Cool Thoughts, Cooler Art

It takes some creative thinking to stay cool when the temperature hits the mid nineties in NYC and "Who left the oven on?" is the question that comes to mind when you walk out your door. Luckily just looking at photos of Olafur Eliasson's The Waterfalls of New York City makes one feel refreshed. Four waterfalls are scheduled to make their debut around the city beginning June 26th. They may not lower the temperature but should definitely make the city a cooler place. And you can see more of Eliasson's work at PS 1 till the end of June.

Sunflower Heaven

In her book Seventh Heaven, Alice Hoffman tells the story of a divorcee who flees the city for 1960's Long Island with her two young boys. Frustrated by the upkeep of the overrun 1/4 acre she inherited from the former owners, she turns her backyard into a sunflower field. While this dismays her neighbors, I love the idea and the book. I'm trying my own sunflower garden this year, albeit a slightly more contained version. Here's a wonderful example of a sunflower garden from Wouter Ten Broek. Check out his sunflower prints if planting seems too much of a hassle.