Berlin Cathedral, reflected in the Palace of the Republic. The cathedral was badly damaged in the war, and has been beautifully rebuilt. The "Palace" was the seat of the East German parliament, and since reunification the building has been pointedly neglected.
February
Bern, Switzerland
A special find- probably the only piece of broken glass in Switzerland! A window of an abandoned farmhouse, complete with New York City-style graffiti, in Berne. Only a short walk away is the beautiful Zentrum Paul Klee, a museum and cultural complex designed by Renzo Piano, and a must-visit in Berne.
March
Daban, Inner Mongolia
Sun streaming through the high windows and coal smoke of the locomotive repair shops of the Jitong Railway, in Daban, Inner Mongolia. The Jitong was the last full-gauge mainline steam railway in the world, but it converted fully to diesel power in 2006.
April
Tokyo, Japan
Sharp spring sunlight makes an abstract pattern of the facade of the Azabu District Police Station, right around the corner from PAE's Tokyo office.
May
Hunyuan, China
A window in a monk's room, in the Hanging Monastery, near Hunyuan, Shanxi Province, in northern China. The window "pane" is rice paper, with a very delicate painting that seemed to glow on the back-lit translucent paper. The ancient monastery itself is a marvel of construction, clinging improbably to a sheer rock face.
June
Mainz, Germany
Gothic windows, in a chapel of Mainz Cathedral. The mottled grays of the windows contrast beautifully with the brightly-colored images of the early deans of the cathedral. Mainz is a short distance west of Frankfurt, and has a superb museum dedicated to one of its favorite sons, the printer Gutenberg.
July
Shenyang, China
Layers of fames, bars and broken glass hide the interior of an old army camp. Shenyang is the capital of Liaoning Province in northeastern China. Shenyang was once called Mukden, and was the location of the Mukden Incident in 1931, arguably the start of World War 2 in Asia.
August
Yaho, Japan
A diffuse glow through shoji panels lights the interior of a room in the Yaho Tenmangu Shrine in Yaho, a township west of Tokyo.
September
Tokyo, Japan
Contrasting designs by man and nature, in the Toranomon district of Tokyo, near the American Embassy.
October
Berlin, Germany
Facade of the Press Building in Alexanderplatz, Berlin Mitte. One can only hope that the rigidity of the design does not carry through to the many publications of its owner, Berliner Verlag!
November
Chengde, China
False windows in the wall of the Putuo Zongchengzhi Temple, one of the Eight Outer Temples of the Mountain Resort in Chengde, a summer retreat of the Qing emperors. The temple was built in the style of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, a reminder of the extent of the emperor's domain.
December
Tokyo, Japan
A small business in Tokyo burns the midnight oil, behind patterned glass and the home-made character which may be read either as the "To" (of Tokyo) or as "higashi", meaning East.
For copies of PAE's 2008 calendar please contact Toda Junko
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