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The Euro Report Card
The Euro has celebrated its tenth birthday this year. If the Euro were a real ten-year old, what would it´s report card say? Let´s go back to school… Home Room Euro is an overall good student. Although he has a slight problem with authority, he is a natural leader. This has caused some interpersonal problems between Euro and two other students (Sterling and Dollar), but these ongoing arguments seem to be healthy competition. He has fifteen members of his group, who he treats with varying degrees of respect. There are also a small number of students who are not part of his group, but who tag along with him. These unfortunate students receive almost none of Euro´s kind attention. Mathematics Euro had some problems in the beginning of the class, adapting to other currencies. His inflated view of himself raised prices dramatically in many areas of the curriculum, leading to policy changes at the school to prevent this happening in the future. It is important that Euro learns to enter a class quietly, instead of being a disruptive influence. His basic skills are good though, and his presence has helped movement from one class to another become smoother and easier. His efforts during the 2008 financial crisis were inadequate, but appreciated. Social Studies Euro has not been able to grasp the differences between social groups. His presence has been a benefit to those from wealthier European countries, but the strain of his unceasing demands is proving too much for those from less affluent countries. An adjustment in Euro´s attitude, to allow for varying socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, would result...
Man-Ray and Robert Mapplethorpe: A pair of photographic geniuses
The Marconi Modern and Contemporary Art Foundation in Milan has for years been a referential institution for lovers of photography and modern art, and stands out for its rigorous efforts and initiative. It organizes conferences, seminars, exhibits and events to popularize the arts. This year they have curated an exhibit featuring works from two stand-out American photographers Man Ray and Robert Mapplethorpe. This exhibit covers two multi-faceted artist-photographers who were active in different moments. Man Ray worked from the 20´s to the 70´s and Robert Mapplethorpe from the 70´s until his death in 1989 that have left an indelible mark on the world of art and photography. Man Ray, multi-disciplinary artist and one of the most influential figures of early 20th century art, who is known for his informal association with surrealism and became famous in part for his original portraits and use of solarization techniques and “rayographs,” was admired by Mapplethorpe. Robert Mapplethorpe began as a photographer and later dedicated himself completely to photography. He was a master of lighting techniques and composition. His work is known for its nearly neoclassical representation of the human form, which is capable of transmitting strong emotions and an intense sensuality despite its restraint The Milan exhibit will run from the 23rd of March until the 22nd of May and displays paintings, photography and objects by Man Ray and 25 works by Robert Mapplethorpe, and collects some of their most famous works, such as a portrait of Mapplethorpe’s muse Lisa Lyon or “Woman in Bondage” by Man Ray. Concurrently, in the Lugano Art Museum the exhibit Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfection of Form...
Andy Warhol – Cars
Beside the Pin-ups, products of mass consumption, comics, cans and Film stars, there is another icon which reins supreme in the pantheon of north-American pop culture, which became mythical during the era of pop art: the car. If you want to see how the car is refigured as an eternal spring of inspiration, then come to this exhibit in Vienna. It all began back in 1986 when the Daimler Collection was about to celebrate its centennial, and commissioned a special project from Andy Warhol. His mission, should he accept it, was to create a series of 80 prints inspired by cars. His death 1987 meant he only completed 35 prints and 12 drawings, which are currently displayed in Albertina, the oldest arts centre in the Austrian capital. You have until the 16th of May to contemplate the multiple Mercedes-Benz as imagined by Andy Warhol, and also the car as seen by other artists, such as Swiss artist Sylvie Fleury, and Americans Robert Longo and Vincent Szarek. It’s a singular opportunity to appreciate this mythic luxury car, and the history and design of its infinite variety of its models, from the Lightning Benz to the Gullwing and even the C 111. There are screen-prints on paper, like the famous Marilyn Monroe images, running motors and decaying makeup pots in the video art of Sylvie Fleury, or the starkly refined black and white works of Vincent Szarek, proof that the Mercedes Benz has inspired more than one and will inspire you as well. In fact, this exhibit has some of the most expensive art-works in the world, like the Andy Warhol...
Egon Schiele and his times
Milan’s Royal Palace presents a retrospective on the work of Egon Schiele with more than 40 of his painting on exhibit until the 6th of June 2010. “Egon Schiele e il suo tempo,” (Egon Schiele and his times) an exhibit dedicated to the Austrian master, key figure in the development of expressionism and one of the founders of the Viennese secession. The exhibit was curated by Rudolf Lepold and Franz Smola with the goal of shedding light on the brief yet intense light of this master of 20th century painting. Schiele (1890- 1918) was born in Tulln. This Austrian painter, contemporary and student of Gustav Klimt, is perhaps best known for his association with the Viennese secession and expressionism. This exhibit gives us a fabulous chance to get closer to the emotional tension and sensuality which he depicted. An unsettling anxiety predominates in his visual realm, showing the eternal conflict between rest and destruction. Frequently the protagonists of his paintings appear alone, with their faces or bodies contorted in pleasure, pain, fear or anger. The colours, lines and postures of his paintings are erotic and exquisite, saturated yet balanced; in the same manner that pleasure is tied to pain, and relaxation to tension. During his life, his art inspired a fair bit of controversy. He would often use the children who stopped by his house as models, and sometimes the resulting paintings had a decided erotic air, or depicted models in postures which seemed obscene following the conservative morals of the day. Many considered his work to be pornographic. When he moved to his mother’s hometown in 1912 with...
2010 Must-Visit European Music Festivals
The sun is shining again and a traveller´s thoughts begin to turn to the open road and the fun to be had there. One of the best places to have a good time (a sweaty, dusty, drunken good time) is at a music festival and Europe is the best continent to be for the widest selection. In no particular order, here are a couple of off-the-beaten path ideas to take you out of your comfort zone for this year´s circuit plan. Exit – Serbia July 8 – 11, 2010, Tickets approx €75 A twenty-stage music festival held in an ancient fortress? Get in now, before UNESCO declare it a World Heritage Site and the fences go up. Past acts include Manu Chao, the Streets, Gogol Bordello and on and on and on. This year´s lineup includes Placebo, the Chemical Brothers and Missy Elliot. Accommodation in the area books up fast, but enterprising local Serbs will sell you a camping spot in their back yard (if you´re not camping on the Danube) for about ten Euros per head per night. SoundWave – Croatia July 23 – 25, 2010, Tickets approx €80. Enjoy the feel of an Eastern European music festival before the slick and manufactured style of EU-fied management sets in properly. Held in the idyllic setting of The Garden, Petrcane, not too far from Zadar and runs over three days, three stages – oh, and a boat! Between the terraced bar, the amphitheatre overlooking the ocean and the non-Euro-zone beer prices, SoundWave is Ibiza without the plastic, overpriced ickiness and Bestival without the self-conscious coolness. Sziget – Hungary August...
Cevahir Mall – The Largest in Europe
The Cevahir Shopping Centre in Istanbul is the largest one in Europe. The constructed area is nearly 108 acres and currently there are 343 shops, spread over 6 floors. And don’t think that shopping is all it has to offer. There are also 48 restaurants, a cinema complex and a covered theme park called Atlantis. Pretty amazing huh? It’s ranked as the 6th largest shopping centre in the world. The number one is occupied by the South China Mall. In theory. Besides fancy decorations such as a 25 meter high replica of the Arc the Triumph and a 2km long Venetian canal with gondolas, it also has space for 2350 shops. Again, in theory. Because 5 years after its grand opening, more than 99% of the space is still empty. The few employees they have are sleeping their way through the day. It is basically a desolate piece of concrete. The second biggest is again a Chinese mall, the Beijing Golden resources. Although this one actually has stores, it’s far from the centre and it doesn’t attract many customers. Number 3 is the Mall of Asia (Philippines). But what really made us go wild is the Dubai Mall in the United Arab Emirates. With 1200 shops it will be hard to stick to just window shopping. For a strong Turkish coffee you can stop by one of the 38 bars and coffee shops, and even if you are a picky eater I’m sure you’ll find something you like in one of the 82 restaurants. And if you still have energy after all of that, you could grab a movie...
Retrospective: Mariano Fortuny at the Pedrera
One of the great innovators of early twentieth century fashion and design, Mariano Fortuny is perhaps best known for his inventions in the world of textiles and innovations in the field of theatrical lighting, however during the course of his career he embarked upon many different artistic genres: photography, printing, industrial design, fashion and painting. A retrospective of this multifaceted artist and designer will be open until the 27th of June at the impressive Gaudi building the Pedrera in Barcelona’s Eixample district. The exhibit is composed of 11 sections to give you a chance to examine his aesthetic in all of its physical manifestations, and the Pedrera provides the perfect backdrop for his modern and varied work. Fortuny was born in Granada in 1871 and died in Venice in 1949. His father, also an artist, died when he was very young, and after his death his mother moved the family to Paris, and later to Venice. Fortuny began his artistic career as a painter, working with the Wagnerian theme of the total art object during this early period. As a set designer, he created a system of lights which was patented and used in theatres throughout Europe, and also designed other lamps whose designs are still being manufactured today. His interest in theatre eventually led him to fashion, although not to “fashion, merciless circus of throwaway trends” that we often think of as fashion. His work went beyond fashion, looking for something purer and more classic which sought to revindicate the female body and embellish its natural state without adding anti-natural or unhealthy accessories like the repressive corset. Perhaps...
International Festival in Vienna
Spring is a very special time in Vienna, and not just because a balmy breeze begins to blow across the city. May marks the start of the month-long Vienna International Festival, which presents theatre, music and dance productions from around the world. Created to re-establish Vienna as a major cultural capital after World War II, this festival has brought world renowned performing artists to the city since 1951. An important aspect of the Vienna International Festival is the Vienna International Music Festival. From 9 May to 21 June the Vienna Konzerthaus will present 68 events. This year’s featured composers are Joseph Haydn and Franz Schubert, chosen to follow the motto “elites”. The Vienna Konzerthaus is undoubtedly one of the best in world, and is especially unique in that it hosts a variety of concerts, programming, jazz, new music, world and classical during the course of the year. As part of the international Music Festival, there will be concerts by diverse artists and groups such as Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club, Angélique Kidjo «Oyo», John McLaughlin & The 4th Dimension and the John Scofield Jazz Quartet. Haydn, one of Austria’s best known and loved classical composers, sought to express the sublime though his music. Haydn’s works will be performed on 22 occasions, starting with event’s inauguration with a performance by the Vienna Philharmonic under Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Guest performers and conductors include Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski, the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, the Vienna Symphonic and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. Other classical music concerts include Schubert’s three major song cycles “Die Schöne Müllerin”, “Winter Journey” and “Swan Song.” For more...
Electronic Beats by The Prodigy
They hit the lists with their famous songs “Firestarter” and “Smack my bitch up”. Do you know which band I’m talking about? That’s right, The Prodigy! This drum and bass band consisted initially of Keith (Vocalist/dancer), Maxim (DJ/Vocalist) and Liam (composer/Keyboards), who is also the musical force behind this band. He is educated as a classical pianist and as you can hear in many of his songs he is very fast on the keyboard. They have sold over 20 million records all over the world, which is outstanding in dance music history. Prodigy started with pretty small gigs with 9 people in the crowd, including five staff. The gigs grew and the crowd became more and more. And later on they became one of the most popular bands of the 90s. Sweat soaked with adrenaline diven breakcore attitude; rushing keyboards come on like a flashback; guitars crack and vocals snap. This is the sound of Prodigy! In the early 90s they started create rave and hardcore, and also mixed into heavy techno. Later they created a new sound: electronic “Breakbeat” mixed with rock and punk. They are inspired by late-early 70s funk, 80s hip hop, rare grooves, etc. In short, they have a lot of music styles. The band itself says that they actually don’t have a special category for their music, but most would agree they fit neatly in the category Rave or Techno. They also have had gigs with some famous artists such as Chemical Brothers, David Bowie, Moby, Rage against the machine, and with the famous DJ Paul Oakenfold from UK. They have tours all over...
