Archive | October, 2009

Barcelona Design Studio: ARQUITECTURA-G

29 Oct

logo-arquitectura-g

The Barcelona based design studio of ARQUITECTURA-G  formed by:  Jordi Ayala, Aitor Fuentes, Jonathan Arnabat and Igor Urdanpileta back when they were students, has evolved into the very model of what every design studio should strive to be.

Their work has been featured in countless design magazines (most recently in NEO2) as well as invited to participate in many forums and lectures on the future of sustainable  design.

Their modern approach to design and architecture is a welcome reprise from the trends we have seen in the last few years where bigger meant better. Their socially responsible designs and low impact lines mean less visual pollution in urban landscapes and more public spaces, which is evident in the  proposal video for the sports hall in Paris.

Recently the studio completed a major overhaul of an apartment in the Eixample neighborhood, which has caught the media’s eye due to  its simplistic approach of the redistribution of space. They have managed to restore the original floors, and have angled walls in order to conceive a more open way of  modern living.  The result is a serene space that hangs above the bustling streets of Barcelona.

VIVIENDA :ARIBAU_

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The studio now  forges ahead with several new projects on their drawing board.  Among them a redesign  for the store FUREST in Barcelona’s fashion epicenter known as Passeige de Gracia.

 A house on a hillside in France , as well as a proposal for a new Sports & Congress Hall in Paris.

 To find out more about ARQUITECTURA-G, [click here]

tlf:+34 932520755 / 675900450 C/Graus 10-12 bajos 08017 Barcelona

Pulso Tunes #201 _Late Night Grooves

29 Oct

Some late night classics that hit the spot after a long day.

_enjoy

 

From Barcelona with a Brazilian kiss-NSISTA

27 Oct
 

NSISTA gear

Back in 2000, two Brazilian sisters- Marise Cardoso aka DJIIVA and Amarilis Vitale arrived in Barcelona and were instantly blown away by the electronic music scene that was taking the city by storm.

Together they formed NSISTA,  a band whose sound has been influenced by their travels around the world.  Their Brazilelectro beats have evolved over the years reflecting the years of crossing borders and  genres. Like stamps on their passports, their music is a unique collage of  samba beats layered over lush electronic arrangements and experimental sounds cascading in the background. Their look consisting  of recycled  materials such as plastic bottles and bottle caps  form post modern head pieces  which reflects their do it your self attitude.

NSISTA Field

On this particular Sunday night - NSISTA holds center court in an old convent  turned  cultural center on the border of the Born neighborhood. The hipster crowd below them- can’t stop moving their heads and hips to the sambatronic beats radiating from the speakers.  They stand center stage in an open courtyard, bathed in hot pink light and transmitting love for their fans.

The neighbors however, don’t seemed too amused by the weekend festival which is now on its 15th edition, was created by MARISE  and aptly named PULGAS MIX.  A  flea market based concept, that has over taken the space with artist, musicians and fashion designers from all over spain. The goal of the festival is to share the talent in an incubated center for people to touch and hear the pulse of Barcelona’s art scene. 

SUNSET

When not producing music, or organizing festivals NSISTA  also lends a hand and signature sound to bands such as Macaco, Ojos de Brujo, Brazuca and Matraca  that turn to the duo when looking to brazilify their sound.

To discover the SAMBA XXXPERIENCE click here .

Make sure to check out the AfroMix of  their new track CABOCLA

To  download their  new single  CABOCLA click HERE

Barcelona Hotel_Chic & Basic: The Cure For The Common Hotel

20 Oct

 

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Today I spent the day on a hotel hunt, checking out new places throughout Barcelona and doing some research on a few places which will be posted later this week. One of my favorite finds was CHIC & BASIC a hotel that is housed in a  beautiful old building in EL BORN.

This place opened 5 years ago and is currently in the process of remodeling it´s fantastic bar simply called the “WHITE BAR”

white bar

This place breaks all the rules of what a basic hotel should be, done up in white washed halls over the top furniture and  sexy lighting it is impossible not to relax upon entering this space. The service at the counter was excellent and the place is filled with hipsters. If you are in Barcelona and spending the weekend shopping with friends, this  is the place to ditch you bags and head out for a night on the town .

Chic & Basic

In fact while trying to scope out the place without getting thrown out for loitering I witnessed a fashion shoot  taking place in the of the rooms. This is the sort of place where art directors linger in the hallway twittering on their iphone,  and hip young international travelers mingle in the common areas.  This place definitely attracts a younger more stylish crowd so if your idea of  hotel is tea time rather than happy hour you might want to curb your enthusiasm.

hallway

The hallways, resemble space ships, with white lacquered walls, soft lighting and chilled out electronica humming in the background. The rooms are like the title suggests “basic” but the common areas more than make up for it.

Amenities include Gym, reading room, kitchen area,  internet center and a spacious living room with lots of natural light.

This is not the Ritz or the W this is just a place for people who spend their vacation exploring the city and when they finally come back to the room they are greeted with a warm sense of style and a vibe that many a hotel rarely get right.

living room

For more info on the hotel  click it HERE

Subtravelling-The Barcelona Subway Short Film Festival- For People On The Go.

16 Oct

 

 

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No Time for movies? Barcelona kicks off the weekend with the 1st ever Subway Short Film Festival.

The Wizard of Oz in 30 secs

more about “untitled“, posted with vodpod

 

 

An impromptu movie theatre has been set up at the Plaza Universidad Metro Station which allows viewers to catch a SHORT film while transferring lines.

The SUBTRAVELLING film festival <October 15-October 18> has generated quite a bit of buzz this week with locals and tourists alike.  This film festival which has already been quite the hit in Berlin has now stopped at Barcelona thanks to the help of the city.

Passengers can see the films at the Metro stations or in the train on the over head screens. Voting has already begun on the best Short Film online. As part of the campaign once you vote- you also enter the chance to win a trip to LA to tour the WB movie studio.

The rules of the festival are  simple: Short films could be  NO longer than 2 minutes.  Hundreds of entries were received  and so far the animated romantic comedy OKTOPODI  is in the lead. 

 

more about “untitled“, posted with vodpod

 

For more information on the Film Festival or to watch more of the shorts click HERE
 

Pulso Tunes #200

15 Oct
PulsoBCN’s Playlist
The songs that float through my head as I walk about the Borne on sunny afternoons. Some old stuff -some new stuff- some blue stuff.

1.We Need A Change- ”Follow me and I’ll Follow you” .

2.Golden Cage- Reminds me of sunrise after a night of drinking with friends- soundtrack for the walk of shame. 

3. You Know Me Better- Pure talent effortless cool- plus it has a  great video.

4.Remind Me- Subway tunes, lyrics keep me sane when I’m running in the Rat Race.

5. I’d Rather Dance With You- Great guitar,  rare mix of  one of the most brutally honest songs.

6. Hurricane Jane- So unpolished and uncomfortable with their talent, I can’t help to love them.

7.Saturdays- Cut Copy released their album in 2001 and failed miserably, but after millions of internet downloads in 2007 the record company  reissued the album and they became the darlings of the synthed up, 80′s sampled retro futuristic pumping out of  ipods of every self-respecting hipster. 

8.Paper Planes- There is a little hustler in all of us, sometimes you just got to roll with it and let it out…

**Hidden Track : Tigers In The Fire- “I can live life hanging by a string/I can do anything so don’t bother me”

enjoy_

_ d a v i d

Will we still have prostitutes in BCN in 2159?

14 Oct

future--city-1969What will Barcelona be like in 2159?

Will we still have people selling Agua, Coca Cola , Cerveza in liquid form? Will we have intergalactic  prostitutes on Las Ramblas? Will the Sagrada Familia be finished?

A new time capsule project has been launched via the internet, for the citizens of Barcelona in 2009 to communicate with the barceloneces of 2159

The BARCELONA2159 project has taken shape and hundreds of people from ages 7 to 67 have populated the site. With the several different categories, participants can leave their theory on what the city of Barcelona will be like in 150 years.

Part of the ANY CERDA, a year devoted to the celebration of the man, whose ambition to tear down the gothic walls and expand the city was revolutionary 150 years ago. An ambitious plan that turned the city into the sprawling grid-like mass it is today.

The Project, which will runs until June 2010, will mark the beginning of the future of Barcelona.  Developed as  marketing tool for the exposition as well as  an opportunity for the people to leave their mark in  Barcelona’s history. You can leave written messages as well as  videos in the online time capsule intended for future viewers.

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But who is the “New Cerda”? While they rip apart the Poble Nou area for the 22@ is it progress or greed? One thing is for sure if the future is managed by Zaha Hadid count me in.

Spiral Tower by Zaha Hadid 00

The new Spiral Tower by Zaha Hadid  in Barcelona.

  To see some of the messages click below.

http://barcelona2159.org/

 

[Digg=http://digg.com/d319wMO]

Waiter Or Coke Dealer?

14 Oct

I asked the waiter how big was the portion… he answered 130 grams. Either he’s a coke dealer or I need to start carrying around a scale…

Barcelona goes GLOBAL for the battle of design @ Cut&Paste 2009

13 Oct

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 October 16th the battle for the hottest illustrator goes global at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

48 artists representing 16 Countries will go against each other for a timed design competition as the world watches. Each artist will have only 15 min to create a work in one of the three areas of competition(2D, 3D and Motion Design) while an audience of hipsters and  industry leaders watch on from the sidelines. It is a sort of  “DESIGN OLYMPICS” only with cooler sneakers and slicker music.   

The contest will be live on www.cutandpaste.com  and  the godfather of cool Josh Rubin from COOLHUNTING will be judging the 3D portion of the contest.

Lets Meet the Boys from Barcelona…

REPRESENTING BCN in 2D DESIGN_ 

   MARCO GONZALEZ -  http://www.ilustracionpublicitaria.com/

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After a life time of painting, drawing and spray painting  on any surface he could find Marco, opened up his own studio bringing together over 10 years of experience in “Urban Artistic Expression”.  The design challenge was to come up with a shirt from a prisoner’s uniform  with the theme being : Taboo.  This was his wining piece.

REPRESENTING BCN in 3D DESIGN_

BERNAT FORTET- www.bernatfortet.com 

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Bernat is a digital student here in Barcelona, his passion is 3D images which as you can imagine take a lot of time and concentration in order to put these images together. Bernat is currently working for Kotoc - a major computer graphics firm here in Barcelona.  His design challenge which allowed the artists 20 mins to create a piece work inspired by the word: “CARTHARSIS”

 

REPRESENTING BCN in  MOTION  DESIGN_

SEBASTIAN BAPTISTA- www.sebastianbap.com

 

Originally from Uruguay,  Sebastian  now resides in Barcelona where he works as a freelancer  with his partner in crime Robokid.  His website features his new work as well  has  spots for FORD as well as SEAT.

The theme of his competition was the Crisis.

 

We will publish the results of the CUT & PASTE compition on Sat, hoping that the guys will be among those winners.

For the rundown of how Cut &Paste started- here you go:

“Laptop to Laptop , Mano a Mano”

 

 

 

 

 

more about “untitled“, posted with vodpod

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.coolhunting.com/archives/2006/11/cut_paste.php

  

  

more about “cut&paste“, posted with vodpod

Sonimagfoto & Multimedia show

11 Oct

 

son-imag-foto-2553-1The crisis has effected all sectors, but this year Sonimagfoto focused on the experience. With several booths allowing the crowds to interact with the products and artist at hand.

One of my favorite exhibits was Argos,  a space that allowed visitors  to sit back and watch a slide show  of 8 different artists. The space it’s self was a disappointment. With Argos, being sponsored by Panasonic, it was obvious that the director of marketing had no idea what an oppertunity this could have been for the company to reinvent themselves.  Handing over just 2 televisions for the exhibit and a flimsy banner , Panasonic just ended up looking like a cheap big brother for a show specializing in multimedia.

The possibility of partnering up with 8 of the most promising photographers  was something that was not taken into the equation, especially when the majority of the attendees were being wowed by more complete spaces such as CASIO and CASSNOVA

However, the exhibit still was one of the most eye catching and refreshingly raw talent at the show. Focusing on human rights and social issues this space curated new images by 8 outstanding photographers and artists that brought together photography, video and music.  Below are a few of my favorites…

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“Forced Identity”. Pep Bonet. New exhibition The life of homosexuals and transsexuals in Honduras, viewed with respect and sensitivity, forming part of a series of photographs on AIDS in the world today. This Majorca photographer won the second World Press Photo Award in 2008 with these images.

 

Loewe

“The forestman”. Daniel Loewe. New exhibition An impressive series of photographs documenting the life of an old hermit who lives in the Collserola mountains near Barcelona. Loewe has photographed him over the last four years and the results are now exclusively presented at this year’s show.

 

 

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 “Barcelonaskyline”. Sergi García Panoramic views of Barcelona taken from the mountains or from the sea, at dawn or at sunset. Barcelona in all its splendour.

All in all it was a pretty tame show however, it would be nice to see companies stepping up to the plate and really showing the support behind these shows and what they can achieve as far as showcasing new technologies and new ways of displaying what lies ahead.

Matar En Barcelona

11 Oct

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The Gothic Quarter at 4am on a school night, Montjuic at dusk,  El raval at 7am, all the type of places your mother warned you about but you never listened.

Only those who live in  Barcelona know how well the city keeps her secrets. Dimly lit  narrow streets, and strangers lurking everywhere.

Twelve young authors shed some light  on twelve real crimes in Barcelona, many of them quite recent. This is the premise the narrators of Matar en Barcelona (To kill in Barcelona) have based their fiction short stories. In this anthology, the authors have tracked a series of murders through news articles and other witnesses to build twelve stories inspired in the most mysterious crimes in the city’s history.

Matar en Barcelona comes as the second installment of a trilogy that started with Odio Barcelona (Melusina, 2008).

The vampire woman of the Ponent Street, the  Eixample serial rapist or the killer of old women are the protagonists of these short stories in which fiction fuses with chronicles in an exercise to blur the boundaries of the nouvelle noir, post-modern short stories and urban myths. Pure invention comes by the hand of journalist chronicles.

For more Information:

ULLS FESTIVAL 09- Art For The People.

11 Oct

 ULLS2tintas[1]

The ULLS Festival takes over the streets of Barcelona, October 14-18,  invading the city with four days of  Dance, Music, Film and Theatre.  This week the  ULLS Festival  sets up shop at the Palau de la Virreina and various points around the city. 

 This festival is one of  Barcelona’s most radical and alternative of cultural festivasl  which the city hosts.  Now in it’s third year the  emphasis of this festival is placed in the performance of art.  All of the events are free of charge  in order to generate an open access to ART.

Imatge ULLS 2009 (2)A  festival to be enjoyed by all who call the “cuidad condal”  home, regardless of money, social class, or citizenship.

The only requirement is to be one of an open mind.

The four day event will host a total of 8 theater performances, 5 concerts, 5 workshops, 3 film screenings and 2 performances by alternative artists.

Among the other events are art workshops for the kids  as well as an art exhibit.

 14 countries are participating in this forum, which is meant to act as a cultural exchange between Latin America and Europe revolving around artists  sharing their concept of life and art between the two continents.

For a complete listing of events and location check out www.ulls.org

 

more about “ULLS FESTIVAL.09“, posted with vodpod

Cine Ambigu_Film Series OCT 2009

11 Oct

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Back from their summer break  100.000 retinas <http://www.retinas.org> pick up where they left off, bringing you the best independent movies every  TUESDAY  in OCTOBER 

 Their commitment in screening the best movies without commercial distribution and major works of international festivals, that rarely see box office success. This time around they  present 3  underground movies in the indie movie palace known as VERDI PARK in the Gracia neighborhood<http://www.cines-verdi.com/barcelona/> the cities epicenter of all things indie.

 

Tuesday OCT 13 – YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH (2007)

Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola returns to the director’s chair after a ten-year hiatus with this adaptation of Romanian author Mircea Eliade‘s tome detailing the arduous journey of a professor whose life is thrown into chaos as World War II looms ominously on the horizon. When the 70-year-old scholar is struck by lightning, his age begins to reverse as his mind grows infinitely more brilliant. Now determined to understand the origins of language and consciousness, the fugitive professor leads authorities on a wild chase through Romania, Switzerland, Malta, and India. Tim Roth, Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, and Marcel Iures star in an ambitious low-budget drama trumpeted by Zoetrope as a “return to personal filmmaking” for the revered Godfather director.

more about “Film Series“, posted with vodpod

 

 

Tuesday Oct 28-OF TIME AND CITY(2008)
British filmmaker Terence Davies pays homage to the city of his birth in this visual essay on the seaside town of Liverpool. Described by Davies as “a love song and a eulogy,” Of Time and the City uses vintage home movies and newsreel footage to paint a portrait of the Liverpool he knew as a child, a tough working-class community where decay and resilience walked side by side, even as many of the efforts to “improve” Liverpool in the ’60s accomplished little beyond robbing it of its character and rough-hewn beauty. Combining a variety of found images with music and poetry, Of Time and the City explores how this slow evolution of Liverpool impacted the people who lived there, and how the people also became part of the city’s ups and downs. Of Time and the City was screened as a special presentation at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

 

**PULSO PICK**

Tuesday Oct 27- THE YES MEN FIX THE WORLD (2009)

Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno are “The Yes Men,” two guys who combine political activism, performance art and the love of a good prank in the name of demanding the private sector take responsibility for the damage it’s done to the world and its people. Bichlbaum and Bonanno specialize in setting up realistic looking mock web sites that claim to represent famous and powerful multi-national corporations, and when they’re contacted to speak on the companies’ behalf, they deliver absurd satirical presentations that sometimes fool their audiences into believing they’ve seen the real thing. The exploits of Bichlbaum and Bonanno were chronicled in the 2003 documentary The Yes Men, and their further adventures have spawned a second film, The Yes Men Fix The World, which follows the radical pranksters as they claim responsibility for a major environmental disaster in Bhopal on European television, demonstrate a new corporate rescue orb, “defend” corporate interests in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and publish a mock edition of The New York Times that declares the end of the war in Iraq. The Yes Men Fix The World received its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

 

more about “film 3“, posted with vodpod

 

more about “film 2“, posted with vodpod

La Foto Del Dia

10 Oct

STREET LAMP

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