Archive for May, 2011
One more reason to head to Croatia
It’s not that I really think that you need to be convinced to go to the Croatian island of Korčula, surely you’ve been hearing about just how amazing Croatia is for years. Crystal clear water, a laid-back Adriatic atmosphere and food, wine and music that those beach spots on the other side of Italy can’t compete with.
You can start planning your trip now to get a taste of old Korčula when they celebrate the 15th Marco Polo Fest at the end of July. Officially called the “International Marco Polo Festival of Song and Wine” the celebrations will welcome you as an honorary Korčulian for the weekend. Recognized as the only festival of traditional, international and local music in Croatia, it also takes place on what is acknowledged to be one of the most beautiful of Croatia’s 1000 islands. The event being celebrated is supposedly the return of Marco Polo to the island 700 years before, but really it just seems like a good reason to spill into the streets, singing, dancing and soaking up local culture.
Korčula is where the Greeks came to relax over 2,000 years ago, pretty impressive considering the beauty of Mykonos, Skiathos and Santorini. Whether you’re escaping to the charming medieval town for the wine, weather or cuisine, White Line Hotels can’t say enough about our edit Lešić Dimitri Palace. The beautifully restored 18th century Bishops palace is just steps from the sea, so very truly local you’ll feel like you’re at home.
Photos from www.korculainfo.com
Twice as good as a Biennale: The Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space
Biennale fever has been running rampant for the last decade, so much so that it seems that hardly a city or region in the world has escaped its infectious cloud. Prague surely wasn’t immune; their 5th Biennale is opening as I write this. Don’t get me wrong, I love the buzz and excitement of a Biennale. It’s just that when there’s so many, and they’re literally everywhere, sometimes it gets hard to remember they’re special. A Quadrennial, on the other hand, is something quite unique, and coming just every 4 years instead of the usual 2, could it even be twice as good?
Before I forget, there’s another unique thing about the Prague Quadrennial; its focus is performance and theatre. Here you can expect artists working across the contemporary disciplines of performance, visual arts, architecture, new media, lighting and sound design, fashion, installation, costuming and photography all exhibiting alongside each other towards one common aim: expanding the encompassing art form of sceneography. Now that’s a lot of art forms! Sure to be a highlight is the International Competitive Exhibition. Theatrical presentations will be made by over 60 participating countries and regions but best of all, spectators will be able to enter, see, touch and fully immerse themselves in any other way possible in these sceneographic environments and attend live performances. With further expositions of lighting and sound, architecture, and even “extreme costume”, there’s sure to be something to suit every taste.
Events will be taking place all over the city between June 16th and June 26th and are far too many to list here, so go on and discover more about the Prague Quadrennial on their website, and then go discover Prague through the eyes of artists.
Images courtesy of the Prague Quadrennial
In Gothenburg They’re Dancing in the Streets
The summer festival season is off to an amazing start. Across Europe it seems like it’s going to be one long glorious summer of pouring into the streets and celebrating whatever is at hand. In Gothenburg they’ll be celebrating the 37th year of the Hammerkullekarnevalens. Similar to many carnivals of culture that happen in other European cities, the Hammerkullekarnevalens has Latin American flair, but it really is a citywide celebration of diversity.
A Perfect Pair: Art and Architecture at Museum Liaunig
Jutting out of an Austrian hillside, the physical presence of Museum Liaunig alone merits a visit. Like the best artworks, however, what you see at a first glance is only a first impression that draws you nearer. If you spend more time with it, really enter it, you’ll discover so much more. In the case of Museum Liaunig you’ll discover that what you see from outside is only one gallery space, and when you really enter it, you’ll find approximately 5000 square meters of mostly subterranean exhibitions spaces displaying an impressive collection of Austrian post-war art. It’s not just the full collection that shows off Austria’s creative forces; as a project of Austrian architecture firm querkraft, the building as well as everything in it can proudly boast for local talent.
Although all artworks housed in the collection are post-war era, this year sees the first half of an exhibition dedicated to the museum’s contemporary (and recent enough to still just squeak by with being called contemporary) acquisitions. Reality and Abstraction I – figurative and expressive concepts from 1980 until today, which conerns itself with expressive-gestural tendencies in painting, sculpture and graphics, will be followed up next year with part II, which will focus more on concrete and reductive positions.
For full disclosure and honesty’s sake, 350 square meters of the museum aren’t dedicated to Austrian art, but when it’s something you see this rarely, the breach of curatorial consistency can be forgiven! The Akan Gold Collection displays around 600 pieces of jewelry and cult objects from the African tribal kingdoms of Ashanti, Baule, and Fante. Predominately 19th and 20th Century, this collection is directly accessible from the museum’s main area and is one of the world’s largest of this kind of art.
Ready to plan your visit? Tours of Museum Liaunig – they’re by appointment only, so don’t forget to schedule that on their website under the “contact” section – are available until October 30th this year. If you can tear yourself away from the turquoise waters of Wörthersee, it’s a perfect day trip while staying at White Line Hotels edit Aenea Hotel. At just a 1-hour drive away, you’ll be back with plenty of time to enjoy the panoramic pool before the gourmet dinner is served on the heated terrace. Now, if that doesn’t sound like a perfect day, maybe it’s time to have your pulse checked.
Images courtesy www.museumliaunig.at
Barcelona: Download, Remix, Copy, Share
Copyright in the digital age is tricky business. When is it legal to use a great picture you found on Flickr? Can you do a public screening of a film from Daily Motion? Luckily, for artists and their audiences Creative Commons gives a bit of flexibility to the old “All Rights Reserved” standard. CC allows artists to decide which rights they reserve, and which they’re more flexible on, letting other artists to remix and share the work they started. Known as “Some Rights Reserved” the movement has helped build a rich domain of intellectual property.
BccN, the first film festival celebrating Creative Commons will be held this week in Barcelona. With over 10 million registered works, Spain is the leader in creative commons licenses. The film festival will present over 800 minutes of international film in 3 venues under the motto of “copy this festival”. That’s right you can download, remix, redistribute, and project the works at the festival anywhere in the world, for free.
Some of the international entries include the premiere of “Die Beauty” from Stina Bergman. The much raved about film is the feverish story of five redheaded girls living in a small village, exploring friendship, alienation and family ties. “iCopiad malditos” (Copy, Damn!), was the first work in CC financed by Spanish public television and explores the problems of copyright in filmmaking. Also premiering is Vincent Moon’s emotionally potent “An Island,” a documentary about the Danish band Efterklang.
A focus on the local during the “Made in Barcelona” short film competition will promote Barcelona-based filmmakers, with the winner being chosen by the audience. The projects presented at the festival demonstrate pioneering technologies, heralding the author’s rights to ownership and distribution.
Although there are 3 venues taking part in the festival the Institut Français of Barcelona will be screening the films. It’s just a few minutes walk down the Avenue Diagonal from White Line Hotels edit Hotel Omm. The hotel combines a cosy atmosphere with creative design, achieving a light and airy space to combat the heated pulse of the city.