Black and White Brilliance

Look How Happy they look!

Marta Minujin and "The Happenings"

A huge movement in the art world of Argentina was that of "The Happenings" in the late 1960s. Artists created entire events where the audience became a part of the art work, participating, in a sense. A famed artist that had a major part in this movement was Marta Minujin, who staged many Happenings throughout her career. Her first was entitled "La Destruccion," (1963). It consisted of her inviting many artists and friends to gather outdoors and collectively destroy her works of art, some by spraypainting them, others by simply ripping them apart. She then proceeded to light them on fire. Another Happening that she organized, entitled, "Suceso Plastico," included a stadium filled with 200 spectators, 15 motorcyclists, 15 young women who would kiss the spectators, and 500 chickens and talcum powder dropped from a helicopter into the stadium...awesome?






One of Minujin's mattress sculptures:


photos courtesy of Martaminujin.com

Men in Coats

Today...

Gallery Night

Tonight was the last Friday of the month, and therefore Gallery Night in Buenos Aires. On Gallery Night several art galleries down the same street open up from about 7:30 to 10:30 and serve wonderful champagne, wine, and hors d'oeuvres. Quite a nice event for a chill night out.

If I Were A Man...

I'd want to look like this.

I Walked into the Bathroom...

and The Smiths were singing out of my host mom's little boombox. A lonely little boombox on our bathroom floor...nobody was listening but they were singing anyway. It made me miss New York City and the grey skies that happen there sometimes.

Red Light..Yes!

Magic....magic

Here Comes the Night...

Last night's adventures in an old old house with a new life...
Milion...

Is there a letter in your bag for me?

View from my window

I've always wanted a room with such windows:

Last Night: Drag and Dance

The venue was a little restaurant/bar called El Baruyo. A friend of ours had a family friend in the band of what we thought was a tango show like any other. When we arrived and were greeted by a six foot something drag queen in a pink feathered wig, however, I realized that a traditional tango show was not what we were in for. We sat at our table, the lights went dim, and the show began with a ticking sound on the loud speakers. Six dancers came on stage slowly, to the rythm of the clock, and what went on from there was a modern take on a night of tango that included crazy near-acrobatic dancing, projections of thought-provoking images onto the back wall of the main stage, and of course, the amazing drag queen. Red wine was the perfect match for a great show.

The performers:

The Three Graces

Boticelli's version in Primavera


Las Tres Gracias Uriburu 1967

Bomba!!

So last night was amazing. A bunch of us went to this event called La Bomba de Tiempo that happens every Monday night. It's basically a concert atmosphere where there's a stage and a huuuuuuuuuge venue full of people standing around shoulder to shoulder. However, onstage is a band of drummers...about 20 of them, and there's a conductor. The conductor tells the drummers what rythm to play, how fast, when to come in, when to go out, and it's all completely improvised. It lasts from about 8 to 10:30 with different members of the band taking turns conducting. It was amazing. The drums gave everything a wild, tribal atmosphere, and the audience was so taken by it that there was a literal moshpit. I was in heaven. When I would catch the occasional glimpses of faces I recognized, there was always a huge smile on them. At one point Ariana and I locked hands and were just laughing histerically, being pushed and pulled by the crowd's insane motion. Then the crowd opened into a circular pit where people started to dance in the middle and out came their animalistic, beautiful, instinctual movements. It was wonderous to say the least. When I came out of there, my hair was soaked with beer, my mascara was running perfectly, and I smelled like sweat and cigarettes. And so did everyone else..and we were happy.

Beautiful Things with a Rock n Roll Vibe

A Bitchin Scene in a Bitchin film:

David Lynch's Wild at Heart...Nicolas Cage being awesome:

I'm so lonely I could die

Now That I'm a Brunette...Here's to The Blondes I Love

Comanche

The song "Tonta" by this hilarious band with amazing hair. My popular culture professor played it today in class and said these guys were very famous although they had no talent...I personally don't know why he thought they had no talent..you be the judge ;)