After almost a week of a constant zombified state due to jet-leg, I'm slowly becoming normal again...
Na par stanica brzim zalivskim vozom (BART), nalazi se grad Oukland (Oakland), tačno između Berklija i San Fraciska. Grad poseduje jednu od najvećih luka u zalivu, a prepoznatljiv je po velikoj raznolikosti kultura i stanovništa koje u njemu žive (što se da videti i po uličnim znakovima koji su na kineskom jeziku u okviru Kineske četvrti).
Few stations away by fast bay train BART, there's a city Oakland, right between Berkeley and San Francisco.The city has one of the biggest harbors in the area, it's also recognizable by its diversity of cultures and inhabitants (which could be seen in the streets, e.g. street signs in Chinese).
Grad "bije" glas da ima najveću koncentraciju umetnika po glavi stanovnika u USA, prema izvorima sa Vikipedije. Umetnički studiji, zajednice, ateljei, galerije i sl. su u bliskoj vezi sa lokalnim prodavnicama, restoranima i preduzećima. Primetio sam ovaj šmek tokom uličnog festivala koji se održava svakog prvog petka (Oakland First Fridays) u okviru Telegrafske ulice. Koncerti i nastupi na ulici, štandovi i kamiončići sa hranom, ad-hok galerije i prodaja umetničkih dela lokalnih umetnika, nakita, dizajna, odeće, društvenih kampanja za podršku (npr. borbe protiv nejednakosti, za aktivizam zajednice, dostupnosti informacija, podrška pokreta Okupiraj Oakland)... Nažalost, nemam fotografije sa ovog događaja (bio sam preplavljen utiscima, te sam zaboravio da koristim telefon), neka mašta malo uradi svoje! Probao sam nešto novo - korejski kimbap.
For this city it's said that it has the biggest concentration of artists per capita in USA, according to Wikipedia. Art studios, communities, ateliers, galleries and the rest seem to be closely related to local shops, restaurants and firms. I have noticed this label during a street festival which takes place every first Friday (Oakland First Fridays) in famous Telegraph street. Concerts and street performances, stands and trucks with food, ad hock galleries and sales of local artists' works, jewelery, design, clothing, social campaign and support groups (e.g. against inequality, for community activism, availability of information, support to movement Occupy Oakland)... unfortunately, I don't have photos from this event (I was overwhelmed by people, that I totally forgot to use my phone, let the imagination fills the rest! I tried something new - Korean kimbap.
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| Korean kimbap, from Wikipedia |
Nešto što mi i dalje privlači pažnju su grafiti i murali - i dalje su veliki, puni boja, dominantno figuralni...
Something that gets my attention immediately are graffiti and murals - still big, colorful, figurative...
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| Characters from manga and anime Attack on Titan |
Na fotkama ispod se nalazi Alice street mural project, deo kampanje građanske neprofitne organizacije Community Rejuvenation Project (CRP). Ovu organizaciju čini umetnički kolektiv koji kroz murale teži da uključi mlade i lokalne zajednice u kreativno izražavanje svojih istorija, društvenih težnji, savremene i tradicionalne kulture, kroz osnaživanje i obrazovanje. Navode da je njihov pristup "od trotoara do politike" način da se utiče na lokalna preduzeća i gradske čelnike. Više o njima na njihovom sajtu i FB stranici.
On the following photos you can see Alice street mural project, part of a civil campaign by nonprofit organization Community Rejuvenation Project (CRP). This organization is being run by an artist collective which seeks, through murals, to work with youngsters and local communities in order to creatively express their histories, social questions, contemporary and traditional culture, adding an extra layer of empowerment and education. Their slogan "from pavement to policy" shows a tendency to affect local companies and city politicians. More about them you could see on their website and FB page.
Veliki utisak na mene je ostavio Muzej Kalifornije u Ouklandu ( Murali nisu jedini koji se obraćaju zajednici/ama grada, što govori i natpis blizu ulaza u muzej: muzej (za) nas. Na trećoj fotografiji se nalazi tipična scena sa jednog petka u muzeju - nastup dj-a sa javnim časom plesa, dok ljudi grickaju klopu sa nekoliko štandova sa hranom koji su se nalazili iza mene dok sam fotografisao. I to nije sve...
I was under a great impression by the Oakland Museum of California (short OMCA). Murals are not the only ones to speak to the communities of the city, stated by the entrance's line The museum of us. On the third photo below you can see a typical Friday nights atmosphere - live DJ-ing with a dance class, surrounded by food trucks. And that's not all folks...
While I'm still speaking about the murals, near the entrance there's a mural Songs and sorrows in progress by artist Jesse Hernandez, by witch the museums celebrates 20th anniversary of Mexican Day of the dead (Día de los Muertos)
A sada, u muzej. Stalnu postavku muzeja čine tri dela: umetnička, istorijska i prirodnjačka zbirka (jedino nisam video poslednju). Ono što pleni je što muzej svojim delovanjem i postavkom postupa u skladu sa obraćanjem zajednici. Usmeren ne samo na Oukland, već i na celu Kalifoniju, kao regionalni muzej, muzej pokušava da obuhvati raznolikost kultura, istorije, stvaralaštva i ambijenta. Umetnička zbirka obuhvata umetničke stilove/žanrove, ponajviše usmerena na umetnike koji su iz regiona (ali ne isključivo), uz reference na svetske tokove istorije umetnosti. Kroz umetnost se takođe govori i o društvu, prirodi, materijalima, ljudima koji umetnost stvaraju (sa citatima umetnika na engleskom, španskom i kineskom).
And now, let's come inside. Museum's permanent collection consists of three parts: art, history and natural history (I haven't seen the last one). What catches the eye is that by its work and public display the museum keeps on the mission of community outreach. Focused not just on Oakland, but encompassing the whole state of California, as a regional museum, it tries to present a net of the diversity of cultures, histories, creativity and ambients. The art collection has being sectioned under art styles/genres/periods, with most of the artists coming from the region (but not solely), with references to world flux of art history. Through art the exhibition talks about the society, nature, materials, people who are the makers of art (with artists' quotes in English, Spanish and Chinese).
Istorijska zbirka je interaktivnija od umetničke, i u sebi obuhvata mnoštvo materijala za čitanje i istraživanje. Svaki istorijski period ima svoj zaseban deo, sa izložbenim eksponatima (koji su mahom van vitrina) i rekonstrukcijama ambijenata. Posetioci mogu interaktivno da istraže npr. kako su se u ranim danima nemih filmova Holivuda koristili specijalni zvučni efekti, koje mogu da isprobaju i pokušaju sami da ozvuče insert iz nemog filma, ili da pak pogađaju koji zvuk se odnosi na koji predmet. Deo eksponata se nalazi dostupan online.
The historical collection is more interactive from the artistic one, encompassing a plenty of materials to read and explore. Every historical period has its space, with exhibits (mostly out of glass cases) and reconstructions of ambients. Visitors can explore through interaction, for example, how special effect were produced in early Hollywood's silent movies, while trying to make a sound background based on a couple of movie scenes, or taking a quiz to pair up an object with it's sound. Part of the objects could be found online.
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| art collection map |
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| Temporary exhibition The smallest of worlds, by artist Rey May, dioramas of Latino American folklore art |
Ono što mi se čini značajnim je kako muzej u sebi obuhvata različite, možda čak i konfliktne perspektive istorije, npr. domorodačkih kultura pre dolaska misionara i vojnika Španske imperije (pod nazivom Pre nego što su došli drugi ljudi) ili perioda kada je Kalifornija bila pod Meksičkom upravom (Španci uzimaju ovu zemlju) ili konfliktnih stavova oko talasa imigracije iz Meksika. Ovaj pristup je znatno otvoreniji nego skrivanje problematičnih epizoda pod tepih. Takođe, posetioci su uključeni u stvaranje kolekcija, koje se mahom odnose na skoriju istoriju (npr. '60-te i '70-te godine XX veka), ili jasnim postavljanjem pitanja i mogućnosti kako predstaviti Kaliforniju od 1975. do danas.
What seems important for me is how the museum tries to get together different, even conflictive historical perspectives, e.g. cultures existing before missionaries' and Spanish arrival (called Before the other people came), or the period when CA was a Mexican territory (Spaniards are taking over the land), or conflict viewpoints about the immigration wave from Mexico. This approach is more open than hiding problematic histories under the carpet. Also, visitors can help in building the collection itself, which deal with the more contemporary history (e.g. '60s and '70s), or maybe posing questions how contemporary Californians could be presented from 1975 till today.
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| A waring sign near Mexican border that was used from '80s |
Za kraj ove posete, otkriće (za mene) i favorit - Majkl Mekmilan i njegov rad (diorama, ambijentalna skulptura) koji se nalazi u okviru stalne postavke OMCA pod nazivom Aristotelov kavez (1982-1993). Fin članak o ovom radu je napisao umetnik Robert Džarel na svom sajtu.
Uprkos mojoj lošoj fotografiji, na linkovima obratite pažnju na dva kostura koji se nalaze iznad + iz prikolice dopire isprekidan zvuk radija.
For the end of this visit, a small discovery for me and a favorite - Michael McMillen's work (diorama, ambient sculpture) as part of the permanent art collection of OMCA titled Aristotle's cage (1982-1993). A nice article about the work can be read by artist Robert Jarrel on his website.
Despite my bad photo quality, pay attention on the link to two skeletons hanging from above + bear in mind that there's music from the radio coming from the trailer park.
I mala muzička pozadina - Kalifornijski nokturno...
And to contribute to the ambient - Californian nocturne...
