ROUND THE WORLD

with Susan Arnold

3 OCTOBER 2003

This RTW show (travel agency lingo for "Round The World") is presented courtesy of the National Science Foundation and the various federal agencies that have funded Wes's research--not that they funded moi, but you get the picture. If you don't get the picture, you do get to see the pictures that were created as a result of these journeys.

The show begins in Hawaii. For all who have yet to go: Kings can go anywhere they want, and it was the favorite vacation spot of Elvis. The trip continues on to Tokyo, home of some of the finest gardens (large and small) in the world. This particular garden is behind the International House and is one of Tokyo's favorites.

Next we go to India--not just any part of India, but the southwest coast of India, the land once known as Malabar--now the state of Kerala. In ancient times it was the sole source of important spices such as pepper and cardamom. Here, it is the source of three of my favorite images, including the Jesuit's retreat--Wes's colleague, Father Palackal, has just moved out (or so we think).

Then on to Jerusalem for a scene of water pipes framed against the stars. Sadly, it was at a time of great optimism--just before the current intifada in which so many have lost their lives. There are two images from Kenya, including one that inspired a scholarly paper.

Next we hit Europe--safer territory these days. There are two prints: the Alhambra, the world's greatest skyline, when New York was just a gleam in the eye of the Dutch; and one from Paris, the view from our window at the Grand Hotel Leveque.

We finish the trip back at home, in one of our great Louisiana parks.

Happy travelling. Sorry about the traffic on I-10 back to Lake Charles.

Advance warning: When you next see me, I will not be Susan Arnold but Savannah First, presenting an exibition of SOUTHERN WOMEN at a location yet to be determined.

1 BIRD OF PARADISE. These plants are indigenous to Africa, but their lovely flowers have become a symbol of Hawaii.

2 Japanese Garden at the International House, Tokyo. The Japanese garden is to a pastel artist what duck season is to a hunter. So much choice, so little time!

3 POMEGRANATE Kerala The pomegranate is often used in ornamentation--but is also the source of grenadine, as in a Tequila Sunrise. This may be the source of the remark, attributed to the prophet Muhammad: “Eat the pomegranate, for it purges the system of envy and hatred.”

4 Jesuit's Retreat Kerala is the traditional site of the introduction of Christianity in India. Wes's collaborators on the Louisiana Internet Project are located at the Loyola College of Social Sciences. The priests maintain a few rooms for visitors, furnished very simply. Malaria has been eliminated in Kerala, but mosquito netting is still used.

5 PALM St. Thomas spread the Gospel to people, but what spread throughout the land was the coconut palm. Even in the center of the largest city, if you are five stories high, the dominant view is of coconut palms waving in the wind.

6 Hubbly Bubblies Jerusalem Commonly known as a "hookah" or "hubbly bubbly," after the sound the pipe generates, these tobacco pipes are often two or three feet in height and made of decorated glass and brass. They symbolize the decadence of the Sultans, who smoked a mixture of opium, perfume, and crushed pearls.

7 TREE FERN Similar to our staghorn fern, this specimen was growing from a tree at a private tennis center in Nairobi. (Do you wonder why we happened to be at a private tennis center rather than viewing wildlife?) The original drawing is lifesize. This giclèe is aproximately three-fourths actual size.

8 Guests for Science This is the view from the veranda of the Guest House at Katumani, the Kenya Dryland Farming Research Institute. They don't have the Internet, and Wes is trying to give it to them. My question is: if you live in the middle of a scene from Out of Africa, why do you want the Internet? Oh, well, if you must read his article, it's at http://worldsci.net/reagency.pdf

9 ALHAMBRA. Built in the 14th century on the Cerro del Sol overlooking the city of Granada, this was the last fortress of the Moorish kings of Spain, who were great patrons of the arts, whatever their faults.

10 Paris The view from the Grand Hotel Leveque opens out onto one of the last market streets in the city of Paris. Along with the view, you get to smell the fresh cheeses and flowers down below.

11 AUDUBON PARK. New Orleans. Have you ever really looked at this bridge?