Just a short jaunt from my apartment is the Conservatory Garden, a place of such beauty that you just want to sit and stare. Immediately upon entering the black iron Vanderbilt Gate (which was made in Paris in 1894), you are greeted by an exuberance of crabapple trees bursting in pink and white hues. They line the main Italian-style garden, and lead up to a fountain erupting with gusto and an incredible pergola covered in wisteria. The pathways behind the rows of crabapple trees lead to two other gardens, one English-style, one French-style, featuring lovely fountains and beds upon beds of gorgeous flowers. I was especially enamored with the tulips.
A great environmental film (or films I should say) that does not involve Al Gore, is Godfrey Reggio's Qatsi Trilogy. The first is the 1983 cult flick Koyaanisqatsi, which is a Hopi Indian word meaning "life out of balance." Five years later came Powaqqatsi, Hopi for "parasitic way of life" or "life in transition." The final film, Naqoyqatsi, Hopi for "life as war," was not released until 2002. There is something here for everyone. Whether you are a stoner, a philosopher, an environmentalist, a spiritualist, a poet, or simply a cinephile, your socks will be rocked off by the imagery. All of the films explore the relationship between technology and the environment, with each film depicting different cultures. And this is done without dialogue or narration, only through visuals and music. The film is scored by Philip Glass, one of those composers people tend to either love or hate. I think he's brilliant and this score is mind-bendingly beautiful. If you're in the mood for an epic journey, give it a go.
"So Spring is in her belly/ It's sprouted in her soul/ And no one had to tell us/ We did just know/ And know life seems a little more, somehow/ Meaningful/ And I looked at her like I always do and I see/ Beautiful" --John Butler Trio, Spring
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