Square Dance

Another example of relationship of movement with the music. In this case, the video is made of still photographs, and the music is Debussy. The choreography is classical and very fun to watch. The key is the use of simple elements that create an intricate structure of simplicity and varied movement material in terms of directions, floor patterns, relationships between the subject in movement and its response to the possibilities of shape, dynamics, structure...

Square Dance from Jan-Edward Vogels on Vimeo.

Exploding Star

This is a photo taken by the X-Ray Telescope Chandra (NASA) of an exploding star...

Sometimes there are no words worth to describe the beauty nature is able to produce.
So, at times is better to say nothing, and let the things to be.

Blooming

Reproduction of one of Osho's Tarot cards.
A present I made for my mother.

TRON has a remake

The film TRON (1982) is the original one. As I can see, Jeff Bridges repeats in the cast. Is going to be released in 3-D, which makes the chance to watch it in IMAX a very exciting and tempting experience...and is going to be called TRON Legacy (2010/1). The 3-dimension is quite a good idea, as a step ahead, or as an evolution, as I remember from the first film a certain two-dimension quality in the graphics...

Colours

This video about colour follows an impeccable relationship with the music in a very simple movement pattern in terms of directions, but it turns to be visually very entertaining, and the movements of the colours dissolving in the aquatic medium is kind of hypnotic. Watch it:

Just Colour from Jesper Kirkeby Brevik on Vimeo.

I found this in a very cool blog: Lameplay © International Humor

Wanting It All

I'm glad to find I'm not the only one. Here's someone else.

Some music about wanting:

Button

Summer thoughts

Tribute to Richard Long

A ONE DAY TRIP IN LONDON WITH DIANA
Bus 29 from Green Lanes to Camden Town. Tooth moment. Bloody gum.

Camden stables eating Chinese food. Walk in between still horses.

From the Stables to Primrose Hill.

Pub and half pint moment watching heavy rain beat the empty tables of the garden terrace. Photo moment.

The camera cannot catch the rain.

Walk to the park hanging around. Diana takes photos of small details. Usafis call regarding VIP upgrade for Green Card. Shop moment. Shell puller.

Boy moment Modern purchase: Futurism Com.

Walking from Primrose Hill to Camden Station through the canal. Pirate Castle. Laura calls. News are that the tent traveled to Scotia. Arrive to the station, walk 4528143 emergency steps, jump on the tube. Newspaper moment. London Paper, London Lite.
Change at Euston & get off at Notting Hill.
Walk from Notting Hill to Portobello.
Coffee moment. SMS moment.
Primi plomillo :-)
Primi chochillo :-x
Walk up the road to bus stop not in use but in use.
Primi con correa
La risa.
Laugh Out Loud
Sloane Square
L'Etoile, Waikiki and President.
Pink hydrangeas to flower-power church.
Walk through Holbein & Ebury towards Belgravia.
Arrive in Victoria. Trip sense moment.
Silencio by Ojos de Brujo.
Sin documentos
Puerto Rico by Vaya con Dios
My favourite tree is the Flamboyan.
Singing moment: Copa Rota. Milonga del Marinero y el Capitán.
Primi plomillo in her full splendor.
Arrive to Kings Road. Walk through the streets and sculptures. Saatchi Gallery.
Memories of Cordoba. Water sound moment.
Walk to Westminster.
Guard is afraid, but is closed. No bins: Can left on top of a box.
Big Ben. Walk by the river. Changing colours building: Dark pink, Green, Blue, Orange.
Boats & Dark Water. R.S. Hispaniola
Tourists ask for directions.
Walk towards Charing Cross.
Rubén is playing cajón in the streets with other musicians. Arabic rhythms.
Ya Rayah, a song I danced so many times.
Pizza moment. All in halves.
Walk to Trafalgar Square. Get on Bus 29.
Bus moment. Boy with bendy bike. Lovers lost in between many solitaires.
Lights through the windows.
Thinking moment. Relax.
Arrive to Green Lanes.
Writing moment. Cars humming in the streets.
Thinking moment. Relax.
Diana sleeps.
The day rests.
Silencio.
Cansancio.
Zumbidos.
Dormir...

Square Rain, Square London

WHY???

IS JULY!!!!

Formentera

Formentera, the beautiful island.

The soul of the Mediterranean...
Our small little treasure, The Balear Islands...

The good things never end
if there's something that helps you remember.

Lo bueno nunca acaba
si hay algo que te lo recuerda.


View of Es Vedrá from Ibiza

Green Mermaid

This is the Princess of What Is Forgotten
No one knows her real age
Some they say she lives forever

Those who see her lose their memory
She soaks the pain out of your soul
if there are tears, she takes them all

Sweet eyes and lips, she whispers softly
as tears and sorrows make her happy
sudden splashes bright her flakes

Those who are happy are pretty safe
of forgetting all the way
As sadness is what she just takes

with peaceful charming face

Remembering

Remembering what it felt like the biggest of the commitments.
When a passion becomes a burden?
The importance of unimportant things.
My world vs. The world.

And then release it.
And I still have a long road to drive.
Is not the same place.

Getting in it through a different perspective.
It feels all I already drove, is fading away.
For GOOD and that's GOOD

Road to Unknown Land. I can't find a map for that.
Although the roads are still roads.
I can remember all landscapes.
I'm willing to see the new ones.
Discoveries?

Connecting with my mind.
As long as I can imagine, I can taste and feel.
Exchanging with the real one.

Yes Yes

Yes
Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Is that clear?

Primipopi

This is my cousin. She comes from the Asturian galaxy of Oviedus-O! From time to time she lands in London for extraterrestrial studies of human banalities.
***
Joder tía, si recibes esto, a ver si nos ponemos en contacto, no hay manera de pillarte por banda, coño.

Theatre: Pay as much as we're worth

Third person Theatre Company performed at The Roebuck last night, as part of the London Bridge Festival. They create plays 'on the go' through improvisation, with a beginning, a development and an end. It's not as usual forms of improvisation where the audience is involved by proposing a theme to start, (like Imprevis) but themselves establish a theme and they develop the characters and the story line *live*, linking what they have improvised from the start.

Pay as much as we're worth is their suggestion, once you've seen the show. Pay little if worths little and much if worths loads. Certainly these things of improvisation can be really good and sometimes really flat. They work in a more paused way as I'm used to see in improvisation. Yesterday's play was about relationships in many different stages through 7 characters. So it started with a couple of scenes, followed by short monologues which placed the characters on a moment of their lives and telling something about their background and personality, and then the play followed. It was dynamic with loads of scenes, but at the end I found it took sometimes long time, which is the risk you take when things are not set up sharply, so the scenes can vary in length... I would like have seen more 'passion' or energy also... Overall, it was good experience. I enjoyed it.

San Fermín: Blood and Culture

So the 6th "encierro" (which means running of bulls through the streets) of San Fermín, famous festivities in the city of Pamplona, north Spain, have left a trail of blood, ... as usual.
In this party, there are many "encierros" and people dress in white with a red scarf and run in front of the bulls. From time to time someone gets caught. This man in the photo, was caught and has serious injuries, the horn hit on his lungs, broke toracic tissue and broke a rib, plus he has a 15cm (5.9 inches) deep wound in his bum caused by the horn. He is in intensive care. Others have been hit as well, but not as bad as him.

Oh! Do you want to see how it happened? Then click here, and play the video.

What happened is that the group of bulls had a collision and ended a few on top of each other, then they kept running towards the bullring, but there was one of them that when it stood up it faced the wrong direction and was left alone as the other bulls kept running. His name is Ermitaño (Hermit), and he was looking confused, and as these bulls are trained to fight (that's why is called a "brave bull") that's what it does when he sees himself on his own surrounded by a crowd of people shouting, pulling his tail, and being hit with sticks. So this poor man was on the way... I think he's lucky he's alive, though. Actually is worth to say that these bulls are Miura bulls (also called the "Bulls of Death", because of their ferocity and because they are responsible of many bullfighters deaths)...

There's many people in Spain which doesn't agree with this culture of us of bullfighting, bull-bullying and blood culture. I am one of them. This issue is very commented, and many argue that the brave bull is trained for the fight, and if this tradition wouldn't exist, neither the brave bull would.

The Feather - 3

The Feather - 1
The Feather - 2

-'We are here! In the garden!', her mum shouted from the other side of the house.
-'We found a treasure! Look! A metallic feather!', she shouted excited while she was running across the house to the garden, where her parents were reading newspapers under the sun of the evening.
She started to tell the whole story, half babbling, excited, with her eyes very open about her findings in the forest. She showed them the feather, and her father looked at it impressed of the strange object. He grabbed it and looked at it closer. The feather reflected the light of the dying sun and it changed colours with the iridescence.
-'And you can listen to it! It has music! Listen!, so they all got quiet to listen. The breeze waved the feather gently and a very low sound came from it, yet audible for the three of them...
-'This is amazing!', her father said, 'It seems to be made of metal, but, how is possible? metal doesn't have this movement properties..., and I can't really explain the sound at all'
-'Let me see?...', she grabbed it and looked at it very observant, 'We can take it to the laboratory to study it and see what is made of', her mother said, 'In the main time, have a shower, as we are going to have dinner soon'.

After dinner Luna was told to go to bed. She was so excited about 'the treasure' she couldn't stop talking about it. Her parents kissed her forehead lovingly, once she got into bed.
-'Now sleep, so tomorrow we'll find out more of it', her mother whispered. She sighted and with a smile, she closed her eyes. Her parents switched off the light and left the room. It took a while to fall asleep thinking about her little adventure, but eventually she fall in a deep dream...

She awoke gently by a voice calling her name, it was a soft singing voice. She opened her eyes and she found herself laying in a field of grass under a soft light. The field covered the whole horizon line and a cool breeze blew her hair softly bringing words from the distance. Shila was happily running around. She looked around and felt scared not knowing exactly how she got there. She breathed deeply and listened to the words coming from the breeze... 'Luna, ...Luna'.

All of a sudden, Shila barked and stared at a hill in the distance. Luna realized it was the direction the breeze and sound were coming from. She turned around and looked in the distance. There was something bright on the top of the hill, but she couldn't figured out what was it. Shila run towards it and Luna shout her name to stop her and remain with her, but the dog run fast across the field towards the bright light. She heard the soft voice once again 'Luna, ...don't be scared'. The brightness started to move towards her slowly coming down the hill, and while it was getting closer started to get some shape. Shila reached the shape and started to walk side by side with it towards her. The closer it got, the clearer it turned. It was a big thing in comparison with the size of Shila, but for some reason she was feeling calm. When the shiny figure was at a certain distance it started to take the shape of a horse. Luna realized that the horse was like the feather, the iridescences run through its body in such a beautiful way. The beautiful horse stopped in front of her and with bright blue eyes he looked at her lovingly. 'My name is Altai', the words came out of him, but she couldn't see he was moving the mouth to pronounce them... She looked at him for a moment intrigued and smiled, 'I'm Luna, and this is my dog, Shila'. Altai neighed softly, like if it was a soft laugh, and said, 'I know, I was expecting both of you...'.

To be continued...

This Was Now - Exhibition

The Sartorial Contemporary Art gallery has an exhibition THIS WAS NOW - The Russell Herron Collection 8 -30 JULY TUE -SAT 12:30 – 6PM curated by artist Harry Pye.

The selected work involves themes of history, location and identity, following the death of London artist Russel Herron. The private view was on Tuesday and many people assisted as usual, friends, colleagues and others. Rainy day in London.

Sartorial Contemporary Art gallery
26 Argyle Square, London WC1H 8AP
art@sartorialart.com / www.sartorialart.com

King's Cross

Amendment: On the 3rd pic, that one of Karen Eklund, is "Oil on Baking paper". That may be a mistake from the web. Ta

Costume design: Oriental Fantasy 2

Costume design: Hathor

Costume design: Oriental Fantasy

Costume design: The Fertile Ivy

Idea for costume design.

A life full of LOVE

The last poll was the following:

A great life is...

A life full of love
A life full of adventure
A life full of achievements

A life full of opportunities

A 62% voted for a life full of love... The rest of votes were quite equal, followed by a life full of opportunities.

I voted for a life full of adventure, but I have to recognize, that a life full of love is what I thought on first hand...

Black Henna: A CON

I was thinking about dying my hair with black henna, assuming it was a good idea due its organic nature. I went to the shop and bought a package... While I was at home, I read the components and I jumped when I read it had barium peroxide in the formula, which is a bleaching agent.
I went back to the shop with the product, which was the blue one of this photo, and got my money back.
I went back home made a quick research, just to find out that black henna doesn't exist naturally. There are several brown to red tonalities of the original henna, but 'the black one' is mixed with strong chemicals, Para-phenylenediamine and can be very dangerous to the skin.
Surfing the blog community I found out the nightmare this woman suffered caused by a henna tattoo done in a vacation in Zanzibar. Black henna can cause severe allergic reactions, leave scars and further adverse reactions.

Comic: Breaking Barriers

Amnesty International has released a short comic for the campaign Stop Violence Against Women.

They have a section explaining that violence stops girls going to school and they have released a short comic 'BREAKING BARRIERS Safe Schools: Every Girl's Right' which you can view on line.

I agree every parent, teacher and tutor should spread the word, because is more about knowing your rights and demand them whenever the situation is required in order to change things.

It's as important to educate the new generations in this endless 'work in progress' of human rights as to protect them against any harm.

Wisdom

Wisdom is observation, involves listening and reflecting.
Wisdom needs right actions to be shown to others.
Wisdom also involves non action at certain moments.

From a balanced mind, right actions are easily achieved.
Simplicity is the key.

Bye PINA BAUSCH

5 min Documentary

Today is a sad day as I just heard the news that dancer and choreographer Pina Bausch (Solingen, 1940) died, 5 days after given a cancer's diagnostic with 68 years old.

The last time I saw her was at Saddler's Wells (review) showing Cafe Müller (1978) and Rite of Spring (1975). She has been one of the most influential choreographers of the last decades, creator of the dance theater (Tanztheater Wuppertal) style since the 70s.

Her performances and pieces are masterpieces.

Some excerpts from her pieces. Click on the images to watch a video of the piece. There are more links further down:

Vollmond (2006):

Nelken (Carnations) (1982):

Masurca Fogo (1998):
Orpheus und Eurydike (1975)
Die sieben Todsünden - The Seven Deadly Sins (1976)
Renate Wandert Aus (1977)
Blaubart (1977)
Kontakthof (1978, 2008)
Walzer (1982)
Two Cigarettes in the Dark (1985)
Palermo, Palermo (1989)
Die Klage der Kaiserin - The Plaint Of The Empress (film, 1989)
Das Stück mit dem Schiff - The Piece With The Ship (1993)
Danzón (1995)
Nur Du - Only You (1996)
Der Fensterputzer - The Window Washer (1997)
Bamboo Blues (2007)
Sweet Mambo (2008)
Neues Stück - Newest piece (2009)


Dominique Merci danse Pina Bausch Full Documentary in French: Part 1 & Part 2

Pina Bausch's list of works
Pina Bausch's website in German
Pina Bausch, A Life in Pictures. The Guardian

It's hot in London

Yes, the desired sun has arrived and stays! Is it nearly a miracle?? Because we had a crap weather for the last 3 years... This summer is a summer finally. The best weather to enjoy the crisis, hahaha

Abstraction

Pecas bajo el sol.

Le busco. Le hablo.

Le ignoro.

Pienso en él.