Lina V Persson

As intimate and treasured as carrying a few cherished photos in an old tin (and what a lovely tin it is!), that is how the photographs by Lina V Persson come across to me. Intimate, for the atmosphere they exude, and treasured, for they are (often) little moments in time, that once captured, can be saved and returned to for a lifetime and beyond…

Barcelona-based, but originally from Sweden, Lina Persson brings a special sensibility to her work that appeals to me, both in her black and white and colour work. This Friday sees the opening of a solo  exhibit of Lina Persson‘s most recent work at Impossible Project Barcelona (remember them?) so I thought it was as good a time as any to share some of her beautiful images (34 of them, in fact, all in Polaroid format) with you, as well as this lovely video collage:

http://vimeo.com/78419134

If you’re in town (Barcelona, that is), then I recommend you make sure to check out the exhibition, which will be on until December 11th. For more details (and many dreamy photographs), check out Lina’s website or head to Impossible Project Barcelona‘s site, here.

All images © Lina V Persson

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Conversations…

Have you been watching “Orange is the new Black” by any chance? I finished watching the 1st season yesterday (what a finale!), and have been enjoying it immensely! And just when I thought I’d put prison life on the back-burner until the new season starts, I was informed of an exhibit which opens this evening at Fundació Foto Colectania. One that showcases the work of that master of documentary photography, Danny Lyon, and is centered on his “Conversations with the Dead” series, in which he documents the life of Texas prisoners in the late 60’s.

Now I love a good black and white photo, and given how much I have enjoyed the prison themed TV series, I’ll be more than happy to check this exhibit out. It’s on from tomorrow until the 18th of January 2014 (and will be followed by exhibits of other series by Danny Lyon). If you’re in town and into photography, I recommend you head on over to Gràcia and check it out… enjoy!

All photos: Danny Lyon / Magnum Photos, courtesy of Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York

The market is open

Autumn leaves

Metro station Liceu

The last day of September, and after a rather hot week last week, it seems Autumn has come to visit Barcelona again. Leaves are gathering on the ground, leaving barer branches reflected in windows, and balconies are being cleared for cooler weather is coming…

Passeig de Joan de Borbò

Brown leaves, such a symbol of Autumn, aren’t they? There are lots of them around Barcelona, and not only of the natural kind. Just keep your eyes open, and look around you, and you will see!

Carrer Torrent de l’Olla

Leaves carved into panels on wooden doors, or scratched into walls the two-tone sgraffito way…

I forgot where this is…

…as well as forged from iron, and gracing window bars.

Carrer Dagueria

While they haven’t all quite fallen yet, and the sun is shining in the right direction, you can see their beautiful shadows cast on corner walls, like I saw yesterday morning… Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Carrer Tamarit

Blinds with personality

Carrer Llibertad

Happy Friday, everyone! The weekend is here, and I am in the mood for some fun. So how about I leave you with some blinds with personality? Some show cartoon characters, while others feature those well-known from real life or fiction…

Carrer Junta de Comerç

Carrer Plegamans

Carrer Grunyi

Carrer Martinez de la Rosa

Carrer Bailen

Carrer Floridablanca

… and some are just made up for the occasion. In any case, I hope you like them! Have a great weekend!

Carrer Paloma

BCN Handmade: GEBRAT

See this lovely, smiley girl? Her name is Greta Serra, and she was referred to me by one of you, dear readers (thanks, Heather)! Turns out she weaves, by hand, absolutely gorgeous fabrics, with lots of texture and interesting twists and turns (or whatever they are called in weaver’s terminology). And then she uses those wonderful pieces of textile beauty, and turns them into very pretty handbags. Clever stick, isn’t she? Yep, that’s what I thought too, and so I decided she had to be mine. Mine to share with you in today’s BCN Handmade: GEBRAT… enjoy!

In Greta’s own words: I’m from Barcelona, I was born here. And although I have not always lived in this city, this to me means “origin” and “adult” and “warmth” and “asphalt”.

My favourite place in Barcelona is my home, and after that Koy Shunka; I have not gone yet but I’m pretty sure I would like to go often and eat well.

First I started (and finished) studying philosophy. Then I felt the need to do something creative and disciplined with my hands, so I’ve been learning from different teachers and schools, especially techniques related to the textile world.

Knowing these techniques has allowed me to mix them and so I can weave textiles, then cut and sew them according to my own patterns, and combine with leather or other materials. Now I’m pretty focused on clothing accessories, but I also create tapestries and in the past I was quite focused on clothing. From my point of view it is not as important to define what you do (whether bags or clothes or decorations) but how you use your tools.

I will not say everything inspires me, firstly because this statement adds nothing to the world, and secondly because it is simply not true. I am inspired by other people’s daily life, the imagery of rural life and the materials I work with, linen, wool, leather, fur.

Weaving on the loom is without doubt one of the most satisfying parts of my process. The textures appear “rapidly” in front of your eyes and your mind starts to imagine those textures converted into an object, often three-dimensional.

I dream to continue  doing what I love all my life. I also dream of losing my fears / laziness and that my work will always keep evolving. I have hope that all of us – myself included – start to value everyday objects. All the things we have decided to surround ourselves with have the power to influence our identity and actions, for better or for worse.

Thanks Greta, for inviting me to your studio (a corner in her boyfriend’s office) in Sant Cugat, and for showing me the lovely notebooks you make by hand (above), transmitting me your enthusiasm for your craft, and showing me your beautiful pieces of work!

If you’d like to know more about GEBRAT and/or Greta Serra, then please have a look at the GEBRAT website, blog, and Facebook page.

Paula Bonet

Paula Bonet is an artist I have recently ‘discovered’ and since followed avidly. I am in absolute awe of her drawing and colouring skills as well as the range of emotions that she is able to project through her work, which is at times melancholy and at others quite humorous.

I am also impressed with the fact, that her work is frequently used to decorate public spaces, such as this shop (above) in Bergamo, Italy, or (below) at a restaurant in Valencia.

Paula Bonet is not afraid to show her innermost feelings in her illustrations, and with gorgeous results, as you can see in this series (below) in which water features so very prominently (and beautifully).

Check out this video of Paula at work:

If you would like to get your hands on one of Paula’s pretty illustrations, you can either head to this online shop  or this one to buy them online. For more information on Paula’s background, works and the link to her blog (her illustrated diary), check out her website, and to keep up to date on her latest, head to her Facebook page here.

All images are courtesy of Paula Bonet.

Barcelona living – USAME in use

For some time now, I have been wanting to share the work of USAME with you, and so I was delighted that in the past days I saw images  (featured in Spanish magazine Interiores) of their pieces, in use, at the home of one of its founders. Feast your eyes, dear friends!

Using simple and clean lines, USAME‘s Esther López Aguilar and Marisol González Nohra create furniture and other pieces with reclaimed wood, iron and other noble or natural materials, such as sack cloth. Examples of these pieces are the chair and coffee table above, in Esther’s very lovely lounge.

Simple lines are a good choice and work really well in such a beautiful apartment, which has colourful mosaic floors that are so typical in Barcelona modernist buildings.

The lamp in the right-hand corner (above) and the round table (below) are also USAME products. By the way, USAME means “use me”. A name well chosen, wouldn’t you agree?

The original decorative elements in this apartment are stunningly beautiful and were left intact, such as the impressive ceiling in the studio (below) and the mosaic floors throughout the apartment, with the exception of the kitchen and bathrooms, which were completely redone (not shown).

The bedroom is as bright as the rest of Esther’s home and also incorporates pieces by USAME: the head board and the very industrial bedside tables, made with reclaimed scaffolding, galvanised pipe and recycled sack cloth.

If you want to find out more about USAME, then check out their website and Facebook page.

nine and a half years

Hello everyone! Today is a special day. Noooo, not because I’m posting later than ever (sorry about that), but because today it is nine and a half years since I first settled here, in Barcelona. That calls for a bit of a celebration, right? So I thought today I’d share some vintage photographs of some favourite spots with you…

Spots which today look very different indeed, such as the flower stalls on La Rambla de les Flors (where I buy my flowers), the old port (backdrop to my efforts to keep fit) or the Rambla itself. In some cases for the sheer volume of people that populate these places today as opposed to the beginning of last century, and at others, just because they seemed so much more charming then.

At times the contrast between past and present is huge. Such as for example the beach attire at Platja de Sant Sebastià (my favourite beach in Barcelona) then and now. So very stylish in the image above, and so very bare these days, for it is now a nudist beach. Or the busty ladies going to do their groceries at La Boqueria (where I do mine too), with their shopping baskets in the crooks of their arms. Not quite the same as today’s hordes of tourists munching on plastic-wrapped fruit or cod dumplings on a stick! Nevertheless, I am very happy to call Barcelona my home, and so, with these images, wish to pay it homage in my own small way.

Hope you like the photos! They are courtesy of Barcelona Desapareguda – a delightful Facebook page that celebrates its first anniversary today and continually publishes wonderful images of Barcelona’s grand (and not so grand) past. All photos are sourced, curated and published by Giacomo Alessandro.

Slate beauties

Some time ago, I spotted some incredibly gorgeous portraits on Facebook and was blown away by their incredible detail and artistry. They had been made by Jean-Briac Ravello (the stone mason I featured last year in this blogpost) on slate! Yes, that’s right, they have been carved into slate, and this particular portrait, of rapper Xzibit, looks like this:

Quite stunning, isn’t it?

After a while, I saw images of more portraits, of this old man and of the very handsome ram, below. Asking Jean-Briac why he had chosen to do these portraits, he replied (with his usual off-hand humility) that they were just studies in light and shadows.

Apart from feeling quite green with envy at this level of artistry, I am also delighted that these slate beauties exist and will last, for they have been set in stone (well, in slate in this case) to do just that.

Jean-Briac Ravello will be exhibiting other pieces in Barcelona shortly. Meanwhile, check out his beautiful dishes and also an abstract sculpture at Siesta (Carrer Ferlandina 18, Barcelona) and his Facebook page and blog to keep up to date with his latest news.