#setting up their scenographies at school

[dickpuncher420]

presenting my final project and portfolio tomorrow 😳 still have to finish up my presentations tonight but weirdly enough i am not stressed out at all

[afrodytis]

Carlos Bastos

Carlos Frederico Bastos (Salvador BA 1925). Painter, muralist, illustrator, draftsman, scenographer and editor. He studied at the Bahia School of Fine Arts until 1946, being a disciple of Mendonça Filho, Aguiar and Valença. Between 1944 and 1946, he studied at the National School of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro, where he studied with Santa Rosa, Iberê Camargo and Carlos Oswald. Still in the 1940s, he attended the Brazilian Society of Fine Arts and the Getúlio Vargas Foundation, taking private lessons with Portinari in parallel. He also does scenography at UEB with Eros Martins Gonçalves, frequenting Humberto Cozzo's studio. Years later, he studied at the Arts Students League in New York (United States), where he was taught by Harry Strongberg and Nicolay Abracheff. He continues his drawing studies at the Académie La Grande Chaumière in Paris. Returning from France, eight years later, he set up his atelier at Solar da Jaqueira in Salvador. In 1965 he edited the drawing book Igrejas, Santos e Anjos da Bahia with a preface by Jorge Amado and in 1973 he received the title of Benefactor of the City Museum from the City Hall of Salvador. During the 70s and 80s, he made illustrations for several books.

[mybeingthere]

Manuel Felisi, born in 1976 in Milan, Italy, where he lives and works.

After his artistic high school diploma, he graduated in sculpture at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts. In parallel with the artistic work, she deals with scenography and set-ups for exhibitions and events.

https://www.fabbricaeos.it/fabbrica_eos/felisi/

[ran-orimoto]

Kurumizu have I understood well your adult JP is into drama too? 😍 Or the theatre rehearsals are something else. Sorry, I’m not expert in opera😅. Imma bit learning with your stories.

Oh no, Anon, I hadn’t seen this on Sunday. Sorry. To be sincere, I opened the inbox again only now and I’m glad I have 💕.

I had this stupid headcanon in my head before the third drama hit ,to be honest. However when the Detective Shibayama thing showed up in canon, I just understood it was really possible to see the writers crushing the accelator right onto the “Junpei’s main field is entertainment” path. And I don’t mind? I know he seemed to be more into engineering and similar stuff, but at the same time it’s also true Junpei is a kid who’s canonically interested in miscellaneous stuff, so, if you ask me, this vein of his was already there, when he showed everyone else his magical tricks ( which he still took on because of his curiosity and wide interest about the most disparate things).

Anyway, I headcanon middle school Junpei doesn’t know which club he wants to join because he feels like everything, -except sport XD-, could appeal him. At the last moment, he joins the drama club, drawn by the prospect of being inserted in the group of those who have to build and set up scenographies. Junpei is apparently skilled with his hands despite being a clumsy kid, so I can see him drawing and projecting scenographies, eventually collaborating to build them on a material level.

Yet, Junpei is also a freaking egocentric kid, so I can also see him growing some attraction to the stage while observing people getting their spotlight on it. He couldn’t be the main character in Digiworld and in real life, either, -since no matter how hard he tries, the older he gets the more people who think he’s a just a silly, stout and hopeless dude he will meet-, but he could be a main character somewhere else, maybe? Just like in those fantasies of his where he’s the main character of a detective series ahahahah.

Thus, he decides to try and he understands he can also be pretty good at it, if he manages to fight that stage fright of his.

He doesn’t really drop theatre after his illumination about opera in 2006. He is just forced to put that passion aside, but he will often accept to plunge in that field again whenever he can. If he can also make kids smile with his acting, all the best!

Anyway, Anon, don’t worry. I will eventually write about this too and I also plan to add some headcanon about this here and there in “May the thunderstorm come in”💕.

PSA That for a while I could also see him in voice acting because the very first drama shows both what a great actor he could be and what a great VA as well🤣🤣🤣🤣

[little-puku]

aaaaa i fell asleep before i realised you’re doing the ask meme too!! if you’re still taking them perhaps…. 💀🤡🍷💬 for Kaede and Gabi?

💀 - How do they feel about horror movies?

Kaede

He gets a lil scared but knows movies are another way of art so he knows they are not real, he enjoys the effects, all the effect they put into them and all that. Not his first choose when it comes to movies but he will gladly discuss about what happened, how they couod have survived and so on. He has been in more treating experiences with real life Ghost Pokémon tho

Gabi

My man here... oh boy Gabi might be tough but when it comes to movies or hunted houses... nop... he will try them out if you enjoy that, ok fine he will do it but have for sure he will scream, jump from the jump scares or pick you up and run away (not today bitch i wont die here!), hold him. Hold this man he will close his eyes and be "WHYYYYY! THERE IS SO MUCH BLOOOOD!!!" And hug you. You will get a laugh if you enjoy his suffering haha "why you do this to me?! My heart bruh... i cant... i need something cute in my life right now ya know?!?! Damn it!"

🤡 - What’s something dumb they’re embarrassed about?

Kaede

Kaede sometimes tends to be waaaay to focus on things so many embarrassed moment have happened to him, mostly by accident... But the most embarrassing is that one time at the "National Park" in Johto, he went to sketch some bug Pokémon to practice, that day also was "The Bug Catching Contest".... so many people were around... the thing is he doesn't know how or what happened but he thinks someone made a swarm of Beedrils get upset... the person was running away and for his luck... the swarm was comming to his direction... so my man had to run! On trying to get away he trip over the fountain and he fall down inside... so after the chaos... you can see a skinny all wet noodle man comming out of the fountain, he lose a shoe that day... people were lauging... his sketchbook was ruined, his Smeargle was crying because used to wrong move to protect him... and one of his legs was paralized because of the Beedrill's sting... so he had to do a "walk of shame" to his home, dripping water all the way back.... everytime he returns at the park they reminder him of that incident "hey wet noodle!! Glad to have you back!" He is fine now he just accept it but if someone new ask why he is called that he will be embarrassed thats for sure but he will try to change topic before someone else come over and tell you about the story...

Gabi

Back im the school days, he was part of the "drama club" he did scenography, no acting... but one day the lead paper was open, because the girl that had to play it was sick... so they needed to have someone else... the problem was that only the scenography team was avaible, sice all the girls (4 girls) where with personal problems, had another role or sick.... so they pick up Gabi... he had to be a princess, that fine he has wear dresses before because of his sister that enjoys playing magcal girl stuff.

He memorize the lines, learned how to act and all that. The day of the presentation there was a scene where a fan must be use since there was a storm... but due to "malfuction" (but Gabi believes was intentional! Someone set him up!!) soooo you can imagine what happened... his dress blows upwards, revealing his undergarments (he had his "detective pikachu" boxers tho but still!) He thought was safe, that no one saw him! He put the dress down back to his place quickly right?!... wrong!... sadly the classmates and the parentd that where watching the drama show... were also recording and they got it all... the video is online.... some have seen it... but he did all he could to get that video down... he didnt come out of his room for weeks!!!..... if you search around maybe you can still find the video... just dont bring it up he will be a red mess and pout around to why you have to seen such thing!! He will be so embarrassed he will scream and deny it "NOOOOO! YOU HAVENT SEEN ANYTHING THERE IS NO SUCH THING BRUH SHUT UP! SHUUUUUUUT UP NO NO MY MAN NO THATS NOT TRUE! WHAT YOU SAW THATS FAKE! A MONTAGE! THATS NOT ME!! NA AH NOP NOT AT ALL NOT ME!!!"

🍷- How do they feel about alcohol?

Kaede

Not his first choose when it comes to drinking, if you are drunk have for sure he will take care of you, bath you and give you hot soup the next day for you not to have a huge headache

But dont let this man near "Pinap Coladas" this man loves them and he will drink a lot of them! The thing is, Kaede drunk is way more extrovert than the introvert he usually is... just dont make him drunk! He becomes this clingy cuddly man that always want to hug you (he is basically a Komala next to you) if you push him away he is a crying mess, if he is alone he is also a crying mess but naked.... he just walks around naked drunk in the house, wishing to be near you how wonderful you are a full declaration of love and passion! Later for him to colapse and fall sleep

Gabi

Drinking is not his first choose yeah you have some or got invited to a party, he will drink a few but if you have Boba tea Oh boy! Thats his jam!!

If you are drunk he will be really upset!! he just doesnt like dealing with drunk people, nor want to see you drunk and vulnerable, if you get drunk you better be in a safe place with people you trust! Many bad things could happend... but if it is you yeah he will take care of you will make sure you are hydrated if you are not near him he will go pick you up

If Gabi is drunk he usually is the quite drunk he just sit there grumpy staring at nothing, focusing more in keep balance and not falling. In this moment you can ask me whatever you want and he will reply, not remembering what he has said

💬 - What are some filler/buffer words they use? (Like, um, etc.)

Kaede

He use: Like, but, i-i, Iiiiih!, Ummmm, anyway!!

Gabi

For Gabi are: Yeah, ya know, um, hmmm, yep, nop, naaaaa, if you want

[modorama]

achitecture | PHILIPPE STARCK - “Paris is pataphysical”

   Philippe Starck invites the museum's public to embark on a land navigation, from Paris to Paris, his home port city. The journey is unique, surprising, oscillating between real and imaginary.

From stopover to stopover, the “visitors-travellers-passengers” live a constantly renewed experience within an original scenography designed with Philippe Starck.

   “Paris is pataphysical” is an itinerary that travels between public spaces and tourist sites (the Eiffel Tower, the Saint-Martin canal, the Parc de la Villette), places of power (Palais de l'Élysée), and spaces of sociability (the nightclub des Bains-Douches, the Caffè Stern restaurant, etc.) with recourse to imaginary and offbeat explanations of pataphysics, which designates the science of imaginary solutions.    Each stopover transfigures a universal story. The observation of the elements (wind, water, flows and energies...), of dreams and/or nightmares, of the solitude of power, of festive paroxysms, of the strangeness of beauty... transports the public in unique intensity variations.

  In his youth, Philippe Starck, fleeing from school, hid in the parks and under the porte-cocheres of Paris. One of them was that of the Carnavalet museum where he entered and found inspiration for some of his drawings. Paris has always been, for this visionary creator of international renown, the setting for many creations: interior and exterior architecture, nightlife, restaurants, hotels, museums, places of culture, public transport and train station, shops as well as numerous everyday objects to render service and/or tribute to Paris and Parisians such as street furniture, the photo booth or even the Olympic medal.

   For this unique exhibition at the museum, Philippe Starck explores two kinds of mysteries: those that Paris conceals and those that he, intentionally or not, has hidden and continues to hide in his Parisian creations. It is therefore a poem exhibition made up of the wonders and mysteries of Paris. And it is as Regent of the College of Pataphysics that Philippe Starck thus guides a phantasmagorical visit.

DESIGNER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Philippe Starck

CURATOR Valérie Guillaume, Director of the Carnavalet Museum with Hélène Ducaté, Scientific Officer

SCENOGRAPHY Atelier Maciej Fiszer Exhibition from 29.03.2023 to 27.08.2023 23 rue de Sévigné, 75003 Paris  text : Andrei S.

[lainbotvirtualmgzn]

FASCINATING

THE WOMAN WHO PAINTED THE FUTURE

In the summer of 1986 a Swedish farmer recovered his abandoned country house by his last tenant. In the basement next to the house he found, covered in dust from years, huge wooden boxes.

When he opened them he was baffled. There were 1200 paintings, some very large, with geometric figures of intense colors. He called in a neighbor who supposedly was more educated or informed, but didn’t even understand what they had just discovered. They assumed that the paintings formed an enormous scenography or were illegal, maybe stolen.

The neighbor thought he would call a friend who worked in a museum and asked if the paintings had a signature. "Yes," said the neighbor - on the corner says Hilma Klint."

Some officials and art connoisseurs arrived and took away the boxes.

A few weeks later the Stockholm Art Museum made public an unusual discovery. It was more than a thousand paintings, drawings and theoretical essays, a totally abstract work, with pure color geometric shapes and precise texture, signed and dated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

What was unusual was the dates: they were painted before Kandinsky, Malevich and Mondrian "invented" abstract painting. Hilma was a clear forerunner. Why did nobody know about her? Why were the paintings hidden?

Hilma af Klint was born in Stockholm in 1862. Her father was a mathematician and had a large library in which little Hilma prescribed everything about geometry and art.

At twenty she entered the Swedish Academy of Arts, one of the few schools that admitted women and was part of the first generation of European painters who set up exhibitions and lived off their work. She painted portraits and realistic landscapes that were well appreciated by her clients.

In those years X-rays were invented and electromagnetic waves were discovered, which could send information through air and vacuum. These events blew Hilma’s mind where apparently she came to the conclusion that invisible parallel worlds exist.

She was interested in these alternative realities and different levels of perception. Because in that time the sciences were connected with spiritualism and Hilma went to spiritual sessions.

The possibility of communicating with the most beloved of her sisters, who had already died, was also encouraged. She would attempt to communicate with her sister, but formed a club with five other women; they met every Friday, summoned spirits and had automatic painting and poetry sessions (which the surrealists did years later).

Hilma started creating rare paintings with random spots, pretending to let herself go to other energies, then she went to paint that chaos based on the geometric structures of nature, which she knew well since she was a child.

She spent some days painting her commissions and others locking herself in a country house to unleash a creative passion she kept top secret. Two painters in one person.

So hid away for several years and on the day she wrote her will, she put her grandson Erick as the sole heir, on condition that he kept his paintings in wooden boxes, which could only be opened twenty years after her death

Why did she decide this?

Perhaps she considered her paintings a very intimate and sincere view, only of herself; perhaps she thought her work was completely out of academic rules and making it public would end her successful career.

But here you are, life decided something else: the grandson left this world before the date of the revelation and the paintings remained hidden for many years more than Hilma wanted, until 1986, when the Swedish farmer found it in his basement.

In the eighties, the avant-garde of the beginning of the century were already totally assimilated; art followed its paths, more different than ever.

Amidst this worldly noise, Hilma af Klint returned from the afterlife to take her place as the true mother of surrealism…

[evakcardamom]

«At least 17 people have been killed in Wednesday's school shooting in Florida - the second deadliest in recent American history. A 19-year-old suspected perpetrator has been arrested. "

"Two people have now been confirmed dead after a boy started shooting classmates at a school in Los Angeles in the USA on his 16th birthday. The victims are 14 and 15 years old. "

"Nine people, including seven children, died after the shooting at school number 175 in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, on Tuesday."

"Four students from 12 to 16 years and an employee were hit when 18-year-old Sebastian Bosse stormed into the school in the town of Emsdetten on the border with the Netherlands and started firing wildly around himself with four weapons on Monday. Before he went crazy, he announced on his website a cruel revenge on his former teachers and fellow students. "

School shooting has long, in several variants, become a separate search category on Google and has great potential for inspiration, especially for young men who have been bullied, anonymized and frozen. The latter example, from 2006, formed the basis for one of Lars Norén's last plays on November 20, 2007, written to and in collaboration with the German actress and performance artist Anne Tismer. Since then, it has been performed in a number of European countries - and now at Oslo Nye teater under the direction of the theatre's permanent playwright, Ilene Sørbøe.

Skins in the soul

I assume that it is largely to her credit that I have started to visit Oslo Nye Teater again, and perhaps her entry is a result of the long-term plan that theater director Kim Bjarke told about when he was hired in 2013. Oslo Nye was then In a deep crisis, the closure of the theater was a possible scenario, and Kim Bjarke was the man who was to get the audience back to the theater salon. The theater that "really goes down and tears in the soul" may therefore have to wait a while.

As is well known, this is exactly what Lars Norén does in his plays, and here November 20 is no exception. The text is written on the basis of the school shooter's diaries, as well as videos and a manifesto he had posted online prior to the action. There were no specific hate speech against Muslims and cultural Marxists. No defined accusations against politicians. Just rage over how he has been treated at school and generally lead over absolutely everything and everyone, whether they were Nazis, Turks, whores or government employees. Lead over the meaninglessness of normal life in modern, capitalist society: SUAPD = School, education, work, pension, death.

My actions / are simply the result / of their world / a world that did not let me be / who I am, he says in Lars Norén's text. It is a statement with a hiss of eternity over it. The boy is obsessed with an almost objective, general rage where absolutely everyone is guilty, including us in the audience. The absence of a larger ideological sky over his action is simply ascertained and justified in one fell swoop with: Can I not live with meaning / should I at least / die with meaning.

Requirements for performance

It is easy to imagine the power this text may have had in Germany in 2007, shortly after the shooting took place. Anne Tismer is then also said to have performed it with an expressive rage that was directed directly at the audience. In a schoolyard in Harstad in 2009, a 9-year-old fired two shots with a shotgun without anyone being hit. It is supposedly the closest we get to a school shooting in this country, which places other demands on the performance of such a text in Norway in 2021. The premiere should have taken place in April last year. This means that the young actor Tarjei Sandvik Moe has had this performance in his system for over two years. It is also visible in his quiet, sensitive - and confident - way of approaching the text. And the obvious, liberating little posing use of a video camera, which is aimed alternately at the audience and himself in a well-coordinated combination with scenography and lighting design. It's all designed by Oscar Udbye.

The audience, at a corona distance from each other, sits on each side of a kind of catwalk that extends across the entire width of the Theater Basement with a screen at each end, where a black and white surveillance-like video image of the audience is displayed. After a while, without anything happening, suddenly the boy stands there, half-hidden behind one of the canvas, gently making us aware of his existence. The first thing that strikes me is how thin and fragile he seems, in contrast to the archetypal image of the hateful, youthful avenger. This built-in paradox forms the core of Tarjei Sandvik Moe's way of playing. He moves along an alternately hesitant and insecure, alternately desperate, indifferent and mocking register of expressions. And he does so with a fine-tuned, restrained energy; he is an insecure boy with nothing to lose, which also characterizes his choppy walk back and forth on the catwalk and the precise use of the camcorder

Motion repertoire

Along the way, I find myself missing a larger movement repertoire that can complement the text and often contrast it. But I forget that in the moment when towards the end he slowly says down on the floor and in silence begins to do things with his hand in the open air, as if he is alone in the world, as if there are no others in the room. It is a golden moment, a dramatic turning point and the exception that confirms the rule of closeness to the audience. This closeness and the gentle variation in temperament make it all an organic experience where the boy, and we who watch, are together about what is happening. Until he finds that no one has any comment and he leaves the room with the firearms in a bag.

I have speculated a bit about the motivation for setting up precisely that text, which may not be Lars Norén's strongest and most relevant here and now. But even that I can only forget. Tarjei Sandvik Moe's interpretation holds, and well so.

Finally

Maybe it's deliberate, maybe it's a coincidence, a reverse fun fact: A little over a year ago, the great Swedish author Per Olov Enquist died. A few months later, Oslo Nye staged his play The 25th Hour, about a sensitive, misplaced boy who had taken the life of an elderly couple. In January this year, the great Swedish author Lars Norén died. A few months later, Oslo Nye staged his play on November 20, about a sensitive, misplaced boy who had entered a school and started shooting around him.»

[anniversary-magazine]

Q+A with Irina Boersma, the Photographer Capturing the Environments of Our Dreams

Irina Boersma is a product and interior photographer based in Copenhagen. While working on projects internationally, she captures the places and brands at the core of our aesthetic desires in a delicate and harmonious manner.

We recently took the time to ask her some questions to learn more about how she succeeds in creating the perfect scenography for each pictures; the one you wish you could spend your Sundays in.

EL: Can you tell us a little bit more about how you started as a photographer? When did you realize you wanted to pursue this path in your life?

IB: When I was studying at university, I was studying Film and Media, and though I loved the storytelling through audiovisual media, I wasn’t satisfied with the creative process of filmmaking. I found it too slow and heavy, and most of my energy ended up in managing and organizing details of film production, which in the end took space from my creative contribution to the process.

I changed course to photography, which had been present in my life on a hobby basis already, and went to an art photography school. At this point, it was quite clear to me that I wanted to work with photography as my primary medium. I had always been very creative as a child, painting and drawing a lot, and the artistic expression was very natural to me. At the Art Photography school, we learned to find our own visual language and photographic voice, working with exhibitions and book projects. Afterward, I assisted one of Denmark's prominent art photographers Nicolai Howalt, which gave me a good insight into the working life of an art photographer. I admired and loved his work but wanted to have an everyday life with more photographing and less gallery networking and fundraising for art projects. After all, what I loved to do was really the act of photographing.

So how could I have a working life shooting more images I thought… That would be to do more commercial photography work next to my art projects. And to become a better commercial photographer, I started assisting one of the best photographers in that field, Peter Krasilnikoff. This began an almost seven-year-long work relationship, first as his full-time assistant, then he hired me as a photographer to take on some of the clients and the last two years we have been business partners in the studio we shared. Now he has retired from the commercial work, and I am continuing the work with our old clients and a lot of new ones on my own.

Peter taught me a lot of technical knowledge about photography, how to give shape to objects with light, and also a lot of business knowledge on how to approach commercial clients and organize large-scale photoshoots with a lot of practical details. And throughout those years I have been behind the camera every day, which is what I wanted.

Now that I have worked with commercial projects for years, I am finding myself returning to the more artistic expression in photography. It is like closing a circle, really, combining the two worlds I have been trained in - commercial photography and art photography.

EL: Were you always more attracted by shooting spaces and objects rather than portraits? Why did you decide to take this direction?

IB: Throughout the many years of working with photography, I have been around a lot of different genres of the medium. I have worked with food photography, travel reportage, wedding photography, interior, and portraits. I have always liked portrait photography because of the connection you get with the subject in front of the camera, and the empathic process and psychological challenge to get the right emotional state out in the image. So this type of work has been present along the way. I have chosen not to focus on it because I prefer the creative process of creating a universe and atmosphere around objects. You start from scratch and build up a world around the story you want to tell, and for me, that is very gratifying and a great creative outlet.

I do shoot portraits sometimes, but I never show them anymore. Now I think about it, it is a different way to use the medium - instead of catching a moment unfolding naturally before your lens, I am creating the scene and atmosphere unfolding before the lens. It is still a vivid process and often with several other creatives involved, like stylists, art directors, etc. so the process is not 100 percent predictable, and never gets boring to me.

“Now I think about it, it is a different way to use the medium - instead of catching a moment unfolding naturally before your lens, I am creating the scene and atmosphere unfolding before the lens.”

— Irina Boersma

EL: There is a precise aesthetic direction surrounding your body of work. Is harmony something that is important to you? Why is that so?

IB: This is an excellent question, because I do believe visual harmony is essential, but I don’t think about it consciously all the time when I work. It happens intuitively somehow. I look at the image and arrange things in a way that they feel harmonious and leave nothing to disturb or distract the eye from the story I am telling.

I think it must be because I want to convey an emotion in the spectator when they look at the image, and I don’t wish distracting elements to lead them away from the atmosphere and feeling I am creating. It is not just a space with some pretty things put in there, I want the image to convey some kind of atmosphere or emotion, even if it is very subtle. It can also be so subtle that the spectator doesn’t notice that he is being told a story, there is just a feeling of a beautiful scene.

“It can even be so subtle that the spectator doesn’t notice that he is being told a story, there is just a feeling of a beautiful scene.”

— Irina Boersma

EL: Do you work differently when you are shooting personal and commercial work? How do you manage to bring that artistic touch to your commercial projects?

IB: The commercial work has a specific framework set up by the needs of the clients, whereas the artistic or editorial projects are freer. So the process changes a bit, but my approach to every kind of project is the same, very serious and professional and I’m always trying to push the situation to the best outcome possible. What I try to do with the commercial work is to push clients bit by bit to become braver and expand or move their framework to include some artistic expression. It has to be done respectfully because after all the images need to push their business, create income, and therefore also finance my work. I also think it is about finding the right clients that see some value in adding a little extra feeling into the marketing material they need to produce.

EL: What role do you think images play in the lifestyle industry?

IB: Today images have become such an integrated part of our life and perception of ourselves and the world we live in. Obviously for a lifestyle industry images are crucial to presenting a universe surrounding their products. It is a straightforward way to connect to the consumer especially because we all spend so much time every day looking at images on Instagram and other media.

Personally, I think the overconsumption of images today is working a bit against the creatives in my field, in the sense that people don’t take the time to observe and feel the work we are presenting. You look for two seconds in your Instagram feed, think “oh that’s beautiful,” put a like and on to the next images. The attention to the image, and therefore also the emotional response to it lasts for a very short period.

As a photographer, I will probably embrace the analog ways of showing images again at some point in my career. This could be exhibiting printed images, having editorial projects in biannual magazines and making book projects. Showing pictures to an audience that takes the time to actually look at them! This would lead me back to the starting point of my photographic career, art photography, and the circle has been completed once again. I’m not impatient to get there though, right now I love where I am and embrace all the challenges that come my way.

EL: What are your upcoming projects for 2019? What would you like to accomplish this year?

IB: For me, this year is really about integrating the artistic expression into the commercial work and having good working relations in both the commercial and editorial photography field. I will release several great editorial series that I am working on and still continue to work with my current and hopefully some new commercial clients.

This already has been my focus for a while, and I will continue working in this direction. Expanding my international network is also very important to me this year, as it gives me a lot of new inputs and inspirations for my work. I want my photographic work to develop continuously, so to expand my visual horizons I want to see some other colors and ways of doing things. That feeds the creative brain with inputs for new photographic projects in the future.

All images by Irina Boersma

[supershanzykhan]

THE PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR EVENT ORGANIZERS

We've put together what you need to organize a successful business event here. This guide will accompany you at each stage of the organization, in order to limit unforeseen events, omissions and unwanted moments of stress… and make events a real strategic asset! Events come in different shapes and formats, but the basics of organizing are the same for everyone. The key to a successful event is to make sure it is well planned and fully meets the needs of your target.

Contents

 What:      what?

 Who:      who?

 Why:      why?

 Where:      where?

 When:      when?

 Whatever      your goals, they must be SMART

 Retro      planning

 A      checklist of things to think about on D-Day

 A      technical driver

 Your      team

 General      repetition

Precisely define the event

When? Or? Why? How? 'Or' What? With whom? Answering all of these questions will help you set strategic goals while determining the content of your event. Wanting to organize an event is good. But knowing why and creating an event that makes sense is better! In any project, the foundations are essential. Badly defining the framework and the expected objectives is one of the most frequent mistakes. It inevitably leads to oversights and a lower return on investment. To avoid this situation, lay the frame by applying the 5 W rule:

What: what?

What type of event do you want to organize? Is it internal or external? Is the atmosphere festive, relaxed, and professional?

Who: who?

What is the target? Employees, prospects, customers, suppliers, investors, press, general public, VIP…?

Why: why?

What is the strategic goal?

Notoriety, brand image, visibility, loyalty…?

Why do you want to organize this event?

=> Motivate the teams, develop the corporate culture, make an announcement / inform, launch a new product, make customers / prospects aware of a product or service, find new partners, present something new to the press…?

What messages do you want to convey to your guests? What will they discover or learn?

Where: where?

Where will it be held?

Conference room, restaurant, office…?

What is the chosen geographic area? What type of place are you looking for?

Atypical, cozy, warm…?

When: when?

When should it take place?

Morning, lunch, afternoon, dinner, evening?

How long will it last?

A few hours, half a day, a day?

What day of the week?

Is the event the fastest, easiest and most relevant way to get your message across to your target audience? What added value can we expect from the organization of this event compared to simply sending a report or a brochure? Ultimately, is this THE solution to achieve the objectives set by your company? Here are some of the essential questions to ask yourself before you start. Many elements will then flow: the theme of the event, the subjects addressed, the speakers selected, the necessary budget, the tone of the invitations, the decoration and the scenography, etc. Don't get carried away by an idea, no matter how extraordinary. Remember that an event only exists if it meets its audience!

Whatever your goals, they must be SMART

Specific. They     are clear, understandable and as precise as possible, even taken out of     context.

Measurable. They     are quantified and allow you to monitor your progress and evaluate the     result.

Atteignables. They     should be ambitious enough to present a challenge and boost motivation and     focus towards their accomplishments, but without deterring your team from     achieving them.

Réalistes. The     objectives of your event must be part of an overall business strategy. Ask     yourself if your event helps you meet the challenges of your business. And     take into consideration your resources (human, financial, material, time); your     goal must be consistent with your situation.

Temporally     defined. You need to set a date to achieve your goals. Do not     hesitate to break down a main objective in several stages, which can     correspond to given periods (one month for example).

The type of event chosen in line with your objectives will determine the number of people expected. The questions to be asked will therefore relate to the presence or absence of accompanying persons (spouses, children), on the use or not of facilitators and speakers, on the invitation of the media to this event...

To choose the date, remember to check the school vacation periods, competing events, public holidays, periods identified as busy according to the sector of activity, or even the electoral calendar.

Regarding the place, preferably choose a place easy to access and adapted to the expected attendance. Nothing like this to annoy or discourage your visitors from placing your event far from any transport infrastructure or planning too small (or too large). Beyond the content, it is the place that will leave a memory with your participants. Either the destination responds to a strategic reflection of the company (presence of a branch of the company, subcontractors, desire for development in the region), or you have the freedom to choose. In the latter case, we advise you to use several as part of a preselection and to measure the advantages and disadvantages of each of them, before making a final choice.

About the duration of the demonstration, it all depends on what you have to say. If the subjects to be discussed are numerous, do not hesitate to plan your event over several days so that the speakers can exhibit and debate in good conditions.

Finally, regarding the theme, do not make this choice lightly. It will be your common thread for your communications and the promotion of your event. Above all, it allows you to convey the objectives of your event in an original way and ensures that all your guests come together around a common idea.

Get organized and set up monitoring tools

A watchword: anticipation! Any event is the result of a set of tasks, service providers and suppliers, task lists, monitoring tables. The link between all: a masterful organization! For everything to take place in the best of all possible worlds and to be able to anticipate each action, here are five essential elements: the back-planning, the checklist, the technical conductor, the team and the dress rehearsal.

Retroplanning

You certainly won't be able to remember everything. This document makes it possible to detail each stage until the D-day. It is made up of all the tasks and sub-tasks necessary for the realization of the project, classified in order of priority. Each task is assigned one or more managers, deadlines, a status and status (to do, in progress, done, late). You will also have an overview of the number of people mobilized for a better distribution of your staff. You are free to choose the medium that suits you best. The larger and more complex the event, the more it will require a strong monitoring tool.

A checklist of things to think about on D-Day

This list will be essential on the day of the event. It will be completed little by little over the course of the organization. This can range from “planning xx vegetarian meals” to “not putting up the furniture on the stage before a certain time”. This list takes your mind off your mind and keeps wondering if you haven't forgotten anything.

A technical driver

The more you advance in the organization, the more the event will materialize clearly in your mind and you will be able to schedule everything, minute by minute. This technical conductor, otherwise known as the “unfolding of the event”, is the equivalent of a film script. It precisely covers everything that must be done at any given moment and by whom. It borders the course of the day to make the experience as smooth as possible.

You are free to choose the medium that suits you best: a Word page, an Excel file, a Note. Everything that everyone has to do at any time and where will be indicated.

Your team

Make sure everyone knows exactly what to do. Broadcast your story to everyone and make a general briefing as clear as possible. The latter must explain to everyone their responsibilities to avoid misunderstandings and moments of hesitation when they arrive on D-Day.

General repetition

Before the big day, imagine yourself in the shoes of your guests. Step by step, experience the event. This will give you the opportunity to compare reality with what is on paper. This is also where you will be able to do technical tests and check that everything is working well. Ask yourself at each step: “What if…”. Considering the worst allows you to better prepare and imagine every unforeseen event.

Define and manage the budget

The size of your event is largely determined by your budget. It therefore deserves your full attention. How much is your total budget? This is the first thing to know. Do you base yourself on a set budget and need to organize your event around it or do you plan your event first and then see how much it will cost you?

How to establish it? And how much of the budget are you going to spend on each item? And what if you risk exceeding it? There are many expense items: location rental, reception and security staff, caterer, audiovisual equipment, furniture, insurance, etc. It's up to you to quantify what you can commit to this event. Do you have other sources of funding (grants, sponsors, etc.)? Do you charge your participants? What are the possible sources of external revenue? Should the event be profitable or just balanced? Here too, answering these questions will guide you in your management.

There is never enough budget to organize an event. This is why it is so important to prioritize in line with your goals and to be realistic in what you can commit to achieving. To stay on track and make sure you are making the best use of your financial resources, here are some tips:

Create a budget with estimated data to help you     calculate your event's required budget, revenue goals, and breakeven     point. To plan your budget, you can simply create a table and record     your expenses and income there. There are also a host of specific     applications for calculating and managing the budget.

Update your estimates with actual numbers as soon     as budget items have been confirmed and committed so that you can rework     your budget allocation if necessary.

Reserve a margin, essential for unforeseen     expenses.

Find the right place

This is the determining success factor for your event. You've composed your budget, you have an idea of ​​the number of guests and you know what type of event you are going to organize. You can then start looking for a place. Here are the key elements to choose THE right place for your event.

Courtesy: farmhouse events in lahore

[kay7eigh]

Analysis of Scenography

Semiotics and Scenography

Saussure (1857-1913) proposed the idea of signs being made of signifiers and the signified. The signified is shown depending on how the signifier is communicated. This was applied to theatre first in Prague School in the 1930s, where the signifier was the scenography that could give meaning outside the text. Some actors act as props and vice versa with props being characters as thy have a backstory or end up travelling somewhere. Similarly, Hanzl stated that acoustic and visual signs are interchangeable. Signs are crucial to understand the relationship of an object on or offstage. Clothes are signs in real life and become important onstage to construct social meaning and personal identity to a character.

Interaction between signs

The interaction between costume/ lighting/ set/ etc and the performer is key. Proxemic signs are from performer - set interaction. Seating the audience in a circle creates a symmetrical group interaction and it become asymmetrical when the audience is sat in elevation or stairs.

Categories of signs

 Pierce (1839- 1914) investigated the nature of inquiry and interpretation and developed semiotics for all communication forms. There are 3 ways signs can refer to objects: 

- icons: resemblance to things they refer to ( e.g. photo or costume of a time period). Icons can be split into:

           +image: has the appearance of what it’s referred to.

           +diagram: has structural characteristics and schematic likeness to what                  it’s referred to.

           +metaphor: relates but isn’t necessarily what it’s referred to.

- indices: connection, cause and effect of the thing it is referred to (e.g. spotlights, costume for a state of mind).

- symbols: no similarity or connection to what it’s referred to (e.g. genres or traditions specific to the company)

These divisions aren’t fixed, meaning an object can be in two categories.

Aston and Savanna came up with the 4 levels of operation of the stage picture, these are:

- functionalistic: needs of text, demand on narrative action

- sociometric: index rank of gender and demographics

- atmospheric: aesthetic of the fictional place

- symbolic: metaphorical, can be inferred

Limits of semiotics

> Aston and Savanna focussed on the visual but suggests scenography is translated from linguistic to visual and back again.

> Pavis argues nothing obliges spectators to translate words from the experience.

> Counsel argues ‘images’ division takes away the meaning or interpretation of objects that are accurate.

> Visual language is not transparent or universally understood, it’s culturally specific.

Levels of meaning

Barthes has a semiotic approach to 3 kinds of meaning, those are: ‘informational’, ‘symbolic’ and ‘other’ (other being more poetic). Pavis’ theory of vector consists of mapping different aspects of the stage in relation to each other in ways that have more in common with graphic communication than with language. This links with chronology of narrative and space and reflects on the influence of sensory and emotional participation (phenomenology).

Phenomenological approaches

Phenomenology is about being conscious beings and how our primitive responses affect perception. Meleau-Ponty argues the importance of capturing an experience in a primitive essence before intellectual analysis. Perception is a synesthetic process, meaning senses communicate together and create a response. Phenomenology may counter or balance semiotic analysis. 

[architectnews]

Ibsen Library, Skien

Ibsen Library, Skien Learning Facility, Norwegian Community Building, Norway, Architecture Images

Ibsen Library in Skien

29 Oct 2020

Ibsen Library

Architects: Kengo Kuma & Associates

Location: Skien, Norway

Democratic Keystone Skien is the birthplace of world-renowned playwright Henrik Ibsen, creator of iconic characters such as Nora of A Doll’s House, Peer Gynt, Brand, The Master Builder and Hedvig of The Wild Duck.

image © MIR

The Ibsen Library is the result of a desire to make Ibsen’s drama and literature accessible to everyone. A new library will be integrated with residents’ services, tourist information and a National Ibsen Centre. Skien municipality also has bold ambitions regarding Ibsen Library’s contribution to the maintenance and development of democracy, as an arena of inclusion, openness, and integration of art as a resource in society.

image © Kengo Kuma & Associates

A New Urban Fabric The selected site at the Cultural Quarter for the Ibsen Library offers a great potential to create a new cultural core in the city of Skien. The unity of the Ibsen House and the Library would create the firm thread of the New Urban Fabric to be woven over the areas, linking important public and cultural facilities such as the School of Culture and the new sports hall. The site is situated in the prominent crossing point of the flow from various directions. Our urban planning strategy for the project is to take full advantage of this critical location by drawing in the flow into the new library to activate the urban scene.

image © MIR

Ibsen Library would act as the new Cultural Hub that houses activities of people in daily life and to be the new destination for the visitors. Our intent is to reflect the nature of the Silver Vein in Ibsen’s writing, implemented in the urban fabric for a continuous journey through the cityscape to the library with moments of unexpected encounters. For the aim of achieving an active flow and an inviting setting, our proposal is strategically planned with multiple accesses from all directions at every level.

image © MIR

The park being one of the most attractive elements of the site, our aim is to connect the park with a softscape in a gentle down slope so to create a wider aperture to the city in a more spontaneous and inviting manner. Currently the park is rather hidden, but our new proposal will expose its face to the city. The curvilinear footprint of the new library is carefully drawn around the existing trees, along the perimeter of the park in an embracing configuration to create seamless indoor and outdoor spaces. The soft curved landscaping roof of the new Library lays low towards the park to relate to the human scale and rises up towards the city’s urban scale. The architecture volume of the Library expresses its distinctive presence together with the well recognized Ibsen House as a new cultural core.

“Trekrone” takes up the dynamics of Ibsen’s literature. The dizzying heights, the terrifying depths, the endless horizons and what clings like the sea or The Great Boyg, and closes like the mountain mines. With “tree” and “crown” as reoccurring figures that symbolize a path of life, ascending/descending moments, life and death. This makes it all a central desire for our architectural expression to interpret Ibsen’s literature in architecture. Hence the planning strategy of the Ibsen Library is to reflect the nature of the Silver Vein. It is not with fixed, rigid walls, but an open plan in free flow, non-linear path that one discovers by experiencing the spaces. The Silver Vein as the exhibition program required in the brief is implemented, not in one concentrated zone, but it runs through the entire project in unexpected manner. Ibsen exhibition appears everywhere in various media, objects, prints, paint in screen mostly in back to back display with the bookshelves.

The display along the exterior wall is visible towards the city that announces the presence of Ibsen to the greater extent.

images © MIR

Performative Library The footprint of the new Ibsen Library is planned to the full extent of the site boundary to accommodate as generous floor area at the ground and underground levels as possible. Both levels have open plans free of fixed walls but with low bookshelves acting as soft dividers. The ground floor is seamlessly connected and exposed entirely to the park with incredible trees. Programs that seek for the open activities such as café, children area, are placed on the ground floor to take full advantage of the park with the opportunities of spilling out to the nature.

The underground experience offers a different spatial character from the above ground. It is designed as if the terrain is sunken, that one would feel submerged, protected, and nested under the earth. It is a quiet, calm and intimate space mostly dedicated to adult use, and partly for a children area that is connected to the above ground. Floor level gradually lowers in multiple wide steps. It is entirely accessible with a gentle slope and bookshelves are integrated in the slope acting as soft separations among the various heights. Steps are to be used for spontaneous seating.

The opportunity for the performance is found everywhere in the underground terrain configuration, the above ground towards the urban view and at the outdoor amphitheater in the nature. The architectural base offers diverse opportunities for special scenography effects. They become a unique backdrop for spaces at each level that underlines the presence of Ibsen. The project departs from the conventional idea of the library with the space to focus on research, reading and study, but our proposal for this new library is the full integration of special and daily activities.

image © MIR

The architecture of the Ibsen Library is generated in focus to connect to the park, enjoy the natural setting and to activate the park for special events and everyday activities. The entire stretch of the curvilinear façade towards the park is fully transparent and open to the natural setting to achieve seamless outdoor and indoor space. In comfortable seasons windows can be opened for fresh air and one could enjoy reading, protected under the shade of the tree crown and sensing the scent of green.

Currently the park is rather quiet and hidden but in integration with the new space of the library it will be fully activated with spontaneous flow of people and spill out of the indoor activities. All active and open programs are placed at the ground floor. The café, children’s activity area and the Silver Vein have opportunities for spilling out to the immediate outdoor spaces for dining, reading, workshops and various activities. The new down slope terrain connection to the city side would be a unique and special venue for performances and events. It can be a natural open amphitheater with the stage being at the bottom of the slope. Audience seating can be all around the stage and to be viewed from the interior space of the library.

The continuous deep and light eaves serve to protect the approach ways and offer comfortable spaces for spontaneous activities and seating. The new terrain configuration extends to the city side and can also provide comfortable and unique seating areas for gathering. The use of natural material is one of the focus in designing Ibsen Library.

The library would be in harmony with the rich trees in the park and would create a tangible texture, warmth and scent of nature that appeals to our senses. It would be a suitable, comfortable environment for learning and creation. The interior floors and walls are extensively finished with timber on the ground floor where it changes to earthy tone render material to express the feeling of being in the terrain. The exterior walls are mostly with glazing to give maximum transparency to the surroundings as well as to give the roof a floating sensation.

The wood shingle, commonly used for the traditional Norwegian buildings, is selected for the roof construction to echo the scale of the leaves, how they are fragmented, and it gives a very soft texture to the architecture. It echoes the scale of the books as if the roof skin is composed with loose pages. The wood shingle elements are detailed in a special way as porous screens over the skylights to filter the natural light into the interior spaces in a similar way of tree leaves filtering the light. In the dark seasons of the year and during the evening, the light from the interior of the library leaks out from the skylights to give a soft glow. With the indirect lighting implemented in the steps of the outdoor amphitheater the entire park will glow in a subtle way. The evening sets another attractive scenography to experience the park and the library.

image © Kengo Kuma & Associates

Ibsen Library in Skien, Norway – Building Information:

Location: Skien, Norway Program: Public Library, National Ibsen Centre, Democratic Corner, Tourist Information, Café, Landscape Floor Area: 7,760 sqm Competition Period: 2019 – 2020 Client: Skien Kommune

Kengo Kuma & Associates, Lead Architect: Kengo Kuma (Principal), Yuki Ikeguchi (Partner in Charge), Marc Moukarzel (Chief Project Manager), Jagoda Krawczyk, Nicolas Guichard, Asger Taarnberg, Carlos Roig Gimenez, Italo Mazzoleni, Hiromichi Kamiya, Tomohiro Matsunaga, Benan Ataulusoy, Aglaia Danai Devetzoglou Mad Arkitekter, Associate Architect: Torkel Njå, Jens Walter, Monica Bellika Esaiassen, Léo Lesage Buro Happold, Engineering Design: Max Doelling, Peter Konnerup, Jose Allerhand, Daniya Doelling

Finalist First Prize: Team KKAA: Kengo Kuma & Associates, Mad Arkitekter, Buro Happold Engineering

Other Pre-Qualified Entrants: Snøhetta, Transborder Studio, Schmidt Hammer Lassen, Atelier Oslo, Helen & Hard.

“Kengo Kuma & Associates + Mad Arkitekter, in collaboration with Buro Happold Engineering won the competition to design Ibsen Library in the city of Skien, Norway. The proposal is to create an open and engaging cultural hub in full integration with the existing Ibsen House, and to be in harmony with the natural setting of the park.”

image © MIR

Renderings: MIR, Kengo Kuma & Associates

Ibsen Library, Skien images / information received 281020

Location: Skien, Norway

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Holmen Industrial Area, Vesterålen, Nordland county, Northern Norway Architects: Snøhetta photograph © Stephen Citrone Holmen Industrial Area in North Norway

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Snøhetta architects

Comments / photos for the Ibsen Library, Skien page welcome

Website: Snøhetta

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[therealityofgrace]

Li Hao!

It’s been a loooooong time since I have sent an update so there are many things to celebrate and share with you all!! My last update was 2 months ago and in the meantime we have been extremely busy with teams, outreaches and camps for our Hong Kong Summer.

Please buckle in! This is a long email full of things that have made these last 2 months busy!! I will spare you the long stories and details but will continue to send stories over the following weeks 🙂

New Food Bank 

In April we waved goodbye to our Holland Friends and began the work for our new unit. God gifted us with a beautifully big new food bank office and we spent the week setting up, organising, setting up more shelves, plumbing, building cupboards, installing air conditioning and making sure we were ready to use the food bank productively.

Since then we have been able to use the food bank consistently to invite teams to come and help us with packing, sorting and distributing food and long life items around Hong Kong. Of course, as always, as soon as we were set up, we began to receive donations in greater and greater quantities and have since expanded our food bank significantly.

Summer Camp 

Most of May was taken up by preparing for our D.R.E.A.M summer camp. We were busy creating English teaching materials, kids worship songs and choreography, planning games, buying materials, creating performance songs, choreographing performance pieces, designing, buying materials, and planning for the campers stage costumes and running training for the Youth Leaders that we invited to join us for camp.

D.R.E.A.M Camp is a camp designed by the Rainbow Foundation of Hong Kong and targets students who are underprivileged. They seek to bring transformation and impact into these students lives by giving them opportunities they would normally never have. D.R.E.A.M stands for Drama, Reading, English, Acting and Music. So, naturally, our camps focus is on teaching them English but we specifically have designed the camp to teach them via grammar classes, singing classes, performing arts, dancing and finally a performance on the last day with dance, singing and script.

(For more information about The Rainbow Foundation go to https://www.rainbowfoundation.org.hk/eng/index.html)

Yesterday was the conclusion of this camp and we were able to watch the students perform for their parents with all they had learnt this week. This year looked a little bit different for me as my role was quite different than previous years. I helped with the making, planning and teaching costumes. I was part of the design teams taking care of the media, photography, scenography for the stage and creating the books for their English grammar and Pronunciation Classes. I also helped lead and mentor the Youth Leaders as they helped with Camp as well as the training day and daily debriefs. This year my highlight of camp was working with the Youth Leaders. We have students from a prestigious Hong Kong Christian School who apply to be Youth Leaders as well as students from an American University exchange program. Our Youth Leaders are generally between the ages of 15 to 19 and are a huge part of the students lives as main point of contact, helpers, translators and encouragers.

This camp was the most enjoyable and challenging camp I have ever been a part of. During the week, the YWAM staff felt God was challenging us to step up into a new level of joy and anticipation for camp and as we individually responded to this camp continued to become better and better. I also felt God wanted to do a work in me during camp and as the days flew by, I found myself in many situations that God was clearly calling me to step up and continue in Joy and Anticipation fro what he had planned.

Although the camp is not advertised as a christian camp we were allowed to share the gospel with the students through conversation and we had several salvations throughout the course of camp!! I was also excited to find that some of the Youth Leaders were also christians. Praise God!!

Bringing the Elderly to the Kids

We tried something new and unusual last month. We found a local kindergarten that wanted to partner with us in having the students provide and learn to give to those who need. We decided to try something new and invited all our long term participants from our Friday night ministry to come to the kindergarten. We arrived early to help the students pack some bags with foods and non perishables to give to the elderly. Then the elderly arrived to spend some time with the little students in their classes. Afterwards the students put on a quick performance and then enjoyed eating cupcakes and giving away the bags they had prepared.

It was my favourite outreach I have been a part of in Hong Kong. I could see the joy in the elderly and the excitement of the kids come together and create a refreshing atmosphere for both the elderly and the kindergarten!! It was an amazing opportunity to bring the loneliness of the elderly and the excitement of the students together and create a joyful and loving experience for them all. The kids loved showing the elderly what they could do – some classes did painting with their guests, some did reading, some did play, some did singing and they all decorated cup cakes together in anticipation of eating them at the end!!

Please pray that we will have opportunity to do something like this again!

Visiting Teams

We recently had a lovely Korean Team visit for a week, as well as a Singaporean team and a quick visit from a Japan YWAM team. We were encouraged to have all these teams with us for a while. It almost tripled our numbers at the office and challenged us in many areas of planning, prep, meals, transport etc but it was an incredibly special and rewarding time. I felt the experienced deepened my excitement for the nations coming together and pointed my back towards the promise of heaven together. Our Korean blessed us greatly with cooking, cleaning, performance outreaches and kids ministry. Our Singaporean team mostly consisted of some boys who had previously been to visit us last year so it was exciting to see our friends again and have them here to help with one of our school camps, outreaches, and behind the scenes help whist the Korean team was here. The Japan Team stopped by to do ministry with us for a day and they helped with food bank, distributions and a dinner celebration!!

  Sorry its been so long since my last update. Please continue to pray for Hong Kong. It is quickly becoming unsafe and challenging for us so please keep us in your daily prayers. I won’t share via updates or emails or messages but please stay alert and aware of what is happening here so you can stand in the gap for HK and pray for us.

“Gods gives blessings so we can bless others.”

All my love,

Relle xo

Summertime Madness Li Hao! It's been a loooooong time since I have sent an update so there are many things to celebrate and share with you all!!

[reading-well]

Prepa, ¿Qué Actitud?

Every year during the first week of August, thousands of students that were admitted to the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez flood the campus for orientation with expectation in their hearts and wonder in their eyes; they take in the campus and all the activities volunteers and workers planned for them that await. Among these activities, Prepa, ¿Qué Actitud? is a parodic play that is held on the first night at the college’s Figueroa Chapel amphitheater. As the line fills with eager first year students, it curves around the building into the school’s inner courtyard. The stakes are high on opening night. However, opening night is just the end when it comes to the preparation of an activity like this.

Figure 1. Soul Stars Episode III. (Reyes).

Prepa, ¿Qué Actitud? started as a simple activity by the Jóvenes Cristianos del Parque’s, one of the university’s Christian associations, where members could bring friends to watch them perform in comedic skits (Rivera). The purpose was to introduce people to Christ through laughter and fun (Rivera). It began with Jaime Zayas in 1998, a former UPRM alumni who currently owns a circus, with a love for theater and the performing arts. According to Rivera, Jaime never imagined that this small project would transform into the production it now is. With time, this simple idea developed until it came to a peak during one particular orientation week. Members of the association performed a small informal play at the university’s central courtyard for incoming students (Rivera). It was so successful that the university’s administration allowed the group to perform at Figueroa Chapel amphitheater, and officially made it part of the orientation week's program to implement new and diverse activities with a positive message (Rivera). The initiative has withstood the test of time, carefree of the fluctuating audience, and has maintained its original concept: a space where incoming students can laugh and enjoy sane comedy, all while receiving an impactful and unchanging message: that Jesus loves them and that they are never alone, regardless of the trials they may face in the upcoming chapters of their lives.

Figure 2. Backstage (Montañez).  

All this would be impossible without an amazing body of volunteers that support and work tirelessly to bring this project to life. The process begins in January, when the script writers are selected and the topic is hashed out, during and after meetings and brainstorming sessions, where characters and storylines from the year’s most popular movies and current events are chosen. After that, with a story skeleton and tentative cast in mind, the writing process begins. Meanwhile, the association starts collecting money, in the well-anticipated Coin War, where male and female members compete against each other to collect the most coins and win that year’s war. Overall, it takes an average of five to six months for a team of full-time college students to write, and for members of the association to collect coins and bring the final vision to life.

Figure 3. Team Effort (Maymí).

Eventually, June arrives and brings along rehearsals. The cast and all other working hands meet Monday through Friday, from 7 am to 5 pm, to weave together all the threads that compose this beloved activity. It takes a village composed of executive leaders, such as a director and assistant director, producer, actors, choreographers and songwriters, stagehands and carpenters, makeup artists and wardrobe confectioners, ushers, as well as lighting, sound and audiovisual technicians. All jobs are taken up by members of the association who may have never found themselves in such an arduous setting before but are willing to take up the demanding mantle for this labor of love to come alive. The art of working in tandem creates friendships and family-like bonds among the team and enables members of the association to not only become indispensable to each other, but to also experience Christ. It also propels them to put their faith in action from a peculiar perspective.

Figure 4. Curtains Rise (Reyes).

Sooner than expected, opening night arrives and there is a flurry of activity in the amphitheater’s backstage to make everything as perfect as possible for the night’s show. Actors oscillate between the dressing rooms and the main stage, all in different stages of costume and make-up, practicing their lines and positions one last time to ensure that when the moment comes, it will be their best and most accurate portrayal of their role. Stagehands verify that all the scenography and every single prop is in its right place backstage, and available when the moment comes. Light, sound, and audiovisual technicians verify that everything is in order one last time. One hour before show time, all the activity comes to a halt. Every single person that sacrificed their summer gets together on stage and looks at their comrades straight in the eyes. The anticipation is visible in their faces, the uncertainty of how this night will play out is heavy in their hearts, but above all they have a conviction that this project is bigger than singular individuals and even a collective body, which strengthens their resolve to see this done right until the very end. With that in mind, the group prays together for the outcome, for themselves and all the sacrifice, but most importantly, for the incoming students who unknowingly will receive the greatest good news story ever told. Once that important part is done, they all take their positions backstage, the curtains rise, and the show begins.

Works Cited

Maymí, Genesis. “Team Effort”. 2017. Private collection, Puerto Rico

Montañez, Victor. “Backstage”. 2016. Private collection, Puerto Rico.

Reyes, Efrain. “Curtains Rise”. 2015. Private collection, Puerto Rico.

Reyes, Eliab. “Soul Stars Episode III”. 2005. Private collection, Puerto Rico.

Rivera, Ruth. Personal Interview. 11 March. 2019.

Hello universe, it is I once again! I know this page promised book reviews and those are coming, fo’ sho’. But while that happens, here is another one of my essays for my expository writing class (Ingl 3231) with Dr. Griggs. This one is on an activity that goes on every year in my campus, which I have had the privilege being part of, and which I simply adore. I hope you enjoy readiang as much as I did writing! Til next time, Stardust.  

[rosiemotene]

My passions in life are Women, Africa, and the arts. On a recent visit to Rwanda, I had the opportunity of meeting the countries most celebrated artist and activist, Hope Azeda. I was introduced to Hope through one of my Ugandan sister, Fiona Marwa. It was the last day of my trip in Kigali and had a limited amount of time but Fiona insisted that I touch base with Hope, who was also trying to push through a crazy work schedule. I was fortunate enough as she made time between her meetings, rehearsals and running Rwanda’s top performing arts centre. We met at a beautiful book shop in Kigali, which had the most breathtaking view that saw endless hills and immaculate gardens. On sitting down with her, her energy and spirit ignited my soul. I knew that although we had set aside 30 minutes to talk, it will be worthwhile.

So who is Hope Azeda?

Hope is the director and founder of the Mashirika Performing Arts and Media Company. Hope Azeda was born in Uganda. Her parents, Norman and Beatrice, were born and lived in Rwanda but fled to neighbouring Uganda in 1959 as a result of increasing ethnic tensions following a Hutu uprising against Tutsi leadership. Hope is one of 11 children and her sibling’s life in Uganda was spent living at a hospital residence, where her mother worked as a midwife. Her father lived and worked at a refugee camp, teaching maths and French. Hope later went on to study at Namasagali College in Eastern Uganda, where her love and passion for the arts began. This led to her pursuing a career in music, dance, and drama. Growing up, Hope’s relatives had told her how beautiful Rwanda was, so it had always been a childhood dream of Hope’s to return to Rwanda – a place she called home despite never having lived there. In 1998, Hope followed her dream and moved to Kigali. It was not easy as she had no friends there and was not fluent in Kinyarwanda or French (two of the languages spoken in Rwanda). Many of her family lived in Rwanda but unfortunately became victims of the Rwandan genocide.

Soon after her arrival in Rwanda, Hope founded the Mashirika Performing Arts Media Company in Kigali. At first, she used to sit with her students under a tree and work, they now work from a beautiful house in Kigali. When she arrived in Rwanda, there was no infrastructure. She went on to say “the country was on its knees. It was in ashes and was trying to rise. As an artist, your instinct takes you there – what can I do?.

As we began chatting in the coffee shop, we realized that we needed a lot more time together and so he invited me to come and visit the centre and sit in on a rehearsal. A few hours later I arrived and a beautiful colourful house. As you enter, the entrance hall is a mirrored room, with beautiful quotes on the wall. The rest of the house is made of a kitchen and an office and I was led outside to the upstairs terrace, where the students are rehearsing for the show. The terrace, like most of the ​Rwandan terraces,​ overlooks another spectacular view of Kigali’s rolling hills and perfectly manicures laws.

Mashirika Performing Arts and Media Company.

Mashirika Performing Arts and Media Company were established in 1997. Through different modes of performance including dance, movement, music, drama, and spoken word, Mashirika is constantly exploring new ways to develop, learn and create exciting theatre. The company uses the arts as a tool for social transformation. Partnering with organizations such as the Aegis Trust and the Ministry of Justice, Mashirika has produced many films, plays, and performances based on the causes and prevention of genocide, the Gacaca proceedings (a system of community justice in Rwanda, to help with community rebuilding) and the importance of unity and reconciliation. Mashirika uses performing arts to engage the audience, and teach about important issues. Through its use of interactive theatre and forum theatre, Mashirika is at the forefront of theatre for development; demonstrating its mission that performing art can be Mashirika Theatre Company

The mission The Mashirika Performing Arts Media Company mission is to prove that performing arts is not only entertainment but a tool of social transformation and source of employment. Mashrika uses drama as a tool for social transformation, its productions intended to teach, commemorate and raise awareness of important issues.

Topics of plays have ranged from reconciliation to sexism and AIDS. Plays are taken to communities in villages and markets, intended to create platforms for civic dialogues to encourage development and reconciliation. Mashirika has been at the forefront of using theatre for development, using forms like interactive theatre, image theatre, forum theatre.

Combining art and activism: As the Genocide had taken the front stage in the Rwandan narrative, Hope decided to use that as a way to find healing, create awareness and establish a brighter and positive platform for those to come. The production, Africa’s Hope, was a theatre production which was commissioned in 2004 for the 10th anniversary of the genocide, more than 1,000 performers drew on personal testimonies from the war. Its running time was 100 minutes, which represented the 100 days of the genocide. The play was performed in Rwanda and in Edinburgh for the G8 World Summit in 2005. It also recently toured 15 schools and theatres in the UK. The subject matter was incredibly difficult and it dealt with emotions and trauma through the eyes of a child. Hope, felt that as adults, they had messed up and wanted to explore the narrative through the eyes of the children.

Her other works and projects since have dealt with other social topics from sexism to Aids, often performed in sites ranging from refugee camps to open football pitches and village halls.

Ubumuntu Arts Festival.

In 2015, with a grant from the African Leadership Initiative, Hope set up the annual Ubumuntu Arts Festival, bringing music, dance, art and theatre to the amphitheater at the Kigali Genocide Memorial. It attracts about 5,000 people per day. Azeda chose the venue not only for its symbolic value, but also because the performances give Rwandans a way to engage with the conflict both individually and as a group, or through what she calls “public introspection”. “The set is well-dressed, the scenography is there… It crosses into your own internal conversation,” she says.

The G25 production G25 is the latest theatre production, will commemorate 25 years since the end of the Genocide. When I visited the centre, I sat in on their rehearsals for this production. The production will be performed in two phases in Rwanda, after which it will be staged in New York. For the first phase of the production, Mashirika will collaborate with artists from the UK and Argentina, and their joint piece will be performed on April 12, at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Amphitheatre, to coincide with the start of the official genocide commemoration period. The second phase of the production will see further collaboration between Rwandan artists and those from the U.S, and the performance will be staged at this year’s edition of the Ubumuntu Arts Festival in July, at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Amphitheatre. The production will then be staged in New York, in the US. On the production, Hope​ says, “The theatrical performance will be a collective of young voices questioning the past as they take on the responsibility of being guardians of a dark history they were never part of. The big question at hand would be; ‘why did one million people die in 100 days, in a country they love, with beautiful people and a beautiful culture’?”

Azeda described G25 as “an open script of global concerns”, as the issues it seeks to address are not unique to only Rwanda, but rather a rallying call to global young voices to be authors of their own destiny.​

My time with the performers at their rehearsals​ and a few pictures taken in the house.

Through Waka talent agency, we aim to work​​ with The Mashirika Performing Arts and Media Company and Ubumuntu Arts Festival with the aim of creating​ powerful Pan African​ synergies​s that tell our stories, in the most authentic way. ​ Rwanda’s catalyst​ for Hope! My passions in life are Women, Africa, and the arts. On a recent visit to Rwanda, I had the opportunity of meeting the countries most celebrated artist and activist, Hope Azeda.

[nazaninlankarani]

Exotic Inspirations for Van Cleef & Arpels’s Jewelry Collections

Nicolas Bos, chief executive of Van Cleef & Arpels. Photo by Pedro Neto.

Nicolas Bos, the 48-year-old chief executive of Van Cleef & Arpels, comfortably wears two hats. In running the maison’s day-to-day business and overseeing the design and settings for its jewelry collections, he plays a unique dual role in presenting its craftsmanship to a global audience.

Bos was raised with a love of literature and the visual arts, but ended up attending business school. In 1992, he joined the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain in Paris at a time when the Cartier-owned private art foundation was creating a stir with its unorthodox exhibition program. Bos was tasked with balancing budgets by day; by night, he would roll up his sleeves and help to set up exhibitions by hanging artworks. He says the most fascinating part of his job at the Fondation was working with curators and artists.

In 2000, Bos joined Van Cleef & Arpels as marketing director. Appointed chief executive in 2013, he is responsible for the business of the 123-year-old company, and also runs its creative studio.

Art is a part of his daily life, whether he is overseeing design or producing original scenographies for the maison’s high jewelry collections, all of which combines into a vision that has helped the chief executive present the craftsmanship of Van Cleef & Arpels to a wider audience.

We spoke with Bos about the experience of working with artist Robert Wilson on Van Cleef & Arpels’s Brueghel-inspired Noah’s Ark collection and his plans for future collaborations with artists.

Installation in progress for Van Cleef & Arpels’s Noah’s Ark collection, with scenography by Robert Wilson.

Do you think of yourself as chief executive or artistic director of Van Cleef & Arpels?

Many jewelry houses have a chief executive and a creative director. I have a stronger personal involvement with the creative process than most. There is no one in the artistic director role here, so I work directly with the design studio, and I love it.

What are the sources of inspiration for Van Cleef’s jewelry?

We start by identifying a theme as a starting point—something not directly associated with jewelry—from the worlds of poetry, theater, literature, or the visual arts. From there, we develop ideas that are translated into a high jewelry collection. Of course, these inspirations must be consistent with the patrimony, identity, and central themes that are important to the house. The representation of nature, for instance, has been a major theme for Van Cleef & Arpels for over a century, and we constantly look for new ways to treat the theme of nature from new angles, which is what we did with the Noah’s Ark collection. It was a 60-piece collection depicting animals in pairs, inspired by the biblical tale of the patriarch who builds an ark to save his family and two of every creature threatened by an epic flood.

Oies clip from Noah’s Ark collection, in white and pink gold with diamonds, spinels, spessartite garnet, and pink tourmaline beads.

What was that collection’s starting point?

It was a 17th-century Dutch painting by Jan Brueghel the Elder that I had seen at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. It depicted animals entering Noah’s Ark, in a flamboyant, vivid, colorful work that was not just a literal representation of a biblical chapter, but a means for the artist to show his own ability to represent exotic animals with a touch of magic. That struck me as an interesting thing to do with jewelry.

Another source was small wooden toys from the late 19th century that belong to a folk-art tradition that I find very moving and beautiful. We liked the proportion of the toys, which is why we decided to produce only brooches for Noah’s Ark. That allowed us to have a collection in a single, uniform scale with miniature pieces that gave us a greater freedom of interpretation than we would have had, had we added pendants or earrings to the collection.

Gazelles clip from Noah’s Ark collection in yellow and pink gold, with diamonds, yellow sapphires, spessartite garnets, pink and black spinels, and coral.

How did you present the Noah’s Ark collection?

The collection needed an interesting scenography to turn the exhibition of the pieces into a real experience. I had been a fan of Bob Wilson’s for a long time, and was aware of his modern, timeless environments, his work in representing animals, and his precise use of light. He had not worked with jewelry before but was intrigued. When it was completed, his scenography was enjoyed equally by jewelry experts, theater lovers, and by five-year-olds who were mesmerized by the show and the animal-inspired jewelry pieces. Since opening in Paris in 2016, the show has traveled around the world, and it will soon open in China.

Completed installation for Noah’s Ark collection with scenography by Robert Wilson.

Would you define yourself as a curator in the field of jewelry?

High jewelry is really a form of art, and a subcategory of the decorative arts. I am not an art curator but I am familiar with curated art shows, and I understand the importance of a great experience created around a presentation. An art exhibition with a great scenography can transcend the quality of the works. The same works can make for a dull, academic exhibition. The same is true for jewelry. We try to create magical environments and a fantastic experience around a high jewelry show. Knowing your content, whether it is a painting or a piece of jewelry, and creating an exceptional experience around it, allows the audience to grasp the subject better.

Perlée Couleurs “Between the Finger” ring in rose gold with carnelian and diamonds.

Do you use the same vision for daywear collections like Perlée?

A collection like Perlée is less about storytelling and more about shapes, geometry, the playfulness and humor of the pieces, and the importance of color, all of which give the collection its unique personality. Perlée’s beads can be traced back to the technique of “granulation,” something found in antique Egyptian or Greek jewelry, from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, in the form of tiny beads of gold soldered to create abstract or figurative shapes. Van Cleef & Arpels revived the motif in the early 20th century. Today, we play with the beads’ accumulation and their size. You will also find them framing the quatrefoil shapes in the Alhambra collection.

What artist collaborations do you have in the pipeline?

We will be reconnecting with the world of ballet with a new collaboration with [French dancer and choreographer] Benjamin Millepied, to be unveiled in July in time for our new high jewelry collection. We will also be showing a collaboration with Lorenzo Mattotti, an artist and illustrator with a strong colorful universe.

An exhibition of Van Cleef & Arpels’s patrimonial collection will open at the Palazzo Reale in Milan in November 2019. It is curated by Alba Cappellieri, a prominent specialist from the Jewelry Museum of Vicenza, who will show our pieces with references to Italian poetry and literature. The scenography will feature the lighting work of Johanna Grawunder, an American artist and designer whose work I admire. It will be an interesting confrontation of her vision with our own world of light and color.