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ONLY BE VALENCIAN
Only-Be Valencian
Jasper Johns at the IVAM
Samoa writer Albert Hanover relates in his strange novel Daughter of light how before hearing the story about its design, he only smoked Lucky Strikes because the package invariably made him think of the American artist Jasper Johns. He had already had fun with the word game of the American brand of cigarettes, allowing to identify a stroke of luck which the name announced with the lighting of the match (to strike a match) that would ignite the cigarette, and that, somehow, also evoked Johns and his elegant and incisive Duchamp irony which admirably illustrate works such as The critic smiles, consisting of a toothbrush metal mold placed on a plinth made of the same material. All in Johns, despite the deliberate banality of his themes and forms -or precisely because of it, as banal designs do not generate any energy anymore- is always elegant, starting with his exquisite and masterly treatment of the canvas painting that refers to the concept of inertia of Kenneth Noland paintings, and ending his interest in the idea of painting as object and not as representation. It was in Lisbon, however, while Hannover worked as a Spanish teacher at a language school, where the general director of Lucky Strike in Europe, then a student of him, assured that Johns hadn’t had any involvement in the design of the package, which was designed by Raymond Loewy, co-creator of the Shell logo and one of the biggest names in industrial design. In the original pack an area painted red on a green background represented a ball on a pool table -adding a new word-game to...
Jacques Rancière: First International Conference of Aesthetics and Politics in Valencia
Jacques Rancière is an obligatory point of reference for any debate about aesthetics and politics, which is why the Polytechnic University of Valencia, with sponsorship from the Valencia French Institute has organised The First Conference of Aesthetics and Politics (23rd, 24th, and 25th March) around his ideas. Jacques Rancière: First International Conference of Aesthetics and Politics hopes to open up the debate on Rancière´s thoughts, basing itself on the relationship between literature and history. On the 23rd of March at 5.30pm, Rancière will lead the opening conference in the Salón de Actos de la Escuela Superior de Ingeniería Informática at the Polytechnic University of Valencia. For the closing of the event, there will be a round-table debate between Jacques Rancière and other invited speakers. Jacques Rancière was born in French Algeria in 1918. The protegee of French philosopher Louis Althusser, Rancière collaborated, along with Althusser and Ettiene Balibar for the famous book Reading Capital, a work which was highly influential amongst the intellectuals and students involved in May 1968, and which ignited the revolutionary thinking of the time, as it was a guide to reading Karl Marx: The Capital. After May 1968, Rancière parted ways with his mentor in order to concentrate on his search for intellectual freedom, and its possible links with political freedom. A noted work is The Ignorant Schoolmaster, which is based on the experience of a professor called Joseph Jacotot during the 18th century, who claimed “who teaches if to emancipate is to stupefy.” Like Jacotot, Rancière asserts that there is no such thing as different levels of intelligence – that everybody, however simple they...
Brilliant solutions for quotidian problems
Every day we are faced with countless decisions, beginning with the most banal, like what we are eating for breakfast, to those that can have drastic effects on our lives. Between thoughts, tasks, memories and inner monologues, mails, calls and all the information that flood our minds, it is often very difficult to concentrate on issues and decisions that require our attention and alertness to address them from the clarity and thus find the optimal solution, that will help us move forward. Because brilliant ideas only arise with our heads loose and sharp, when we are alert and in maximum concentration. However, reaching that state of mind and, therefore, a brilliant solution, it is not impossible. This requires, 1) focusing, 2) wandering around, 3) emptying. Although it sounds like a cryptic formula, steps to follow are simple, but very effective. 1) Concentration: Define your problem and think of those facts about it that are real and true. People involved, when it came, and things that you certainly know that will happen in the future, and the impact that this problem will have on you and other people. This will help you see the problem from a more objective view and, therefore, to develop practical and feasible solutions. 2) Wandering around. Wandering mentally around, meditating, and becoming lost in thought of the problem can be very profitable. When people start to distract their problem with other activities, which must be completely alien to the topic, the brain has the chance to process all the aspects of the problem. 3) Emptying. Your mind needs a break, that is to say, to...
Star Trek in the Príncipe Felipe Science Museum
The Science Museum (CAC) in Valencia is going to bring to life what was a childhood dreams for many people who spent countless nights immersing themselves in the exquisite world of one of the most legendary and successful series in the history of cinema and television : Star Trek. The exhibit “Star Trek: Welcome aboard.” Presents an amazing collection of “Star Trek” paraphernalia, trivia and even full scale models which will take you through the amazing scenery of the legendary star ship “Enterprise”. The show includes some of the key elements of the series, presenting exact replicas of the bridge, multiple models and other original items in the series so as to portray a comprehensive history of Star Trek. The CAC was interested in doing the exhibit because it is one of the science fiction series that was most directly inspired by and faithful to science, featuring inventions which, although not yet in use, such as the laser, the mobile phone and automatic doors. Until February 2011, the public can enjoy this fascinating show, where you will find more than ten models of ships and around 20 original costumes, as well as other paraphernalia, which will fascinate not only fans of the series. The careful selection testifies to a well designed exhibition, which illuminates the most interesting aspects of the saga. Among them, for example, the mythical distinctive uniforms and costumes made famous worldwide, as well as the bridge, the protagonist of most of the scenes of the series. The opening ceremony perfectly captured the spirit the famous series, and members of the Star Trek Club of Spain enlivened the mood of the...
Gluttony – is it a pleasure or is it a sin?
Surely this has happened to you: you´ve got some cheese but you´re missing a piece of bread to appreciate this last tasty morsel with your last drop of wine….gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins: it is an unpardonable sin entailing a total loss of grace; the act or practice of eating to excess. At first glance, gluttony is a desperate call of our stomach. Who among us does not like good food? Who is able to resist the delicious Valencian cuisine for example, with its thousands of rice recipes, like their traditional paella, their seafood and their vegetables? In addition, the region also offers a very tasty wine selection. Filled to satisfaction, taste a little of everything and then take a nap, this is a good life! They would have to erase this sin from the list! It is said that the greed of love and affection is the more common form. And that it´s very common to see these people addicted to chocolate, sweets and sugar. In fact, the word “sugar” comes from the Sanskrit root “sukha” which means “happiness”. Children who are overweight, for example, seek a way to satisfy their hunger of love. Binge drinking, which if repeated can be destructive behaviour and also a form of gluttony. Constant drunkenness is also a destructive behaviour, and also a way of gluttony. In The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, the penitents in Purgatory were forced to stand between two trees, unable to reach and eat the fruit hanging from its branches. The sweet-toothed were forced to smell the food without eating it. Now you know...
