Musee de Bande Dessinee

Yesterday I went to the famous Comic Book Museum in Brussels which is situated in a building designed by Victor Horta. It is actually quite suprising that I have never visited this museum before given that (a) I have been in Brussels for quite a long time and (b) as a child I loved comic books.

The building was breath-taking. It is one of Horta's last semi-industrial buildings preserved in Brussels and was once a shopping gallery. It is situated quite close to Nue Nueve and is thus very easy to access. The exhibition itself featured a brief history of comics with hieroglyphs, engravings and other mediums proposed as early examples. There was also a section on the process of sketching panels and crafting an engaging storyline. In Belgium a section relating to Tin-Tin is mandatory at any comic book related activity and this museum was no exception. This part of the museumm included an illustration on all the characters such as Snowy, Captain Hadock and Professor Calculus featured in different issues of the adventure series. Captain Haddock appeared as early as 1942 in the publication! The curator seemed to suggest that Tin-Tin's success is a result of his expressionless face onto which reader's can project themselves, a sort of "everyman".. kind of like Bella Swan fromTwilight then without the sparkly vampire thing. I jest. Captain Haddock is completely at the other end of the spectrum with a face brimming with emotion which provides a perfect balance to the beloved red-haired journalist. Fianlly, DuPont and DuPond, (Thompson and Thomson in the US) who were modelled on Herge's father and Uncle, act to relieve tension from the main "race" sequence.

The whole experience remided me of my first ever cartoon which I designed at the tender age of 7. The details are not too clear but I know that it featured three clowns and the punch line related to a bag of poop, which my mother promptly had me change to liquorice!

A bientot,
Niamh

Paris for a Day

Last weekend I decided to take advantage of living on mainland Europe and embarked on a spontaneous day-trip to Paris. I spent my morning viewing wonderful impressionist paintings in the Musee d'Orsay. In the evening I went to the Saint Michel area to soak up the dynamic atmosphere and enjoy some Tunisian pastries. I also paid a visit to the English language book shop "Abbey Books" run by an eccentrc American who I imagine closely resembles a young Hemingway during his time in the city of love. Since I have recently finished "A Moveable Feast", a book about the Jazz Age in Paris I paid a visit to Sylia Beach's Shakespeare and Company. The shop was filled with all the excellent beautifully bound books I had expected.. as well as the anticipated masses of pretension. My favourite part was the cashier exclaiming how common it was to sell two copies of Ulysses in a row. I wonder how many people buy the accompanying audio tape!

A bientot,

Niamh

Cake and Books

Today, in protest to the awful weather I decided to barracade myself in doors for the first time in a long time. While this might seem like a regular occurence for someone who lives in a regular home, I can assure you that it is quite a commitment for any person living in a one room studio. Nevertheless, equipped with my Kindle, Jazz Age novels and ingredients for baking I forged out a pretty awesome day in my little appartment.

I made myself a plum torte cake from Smitten Kitchen which aside from tasting heavenly is quite an aesthetically pleasing bit of pastry! This is particularly true when the plum juices seep into the sponge and leave a fresh red imprint.

I read "This Side of Paradise" by F Scott Fitzgerald and "A Moveable Feast" by Hemingway. The latter is a posthumously pubished work by Hemingway of his time in Paris with Gertrude Stein and members of the Lost Generation. It reminded me of the pleasures of simply enjoying good food and drink in cafes. Something which I rarely indulge in when out by myself. It is always refreshing to see someone with such high intellectual prowess devote pages to describing meals- it shows that they are truly alive. Fitzgerald, who features in Hemingway's book, wrote "This Side of Paradise" as his first novel inspired by incidents in his own life- in particular his romance with Zelda before they were married. The protaganist reminds me strongly of Holden Caulfield- two young men lost in the upper echelons of society, both too aware of themselves and too intelligent to accept fully imersing themselves in it.

A bientot,
Niamh

Walter Sweenan at the Wiels

Yesterday I went to the Wiels Arts Centre in Brussels to check out the annual exhibition featuring Walter Sweenan's work. Sweenan is an artist who follows the surrealist tradition of Belgian painters. However, his art is significantly less coherent than other artists such as Magritte or Delvaux- much of it apears as scribbles and blotches of colour. Sweenan is obviously very intelligent with subtle allusions to science and other concepts in his work. His bilingual upbringing (parents were Dutch speaking but raised him in French, a rather bipartisan act) also features in his work. I mostly enjoyed his doodles which were like a stream of conciousness rather than the grand pictures mounted on the walls. It was nevertheless worthwhile and some of his pictures demonstrated a very good sense of humour!

Upstairs another exhibit of animal scupltures crafted from soil and mud by a Kosovo artist, Petrit Halilaj. His work was truly wonderful at exemplifying the character of each animal through posing and facial expression. It reminded me of the great examples of taxidermy I have seen in the London Natural History museum! Halila also has a sense of humour with one piece consisting of a small owl perched below a ill-intended eagle.

Finally, the Wiels building was very nice. I was particularly impressed after a visit to their well stocked book shop and wholesome cafe!

A bientot,
Niamh

Fotofever

Last Sunday I went to Fotofever in Brussels. The event was held in the Tour and Taxi- a beautiful building which hosts many prestigious event but which is situated in an area with a rather deprived part of town. I attended the event with my friend who has a very conventional sense of beauty. It was interesting to see her negative reaction towards somber pictures of the cityscape. My personal opinion is that these pictures are beautiful because they remind you that routine sights in your life can be perceived very differently by people seeing them for the first time. Everyday objects have a history and character associated with them which makes them intriguing. I would prefer to look at an ugly something than a beautiful nothing. My friend completely disagrees and it was very interesting to see such a difference in aesthetics. Her reaction to conventional beauty was overwhelming- even mood enhancing! We both agreed that the ironically staged photos and humorously garish ones were quite good. At least we agreed on something!

Returning from the exhibition to my friend’s home nearby, we noticed an abundance of chic art galleries and modern-design furniture stores.  An investment in infrastructure was also clear in the area with new tram lines being built (and abruptly ending- oh Belgium!). It was my first time witnessing the gentrification process, which frequently occurs in cities like New York, in action. It must be an even stranger event for the people who live there. But then that is the nature of things- they change!

A bientot,

Niamh

Warhol, Pop Art and Belgian Towns

Last weekend I climbed aboard a train for the first time in quite a long time and headed to the city of Mons. The city itself is famous for its festival including a dragon slaying event called "Ducasse de Mons". However, the purpose of my journey was to see the new Andy Warhol exhibitions being held in the Arts centre- a showcase of the artist’s oeuvres which has been on display across the globe (more on the actual exhibition later). While there I took in some of the more grand aspects of the town which, as usual, were the town hall and cathedral. I also noticed the shabby conditions, as usual, of the footpath of this Belgian town! Finally, I stopped at the market for a tutorial on vegetable carvings and a cheeky speculoos cookie made by a chef from Harrod’s of London. 

The Warhol Exhibition encapsulated Warhol's primary concerns in life which were materialism, celebrity and death. Warhol mass produced his work using a printing process with such vivid colours that the appearance reminds on of a digital image. Perhaps these were the colours used by Van Gogh before they faded over time! I was quite surpised to see a portait of the famous Belgian surrelaist painter Delvaux amongst the faces of movie stars and other popular culture icon. However, on reflection this is not so suprising given their mutual preoccupation with death. Upstairs an installation with giant balloons being blown around by industrial size fans in an attempt to mimic clouds added to off-beat feeling of the exhibit. A short movie with Warhol intercting with Steven Speilsburg was screened nearby which was quite interesting.

Yet another Town Hall

Broken Roads

Chaplin sweeping the rice from the Cathedral steps after a wedding

A bientot,

Niamh

Les Fetes Romanes

This weekend the quiet suburb of Woluwe hosted a Graffiti and Street Performance Art festival. The two days included multiple acts, craft stands and Belgian food. A huge cirucuit was erected for a rope dancing preformance where performers suspended themselves from cord simply by their own strength. Next was a troop of jugglers who entertained the crowd with velcro costumes and lots of energy. A local artist drew pictures of children attending the event on the windows of the Wolubilis and a robot drew pictures on the ground with chalk for the same children to fill with coloured sand. Finally, an urban performance group drew pictures of a city-scape in black tape while dancing. During the final performance I sat next to a deaf family. The performanc was very sporadic and off-the-wall with no context for some of the dance moves etc. It struck me that deaf people probably have a similar experience of life at times in that they miss out on the context because of their hearing impairment. It must sometimes be a very surreal and scary world because of this at times!

The festival was amazing. I continue to be amazed by all the things there are to do in this sleepy suburb! 

A bientot,
Niamh