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  • Aguada lighthouse in Goa; a videotrip

    Aguada lighthouse in Goa; a videotrip

    This video and article tell you about the Aguada Lighthouse in North Goa. The light of it is sure to become familiar to tourists sitting on the beaches in Candolim, Calangute and Baga in the evening and the night.

    A restaurant visit to a beachshack is the reason to go to the beaches of Goa after dark, after the beach guards have left. And when you think of it, what could be more wonderful than sitting on an armchair at a beach restaurant listening to good music and the sea waves and admiring the starry sky in the embrace of the warm sea breeze. March, btw., is a very good month to experience the warm sea breeze in the evening in Goa. See this video – it’s a short excursion to the lighthouse in North Goa.

    Video duration 1:42

    Video from Aguada Lighthouse in North Goa

    The cover image of this video is taken from the lighthouse window which faces North Goa, the beaches of Candolim, Calangute and Baga.

    One can reach the lighthouse by a tourist taxi and then climb the narrow stairs up to the lighthouse, which is an official and chargeable tourist attraction. There were also photographic walls nearby the lighthouse to climb on. Fort Aguada itself is located much lower near the sea – see my panoramic photo of it here.

    View from Aguada lighthouse towards North Goa

    The Aguada Lighthouse: An Eternal Beacon in Goa’s Seascape

    Situated along the scenic coastline of Goa, India, the Aguada Lighthouse stands as a monolithic sentinel, an eternal beacon guiding sailors through the Arabian Sea. This historical lighthouse serves as an essential navigational purpose and also offers visitors a glimpse into India’s colonial past. For many, it’s a monument that melds maritime significance with historical intrigue and natural beauty.

    Historical Backdrop

    Constructed in 1864 during the Portuguese colonial era, the Aguada Lighthouse was initially a part of the Fort Aguada complex. This fort was strategically designed to guard against invasions from the Dutch and the Marathas. The lighthouse, therefore, was a critical component in a broader defense mechanism, serving as a guide for Portuguese vessels navigating the rocky coastline. In its initial years, it operated on an oil lamp, a technology that was later replaced by more advanced and efficient mechanisms. Over the years, it has remained in continuous operation, thereby establishing itself as one of the oldest lighthouses in Asia.

    Architectural Marvel

    One of the most captivating features of the Aguada Lighthouse is its unique architectural design. The circular tower rises to a height of 13 meters, its whitewashed walls contrasting dramatically against the azure sky and the deep blue sea. The lighthouse is capped with a domed lantern house, which holds the beacon light. A winding staircase takes you to the top, where you can witness a 360-degree panoramic view of the surrounding landscape. The architectural details, though minimalistic, evoke a sense of robustness and durability, aptly symbolizing its longstanding service to maritime navigation.

    Navigational Relevance Today

    Despite the advent of modern GPS technology, the Aguada Lighthouse continues to be of vital significance to regional maritime activities. While technology has surely brought about improvements, the human eye still relies on this traditional beacon for specific navigational tasks. The lighthouse currently employs LED lights and automated systems, ensuring that it continues to operate efficiently in the modern era.

    Touristic Allure

    Today, the Aguada Lighthouse has transcended its original utilitarian function to become a hotspot for tourists. Its stunning location makes it a prime spot for photographers aiming to capture the ethereal beauty of Goa’s sunset or the vast expanse of the Arabian Sea. For history enthusiasts, the adjoining Aguada Fort offers a further delve into the region’s colonial past. The lighthouse often serves as the picturesque backdrop for numerous travel blogs and social media posts, amplifying its allure among both domestic and international tourists.

    So, the Aguada Lighthouse is more than just a guiding light in the Arabian Sea; it is a living monument that tells tales of history, architecture, and unchanging relevance. Whether it’s the sailor who relies on its beam for navigation or the tourist who climbs its stairs for an unparalleled view of the Goan seascape, the Aguada Lighthouse continues to be a symbol of constancy in an ever-changing world. Its timeless appeal makes it a must-visit landmark for anyone exploring the multi-dimensional beauty of Goa.

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  • The Inner Journey -exhibition of Bill Viola in Amos Rex

    The Inner Journey -exhibition of the video artist Bill Viola is on display at the Amos Rex Art Museum in Helsinki, Finland, for the last week this week. I went to see that exhibition last weekend and there was already a queue formed in front of the museum entrance, as you can see in the picture below. See also the related Instagram reel –

    The absolute highlights of Bill Viola’s Inner Journey -exhibition were the video and audio installations Fire Woman, 2005, and Tristan’s Ascension (The Sound of a Mountain Under a Waterfall), 2005, which were also familiar from the outdoor advertising. In the exhibition you got to see them on the big screen. The aspect ratio of those videos was familiar from Instagram.

    Another stunning video work in the exhibition was The Trial, 2015, which was a 7:39 minute HD color video strip.

    Allthough no works bringing you great joy were seen in this somewhat serious exhibition, can it still be recommended because of the quiet meditative nature of it. Those slow-motion videos provided a new perspective in the midst of the hustle and bustle of everyday life and made at least me feel happy about myself as I was able to watch the videos patiently from start till the end, although I had skipped my lunch.

    Read more about traveling and sights of Helsinki in my blog!

    You can read this post also in Finnish.

    Queue to Bill Viola’s exhibition in Amos Rex Art Museum. In the background Kiasma Art Museum under renovation.

    This post belongs to my
    → Trip to Helsinki – Visual Travel Guide.

    Explore all my Helsinki travel videos
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    If you want to dive deeper into Helsinki, see my guide to
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  • The Modern Woman and Dialogue at the Ateneum

    *Blog collaboration with Ateneum

    The exhibitions the Modern Woman and Dialogue opened at the Ateneum Art Museum in Helsinki. These exhibitions are on display from 10th February until 27th March 2022, after which the Ateneum Art Museum will close for several months due to air conditioning renovations.

    Read this article in Finnish here

    MODERN WOMAN

    The Modern Woman exhibition at the Ateneum tells about the 20th century modernism with the help of art made by Finnish women. The exhibition features works by the following artists: Hilda Flodin, Sigrid af Forselles, Gunvor Grönvik, Eila Hiltunen, Lea Ignatius, Helmi Kuusi, Laila Pullinen, Essi Renvall, Sigrid Schauman, Helene Schjerfbeck, Elga Sesemann and Ellen Thesleff.

    It was interesting to note that many of these artists did more than just art in their lives, such as working as a teacher, artisan, and critic, as their biography told. Hilda Flodin’s determined look in her self-portrait 120 years ago served as an encouraging example for today’s artist as well.

    The Ateneum Art Museum in Helsinki, February 2022
    The Ateneum Art Museum in Helsinki, February 2022

    The portraits painted by Sigrid Schauman showed Schjerfbeck-like generosity, which made it easy to avoid portraying the aging of the face making the person look ageless. Or even like a dead skeleton, as in Schauman’s self-portrait.

    Schjerfbeck’s paintings were particularly surprising, as they still contain something new. At least for me, who did miss Schjerfbeck’s gala exhibition at the Ateneum art museum a few years ago. For example, I had not noticed before that the well-known black self-portrait from 1913 contained the artist’s name written with no style in sticky letters at the top of the picture. Schjerfbeck’s red-spotted self-portrait, in turn, made me wonder why an Indian bindi had been placed on her lower lip instead of her forehead.

    Artist Helmi Kuusi was a completely new name for me. Maybe because traditional graphics has never been my way of making pictures. But her works were delightful, as they had the feel of those old black-and-white photographs, but still had more warmth and depth than photographs in general.

    Elga Sesemann was also a new name for me and the exhibition featured oil paintings painted by her generously with a palette knife. Sesemann’s self-portrait from 1946 had also ended up as the cover image to the Modern Woman’s paperback book published by Ateneum.

    Lea Ignatius’ work Helle (Heat) from 1974 still glowed in its frames on the wall of the Ateneum, 48 years after its completion and 22 years after the artist’s death. I also suddenly thought I had found the QR code in Ignatius’ work Sampo II, even though that technology was not in use at that time in 1976. Personally, I used the QR code in my latest live art exhibition in 2020.

    Attached below is a short video of these Ateneum’s exhibitions The Modern Woman and Dialogue, which will be on display in Ateneum from 10th February to 27th March 2022.

    DIALOGUE

    The second exhibition at the same time on the top floor of the Ateneum Art Museum is the joint exhibition of Elina Brotherus and Hannele Rantala. These artist friends have more age difference than a mother and a daughter, but that doesn’t seem to be a nuisance. It was refreshing to see how Brotherus showed her middle finger to normalcy.

    This post belongs to my
    → Trip to Helsinki – Visual Travel Guide.

    Explore all my Helsinki travel videos
    → here    .

    If you want to dive deeper into Helsinki, see my guide to
    → cafés    .

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