MASCA THEATRE PHENOMENON

Masca Theater was established by Government Decision on May 24, 1990, and describes itself as a theater of gesture, pantomime and bodily expression, being the only theater of this kind in Romania.

A one-of-a-kind theatre in the capital of Romania, “Masca” was the first company to introduce street performances and alternative forms of theatre in Romania. ,,Masca” is constantly developing and offering its audience innovative performances rooted in Lecoque’s teachings and breakthroughs.

Since its foundation, Masca Theater evolved along two main paths:

– street theater (with performances centered around clowns, commedia dell’arte, medieval theater, large marionettes, living statues, etc.) involving performers with a vast array of means of expression: clownerie, juggling, various instruments, tap dance, pantomime, living statues, handling large marionettes (2 meter tall), dancing, singing, acrobatics, etc.

– indoor shows with an elaborate script, inspired by great authors of world literature (N. V. Gogol, G. G. Marquez, E. Briusov, J. L. Borjes, W. Shakespeare), which are closely related in style to dance theater, with very little or no dialogue, the actor being the focal point of the shows, the unique keeper of the mystery of theater

Ever since its establishment, Masca Theater unequivocally assumed a cultural and social vocation that was defined by performances and events organized after having identified the needs of culturally-isolated groups or groups within poor communities, by projects addressed to families and projects that bring performing arts to the people, alternative theater performed in unconventional spaces. In addition, Masca Theater is part of the European artistic movement, being a member of the international network for contemporary performing arts – IETM.

The cultural context and the features of the cultural offering

From a cultural perspective, the activities of Masca Theater address the needs of a community with very diverse cultural expectations, providing cultural services that are conceptually creative and professionally comprehensive and competitive.

From an educational perspective, training its own audience involved:

• familiarizing the audience with the non-verbal style

• familiarizing the audience with the theatrical presentation of major topics in the field of theater (commedia dell’arte, the musical, dance theater, the clown, pantomime blanche, living statues, large marionettes, cabaret, black light theater, etc.)

• involvement in shows with an important social aspect

• recognizing beauty and accepting it as a reliable alternative to the gray scenery of everyday life

• shaping the artistic taste of its future audience through specific shows, performances within events specific to their age, classes at Masca school of physical theater.

From a social perspective, the projects of Masca Theater help consolidate a sense of community within a residential community, by defining an identifiable style and, therefore, a style that can be and is associated to the sense of belonging to a community, by initiating projects of a profound social-cultural nature.

The programs of Masca Theater are defined by their aesthetic, cultural, educational and social functions, which Mask undertook as part of its mission.

Masca is the only theater that, in addition to its activities strictly related to the profession and the art it promotes, carries out a huge number of social-cultural programs, defining as accurately as possible the profile of a modern entity with flexible organization and management, the initiator of a genuine discourse, a recognized catalyzer of energies.

During its existence of over 26 years, an impressive number of performances, cultural projects and events were organized and carried out. The troupe performs in over 250 shows a year.

Some of the projects are one-off events, others have reached their 20th edition. Some of these projects are organized by Masca Theater, others are projects where Masca Theater was invited to participate. Projects are carried out in Romania and elsewhere, with Romanian or European participants.

Multi-annual projects organized and carried out by Masca Theatre

– THE CITY BENEATH THE CITY a project initiated in Bucharest’s subway station,

– THE LIVING STATUES FESTIVAL – international Living Statues Festival is the only one of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe, and its first edition was organized in 2011 (10-13 june) in one of most known park in Bucharest Herastrau, at the initiative of Masca Theatre

– THE FESTIVAL ,,EUROPEAN MASKS AT MASCA,, a project designed to familiarize the Romanian public and Romanian theater professional with a special type of theatre that is very rare in Romania,the theater of movement,gesture, pantomime, corporeal expression, clownery-which is however very popular in the Europe Union, implying yhe unmediated contact between performes and their audience.

Awards 

– 1992 – Beast Leading Actor – Mihai Malaimare in DEATH HAS DIED, Egipt

– 2002 – National Order for Faithful Service received by Mihai Malaimare as Knight

– 2004 – Special Prize of the jury for INTRUDER, Theatre Festival at Plovdiv, Bulgaria

– 2004 – Grand Prize for INTRUDER, Theatre Festival at Piatra Neamt, Romania

– 2005 – Special Prize from the Romanian Composers Association, for the soundtrack of THE MIRROR, by Paul Urmuzescu

-2008 – Masca Theatre was awarded,during the UNITER Gala, the UNITER special award for performance in non-verbal theatre:Mihai Malaimare and Masca Theater, Encomium-Nicolae Manolescu

-2009- During the 2009 ,, Performig Arts Gala,, an event organized by the Office of the Mayor of Bucharest, Mihai Malaimare received the Award for performance in Management

-2010 at the 20th anniversary of the Romanian theatre of gesture,pantomime, and body expression,as a sign of appreciation fot the outstanding contribution to the reputation of Romanian theatre, the president of romania presented the Masca theatre with the Order of Cultural Merit in the grade ,, Knight”, for the category ,, performing Arts,,

– 2012 – Best Show and Best Leadin Actor for Sebastian Ghita and BLUE CANARY, International Festival of Theatre, Movie and Photography Hyperion Stud Fest 2012

– 2013 – Special Prize for Courage, Initiative and Talen, awarded by the British Council to Mihai Malaimare

2015 – at the 25th anniversary of the Romanian theatre of gesture, pantomime, and body expression, as a sign of appreciation fot the outstanding contribution to the reputation of Romanian theatre, the president of romania presented the Masca theatre with the Order of Cultural Merit in the grade ,, Knight”, for the category ,, performing Arts,, ( http://www.masca.ro/teatru/en/who-we-are/ )

The one who had the initiative to establish such a theatre, at a time a whole new world was being born, was actor and director Mihai Malaimare. Recollecting those initial moments back in 1990, Malaimare will be speaking about how he got the idea of founding such a theatre:

“I think there are a few things lying at the foundation of this theatre but one of them was the feeling of loneliness I had while roaming the streets of Bucharest on December the 21st 1989. I had a clear feeling that a world was dying and a new one struggled to surface and somehow I got stuck between. That was my first thorough analysis, when I realized that theatre was the only thing I knew how to make. As in the past I had tried to propose those from the UTC, the Young Communists Union the foundation of a Youth Theatre, I told myself that was the right time for the birth of such a theatre, all the more so I had some ideas on how to make it.”

The team which worked with Malaimare at the implementation of such a project included director Anca Dana Florea and two actors from Braila, eastern Romania, Anamaria Paslaru and Sorin Dinculescu. They cooperated in structuring the esthetic programme, which was that of an alternative theatre of non-verbal discourse. A disciple of French mime Jean Lecoq, Mihai Malaimare is not only the initiator of a movement unique in Romania, that of a pantomime movement, but also the creator of a special troupe of selected actors who honed their skills to perfection. Here is critic Marina Constantinescu:

“All the professional actors of the Masca Theare have been attending special courses which are no longer taught in school, I mean pantomime courses. Of course they are privileged to work with Malaimare, who had professionally studied this art with Lecoq, an extremely gifted mime. They have attended stilt walking courses, fencing courses…Practically these actors are the ones who leave the theatre premises in an attempt to reach for the public, and the impact is tremendous.”

At the beginning of a new year Malaimare shares with us some of the important projects for the theatre he is currently leading:
“2008 will be one of the three years during which I will not be director of the Masca theatre but its manager. This year I intend to raise the number of people visiting our webpage to at least 100 per day. I also intend to win an award in an international festival and to participate in at least three international and two national festivals…I would like to launch a new project called ‘A Young Actor’s Mask’ and stage a pantomimic version of Hamlet.”

Director Malaimare believes that a theatre must get socially involved and for this reason, the Masca Theatre comes with a series of social-cultural projects mainly addressing the audience in the Militari district, in Bucharest, where the theatre has its premises. Here is project coordinator Stefan Livadaru with details about some of the projects:

“The Masca Festival, includes not only theatre shows, but also music, interactive moments devoted to people of various ages, ranging from little kids to pensioners. We’ll continue to mount our traditional project ‘Halloween at the Masca Theatre’, which is going to be a mini spook show for some of our younger spectators. Another successful project, in its 11th edition, is ‘The Toy Fair’, during which the little ones can donate the toys they are no longer playing with to needy kids. We’ll also continue another of our projects, entitled ‘Cinemasca’, with many good films on view mainly for the young people in our district. Of course they can watch these films free of charge.
One of the most complex projects of the Masca Theatre is the ‘City Below the City’, staged in Bucharest’s underground stations. Since 2003, these stations have housed nearly 500 shows, ranging from picture and photo exhibitions to dance and theatre shows."

All these shows have had a positive impact on its audience. Here is Malaimare again:
“Masca was a theatre which struggled to exist, first to have its own premises and then to survive as a theatre, an alternative solution to the already existing companies. We won our first audiences with shows held in alternative spaces, in parks, in the street, on esplanades and later in underground stations. So we have an audience of our own, people who recognize us and enjoy our shows. But when we started playing indoor, when we replaced non-verbal street shows with spoken plays we had to find another audience." 

source : http://old.rri.ro/arh-art.shtml?lang=1&sec=13&art=8520

Din 30 aprilie spațiul de la Roata Mare din Parcul Herăstrău se transformă într-o scenă de teatru

De 27 de ani Teatrul MASCA a ales să aducă teatrul aproape de locuitorii din București și nu numai atunci când majoritatea teatrelor îşi închid uşile.

Începând cu 30 aprilie, ora 17.00, Parcul Herăstrău (Roata Mare) va fi animat de spectacole de teatru în aer liber și statui vivante. “PARIZIANCA”, ” MATELOȚII”, ” ARCA LUI LENIN” sunt doar câteva titluri care vor face deliciul celor ce vor alege să-și petreacă timpul liber la ROATA MARE din Parcul Herăstrău.

     Așadar, vă așteptăm cu mic, cu mare, din 30 aprilie, să dăm startul verii.

FESTIVALUL INTERNAȚIONAL DE STATUI VIVANTE, ediția a VII-a

       Ediția de anul acesta are particularități speciale legate mai ales de intenția noastră de a ne defini locul în peisajul festivalurilor de gen și în cel al preocupării profesioniștilor statuii vivante de a găsi formulele teoretice general acceptabile, soluțiile tehnice și mai ales cele ale pedagogiei teatrale în domeniu. Va fi o ediție specială, una total diferită de cele anterioare. În primul rând prin întindere, căci trecem de la formula de trei la una de 7 zile și apoi prin format și desigur prin grupurile țintă cărora ne vom adresa.

      Va fi un festival lung, care începe cu o Noapte a statuilor vivante și continuă cu 6 zile pe parcursul cărora producțiile Masca și cele ale invitaților noștri se vor derula în trei spații diferite din București. Vom evolua în două parcuri din două cartiere marginașe, Militari și Ferentari și în Parcul Herastrau, cel mai mare și mai important parc din Capitală. Dacă  întâlnirea cu locuitorii Parcului Crângași din sectorul VI este deja tradiție, aceea cu locuitorii cartierului Ferentari este o premieră absolută și suntem convinși că va fi una extraordinară, atât pentru noi cât și pentru invitații noștri. Cât privește parcul Herăstrău, am ales o zonă mai puțin căutată de organizatorii de manifestări culturale, Roata Mare și iarăși avem convingerea că alegerea este una nu numai interesantă ci și foarte plăcută pentru artisti și spectatori deopotrivă căci este frumoasă, elegantă, plină de verdeață și va da o strălucire aparte festivalului nostru.

        Noaptea statuilor vivante va aduce alături artiști străini și români într-un parc al unuia dintre cele mai interesante muzee din București, Casa Cesianu, spațiu cu o aură specială, misterios și elegant, suficient de mare pentru a fi încăpător și destul de intim pentru a crea o stare cu totul specială celor care vor veni să asiste la acest moment atât de important al festivalului nostru.

       Cele șase zile de festival care vor urma se vor adresa unor ținte absolut diferite, de la sofisticatul spectator pe care îl poate oferi cel mai mare parc bucureștean, Herăstrău, la spectatorul cartierelor dormitor ale sectorului VI și desigur la acela al unui cartier care încearcă din răsputeri să-și contrazică o istorie nu tocmai pozitivă, Ferentari, dar unde oamenii, tocmai din această cauză sunt poate mai atenți și mai încântați de ideea noastră de a ne fixa pentru două zile în frumusețea parcului Humulești aflat exact sub geamurile blocurilor lor. Când vom face o analiză a modului în care festivalul nostru a fost acceptat și consumat, sunt convins ca vom avea reacții cu totul spectaculoase în Ferentari.

      La ediția din acest an  vor participa două grupuri de creatori de statui vivante din Europa, cei de la Great Names din Viena și cei conduși de Yvonn Hollander din Olanda. Alături de ei vom evolua și noi, cei de la Masca, aducând publicului un număr de 15 statui vivante, nu atât de multe ca în alți ani, dar cu siguranță mult mai competitive și mai bine realizate decât până acum, în plus vom încânta publicul cu o serie de spectacole create mai mult sau mai puțin în stilul statuii vivante, dar revendicându-se de la conceptul de teatru stradal în interiorul căruia statuia vivantă este, în opinia noastră, momentul cel mai important și mai spectaculos.

       Festivalul va beneficia și de  câteva zile de mediatizare activă prin intermediul unor statui vivante în foarte multe spații ale Capitalei, fapt care va întregi imaginea unui Festival care ambiționează să coaguleze forțele profesioniștilor care lucrează în domeniul statuii vivante și care, prin arta lor, prin festivalurile pe care le frecventează și le promovează încearcă să se opună atacului violent pe care neprofesioniști și amatori, în fapt simpli cerșetori îl produc uneia dintre cele mai interesante forme de teatru stradal din lume, statuia vivanta.

         Ediția a VII-a a Festivalului Internațional de Statui Vivante Masca – 2017 va fi un eveniment cultural fără precedent și cu siguranță deschizător de perspective!

Crucifixion

The Crucifixion of Jesus

 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.  They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).  There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.  When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.  And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.
³⁸ Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.  Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads  and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”  In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.  He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus

From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.  About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split  and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.  They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs.  Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 27:46 Some manuscripts Eloi, Eloi
2. Matthew 27:46 Psalm 22:1
3. Matthew 27:53 Or tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they
4. Matthew 27:56 Greek Joses, a variant of Joseph

New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Palm Sunday - Duminica Floriilor

On Palm Sunday Christians celebrate the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, the week before his death and resurrection. For many Christian churches, Palm Sunday, often referred to as "Passion Sunday," marks the beginning of Holy Week, which concludes on Easter Sunday.

Duminica Floriilor (sau, mai popular, Floriile) este sărbătoarea care amintește de intrarea triumfală a Domnului Iisus Hristos în Ierusalim, înainte de Patimile și Învierea Sa.

După cum se știe, Duminica Floriilor este ultima înainte de Paști: în seara acestei zile debutează, în bisericile ortodoxe, cunoscuta serie de slujbe numite denii, care caracterizează cel mai mult săptămâna Patimilor.

Ramurile de finic, considerate simbol al veșniciei de vechii egipteni, deveniseră deja cu secole înainte de Hristos un simbol al (Zeiței) victoriei în lumea greco-romană. Deja în teologia creștină timpurie, ele puteau simboliza, de asemenea, victoria spiritului asupra trupului. Fundamental însă, purtarea ramurilor în triumf reprezintă credința că, prin Învierea Sa din morți la finalul Patimilor (ca și prin învierea lui Lazăr, sărbătorită în ziua precedentă, numită Sâmbăta lui Lazăr), moartea a fost "înfrântă", și oamenii au obținut accesul la viața veșnică întru Dumnezeu", ne-a explicat teologul Dragoş Mîrşanu.

Horses Never Lie

He's of the colour of the nutmeg.  

And of the heat of the ginger.... he is pure air and fire; 

and the dull elements of earth and water never appear in him, 

but only in patient stillness while his rider mounts him; 

he is indeed a horse, and all other jades you may call beasts.  

~William Shakespeare, Henry V

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

“Most gulls don’t bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight—

how to get from shore to food and back again. 

For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating. 

For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight. 

More than anything else, Jonathan Livingston Seagull loved to fly. 

This kind of thinking, he found, is not the way to make one’s self popular with other birds. 

Even his parents were dismayed as Jonathan spent whole days alone, making hundreds of low-level glides, experimenting.

“Why, Jon, why?” his mother asked. 

“Why is it so hard to be like the rest of the flock, Jon? 

Why can’t you leave low flying to the pelicans, the albatross? 

Why don’t you eat? Son, you’re bone and feathers!” 

“I don’t mind being bone and feathers, mom. I just want to know what I can do in the air and what I can’t, that’s all. I just want to know.” 

“See here, Jonathan,” said his father, not unkindly. 

“Winter isn’t far away. 

 Boats will be few, and the surface fish will be swimming deep.

 If you must study, then study food, and how to get it. 

This flying business is all very well, but you can’t eat a glide, you know. 

Don’t you forget that the reason you fly is to eat.” Jonathan”

― Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull

“- „Chiang, lumea asta de fapt nu e paradisul, nu-i aşa?”
Bătrânul zâmbi în lumina lunii. 

„Te desăvârşeşti mereu, Jonathan”, spuse el.
- „Bine, dar ce se va întâmpla acum? Unde mergem? Oare paradisul nu există nicăieri?”
-„Nu, Jonathan, nu există. 

Paradisul nu este un loc sau un timp. 

A fi desăvârşit—iată paradisul”.” 

― Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull 

Very Far Away from Anywhere Else

And I needed a rock. 

Something to hold onto, 

to stand on. 

Something solid. 

Because everything was going soft, 

turning into mush, 

into marsh, 

 into fog. 

Fog closing in on all sides. 

I didn't know where I was at all...

Silent Spring

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.
― Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

Rachel Louise Carson (May 27, 1907 – April 14, 1964) was an American marine biologist and conservationist whose book Silent Spring and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement.

Carson began her career as an aquatic biologist in the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, and became a full-time nature writer in the 1950s. Her widely praised 1951 bestseller The Sea Around Us won her a U.S. National Book Award, recognition as a gifted writer, and financial security. Her next book, The Edge of the Sea, and the reissued version of her first book, Under the Sea Wind, were also bestsellers. This sea trilogy explores the whole of ocean life from the shores to the depths.

 

Journey to the End of the Night

The worst part is wondering how you’ll find the strength tomorrow, 

to go on doing what you did today and have been doing for much too long, 

where you’ll find the strength for all that stupid running around, 

those projects that come to nothing, 

those attempts to escape from crushing necessity, 

which always founder and serve only to convince you one more time that destiny is implacable, 

that every night will find you down and out, 

crushed by the dread of more and more sordid and insecure tomorrows.

― Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Journey to the End of the Night 

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

Once, when I was younger, I thought I could be someone else. 

I'd move to Casablanca, open a bar, and I'd meet Ingrid Bergman. 

Or more realistically - whether actually more realistic or not - I'd tune in on a better life, something more suited to my true self. 

Toward that end, I had to undergo training. 

I read The Greening of America, and I saw Easy Rider three times. 

But like a boat with a twisted rudder, I kept coming back to the same place. 

I wasn't anywhere. 

I was myself, waiting on the shore for me to return.

― Haruki Murakami, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World

Chuck Berry Tribute

Chuck Berry, who with his indelible guitar licks, brash self-confidence and memorable songs about cars, girls and wild dance parties did as much as anyone to define rock ’n’ roll’s potential and attitude in its early years, died on Saturday. He was 90.

While Elvis Presley was rock’s first pop star and teenage heartthrob, Mr. Berry was its master theorist and conceptual genius, the songwriter who understood what the kids wanted before they knew themselves. With songs like “Johnny B. Goode” and “Roll Over Beethoven,” he gave his listeners more than they knew they were getting from jukebox entertainment.

His guitar lines wired the lean twang of country and the bite of the blues into phrases with both a streamlined trajectory and a long memory. And tucked into the lighthearted, telegraphic narratives that he sang with such clear enunciation was a sly defiance, upending convention to claim the pleasures of the moment.

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What To Say When You Talk To Your Self

After examining the philosophies, the theories, and the practiced methods of influencing human behavior, I was shocked to learn the simplicity of that one small fact: You will become what you think about most; your success or failure in anything, large or small, will depend on your programming - what you accept from others, and what you say when you talk to yourself.
It is no longer a success theory; it is a simple but powerful fact. Neither luck nor desire has the slightest thing to do with it. It makes no difference whether we believe it or not. The brain simply believes what you tell it most. And what you tell it about you, it will create. It has no choice.

I can do anything I believe I can do!

 I’ve got it, and every day I get more of it. 

I have talent, skills, and ability. I set goals and I reach them.

 I know what I want out of life. 

I go after it and I get it.

 People like me, and I feel good about myself. 

I have a sense of pride in who I am, and I believe in myself. 

Nothing seems to stop me. 

I have a lot of determination. 

I turn problems into advantages. 

I find possibilities in things that other people never give a chance. 

I have a lot of energy—I am very alive! 

I enjoy life and I can tell it and so can others. 

I keep myself up, looking ahead, and liking it. 

I know that I can accomplish anything I choose, and I refuse to let anything negative hold me back or stand in my way. 

I am not afraid of anything or anyone. 

I have strength, power, conviction, and confidence! 

I like challenges and I meet them head on, face to face—today especially! 

I am on top of the world and I’m going for it. 

I have a clear picture in my mind of what I want. 

I can see it in front of me. 

I know what I want and I know how to get it. 

I know that it’s all up to me and I know I can do it. 

Roadblocks don’t bother me. 

They just mean that I am alive and running, and I’m not going to stand still for anything. 

I trust myself I’ve got what it takes—plenty of it—and I know how to use it. 

Today, more than ever. 

Today I am unstoppable! 

I’ve got myself together and I’m getting more together every day. 

And today—look out world, here I come!

 Limitations? 

I don’t even recognize them as limitations. 

There is no challenge I can’t conquer; there is no wall I can’t climb over. 

There is no problem I can’t defeat, or turn around and make it work for me. 

I stand tall! 

I am honest and sincere. 

I like to deal with people and they like me.

 I think well; I think clearly.

I am organized; I am in control of myself, and everything about me. 

I call my shots, and no one has to call them for me. 

I never blame anyone else for the circumstances of my life. 

I accept my failings and move past them as easily as I accept the rewards for my victories. 

I never demand perfection of myself, but I expect the very best of what I have to give—and that’s what I get! 

I never give myself excuses. 

I get things done on time and in the right way. 

Today I have the inner strength to do more than ever. 

I am an exceptional human being. 

My goals and my incredible belief in myself turn my goals into reality. 

I have the power to live my dreams. 

I believe in them like I believe in myself. 

And that belief is so strong that there is nothing that diminishes my undefeatable spirit.

hmmmm.......

― Shad Helmstetter, What To Say When You Talk To Your Self 

The Museum of Innocence

“In fact no one recognizes the happiest moment of their lives as they are living it. 

It may well be that, in a moment of joy, 

one might sincerely believe that they are living that golden instant "now," 

even having lived such a moment before, but whatever they say, 

in one part of their hearts 

they still believe in the certainty of a happier moment to come. 

Because how could anyone, 

and particularly anyone who is still young, 

carry on with the belief that everything could only get worse: 

If a person is happy enough to think he has reached the happiest moment of his life, 

he will be hopeful enough 

to believe his future 

will be just as beautiful, more so.” 

― Orhan Pamuk, The Museum of Innocence

Almost Transparent Blue

“When I went on anyway, my body began to grow cold, and I thought I
was dead. Face pale, my dead self sat down on a bench and began to turn
toward my real self, who was watching this hallucination on the screen of the
night. My dead self came nearer, just as if it might want to shake hands with my
real self. That's when I panicked and tried to run. But my dead self pursued me
and finally caught me, entered me and controlled me. I'd felt then just the way I
felt now. I felt as if a hole had opened in my head from which consciousness
and memory leaked out and in their place the rash crowded in, and a cold like
spoiled roast chicken. But that time before, shaking and clinging to the damp
bench, I'd told myself, Hey, take a good look, isn't the world still under your
feet? I'm on this ground, and on this same ground are trees and grass and ants
carrying sand to their nests, little girls chasing rolling balls, and puppies running.”
― Ryū Murakami, Almost Transparent Blue 

This is a story about a bunch of disaffected Japanese youths who waste their time with gratuitous sex, drugs and violence. ‘Almost Transparent Blue’ is the other Murakami’s debut novel which was received to critical acclaim and won the coveted Akutagawa prize. It is also one of the must read books on the 1001 list. This is not an easy book to read and I’m sorry to say that it’s not as good as ‘In the Miso Soup’, although it has its moments. Favourite bits include the opening chapter and the bit where they are at the American air base during the thunder and lightning sequence.

The strongest aspect of the book is its gross imagery and the unfathomable sadness of lost youth. The characters (of which the narrator shares the same name as the author) are all stuck in their own desolate vacuum of apathy, moving from one moment to the next in a haze of indifference. Murakami’s image of post-war Japan drags the reader down the dark alleyways of an insular and unyielding culture. His characters allow us to penetrate the stereotypical lacquerwork of strong Japanese moral values and gaze at the ‘other japan’, the one that lives side-by-side with Western ideals. This drug-like cocktail is at once fascinating and repulsive.

Maybe it’s just me, but there were times when this novel didn’t make any sense, but then again this is a ‘mood heavy’ book, and there is not a pronounced plotline, so the narrative sort of echoes the tumultuous lives of decadent Japanese youths. This book reminds me of ‘Exit A‘ by Anthony Swofford which had a better storyline and is also set around an American airbase in Japan. Both novels contain a central theme of degeneration and crime, but ‘Almost Transparent Blue’ is decidedly more corrosive and far more bold than Swofford’s offering. ( source )

THEODOR AMAN MUSEUM

Theodor Aman s-a născut pe 20 martie 1831 la Câmpulung-Muscel. După lecţii de desen cu pictorul Constantin Lecca, la Şcoala Centrală din Craiova studiază la Colegiu Sfântul Sava din Bucureşti de unde pleacă în 1850 la Paris. Aprofundează pictura cu Michel Martin Drolling, apoi, din 1851, cu Francois Edouard Picot. 

Se dedică picturii influenţat de maeştrii Renaşterii italiene. Revenit pe meleagurile natale s-a inspirat din viaţa muscelenilor lăsând mai multe pânze cu peisaje din Câmpulung şi împrejurimi. Numele său a rămas în istoria artei româneşti nu doar prin valoarea operelor semnate, ci şi prin contribuţia avută la întemeierea primelor şcoli de Arte frumoase, la Bucureşti şi Iaşi. Prestigiul de care s-a bucurat Aman a fost sporit şi de funcţia sa de director al Şcolii naţionale de arte frumoase, încă de la înfiinţarea acestei instituţii (5 octombrie 1864). În pictura sa de o rigoare academistă, simbolurile evocărilor istorice aduc o anume prospeţime, în sensul situării artistului în actualitate. Noutatea pânzelor sale ţine astfel mai mult de răspunsurile tematice la preocupări sociale şi politice din perioada fondării statului naţional român. Nu lipsesc însă şi unele încercări de luminare a paletei, de surprindere a instantaneului, ce ne vorbeşte despre ecoul, fie şi palid, al experienţelor unor artişti francezi care pictau în aer liber, la Barbizon, în împrejurimile Parisului, unde în deceniul al şaptelea şi al optulea, se pun bazele impresionismului Începe să picteze încă de pe atunci o serie de compoziţii istorice, unul din genurile sale preferate în care va excela. Trece la cele veșnice pe 19 august 1891 .

Muzeul Theodor Aman este una dintre cele mai frumoase reşedinţe particulare din Bucureşti, construită în anul 1868 după proiectele proprietarului, care a fost pictorul Theodor Aman. De asemenea este una dintre puţinele reşedinţe care nu au suferit modificări în decursul timpului, fiind prima casă-atelier de artist din România.

De la planurile casei şi decoraţia exterioară (realizată în colaborare cu sculptorul Karl Storck) la decoraţia interioară: pictura murală, vitraliile, decoraţia pictată pe tâmplărie, stucatura tavanelor, lambriurile atelierului şi mobilierul casei, toate sunt reflectarea viziunii lui Theodor Aman.

Muzeul Theodor Aman a fost deschis în anul 1908 şi este unul dintre cele mai vechi muzee memoriale din România. El păstrează atmosfera vieţii private din perioada Belle Epoque alături de cea mai mare parte a lucrărilor pictorului Theodor Aman.

The Theodor Aman Museum is one of the most beautiful private residences in Bucharest, built in the year 1868 following Theodor Aman’s own designs. It is also one of the few buildings which has remained unchanged during its existence, and is the first workshop-residence in Romania.

From the architectural plans of the house and exterior decorations (done in colaboration with sculptor Karl Storck) to the interior design (mural paintings, stained glass, stucco ceilings, wooden panelling in the workshop, and the house’s furniture), the house reflects Theodor Aman’s vision.

The Theodor Aman Museum was opened in 1908 and is one of the oldest memorial museums in Romania. The house maintains its intimate atmosphere, gained during the Belle Époque period, and holds a large part of painter Theodor Aman’s works.

Theodor Aman was one of the most important Romanian painters of the XIXth century. His works blend Romanticism and Academicism, as well as bearing characteristics of early/Pre-Impressionism. He took drawing lessons with the painter Constantin Lecca, at Central School in Craiova, and in 1850 he leaves for Paris. Here, he studies painting at the Academy of Fine Arts, under the supervision of Michel Martin Drolling and François Edouard Picot. He returns to Romania in 1857, already established as a painter. His workshop becomes one of the most popular meeting places of high society, „the only artistic center of Bucharest's elite of that time“. His contribution to Romanian art transcends his work, by his important contribution to the establishment of the first Fine Arts School in Bucharest (1864), where he was both the first teacher and the director.

The thematics approached by Theodor Aman in his works - historical painting, gender and Oriental scenes, scenery, still nature - are distinctly represented in the exhibition, through works of important heritage value. The techniques employed by Theodor Aman range from easel painting, engraving and drawing. Moreover, his works range from large scale painting (particularly heroic representations of the past and historical portraits) and small scale works (contemporary or daily life projects). 

The Invention of Everything Else

“Wait," I say. 

"I think you're mistaken. Saying there is no dream is the same as saying everything is a dream. Isn't it? Everyone's a dreamer? 

Extraordinary things happen all the time even when we're awake. 

What I meant to suggest to you, if indeed that was me in your dream doing the suggesting, 

is that there is only one world. 

This one. 

The dream is real. 

The ordinary is the wonderful. 

The wonderful is the ordinary.” 

― Samantha Hunt, The Invention of Everything Else

Aleph

“A man sets out to draw the world.

 As the years go by, he peoples a space with images of provinces, 

kingdoms, mountains, bays, ships, islands, fishes, rooms, instruments, stars, horses, and individuals. 

A short time before he dies, 

he discovers that the patient labyrinth of lines 

traces 

the lineaments of his own face.”

― Jorge Luis Borges, The Aleph and Other Stories

Love Is a Dog from Hell

“there is a loneliness in this world so great
that you can see it in the slow movement of
the hands of a clock.

people so tired
mutilated
either by love or no love.

people just are not good to each other
one on one.

the rich are not good to the rich
the poor are not good to the poor.

we are afraid.

our educational system tells us
that we can all be
big-ass winners.

it hasn't told us
about the gutters
or the suicides.

or the terror of one person
aching in one place
alone

untouched
unspoken to

watering a plant.” 

― Charles Bukowski, Love Is a Dog from Hell

 

 

 

 

The National Village Museum „Dimitrie Gusti”

Muzeul Naţional al Satului „Dimitrie Gusti” organizează în perioada 27 februarie – 8 martie 2017 târgul      „De Mărţişor. Târg cu tâlc...” care își propune promovarea vechiului obicei al dăruirii, la început de primavară, a micilor obiecte artizanale cu rol protector precum și a meșteșugului stimulând creativitatea, originalitatea și inspirația ce dau naștere unor mărțișoare deosebite.

Mărțișor is an old tradition celebrated all over Romania every year, on March 1st.
The name Mărțișor is a diminutive of March (Martie in Romanian).

It is believed that the person who wears the red and white string would enjoy a prosperous and healthy year.

In modern times, and especially in urban areas, the Mărțișor lost most of its talisman properties and became more a symbol of friendship, love, appreciation and respect. The black threads were replaced by red, but the delicate wool string is still a ‘cottage industry’ among people in the countryside, who comb out the wool, dye the floss, and twist it into thousands of tassels. In some areas, the amulets are still made with black and white string, to ward off evil.Related to Martisor and also symbol for spring in Romania is the snowdrop flower.

Factotum

“There's nothing to mourn about death any more than there is to mourn about the growing of a flower. What is terrible is not death but the lives people live or don't live up until their death. They don't honor their own lives, they piss on their lives. They shit them away. Dumb fuckers. They concentrate too much on fucking, movies, money, family, fucking. Their minds are full of cotton. They swallow God without thinking, they swallow country without thinking. Soon they forget how to think, they let others think for them. Their brains are stuffed with cotton. They look ugly, they talk ugly, they walk ugly. Play them the great music of the centuries and they can't hear it. Most people's deaths are a sham. There's nothing left to die.”

 Charles Bukowski