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2010 Venice Biennale architecture: People meet in architecture

txt: Venice Biennale Architecture www.labiennale.org

On May 3rd, the President of the Venice Biennale, Paolo Baratta, and the Director of the Architecture section, Kazuyo Sejima, presented the 12th International Architecture Exhibition, titled People meet in architecture, that will run in Venice 29th August to 21st November 2010 (Preview on 26-27-28 Aug).
Two major projects will be developed for the 12th Exhibition: the Architecture Saturdays (a series of conversations, performances and weekly discussions with architects and critics) and the greater involvement of the Universities (educational opportunities for students)

txt: Statement of the President of La Biennale di Venezia, Paolo Baratta

A philosopher would say that the Exhibition is just a device for aesthetic education, aiming at making one’s spirit to “go beyond” by letting the visitor widen the perspectives of his own actions and thoughts, and leading him towards a more courageous consideration of the potential, we have to effectively shape the space where we live.

img: PEOPLE MEET IN ARCHITECTURE – Toyo Ito & Associates

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Venice, cicheti, bacaro, spritz, ombra. Happy valentine’s day!

txt: Cicchetti and Spritz From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cicchetti (pronounced chi-KET-tee) are small snacks or side dishes, typically served in cicchetti bars [bacaro] in Venice, Italy. Common cicchetti include small servings of fish, tiny sandwiches, plates of olives, and very small servings of typical full-course plates. Like Spanish tapas, one can also make a meal of cicchetti by ordering many different plates. Venice’s many cicchetti bars are quite active during the day, as Venetians (and tourists) typically eat cicchetti in the late morning, for lunch, or as afternoon snacks. Cicchetti is usually accompanied by a small glass of white wine, which the locals refer to as an “ombra” (shadow).

The Spritz is a wine-based cocktail commonly served as an aperitif in northern Italy, especially in the Veneto region and surrounding areas. The drink is prepared with white wine or Prosecco wine, a dash of some bitter liqueur such as Aperol, Campari, Select or Cynar. The glass is then topped off with sparkling mineral water. It is usually served over ice in a lowball glass (or sometimes a martini glass or wine glass) and garnished a slice of orange, or sometimes an olive, depending on the liqueur. The drink originated in Venice while it was part of the Austrian Empire, and is based on the Austrian Spritzer, a combination of equal parts white wine and soda water.

img: A coffee please – oddtag on flickr

A coffee please

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The making of a genius: Antonio Canova

A Possagno c’è la casa e il museo di Antonio Canova. Ci arrivi una domenica pomeriggio, con la figlia che sbuffa perchè vuole andare a fare un giro in centro. E trovi uno dei soliti, a questo punto, miracoli del Veneto.

Una visita guidata del signor Marcello, volontario. Uno spettacolo di passione e competenza gratuita.

In due ore (due) ti fa capire come nasce un genio e come il genio modifica il suo territorio. Ti fa partire dalla cucina – qui siamo nella Giogiosa Marca, a due passi c’è la terra del Prosecco – e da lì ti accompagna stanza dopo stanza a capire come impara, come lavora “Tonin” Canova. Ti parla del nonno che sa lavorare la pietra, del Falier ricco veneziano che lo fa studiare. Storia di persone, di idee, di lavoro, e di un territorio.

E così, io che ero venuto qui a vedere le tre grazie, Amore e Psiche e le altre meraviglie, scopro che Canova e Possagno sono molto di più: sono un modello di come si sviluppa un talento, una idea: Venezia investe sul talento di “Tonin” e Canova che cambia il suo territorio. Ci devo pensare su.

[en] In Possagno there is the home and museum of Antonio Canova. You arrive on a Sunday afternoon, your the daughter snorts because she wants to go for a stroll downtown. And you stumble on one of the usual miracles of this Veneto.
A guided tour of Mr. Marcello, a volunteer. A performance of passion and expertise, for free.
In two hours (two) he makes you understand how a genius was born and how he changes its territory. He leads you from the kitchen – here you are in the Joyful Marca, a few away there is the land of Prosecco – and room by room he makes you understand how “Tonin” Canova learns, how he works. He speaks you about Canova grandfather, who knows how to work the stone, about the rich Venetian Falier who made him study. A story of people, ideas, work, and a territory.
And so, I came here to see the Three Graces, Cupid and Psyche and the other treasures, and I’ve discovered that Canova and Possagno are much more: they are a model of how to develop a talent, an idea: Venice invest in the Tonin’s talent and Canova changes its territory. I need to think about.

link: Museo di Canova – Possagno (TV) – Italia

img: Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss – From Wikipedia

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An adventure of the eye and mind

Nelle osservazioni di Jonathan Jones sul telescopio Hubble come avventura dell’occhio e del pensiero ritrovo un filo con quello che pensavo girando per Venezia questa estate. L’arte contemporanea mi interessa se è un modo di vedere per conoscere. Internet mi interessa se – oltre ad essere aiuto nella vita quotidiana – allarga il pensiero. L’arte contemporanea, internet per sè non mi entusiasmano più. Mi sa che sto invecchiando. Va assolutamente bene così.

txt: Art: the final frontier – guardian.co.uk

The Hubble space telescope has brought about a visual revolution, more significant than any recent work of art in transforming the way we see ourselves and the cosmos. And shouldn’t we be starting to admit that it was more important than Apollo? The moon missions were based on Newtonian science and confirmed a Newtonian model of the universe (planets in orbit, trajectories, everything very mechanical). The Hubble has revealed to the eye a cosmos that is far more poetic, mysterious, and fluid.

Vast Star-Forming Region 30 Doradus
Source: Hubblesite.org

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