Variations on the suspended gardens of Babylon

Posté par admin
samedi 13 août 2005 [n° 309]

Hängenden Gärten (suspended gardens of Ancient Babylon (c. 2250 BC)

Amstelodami 1679. Sign.: 1954 C 27 www.deutsches-museum.de
Doppelseitiges Kupfer nach S. 58: Die “hängenden Gärten” der Semiramis

Kircher, Athanasius
(1601-1680) : Turris Babel

_____________

“Plant flowers in Iraq”

Alex Dragulescu, Graduate Student Department Visual Arts, UCSD
created an environment in which people can sow and care for virtual plants in Iraq : Suspended Gardens 2

The name of the environment is based on the “suspended gardens” of ancient Babylon (c. 2250 BC), one of the seven wonders of the world

“Dragulescu created an environment in which people can sow and care for virtual plants in Iraq. Visitors to his Web site can study National Geographic maps and choose the best (or worst) locations for plants based on the plants’ affinities for people, sun, or oil fields“.

The site was launched March 21, 2003

The project :

On the presentation page of his project, Dragulescu writes :

“Suspended Gardens users may choose from three plants whose growth is influenced by various factors (climate, population, oil). Each plant can carry a text message assigned to the user”.

(…) I wanted to focus on something creative to counter the destruction inherent in fighting and war,” says Dragulescu. “I posted my site to a handful of mailing lists and, after less than a week, more than 1000 people had visited and nearly 500 had planted plants. Now the word is spreading, and usage is increasing.”

“When planting a flower,” says Dragulescu, “you have the opportunity to leave a message. You can also read messages left by others – everyone that comes to my site can read anything that’s posted. I believe this kind of open, uncensored forum is especially important right now. People need to interact with each other to understand what’s going on in Iraq.”

Suspended Gardens: Net Art with a Political Edge 4.22.03, Calit2 website “.

The growth of your plant in Dragelescu’s virtual garden of this new Babylon is influenced by various factors such as climate, population, oil, but quite obviously, the list cannot be exclusive. Many other factors can influence the growth of your plant.

They sew the seeds for growing conciousness deep in the hearts. They produce strange fruits such as painting, sculpture, danse, literature, poetry, just to name a few. And eventually, they have strong and meaningful affinities with the suspended gardens of Babylon…
________________________

Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)

Gedichte aus »Das Buch der hängenden Gärten« von Stefan George für eine Singstimme und Klavier op. 15 (1908-1909 ) 1

analytical sources available for Das Buch der hängenden Gärten, op. 15?

Quinze Poèmes du Livre des jardins suspendus 2
de Stefan George, pour soprano et piano

création : 14 janvier 1910, Vienne

1. Unterm Schutz von dichten Blättergründen… [In the shade of thickmeshed bush and tree]

2. Hain in diesen Paradiesen… [Groves in blissful paradises]

3. Als Neuling trat ich ein in dein Gehege… (1908) [A callow youth when first I came to know you]

4. Da meine Lippen reglos sind und brennen… (1908) [Now that my lips are mute with shame and burning]

5. Saget mir auf welchem Pfade… (1908) [Tell me then what path she takes today]

6. Jedem Werke bin ich fürder tot… (1908) [Now I’m dead to duty and men’s deeds]

7. Angst und Hoffen wechselnd sich beklemmen… (1908) [Fear and hope in turn claw at my throat]

8. Wenn ich heut nicht deinen Leib berühre… (1908) [If today I do not touch your body]

9. Streng ist uns das Glück und spröde… [Austere is our joy and stony]

10. Das schöne Beet betracht ich mir im Harren… [My waiting eyes rest on the lovely flowerbed]

11. Als wir hinter dem beblümten Tore… [When we hidden behind the flowergrown gate]

12. Wenn sich bei heilger Ruh in tiefen Matten… [When in blessed rest in deepslung hammocks]

13. Du lehnest wider eine Silberweide… (1908) [You lean against a silver willow]

14. Sprich nicht mehr von dem Laub… [Speak no more about the leaves]

15. Wir bevölkerten die abend-düstern Lauben [We blissfully strolled through the evening-darkling foliage]




___________________

Arnold Schoenberg Recordings: List of Works University of Southern California

analytical sources available for Das Buch der hängenden Gärten, op. 15? www.schoenberg.at

“When atonality arrived, therefore, as it did in 1908, it came as the inevitable outcome of a doomed attempt to accommodate ever more disruptive material. However, Schoenberg found it possible a quarter-century later to return to something like his tonal style in such works as the Suite in G for strings, the completion of the Chamber Symphony no.2 and the Theme and Variations for band.

That, however, was not possible immediately. The sense of key was left behind as Schoenberg set poems by George in the last two movements of String Quartet no.2 and in the cycle Das Buch der hängenden Gärten , and for the next few years he lived in the new, rarefied musical air“.

Great performances : Schoenberg , Arnold (Franz Walter) at www.pbs.org, The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music ©Macmillan Publishers Ltd.


  1. Arnold Schönberg Center [back]
  2. Faltkupfer zwischen S. 52 und 53: Ansicht der Stadt Babylon mit Turm, Obelisken, “hängenden Gärten” und Euphratbrücke www.deutsches-museum.de [back]
Antiquity, Music

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