Siempre nos quedará París. . .

{We will always have Paris}

I recently came across these urban messages and I had to share them with you.  (The lovely rewards of carrying a camera everywhere I go; I strongly recommend it).  

hmm. . .gloomy, melancholic yet charming. I found the first message in Old Montréal, the second one at a university restroom stall, and the birds: (left) Outremont neighborhood (right) Downtown Montréal.

PART 1: La piel que habito...

Part 2: Pedro Almodóvar, Louise Bourgeois, Jean Paul Gaultier, and a Tarantula, click here.

 

Pedro Almodóvar's upcoming film, La Piel que Habito (The Skin I Live in) was presented at the Cannes Festival this past May. From what I've read online, it's terrifying, beautiful, and very Almodóvar...all in the name of the underlined theme: IDENTITY. Which is why it doesn't surprise me that Louise Bourgeois is a symbolic character in this film. 'Identity in the home' is a re-occuring theme in her work.  Louise passed away last May at the age of 98, and this tribute to her by Almodóvar is a beautiful gift to those of us who have been mesmerized by her and her œuvre for years. Hmm, I can just imagine the conversations between Pedro and Louise, two truly visionary talents. 


Leading female: Elena Anaya as Vera.
Leading male: Antonio Banderas as the plastic surgeon, Doctor Ledgard in search of a "strong skin..." 
Plot: Loosely based on the novel, Tarantula, by the French writer, Thierry Jonquet.  For an informative review read here.
Additional details: 
(1) Costumes designed by Jean Paul Gaultier. 
(2) The work of the French-American artist, Louise Bourgeois is a source of inspiration to the main character, Vera.


The film opens in NY and LA October 14, 2011. 

 

Image Credits:

* All images of the film, borrowed from here.

* Louise Bourgeois sculptures: Nature Study, 1984 and Femme Maison, 1994.

* Louise Bourgeois signed drawing found here. (Original drawing owned by The Estate of Louise Bourgeois).

* Louise Bourgeois face drawing borrowed from this book by Marie-Laure Bernadac.

* Jean Paul Gaultier images shot during my visit to the exhibit, From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, currently on display in the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts until October 2, 2011. NOTE: These JPG creations do not appear in the film (as far as I know), but I found them visually relevant to this post.

Primavera en la plaza de Paris...

(Spring in the Parisian square.)


The act of collecting is very rewarding. . .(NOTE: I am referring to thoughtful collecting, not uncontrollable hoarding).


I started a new collection this week, pocket-sized theater books of Spanish plays performed in Madrid during the 1940's, 50's and 60's.  Yesterday, 85 of them came home with me inside my Frida Kahlo tote bag.  I stumbled upon these ephemeral pieces of literature during one of my impromptu visits to the Spanish bookstore, Las Américas.  


The curious titles and colorful covers completely hypnotized me. I really think they were waiting just for me. Is it crazy to think that books have souls and that somehow they come into your life when you most need them?  I know, very Fahrenheit 451...thank you Ray Bradbury!


The complete collection is composed of about 600+ books and I want them all. Can you imagine? Never mind the intense reading task at hand, but more importantly, where am I going to store 600 books?  I imagined them individually framed and all over my walls.  Yes I know, a beautiful and expensive vision.  I am tempted to start a blog specifically for this collection...hmmm...an art grant would be nice. Any ideas?


If bookstores and books in general become obsolete one day, future generations will be robbed of these small but joyous serendipities...sad, sad, sad.


A few of the titles. . .
La vida es un hilo. . .Life is a thread.
La playa vacia. . .The empty beach.
Los nuevos burgueses. . .The new bourgeois.
La maleta. . .The suitcase.
Espejo para dos mujeres. . .A Mirror for two women.

 

Morning package from San Francisco...

I received a beautiful package this morning from ma belle amie, Kelly Lynn Waters (curator of the blog halcyon days).  We don't see each other often enough, she lives in San Francisco, but we have a magical connection. After all, we will always have København, right Kelly?


As I was browsing the book, the morning rays illuminated my living room floors and it inspired the pic below.

And well, fabulous wrapping paper...merci K.


The book: Lists: To-dos, Illustrated Inventories, Collected Thoughts, and Other Artists' Enumerations from the Collections of the Smithsonian Museum by Liza Kirwin, the curator of manuscripts at the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art.

Pikolo...

I stumbled upon this new urban-infill-chic espresso bar yesterday and of course I snapped a couple of shots.  Pikolo is on Avenue du Parc next to my favorite stationary store in Montréal, papeterie nota bene. 
They do not serve Stumptown Coffee, but the space immediately took me back to Portland, Oregon's unforgettable coffee spots. The space just feels right, not many cafés are able to achieve this du jour ambience! Bravo! 


(. . .industrial details,  intimate space, gorgeous large windows with aged accents, high ceiling, architecture-studio stools, a welcoming service, a sexy espresso machine, an accessible location. . .) 


But the biggest draw for me is the creative entrepreneur behind this new café-bar, the cutie in the pictures below, Marie-Ève. I don't know much about her, but I am looking forward to chatting with Marie-Ève next time I stroll in. Pikolo brews Phil & Sebastian coffee. 


Merci Beaucoup Marie-Ève for fostering the third-wave coffee lifestyle!


Image of Phil & Sebastian coffee bags borrowed from here.

Thom Yorke's random dance...

My husband is fascinated with this video and well it is quite contagious. Very Charlie Chaplin meets contemporary dance or should I say random dance. (The dance company of Wayne McGregor, the choreographer of this video). 
Bravo, Thom Yorke!


Produced and Directed by Garth Jennings 
Choreographed by Wayne McGregor 
Director of Photography: Nick Wood 
Editor: Leila Sarraf 


Images found here.

Serious Sensible Solemn...Sober Couture from Amsterdam.

I recently discovered the beautifully curated blog, iiiinspired orchestrated by a graphic design student from Budapest.  
I have spent hours just browsing her (name not published) gorgeous discoveries.
iiiinspired recently posted these photos from the recently unveiled fashion line, Sober Studio from Amsterdam.  I find the photographic compositions, the architectonic props, the color schemes, the belle red-head and the sublime accessories . . . mmm hypnotic.     


Photos borrowed from here. (Spring/Summer 2012)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh Vitra & Pompidou, how you tease me so...

If ONLY. . . Domaine de Boisbuchet.  Doesn't it look delightful?  Design workshops in France?. . .mmm, yes, s'il vous plaît!


Images borrowed from here.

I want two babushkas...

I am fascinated and overjoyed with illustration-graffiti artists that give life to those exterior architectural details that often go unnoticed. 


I stumbled upon these images belonging to the artist Stanislava Pinchuk (aka MISO) currently living in Melbourne, Australia this morning and I just fell in love with her street compositions.  There is something very poetic about the babushka like illustrations framing the neighborhood doors.  Truly sigh provoking!


Photos borrowed from MISO's official site.

Amy Winehouse...(1983 - JULY 23, 2011)

I recently read that Maira Kalman reads the obituaries every morning. 
What a wonderful ritual, don't you think?


The older I get, the more I start to think about the inevitable fin that will come for all of us one day. (Those life insurance TV commercials don't help either...It's funny how I never noticed them before...) Of course the thought frightens me enormously...but at the same time, it motivates me to enjoy life's daily episodes. The moments I hold dear, often involve unforgettable tunes.  A fabulous song is all I need sometimes to feel content.


THANK YOU AMY WINEHOUSE FOR TRANSFORMING THOSE UNEXPECTED BLUE DAYS. . .what a voice! 


Beautiful post from ADELE about Amy Winehouse here.


Photo (left) Harper's Bazaar 2010 interview with Amy Winehouse.
Photo (right) borrowed from here.