Savannah || Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters

Remember the third site of the Telfair Museums, which we had yet to see? Here it is, in all its grand splendour, starting from the humblest, the slaves’ quarters, walking our way through the garden and into the mansion.

We enter through a magnificent entrance hall into the largest room of the house, which is none other than the formal dining room; we work our way up an elegant staircase which rises to a landing, splits into two flights and, most interestingly, forms a bridge that connects the front and rear portions of the second floor – a rather unique feature, one we have never seen before (or since) in any of the mansions we visited; we peek into the various, lavishly decorated rooms, and the less-than-lavish service ones, in the front and rear halls of the second floor.

The two quarters could not have been more different.

You can find more information about the history, architecture and owners of the Owens-Thomas House, on the museum’s website.

April 5th, 2018

Savannah || The Gryphon

Speaking of old school charm, southern hospitality and the touch of SCAD being evident all over the historic centre,  this is where it all comes together: the Gryphon. SCAD’s upscale tea room that occupies the ground floor of the Scottish Rite building on Madison Square. Add the mystery of Freemasonry and the fact that the building is still the meeting place for various Masonic lodges, and your afternoon tea acquires that ”something extra” that goes beyond cucumber sandwiches and scones (although I would have been happy with just the scones).

Gryphon

April 5th, 2018

SCAD || Opera In a Box

”There are twenty-four antique loudspeakers out of which come songs, sounds, arias, and occasional pop tunes. There are almost two thousand records stacked around the room and eight record players, which turn on and off robotically syncing with the soundtrack. The sound of someone moving and sorting albums is heard. The audience cannot enter the room. To see and hear his world, they have to look through windows, holes in the walls, and cracks in the doorways and watch his shadow move around the room.”

If you are intrigued, click on “Opera for a Small Room” for a video clip. This collaboration between Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller, has to be one of the most powerful, multisensory installations I’ve ever experienced, totally immersive, even though one may not even enter the box.

SCAD Museum of Art – Savannah, GA

April 4th, 2018