Art Basel: one big fair is in town.

Posted on July 13, 2014 by valanzo

The following post will be a highly promotional essay about Art Basel. If you are against contemporary art or you think the matter might offend or hurt your feelings please do not continue to read and go back doing what you were doing. Please beware that any complaint will be forwarded to Bruce.

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Just kidding. This above is an amusing work by the Bruce High Quality Foundation in Brooklyn. Go check them out.

Let’s start again with a statement: If you are into contemporary art, you must at least once go to Basel, let’s say a weekend in June.

Basel – lovely Swiss city where everybody speaks 3 languages and pretends to understand them too – has itself a remarkable amount of good museums, such as the Kunstmuseum Basel, Museum für Gegenwartskunst and Museum Tinguely, but for the past 45 years it has also been hosting a massive art fair, the most important one on the Planet. Here some datas about the undiscussed supremacy: http://www.artlyst.com/articles/art-basel-45-retains-its-supremacy-in-the-art-marketplace.

So what’s special about it? The quantity? The quality? The events and sub-fairs around it? All of it. It is a very nice way to spend a weekend, believe me. I saw so many good artworks my eyes were hurting. I especially loved a Jaume Plensa’s sculpture…

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or this Sterling Ruby’s spray painting..

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and many more. I am going to try and give you the general feeling with the pictures I took with my phone (sorry for quality). Enjoy.

Hulk has a personal bodyguard, did you know?

That’s Amore, Michael Delucia

A room walking on rainbow paper leaves

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A very natural pose

An artwork with a cheeky hole to look at the other side

An entire wall of sea landscapes, to feel inspired and see-sick at the same time. Powerful work, anyway.

Social Media-ing

Posted on July 12, 2014 by valanzo

Happy Saturday!

Quick update: I’m now also on Facebook.

You can like and follow my page if you want 🙂

Tomorrow my chronicles from the Art World and trip to Basel will be freshly pressed, hold on!

Berlin Calling. Bike answering.

Posted on July 5, 2014 by valanzo

That feeling of goosebumps on your arms when sun and win blend while you’re on your bike. That particular feeling, that one. There. It was me a week ago under a Summer day in Berlin.

I use my bike, sport in general, to keep my mind straight. It takes constance, abnegation and respect for the rules, and I like it like that because it helps my crazy head to stay alive.

I absolutely adore when I have free time to combine bike and photography, and this is the result of my past wanderings. I mainly went South, or followed the circular road around Berlin zone A, prophetically called “The Ring”.

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Bonus: pics taken with mobile:

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June Highlights!

Posted on June 30, 2014 by valanzo

Hello June, welcome Summer!

And hello to you, beautiful creatures here reading. June has come and gone, and now things are getting real: half of 2014 has happened already. Seriously. It was like a quick time-lapse movie, I know, but take this time to consider if, so far, you have done enough of what all the good new year’s resolutions?

I haven’t, but I am excited because on the good way, and not stopping. Join me on the positive vibes, now!

Let’s start with music and a brand new playlist:

Click on the picture now to start the playlist and see all the other monthly favourites!

What to expect more? Just few topics from my very personal list of favourites, selected and explained just for you: Flowers – Film – Book – Radio – Tv series – Artist – Photo – Food …

Just click on the pic/album to start!

Enjoy and bring joy with you, always.

Val

P.S. Question of the month: who’s gonna win the World Cup???? Leave me a comment below if you want!

Vinyls & Love stories

Posted on June 22, 2014 by valanzo

I started my long-lasting love story with music at home, listening to my parents’ vinyls.

My folks, they weren’t super into music, but had some great tunes on their collection (mind the fact we had no tapes, only the radio or vinyls, not for a fancy aspect, it just happened): I reckon my favourite albums in there were: “Live at Wembley ’86“, 1992, by Queen; “Profumo“, 1986, by Gianna Nannini; “Titanic“, 1982, by Francesco de Gregori; and “Bridge over Trouble Water“, 1970, by Simon and Garfunkel.

I think I consumed afternoons listening to them. I was raptured.

Vinyls are slick and increasingly attractive at touch. Turntables are professional machines with a fragile balance, that teach kids to be careful. As a kid growing up with vinyls, you must learn elegance and grace, in order not to break anything/get told off. Moreover, the silence in between two songs is full, nothing compared to the tracks now. It’s the huge difference between analogic and digital: if we think in digital bits, (where 1 is sound, 0 is silence) back then, even the silence 0 had a mean like beat 1. Fascinating.

Back to the story, that S&G’s album was quite something, and a great catch to my feelings. I could follow the lyrics and identify myself with the protagonists, or just fantasise to get a song dedicated (very original, I know). Two song were absolutely my favourites: – Cecilia: catchy, rhythmic pop-folk song, just after “El Condor Pasa” that was so South American, so joyful yet desperate to get the love back

– The Boxer: music for the soul, innit. Falling in love for a young kid like me was the easiest thing in the universe, more than playing with a ball, more than riding the bike

I recommend the listening, better alone on a sofa, legs up that can’t reach the ground, eyes lost in the melody… a lil kid again…

Kreuzberg, beloved Kiez

Posted on June 14, 2014 by valanzo

Karneval der Kulturen is a celebration for all the different cultural associations in Berlin; they come in my neighbourhood, Xberg, once a year to party and parade along the street. It’s a very nice, messy and feeling-young event.

This year all the elements were in one mix: sun, heath, crowd, music, food, alcohol and “multikulti“.

I take this space now to focus on my point of view, meaning the lonely me walking in the streets with a camera, bumping across people every second, and looking at the infinite people looking at the Karneval from a terrace. Bliss.

I hope you enjoy this different ‘angle’.

I loved these mothers with their children. There is so much Xberg in this pic.

Who cares if you have a party going in- and outside your terrace when your neighbour is Kanye West playing a solo guitar??

Many old people and couples enjoyed the view: so much life going on in the street, so much youth, an unique view for the weekend. I loved to see them involved from their window.

A cheeky refreshening service for the community: this is how Xberg contributes to beat the heat (34 degrees are no joke around here)

A special mention to: This bloke. He was having the time of his life indeed.

Dear stranger, life belongs to the curious. Come downstairs next time, and see yourself.

Did you enjoy these pics? Please find more ones about Karneval der Kulturen, stands and its street parade here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/60353299@N08/sets/72157644743713887/

Staatoper für alle!

Posted on June 9, 2014 by valanzo

Good weather is gracefully adorning Berlin this June.

Good weather, warm temperatures, positive feelings around East and West B.

Last Sunday I was right in the middle, in Mitte, for a great event for free: Staatoper für alle.

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Free music is already a good thing for a city, but what gives a more interesting twist is the fact that it’s made in the middle of city centre, by blocking one of the most important street from transports etc, just for the pleasure to occupy the square, Babelplatz, its street and surroundings. I must admitI really admire how organically my fellow citizens come for this kind of events; 95% of them, moreover, come super-organised, with chairs, blankets, food and drinks. I would rename the event *Bring Your Own Camping Chair Sunday* if I could! 🙂

I love it, it’s a kind of organised spontaneity you can see vividly in Germany.

I make an album of photos during the event, available here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/60353299@N08/sets/72157644965237065/

Here following some beautiful people I found around me: We were 42.000 at the end. Wow.

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vez

May Highlights!

Posted on May 31, 2014 by valanzo

Here we go friends, the highlights are here and for real! The weather this month across Europe has been ideal and inspiring, I got my groove back thanks with my shiny, now all fixed, bike and some new exciting activities at work. Good vibrations don’t come alone neither for you: stay positive with a brand new Playlist!

Click in the picture to start May Playlist!

In it, a mix of love and wandering, a quite British one, with some old classics plus new entries from my beloved Damon Albarn (did you know he was my first teen crush? Read “Maybe kinda obsession“), Bombay Bicycle Club…have it a go!

On my monthly highlights, some juicy favourites, like a Kiwi tv-series you might not know, an iconic picture I snapped with my mobile camera, a new cake and many many others. Come on board, just click here to the right page!

Enjoy and bring joy with you, always. Val

Airport lounge

Posted on May 19, 2014 by valanzo

Shattered, plus slightly intoxicated by the previous night I was fighting the frozen air conditioning system at the airport.

Done with my routine ipod-security gate-ipod, I started battling with myself if to buy a sandwich, they are so good in Italy it is highly tempting, yet so expensive. Yes no, yes no, yes no, I queued up at the bar. I then chose the most deserted part of the gate to sit, facing the runway, pretending I was about to jump on that plane to a more exotic destination. Why am I so early this time? I hate waiting when hungover.

I started reading a book, stopping for a moment to look at the Emirates flight attendants with their red and beige suit and funny hat (that by the way i totes rocked here). In a hipster moment of creativity I then took a picture of my sandwich looking at the runway and the plane, the sky in the sunset over a hot and humid Venetian lagoon. It’s the end of August.

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I pushed myself to stay awake by reading, but my heart started galloping with the announcement: they’re calling my flight. The frenzy to get on the plane started around me, but I always stay sit until the very last moment, enjoying to watch people in a rush to leave. I am always alone at the airport, yet I was not feeling lonely, I had my music. It’s time to fly, to my next destination, and this is what my ears, what my soul, is listening to in the process.

“When the night is falling in the summer love / Tell me where you gonna stay tonight”

Oslo treasures: Vigelandsanlegget at Frogner Park

Posted on May 7, 2014 by valanzo

For the past decades Frogner Park has been the most visited place of Norway: the Vigeland installation contributed to this result.

The monumental Main Gate – Detail

It is very very tourist-ish but still indeed fascinating to walk along across the 200+ sculptures designed by Norwegian artist Vigeland, made of granite and bronze. It is a lovely public park, accessible and easy to find, perfect for picnics and wandering (and in Summer there is also the pool open!). A must-go when in town.

Facts about the installation:

– the main theme is the ‘Human Condition‘, but the twist is that none of the works have an actual title, so it is up to the visitor to capture the feelings. Intriguing.

– from the main entrance you can divide the sculptures in the ones on the Bridge (in bronze), the Children’s Playground at the end of the bridge (8 bronze sculptures with kids playing); the maze on floor brings you to the section of the Fountain (in bronze) that leads you to the Monolith (14 meters of granite human figures trying to move and elevate to the sky) with along a circular section of sculptures called the Wheel of Life (in granite, sculptures mainly in couples).

– the most interactive part by a visitor is at the Wheel of Life, where you can sit on the stairs among the statues and (especially for adults) take a cheeky selfie with a granitic companion of your choice or to (especially for children) climb without getting in trouble on the sculptures itself. It is somehow great to see kids getting involved and there is nowhere sign of defacement -yay society, you crazy breed-.

– on a sunny day, lights and shades enables you to capture even more vividly the feelings, for a quite amazing impression. See yourself.