Walt

Walt is not always the greatest fan of DC – there are way too many politicians, the weather is terrible (as is the Metro) and the city’s rats are the largest he’s ever seen. He is, however, appreciative of the city's diverse cultural offerings, which he thoroughly enjoys and organizes his social life around. On Wednesday Walt went to the Austrian Cultural Forum for the opening of the exhibition Vienna Café 1900. While he wasn’t overly excited by the show, he did enjoy the talk “The Viennese Café and the Social Life of the City,” as well as the piano and oboe concert by Duo Savage. The evening left him dreaming of Vienna (and its cakes), as it’s been much too long since his last visit.

Thursday night Walt stopped by the Art Museum of the Americas to hear Rafael Lozano Hemmer discuss his various projects. The artist was a great speaker, and Wally thoroughly enjoyed the talk. Hemmer’s Vectorial Elevation will light up the Vancouver night sky during the 2010 Winter Olympics, and while the public installation has been previously displayed in numerous cities, this is the first time it will be done over water. One has to go to Vancouver to see the exhibition, however anybody can design how the 10,000-watt lights move from the comfort of his/her home by accessing the project’s website - a personalized webpage will be automatically created for each participant to document his/her design. Walt is looking forward to creating his design, and urges everybody to participate.


Unfortunately Walt had to leave before the Q&A session began, as he had committed to attending a kick-off party for the L’Enfant Society. The L’Enfant Society is a group of young professionals who support the Trust for the National Mall in its mission to raise funds to restore the Mall. Walt enjoyed catching up with friends at K Street Lounge, and was easily convinced to join the group. What can he say, there’s nothing like expanding one’s opportunities to socialize for a good cause!