Vidi
14 June 2011
Adios
15 October 2010
Benin Is Where It's At
On the existential side of things, Gérard Quenum exhibited his series of dolls, Les Poupées. Using old-fashioned dolls, Quenum creates sculptural collages that address some of the darker aspects of contemporary life in Benin. Their titles as much as their physicality force the viewer to consider the harshness of daily reality. The stark contrast between innocence and grime in the works is intended to underline the suffering of children in particular. The uncertainty of life and the dangers posed by violence and poverty are expressed throughout the series. The image below, Risque (Risk) , communicates very succintly Quenum's view of life in modern Africa: a tenuous and unpredictable reality that can be equally hopeful or threatening.
Being a huge fan of photography, I would also like to draw attention to two very talented photographers who participated in the biennial.
The first is Malick Sidibé, a Malian photographer who has been working since the 1950's. For honest, authentic portraits you can't top Sidibé's work. His work embodies his vision very well, presenting a joyous and youthful face for his country throughout the '60's and '70's. His photos are as much portraiture as documentary and they give a very close-up glimpse of life in Mali in the latter half of the 20th century.
Sidibé's photos are all incredible and I encourage you to take a look at his other works here.
The other photographer, Baudouin Mouanda, is a Congolese artist who has recently done a series of work on Congolese dandys, known as sapeurs. These are men who pride themselves on wearing the most expensive clothing brands and displaying their style on a daily basis, no matter the occasion or location; there is a brief explanation here.
As you can see above, the subjects of Mouanda's photographs make for some very colourful images. There are more examples of his work here.
Of what I was able to read from various online sources, these would have been some of the highlights of Regard 1.0. It'll be very exciting to see how this event develops in the future. Hosting a biennial is a great way to generate interest in a city, or in this case, a country and the goal is to put Benin on the map. So perhaps instead of Venice you can reserve your big art fair vacation for Cotonou next time.
I'll leave you with a short clip from a 2006 documentary, Dolce Vita Africana. It shows Malick Sidibé at work in his studio and he gives his opinion on what makes good photography; I wish more artists thought like him.
07 April 2010
¡Muy Fashion!
And while on the topic of models, I would like to draw attention to the originality of the talent on the catwalks in Asunción over the past couple of weeks. From fashion shows I've been to and seen on television or in photos, I have grown accustomed to an intense, hungry look from sometimes overly serious models. At AFW, however, the photos show more or less relaxed demeanors that complement rather than display the clothes. There are some visibly uncomfortable models, however, but it looks like a lot of them are new and thus less experienced - but that is something that I think plays in AFW's favour. Either way, you can form your own opinion by checking out the various shows here.
01 April 2010
Imagemaking in Cairo
This documentary-type ad can be seen by non-Arabic speaking readers in an English version here. It weaves many seemingly innocuous circumstances together and gives each of them an increased social significance. The World Cup qualifiers, Coca-Cola, being a spectator of the match, and the superstitious aspect to the whole affair all became one grand expression of contemporary Egyptian culture. What makes the ad interesting is that it uses contemporary, globalised culture as a complement to distinctly Egyptian characteristics - softdrinks and international football become localised.
The docu-ad (a word I'm going to lobby Oxford to include in the next dictionary) was the product of Cairo-based boutique advertising agency Elephant, for which I could not find a website. The agency is apparently a tw0-man operation, half of which is Ali Ali - in my opinion, a brilliant guy, even if it's only because I agree with him. He and his partner, Maged Massar, are also responsible for a series of television ads, again for the Egyptian national football team, that won the first place Gold at the Dubai Lynx Awards this past March. The ads again involve Coca-Cola and promote that product as much they promote the personal brand of the players. Watch them, they're quite ironic and funny.
I like the way the stories don't conspicuously revolve around Coke, but again focus on the love for football and on giving recognition to the players. Furthermore, whether or not intentionally, the advertisements' narratives hint at the steady decline of radio as a popular medium in Egypt. There has been a proliferation of private television channels recently, according to the BBC website, for which there is a link above. That is part of the humour of the clips: they suggest that radio can communicate the score and be quite emotional, but the intensity of visuals and sense of personal connection that television provides enhances the experience even further.
If Elephant and its work are any indication, along with other talent represented at the Dubai International Advertising Festival, the region is brimming with gifted communication artists. Ali Ali has already won some international awards in Europe as well, so his career seems to be going well and I'm sure we'll see the same from his peers.
11 March 2010
It's Definitely How You Play the Game
04 March 2010
Design Bulletin
15 November 2009
Dubai americana...
Designed by Panamanian firm Mallol & Mallol in 2005, the tower is scheduled for completion and opening in 2010. Distinguishing it from the mass of other luxurious residences in the area is the "tocho Mallol," which is the use of a black and white colour scheme that is typical of the firm's previous work. (http://www.mallolimallol.com/) Another quirk of the design is the choice to connect the otherwise separate towers via walkways at 4 different points. The distinction continues, in a more competitive sense, as Torre Planetarium will help establish Panama as number 4 on the list of Latin American countries with the tallest skyscrapers; indeed, Panama City has the second highest concentration of skyscrapers in all of Latin America. (Berrocal)
The hyper-modern style of the building is quite representative of Mallol & Mallol's work, as the group's philosophy is "...to combine the client's needs with an architecture that employs bold, creative and efficient innovations." (http://www.mallolimallol.com/) A testament to the firm's success is its presence on 3 continents, with offices in Italy, Switzerland, Colombia, the United States and Costa Rica.
As well as being the most recent example of Mallol & Mallol's creative prowess, the Torre Planetarium is yet one more manifestation of the economic and construction boom that Panama is experiencing. The country has made itself a very friendly place to do business, with well-regulated banks and a stamp of approval from the G7 club of rich countries. (The Economist 46) Capital - both human and financial - is flowing into Panama thanks to North American and European retirees and Colombian and Venezuelan emigres. (Ibid.) The increase in population is such that it has been predicted that by 2020 the number of inhabitants in this booming Central American metropolis will be almost equal to total number of inhabitants in the entire country. (Arcia)
Needless to say, this rapid increase in development and population has caused some concern among the residents of Panama City. According to journalist Esteban Delgado, the city is highly congested "...given that the population, construction and number of vehicles are increasing much faster than the building of roads and public parking spaces." (Delgado) This lack of urban planning inevitably impacts the quality of and access to important services and infrastructure, particularly for those who have to travel very long distances to get to work or school, thus exacerbating the problems of congestion and pollution. (Arcia) Although there is much public discussion of these issues, political and developmental leaders are calling for a studied approach that will benefit everyone concerned. "We cannot go against the development of the country, we simply have to improve the urban infrastructure [...] in order to be able to continue the building projects," says José Batista, director of Urban Development for the Panamanian government.
Mr. Batista is not the only one to be optimistic about the opportunities for urban innovation inherent in Panama City's construction boom. In fact, many see the current situation as an important step forward, a step that is taking humanity into a new phase of urban and social development defined by a globalised world. Juan Pablo Nardi has credited the boom with bringing a more globalised lifestyle to Panama City and seems to equate this with progress and cosmopolitanism. (Design México 63). This view is certainly shared by the Spanish-based design group CiudadCity, a self-described think-tank promoting urban development from an architectural and design perspective and that is involved with many of the projects coming to fruition in Panama City. For CiudadCity, globalisation is a positive force that brings with it new perspectives via the international economy, thus supporting innovation as cities around the world strive to attract money and people. (http://www.ciudadcity.net/)
Apparently, the goal for many of those involved in Panama City's boom is to create a modern, cosmopolitan urbanism that is based upon the mixture of cultures, sustainability, democracy and quality of life. (Ibid.) These values are being espoused by the Panamanian government in its efforts to attract ever more foreign investment and brain power; in addition to economic incentives, the country's cultural achievements and environmental uniqueness are being emphasised in the hopes that Panama's profile on the international scene will be raised. As utopian (or dubious, depending on your perspective) as it all sounds, there does seem to be a sincere desire to explore new avenues of development while improving quality of life. The evidence: Costa del Este, the chic home of the Torre Planetarium, was once referred to as "the dump," as it used to be a landfill. (Delgado)
So despite the widespread discomfort with the effects of globalisation, it is obvious that the matter is not so black and white. True, many of the apartments in Torre Planetarium will be inhabited by foreigners - in fact, the website for the building contains photos with people who are quite obviously not locals. However, there are critical voices that will hopefully bring a little more balance to whatever development plan is pursued. One such voice is Ernesto Orillac, coordinator for tourism in the Chamber of Commerce of Panama; according to him: "At this time we want this unprecedented investment to produce an improvement in the quality of life of all Panamanians, for which more investment in education will be needed so that all of our citizens will have access to the benefits of development." (Delgado)
Whatever one's perspective, it is important to remember that urban development in a globalised era is a process, one which necessitates experimentation and a sense of openness. As CiudadCity puts it on their website: "Because today, with the disappearance of the cultural and economic circumstances that produced the traditional, modern city, our current reality bears little resemblance to this traditional way of constructing the city, as well as to live in it." (http://www.ciudadcity.net/)
Sources
Arcia, José. "Nuevas fronteras capitalinas." La Prensa (2009): Website: http://mensual.prensa.com/mensual/contenido/2009/10/05/hoy/panorama/1945249.asp 5 noviembre 2009.
Berrocal, Rafael E. "Panamá, un país de rascacielos." La Prensa (2005): Website: http://mensual.prensa.com/mensual/contenido/2005/11/20/hoy/negocios/407490.html noviembre 2009.Delgado, Esteban. "Panamá está en un “boom” de edificios en construcción." Listin Diario (2008): Webiste: http://www.listin.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=63214 Nov. 2009.
Nardi, Juan Pablo. "Panamá El nuevo corazón del diseño y la arquitectura de América Latina." Design México (2009): 62-71. Print.
"Shades of Grey." The Economist (2009): 46-48. Print.
CiudadCity Website: http://www.ciudadcity.net/pagina_inicio/empresa/filosofia.jsp?menu=1 Nov. 2009
Mallol & Mallol Website: http://www.mallolimallol.com/# Nov. 2009
Torre Planetarium Website: http://www.torreplanetarium.com/el-edificio.aspx?language=es-PA Nov. 2009