The bones of Liberty Hall

When I was doing initial research for the MusicTown identity I stumbled across this 2009 documentary about the history and design of Liberty Hall. As usual with buildings that I see every day (it's the first thing I see when I get out at Tara Street station on the way to work) I knew very little about it, but this 24-minute short gives a good primer in how the original intent for the structure has been eroded through a combination of neglect and thoughtlessness. The interview sections with architect Desmond Rea O'Kelly are particularly fascinating.

Your Monet or your life

I read this story about Andrew Shannon, the man who punched a hole in a Monet painting, and it reminded me of the brilliant opening scene to John Berger’s Ways of Seeing. 

Copyright restrictions have meant that the 1972 series will likely never be released on DVD, but you can watch all four episodes – if you don’t mind the dodgy picture quality – via this YouTube playlist:

Ways of Seeing

⁋ Conservators at the National Gallery of Ireland repaired the damage to ‘Argenteuil Basin with a Single Sailboat’ at a cost of a “five figure sum” and a lot of work.