House Eater

Macfadyena unguis-cati (Cat's Claw Vine) is an invasive woody vine that can rapidly envelop a house. The plant can grow to 120' lengths, with 1/2" diameters. As the plant grows and becomes heavier, it can cause building collapse. There is a native counterpart called Bignonia capreolata (Crossvine), which may be distinguished by its reddish-orange flowers rather than the yellowish flowers of Cat's Claw Vine.

Image above: Unidentifed photographer. Unidentified House, New Orleans, c. 1980. Miscellaneous Photographs Collection, Southeastern Architectural Archive, Special Collections Division, Tulane University Libraries.

Wright in the Bayou?

As the Southeastern Architectural Archive begins its advance planning for a new exhibition, The Wright Stuff: Frank Lloyd Wright's Influence in New Orleans, we came across Saunders Architecture's Guggenheim fantasia (image above). Since the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is celebrating its 50th Anniversary, on February 12th it launched its own self-focused exhibition, Contemplating the Void: Interventions in the Guggenheim Museum. You can read Roberta Smith's NY Times review here.

Image above: Saunders Architecture (Bergen, Norway), FLW in His Element, digital print (2009) as it appears in the NY Times 18 February 2010 and in the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum's online exhibition. BTW, I've mentioned Wright's preference for Louisiana cypress in an earlier post. And for redwoods too?