Category: Ljubljana
Riot Center
Sometimes you just gotta love kids who climb railroad bridges with cans of spray paint. This pic even inspired a very short video which you can find below and watch when you’ve got 44 seconds to spare. That in turn – and this is the best part – led to several hours acquainting myself with the soundscapes created by Sol Rezza.
From her bio on the Free Music Archive:
Sol Rezza (born April 7th 1982, Buenos Aires, Argentina) is a sound artist, sound designer and sound jockey focused on the transformation of soundscapes into strange sound narratives. Her works are developed from field recordings of her own, sound objects from nature recorded by the artist, vocal experimentation and computer generated virtual instruments used as sound modulators. Her pieces are noted for their unconventional way of working, achieving unique sound textures for each of her compositions through the layer modification of previously recorded sounds. The narrative and the constant play with the symbols of language is a fundamental point throughout his work.
I used about 40 seconds from her piece, Revolution as a Loop, from her album Spit. Check out the whole thing. Parts of it made my couch spin. And that hasn’t happened in a while. Excellent stuff.
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Shooting in the Rain
It was a rainy day and a Monday too, but that didn’t bring me down. At all. A post in a FB group reminded me that I hadn’t yet finished Traces of a Friendship: Alberto Giacometti, a biography of the sculptor that I bought more than two years ago. And I made time for that. I’m nearly done.
And I also made time to watch and enjoy Neil Gaiman’s 10 tips for working in the arts to graduates of The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. It’s an amazingly entertaining 19 minutes. Maybe because Gaiman never went to college makes this one of the finest commencement addresses I’ve ever heard.
And I also made some time to go out and shoot a bit in the rain. The one above was shoot from the roof – even in the rain, cyclists in Ljubljana are ridiculously law-abiding, aren’t they? This one is from the roof as well and the third at Ljubljana’s central Preseren Square. I wasn’t on my bike. I prefer long rainy walks. Don’t you?
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Twelve Photo Tour of Ljubljana’s Museum of Contemporary Art
Here’s a dozen shots of the Museum of Contemporary Art taken over the rainy weekend when I decided that Ljubljana’s newest museum would become the chief beneficiary in my will.
I don’t remember the exact moment that I reached that decision, only that I felt perfectly at peace after I did. I don’t plan to die anytime soon, nor do I plan to have much to leave when I do. But it’s still good to know where whatever is left will be going. Why here?
I like the space. I enjoy its feel and the attitude it conveys. Its setting, in Ljubljana’s newish museum quarter bordering on the Metelkova City alternative space, is energizing, albeit in a subdued, measured way. And I like its presentation – an understated confidence which suggests that what is on exhibit and housed there is worthy of your time and attention, further exploration, and yes, even a financial investment.
by Romanian artist Dan Perjovschi
MSUM (Muzej sodobne umetnosti Metelkova) finally opened its doors last November, an opening that attracted the attention of even the New York Times. That a new home for Eastern European avante-garde art is housed in a former Yugoslav army barracks that was (at least in part) saved from the wrecking ball by squatters shortly after independence, adds to its lore.
It’s major claim to fame is that it’s the home base for Arteast 2000+, the world’s oldest collection of Eastern European avante-garde art from the 1960s to the present. Slovenia’s Museum of Modern Art (Moderna Galerija) began amassing the works in the 1990s but quickly ran out of room. The Ministry of Culture gave the Moderna another building which eventually became MSUM.
Now Showing
But having a building allotted by the ministry –one that no longer exists by the way– didn’t come with a blank check. Or any check. Which is forcing MSUM to improvise. And recycle. Currently showing is The Present and Presence – Repetition 1 (through 28-October), an expansion exhibit of the first installation that opened the museum last fall. A five-point list of reasons behind Repetition 1 is also part of the exhibit:
- A little more here on a previous Piran Cafe post
- The Museum’s website is here
- And here’s a longer and extremely fascinating read – The Metelkova Case: From Army Barracks to Museum of Contemporary Art, from Manitesta Journal: Around curatorial practices
MSUM – Maistrova 3 (Map)
Open Tuesday through Sunday 10 am till 6 pm.
Closed on Mondays, + 1 January, 27 April, 1 May, 15 August, 1 November and 25 December.
adults: 5.00 eur
students, pensioners: 2.50 eur
groups (adults): 3.50 eur
groups (students, pensioners): 2.00 eur
families: 6.00 eur
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Massive Caterpillar Web, Straight From a Bad Movie
Spotted this today during a bike ride in the hills just east of Ljubljana. It was massive. And looked like it was gradually working its way towards the city. I’m assuming it was made by caterpillars, but I’m not entirely sure. Anyone know?
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Tivoli Park Trio – Three Snaps From Ljubljana’s Central Park
These were taken with my somewhat crappy Nokia mobile phone yesterday at Tivoli Park, giving you a general idea of what the center of Ljubljana looks like as seen from the west. I purposely left home without my camera, throwing books in my pack instead. That didn’t keep me from snapping photos.
I don’t think the park is quite central in a purely geographic sense, but Tivoli has certainly become central to my life here over the past few years. It’s an amazing resource than lots of people here simply take for granted. Bad, bad, bad. But not this guy below who appears to have nearly mastered the art of camouflage.
These mark the 45th straight day I’ve posted at least one daily pic from Slovenia’s capital, part of a project that began back in January 2007. And I need to take a break. So I’m going to. 
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Salamiad 2012
Today’s LJ Pic of the Day is another call to action if you happen to be in Ljubljana tomorrow (Saturday 5 May), happen to not have afternoon plans, and happen to not be a vegetarian.
It’s the Salamijada 2012, in the village of Dvor pri Polhovem Gradcu, just west of Ljubljana, sponsored by the Vetrnik Tourist Association (Turistično Društvo Vetrnik). It’s a very pretty area and just about a 30-40 minutes bike ride west of the center.
Links (Slovenian only): [TD Vetrnik] [Salamijada] [Map Link]
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McCurry in Ljubljana, Thru June 17
There won’t be too many of you who won’t recognize this iconic photo taken by Steve McCurry, whose work will be on exhibit at Ljubljana Castle through June 17.
McCurry popped into town today for tonight’s official opening, hosted by Slovenian President Danilo Turk. A facebook friend was kind enough to send me an invitation, but a late hour work-related boondoggle came up and kept me away. Call me Cinderfella. At least I’ve got the next month-and-a-half to make it up castle hill to check it out. If you’re in Ljubljana between now and mid-June, you should too.
More on the exhibit on the castle website. Admission 10 €.
Related articles
- Famed Photographer Steve McCurry Launches New Online Presence That Showcases Thousands of His Images (prweb.com)
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LJ Pic of the Day
This is another shot of one of my favorite sculptures in Ljubljana, a memorial at Žale Cemetery for civilians killed during the German occupation of Ljubljana during the second World War.
I posted another of the same sculpture about a year-and-a-half ago and another four years before that, during the first week of the LJ Pic a Day chore, back in January 2007. It’s a very sobering monument, one I never tire of looking at.
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LJ Pic of the Day Hits 40, International Museum Day Reminder
Considering it took me more than five years to manage a period of 40 (!) straight LJ Pic of Day postings, it’s no wonder that this otherwise subdued dude, permanently stationed in front of the Museum of Modern Art, is shouting the news to anyone who’ll listen.
Which reminds me: Friday 18 May is International Museum Day, and all museums and galleries in Ljubljana will be participating as well, offering free admission, special workshops, lectures, and more. Here’s a good starting point for a museum directory. Ljubljana in Your Pocket has a very good, continually update culture and events listing with plenty of museum, gallery and exhibit links.
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Reflecting..
.. on precisely what it means that I’ve managed to post a daily photo from Ljubljana for a record 39th straight day. When I figure it out, I’ll let you know.
