Category Archives: Imaginary City

Views of an Imaginary City 20: A Street in the Najirèh District

20. A Street in Najirèh The outer district of Najirèh (“Empress”) is so named in honour of the empress Aritokèh, during whose reign the area’s first streets were laid out. It is located on a raised plateau surrounded by rice … Continue reading

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Views of an Imaginary City 34: A Nizimoamuàri

Two people walk past each other on a quiet street corner, both looking about their surroundings in an apparent state of reverie. The inscription tells us that we are looking at a nizimoamuàri, which could be translated as “a past … Continue reading

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Video of “Views of an Imaginary City: Nizinaringolo in Labeosti”

Another animated interpretation of one of my “Fifty-Two Views of an Imaginary City” by Jim Avis, this one looking ahead hopefully to a springier time.

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Video of “Views of an Imaginary City 14: The Laughing Willow”

Another “vidiette” by Jim Avis adapted from one of my “52 Views of an Imaginary City.” Many more of these coming soon!

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Views of an Imaginary City 29: Interior in Korkidèh

29. Interior in Korkidèh We are in the well-appointed bedchamber of an upper-class Sensukan home. The residence is located in the Korkidèh district, as is evident from the yellow-and-green tiled “seashell dome” of the Rimo temple visible through the door … Continue reading

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“Stairway to Nowhere” Video

The incomparable Jim Avis has been transforming some of the instalments in my recent “Views of an Imaginary City” into his trademark “vidiettes.” Here is his take on “View 46: The Stairway to Nowhere at Tanaliska.” More of these to … Continue reading

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View of an Imaginary City 48: The Stairway to Nowhere at Tanaliska

According to Chogya beliefs, it is possible for individual souls to reincarnate into lives chronologically antecedent to the ones that they have just lived through. This would seem to open the door to a number of potential temporal paradoxes, were … Continue reading

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Views of an Imaginary City 47: Cloud Oracle at Marikora

The earliest inhabitants of the region of Sensuka were water worshippers. They looked upon the clouds as constituting the genitals of the Great Divine Water Being, from which all waters originally sprang forth. It was water’s floating, condensed form that … Continue reading

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Views of an Imaginary City 44: Bird Temple in Peleosti

The view is from a hill in the Peleosti district, overlooking a skyline dominated by the dome of the Chogyan Temple of Tofa, the Luck Goddess. Occupying the majority of the picture plane, however, is a close-up depiction of what … Continue reading

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Views of an Imaginary City 33: View of Orepi Tower

Orepi Tower is perhaps Sensuka’s most iconic building. Even those foreigners who know next to nothing about the city may recognize it as “that barber’s pole tower.” The tower was built under the empress Nanéh as a monument to her … Continue reading

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