Escape From Cape Cod

Maybe not "escape" exactly, but my trips off Cape are relatively few, so it's fun to pretend it's an actual escape. We slipped away with a friend for a day today to visit the ICA and enjoy a Mexican lunch. Easter Sunday proved to be the perfect day for a trip to the city. Traffic was pleasantly light and parking readily available in a location convenient to our planned destinations. We were also fortunate in our weather. It was a beautiful spring day with sunny skies and mild temperatures. Later this week the pretty weather will leave for a few days but today was just perfect.



First we went to lunch at Temazcal Tequila Cantina. We are always looking for Mexican food and BBQ.  Shana had researched the menu online and we thought it might be a good one to try. We wandered around a bit looking for it (road signs around the harbor can be confusing) and calling a couple of times for clarification on our directions, and we were happy when we found it. The location alone makes it a nice place to have lunch. It overlooks the harbor and with the gorgeous weather we enjoyed today the view can't be beat. When the server delivered Ipads as menus I knew we were not in the home of the $2.00 taco. It is not grandma's home made Mexican, but a delicious twist on classic dishes. Everything we ordered was beautifully presented and tasted home made, down to the deserts and the tortillas. The salsas were interesting in flavor and appearance. My favorite was a green sauce served both cold and hot with a bit o

Hanging Fired (Suspected Arson)

f honey added to the spicy and tart tastes I expected.  We even had enjoyable live entertainment during lunch.  Conversation and lunch were delicious! Sated and happy we walked back down the street to the ICA.



ICA does not exhibit many works at one time, and has some emphasis on installations rather than canvases. You are inclined to spend more time with the individual works on display; because there is generous space one is able to walk around pieces and view the from a variety of sides, as the artists intend them to be viewed. One that caught my eye this time, although I have seen it before is Cornelia Parker's Hanging Fire (Suspected Arson). This piece has a feeling of violent motion and feels vivid although it is uniformly black. It is made of salvaged wood from a fire suspended from the ceiling and rewards close viewing.

Hanging Fire (Suspected Arson) detail

There were also several pieces by Doris Salcedo in concrete and wood, or wood objects cast in stainless steel that were arresting and interesting. The works featured gave familiar homely objects a strange and almost threatening appearance.



There were a few video pieces that I found both odd and amusing. One that fascinated me and made me think and laugh was called (I think) My Mother and Me and featured three screens, each with a man and his mother. The mothers repeatedly spit at their sons with various attitudes of anger and hilarity. Sounds awful but was actually very interesting, and easier to watch than you would think. We got to do some interactive art projects as well, before we gave up and dawdled around the gift shop until we were ready to head back home.

We left Roxy to spend the day with her friends Louis and Mitzi, but apparently she was too anxious to enjoy their company. I am guessing that because Louis and Mitzi are not getting along well this weekend Roxy is finding her poor eyesight to be a disadvantage. When trouble bubbles up she would rather get out of the way fast. She was more than ready to come home as soon as I came to retrieve her.