Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Song of the day: Big Mama Thornton - Hound Dog.
Bonus Beat: Sly & The Family Stone - Thank You For Talkin' To Me Africa.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Monday, June 08, 2009
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Spanish Translation Links:
SpanishDict, an excellent Spanish-English dictionary. Not very smart about conjugations, slang, and non-Castillian (i.e. RioPlatenese) Spanish, but invaluable nonetheless. Free.
Google Translate, which translates blocks of text _in context_. Pretty wretched in many ways, but... invaluable nonetheless. Free.
www.spanishcourses.info. This site has abysmal web design - its ugly and awfully difficult to navigate. It provides complete conjugations of a huge number of verbs. I think it provides more info, but that is all I use it for. Free.
Uruguay Links:
El Chivito D'Oro III - Jackson Heights - New York Magazine Restaurant Guide. AFAIK, the only Uruguayan restaurant in NYC. In Queens of course. I haven't been.
180.com.uy. A good outlet for Uruguayan news.
Embassy of the United States of America - Montevideo, Uruguay.
UruguayLiving.com, a blog about living in Uruguay by/for Americans and English speakers. The author is also involved in: UruguayConnection, a directory of English-/Immigrant-friendly businesses in Uruguay and Uruguay Daily News English translations of Uruguayan news.
Yahoo! Finance charts of USD vs. Uruguayan Peso
A Year in Uruguay A blog by an American professor living in Montevideo. I love this post.
A Small State of Mind A blog by an American student/academic/reporter living in Montevideo.
elretobao. There are many collections of photos of Uruguay - this is just one.
Uruguay news and views
BONUS: Excellent satellite photo from NASA of the Rio de la Plata estuary. Keep clicking on the image until you see the high quality version.
Song of the day: Beyonce - Single Ladies (Rmx Ted Smooth).
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Song of the day: Bettye Swann - Don't Touch Me.
Bonus Beat: Creedence Clearwater Revival - The Midnight Special.
Bonus Beat: Sis - Trompeta (Original Mix).
Bonus Beat: Das Pop - Fool For Love (Aeroplane Mix).
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Notes on graffiti from my recent two-week visit to Uruguay.
Montevideo and the suburbs are covered in graf and murals - more so than other cities I know. Nearly every block has at least some tag or piece; many blocks have tons. Here is a small detail from a huge set of murals in a little paved square used for Candombe.
A smattering of pieces overlap on this wall. With such a massive amount of street art, every wall becomes a crowded Palimpsest. This inflects the local style, with pieces responding to or reusing the layers underneath.
A geometric tag, punctuated by a stencil - I don't recognize the photo.
"Not police, not politicians - just thieves." Graf in Uruguay is frequently (predominantly, even) political. Most of the street art is in fact street art put up by political parties (or other organizations, such as social programs).
"Agrarian reform", Star, hammer and sickle of the USSR, and a beautiful little piece in the corner: Columbula (little dove). There are hipsters (by that name) and plenty of irony in Montevideo, but this graf is sincere. You see graf in Montevideo for all sorts of subjects that would never come up in NYC graf: a call for a reform to a university's charter, etc.
The second most common theme (after politics) is futbol - Nacional and Penerol are the two primary rivals at the national level. I love how this piece is placed on this corner.
Dada!
Murals are everywhere - some by businesses, some by organizations - but I think this was just an artist. The subject is Candombe.
Here, a piece equating the Star of David with a Swastika has been deliberately obfuscated. Here's a relevant article. I didn't see any whiff of anti-Semitism firsthand (nor do I think being critical of the Israel government necessarily constitutes anti-Semitism), but Jewish institutions (schools, etc.) have truly intense security measures - like military facilities.
A simple piece, but I love how the futbol team's coat of arms uses the existing white (an overpainting of some earlier piece).
The top message here is about sexual and reproductive health. There are many pieces on this topic; its a hot topic recently. Below we have various politician's names, etc.
I'm not sure how to read the piece on the left, but the piece on the right is a plea for sexual tolerance in a culture that is quite homophobic. Graf in America is transgressive in tone; Uruguayan street art feels much more like a community dialogue.
The funniest example that I saw of how writers dialogue with each other. The top reads: "Sofia I love you. M. G." Below, someone has written "Okay Fine" on the left and added SM (Sofia's initials?) on the right, atop the first writer's initials.
A typical political mural. I'll say it again: these are THE most common type of street art in the city/suburbs. They're literally everywhere. It took me aback that political parties would graf so prevalently. I've been told that they don't get permission but that its not really a crime that is taken seriously.
Mickey Mouse. American pop culture and English show up often.
These photos really don't do justice to the details of the art. Here's a detail from one of the pieces above to show that the white spaces are full of lengthy quotations; this is an (attributed) quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
I really can't see a graf writer in America doing a "person using microscope" piece - there's some kind of utterly different tone in Uruguay's graf.
Another political party piece. Hammer-and-sickle references aren't just for kids! This is for the "Frente", a populist party that is currently running the country after unseating on hundred years of two-party rule. There's a massive political realignment going on.
A truly huge political mural. These walls face onto the square around the Palacio Legislativo, ie. the seat of the Uruguayan federal congress. Graf isn't hidden in poor neighborhoods; every wall of this square massive square is covered in street art.
These next few shots are details of another wall of the plaza del Palacio Legislativo. This shot is a perfect example of art-graf and political murals happily sitting side-by-side.
This mural (again, same plaza) is a collaboration by students from 18 schools on the subject of nutritional health and water rights.
I find this piece fascinating, beautiful and original.
There are plenty of flashy pieces like these, but most Uruguayan graf is more about delivering a message than artistic style.
This artist has amazing pieces all over the place - I love their style. Here, peacock feathers are the theme.
Another wonderful piece that carefully uses the architectural elements of the wall. The colors used here - white, yellow and Cerulean blue (Celeste, locally) - are the national colors and show up everywhere.
Same artist?
A business advertises with a mural. A Tapiceria ain't a Tapas joint; its an upholsterer. It reads: "furniture, living rooms, credit, pillows, chairs, freight."
"Peace and Love." A sunny mural. Note the Southern-hemisphere-centric reorientation of the map and the red heart over/representing Uruguay.
The figure on the right is marvelous but creeps me out. Shades of those great Dark Night posters.
Again, graf is everywhere, including all over homes, rich and poor. A couple of elegant tags here.
Yet another example of graf and murals happily coexisting with and using the underlying housepaint.
While I was photographing this set of huge pieces, a kid walked by and proudly told me he had done them.
A Keith Haring tribute.
Is that W. Bush in the background?
Two clouds kiss in the center. Flowers swell teepees in the right; is this sequential art?
This piece was on the wall of a huge graveyard. The many pieces on this long wall all had a distinctively female quality.
The tag on the left is interesting: a) Its lolz, ie. internet slang. b) Is it me or is the Z is done in a kind of Arabic style? There were a series of other tags around this corner that all had an Arabic flavor. AFAIK, Montevideo has very few immigrants. The closest thing to an Arab influence in the city were the occasional Armenian restaurant.
I absolutely adore this piece, urging people to vote for the Frente in October.
The next few photos are details of a single, huge piece under a massive water tower. Possibly my favorite of all of the pieces I saw. The details - which these photos don't do justice - are priceless.
Yes, they do "pastes" here.
Nice!
Stencil madness.
These photos were taken during 3 walks - they're just what I randomly came across. My Spanish/Rioplatencia is weak at best; I'm probably misunderstanding many of these pieces and failing to appreciate many more that I didn't both to photograph.
Montevideo and the suburbs are covered in graf and murals - more so than other cities I know. Nearly every block has at least some tag or piece; many blocks have tons. Here is a small detail from a huge set of murals in a little paved square used for Candombe.
A smattering of pieces overlap on this wall. With such a massive amount of street art, every wall becomes a crowded Palimpsest. This inflects the local style, with pieces responding to or reusing the layers underneath.
A geometric tag, punctuated by a stencil - I don't recognize the photo.
"Not police, not politicians - just thieves." Graf in Uruguay is frequently (predominantly, even) political. Most of the street art is in fact street art put up by political parties (or other organizations, such as social programs).
"Agrarian reform", Star, hammer and sickle of the USSR, and a beautiful little piece in the corner: Columbula (little dove). There are hipsters (by that name) and plenty of irony in Montevideo, but this graf is sincere. You see graf in Montevideo for all sorts of subjects that would never come up in NYC graf: a call for a reform to a university's charter, etc.
The second most common theme (after politics) is futbol - Nacional and Penerol are the two primary rivals at the national level. I love how this piece is placed on this corner.
Dada!
Murals are everywhere - some by businesses, some by organizations - but I think this was just an artist. The subject is Candombe.
Here, a piece equating the Star of David with a Swastika has been deliberately obfuscated. Here's a relevant article. I didn't see any whiff of anti-Semitism firsthand (nor do I think being critical of the Israel government necessarily constitutes anti-Semitism), but Jewish institutions (schools, etc.) have truly intense security measures - like military facilities.
A simple piece, but I love how the futbol team's coat of arms uses the existing white (an overpainting of some earlier piece).
The top message here is about sexual and reproductive health. There are many pieces on this topic; its a hot topic recently. Below we have various politician's names, etc.
I'm not sure how to read the piece on the left, but the piece on the right is a plea for sexual tolerance in a culture that is quite homophobic. Graf in America is transgressive in tone; Uruguayan street art feels much more like a community dialogue.
The funniest example that I saw of how writers dialogue with each other. The top reads: "Sofia I love you. M. G." Below, someone has written "Okay Fine" on the left and added SM (Sofia's initials?) on the right, atop the first writer's initials.
A typical political mural. I'll say it again: these are THE most common type of street art in the city/suburbs. They're literally everywhere. It took me aback that political parties would graf so prevalently. I've been told that they don't get permission but that its not really a crime that is taken seriously.
Mickey Mouse. American pop culture and English show up often.
These photos really don't do justice to the details of the art. Here's a detail from one of the pieces above to show that the white spaces are full of lengthy quotations; this is an (attributed) quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
I really can't see a graf writer in America doing a "person using microscope" piece - there's some kind of utterly different tone in Uruguay's graf.
Another political party piece. Hammer-and-sickle references aren't just for kids! This is for the "Frente", a populist party that is currently running the country after unseating on hundred years of two-party rule. There's a massive political realignment going on.
A truly huge political mural. These walls face onto the square around the Palacio Legislativo, ie. the seat of the Uruguayan federal congress. Graf isn't hidden in poor neighborhoods; every wall of this square massive square is covered in street art.
These next few shots are details of another wall of the plaza del Palacio Legislativo. This shot is a perfect example of art-graf and political murals happily sitting side-by-side.
This mural (again, same plaza) is a collaboration by students from 18 schools on the subject of nutritional health and water rights.
I find this piece fascinating, beautiful and original.
There are plenty of flashy pieces like these, but most Uruguayan graf is more about delivering a message than artistic style.
This artist has amazing pieces all over the place - I love their style. Here, peacock feathers are the theme.
Another wonderful piece that carefully uses the architectural elements of the wall. The colors used here - white, yellow and Cerulean blue (Celeste, locally) - are the national colors and show up everywhere.
Same artist?
A business advertises with a mural. A Tapiceria ain't a Tapas joint; its an upholsterer. It reads: "furniture, living rooms, credit, pillows, chairs, freight."
"Peace and Love." A sunny mural. Note the Southern-hemisphere-centric reorientation of the map and the red heart over/representing Uruguay.
The figure on the right is marvelous but creeps me out. Shades of those great Dark Night posters.
Again, graf is everywhere, including all over homes, rich and poor. A couple of elegant tags here.
Yet another example of graf and murals happily coexisting with and using the underlying housepaint.
While I was photographing this set of huge pieces, a kid walked by and proudly told me he had done them.
A Keith Haring tribute.
Is that W. Bush in the background?
Two clouds kiss in the center. Flowers swell teepees in the right; is this sequential art?
This piece was on the wall of a huge graveyard. The many pieces on this long wall all had a distinctively female quality.
The tag on the left is interesting: a) Its lolz, ie. internet slang. b) Is it me or is the Z is done in a kind of Arabic style? There were a series of other tags around this corner that all had an Arabic flavor. AFAIK, Montevideo has very few immigrants. The closest thing to an Arab influence in the city were the occasional Armenian restaurant.
I absolutely adore this piece, urging people to vote for the Frente in October.
The next few photos are details of a single, huge piece under a massive water tower. Possibly my favorite of all of the pieces I saw. The details - which these photos don't do justice - are priceless.
Yes, they do "pastes" here.
Nice!
Stencil madness.
These photos were taken during 3 walks - they're just what I randomly came across. My Spanish/Rioplatencia is weak at best; I'm probably misunderstanding many of these pieces and failing to appreciate many more that I didn't both to photograph.
