Mónica

Destino

Dalí & Film @ Tate Modern
1 June - 9 September 2007

Destino - Dalí & Disney collaboration, a six minute film without dialog but with only a Spanish song. Said to be a romantic story surrounded by Dalinian surrealism.

Also in the exhibit will be hundreds of his works including Dalí’s dream sequence for Hitchcock’s Spellbound, and his Buñuel films - L’Age d’Or, and the 1929 Un Chien Andalou.

Read more about the exhibit : When Dalí met Disney, Dalí @ Tate

Must make it before 9th of September!

Ruddy Hell

Ruddy Hell its Harry and Paul, a new series in the UK. I find some of the sketches rather funny, but some can be daft as well. I particularly like the intro of the show, where in they do a parody of the “Dove - Evolution” advert. Also, this guy who pretends to listen to some lady at a party but says he can’t be bothered listening to her as she is not very important! All the times I thought the same way but kept it in. haha!

Homage to Gormley

Antony Gormley - Another Place 1997

This post is to pay homage to an artist whose work I recently esteem. Antony Gormley an English sculptor whose work uses sculptures of men to express man’s existence and stillness. His work also refers to man’s relationship with his surroundings. These are reflected with sculptures suspended from ceiling and walls and his full use of installation space. It is evident in “Another Place”, found in Crosby Beach,

“The idea was to test time and tide, stillness and movement, and somehow engage with the daily life of the beach. This was no exercise in romantic escapism… They were all on a level and those closest to the shore were buried as far as their knees. The sculptures are made from seventeen body-casts taken from my body. The sculptures are all standing in a similar way, with the lungs more or less inflated and their postures carrying different degrees of tension or relaxation.”

If I am not mistaken, I understand that he has installed several of these figures which face towards the gallery’s three sculpture terraces, which form the main viewing platforms for the project as a whole. I didn’t realise that I was actually passing his work quite often when I was living with my sister in London. The Quantum Cloud (I think aka Millenium Man), found along the River Thames. And I was even more surprised to find out that I had actually seen an exhibit of his work 16 years ago when I was in Singapore with my family, The Asian Field, no wonder this piece looked so familiar!

Blind Light, at The Hayward Gallery is his recent work which seems dominate all art reviews in London. “… lose yourself in light and vapour in this cloud-filled glass room that is cold, wet and disorientating; a spectacular series of suspended figures in light-infused webs of steel; and a colossal 27-ton structure, Space Station, that  tilts precariously, dominating the gallery space.”
17th May - 19 August 2007

I wish I could be there to be part of this fascinating exhibit. But for now, I’ll leave you with clip which I found on the Tate Modern site - The Art of Everyday Behaviour, which is equally fascinating, in my opinion.

Ship Wreck

“Fire today ravaged the Cutty Sark, turning the 19th century tea clipper, permanently moored in south London and one of Britain’s most important maritime treasures, into a blackened wreck.

The Cutty Sark left London on its first voyage on February 16 1870, sailing around the Cape of Good Hope to Shanghai three months later. But the ship made only eight voyages to China in the tea trade.”

17th April, 2006 - Greenwich, London

The news of a historic landmark of London goes into flames, really saddened me. I guess it is because just a little over a year ago, I was sitting right infront of it with a friend and you never think a year later it could be destroyed. Even if it is said that only 50% of the ship has been destroyed, it is still 50% of history that is gone too.

On Meeting Two Artists

(Previously in my last blog post… ) I mentioned that had been invited to an exhibit of two artist at the restaurant Mezze.  There was one painting which caught my eye immediately as I sat down, and it was done by the French Artist, Fabrice Sergent.  I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to speak to Fabrice about his work.  Painting is something he does on the side, as he works for the European Commission in the Philippines.  He has been living in Manila for three years and has exhibited his work a few times in various malls.  ’Aha!’, I thought.  That is why that first painting caught my eye, I had seen it when it was exhibited at the Power Plant Mall.  He gave me a few advices, from one artist to another.  I told him that I hadn’t painted in years, to which he responded “Me neither”. In my opinion, his works were Tate Modern worthy.  We spoke more about the Tate Modern, and we both agreed it is a must to visit when in London.  His response to when we asked him how often he visits London was, “I don’t, because I am French!”.  Haha!

Myself, Owner of Mezze - Maricar Velez and French Artist - Fabrice Sergent

I was also able to meet very briefly, the Spanish artist from Madrid, Cesar Caballero.  His works had an entirely different style and feel compared to Fabrice’s bold and vibrant colours.  Caballero on the other hand, in my humble opinion, comes across in his paintings as shy with the choice of colours he uses, but makes his bold statements with the use of red and orange strokes.  You can learn more about him on his site cesarcaballeroart.com.

Mezze! and Mojito

Hors d’œuvres: Hummus, Roasted Peppers, Baba Ganoush

A visit to Mezze! @ Greenbelt yesterday was meant to be a Mojito and grab a quick mezze type meal, but it turned out more than just that and an even better experience. Having passed Mezze! several times in Greenbelt, I was always curious to check it out, but had the impression that it was rather on the pricey side. Sandwiched between two fine dinning restaurants, you can’t help but assume the same thing. Not to mention the funky elegant style of the restaurant. After checking the menu and their prices, it didn’t seem so bad at all.

It being two in the afternoon we were the only ones in the restaurant, apart from another one which I had assumed were the owners. The first thing we (my mom and I) ordered was the Hors d’œuvre Mezze which comes with Hummus, Roasted Pepper and Baba Ganoush. It was a first for me to try Baba Ganoush, and it was extremely good (the next thing I attempt to make). The Roasted Pepper type Baba Gammus (tasted like a combination of Baba Ganoush and Hummus, haha) I don’t know what it was, but tasted fantastic! The Hummus on the other hand was not too great, specially now that I was able to make it and it tasted just like the mamas in Persia used to make it! The Pita Bread, was not up to par as well (as seen in the photo).

The Piadina Margherita, was quite good. I expected a sort of Panini as it was meant to be a sandwich, made of Mozzerella, Tomato and Basil. It tasted good despite what I had in mind.

After the meal, we were contemplating on coffee and perhaps something to end the meal sweetly (aka the good stuff - dessert!). As we were about to order, we started having a chat with the owner and we ended up finding out she was the neighbor of my uncle and she knew him too! What a small world! She asked us what we thought of the place, and my hidden desires of being a food/restaurant critic kicked in instantly! haha! I told her one thing to attract more clients and told her she needed to have better quality of pita bread! haha! I’d like to think it was the Mojito talking. She invited us to an event on Thursday night (tomorrow) at the restaurant, as they have invited a Spanish and a French Artist to exhibit their works, and they will be having Latin music as well. She was a very nice lady and I loved the fact that she was very hands on with the restaurant and thought about every thing from the service down to the plates and cutlery. That’s how it is done!

We did end up having a sweet ending. It was a tough choice as it all looked really good. The owner suggested the sampler platter. It was a very good idea, as you get really tiny portions of 5 different desserts to share. I refrained from taking photos as to not torture you reading this, and perhaps entice you with the thought of having it here with me instead.

Calamansi Iced Lollies

Everyone in this side of the world is complaining about how hot it has been. No joke, it has been hell! You dare not move in fear of generating more heat. I have been rather busy trying to sort a job for myself as of the late, hence my absence from this blog. If there is anything apart from this heat I hate the most, it is job hunting. It made me recall when I was a child and I would complain about going to school, she would respond to us by saying, “You don’t want to go to school? That’s okay, you can go and sell puto“.

Twenty years later and I decide to practice my “Ice Candy” making skills, in the event I don’t get this job. Not really. I thought it would be a healthier alternative to keep cool. Having Iced Lollies, (or Ice Candies in Manila), is one of the essential summer things when you grow up in Manila. There is a simple technique to it eating it, bite on the plastic of the end of the ice candy and gnaw away. You’ll be lucky if the heat doesn’t get it before you do.

Angry Little Girl

taken from the book Angry Little Girls

Not a cultural post today, not even about food. It has been one of those days…
I bought a book from the Tate on my last few weeks in London, called Angry Little Girls. After reading this page, it made me laugh because this girl is me in a nutshell! So I thought I’d put this up - to remind myself to continue being a tough cookie.