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MUMOK Fashion and art exhibition in Vienna
Although the reader may seem like I´m ranting, art was born (back in the days of the caves) first as a human desire to please the gods and, secondly, as an ornament of everyday life. So, look for its roots in small jewels, beads and clothing covering the precarious humans of that time. Without wishing to tour the historic relationship between art and fashion, in times of great splendor, as the Russia of the czars or the Florence of the Medici, fashion (also jewelry, hair and shoes) was linked to traditional arts. Anyway, you have to wait until the great revolution proposed by the movement known as Modernism, Art Nouveau or Secession to find a radical change in this respect (but we shall save that for another day), by failing to distinguish between the decorative arts (furniture, household items) and so-called traditional arts (painting, sculpture or literature). Laying the foundations of contemporary society, with Modernism disrupting all relations between man and things. Fashion, of course, can not be immune to this trend. With its ups and downs, the artists of the so-called historical avant-garde took up this idea, and one story could illustrate this point: That Picasso designed and painted decorative home tablecloths. An idea that comes booming out in the discourses of post-modernity from the seventies, by showing the evolution of contemporary schizoid societies. Well, as not to bore the reader with so much scholarly epistemology, this is the philosophy that returns to the Museum of Modern Art (MUMOK) in Vienna in an exhibition which opens on June 15 and runs until September 23. “Reflecting trends. Art and...
Love Barcelona!
All my friends coming to visit me in Barcelona always say: “One of the best times to visit Barcelona is between April and June.” When you leave your apartments in Barcelona, the nice temperature of 16 ° C at 9 am, brighten up the faces of everybody you see walking on the street. The sun is just perfect and is a great time to sit in any of the terraces that hug the streets of Barcelona for breakfast. A “mini” is what often accompanies the traditional coffee with milk, a small piece of bread filling of any Iberian ham. They do not usually exceed 4 €. After that you can go walking anywhere in the city. The streets smell of the flowers hanging from every balcony, the sun illuminates every corner and street of the city, and a slight breeze reminds you that the sea is very close, and you will find it at a stone’s throw. In Barcelona you have art, culture, design, fashion, trends, exhibitions, literature, architecture, music, party, cuisine and especially the locals. Warm people that even though can’t really speak English, will always recommend you their favorite restaurant or indicate you how to get anywhere using the subway. Barcelona is a very special city that has something that makes you fall in love with it. Alemateo87 There are so many friends who want to visit Barcelona with the excuse to see me, that I can’t host them all in my apartment. The best option is to rent any one of the apartments in Barcelona...
Discover the Beyoğlu district of Istanbul
Çiçek Pasaj? (literally Flower Passage in Turkish), originally called the Cité de Péra, is a famous historic passage (galleria or arcade) on ?stiklal Avenue in the Beyo?lu district of Istanbul, which is most famous for its bars, restaurants, and night clubs. In short, you can call it the heart of Istanbul that attracts the people. According to a recent poll, the Flower Passage is the first thing that comes to one’s mind when they think of Beyo?lu. Initially florists inhabited Çiçek Pasaj?, but gradually the florists and other residents of the flats moved out and only the name of the passage survived. What you can find now in the “Flower Passage” are 9 restaurants and each evening the tables are filled with locals and foreigners who come to have an entertaining evening, eating, laughing and enjoying each other’s company with plates of meze (one of the typical plates), traditional kebaps, seafood, desserts, and glass after glass of Turkish rak? which is a famous traditional alcoholic beverage in Turkey. Of course, beer and wine are not missing. The standards of the restaurants are similar, my favorite one is Seviç. It is an old one where frequent visitors to this day have mostly been journalists, novelists and artists. Even if you don’t plan to have dinner there, almost every night it’s very authentic and enjoyable with musicians playing typical instruments and singing songs, with nice meze plates and Turkish Raki. In 1997, a famous journalist said the following about the Flower Passage: “The Flower Passage, the first stop during evenings in Beyoglu,…before you go home you can take a nap and...
Markets in Barcelona
As a city on the Mediterranean coast and because of the natural routes connecting it with the interior since Roman times, Barcelona has always been a great commercial city. The market has been an important factor in the city’s development to date and thus, becoming an important part of the Catalan economy as well. There is evidence that the first organized market here was held at a spot outside the city walls, where the Plaza de Angel currently stands, at the end of the 10th century. Then others began to appear for the exchange of goods, such as el Born or la Boqueria, going through a great evolution from the Middle Ages until the 19th century, reflecting the various changes in society. The markets we know today are essentially the result of thousands of years of history. And in both their appearance and rationality, they are a legacy left to us by the cast-iron architecture, a classification that arose during the 19th century when the modern city was being built. The buildings at the time had metal skeletons covered with glass that had monumental proportions large interiors. The first covered market was the Mercado de Santa Caterina from 1844. But the first purely modernist market to be conceived was Mercado del Born. It was followed by the Mercado de la Llibertat de Gracia (1875) and many more with the same characteristics, such as Sant Antoni (1882), and the ones located at la Barceloneta (1884), la Concepció and Hostafrancs (1888) as well as those at Clot, (1889), Gràcia, and la Abaceria (1892). Some of these were part of structured communities, making them vitally important for the sustainable growth...
Madonna in Istanbul
When Andy Warhol coined the phrase “In the future, everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes”, he could never have imagined the power that internet would have to perpetuate artists, helping them to produce better and more and, especially, place attention on them 24/7 uninterruptedly. We´re not exaggerating. The power of the social networks is precisely to keep everyone who uses them informed in real time of most of the activities and production of their idols and friends. It´s impossible to encompass each of the members of the social networks that we´re part of; all that´s left is our preference or particular interest in what certain members do, and so the information becomes fragmented, with dispersed and yet selective knowledge. However, the spreading of this information holds precisely its biggest power and reach. It´s not about saying something, it´s about having the power to reach the highest amount of users and the longest of distances. The content of what is said comes after, if it comes at all, and it´s irrelevant in comparison to the power of the social networks. It´s a simple mask of the true and fleeting communication processes on the net. To understand Warhol´s fame today, we don´t talk about 15 minutes of fame anymore but of Twitter fans. By comparing the numbers of the followers, you will know who is and who isn´t more up to date in the social networks and which of these users can have an effect on creation and transmission of global information. Today, the top 5 Twitter users with the most fans are: 1) Lady Gaga, 2) Justin Bieber,...
Guns N’ Roses in Paris
On June 5, the Palais Omnisports Paris Bercy is presenting a concert by the hard rock and heavy metal band Guns N’ Roses, who are currently on tour throughout Europe to perform their new and old musical hits. Founded inLos Angeles,California, Guns N’ Roses have distinguished themselves through their intensely interpretative work and constant renewal. This has helped them continue to perform in concert and on tour for almost 30 years. Led by the legendary vocalist Axl Rose, who co-founded the band and is currently the only original member of the group, and guitarists Ron Bumblefoot Thal and Richard Fortus, keyboardists Chris Pitman and Dizzy Reed, bassist Tommy Stinson and drummer Frank Ferrer, it is considered one of the biggest rock bands. The band has produced six albums, three EPs, a compilation album and one live album. Their sales exceed 190 million copies worldwide and more than 80 million domestically. The album Appetite for Destruction (1987) sold over 60 million copies and reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The group was founded early in 1985 with members of the bands Hollywood Rose and LAGuns, using both names to give an identity and personality to their new name Guns N’ Roses. At the time the group consisted of Axl Rose, guitarist Tracii Guns, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Ole Beich, and Rob Gardner on drums. Gradually the original members were replaced with the current musicians of the group, but the group nonetheless kept its original name without any objection from Tracii Guns. The band also appeared for 10 seconds in the movie The Dead Pool, starring Clint Eastwood...
Pet Fest in New York
Having a dog at home is one of the best things ever. Sharing the love and presence of a dog, brings joy, fun and health. It is known that people, who have dogs, have less stress and enjoy their company. Also, those who have a dog and have some health problems can recover much faster and have better life prospects. If you travel to New York with your dog, remember that many airlines will required your dog to be vaccinated. Each airline has different conditions when it comes to traveling with pets. Search in Internet and find out which is the best airline to travel with your dog. In some cases, if the dog is small, there is no problem traveling with it in the cabin. You don’t to need buy a cage, perhaps a special comfortable bag is everything you need and it depends of the dog’s size, some cages can’t enter into the luggage compartments of the aircraft. In some stores you will find pet friendly options for such circumstances. If your dog is too big, and has to go into the cargo compartment of the plane, make sure to ask your vet if it need some special care before you flight with it. The experience can be somewhat traumatic for the animal, being locked up for more than eight hours in some cases without being near its master. Also check with the airline you chose if your dog might have some food during the trip. Make sure with your veterinarian if your pet will need some special care before the flight. After solving these details, if...
Lenny Kravitz in Barcelona
Lenny Kravitz’s appearance on the music scene was like no other. His entrance into international pop rock took place back in 1989 with his album “Let Love Rule”, now more than 20 years ago. Since then Kravitz has maintained the interest of international audiences with his songs and style. Winner of several international awards and Grammys, Kravitz’s history began inUpper Manhattan, where he grew up with his parents, who were involved in the entertainment industry of theU.S.As the story goes, Kravitz’s parents always supported his interest in being a part of the music industry. At first he wanted to play drums, which started when he was barely four years old, drumming loudly on pots and pans in their kitchen. After moving toLos Angelesat the age of 10, Lenny Kravitz discovered important bands like Led Zeppelin, The Who and Pink Floyd, among others, which have influenced his style of rock and stage presence. After the recording of “Let Love Rule” back in the late 80s, several record companies fought to obtain this young talent, who was full of attitude, and above all, his sound that mixed R&B, blues, rock, funk and pop. “Too white to be black, too black to be white” was one way the music press described his work, and this was no doubt his success to conquering the global market. At the time, Lenny Kravitz was a clear example that the best art is always on the sidelines and a mix of different styles and references, while at the same time original. One can recall that Kravitz was presented as the direct heir of Jimi Hendrix. Not...
Gavin DeGraw & Colbie Caillat Concert
The famous baby-faced singer Gavin DeGraw is playing live on the 2nd of June at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park, New York, along with the pop-country singer Colbie Caillat. This concert will surely delight all of their fans and it will be a great chance to enjoy good music. Gavin DeGraw is a typical New York kid. He talks, sings, thinks and has fun like a New Yorker. His career is linked to Manhattan, where he began singing in clubs of the west area of the city. His early musical partners were the pianists Lenny and Andrés Revell, with who he managed to attract a lot of people thanks to his performing capacities, his solid voice and his interesting sounds. Since he began his career, he´s enjoyed the warm support and love of his crowd. He was also selected to make the music for the film Tristan and Isolda (2006), We Belong Together. His song I don´t wanna be was also the intro song for the famous teen-drama One Tree Hill. His musical work is very interesting since he is constantly striving to innovate his repertoire and make new recordings, such as the acoustic version of the music from his album Chariot, which he called Chariot Stripped. His golden era began in 2004 and, since then, he hasn´t stopped performing live in the United States along with some excellent TV performances. Despite that he´s not the baby-faced darling anymore, his maturity stands out in his music and his appearance, now having the seriousness to face musical projects. He signed his Chariot label contract with J Records and, thanks to his consistency and good relationship with the public,...
