Posts filed under 'The Arts'
What does Andrés Solé do a sunday afternoon at 4 pm?
Many different things… But I would say this last Sunday was rather typical, I was working, at least by my definition of work. I was out in the center of town having a pillow fight with a bunch of friends and strangers. The occasion, Gothemburg Flash Mob #7. We had a wonderful time and definitely made a lot of onlookers smile. I have always loved performance, theater, improvisation. Flash mob events are all that and also a chance to let your inner child out and play.
I don’t know why we adults have such a hard time with that. I am reading a book called “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron which talks very much about how important play and the child within are an essential part of creativity. Pablo Picasso said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” Carl Jung said, “The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.” That is the way I see musical composition, it is me playing with objects I love, rhythm, melody, harmony, sounds, textures, words. So I feel the exercise of allowing myself to play is part of my job, an important component in the success of my career as artist.
Doing theater somehow makes play seem natural and easy. I love painting my face and dressing up. Just recently I had an easter party at home where after painting eggs we went on to painting each other’s faces. As part of a anti-elitist artistic collective I am a different character at each gathering. Last time I was Pierre, the thief of kisses.
It is quite often that performance and dressing up shows up on stage in my concerts. I have a funny story of a concert where my dressing up only half worked. It was at a party with theme “Black’s and White’s (after a Carnival in Colombia by the same name). So I had painted half my face white and left the other half as is with only a black line down the middle of my eye, as you see in the picture.
I thought I looked quite nifty! I got off stage and went around mingling and ran into Brent, a good friend of mine who asked me, “When did you paint your face, I thought you just got off stage?” We’ll he was standing in the audience to right of the stage and during the entire concert seen only a rather common looking Andrés Solé perform.
Is palyfulness important? Have you tried being part of a flash mob, if not, why not? When was the last time you had a pillow fight? I’d love to hear your thoughts…
Add comment June 9, 2008
My favorite album covers
If I had to choose my 10 favorite albums but exclusively from a visual point of view, based on the album cover, 9 of them would be by the artist Storm Thorgeson. The remaining one would be “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” designed by Peter Blake. Storm Thorgeson is a man who has dedicated his career to creating a visual language based on the concept “Album Cover”, which has left a huge impact on rock history. He has created icons that will forever be imprinted in the minds of millions of rock music lovers. Just to name a few: Pink Floyd (Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Hear… and many more), Led Zeppelin (House of the Holy, In Through The Back Door… and many more), Peter Gabriel (Peter Gabriel 1 and 3), The Cranberries (Bury The Hatchet), Alan Parsons (Try Anything Once), Nice (Elegy), The Mars Volta (Frances The Mute), Muse, Black Sabbath… and the list goes on and on. The entire list can be seen on Wikipedia.
Here is a short description of one of his most important works in his own words. “The refracting glass prism referred to Floyd light shows – consummate use of light in the concert setting. Its outline is triangular and triangles are symbols of ambition, and are redolent of pyramids, both cosmic and mad in equal measure, all these ideas touching on themes in the lyrics. The joining of the spectrum extending round the back cover and across the gatefold inside was seamless like the seguing tracks on the album, whilst the opening heartbeat was represented by a repeating blip in one of the colours.”
Add comment May 4, 2008
A homage to our fathers
It doesn’t matter if you were born a boy or a girl, the relationship one shares with the father is very special. These relationships and the feelings around them are so complex and often difficult to put into words, which is probably why you see them show up in art all the time. Just recently I saw two videos that dealt with just this topic and both are pearls. One is an 8 minute animation done with watercolors which shows the relationship between a father and his daughter. The other is a son and it’s music video, also an animation, which deals with the relationship between a father and his son. Both deal with the topic with such tenderness and beauty that they really touched my heart and I made me want to share them. Give yourself the joy of seeing these treasures and give your father the joy of hearing how special he is to you. Dad, I admire and love you with all my heart (Happy Birthday! April 18, 2008).
Father and Daughter by Michael Dudok de Wit
For more information about him see his filmography on IMDB. His webpage is currently under construction, but on youtube you can see many of his animations.
The JBC Song by Nizlopi
Nizlopi is a a duo from the UK with a great acoustic sound and a carefree and unprotentious view on life. Visit their website www.nizlopi.com or their www.myspace.com/nizlopi.
Thank you to two great friends who are constantly inspiring me with beautiful treasures, Catherine and Anna.
Add comment April 16, 2008
