Only-apartments' blog

ONLY BE AMSTERDAMMER

ONLY BE BUDAPESTER

ONLY BE VENETIAN

ONLY BE BARCELONIAN

ONLY BE BERLINER

ONLY BE VALENCIAN

ONLY BE ISTANBULITE

ONLY BE FLORENTINE

ONLY BE LISBOETA

ONLY BE LONDONER

ONLY BE NEW YORKER

ONLY BE MADRILENIAN

ONLY BE MALAGUEÑO

ONLY BE MILANESE

ONLY BE PARISIAN

ONLY BE PORTUENSE

ONLY BE PRAGUER

ONLY BE ROMAN

ONLY BE SEVILLIAN

ONLY BE PROXIMAMENTE

ONLY BE ATHENIAN

ONLY BE COMING SOON

Last posts

Holy Week in Seville, an amazing spectacle

Mónica Boixeda Barcelonian

Semana Santa (Holy Week/Easter) has been one of the most important celebrations in Spain since centuries, above all in Andalusia, and if we had to choose a nerve centre, that would be Seville. Hermandades and cofradías (religious brotherhoods) spend the whole year preparing anything regarding the Holy Week in great detail. They proceed in penitence through the (many narrow) streets of the city, from their church to the Cathedral and back, taking the shortest possible route, as decreed in the rule of the ordinances by Cardenal Niño de Guevara in the 17th century. This year, Semana Santa will take place from the 28th March (Palm Sunday) until the 4th April (Easter Sunday). Most brotherhoods carry two floats: a float with a figure of Christ, representing the distinct stages of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ and a float with a Dolorosa (Mary the Virgin in pain) under a canopy. We hope the weather will be calm, because if not, that would be the worst setback for Sevillian people. An event that attracts millions of tourists If you have planned to visit Seville during the Holy Week, you better hurry up. Seriously. Seville–like in many others Spanish cities at this time-, is jam-packed with tourists. The number of spectators may rise up to the impressing number of one million people. Take note, you’ve been warned… The most important night La Madrugá, the early morning of Good Friday is the most important moment during the Holy Week, which is when the brotherhoods of el Silencio, el Gran Poder, La Macarena, El Calvario, La Esperanza de Triana and los Gitanos... read more

Sound:Frame Festival, the visualisation of electronic music

Mónica Boixeda Barcelonian

Sounds odd, doesn’t it? We can visualise many things, even non-happened events -you all know how powerful imagination can be- but how the hell do we visualise music? Well, promoters of Vienna’s audiovisual sound:frame Festival not only want us to visualise music but specifically digital music. That’s what the fourth outing of the internationally established audiovisual festival is all about. Because visuals now belong to clubbing just as much as the sound. The topic for this year is “Dimensions”, and so the focus is on the audiovisual playing of three-dimensional structures. The most unusual locations It might be seem a little bit complex, at first glance, but most important thing is that if you have planned to go to this prestigious meeting –one of the most popular audiovisual festivals in the whole Europe- you won’t know what to choose among so many programmed activities. As usual, the events of sound:frame 2010 involve exhibitions, live events, performances, symposia and workshops. All of them will take place at various highly unusual locations, such as in the – also artistically speaking – highly active scene spot Pratersauna, at Fluc, in the Ottakringer Brauerei in the 16th district and in smaller galleries. In the urban space, for example on Karlsplatz, the aim is to draw attention with large façade projections. International artists will give live acts, including the Sofa Surfers, Planning to Rock, Lusine and Jack the Rapper. If you are one of those people who are expecting anxiously the arrival of Sonar Festival or Klubbers Day, you must go to this Viennese appointment. Sound:frame will change your pre-conceived idea about this city.... read more

Rocky Horror Picture Show in Barcelona

Mónica Boixeda Barcelonian

If you have never heard of the “Rocky Horror Picture Show” cult movie and its audience participation, you are missing one of the most fun and crazy parties worldwide… So let me introduce you to the Rocky phenomenon and its presence in Barcelona. “Rocky Horror” was born in the first seventies as a british musical, parody of the classic pulp terror and science fiction movies, but adding a glam-camp touch that created an atmosphere of joy, fun and lack of inhibitions. The musical was a great success, and so in 1975 the movie version was filmed, with the presence of Susan Sarandon in her first starring role. The movie may not be a masterpiece cinematographically speaking, but it radiates imagination, humour, catchy songs, and transgression spirit. It was also the first movie to include a transvestite character, Dr. Frank´n´Furter (depicted by Tim Curry – photo above) that was not included in the movie as comic relief, as was the Hollywod habit those days, but presented as a strong and likable character inmediatly loved by the audience. The movie became a commercial failure but a cult classic, and it was projected over and over again worldwide, normally at midnight late shows in little cinemas. That was the perfect atmosphere in which a new form of movie watching could be born… The audience started to interact with what was happening on screen! Dressing like the movie characters, throwing rice in a wedding scene, talking directly to the characters, dancing during the “Time Warp” or “Sweet transvestite” songs or shooting with water guns in all directions to mimic the rainy scenes. The... read more