Taliesin Studio(PART 1 OF 3)
So, Kato, you're talking about Madame Taliesin and her studio, aren't you?
Oh no, I am not.
Whose studio are you talking about, then?
Did you read the following article?
■"Swansea"
(November 1, 2011)
Yes, I did, Kato... What about it?
I've written a story about Swansea and your forefather.
Yes, I remember it clearly now. Taliesin seems prevailing all over the world, and your story about Karuizawa Taliesin is also interesting to me.
Karuizawa Taliesin
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You explained to me why the theme park is called "Karuizawa Taliesin."
In Middle Welsh, "Taliesin" means "shining brow." In the Celtic mythology, Taliesin also means a wise man, who is related to a fairy, called "Taliesin", who promoted the art. Frank Lloyd Wright, an American architect, called his work place "Taliesin" and produced a lot of creative works. Sympathetic to the architect's idea, the creator of the theme park in Karuizawa also called his park "Karuizawa Taliesin" and wanted to make it as a base for new cultural power.
So, Diane, you still remember it, eh?
Yes, of course. I wish my Dad was still alive so I could share it with him. You've done a good research, Kato.
I'm glad to hear that. And you know, Diane, the same kind of facility exists in Swansea, don't you?
Yes, you told me that.
Taliesin Arts Centre
The Taliesin Arts Centre is owned and managed by the University of Wales, Swansea and is located on the university campus. The venue hosts a broad programme of events including cinema screenings, an average of ten visiting exhibitions per year, and a variety of live performances, from dance and drama to jazz and world music. Taliesin Arts Centre also houses the Egypt Centre. The two-storey gallery contains an important collection of antiquities from Ancient Egypt.
The Taliesin provides a service to both students and the people of Swansea and acts as a regional centre. Performers in recent years have included Jamie Cullum, Clare Teal, Billy Cobham and Paco Pena.
In addition to hosting regular touring exhibitions, the Taliesin’s Oriel Ceri Richards Gallery also stocks a range of greetings cards as well as jewellery, ceramics and other craft items, and includes a café bar.
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SOURCE: Taliesin Arts Centre,
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
So, today, I'm talking about the famous Taliesin Studio in the States.
Do you mean the studio of Frank Lloyd Wright?
Yes, that's right.
Taliesin East
This is Taliesin East. It is located near Spring Green, Wisconsin.
...looks like a small castle, doesn't it?
Yes, it does. It was Frank Wright's summer home.
Why did he call it Taliesin?
As I said before, he chose the name of the Welsh bard Taliesin, whose name means "shining brow" or "radiant brow". So, he positioned the home on the "brow" of a hill---a favorite of his from childhood, rather than on the peak.
Why not on the peak?
...'Cause, in that way, the home would appear as though it arose naturally from the landscape. In his words, "...not on the land, but of the land". "Naturally" is the key word, you know...The home was designed with three wings that included his living quarters, an office, and farm buildings. He used this home as a way to explore his ideas of organic architecture. The chimneys and stone piers were built from local limestone, laid by the stonemasons in a way that evoked the outcroppings of Wisconsin's surrounding area. The sand from the nearby Wisconsin River was mixed into the stucco walls to evoke the river's sandbars.
I still wonder why he chose the Welsh bard, not the world-famous English bard---William Shakespeare.
A good question, Diane...Well, his mother's family, the Lloyd-Joneses, came from Wales to Spring Green, Wisconsin. Apparently, he was emotionally attached to his mother, rather than to his father.
How come?
'Cause his parents divorced in 1885. His father left, and Frank never saw him again. He didn't like his father. So, at this time Frank changed his middle name from Lincoln to Lloyd in honor of his mother's family, the Lloyd Joneses.
I see... Frank valued his mother's cultural background more than his father's, didn't he?
Yes, that's right. And Frank began the building in 1911 after leaving his first wife, Catherine Tobin.
How come he left his wife?
Frank Wright had an affair with Mamah Borthwick Cheney, who was one of his clients, along with her husband, Edwin Cheney.
So, he came to love the wife of his client...Wow!
(To be followed)