they were not glued to the opening of his shirt collar–and wondered what you were thinking about. It was probably the project at hand; but could it be him, as little as you were acquainted? Finrod had taken everything, however little it may be, you gave him when he saw you first last Tuesday and ran with it. You had not left his thoughts. 

It occurred to him after a moment of awkward staring that maybe the conversation was over–the silence had gone on awkwardly long. He tried to think of something–anything–to say. Nothing came.

“Well, then,” he said, “I’d better get going. I’ll leave you to it; again I apologize for the confusion. I hope I have not disturbed your work.”

He didn’t want to leave.

“Not at all,” you said, too quickly for your liking, “You can stay as long as you like.”

You didn’t want him to leave. 

He gave you a nod, and you cutsied before he turned to go. You turned back to your workbench, half disappointed that he left so soon and half excited that he came. You let out a shaky breath.

“In that case,” came the voice that you hopelessly couldn’t get enough of, “You wouldn’t mind if I stayed, would you? I would very much like to see the ‘hands-on’ aspect of this process.” 

You turned and tried to hide the excitement in your eyes. “Of course, Your Highness.”

Finrod blushed. You drank in the sight. If the pink that spread across his cheeks was the last thing you ever saw, you’d be content.

***

“He is perfect in every way,” you said to Earwen, who, to your surprise, decided to take the weaving of the sails upon herself. You hadn’t expected the daughter of the king to engage so closely with the project, but, you supposed, if it was her talent and passion, so why not? 

“I cannot get enough of him. I hope he never stops visiting me.”

Earwen smiled, “Will he visit for the celebration?”

“Of course, Your Highness” you said confidently, “He is the son of the crown prince! He wouldn’t miss it.”

Finrod was royalty, yes, but deep down you knew he’d come even if he wasn’t. Months of sitting in silence with two pairs of feet dangling in the salty water and choosing cold bread over a hearty dinner fit for a prince told you that even if you were dismissed from the project and cast to the jagged cliffs and treacherous temperament of the sea to the north, Finrod would come for you.

The door creaked open to reveal none other than Finrod himself.

“Fi–my prince,” you said politely, forgoing first-name use in mind of the royalty next to you.

Finrod didn’t seem to care. “There you are!” He said, “I have been looking for you. The eggs on the rocks by the lower dock have hatched!”

“Have they?”

“Yes,” he said, “And they have the loveliest silver down. Will you be free after six?”

Your hands stopped their movement, “I think so, but I–”

Finrod took your hand, as he always did when departing, and planted a hasty kiss on it, “Great. I will meet you then. You must see them!”

He ran out before you could answer. You giggled at his excitability and looked over to Earwen.

“Is that him?”

You smiled sheepishly and looked away.

“Yes,” you said. If you saw the smirk that played at her lips you would have seen that she knew more than she let on. “Absolutely perfect.”

[theforbiddeneden]

Metal Hammer Magazine December 2023 Enter The World Of Sleep Token - Revista Metal Hammer Dezembro 2023 Entre no mundo do Sleep Token

"We'll never see the band at this level again" Sleep Token fan Benji Purdy

A deep, distorted voice is coming through the PA of Los Angeles’ El Rey Theatre.

“Do you think they want you to cry?” it’s saying. “Do you think they like it?”

A second voice, lighter in tone but still distorted and oddly inhuman, replies.

“Not as such,” this one says.

“I think they just want to know that I am feeling something, feeling what they are feeling, perhaps.”

The audience in this ornate, 800-capacity venue stands silent, entranced by the voices. The band onstage are masked metal sensations Sleep Token, tonight playing their first headlining show in the City of Angels as part of their month-long North American Rituals tour.

The dialogue that is playing out around us is hugely significant to everyone in this sold-out crowd. It marks the first time crowned frontman Vessel – the lighter voice ��� has broken his silence in public. The deeper voice he’s communing with belongs to Sleep, the god-like entity at the heart of the band’s lore. As the conversation continues, you could hear a pin drop.

“Do you think that this amount of crying is healthy for you?” Sleep asks.

“I don’t know,” comes Vessel’s response. “But at least I feel something. If I don’t feel anything then why would I even do this?”

At this, the crowd lose their minds and a wave of mania ripples across the floor. That the voices are pre-recorded doesn’t matter. Nor does the fact that this isn’t, strictly, the first time it’s happened – Sleep Token have been doing throughout this tour. But modern metal’s most enigmatic band have done something they’ve never done before: they’ve cracked open the door and given us a tantalising glimpse into their inner world.

This show isn’t the biggest Sleep Token will play this year. In December, they will headline London’s Wembley Arena. But Los Angeles, together with New York, is one of the epicentres of the US music business, and the buzz that’s surrounding the anonymous band suggests that America is paying attention to them.

More than that, La La Land has always had a thing for cults, from the Manson Family to Scientology, as well as the countless smaller ‘spiritualist’ groups that operate in the city today. An anonymous, masked British band with their own mysterious, quasi-religious mythology? LA never stood a chance.

“There is a new atmosphere at these live shows, an electricity,” says Benji Purdy, an American fan who also acts as moderator on the band’s official Discord server. He first saw Sleep Token when they supported metalcore act Issues on a 2019 US tour. After witnessing their headlined show in Portland, Oregon a few days ago, he says they’re an entirely different beast this time around.

“We’ll never see this band at this level ever again,” says Benji. “They are catapulting themselves.”

2023 has been the year Sleep Token’s cult success went fully overground. On January 5, the band released Chokehold, the first single from then-upcoming third album Take Me Back To Eden. Twenty-four hours later, they chucked in another new song, The Summoning. By the time the track hit TikTok, videos of listeners reacting to the genre-defying sound were reaching users around the world, with some even hitting a million-plus views.

Their social media profile was helped by celebrity boosts from Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor, Architects singer Sam Carter and Lorna Shore’s Will Ramos. And in May, they announced that Wembley date. All 12,500 tickets sold out in just 10 minutes. Sleep Token had officially become a arena band.

Chris Lody, a Sleep Token fan based in Coventry, set up a subreddit for the band back in 2018 after discovering they won their nomination for Best New Band at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods. The same year, he saw their first headline performance at St Pancras Old Church in front of 150 people. He’s had a front row seat to their dizzying rise.

“To go from that to Wembley in December, it’s incredible,” says Chris. “Creating the subreddit was a bit opportunistic really. Nothing like it really existed and I wanted to see what other people were saying about the band.”

It took a while, but fans eventually began to head to Chris’s Reddit page to share their own interpretations of Sleep Token’s music, art and lore. After the release of Chokehold and The Summoning, the page exploded with new users.

“The volume of people posting day-to-day is massive now,” says Chris, adding that it has grown from around 6,000 users to 34,500 at the time of writing. “We’ve had to take on more moderators just to maintain a bit of order.”

Much as the fandom has expanded, so too have the opportunities afforded Sleep Token. This summer, they stepped up to festival headliner status in the UK, with appearances at Portsmouth’s Takedown in April and Manchester’s Radar in July. Radar organiser Joe James admits they lucked out with the timing of the band’s booking.

“We got them at that sweet spot that every promoter dreams of,” he tells Hammer. “We’re a festival that wants to book progressive, contemporary music. Sleep Token tick all those boxes: they’re doing something fresh and are at the top of their game at the moment.”

Headlining the first day of the festival gave the band a full “limitless” rehearsal time, which in turn resulted in a truly headline-worthy performance.

“It looked and sounded amazing,” Joe enthuses. “They are so massive now, but they don’t behave like they’re blowing up just yet. I truly think they’re the next Download headliners of the new breed.”

It’s 4pm in Los Angeles when Hammer arrives at the El Rey Theatre, and queues are already stretching around the block in both directions. Some fans have brought chairs and blankets to sit on, while others are propping themselves up against the walls of the venue, clinging to the scant shade to avoid the glare of the Californian sun.

Amy McLaurin and her friend Sarah Hibbert are standing at the venue barrier. They’re from Virginia, and arrived at the El Rey at 9am, despite having fast-track passes that guarantee them priority entry.

“I found them on TikTok,” she says of how she discovered Sleep Token, with a nervous smile that suggests she’s worried any gatekeepers will leap out and chase her away at any second.

The pair saw Sleep Token for the first time a couple of weeks earlier in Baltimore, but couldn’t risk booking flights to come more than 2,000 miles to repeat the experience. It’s doubly impressive because Baltimore was Amy’s first ever gig, full-stop.

“I’d never really found an artist I loved enough,” she says. “Right now they’re everything I want in music. I listened to rock before Sleep Token, but not much metal – I’ve actually discovered more metal through them. I also met Sarah at the Baltimore show and we both decided to fly here.”

“They make you think about things you otherwise wouldn’t want to talk or be open about,” adds Sarah. “These songs can mean something different to everyone, a universal pain we all feel but some might be less able to express that.”

Vessel famously doesn’t do interviews – the only one he has given was to Hammer in the band’s early days – but their fans have been more than happy to pick up the slack. Sleep Token’s official and unofficial social media channels are full of running narratives, memes and jokes.

It hasn’t all been deadly serious, either. In April, a fan-filmed clip of an audience member at a gig in Sydney letting loose a “sinister” fart during the quiet part of the song Atlantic went viral. Similarly, after the release of The Summoning, a section of their fanbase dubbed Sleep Token “metal’s sexiest band,” largely thanks to lyrics such as

"THEIR MUSIC TRANSCENDS THEIR PERSONALITIES" SLEEP TOKEN FAN CASSIE KNOX

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“THERE ARE SECRETS LEFT TO BE UNCOVERED”

Daniel Owen is the man behind the artwork of Sleep Token’s first two albums, 2019’s Sundowning and 2021’s This Place Will Become Your Tomb.

WHEN DID YOU FIRST COME INTO CONTACT WITH SLEEP TOKEN?

“Around early 2018. I ended up becoming one of their lead visual creatives from [that year’s single] Jaws through to This Place Will Become Your Tomb, and some initial development on Take Me Back To Eden.”

HOW MUCH OF A BRIEF WERE YOU GIVEN IN EACH CASE?

“The briefs behind each project have varied greatly in scope, but usually only restricted to a few lines – in the case of Sundowning per song - or a paragraph to explore the central idea of This Place Will Become Your Tomb. Symbolism throughout history has always been a communication method that encapsulates a sense of power and reverence; my work for the project has always aimed to champion atmosphere while masking a considerable amount of intention below the surface. “One example would be the Sundowning sigils as a whole: being informed by the passing of time and mirroring the positions of a clock face, referencing the namesake of the album. Individually, each sigil was a cipher I'd developed that represented a hidden selection of elements relating to the singles that later served as artwork – eventually all would be removed from streaming services and become an intentionally forgotten to reflect one of the central themes of Sundowning and its primary cover. A beautiful part of working with a band is that there's an unparalleled level of bravery involved with taking the kinds of creative choices that many are too hesitant to pursue.”

SLEEP TOKEN PUT HIDDEN ‘CODES’ IN THEIR SONGS AND IMAGES. ARE THERE ANY SECRETS IN YOUR ARTWORK THAT FANS STILL HAVEN’T DISCOVERED?

“There’s certainly some things I’ve left seeded within my work that’s ready to be pulled from the future if I’m called upon. There are still some secrets left to be uncovered.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

‘Or are you really here to cut me off? Or maybe just to turn me on’ and ‘I would be lying if I told you that I didn’t think that I could be your man / Or maybe make a good girl bad,’ combined with a raunchy bass drop in the song’s second half. This sexiness is something the band have leaned into on this US tour. During The Offering, members have been seemingly kissing through the masks, reportedly prompting a suitably ecstatic reaction from the crowd each time.

There are other, more wholesome displays of fandom, from fluffy crochet plushies to homemade necklaces. A video of guitarist IV putting on a cowboy hat given to him by an audience member at a gig in Dallas has yielded close to two million views on TikTok. Back at the barrier at the El Rey stands Cassie Knox, who has come to LA from Houston, Texas. Cassie has now seen the band eight times, including at Radar in the UK.

“Sleep Token have a big thing about community,” she says matter-of-factly, when we ask whether it gets lonely following the band on tour. “I met two girls last night in San Diego, they’re here with me and we’re also going to Anaheim [the next gig on the tour].”

While every fan has a personal answer for what Sleep Token mean to them, Cassie’s response seems to be shared by many. “They taught me self-love,” she says, holding a sign stating as much.

In May, shortly before the release of Take Me Back To Eden, several select fans were invited to an exclusive listening session for the album in London. Chris Lloyd, who runs the Sleep Token subreddit, was one of them. He won’t divulge too many details of the event, but offers an anecdote that highlights the band’s dedication to keeping their enigma intact.

“We got there and there was just this stage with curtains,” he says. “They opened at the start of the album and we thought there was a Vessel mannequin just in a chair. It was really dark and there were loads of smoke, but it was really exciting. Then right at the very end of the session, the ‘mannequin’ stood up and it was actually Vessel – he’d just sat perfectly still the whole time! It was insane.”

The band show no sign of changing their minds when it comes to preserving their mystique. Hammer’s request for an interview with Vessel is, predictably, turned down. But this anonymity is something that their devotees embrace. The golden rule of Sleep Token fandom is to never, under any circumstances, divulge or speculate on the members’ real-life identities. Still, that hasn’t stopped some people trying.

“The mystery surrounding the band will always be a key element that draws people in,” says Discord mod Benji Purdy. “It’s a rabbit hole and people love diving into them. But I have found that since [2021 album] This Place Will Become Your Tomb, there has been a culture shift within the fanbase between those who want to respect the band’s wishes to stay anonymous, and those who have a general lack of respect and think the band don’t care.”

This ring of secrecy is intact today. Before the show, Hammer is sitting at a table in the taco restaurant adjacent to the El Rey. We can hear and see the security manager briefing in front of the venue.

“Tonight’s show is Sleep Token,” the security manager says, marching along his ranks like a general on the eve of battle. “Their whole deal is that they are anonymous. If anybody – anybody – tries to go where they shouldn’t, you MUST. STOP. THEM.”

In reality, transgression seems to be the furthest thing from anyone’s mind. The people queuing outside the El Rey are here to Worship, after all.

“Their music transcends their personalities as individuals,” Cassie Knox tells us. “Everybody has a part in this music, and from the messages that the band have put out, it seems like that’s exactly what he [Vessel] wanted.”

By the time the doors open, the excitement is palpable. Airport-style security gates mean everyone is thoroughly searched before entry and it seems half the audience has brought along trinkets, gifts and signs in their own expression of Worship. One fan has turned up with a bouquet of roses so big it is seen engulfed her head. They all make it through security without issue.

While some fans have been dressing up in full Vessel cosplay elsewhere on the tour, there’s no such regalia tonight, although many have covered their faces with painted Sleep Token sigils. Equally, it’s striking just how youthful the crowd is as a whole.

“It’s been like this the whole tour,” reveals Matt de Burgh Daly, guitarist/keyboardsist with support A.A. Williams, as he sits down next to Hammer to grab a bite pre-show. Williams and her band previously supported Sleep Token on their 2021 UK tour, and now they’re on these US dates, suggesting they’re within the headliners’ circle of trust.

“It’s funny actually,” Matt says between taco bites. “This is actually one of the smaller shows on the tour, I think. But we’re pretty nervous.”

Oh?

“Yeah, our drummer’s broken his arm – he’s having to play Def Leppard style!”

With its art deco exterior, crystal light fixtures, chandeliers and blood red decor, the El Rey Theatre feels more like it should be hosting a seance than a metal show. It’s not your typical dive venue. But where Sleep Token aren’t your typical metal band, sonically or visually.

From Hammer’s vantage point, a dark balcony overlooking the main floor, it looks like nearly everyone is adorned in some kind of Sleep Token memorabilia, be it t-shirts, hoodies, or even smaller items like necklaces or homemade earrings. A queue stretches from the merch stand to the barrier throughout the entirety of A.A. Williams’ set and right up until Sleep Token themselves appear.

Sure enough, the headliners’ arrival elicits a frenzy of activity. An extended shriek of pure ecstasy greets the band as they march onto the stage, and it’s not long before the audience is singing along ardently, tears literally streaming from some fans’ eyes.

Detractors may point to the prevalence of piano ballads in Sleep Token’s sound, but there’s no shortage of heft in tonight’s set. Chokehold is explosive, its pendulum riffs cutting through the air like a buzzsaw. Hypnosis has the booming, almost floating menace of a great Deftones track, fans waving their arms wildly throughout.

Even in terms of physical presence, there’s a marked difference from the band that toured in support of 2021’s This Place Will Become Your Tomb. Back then, Vessel seemed like a solid, rooted entity, his movements stiff and minimal, clinging to the mic-stand like he was tethered to it. This time out, he’s a ball of kinetic energy, bouncing, dancing and stalking his way backwards and forwards across the stage, even dropping to do push-ups during The Summoning. Bassist III and guitarist IV are similarly lively, headbanging furiously and commanding circle pits and walls of death with finger gestures and head nods.

The Take Me Back To Eden songs are especially visceral live. Vessel skitters across the stage during Vore like someone having an ancient entity, switching between howls and soulful melodies before intoning the song’s key lyric: ‘I want to give you all, but nobody else will ever go?’

For all the excitement, background chatter falls away completely when segments of conversation between Vessel and Sleep play out. The distorted voices discuss everything from the fandom to the role the masks play in their mythology.

“In order for all of this to work there has to be a certain boundary in place,” Vessel says, his unearthly, pre-recorded voice spilling from the speakers. “They need to be able to project themselves onto this, without anyone else’s identity getting in the way. In turn, I need to be able to show my true self to them in a way that does not compromise their ability to connect.”

There’s certainly no shortage of connection as fans roar along to the likes of The Summoning, The Love You Want and Alkaline, some moved to tears as the music takes on new dimensions, the closing rave-metal thrust of The Offering ending the night on an exultant and triumphant note, before Vessel clasps his hands in thanks as Whitney Houston’s I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) plays incongruously over the PA.

So where next for Sleep Token? In a year where they have notched up a Top 10 album in the UK – Take Me Back To Eden peaked at No 3 – and sold out venues around the world, it’s hard to say exactly where the ceiling could be for them.

“I could easily see them playing arenas here in the States within two years,” Benji states. “The demand here is insane – as seen by the number of people who’ve lined up at every almost every show of this tour.”

For a British metal band to break into the US market is no mean feat, and the buzz and excitement Sleep Token are generating here is starting to catch up with the noise that surrounds them back home.

Equally, their pop sensibilities enable them to serve as a gateway, their success on TikTok showing they don’t just appeal within the metal sphere, but to wider audiences whom then tumble further down the metal rabbit-hole after discovering them.

Uniting newcomers and dyed-in-the-wool metalheads alike, Sleep Token are a new breed of band, transcending genre boundaries by simply refusing to stay in one, and backed up by a mystery and spectacle all their own. They are as at home supporting Slipknot and Architects as they are appearing at festivals like Reading and Leeds – testament to just how influential and breakout they’ve become.

Crazy as it may seem, 2024 will likely be an even bigger year for Sleep Token, and they’ve already booked some of the world’s most iconic venues in that period. With Wembley Arena and Alexandra Palace shows in the diary for next April, Sleep Token will be looking to cement their place at the top of the mountain. How long before the Worship of Sleep Token becomes a religion?

SLEEP TOKEN PLAY WEMBLEY ARENA ON DECEMBER 16. TAKE ME BACK TO EDEN IS OUT NOW VIA SPINEFARM

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

MASKS REVEAL THE ARTIST’S VISION

Mario Garvera and Beatrice Rebondi are MysteryStar, an art studio specialising in masks, costumes and accessories. They also created the Vessel mask

WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND IN MASK-MAKING?

“We’ve always been drawn to the dramatic and theatrical aspects of expression, along with our shared love of music. We have produced thousands of pieces together over the decades. We never make replicas of our masks; they are, and always will be, one-off characters, created especially and never to be repeated.”

HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED WITH SLEEP TOKEN?

“In early 2019 they were looking for a workable mask, as they hadn’t found anything wearable that could work onstage yet. We provided [Vessel and Sleep Token’s management] with several sketches and worked out together how to keep Vessel’s character essence and vision, while creating something that could work on a human head and be practical onstage.”

WHAT WERE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES?

“It took several modifications, especially around the shape of the head. We had to accommodate certain parts of Vessel was adamant were integral parts of the full-face mask for the photoshoots and a mouth - less one for tge stage perfomances. These were the first two masks that we made for Vessel.”

WHY DO YOU THINK WE FIND MASKED BANDS SO FASCINATING?

“Masks have always been important to humans since perhaps the beginnings of civilisation. Ancient tribes created masks, for recounting their history and transmitting knowledge of their young; for healings and for warding off their enemies. In addition, it could be because masks are a created expression of the artist – the one - who created it, as well as the one who wears it – and as such reveal something of the artist’s mind and their vision.”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

CR:

Transcription English Version from theforbiddeneden

[archinform]

Rosehill Mausoleum, Chicago

The mausoleum features a rotunda with relief panels of the four seasons by Leon Hermant, sculptor

Rosehill Masoleum. Source: Rosehill Cemetery, Dignity Memorial

Background:

Rosehill Cemetery, in northwest Chicago, is the city's largest and oldest cemetery, dating back to 1859, and contains at least 200,000 grave sites in a 350-acre garden setting.

Dedicated in 1914, the cemetery's Rosehill Mausoleum was designed by architect Sidney Lovell, who is interred within. The interior is almost entirely of marble, with the floors composed of Italian Carrara marble. Several later additions would be made to the building; there were six additions made after 1913, and a final one in 1975.

Leon Hermant (1866–1936) was an American sculptor best known for his architectural sculpture. Hermant was born in France, educated in Europe and came to America in 1904 to work on the French Pavilion at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri.

For most of his career he was based in Chicago, working mostly in the American midwest, and frequently with a partner Carl Beil.

From 1904, when they met in St. Louis, until 1927, Hermant and Beil were partners at their Sculpture Studio at 21 East Pearson Street in Chicago.  Leon was the Artist, Carl, the "Executioner."  Hermant continued his art after Beil's death in 1927, receiving a major commission for the Indiana State Library in 1934. Hermant exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago in the 1920s, and would complete many sculptures throughout the U.S. [Chicago Sculpture in the Loop]

In 1928 Hermant was awarded the Légion d'honneur by the French government for his Louis Pasteur Monument in Grant Park, Chicago.

Pasteur Monument, Grant Park, Chicago

In the 1929 Fourth Addition to Rosehill Mausoleum, a marble rotunda features relief panels of the four seasons executed by Hermant, placed between engaged marble columns. Each panel contains a brief quote below, appropriate to the season. Leon Hermant's signature appears on the bottom right of only one panel, Winter.

The yellowish lighting within the rotunda is so dim that photography is difficult, and one strains to appreciate the quality of the sculptures. I'd admired these panels before, but it was thanks to some thorough research by Jim Craig of Under Every Tombstone that I was alerted to their sculptor's identity.

Leon Hermant, 1866-1936 Source: Under Every Tombstone

Construction News, February 22, 1913, pp. 6-7. Click to view larger

See detail of ad below:

Photos from my recent visit to Rosehill Mausoleum, July 19, 2024:

Rosehill Mausoleum, corridor leading to the rotunda

Rotunda east side, Winter (left), Spring (right)

Rotunda west side, Summer (left), Autumn (right)

The south of the rotunda is occupied by the elegant Rawson family crypt. The north opens to a corridor leading to other areas of the mausoleum.

The Four Seasons

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Winter

Inscriptions at the base of the four panels:

SPRING

Hail bounteous May, that dost inspire

Mirth, and youth and warm desire

Hill and dale dost boast thy blessing

This we salute thee with our early song

and welcome and wishe thee long.

                                          Milton.

SUMMER

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,

…So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see,

So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

                                             Shakespeare

AUTUMN

There is no death! The stars go down

To rise upon some other shore.

And bright in heaven's jeweled crown

They shine for evermore.

…For all the universe is life…

There are no dead."

                                       Maeterlink

WINTER

When once our heavenly souls shall climb

Then all earthly grossness quit.

Attired with stars we shall forever sit

Triumphing over death and change and thee

O time!

                                       -Milton-

Detail of Autumn

Signature of Leon Hermant Sc. [sculptor] on the Winter panel

A sculpture inside a family crypt [not attributed to Hermant, but I liked it]

Plan of main level of Rosehill Mausoleum; yellow circle indicates location of the four seasons rotunda.

Beil and Hermant created the relief sculptures above the mausoleum's main entrance (see below).

The mansions of the silent, by Booth, A.L. Published in: Fine arts journal, 1916.

Leon Hermant's other works in Chicago include:

Former Illinois Athletic Club, now SAIC MacLean Center; 12th floor frieze (1908); Zeus presiding over athletic contests.

William Shakespeare, (1915) Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

Louis Pasteur Monument, (1928) Grant Park, Chicago

City Hall and Cook County Building, (1911), Chicago

Radisson Chicago Hotel [Medinah Athletic Club] Reliefs, (1929), Chicago; According to an article in the Chicago Tribune from Sept 16, 1928 entitled “Building art inspires panels,” “The friezes were designed by George Unger, in collaboration with Walter Ahlschlager, and carved by Leon Hermant."

One North Lasalle Street (1930), Vitzthum and Burns architects, Chicago

via Prabook site

SOURCES/ LINKS:

Léon Hermant, Wikipedia

Sidney Lovell, Wikipedia

"The Mansions of the Silent," by Anne Lisle Booth, Fine Arts Journal, Vol. 34, No. 6 (Jun. - Jul., 1916), pp. 265-274

"Rosehill Cemetery Mausoleum," Construction News, February 22, 1913, pp. 6-7.

[amazingarchitecturewebsite]

Wee Scot Retreat in #Gouldsboro, Maine (USA) by Calico Studio @calico_studio. Read more: Link in bio! Photography: Lara Swimmer @laraswimmer. Calico Studio: Located in a cove along the North Atlantic coast of Maine, this project realizes the clients’ vision of an accessible home, retreat, and working artist studio. The family has deep ties to this special place, many generations have lived and vacationed along its shores. For everyone to get together, the design had to be inviting to all ages. Three buildings, Wee Scot, Cove House and Tree House, are interconnected by pathways and offer different accommodations to fit a family of any size… #usa #maine #архитектура www.amazingarchitecture.com ✔ A collection of the best contemporary architecture to inspire you. #design #architecture #amazingarchitecture #architect #arquitectura #luxury #realestate #life #cute #architettura #interiordesign #photooftheday #love #travel #construction #furniture #instagood #fashion #beautiful #archilovers #home #house ‎#amazing #picoftheday #architecturephotography ‎#معماری (at Gouldsboro, Maine) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cnqahh7sXp0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[lazaruspiss]

North Gotham: Part One

Exhibition Grounds: The Exhibition Grounds, along with Robinson Plaza, were built for the World Fair of 1893. The fair was originally supposed to take place in Chicago that year but the mayor, Theodore Cobblepot, engaged in some pretty cutthroat politics to influence the organizers and change the location to Gotham City. The obelisk, monument, Forum of the Twelve Caesars, and art installations were all designed and built by renowned architects and artists with no expense spared. The monument in particular was commissioned by the mayor, who wanted to represent the hardships the first settlers of Gotham City had to face at sea in order to reach the shores of the New World. The fair attracted a reasonable number of visitors and was declared a success by the mayor. It's no coincidence Cobblepot Steel saw a sharp increase in profits that year.

Gotham Heights Residences: This was the biggest apartment complex in Gotham City when it was built in 1925. It catered to the city's wealthier residents. Some members of the Elliot, Kane and Powers families took residence here, but many left when the downtown district was developed. Despite this, the complex is still very popular with older Gothamites who are looking to live in luxury away from the hustle and bustle of downtown. Part of the building burned down during a violent protest around ten years ago, and the city diverted funds to repair it. This caused a lot of controversy as the funds were initially supposed to be used to revitalize Robinson Plaza. I had to intervene after Anarky and a group of rioters managed to make their way inside and had taken some of the residents hostage.

Gotham City University: The Arkhams built the university in the 19th century. One of the first halls to be completed was Holloway Hall, donated by the Arkhams. More halls were endowed by other families since, such as the Cobblepots and the Chandlers, as well as my own, which contributed to make the university what it is today. The Martha Wayne Foundation sponsors many programs for low-income youth to attend the university, helping them access the education they deserve. It's one of the projects I'm most proud of. Notes: Found Kirk Langstrom. He's a professor of zoology at Gotham City University. Investigation is ongoing.

Leblanc Funeral Home: The LeBlanc Funeral Center has tended to the needs of many of Gotham City's most notorious figures. Local politicians, pillars of the community, and criminals alike have all gone through LeBlanc's doors, the most infamous of the latter group being Vincent Falcone, the former head and founder of the Falcone crime family. Given the funeral center's close proximity to St. Faustina church and the Gotham City cemetery, it is always busy.

[lvdbbooks]

2023年2月24日

【新入荷・新本】

François-Xavier Gbré & Baptiste Manet & Martial Manet Album Architectures, Abidjan, Caryatide, 2022

English / French. 24 x 32 cm. Softcover. 128 pages.

価格：5,500円（税込）

/

コートジボワールの旧首都アビジャン（Abidjan）に残る、「トロピカル・モダニズム」とも形容される主に1950〜70年代に建てられた近代建築にフォーカスした写真集。常に変化し続ける都市において、必ずしも特定されず、しばしば不可視化される、豊かで特異な建築的景観の価値化を通して、現代遺産の概念を考察します。

An iconographic work on the modern architecture of Abidjan which aims to offer a photographic survey of thirty buildings representative of the chosen moment of architecture that followed independence.

This is not an architecture book but a photography book on an architecture that expresses itself through diversity. It is a book that intends to offer a photographic view of buildings in Abidjan that bear the imprint of a certain «tropical modernism».

More precisely, Album Architectures, Abidjan is the testimony of an encounter between two individuals who live and share an aesthetic and emotional attachment to the lagoon city. Issa Diabaté, architect, contemporary actor of the architectural future of this city that never stops reinventing itself. François-Xavier Gbré, a photographer who has made architecture his preferred medium for apprehending the muted history of places by envisaging architectures as the sedimentary traces of the social and political changes of a country, the Ivory Coast.

This book, and the Album Architectures collection more broadly, aims to initiate a reflection on the definition of the notion of contemporary heritage through the valorisation of rich and singular architectural landscapes, not always identified, often invisibilised, of cities in perpetual urban change.

Born in 1978 in Lille (France), François-Xavier Gbré is a Franco-Ivorian photographer who lives and works between the Marais Poitevin in France and Abidjan.The photographic work of this mixed-race art-ist of Ivorian origin who grew up in the north of France apprehends architecture, landscape and urbanity in the form of a documentary testimony that evokes the architectural photography of Lewis Baltz, Stephen Shore and Guy Tillim. From Mali to Israel, from Lille to Rabat, François- Xavier Gbré photographs abandoned architectures bearing the traces of their country's social and political history. His photographs take a dis-tanced look at the buildings and the symbolic charge that history and historicity give them. They are inter-ested in the past, in the muted history of places, reveal the invisibilities of everyday life and petrify fragments of a world in perpetual mutation. In a soft radicality, he testifies of the in-between, of these moments of tipping revealed with force by the architecture.

François-Xavier Gbré's work can be found in the collections of the Centre Pompidou (Paris, France), the Tate Modern (London, UK), the Smithsonian Institution (Washington, USA), the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art (Brisbane, Australia), Philadelphia Museum of Art (Philadelphia), Chazen Museum of Art—University of Wisconsin (Madison USA), Walther Collection (Ulm, Germany), Rencontres d'Arles (Arles, France), Fonds National d'Art Contemporain (Paris, France) and Musée des Confluences (Lyon, France). In 2020, François-Xavier Gbré is the win-ner of the Louis Roederer Prize of the Rencontres Internationales de la Photographie d'Arles.

Baptiste Manet is an architecte specialised in contemporary heritage. He is the co-founder and director, with Yann Legouis, of the Sapiens Architectes office. He is also the co-founder of the association Éditions Cosa Mentale and a teacher at the École nationale d'architecture de Paris-Belleville (Paris). In 2022, Baptiste Manet participated in the experimental residential programme for the research and study of artistic practice and thought, organised by the RAW Academy in Dakar and the Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia).

Martial Manet has a PhD in Law and graduated in philosophy from the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. He has been Visiting Scholar at the Institute for African Studies at Columbia University (New-York). He teaches at the University of Paris I Panthéon- Sorbonne (Paris)

[soulsanitarium]

WITCH HISTORY

Among the most ubiquitous preoccupations of medieval literature is an insistent concern to detail the activities of the devil. In popular and theological belief alike, demons were everywhere ready to pounce upon the souls and bodies of the unwary, to deceive and trick even the most saintly. (Jennings 1977.)

⛪️The Espoo Cathedral is the oldest existing building in City of Espoo, Finland. The Espoo Cathedral is a medieval grey granite church at the shore of Espoo river. It has been been around for more than 500 years.

The church's oldest parts date back to the 1480s. The architect was an unknown "Espoo master". Together with the 🇫🇮Hattula and Lohja churches, the Espoo church is a significant monument of medieval murals.

😈As a warning to the people, the wall mural depicts the works of the devil and witches, e.g. churning butter (buttering the butter) with the help of demonic familiars or minor demons (Para or Piru in 🇫🇮).

😈Tutvillus (Titivillus or Tutivillus) : was a demon said to work on behalf of Belphegor, Lucifer or Satan to introduce errors into the work of scribes. However in Finland (Sweden-Finland) the demon had unique features.

“Certain people, however, think idle things during sermons and speak idle words in church when they should be putting their hearts to those things being said. Wherefore at a great solemnity, when a certain holy priest saw a devil stretching parchment with his teeth, he demanded of him why he was doing so. To whom the devil answered: "I am writing down the idle words said in this church which because of the solemn feast today have been remarkably increased, and seeing that the piece which I brought was not sufficient, I have attempted to stretch that parchment with my teeth. (Jennings 1977.)”

🇫🇮Finnish version continues: Laughing in church was forbidden. It happened that the parchment was already completely full when the churchman entered. The demon wanted this name on paper and began to stretch the cow skin parchment. However, it lost its balance and fell to the floor of the church. The churchman laughed at this, and the demon finally got his name on the list of sinners.🙂

Sko-Ella (Shoe Ella) is the titular protagonist villain of Scandinavian folk tale, who is known as the woman who terrified even the devil.

🗻Blockula (Blåkulla in modern Swedish, translated to "Blue Hill") was a legendary island where the Devil held his Earthly court during a witches' Sabbath.

Most helpful Sources:

Fält, K. (2017). Women and Demons in the Late Medieval Wall Paintings in the Church of Espoo (Finland). Mirator, 18 (1).

Tutivillus: The Literary Career of the Recording Demon

Author: Margaret Jennings

Source: Studies in Philology, Vol. 74, No. 5, Texts and Studies, 1977. Tutivillus: The Literary Career of the Recording Demon (Dec., 1977), pp. 1-83+85-87+89-91+93+95 Published by: University of North Carolina Press.

http://jussinjorina.blogspot.com/2008/01/mik-on-tutivillus.html?m=1

[michaleideas]

Mural Restoration Expert Removes Iconic Mosaic Mural From David O. McKay Building Prior To Demolition

This article was syndicated for USA national redistribution. What does it mean that this article is “ syndicated”? See end of article for explanation. So, enjoy and trust our content!!

Back on June 21st I posted on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/FineArtConservation/ and https://www.facebook.com/bestartdoc/ … request “Friends”, leave a thumbs up, leave a comment?) that we were part of a team to save an iconic and historic mosaic mural on the North Shore of Oahu at BYU-Hawaii. The iconic mural has greeted visitors to the entrance of Brigham Young University-Hawaii Pacific cultures educational center for many decades and has been widely published.

Well, a week or so ago, we completed the removal of the entire cement wall, saving 100% of the historic mosaic mural in good condition, and have it documented for the architects and admin who will determine its reinstallation at an unknown future time. It was 1 of 3 murals in the entrance of the university. The other 2, I removed from their walls last Dec. 2023 which are also waiting for details of their reinstallation. They were painted in oil on canvas and were adhered to the wall. Each of these murals measures 11′ high by 33′ wide. We’ve been working with Okland Construction Co. on this project. Whereas most murals are made of ceramic or stone, this mosaic was made at a workshop in Venice, Italy out of glass tesserae.

The concept (it is not an image captured of an actual event) of the mosaic mural is by the artist, Edward Grigware, which came to represent Hawaii becoming a State of the USA and the establishing of the educational center for all Pacific cultures.

Obviously, after the facing-carrier-armature-protective layers were applied to the surface of the mosaic, then we couldn’t see the composition to guide the removal process. So, I made a map of the mural and transferred it to the front of these layers to guide us.

This is the completed map showing the planned removal. But, it turned out that we were able to remove the mosaic in much larger pieces thereby resulting in 75% fewer cuts. With this map, every piece is documented and can be put back together like a puzzle. This is, actually, the way the mosaic mural was made (then shipped) to the installation site originally… in 1 ft sq. pieces and then put together like a puzzle.

Kory Ates and Mike Terry from Okland Construction assisted me in the removal process. In all, I think we lifted about 4,000 lbs of mosaic and cement off the wall!

Here is the mosaic mural wall… without the mural, which has been removed with its cement wall.

Each section of the mosaic mural is numbered and inventoried, then stored according to its position on the wall for easy retrieval. Each pallet has the entire mural map and also paperwork with more precise details. We now await the plans from admin and architects to plan out the restoration process.

The restoration process will include removing the 1″-2″ cement layer from the back of the mosaic, consolidating any loose pieces/tesserae, applying new grout from the back, adhering the mosaic to a new support or backing, removing and cleaning the facing-carrier-armature-protective layers which were applied to the surface of the mosaic, and then any fine tuning for appearance sake.

Was this blog post interesting or provoke a feeling? Leave a comment below! Click on the thumbs up at the beginning! 

Questions? Call Scott M. Haskins, Art Conservator 805 570 4140 faclartdoc@gmail.com

#mosaic #mosaicart #hawaiianart #mosaicmural #savingart #artconservation #muralconservation #muralrestoration @ScottMHaskins @FineArtConservation @VirginiaHaskinsPanizzon @GenaDillon #TheChurchofJesusChristofLatter-daySaints #byuhawaii #BYU–Hawaii #BYU–HawaiiNews #HawaiianHistoricalSociety

“Your blog post has been syndicated at ExpertClick.com”

Its a bit of a coup to get an article syndicated, and its certainly prestigious, as additional “proof” that the info and the author are considered far and wide authoritative and an expert in the field. This article was syndicated for USA national redistribution. What does it mean that this article is “ syndicated”? See end of article for explanation. So, enjoy and trust our content!!

This article has been syndicated at https://www.expertclick.com

What does it mean to be syndicated? See end of article.

What does it mean that this article is “ syndicated”?

When something is published, usually by a news source, and is made available through different venues for redistribution then it is said to be syndicated. Publications that are syndicated are usually considered of value as being from an expert, educational, new worthy or valuable for wide popular interest. See syndication page at the renowned publicity site: https://www.expertclick.com/

This website’s syndication included:

1) Included in the ExpertClick Press Room as a ‘press release.’ (different than a ‘news release’)

2) Included in the ‘Speaker Bureau Platform Page.’

3) Shown on the front page of ExpertClick, in rotation with other most recent posts.

4) Shown in the ‘News Release Results page.’

5) Included on optimized for searches on all my topics of expertise.

6) Shown via RSS linked from the Press Room. (A specific way news is actively distributed within the industry)

7) Shown in the full RSS feed from ExpertCick. (Another, different specific way news is actively distributed within the industry)

8) Syndicated to LexisNexis.com As of 2006, the company had the world’s largest electronic database for legal and public-records related information, distributor of academic content and expert opinion.

See it at: https://www.expertclick.com/

[spacelee919]

Crafting Elegant Spaces With Interior Designers In North Shore

[normally0]

“The Compass and the Bailey”

A Mini Novella

In the quiet hours before dawn, London’s streets seemed an odd combination of both familiar and eternal. The dome of the Old Bailey—Lady Justice perched atop—watched over the city as it had done for over a century. You stood across the street, taking in the grand structure that had woven itself into your family’s legacy. This courthouse, with its monumental dome and the symbolic scales of justice, was more than just a historical landmark—it was your personal anchor to a heritage steeped in both architecture and the search for truth. You traced its roots not just through its physical form but through your family’s bloodline, the Baileys and Pigott’s of the past.

Your grandmother, a Bailey, had lived a life far removed from the steel and stone of London, her heart entwined in the balmy shores of the Bahamas, where her missionary father had taken their family. But it was here, in the streets of London, that her path would intertwine with your grandfather, Richard, an architect with an eye for precision. Richard, apprenticed under his uncle, E.W. Mountford, had helped shape the very building that now stood before you—the Central Criminal Court, the Old Bailey itself. The irony of their union was not lost on you, a Bailey married to the architect of the Bailey. The ancestral threads of architecture, justice, and heritage tied tightly together in a knot of fates.

But even this iconic building, with all its history, spoke only in half-measures. The concept of a “bailey,” that fortified outer wall of a medieval castle, was a structure designed to protect something far more fragile inside—the keep. A simple idea that shaped your family’s life philosophy: protection, safety, endurance.

Yet, with every generation, the question of how to protect became more complex. Your mother’s illness, during which you devoured the works of James Joyce, echoed this uncertainty. Finnegans Wake and Ulysses were not just intricate tales—they were Ireland, they were complexity, and they were a mirror to the world of architecture. The question that had haunted you in those hours beside her bed was the same one you faced in your work as an architect: How could something be constructed, whether through words or brick and mortar, that simultaneously protects and sets free?

In Joyce’s absence of punctuation in Ulysses, you found your answer—or at least a question that illuminated another path. What if, just as Joyce deconstructed language, you could deconstruct architecture’s reliance on the centere on the singularity that always returns to a fixed point? It was an Irish quandary, as much architectural as it was philosophical. Could geometry hold the answers?

You had always been fascinated by the Vesica Piscis, the shape formed when two circles intersect—a balance of opposites, the perfect representation of your family’s life. The two halves of Ireland. The union of heritage and modernity. North and South. Tradition and innovation. In the compass of your family, one circle was always grounded in the past, while the other stretched endlessly forward, and at the intersection, there was a third space—a new understanding.

That was when you began your own exploration, creating a new kind of compass, one that abandoned the need for a centre point. What was the point, after all, of always returning to a fixed centre? The very earth beneath Ireland was fractured—north from south, past from future. The Vesica Piscis, with its duality and its tension, represented a middle ground. This was the world of architecture you sought to enter, one where the conventional rules no longer applied.

Your compass, unlike any that had come before it, eschewed the need for a centre. It operated in balance and contradiction, in reflection and rotation, much like the architecture of your forefathers. When you created this new method—a way to turn a square into a circle through geometric projections—you were continuing their legacy. The impossibility of it, the mathematical precision with which you challenged traditional quadrature, became your rebellion and your inheritance.

My grandmother , herself part of this grand equation, seemed to embody the harmony of art and architecture. She, too, understood that there was music in the mortar, that design was not just function but a form of expression. Yet she, like your ancestors, lived the role of the architect’s wife—a balancing act between art and life, between creation and the pursuit of security.

What would your children inherit? This was the question that followed you through sleepless nights, that haunted your projects. Could they, like you, protect the legacy while also being free to reinvent it? Could the grandchild of architects and artists continue this balance?

At the core of it all, though, was the compass—the tool that tied you to the long history of architectural tradition. But this compass, much like Joyce’s writing, refused to follow a prescribed path. It was radical, just as Ireland’s division was radical, and yet, in its rebellion, it sought to find unity.

Much like the bailey of old, your family’s legacy would protect something fragile: not just a keep, but an idea. The notion that architecture, at its most profound, is more than just structures of stone. It is protection and projection. It is the balance between history and innovation. And, like the impossible quest of quadrature, it is a challenge that remains tantalizingly out of reach, but always worth pursuing.

As the first rays of dawn filtered through the streets, you took one last look at the Old Bailey. Its walls were still strong, still standing, but your compass—your own bailey—pointed to something beyond, to the vast horizon of possibility.

And so, you continued your work, for your family, for your heritage, and for the future.

#ArchitectureLegacy

#OldBailey

#IrishHeritage

#VesicaPiscis

#FamilyHistory

#ArchitectsOfLondon

#JamesJoyceInfluence

#CompassesAndCircles

#Quadrature

#ArchitecturalInnovation

#ArtAndArchitecture

#LegacyOfDesign

#PhilosophyOfArchitecture

#ArchitectsJourney

#GeometricArt

#TraditionAndModernity