Product Description
What role do the visual arts and museums play in our society--and what role might they play? This Is the Flow compiles a series of essays on a diverse range of subjects, such as the difference between nightclubs and museums, the nearly moot distinction between high and low culture and the question of whether art can express global contemporary values. This volume posits the theory that museums must reestablish their legitimacy and engage in a more explicit relationship with society; it engages provocative ideas about the current artistic climate while introducing new possibilities concerning the place of the museum in contemporary society. The essays in this volume are penned by a diverse selection of notable cultural producers, including Rotterdam International Film Festival Director Rutger Wolfson, critic Cornel Bierens, filmmaker and curator Edwin Carels and critic Chris Darke. ... Read more

Product Description
An exhibition catalog ... Read more

Product Description
This volume seeks to explore the meaning of space artefacts, both as products of particular historical settings and as windows for understanding technological and cultural change. Seven contributors, most of whom are museum curators, address these challenges through the history of particular artefacts, highlighting differences and commonalities across technologies, institutions, professional communities, projects and geographical contexts. The essays sample the broad range of space activity - from launch vehicles to satellites and space capsules, from military to commercial and scientific purposes. They include an exploration of the Black Arrow rocket project in Britain, the European Launcher Development Organization, the Apollo 204 spacecraft in the USA, the Iridium commercial global satellite communications system, the Soviet space programme, and rocket recovery in Australia. What stories can space artefacts tell? What kinds of information and experiences might real objects convey that images and representations do not? Do they speak for themselves, or do they represent a dense sediment of human agency, culture and technology needing interpretation by experts?And, more particularly, in what ways do space artefacts originating in Cold War culture pose historiographic questions and issues that do not arise from artefacts with other histories? Questions such as these speak to the Artefacts series' purpose: To explore the overlapping interests of museums and historians of science and technology in understanding artefacts, as well as presenting that understanding to scholarly and general publics. The Artefacts Series is sponsored by the Science Museum in London, UK, the Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany, and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, USA - three of the world's greatest repositories of material heritage in the history of technology. ... Read more

Product Description

Continuing her feminist reconceptualisation of the ways we can experience and study the visual arts, world renowned art historian and cultural analyst, Griselda Pollock proposes a series of new encounters through virtual exhibitions with art made by women over the twentieth century. Challenging the dominant museum models of art and history that have been so exclusive of women's artistic contributions to the twentieth century, the virtual feminist museum stages some of the complex relations between femininity, modernity and representation.

Griselda Pollock draws on the models of both Aby Warburg's Mnemosyne Atlas and Freud's private museum of antiquities as well as Ettinger's concept of subjectivity as encounter to propose a differencing journey through time, space and archive. Featuring studies of Canova 's Three Graces and women artist's modernist reclamations of the female body, the book traverses the rupture of fascism and the Holocaust and ponders the significance of painting and drawing in their aftermath.

Artists featured include: Georgia O'Keeffe, Josephine Baker, Gluck, Charlotte Salomon, Bracha Ettinger and Christine Taylor Patten.

Customer Reviews (2)

Brilliant and Vital
Editor Wolko pulls together five important, detailed, and illustrated articles that supply all the details: just how did the Wright Brothers manage to engineer flight?

Trade paperback, 106 pp, about 70 b&w illustrations: photos, charts, sketches, technical drawings, specs. Notes and bibliographies appear at the end of each article.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Wright Brothers, The First True Aeronautical Engineers
Aerodynamics, Stability, and Control of the 1903 Wright Flyer
Longitudinal Dynamics of the Wright Brothers' Early Flyers: A Study in Computer Simulation of Flight
Propulsion Systems of the Wright Brothers
Structural Design of the 1903 Wright Flyer

"THE ONLY" engineering look at the first airplane
I first became aware of this book while visiting the Kitty Hawk Memorial in North Carolina. There, a park service employee showed me his dog-eared copy of this precious book. Even then, it was out of print and unavailable in the memorial park's gift shop. I only had it in my hands for a few minutes, but the book contained many engineering drawings and aerodynamic data which I have not even seen at the AIR & SPACE museum in D.C. or at WRIGHT PATTERSON A.F.B. in the Airforce Museum there. I have looked for it since.A must have for any true aviation buff. Chris Rau ... Read more

Product Description
This is perhaps the finest collection of cockpit photographs in existence. The Museum (NASM) holds the world's premier collection of historic aircraft, but visitors to the museum must maintain a respectful distance. In At the Controls, NASM photographers Eric Long and Mark Avino use creative lighting techniques and an extremely wide-angle lens mounted on a short-bodied, large-format architectural camera to duplicate the sensation of actually being at the controls inside the cockpit of 45 legendary aircraft. The reader experiences a pilot's-eye view of the cockpit.

Among the 45 featured aircraft are these history-making planes: - Wright Brothers 1903 Flyer- Blériot Type XI- Fokker D.VII- Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis- Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VII- Focke-Wulf Fw 190F-8- Ilyushin IL-2 Shturmovik- Messerschmitt Me 262- Boeing B-29 Enola Gay- Sikorsky UH-34D Seahorse- Project Apollo Lunar Module- Space Shuttle Columbia ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great photography, broad sweep of history, but uninspiring prose.
This is a very nice, broad look at lots of cockpit interiors and aircraft exteriors. It's not as good as Nijboer and Patterson's Cockpits of the Cold War, but I found the pictures very clear and devoid of the overly-dramatic (and obscuring) artsy-fartsy photography typical of aviation history books.

This is a Smithsonian book, covering aircraft in the Smithsonian collection, so the authors and photographers had unfettered access to each of the aircraft involved. This is evident in the consistent image quality. The images are still not as inspiring as Patterson's work, though, and he had to go traipse across the world to get his aircraft. The thin volume covers the Wright Flyer to the Space Shuttle, which is a little overreaching in my opinion. I tend to like more narrow focus.

The prose is a historian's perspective, not the gritty pilot first-person accounts captured in Cockpits of the Cold War. It's not bad prose, but it's clear that the cover of the book correctly lists the writers as "editor" rather than "author." Still, this is a must-have tome for any serious aircraft afficianado.

Get in the Cockpit and Fly
If you love aircraft, this is a book for you !The photography of the cockpits is stunning.The information about the control and instruments of flying from the day Wright Brothers, to the Spirit of St. Louis, the Warbirds of WW II, to today's Spacecraft
is extraodinary !I bought the book just to have a photo of the greenhouse of th B-29 Superfortress, my plane in WW II.I was not disapointed.A plus was a view of the A Squares of my 497th bomb Group, 73rd Wing of the 20th Air force in formation. ... Read more

Product Description
This comprehensive calendar presents the most awe-inspiring aircraft in the history of aviation and aeronautics--from the earliest flying machines to cutting-edge craft. Included are photographs of military and commercial aircraft in flight, as well as dramatic NASA images of spacecraft lifting off.

The Flight: 365 Days of Historys Greatest Aircraft 2011 Wall Calendar features around 300 images in a unique, oversize format. Each month includes approximately 25 craft plus historical airline brochures, tickets, air race programs, and much more. ... Read more

Product Description

Sufism, the mystical path of Islam, is a key feature of the complex Islamic culture of South Asia today. Influenced by philosophies and traditions from other Muslim lands and by pre-Islamic rites and practices, Sufism offers a corrective to the image of Islam as monolithic and uniform.

In Sacred Spaces, Pakistani artist and educator Samina Quraeshi provides a locally inflected vision of Islam in South Asia that is enriched by art and by a female perspective on the diversity of Islamic expressions of faith. A unique account of a journey through the author’s childhood homeland in search of the wisdom of the Sufis, the book reveals the deeply spiritual nature of major centers of Sufism in the central and northwestern heartlands of South Asia. Illuminating essays by Ali S. Asani, Carl W. Ernst, and Kamil Khan Mumtaz provide context to the journey, discussing aspects of Sufi music and dance, the role of Sufism in current South Asian culture and politics, and the spiritual geometry of Sufi architecture.

Quraeshi relies on memory, storytelling, and image making to create an imaginative personal history using a rich body of photographs and works of art to reflect the seeking heart of the Sufi way and to demonstrate the diversity of this global religion. Her vision builds on the centuries-old Sufi tradition of mystical messages of love, freedom, and tolerance that continue to offer the promise of building cultural and spiritual bridges between peoples of different faiths.

Product Description

Product Description
The Smithsonian Institutions National Air and Space Museum maintains the largest collection of historic air and spacecraft in the world. In this new daily trivia calendar, fascinating facts and photos have been pulled from the museum's complete collection for a year of comprehensive and compelling air and space history. ... Read more

Product Description
Covers lighting for exhibitions, museums, historic sites and monuments as well as historic town centres. ... Read more

Product Description
Texas is an art lover's paradise. More than one hundred venues located within the state welcome visitors to experience the visual arts. These include internationally recognized collections such as the Chinati Foundation, the Kimbell Art Museum, the Menil Collection, and the Nasher Sculpture Center; renowned encyclopedic institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the Dallas Museum of Art, and the San Antonio Museum of Art; and dozens of first-rate art centers, alternative spaces, and university galleries. In addition to delighting the eye with a wide-ranging assortment of exhibitions, many of these museums and galleries are housed within architectural gems. To enhance the reader's visits to familiar destinations and to encourage the exploration of lesser-known venues, Art Guide Texas presents the only in-depth survey devoted exclusively to the state's nonprofit visual arts institutions. Rebecca Cohen organizes the book regionally. Individual entries for museums and galleries give essential contact information, including phone numbers and Web sites, as well as a description of the collection(s) and past exhibitions, a brief history of the institution, significant architectural details about the building, and assorted practical tips. Black-and-white photographs accompany many of the entries, as well as notable quotes on art and architecture. In addition, Cohen's essays on the phenomenal late-twentieth-century growth of the arts in Texas and on arts activity in the different regions of the state provide a helpful context for exploring the arts in Texas. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Awesome!!
Perfect book for the art expert or novice. Mrs. Cohen has worked very hard on this book and it is quite evident. Cannot wait for the next one! ... Read more

Product Description
This valuable directory contains a wealth of data on the history of aviation and attempts, for the first time, to identify every aircraft manufacturer and designer and every aircraft produced. This indispensable reference book is a comprehensive guide to the sheer number and variety of aircraft produced in the last hundred years.

The directory has thousands of entries with, for each manufacturer or designer, the names of all the classes of aircraft produced (powered fixed wing, unpowered fixed wing, powered rotor rotor-craft and unpowered-rotor rotor-craft). Entries are cross-referenced and brief histories of important companies have been added to enable the researcher to chart mergers, closures, and name changes. Significant nicknames and code names are also detailed. This valuable and unique book presents a vast, official array of data in an accessible form and is an essential reference book for any aviation enthusiast. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Exactly what it claims to be . . .
This directory, according to the introduction, is a byproduct of the effort to reorganize "a century's worth of aviation documents" in the National Air and Space Museum files. The result is an alphabetical listing of some 5,000 manufacturers/designers which have produced roughly 25,000 discrete types or models of piloted aircraft, about which NASM presumably has some information. For example, "Ferguson, Charles J. (California)" is listed has having designed/produced the "Ferguson Glider".Likewise, some 60 iterations of the basic C-130 Hercules design are listed under "Lockheed (Burbank, CA)". However, this book is exactly what the title suggests--a directory. You'll find no further information about the Ferguson glider or any of the many Hercules variants between the prototype YC-130 and the latest AC-130U.

What you will find are very brief histories of those companies (Lockheed among them) which have been transformed over the years through mergers, name changes, and so forth. This can help the serious researcher unravel some of the complex "arrangements" that have been made in the aircraft business over the years, particularly concerning companies that have long since ceased to exist. As would be expected in a work of this type, there are also some bits of what might best be described as aeronautical trivia. On page 253 is listed "Schmuck Aircraft (See: Monarch)".

The last 65 pages consist of another alphabetical listing of aircraft by name. Thus we find that the "ABC Glider" was produced by Schultz and the "Zwergreiher (Heron)" is the name given to the Burgfalke Lo 100.

In summary, this directory will no doubt serve as a useful guide to those fortunate enough to actually access the NASM files, and hopefully it will soon be found on the reference shelves of most libraries. It will also be helpful to someone who's trying to figure out what company built the "Gnu", for example, but bear in mind that to find anything ABOUT the thousands of aircraft listed here, you'll have to keep looking. ... Read more

Product Description
San Diego's North Island is one of the most significant venues of aviation in the world. Starting in 1911, it was the home to one of the nation's first aviation schools, founded by Glenn Curtiss, who pioneered seaplane flight. He trained the nucleus of America's future air forces there, including Lt. Theodore Ellyson, the first naval aviator. When the United States entered World War I, the government took over the island with plans to build a training center for the nation's armed forces. The new army base was named Rockwell Field, and the navy portion was named Naval Air Station San Diego. By 1937, the army had moved out, and the navy became the sole tenant. Today NAS North Island is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the navy and is headquarters for the Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

NAS North Island Aviation
An excellent book with high quality photos of the early years at North Island. Although the emphasis is on aircraft there are photos of people, buildings and hangars. It is a fine addition to the 1967 book Jackrabbits to Jets.

not what I expected
I was expecting a book about the base at NAS North Island....In my view the book is primarilya photo history of the aircraft stationed at NAS North Island rather than history of the base itself...I returned my copy.... ... Read more

Product Description
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." These were the words heard around the world on July 20, 1969, as American astronauts accomplished the first manned lunar landing. People everywhere watched and waited as Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins embarked on a daring eight-day space voyage to a place where no one had gone before. This "museum in a box" features 16 meticulously reproduced artifacts from the Apollo 11 mission, from its heart-pounding launch to its triumphant splashdown. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Review of Apollo 11 Box
This was an excellent amount of artifacts from the Apollo 11 mission.The items chosen to be in the box were incredible, informative and of a high quality.

An Interesting Retrospective of Apollo 11
This is one of the most unique items available to Apollo enthusiasts. It is basically a box full of souvenirs from Apollo 11. It contains replicas of several artifacts from the Apollo 11 mission contributed by the Astronauts (and from the Smithsonian). Sample contents are a replica of a page from Collins' 'solo book' he kept in the CM while Armstrong and Aldrin were on the moon, copies of photos of Aldrin's children left on the moon, and most amusingly a copy of Armstrong's travel voucher claiming as destination "moon."

There is also a brief and interesting short paperback book (more a pamphlet, actually) recounting highlights of the Apollo 11 mission. It doesn't contain any new revelations, but is a good general treatment of the mission.

I rated this as 5 stars for it's uniqueness and originality. Serious Apollo historians will not find any new information in the box set, but it IS an interesting compendium for anyone. This would also be perfect for someone just becoming interested in space flight, and could be handled by any reader from approximately ninth grade level. ... Read more

Product Description
A photo book with narratives ... Read more