Travels with Zen-Aida » Culture

Croatia: Dubrovnik, the pearl of the Adriatic

zda — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 13:54:43 +0000

If you are in a hurry, you can see Dubrovnik in 30 minutes and check it off your UNESCO World Heritage sites on top of that. That’s how long it takes to walk at a leisurely pace the 400 meters of its main street, the Stradun, from the Pile to the Ploce city gates - the two entrances to this charming, entirely walled city dating back to the ancient Greeks. But you would be missing so much!

Nowadays, visitors can enjoy the splendid Rector’s Palace while listening to a concert in its beautiful atrium, or walk along the top of the city walls with gorgeous panoramic views over the sea and little islands ... but please, do yourself a favour and do not come during the Summer months. This is when approx. 8,000 and more cruise-ship tourists per day (!) tromp through – think of rush hour at Grand Central Station in New York or the Ginza in Tokyo – in easily 30+ degree blazing sunshine and you get the idea.

Dubrovnik’s fascinating history goes hand in hand with the ebb and flow of the sea and the many peoples who wanted to control the natural port. Illyrians, Ostrogoths, Turks, Venetians – even Napoleon wanted to own this strategic location. But it has kept its own identity over the ages.

Dubrovnik was an independet republic – called Ragusa at the time - since the 13^th century. It codified Roman laws and local customs and was considered very advanced for its time: it introduced medical services for its population in 1301, established a pharmacy (still in operation to this day) in 1317, abolished slavery in 1418 and built a 20 kilometer water supply system in 1436. Through its strong fleet, diplomatic ties and apt trading, Ragusa was one of the richest city states of the Adriatic.

More recently, in the mid 1990s, during the Homeland wars after the collapse of Yugoslavia, the siege of Dubrovnik by the Serbs has left many wounds that have not yet fully healed. The new red-tiled roofs over most of Dubrovnik attest to the vast damage of the attacks. But it is easier to put on a new roof than to heal a heart. Thus it is to be seen as a gesture of reconciliation through music and culture that the Belgrade Philharmonic, under the baton of the world famous conductor Zubin Mehta, will perform for the first time in Croatia since those belligerent times on August 27, 2011, as guests of the Julian Rachlin & Friends Festival. Surely it is not a coincidence that Mo. Mehta chose the lovely duett “La ci darem la mano” – “Give me your hand” - from Mozart’s opera “Don Giovanni” to mark this occasion, to be performed by a Croatian soprano and Serbian baritone.

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Estonia: a frightening experience in Tallinn’s KUMU museum

zda — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 16:35:22 +0000

The KUMU contemporary art museum in Tallinn, Estonia, is one of those iconic buildings you don’t forget: clean lines, generous spaces, windows that catch as much light as possible. No wonder Finnish architect Pekka Vapaavuori’s design won the prestigious European Museum of the Year Award in 2008. So whenever I visit Tallinn, I always make a point of visiting the KUMU.

As part of this year’s European Capital of Culture program, I was especially intrigued with the “Gateways – Art & Network Culture” exhibit (until September 15, 2011, with the support of the Goethe-Institut). But I had no idea I would be frightened by some of the exhibits I saw: Not frightened in the sense of fear of my life, but in the sense of being met face to face with digital realities of today. Of course I use the internet, can’t think of life without it. Of course I am “careful” and think that I adhere to safety and privacy rules, but after seeing these exhibits, I realized that privacy as we knew it back in the 70s or even 80s is long gone. Big Brother is here to stay. Let me explain by describing the one “artwork” that really did it for me, and I quote its creator and artist, the Estonian Timo Toots:

“Memopol-II (click on the link for a virtual tour) is a social machine that maps the visitor’s information field. By inserting an identification document such as a national ID card or EU passport into the machine, it starts collecting information about the visitor from (inter)national databases and the Internet. The data is then visualized on a large‐scale custom display. The collection panel also shows the portraits of the visitors from their ID card.

The Cyrillic spelling of the installation’s name refers to George Orwell's concept of Big Brother from his 1949 dystopian novel 1984. Over the past decades, technological means have transformed the surveillance of society. When surfing on the Internet, paying with an ATM card, or using an ID card, people leave their digital traces everywhere. Internet and social networks gather and provide a great deal of personal information, and a person’s profile is no longer constituted by his or her physical being alone, but also by the person’s digital information, over which he or she sometimes has little control. Background checks through Internet search engines and social network sites have become routine when we meet somebody new or apply for a job. Memopol-II enables us to make a thorough background check of ourselves, mirroring back to us all the data about us that is accessible via the Internet.

Estonia is well ahead of other countries in governmental data collecting, storing citizen information online and making it accessible to different degrees to an individual person and to government agencies. It is a convenient means for electronic identification and for making various transactions by inserting it in to the different ID‐card readers. The harmless looking electronic card readers seldom bring to mind thoughts about malevolent third parties who might have unauthorized access to the protected information. By means of Memopol-II, Timo Toots tests either our trust or paranoia toward the machines that read the information.” A German friend of mine introduced his German driver’s licence into the Memopol. While not all the fields came up with information, it was astonishing that his Facebook connections and University records came up, along with basic information such as age, address, etc. Most surprising and disturbing: his projected date of death (using statistical averages for males of his age and country of origin). He was not pleased – he had 23 years to beat the odds.

Moving right along, there was the lovely digital Miss Maya Brush, a “homo virtualis”, a digital sculpture, right down to her virtual DNA, born February 4, 2011, the product of German artist Kirsten Geisler. Her pose and features are reminiscent of Botticelli’s Venus. Maya has a Facebook page and, to date, almost 900 fans: a fictional character who has stepped out of her digital world to interact with the media.

The artists Spanish Clara Boj and Diego Diaz have created the installation “Observatorio”, which visualizes the increasing density of wireless networks in urban spaces. In this case, wireless networks are registered within a ten-kilometer radius around the Kumu Art Museum and will be realized as a real-time projection in the museum. The otherwise invisible stream of communication is made visible. And it turns out to be very dense. Just because we don’t see something, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

On the lighter side, there is “Real Snail Mail”, where real snails are outfitted with an RFID chip containing a message. Should the snail come close to an RFID reader, the message is sent. It is up to chance and to the appetite of the snail if it wants to eat the salad leaf on the reader and thus have the mail sent. A subtle bit of whimsy by the British group boredomresearch.

A visit to KUMU is always worth it, you never know what you may find. And if for no other reason, a visit to the room with the “chatting heads” is always fun!

Japan: Adachi Museum of Art near Matsue

zda — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 16:51:37 +0000

The Adachi Museum is one of those pearls you find in the Japanese countryside. Easily reachable from Matsue, it is certainly worth a visit if you are interested in Japanese gardens and art, in that order.

Founded in 1980 by Adachi Zenko, a self-made merchant millionaire, garden and art lover as well as philosopher, Adachi Zenko started collecting Japanese art as soon as he could afford to. Today, the museum has the most important collection of Yokoyama Taikan’s paintings, as well as paintings by about 30 artists such as Sakakibara Shiho, Tomioka Tessai, Uemura Shoen and Terashima Shimei. There is also a charming section of art for children by six popular artists illustrating stories and fables.

But the main attraction is the garden. In true Japanese fashion, this is a landscape garden, where every stone, every bush and even the angle of the tree planting has been given detailed thought. One of the gardens has a planting of pines that would be bent by the wind in a natural setting. So, too, here in the protected garden. As a counterpoint to the sharp pine needles, the ground cover is soft moss.

The garden has been voted Japan’s best garden by the American Journal for Japanese Gardens for eight years running (2003-2008). Most of it can only be viewed through large panorama windows or, at best, from enclosed outdoor areas. An excellent place for contemplation and meditation, if it weren’t for the many visitors!

Japan: Otaru’s lights and lanterns

zda — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 13:52:09 +0000

Once a flourishing port specializing in the herring trade, Otaru, on Hokkaido’s west coast and about an hour’s train ride from Sapporo, has found out that the tourist trade is far more profitable these days. Since Otaru has a picturesque canal lined with old warehouses, why not make an “Illuminated Night Path” with lanterns on the canal and candle-lit ice containers along the walk and have it take place the same week as Sapporo’s Snow Festival?

Add to it a burgeoning – mostly miniatures and beads - glass industry, local delicacies and good marketing and presto! A festival is born. I found the Illuminated Night Path far more charming and intimate than the big sponsored works in Sapporo. In Otaru, a bevy of volunteers made sure that all the candles were lit, the lanterns straight, were helpful with taking pictures and giving explanations, saw to it that each child got a chance at the snow-tube slide.

And it boasts one genuine contender for the Guinness Book of Records: the biggest and freshest cream puff ever! A whooping 15-18 cm in diameter, filled with delicious, not-too-sweet custard cream made with wholesome Hokkaido milk. A steal at 550 Yen (approx. $ 7, Euro 5). And oh yes, king crabs, hairy crabs, scallops, salmon, oysters and all kinds of fish I don’t even know the name of in all manner of preparation: dried, smoked, fresh, grilled. From the samples I tasted, all very “oichi oichi” (tell that to any Japanese cook and he/she will beam).

Japan: Sapporo’s 62nd Snow Festival

zda — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 13:20:12 +0000

What started out 62 years ago as a school boy fun pastime is now a full fledged Snow and Ice Festival in Sapporo, Japan during early February every year. Innocent snowmen with button eyes, a carrot nose and a shawl belong to the past. Now there is corporate sponsorship for monumental structures, intricately carved, fancifully lit at night and attracting about 2 million visitors to the city. The two main sites – Odori Park and Susukino Street – are a hub of activity for weeks before hand. After all, it takes tons of compacted snow and hundreds of hours to form and carve these pieces.

Hokkaido Tourism, for example, sponsored a complex snow sculpture depicting local fauna, including a life-like Blakistone fish owl and an Ezo red fox and her kits. Both these animals have come to symbolize the island of Hokkaido and its still largely pristine natural environment.

Because 2012 marks the 40^th anniversary of normalization between Japan and China, a half-size scale construction of the Temple of Heaven occupied a very central position.

And then there was the almost full size Hiunkaku of Hongwanji Temple in Kyoto. This building is considered a national treasure. The snow structure was produced by Hokkaido Television Broadcasting Co., the 18^th Infantry Regiment, 11^th Tank Batallion, 11^th Engineer Company and the 11^th Signal Company of the 11^th Division of the Ground Self-Defense Force – I am not making this up, these are the official credits! You can judge the scale of the building by the attendant fixing one of the lights.

Japan: Incense as a game

zda — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 12:40:58 +0000

Does incense bring up memories of flower power dresses and, hey man, being sooo laid back in groovy psychedelic pads? Or of the strict rites of the Catholic Church and young altar server swaying the thurible to the monotonous rhythm of the priest’s lithurgy? Not so in Japan.

From about the 14th century onwards, a culture developed based on the use of fragrances because of their calming effect on the senses and refreshing the spririt. In particular, aromatic woods were burned, singularly and in combination. Pastimes were created based on the enjoyment of incense. The utensils used for these pastimes were often intricately fashioned and carved.

A popular pastime was “Kumiko”, a game based on guessing which aromatics were being burned and in what combination. The game used figures which were playful in appearance, often dolls, everyday items or flowers. This involved not only the simple burning of fragrant woods and resins, but also moving intricately carved figurines and accessories on a board according to the game’s rules, depending on the players guessing the incense combinations correctly and determining the winner. Thus “Kumiko” game sets came to be delicate miniature models.

The lacquered stand with its criss-cross sticks was used to drape textiles over it, while the box underneath held the incense and thus the cloth absorbed the fragrance.

The pictures were taken at a special exhibit of the Tokyo National Museum.

It certainly sounds like sophisticated games that involved all the senses! Maybe it is time for a revival?

Japan: Tokyo National Museum

zda — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 01:31:09 +0000

The Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park is housed in an impressive building from the early 1930’s featuring elements of what is called the “emperor’s crown style” – a mix of Western Art Deco and Eastern sweeping forms. Two stories of well displayed and lit materials, with plenty of opportunities for resting, this museum was a pleasure to visit. Although the collection is made up of more than 87,000 items, thus making it the largest museum of Japan, only a selected number of items is always on display, never overwhelming visitors.

A few steps away is the Gallery of Horyuji Treasures, which consist of over 300 valuable objects, mainly bronze Buddhist statuettes from Nara from the 7th - 8th century, donated to the Imperial Household by Horyuji Temple in 1878. The Gallery, designed by Yoshio Taniguchi, is a beautiful example of understated, clean-lined architecture, perfect for displaying often very ornate artwork.

Japan: Tokyo Bird Carver’s Club

zda — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 23:10:48 +0000

Ornithologists are a breed apart. And ornithologists who are also wood carvers surely form a distinct sub-category. In Tokyo, the “Bird Carver's Club” exhibited its masterpieces at the Shinjuku-gyoen Garden. And masterworks they were: from the right proportions to the distinctive details of each species, each piece was astonishingly life-like. The hours of study, contemplation and handiwork that went into every little sculpture can only be guessed at and admired.

Nice: Where queens and artists meet

zda — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 16:07:54 +0000

Have you ever wondered where Queen Victoria went on vacation? Well, starting in 1882, she often travelled with her entourage of over one hundred persons to the French Riviera. Menton and Nice became favorite spots. And, of course, a Queen does not just stay anywhere. So, way up the hill in Nice, the Excelsior Hotel Régina was built with her needs in mind. That was the Belle Époque era of palace-like structures, grand entrance halls and magnificent staircases, turrets and wrought iron balconies! Today the imposing building has been turned into prime property condominiums.

Close by is the Henri Matisse Museum and not far from it is the Cimiez cemetery where he is buried (and the French Fauvist painter Raoul Dufy, also). Unfortunately, the museum shows few of the spectacular paintings Matisse is known for, just some of his early works and later cutouts.

More interesting is the Marc Chagall Museum, also in the same neighborhood. Officially called the “National biblical messages Marc Chagall museum” it is the home for the cycle of paintings based on the Old Testament “Song of Songs”, which he created between 1960 and 1966.

The third museum in the area won me over the minute we walked in – a real live cat was sitting on a bench and keeping an eye out on things: the Museum of Naïve Art Anatole Jakovsky, the art critic and collector whose perseverance was largely responsible for Naïve Art gaining respectability. The collection even includes a portrait of the most famous of naïve artists, Henri Rousseau.

Denmark: The taming of Freetown Christiania

zda — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 21:53:03 +0000

Walking through the famous “Freetown Christiania” on a wet November afternoon in Copenhagen was anticlimactic. Here we were in the self-declared autonomous neighborhood that had caused such an uproar because it pronounced itself outside of the law in the early 70s, where cannabis was and still is freely available for sale, the epitomy of living in sin. And what is my fist impression? An art loving, free-living community where mothers on tricycles (two wheels in front) push their children to kindergarten, architects and do-it-yourselfers live out their design creations without bureaucratic constraints, recycling of clothes and goods is a way of life, organic fruit and vegetables the norm, the crime rate so low it is practically nonexistent. I wouldn’t mind living here myself!

Prime property by any urban standards, this ex-military compound of 34 hectares is now home to about 800-900 residents. There is a waiting list to get in. it has its own stores and primary schools, a movie house that doubles as community meeting hall – even an official multi-lingual spokesman who handles all press enquiries. The many visitors walk across the “Children’s meadow” to the “Arch of peace” via the “Cosmic flower” area and have made Christiania rank in the top 5 places to visit in Copenhagen.

But it was not always so congenial. After the military moved out, the barracks were abandoned and the area became derelict. In the early 70s, there was an acute shortage of affordable housing in Copenhagen. Some homeless moved into the barracks, some fences broken down and children started playing in the empty fields. On September 26, 1971, an article by a well known journalist bore the headline “Civilians conquered the ‘forbidden city’ of the military”. Soon, Christiania became synonymous with the hippie movement, free love and drugs. It was to be a long road of controversy and polemics with the authorities, until a compromise with the city ended in special legal status and the Christiania Law of 1989. This is not to say that it is now a land of milk and honey, but all the residents are encouraged to have their say at the common meetings. Should there be a particularly sticky problem, it is discussed at a “women’s meeting” – because women usually find a solution and the men end up listening to them.

Nowadays, the main entrance leads the visitor straight through “Pusher Street” (no photos, please), where cannabis is sold openly, but hard drugs are forbidden. Should a dealer break this law, he is run out of the compound – naked. Beyond this infamous street lie unexpected delights such as an excellent vegetarian restaurant (reservations strongly recommended), popular jazz club, radio station, newspaper, its own currency (the Løn) and even a souvenir shop. So much for the “wild” hippie movement!