I haven't been writing here for a long time. I am sorry if I have disapponted you, I see that people still stop by to have a look at my blog (unless I have been attacked by hackers...) and I would like to thank you!
I would have liked to write about a lot of topics in the last few months of silence, such as a memory dedicated to the passing of my adored David Bowie (and sooner or later I will, I owe this to him) or a few lines about the new album of Mambassa and the following tour (they have been one of my favourite bands for more than 15 years), which brought me a great joy!
However, the truth is that I didn't because I wasn't in the mood of writing for the public or I simply felt so tired... I know it sounds stupid, but I've had many commitments (coming both from work and from private life) and at night I felt asleep so often even before switching on my computer.
I hope I will be back soon with some substantial blog entries, in the while I hug you all!
The text is in Italian only, but I can provide you with a little summary.
On 9th November 2014 Berlin will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Wall. For such occasion a huge street party is being planned.
Two days before the anniversay date, 8.000 white illuminated balloons will be placed along the 15 km of the former Wall line and, in the night of 9th November, the ropes that tie them will be cut, letting them fly in the sky. During this procedure, Simphony No. 9 of Beethoven will be played. The impact will be highly emotional.
There will be both entertainment and discussion. Some dissidents of the former East Germany will talk about life at the time of the German Democratic Republic and about the night in which the Wall police opened the border, pressed by people determination. In the following hours, hundreds of people crossed that line, along those same meters where many compratriots of theirs lost their lives fighting for their ideas.
Music will have a key role too during the celebration, several performances have been announced, among those: the Berlin State Orchestra, Paul Kalkbrenner (techno musician from Leipzig), a breakdance troupe, etc... .
As some of you probably know, in the last few weeks fell another particular anniversary: the 37th year since when Heroes by David Bowie was published. The song is a symbol of Berlin, not only because it was written in the Hansa Studios when Bowie was living in the city, but also because the lyrics talk about two lovers at the time of the Wall, with all their dreams denied.
Heroes official video
In occasion of the party for the 25th anniversary of the Fall of the Wall, Peter Gabriel will perform Heroes live!
I can only imagine how many people will be in Berlin's streets that night, with all their stories and emotions. I think of those who experienced personally the first crossing of the border between East and West Berlin 25 years ago and also of the new Berliners, those arrived there in the last few years, following their dreams and their hopes in the city which was living a second birth.
For what concerns me, well, I wish I could be there on 9th November, but unfortunately it won't be possible. I will be standing next to you with my thoughts, old and new Berliners.
La mostra "David Bowie is" è stata
inaugurata a Londra il 23 marzo 2013, al Victoria & Albert Museum.
Si tratta di una retrospettiva sulla carriera e sulla vita dell'artista
dagli esordi fino ai giorni nostri.
Essendo
una fervente fan di Bowie, avrei voluto visitare l'expo fin dalla sua
apertura, ma non ho avuto l'occasione di andare a Londra nel periodo di
esposizione (che si è concluso nell'agosto dello stesso anno).
Nella
primavera di quest'anno è apparsa la notizia che "David Bowie is"
sarebbe stata portata a Berlino, per rimanervi fino al 10 agosto. Grazie ad un'imprevisto posticipo della chiusura al 24 agosto, ho potuto visitarla anch'io!
Vi racconto le mie impressioni.
David Bowie is... in Berlin!
Siamo
arrivati al Martin-Gropius-Bau, edificio che ospitava l'evento, in un pomeriggio
di metà agosto. In coda all'ingresso potevano esserci una cinquantina
di persone, per fortuna avevamo acquistato i biglietti on line. Ci hanno dotati di
audio-guida e cuffiette Bose (che è, tra l'altro, uno degli sponsor della mostra) e abbiamo iniziato il percorso, che partiva dall'infanzia di David Bowie.
Le
prime due stanze inquadravano la società londinese negli anni 40' e 50', ripercorrevano i primi anni dell'artista, le ispirazioni, le prime bands e la scelta
del nome d'arte, insomma: il sentiero che ha portato David Robert Jones a
diventare David Bowie.
Passando in un terzo ambiente,
la nostra audio-guida ha iniziato a riprodurre le note di Space
Oddity e ci siamo trovati difronte ad un video con immagini della luna:
avevamo appena lasciato la Terra anche noi e non saremmo tornati almeno
per i 60 minuti successivi. Abbiamo visitato stanza dopo stanza, viaggiando per più di quattro decenni, attraverso le tracce artistiche
lasciate indelebilmente nella storia da Bowie.
Uno dei punti di forza della mostra erano sicuramente gli abiti di scena di David Bowie, una selezione ricchissima: dai costumi di Ziggy Stardust e Aladdin Sane (non so quanto sono rimasta ad ammirare il mantello bianco creato da Yamamoto!), ai completi sobri del Duca Bianco, il cappotto con Union Jack del tour di Earthling e c'erano persino i due pupazzi del video "Where are we now?".
Una delle mie canzoni preferite di questo artista è "Life on Mars?" e ne amo anche il video, un vero esempio del tutto nell'essenzialità. L'abito indossato in questo clip era esposto a fianco di un monitor su cui era riprodotto il video stesso: continuavo ad spostare lo sguardo dal vestito allo schermo e viceversa, mi sembrava che fosse uscito magicamente dalle immagini, in un viaggio spazio-temporale.
Un altro momento da pelle d'oca è stato quando abbiamo raggiunto una stanza molto ampia e con muri alti, l'interno era piuttosto buio. E' partito il video di "Rock 'n' Roll Suicide", il live all'Hammersmith Odeon del 1973. Era proiettato su tutte e quattro le pareti e, a seconda del variare dell'illuminazione, si potevano vedere o le immagini del concerto o le celle nelle pareti, contenenti dei manichini che indossavano abiti di Bowie: era come se apparisse all'improvviso. Noi spettatori eravamo nel mezzo, chi seduto, chi in piedi, ma tutti con il naso all'insù a guardare e a canticchiare il brano. L'idea, forse, era quella di rimanere lì ad oltranza.
Molti altri erano i cimeli provenienti direttamente dall'archivio di Bowie: alcuni strumenti musicali (il suo sax e la sua chitarra!), oggetti tratti dal set dei film più famosi (un mio ricordo d'infanzia: la sfera di cristallo di Jareth in Labyrinth!), video interviste di diverse epoche e tanti scritti "storici" (lo scambio epistolare - lettere firmate e scritte a mano- tra Bowie e Marlene Dietrich!).
L'ultima parte dell'esposizione era dedicata agli anni berlinesi di David Bowie. Dato il mio amore per Berlino e il fatto che la mostra stesse facendo tappa proprio in questa città, tale sezione ha assunto per me connotati ancora più forti. Erano presenti documenti e immagini tratte dalla vita quotidiana di Bowie e Iggy Pop, negli Hansa Studios e per le vie di Berlino, tra il 1976 e il 1978.
Spostandosi verso gli anni '80, venivano proiettate scene del film Christiane F. - Noi, ragazzi dello Zoo di Berlino (e nelle nostre cuffiette risuonava Helden, la versione in tedesco di Heroes, brividi.
Ma è stato proprio alla fine, poco prima di uscire, che mi sono un po' commossa: l'ultimo schermo riproduceva uno speciale sul concerto tenuto nel 1987 a Platz der Republik, a Berlino. La location era nella parte ovest della città, poco distante dal confine. Il concerto era udibile anche da Berlino est, dove la gente cercava di avvicinarsi al Muro, per poter essere più partecipe del momento. La polizia cercava di tenerli lontani, quella notte ci sono stati diversi scontri. Bowie era consapevole di quella parte del suo pubblico che non avrebbe potuto raggiungerlo fisicamente sotto il palco e ha concluso il concerto salutando tutti gli amici dall'altra parte del Muro.
Per me è stata una sensazione forte, un mix di "amore artistico e geografico" e partecipazione storica. Uscire, poco dopo, con addosso ancora il trasporto di queste ultime immagini e rendersi conto (alle mostre ci si estranea sempre un po') di essere a Berlino, era come sentirla sulla pelle.
Se avete la possibilità (e se avete interesse nella tematica, ovviamente), vi consiglio di andare a vedere "David Bowie is", è davvero ricca ed emozionante.
Vi lascio il link con l'elenco delle locations e delle date già confermate:
David Bowie is exhibition was first open to the public in London on 23rd March 2013, at Victoria & Albert Museum. It is a retrospective of the life and career of the artist, from the beginning till nowadays.
I am a huge Bowie's fan, I would have liked so much to see the expo, but I did not have the chance to go to London in that period (it closed in August of the same year).
In spring 2014 it was announced that David Bowie is would have reached Berlin, to stay there until August 10th. Thanks to an unexpected extention to August 24th, I could visit it too!
Let me tell you my impressions.
We arrived at the Martin-Gropius-Bau, building which hosted the event, in a afternoon of mid August. There were about fifty people queuing at the entrance, fortunately we had bought our tickets on line. We have been provided with an audio guide and Bose headphones (Bose was also one of the sponsor of the exhibition) and we began our itinerary, which started from Bowie's childhood.
The first two rooms introduced London's social background in the 40s - 50s, the early years of the artist, his inspirations, the first bands, the choice of his stage name, in short: the path which led David Robert Jones to David Bowie.
Entering a third room, our audio guide started to play the notes of Space Oddity, we were in front of a monitor displaying a video with images of the moon: we had just left the Earth too and we would not have come back, at least for the following sixty minutes. We visited room after room, travelling across four decades through the artistic footprints indelibly left in history by Bowie.
One of the strongest point of the exhibition were surely David Bowie's stage clothes, a very reach selection: from Ziggy Stardust's bodysuits and Aladdin Sane clothing (I don't know how long I stood there admiring the white Cloak designed by Yamamoto!), to the sober suits of the Thin White Duke, moreover the Union Jack Coat of Earthling's tour and also the puppets from the video clip of "Where are we now?".
One of my favourite songs by this musician is "Life on Mars?" and I love the video too: it is a true example of "all in the essential". The suit worn by Bowie in this clip was exposed next to a monitor in which the video itself was running: I stared from the video to the suit and backwards over and over again, it seemed to me like it had magically come out from those images, in a space-time journey.
Life on Mars?
Another highly emotional moment was reached when we entered a wide room, with almost no light inside. "Rock 'n' roll Suicide" video started to run, the one taken from Hammersmith Odeon concert in 1973: it was projected on all the four high walls and, according to light variation, we could see either the concert images or some cells in the wall, where mannequins wearing Bowie's clothes were standing. It was like he himself had suddenly appeared. We, audience, stood in the middle, some sat, some standing, but all looking above and singing the song along. I think none of us intended to move from there as long as it had lasted, even all night long if necessary.
There were many more special items, coming directly from Bowie's archive: some music instruments (his saxophone and his guitar!), objects from his best known movies (a personal childhood memory of mine: the crystal ball from Labyrinth!), video interviews from different periods and many "historical" written documents (the letter-exchange -handwritten and signed- between Marlene Dietrich and him!).
The last part of the exhibition was devoted to the Berlin years of David Bowie. Given my deep love for Berlin and the fact that the expo was taking place in this city at the moment, this section was strongly significant and dear to me. There were several documents and photos from Bowie's and Iggy Pop's everyday life , in the Hansa Studios and in the streets of Berlin, between 1976 and 1978.
Moving towards the 80s, we could see some scenes of the movie Christiane F. - We Children from Bahnhof Zoo (in our headphones was playing Helden, the German version of Heroes. Shivers.).
However, it was at the very end, just before leaving the exhibition, that I was touched the most: the last screen was showing a documentary about the concert which was held in 1987 at Platz der Republik, in Berlin. The location was in the former western sector of the city, not far away from the border. The concert could be heard also in the eastern sector of Berlin and people tried to get the nearest possible to the Wall, to hear better and to somehow take part to the moment. Police tried to keep them back. There have been many fights that night. Bowie was aware of that part of his audience, who would have never been able to reach him phisically under the stage and he finished his concert greeting all friends at the other side of the Wall.
I felt a strong sensation, a mix of "artistic and geographic love" and historical involvement. Going out, short afterwards, still being moved by the last images and realizing (I am always distracted from reality at exhibitions) to be Berlin, it was like feeling it on my skin.
If you have the chance, and obviously if you are interested in the topic, I strongly suggest that you visit "David Bowie is", it is really rich and exciting.
I link you here all locations and dates already confirmed: SAVE THE DATE!
Come "promesso," dopo la serata al Q21 mi sono ritirata un po' .
Non ho fatto proprio niente niente, ho finito il mio ritratto di David Bowie, iniziato mesi fa e lasciato da parte per lavorare un po' di più sulle creazioni. Volete vederlo? Non vi aspettate un Picasso eh, sono ancora molto grezza!
Migliorerò... almeno l'intenzione é quella!
Qualche giorno fa una cara amica mi ha chiesto: "Ma tu hai ancora voglia di creare?". Si, ho ancora voglia di creare e, se mi stai leggendo, dovresti continuare a farlo anche tu, perché sei bravissima!!! (finito l'angolo dei messaggi personali ;) ). Non é tanto per l'apprezzamento generale che si riceve (a volte quasi nullo) e neppure per il singolo pezzo che si vende ogni tanto (oh per carità!),é per quella sensazione che si prova nel momento creativo: forte e un po' difficile da spiegare, ci si estrania per un attimo, nel senso più positivo del termine.
E quindi andiamo avanti e vediamo che succede! :)
Ancora una volta vorrei dire grazie a chi mi da supporto e ispirazione: vi voglio bene!!!
As I promised, I've disappeared for a while after the event in Milan.
Well, I haven't been totally inactive. I have completed my David Bowie's portrait, I had begun it months ago, but then I let it aside in order to work harder on the other creations. So, here it is! (right above). It's not exactly a Picasso painting, it's still pretty raw, but I have all intentions to improve!
Some days ago a dear friend of mine asked me: "Are you still willing to create?". Yes, I do, and if you are reading this right now, I just would like you to know that you should go on too, you're so good!!! (ok, end of my private messages ;) ).
It's not worth because of general appreciation (sometimes almost near zero) nor for the single piece that you happen to sell from time to time, it's because of that special feeling that you experience in the creative moment: strong and not so easy to explain, you are out of the world for a while, in the most positive sense of the sentence.
And so I go on on my way and let's see what happens next! :)
Once more I would like to thank those people who support and inspire me: I love you, you know!!!
