Archive for February 21st, 2008
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21
Feb
2008
Living Colour:Barthelona Day 3
Just some random visual colors and textures from the Raval and Bario Gothic.
I did find the Picasso Museum. The security was really high here, thus no photos. But it was really crowded and in a great old area of the city. Picasso is from and lived most of his life in Barcelona. He is widely known for his cubism works. Those achievements only came later in life. Most of Picasso’s work was highly refined portrait work. This museum has three huge rooms that contain pieces that span his entire lifetime. After staring at his work for several hours, I have found that he was a good logo artist. A lot of his work is highly repetitive thus the way he would draw faces and animals were so simplified that they would make cool logos or graf tags.
Barcelona has been home to a lot of famous people. From artists Salvedor Dali, Antoni Gaudi and Pablo Picasso, to footballer Cesc Fabregas, NBA player Pau Gasol and President of the Olympic committee Jaun Antonio Sammarauch. This might explain partially why the Olympics were here in 1992.
21
Feb
2008
Faith:Barthelona Day 2
Ok, getting up took a bit, but once I did, the wheels were going smooth. The photo above is from where I am staying. The Ramblas, which is smack dab in the middle of Barcelona, Spain.
It rained like hell in the middle of the night last night. So to get my bearings, I went down to ocean at the end of the Ramblas. This statue is much like the one of Admiral Horatio Nelson in Trafalgar Square, London. Only this one is of Christopher Columbus.
“Bicing” is the name of the bikes that are available for public access. Again, like in Paris, I have not been able to rent them. There is a couple of rental companies though that may hook me up for a day.
So I walked around the Raval area to try and get an idea of the area. Quickly I found the MACBA- Museu d’ Art Contemporani de Barcelona.
It was nice to be in a Museum for once when the kids are there for a school outing. The place was not crowed at all and I could even poach some shots. Probably not cool, but it’s all not worth a thing if people have no access to it.
There was other exhibits that had all kinds of photography. One of them was about railroads in America. Funny how what is foreign for one is normal for another. I won’t bore you with images of that stuff. Living in Portland we know what a train looks like.
This building was cool though and really close to a University. The skate kids outside all sounded like they were from the states. They most likely were.
Later on I jumped on the tube to go see Sagarda Familia. Now my impression of Barcelona so far has been that it is a really chilled out town. Having the ocean near by will do that. Much like Santa Cruz, Brighton and Manzanillo. Another thing that lowers the volume on the vibe of a place is the adverts. Checkout the above shot of a tube stop in the middle of the city (Passeig De Gracia). Barca is not as extreme as Sao Paulo, but it does seem to calm things down. 
——————————–Sagrada Familia————————————–
Welcome Sagrada Familia. My friend Beanie told me some thing the other day that really seemed to resonate while I was at this church. He said that we cannot confirm weather or not there is god or heaven, but what we do know is there is faith. If there is ever a time to believe, this is it. This temple/monument has been under construction for 120 years. It may not be completed in our lifetimes as well.From Wikipedia – Originally designed by Antoni Gaudí (1852 – 1926), who worked on the project for over 40 years, devoting the last 15 years of his life entirely to the endeavor, the project is scheduled to be completed in 2026. On the subject of the extremely long construction period, Gaudí is said to have remarked, “My client is not in a hurry.” 
When I arrived at the front of this place, there was a mob of teenage guys on some kind of guided tour. I got lumped in with them and my admission was free. Fitting that my old ass gets in with the kids. Once in the gate I went straight inside.
This is the ceiling, designed after a the way a crustation is formed. Evrey aspect of this building is designed from something found in nature.
I waited in line for a half hour and caught one of the last elevators up to the top.
Looking these images is nothing more than some pictures of a church being built if you do not understand the cultural and historical significance of D’Antonioni Gaudi and his numerous architectural achievements. Not only did he invent the Art Nouveau movement, he started several of his projects that he knew he would never have the satisfaction of seeing completed. Humbling considering some of the things we do today are turned around in a matter of days. Gaudi was working on the Sagrada Familia up to his death in 1926.Here are some links to learn more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoni_Gaudí
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagrada_Família
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barcelona
After such a massive day on the feet I was ready to head back downtown and have a siesta. When I got to Catalunya tube stop, I was rewarded for the effort.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swIXKRRBkQc[/youtube][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z3td1A84xA[/youtube]
21
Feb
2008
Smoove Criminal: Barthelona Day 1
Sunday. A day of rest. A holy day. Why not go to Barcelona and see one of the most incredible pieces of design in the world. Of course, it’s a church. I’m a long way from being there at the moment, so it’s time to pack light and go to a place that has airplanes.
I love London, it’s relentless with opportunity. There are so many billboards that punking one is apparently easy.
Once I arrived and got sorted I had a chance to sit down and have a read from a great guide book. Le Cool is a guide book that takes it’s cues from people who were born here, lived here, visted and have spent very little time in Barcelona. The range of perspective is huge and the pages have so much design that it is a good resource for layouts and type regardless if you ever visit this city by the ocean. A pint of Guinness, a shot of Absinthe (yep, the real thing) and some pages from Le Cool and I am now ready to get started.
The area of town I am in is called the Ravel. I look forward to getting around this area tomorrow. This is the most well lit street I came across.I have been totally crossed up getting my bearings. This devil is at the Barcelona Cultural Center on the Ramblas.
So after a bit of walking around, I found a crowded bar that had some live music. A cool place that was full of what seemed like university aged students. Great space and cool style to it. It was really crowded and I could not get that close to the music, but the sound filled the space. Everything was spanish vibe Salsa. I did recognize this one though. A couple of bends in the sound and then it got somewhere that I recognized. It took a bit, but Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal seeped into the sound. Everyone knows that one from back in the hey hey.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtcoHkkiKTs[/youtube]That’s it for tonight. Tomorrow’s gonna be a big day of exploration.