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ONLY BE BARCELONIAN
Only-Be Barcelonian
Banksy Prankumentary makes waves in art world
Banksy, the famous British graffiti artist know for using walls the world over as a support for his political stencils, this time fixes his critical gaze firmly against the contemporary art market. “Exit through the Gift Shop” which he directed, is determined to prove how ridiculous, elitist, bourgeois, and capricious the contemporary art market really is. Graffiti artist Banksy is the most controversial and mysterious figure in contemporary art. The son of a photocopier technician, Banksy, as he is known globally, zealously conceals his identity from the press and all those curious fans who keep up with his art all over the world. In the documentary film he directs “Exit Through the Gift Shop” the famous stencil artist picks on art institutions, museums and galleries, providing a critique of the system through an analogy between the art market and the gift shops found at the exits of these cathedrals of aesthetics. Banksy criticizes the elitist type of system which institutions like the Tate Modern exemplify, and proposes resistance to these hierarchizing art machines through guerrilla art interventions and popular street art. His is argument is based on the position that the art featured in these institutions is generally tinged with cryptic secrecy, and comprehension of the works at hand leaves out all but a few “informed elites,” who despite consuming this art, don’t understand it either. With his film, the British artist reasserted his anarcho-punk ideals, and rubbed them in the face of the elite art consumer, whom he considers rather stupid, for spending millions of euros to support a superficial circus built on mutual misunderstanding. The documentary chronicles...
Big Bang Show
Ask any hip cat on the streets of Barcelona about the big bang bar, and they will rave about its cool vintage atmosphere and buzzing Fashion crowd. Although it dates back to the early 90´s, the atmosphere oozes nostalgia. And so does the crowd, their dances, to music on vinyl, marking the rhythms of unselfconscious fun as the bodies of uncertain origins and ages swirl into the vortex of self-referential homage to the past. The papered retro walls, posters and photographs from an unsung ancestral collector, laughter, loud talking, possessed dancing and furtive glances all lend the ample space an animation which speaks of the best of Barcelona nightlife. The Big Bang show, presented as if it were a cabaret, with music and performances, encapsulates the essence of the bar. It is held each Tuesday, with free admission but limited seating, and features new characters presenting everything from poems built around the life of a barman, to emulations of such films as The Wizard of Oz. The show takes place in a small adjoining room at the back of the bar. The presentation is part of the show and it varies every week, sometimes it features actors with music, satire or clowns. The players vary week to week and many offer small humorous monologues on a variety of possible topics. Or other more unusual performances, which features a song that barely sounds at the end, a peculiar Dorothy who walks with a stuffed animal on her shoulder who calls the tin man by her side a bastard for having no heart, dances and music created from videogames … For...
Hangar: Barcelona Artist´s Colony
Everyone, deep down, has dreamed at least once of being an artist. Although money to live on is a daily dilemma for most artists, in recent years we have seen a steady proliferation of scholarships, awards and opportunities of various kinds for emerging artists. One of the most interesting options for emerging artists is to take part in an Artist in Residence program. These residencies are site-dependent and involve experimentation in the arts (including visual arts, music, film, theater, literature, dance and curatorial studies). The centers or institutions where the guest artists stay and work on a specific project allow them to get in contact with industry professionals, and in most cases, allowing the possibility of organizing an exhibition when the stay and the project is completed. Naturally, a cultural capital like Barcelona has a number of interesting options to take a few months to research and workon an art project. One of these residences is Hangar www.hangar.org in Poblenou, an old abandoned factory which has been restored and also runs a production company which offers technical support for artistic creation. Hangar, founded in 1997 by the Association of Visual Artists of Catalonia (AAVC) is a space of 1,800 m2, which is very well equipped. There, they run 15 individual workshops, 2 studios, a media lab, an equipment rental service, and offer technical and advisory production. You can take advantage of their support and technical assistance, training workshops and scholarships for artists in Spain and abroad. You can sign up for Workshops through the annual call, and the studio rent is very accessible. Given the number of options available,...
Psychobilly in Barcelona
Zombies with colored Mohawks or shaved heads, tight jeans, earrings and military boots for boys, and for girls, pin-up makeup, corsets with 50´s hair styles and fuchsia, green, yellow or pink sexy clothes and torn stockings: these are just some of the aesthetic elements associated with psychobilly. This movement it today enjoying a “third wave” of popularity and has one of its major festivals very close to the city of Barcelona, in the city of beaches and palms, Pineda del Mar. Before I tell you about the psychobilly movement in Barcelona and especially the emergence of bands that are playing the scene on the European and international level, here’s a little history on the psychobilly movement. Born in the 80´s and influenced primarily by the band “The Cramps”, the music began to differentiate from rockabilly and punk rock, its main precursors. One of the first bands to become known for this style, “The Meteors,” was born in England in the early 80´s. Over the years the movement grew and other groups like the German “Phantom Rockers” and “Mad Sin” broke on to the scene. These early bands feature a more stylistically pure sound, as from the 90’s on psychobilly began to be influenced by other genres like goth rock, indie, surf rock, etc.. The zombie or monstrous look comes from literary and cultural references, especially horror movies, exploitation flicks from the 50´s, and sci-fi, but its almost always worn with a comic touch. You can see these influences in the clothing and aesthetics of psychobilly cats worldwide. Barcelona is a city with a very productive and entertaining psychobilly movement....
MGMT concert in Barcelona
The MGMT, also known as “the Management”, will storm Barcelona with their psychedelic pop at Razzmatazz in Poble Nou in Barcelona on December 16th at 21:30. The New York duo consists of Ben Goldwasser (born December 7, 1982) and Andrew VanWyngarden (February 1, 1983), both originally from Connecticut. They got together in 2002, during a sabbatical year from Wesleyan University, and became a pop phenomenon, almost involuntarily. Apparently, MGMT never seriously thought they were going to turn into huge pop-stars. Even so, they have been a smashing yet unexpected success since their inception. At first, these two post-modern hippies/unrepentant hipster poster children who set out to fuse funny noise rock and electronica. They had an impact on the Big Apple underground circuit with their cuts just barely out of the garage. They like to repeat that it was not their intention to form a band, but just come out and share albums, “hang out”, go to concerts, listen to music and compose of course, but not necessarily make their creation a profession. They share the ethic of countless garage bands, annoying parents and neighbors with electric guitars and high volume screaming, all the while having fun. However, for MGMT everything flowed with amazing ease and speed, and the music ended up getting taking them along for a ride to international fame. In early 2005, when they first were licensed, they went on tour in the U.S. to open for “Of Montreal” (another American indie rock group) and promote their new EP “Time to pretend” and in fall 2006, i.e. four years after their college musical joke kicked off, they...
Goth Christmas Festival 2010, Barcelona
There are many kinds of Dioramas. One of these is a Christmas nativity scene, which depicts the birth of Jesus and often occupies an important place beside the Christmas tree. But the Christmas scene I want to talk about now is another one full of musical talent, sensuality and dark elegance! That’s right Goth lords and ladies; we’re talking about Barcelona’s Goth Christmas Festival! Get ready to hear the Germans Diorama, a dark electro band that, along with another great band from Germany, De / vision, will make everyone swoon at the 2010 edition of the classic “Dark Christmas Festival.” As always, what really matters here are the bands. Diorama was formed by Torben Wendt in 1996 as a side project. Torben collaborated with other bands like “Diary of Dreams.” Diorama released their first album of the year 1999, and thanks to the success of “Pale” the project expanded and musicians Marc and Bernard Felix joined the band. Now they have seven albums, under their belt, and highlights include “Pale”, “Her liquid arms,” “A different life” and their latest release, “Cubed”, which has led them to number one on the Deutsche Alternative Charts. This album is definitely worth a listen, and you will probably get to hear them play it along with older favorites at the festival. You can also enjoy German synth-pop veterans De / vision, who have a long career that began in 1988. Since then they’ve release 11 albums and have won the hearts and ears of loyal followers. The band´s concert promises to get you dancing to the electronic rhythms nonstop. Two local bands on...
Planeta award goes to Eduardo Mendoza
In more ways than one, you can say that the ever-controversial annual Planeta award is the event that officially kicks off literary season in Spain. Established fifty-eight years ago by the editor Juan Manuel Lara with the aim, in theory, of promoting Spanish writers, this prize has always garnered a certain amount of criticism because the winning works are published by the same editorial which runs the prize. Winners are almost certainly guaranteed best-seller status. This has led to all sorts of intrigues and rumors of awards agreed to in advance that over time have served to discredit the award in for literary purists, but the fact is that all this ivory tower controversy has never damaged prize’s promotional impact. Winning books become a media phenomenon, and the prize ensures significantly higher sales in Spain. Combined with the generous cash prize of 601,000 euros, it is one of the most coveted prizes. Still, controversy aside, there are years when the quality of the winner seems hardly debatable and that is the case with the edition number 59 just awarded to Barcelona writer Eduardo Mendoza. Another recent standout winner was The World by Juan Jose Millas in 2007, written in stunning Spanish. The following year the book won the highly prestigious National Award for Fiction. The strangest thing about the Riña de Gatos. Madrid 1936, the winning novel, which revolves around the origin of the Spanish Civil War, is that it is set, as its title suggests, the capital of Spain. Strange, mainly because Eduardo Mendoza is known, among other things, for his brilliant appearance on the Spanish literary scene...
El Barato: a midight oasis
El barato is a bar that is full of surprises. At first glance it looks like a simple neighborhood bar, which in Barcelona means dirt, grit, football and colorful characters getting drunk on cheap alcohol with a quasi-religious zeal. Perhaps it is not the most aesthetic setting, but on Saturday and Sunday mornings, El Barato functions as an after hours club, and a killer party atmosphere half-hidden behind a sliding door awaits you. What looks like a mere broom closet is actually a door to another universe inhabited by frenzied creatures reveling in the decadence and excess of modern urban social life. One night stands, a thirst for chemistry and sex, nocturnal instincts gone wild: you will find it all here at the Barato. This spot brings everyone together, from the police to the anarchopunks, gay, lesbian, straight and Blessed, modern classic fashion victims and conservatives, the dirty and the tidy. It offers a much needed space to finish off the night which always promises adventure. It is an oasis that offers the hope in the desert of dull uniformity which this city has become. As it should be, anything goes does not mean anything, and common sense respect for patrons and other customers should be shown. Try not to make noise entering and leaving so the neighbors can get some rest as well. Try not to tie up the bathroom with your bad habits; somebody might need to use it for its intended purpose. The bar might be cheap, but that doesn’t mean you have to be, they reserved the right to refuse admission or kick you out...
Alice Cooper Theatre of Death Tour Barcelona
If you like Alice Cooper, make sure you are in Barcelona on November 23rd to see the pioneer of Shock Rock, present his new album “Along Came a Spider” in Barcelona as part of his Theater of Death Tour. It is a great opportunity, perhaps the last, to enjoy this great spectacle live. The concert will be at the Sant Jordi Club, near the city center, where you can find a wide selection of apartments in Barcelona. Alice Cooper first got into rock music in 1964. In those days Hard Rock music, sinister-looking makeup and provocative performances had never been seen before in a rock concert. Alice Cooper´s stage shows greatly influenced legendary bands such as Kiss, Zombie and Marilyn Manson. The group´s name apparently sprung out of singer Vincent Damon Furnier´s (Alice Cooper) consultation with a Ouija board, during which he was contacted by a nineteenth century witch named Alice Cooper who told him he was his reincarnation. Vincent proposed to his colleagues that they change the name of the band from The Nazz to Alice Cooper and they agreed. Frank Zappa noticed them and included them in his Straight Records label. Later, Alice Cooper had a career as a solo singer, using the group name as his. During the 70´s he rose to fame thanks to his notorious tours and crazy stage antics. Later, in the late 70´s, his career went into a decline because of problems with alcohol, which even led him to a psychiatric hospital. During this period he released the album “From the Inside.” His revival came in the late 80’s thanks to the...
Home recipes to eliminate sun spots and age spots
Our customs eventually we end up taking their toll, both physically and mentally. In this case I’m speaking about those oft unsightly “sunspots.” For some reason, thought they affect both woman and men, women seem to care more about them. While generally these spots appear in middle age or later, certain habits like unprotected exposure to UV rays, misuse of cosmetics, use of contraceptives, smoking, and poor nutrition can all cause them to appear earlier. Obviously, over-exposure to the sun is a big culprit. So what to do if you have few? Before resorting to harsh creams and chemicals that offer fleeting results at very high prices, why not experiment with a few tried and true methods passed down from generation to generation? Here are a couple recipes from Grandma, with a very successful record!. As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and the first step is to prevent further dark spots. Please remember to protect yourself from the sun by using a broad spectrum sunblock everyday! Onto the treatments… In the evening, prepare a toner with the juice of one lemon and a teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide (10 vol). Apply it to the spots every night before bed. The Second anti-stain recipe from Grandma: Two teaspoons of milk powder and again one of hydrogen peroxide, plus two drops of glycerin to prepare a whitening cream. It should also be applied at night, because during the, day hydrogen peroxide may worsen the stain, so in the morning, wash the affected area and apply a sunscreen! Do not forget that antioxidants are essential for...Promotions
