surprise!

my ally christine & i visited caixa forum on monday afternoon to check out an islamic art exhibit (YES, mol be). we were wandering around the building after and came across a joseph beuys installation, Hinter dem Knochen wird gazahlt - Schmerzraum (Behind the bone is counted - Pain space). from the writeup:

‘…it refers to the biographies of people or, in other words, the lapse of time between birth and death. Schmerzraum is an interior space that calls for withdrawal, concentration, awareness or a reencounter with oneself. Such knowledge involved loneliness and distress, and the experience of pain. Only on the basis of this tough introspective exercise, of this being alone with oneself, of confronting and accepting oneself, and of this renewal, is it possible to open oneself up to the exterior, to others, and to become part of a social body.’

thank you, senor beuys.

mercat de encants: the hunt begins

the massive outdoor flea market at encants market just south of the gracia neighborhood is a treasure trove of vinyl trinkets. one euro per record! or less if your bartering skills are sharper than mine. last weeks find: super discoteque. “la quinta de beethoven” and “salsoul hustle.” que mas necesitas en la vida?

the elusive vilanova del cami

home of: 12,428 humans, a leather factory, foreboding shark posters

catalunya still is not espana

BUENAAAS.

ive been slacking in keeping up to pace with this business, however! i must say that a lot of the past month has been organizing, reorganizing, figuring out logistics, emotions covering the spectrum between crisis to loneliness to happiness to contentment. in other words, moving to a foreign country has its challenges.

ive been in barcelona for more than a month now. i live in l’eixample district, a residential area. my flat is right between placa espanya and placa catalunya, the old center of the city. i’m teaching in a grade school in vilanova del cami, a small town in central catalunya. i work mostly with the fifth and sixth grade English classrooms. i have to keep it from the ninos that i speak spanish, so i look like an anglo extraterrestrial most of the time. its amusing on both ends. the kids are starting to make attemps at english poco a poco, so we’ll see where theyre at after a few more months of this business. ive been shooting on friday nights at raum club barcelona to make some extra cash, has been a great opportunity to see some international djs that come through. last week’s set by matthias tanzmann & martinez was la bomba.

now that basics are sorted out a bit more, have been doing some planning—

• girona saturday! festival city.

• san fernando & cadiz from november 7-10 to visit the neile, really looking forward to seeing the lovely amiga and getting a bit of sol. i love andalucia.

• stacky visits! end of november, just in time for thanksgiving. we will celebrate that fine holiday in the most patriotic of fashions. might have to head down to the boqueria for a delicious beast to cook.

• traveling back to the states at the end of december to spend the holidays with family & friends. i want to see you, and you, and you!

• colibri fundraiser: december time. lina & i have been working to organize a fundraiser to benefit ANFASEP, a human rights NGO in ayacucho, peru. details to come!

im realizing that a month is a lot to cover in one post, but i am happy to report that i am alive and well. missing everyone at home!

un abrazo a la distancia–

Tags: buenas, overdue, travel

cross-continental

raum club barcelona opened its first of weekly friday night parties on october 2nd. sets by luciano and c-more. happy to have the opportunity to shoot here in beautiful barcelona!

full set posted on flickr.

Tags: bona barcelona, colores, luciano, minimalismo, musica en vivo, raum club