Doing Lennon

a couple of John Lennon-related links, both via boingboing, that I think will be of interest to my buddy, Jill. Buildings of Disaster sells sculptures of buildings associated with some tragedy.

"Souvenirs are important cultural objects which can store and communicate memories, emotions and desires. Buildings of Disaster are miniature replicas of famous structures where some tragic or terrible events happened to take place. The images of burning or exploded buildings make a different, populist history of architecture, one based on emotional involvement rather than scholarly appreciation. In a media-saturated time, world disasters stand as people's measure of history, and the sites of tragic events often become involuntary tourists destinations."

The usual suspects are displayed, The Twin Towers, the Oklahoma City Federal Building. One building I wasn't expecting was the Dakota. But when you think of John Lennon's death, don't you immediately think of that building, too?

During our anniversary trip to New York City, Peg and I made a pilgrimage to the outdoor foyer where he had been shot. The entrance to the Dakota is guarded now, and you can't go into the foyer anymore, as Mark Chapman had, but you can see inside. We stood there for a few moments, silently, and then walked across the avenue to Central Park, and Strawberry Fields.

yoko ono created an installation, apparently over a year ago, called "Odyssey of a Coackroach."

"I have decided to be a cockroach for a day, and see what is happening in this city through his eyes..."

I think it's best experienced through the Quicktime movie tour, but the individual photos also make striking - and moving - statements, especially a trash can filled with "Imagine Peace" buttons.