Sasha Vallely - The Silver Chords.
During The Silver Chords‘ set at the Echoes West festival that took place in Los Angeles on September 8, singer Sasha Vallely’s eyes drew me in. As if hypnotized, I listened. For a moment I wasn’t in LA. I was in a place from where I could see haunted castles thick and solid like the sounds coming from the keyboards, dark labyrinths that shifted as guitar, bass and drums moved together. Vallely’s voice swirled over like the sound of a snake charmer’s flute.
A road trip through a foreign and exotic land had been long on my Travel List, so when I had the opportunity to combine a road trip from England to Wales with a full day hike through a national park, I immediately jumped on board. After 12 hours spent driving on desolated narrow roads that took me from southern England to the very west coast of Wales, I found myself at the doorsteps of Snowdonia National Park.
Accompanied by two National Park guides, our hiking team of twenty set off on an overcast Saturday. For six hours we trekked on farmland, through forests, and past abandoned churches. Besides the odd farmer herding his sheep, it was just us and the elements of mother earth. We saw nobody for miles.
When you’re walking through fields, with no immediate end in sight, your mind starts to wonder about all sorts of things. I’d been reading Lance Armstrong’s It’s Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life on the drive to Wales and wondered what it felt like to be alone on a bike, in some of the most brutal of road and weather conditions, for days at a time. We walked past charred bushes that had been burnt the week before and sheep whose ownership was marked by spray paint on their backs. I tried to imagine a livestock auction, where a good sheep would sell for £30 and a prize ram, £10,000. Sometimes we were walking through valleys; sometimes we towered over the coast. I wondered what it’d be like working on one of the farms and not seeing another soul for days. The guides told us, sadly, that rural life here was starting to collapse. I tried to imagine what the National Park would look like one day, without tractors on the side of the road, without the farms and the livestock…
By the end of the 7 miles, when we emerged onto the road from a piece of the national park that had also belonged to someone’s backyard, I felt an air of satisfaction – I had experienced the genuine countryside and absorbed Wales, in vast proportions.
This article originally appeared on Just-In-Time Travels. Get in touch with the author @tracyzhangphoto.
Welcome to the creative universe of Ferran Adrià (photo courtesy of Palau Robert, Barcelona).
The “Ferran Adrià and elBulli. Risk, Freedom and Creativity” exhibition unveils the creative universe and talent of Ferran Adrià , the late 20th and early 21st centuries’ most influential chef, as well as the comprehensive capacity to innovate that he has applied to gastronomy with his work at elBulli restaurant. The exhibition is open to the public from February 2, 2012 to February 3, 2013 in room 3 at the Palau Robert in Barcelona.
Ferran Adrià (on the right) visiting the exhibition, seated at the projection table (photo courtesy of Palau Robert, Barcelona).
Over the years, Ferran Adrià has become a global icon of gastronomy. The work done at elBulli – considered the world’s best restaurant for five years running – has received global recognition and has set the direction for the future of cooking and how we think about food and dining. The names of Ferran Adrià, Juli Soler, Albert Adriàand of elBulli’s entire creative team are associated with values such as reflection, talent, innovation, leadership, teamwork, a job well done, internationalization and solidarity. Going far beyond the field of gastronomy, their work embraces areas such as art and technology.
The room “Origins (The Learning Years)” recounts the history of elBulli from its origins in 1956 to March 1987, the time when Ferran Adrià took charge of elBulli as its chef (photo courtesy of Palau Robert, Barcelona).
The exhibition comes after elBulli closed its doors in July 2011 and celebrates the restaurant’s 50 years of history (from 1961 on), coinciding with a time when Catalan gastronomy has become one of the top-ranking gastronomies in the global arena. Incidentally, Adrià turns 50 in 2012.
Although the decision to close the world-famous 3 Michelin star restaurant was taken in order that it could undergo its transformation (Adrià stated elBulli had completed its journey as a restaurant) into elBulli foundation, a center for gastronomic experimentation and innovation that plans to disseminate its creations on the Internet from 2014 on, critics like to point out the restaurant had been operating at a loss in its later years. Once you enter Adrià’s creative universe at the exhibition, however, it quickly becomes clear that here is a genius who cannot simply go on cooking – he needs to innovate and transcend regular restaurant work.
The evolutionary map illustrates the products, techniques, elaborations and philosophy with videoclips, and visitors can see emblematic dishes elaborated, all of which have been major milestones in Ferran Adrià’s career and elBulli’s history (photo courtesy of Palau Robert, Barcelona).
The exhibition recounts the history of elBulli, from its origins in 1956 with the arrival of Dr Schilling and his wife Marketta at Cala Montjoi (between Roses and Cadaques), to March 1987, the time when Ferran Adrià took sole charge of elBulli as its chef. Audiovisuals, documents, photos and objects in chronological order highlight the qualitative jump made by the restaurant through an increasingly sophisticated gastronomic offering that had clear references to French nouvelle cuisine. In addition to Ferran Adrià, the key figures in this transformation were Jean-Louis Neichel, Juli Soler and Albert Adrià .
“The Search For A Style” room with a restaurant table where an elBulli 40-dish menu is projected (photo courtesy of Palau Robert, Barcelona).
One of the highlights is the “The Search For A Style” room where visitors can see a recreation of the atmosphere of the restaurant’s dining room through an audiovisual with props (table and chairs from elBulli): images of an elBulli 40-dish tasting menu are projected onto the table from overhead, allowing visitors to at least visually witness the dining experience. And in general there is great emphasis on how elBulli’s innovative contribution to avant-garde cuisine is the sixth sense: sparking a response in diners, which is expressed in the form of gestures and emotions of surprise, questioning, recollection, desire and happiness. Ferran Adrià creates neither dishes nor recipes, but rather concepts and techniques that he can subsequently apply to countless elaborations, as is explained in the section “Moment 0″ of the exhibition.
One of the more quirky exhibits: a signed Matt Groening caricature of Adrià (with a scribbled Bart Simpson looking over his shoulder).
His technical-conceptual approach to cooking and creating requires a whole team devoted exclusively to creation in an ideal space, and to immense subsequent cataloging; among the exhibits are drawings of dishes done by Ferran Adrià; a display of metal tableware elements used for serving, custom-made silicone molds, objects and utensils used in the cooking process, an array of plasticine dishes used to demonstrate the ideal food layout on a plate, and of course countless cookbooks and notebooks.
“The Time of Major Change” – A recreation of elBulli’s kitchen through projections in triptych form (photo courtesy of Palau Robert, Barcelona).
Plasticine ingredients used to demonstrate the ideal layout of a dish (photo courtesy of Palau Robert, Barcelona).
The exhibition will be presented in New York in 2013 and will then travel to London. It will also become the seed or basis for the future Centre-Museum devoted to Ferran Adrià and elBulli in Roses. The aim of these and other initiatives that may subsequently arise is to project the image of Catalonia to the world –showing it as a modern, innovative country – and to position it as a leader and point of reference on the global stage of gastronomy thanks to the enormous amount of research that was carried out at elBullirestaurant and will continue to be carried out at elBullifoundation. The exhibition also deems that Catalonia should officially ask UNESCO to designate Catalan gastronomy as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, as it did with the castellers (people erecting Human Towers).
The beginning: a bronze statue of the “Bulli” bulldog that gave the restaurant its name.
While it is possible to venture out to Cala Montjoi and the site where elBulli the restaurant is being transformed into elBulli the foundation, you’ll have to head to Barcelona to experience the food: the Adrià brothers run both the tapas bar Tickets on Avinguda Paral ·lel 164 and an avant-garde place next door called 41 ° (41 Grados). Just like at elBulli, getting in is difficult: 41 Grados only takes reservations online and only for an even number of diners, thus keeping out solo critics. They serve “one experience” of 41 mini-courses to a total of 16 people per night. But there is more: Ferran and Albert Adrià are setting up a Mexican restaurant (their first of a different cuisine) and plan on opening a Japanese-influenced Nikkei place, both also in Barcelona. Who knows what’s next? It will remain interesting to watch the Adriàs.
Ferran Adrià and elBulli. Risk, Freedom and Creativity exhibition
The Palau Robert Catalan Information Centre
Passeig de Gràcia, 107 08008 Barcelona [MAP]
(+34) 93 238 80 91 / 92 / 93
Open Monday to Saturday 10am to 8pm. Sunday 10am to 2.30pm. Admission free.
Thanks to the Palau Robert for the pictures and press material.
Get in touch with the author @flachrattenmann.
In Zhuzhou, China a group of villas have just been completed on the roof of a shopping mall. This concept has been labelled the future of urban planning, but this future had already been realised over thirty years ago at Cromford Court, Manchester.
A view from above, 1981.
Cromford Court, known to tenants as ‘the podium’, was a housing association venture by Manchester City Council and it could be found on top of The Arndale Centre – a shopping centre that stands to this day. In all 60 dwellings could be found on the rooftops of the Arndale and they were inhabited from 1981 until 2003, when they were demolished as part of a lengthy redevelopment brought on by the devastating IRA bomb in 1996.
Prince Philip opening Cromford Court housing, 1981.
Cromford Court took its name from the area that was levelled prior to the shopping centre itself being built. A city surveyor in 1962 said that Manchester was “crystallized in its Victorian setting“ by these dense, dirty collection of Victorian buildings that housed beat clubs and cafés and gained a reputation as a maze of inequity.
The beat clubs that saturated the area were the cause of much concern for the authorities – they were unlicensed members only venues, as such they didn’t have to abide by the same legislations as licensed public venues. This led to uncontrollable opening hours, undesirables and the prevalence of amphetamines (Purple Hearts) and marijuana.
The view from the street, 2002.
One of the most notable of the clubs in the area was The Magic Village, the owner of which would later himself live on the eponymous rooftop houses of 80s Manchester. The club was a leaky venue with a rope swing on the dancefloor, it saw the likes of Pink Floyd, David Bowie and Jethro Tull grace the stage.
“Who needed beer all you had to do was breathe”
Andrew Gibbons, Manchester Beat
In 1965 the Manchester Corporation Act was passed meaning that the clubs could be closed at will. At the time Manchester had 250 beat clubs, just over a year later it had 3.
An archive image from Manchester Libraries showing the surrounding area before the Arndale Centre.
Today the Arndale Centre that now occupies the area is the third largest city centre shopping mall in Europe and after the IRA bomb the insurance payouts made it the most expensive man-made disaster ever. The redevelopment that followed in the wake of the attack gave Manchester a chance to rebuild, but despite this the Arndale still regularly makes the lists of most ugly and least loved buildings in the UK.
Although the houses on the roof weren’t directly affected by the bomb, when the tenants returned to the rooftops there was a general feeling of uncertainty; they knew their tenancy wasn’t finite and that the Arndale wanted to move them on and modernise and rejuvenate itself in the wake of the devastation. The houses had no place in the city’s vision for the future. Eventually, in April 2003, the last residents moved out and the houses demolished.
The podium, clad in ‘bile coloured ceramics’ is the reason the Arndale is referred to as the world’s largest urinal.
For all the ideals the rooftop location presented it did have its downfalls – the financial handing of the company was peculiar and often unfair, and the area was a go-to venue for parties which, although not a problem in itself, left the area open to crime much like the Cromford Court that came before.
It’s a bitter irony that the very things that continued to support Manchester as the Original Modern City over the years were swept under the carpet in moves to modernise the city. Cromford Court isn’t the only rooftop housing in Manchester: in 1940 the caretaker of Ship Canal House lived on the roof with his wife, up among the chimneys.
This article originally appeared on The Skyliner. Get in touch with the author @custardlove.
York is apparently the most haunted city in England. That I can believe, little streets with names such as ‘…formerly Mad Alice Lane’ really sets the scene!
I visited York for the amazing architecture and was not disappointed. Such a range of lovely quirky, old, new, big and small buildings. There were a few in particular that we almost found ourselves looking out for more than others. There seems to be an architect that designed quite a few buildings in York that had a bold signature for onlookers. Can you see the cat in my illustration? That is not a real cat. That’s right – he included a sculpture of a cat on each of the buildings he designed (I’m saying he, it may of been a woman also!). It was fun to be looking out for these sweet additions to the structure of the buildings.
Have you been to York and seen the cats?
Get in touch with the author @charlsvallance and check out her blog. Check back every other Wednesday for the next installation of (Art)chitecture by Charlotte Vallance.
You an buy this print on The Untapped Shop.
The United States’ second largest Martin Luther King Memorial, titled Revelation, was built in San Francisco in 1993. It sits behind a 50’ x 20’ foot wall of cascading water. Located in the Yerba Buena Gardens, the memorial is a lovely walkway constructed under a 120,000-gallon reflecting pool. The reflective pool spills over large pieces of Sierra granite, giving the visitor a roaring background noise that blocks out the city sounds and allows a moment for peace and contemplation.
A photo of Dr. King anchors the west entrance to the fountain. This is mirrored to the east with an inscription of a 1956 speech he made in San Francisco.
As the visitor makes their way along the path, one reads quotations from Dr. King’s speeches etched in 12 glass panels. Each quote is translated into the languages of San Francisco’s 13 sister cities, as well as Arabic and some African dialects.
The project was a collaboration of sculptor Houston Conwill, poet Estella Conwill Majoza and architect Joseph DePace.
Reflecting Pool on the upper level of Yerba Buena Gardens
Follow Untapped Cities on Twitter and Facebook. Get in touch with the author @PQPP3.
Untapped Cities salutes Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Read about Sharon Steuer’s MLK Reflections in her column, Good Food in the Microhood.
