Sara Collantes: The French "Iron Maiden"

A few days ago, in late March, one of the most recognizable symbols of modern architecture in Europe turned 125. I mean, the most praised Parisian inhabitant, the Eiffel Tower of course. This magnificent iron structure is an iconic landmark, not only for Paris itself but for the whole France.

L'exposition universelle 1889 

Conceived as the imposing gateway for the 1889 World’s Fair in honour of the centenary of the French Revolution, it was originally condemned to be dismantled after 20 years (just like the other constructions built specifically for the exhibition); but in 1903 the French Army placed a transmitting antenna on the top, which was absolutely essential during the Great War, changing its fate forever. Because of its great value for communication, it was allowed to stand and now we all can admire its slender fragility and cold beauty.

Mr G. Eiffel proudly poses at the stairs

Nowadays we can’t even imagine the City of Light without its Eiffel Tower. We can only picture the skyline of Paris, with the worldwide known tower patiently dominating the whole town. As Guy de Maupassant said, “the tower is the one place in Paris where the tower is not visible”. Take the case of the films. No matter in which hotel the lead actor is staying, they’ll always open a great double-door balcony with breathtaking views of the Tower. But the Big Lady hasn’t always been there. There was a time when its construction was the target of criticism and heated discussion between artists and intellectuals, on one side of the wrestling ring, and engineers on the other.

The dispute between architects and engineers goes a long way back. Since the appearance of the so-called iron architecture in the 1800s, which came as a result of the Industrial Revolution, the purpose of new constructions turned into a more social role. Engineering and new materials were now at the service of a new concept of architecture, which opposed the traditional train of thought. And so then, the Eiffel Tower symbolized the “grandeur of the science and French engineering”. 

Even before the beginning of its construction in 1887, it was surrounded by a unbreathable atmosphere of distrust and controversy among prominent figures of the world of literature and art. They defended their opinions tooth and nail and left proof of their common disagreement in a scathing announcement:

“We, writers, painters, sculptors, architects and passionate

devotees of the hitherto untouched beauty of Paris, protest with all

our strength, with all our indignation, in the name of slighted French

taste, against the erection of this useless and monstrous

Eiffel Tower...” 

Le Temps, 14 February 1887.

A view of Trocadero

Rather than the massive structure, its daring excessive shape or the pointless of its use, the major concern they had was if it was even feasible to be erected. These personalities thought that the tower would collapse before it had been completed or, provided it didn’t, they were sure that Gustav Eiffel would look ridiculous in view of the misunderstanding and astonishment by the attendees of the World’s Fair. But the result was completely different, and the Tower was a smashing success since two million people had climbed to the top by the end of the exhibition.

I was tremendously lucky to walk up the tower, even though only to the second floor. I was only 9, so I can’t remember much of the experience, but what I do remember clearly is standing on tiptoe just to be able to see over the railing how vast Paris was in a bird’s eye view. I was astonished to see how countless buildings spread out as far as the eye could see. And at night it was absolutely awesome, a real dream of light.

To finish, just one infantile yet equally enlightening question: when playing Pictionary, if you are supposed to draw Paris, what is the first thing that springs to mind? Think of it, mon amis!

The Eiffel Tower in numbers:

Height: 324m

Weight: 10.100 tones

Foundations depth: 15 m

Steps: 1.710

Iron pieces: 18.038

Rivets: 2.5 million

Light bulbs: 20.000

Lifts: 9

Construction time: 2 years, 2 months, 5 days

Painting time lapse: every 7 years

Highest building from 1889 to 1930 (when the Chrysler Building in NY took over)

Such a fantastic post - as well as the photos and the great video - , dear Sara! 

Who can deny the lure of the City of Light, the ever so romantic Paris. I'm sure if you guys have been to the French capital yourselves you will find it really hard to choose just the one spot that sticks to mind, but surely the majestic iron structure will undoubtedly be in the top five, won't it? 

When we went to Paris (I mean, my wife and kids and myself) and I first saw the Tower in the distance, I thought it didn't look as high as its huge proportions would obviously indicate, but how wrong I was! Only when I stood at the very top of it, did I realise how mesmerizingly amazing the view is!

So I suddenly remembered I took some (to my modest mind) fantastic photos on my Pentax. Truth be told, it was rather easy to do so, as we were extremely fortunate that the weather was gorgeous, simply spectacular, that glorious day we had booked the tickets online to get to the top. So hey, I just decided I wanted to share with you this link. Hope you like the pics! 

If any of you guys have also been to Paris, would you indeed like to share your memories? ...

Maite Jiménez - "HER": SPIKE JONZE’S VERY UNCONVENTIONAL LOVE STORY

Set in Los Angeles, in an elegant, sophisticated version of the forthcoming technological future, where things have been nicely simplified, “Her”, Spike Jonze’s latest film, revolves around the unexpected, even unnatural relationship between a melancholic and soulful complex man named Theodore Twombly (masterfully played by Joaquin Phoenix), who is in the middle of a traumatic separation from childhood sweetheart Catherine (Rooney Mara) and his new, and seemingly autonomous, intelligent operating system (wonderfully voiced by Scarlett Johansson). 

Theodore makes his living working for a company called BeautifulHandwrittenletters.com, penning heartfelt and touching letters for other people. Discouraged after the unavoidable end of a long relationship, and incapable of moving on, he unconsciously looks for shelter and company, which he finds out, quite by chance, in a talking operating system with advanced brightness, not only thoroughly designed to adjust and evolve in its own way, but also personalized, to make matters worse, for each user. After initiating it, Theodore is pleased to meet “Samantha”, a captivating female voice who immediately cares for him, and is a good listener, as well as sensitive and surprisingly funny. Theodore is soon amazed not only by her ability to turn out the most varied issues, but also her intellectual capacity and keen sense of humor, all perfectly mingled with her enormous ignorance of the simplest human experiences. They bond over their discussions about inward feelings, their needs and desires, even sentimental experiences and jokes, developing an odd friendship into the eventual “love” for each other.

This is, broadly, an initial approach to the story. The rest of the flick I am not going to gut in attention for those who have not seen it yet, but these brushstrokes about the plot are enough to give my impression on the movie and to reflect upon some ideas.

I feel “Her” challenges our preconceptions about the so-called “real love”. I mean, it seems, on a superficial reading, another love story in a technological context, an imaginative attempt to go a little further about the difficulty of personal relationships in a high-tech world. It may be a weird, pretty absurd account, more implausible and unbelievable than others, but to my mind, it is, in fact, no more than a fantasy exercise that allows Spike Jonze to go deeper into thorny matters that invariably lead to weighty moral problems: to cite a few, the rational use of technology, the arrival of post-humanism, the phenomenon of machinism - or the control by gadgets of our lives - as well as the increasing isolation of the human being and their inability to communicate, to click with their peers on a deeper level.

Alongside them, other more “forgettable” subjects are brilliantly outlined by Spike Jonze: Are you a slave to technology? Do you need to tweet everything you do? Do you look at the world through a camera? Do you check your mobile phone before and after sleep? Would you fall in love with a thing? Do you have real friends? Are you afraid to be alone? Are you obsessed with the past? What do you need to be happy? 

Apart from these technological quizzicalities, there are three ideas, among the many that the film suggests, that I find interesting:

Firstly, the power of words. The job Theodore does is no coincidence. Let me remind you he is a lonely, introverted young man, very attractive by the way, who works for a company that employs professional writers who compose intimate letters for people who are unwilling or unable to pen letters of a personal nature themselves. Although Theodore is unable to help himself, he has, nevertheless, an uncanny ability to choose the appropriate words, those which will have a positive effect on the addressee. This is one of the many contradictions that accurately reflect Theodore’s personality, and by extension, of the entire human nature.

Words heal - or just the opposite - I guess Theodore must think, not forgetting words are also a source of misunderstanding. I have always liked a Spanish saying that summarizes this philosophy in a few words: “Tal palabra me dices, tal corazón me pones”. And which, on the other hand, doesn’t make you a corny fool or too pliable or fragile a person at all, as Theodore is very smart, but also too emotional.

Secondly, the consequences of trivializing romantic relationships. This notion probably sounds out of fashion. Yet the lack of responsibility in love has left many victims on the road. Notable French writer A. De Saint-Exupérie was able to express this question, better than anybody, through a beautiful fable in the mouth of The Little Prince: “I wished you no harm but you wanted me to tame you”, said the Little Prince to the fox”. “Men have forgotten this basic truth”, replied the fox. “But you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed”. 

In “Her”, Theodore was tamed as well, like the fox, and later on he is forced, by a particular set of circumstances, to cease to be the person he was, to reinvent both himself and his life, leaving aside the past. I like the way Spike Jonze tackles how hard it is sometimes to overcome a sentimental relationship ever so much, and not, as usually expected, from a female perspective but rather from a masculine one. 

Last but not least, there is the eternal conflict between reason and heart. In this feature it is embodied by an artificial super-intelligence (so efficient and fast) and a dim, vulnerable man. Computer “Samantha” would ironically like to be more human, to experiment what human beings feel, precisely just the opposite of that Theodore wishes, who would not want to sense so much so as to suffer less.

With regard to other aspects of the movie, the film’s soundtrack accompanies the story truly well (there are songs composed by Canadian band Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett, with additional music by Karen O of “Yeah Yeah Yeahs”). Jonze’s refined sense of taste (the use of beautiful bright colours contrasts the perfect world outside with the sadness of the main character), not to mention the teasing, jolly side of the film, already present from the very handling of the subject: the funny computer game “Perfect Mum”, designed by Amy, Theodore’s best friend - fantastically performed by Amy Adams - and the amazing game of the foul-mouthed yet adorable alien child that Theodore usually plays with, provide the icing on the cake.

Ultimately, “Her” is a fresh love story that explores the evolving nature - and the risks - of intimacy in the modern world. Not only is it a stirring and entertaining film, but also a small work of art, without appearing a bit over the top. Needless to say, you should watch it in original version. 

Maite, this is indeed a fantastic review of a film that, like you it seems, I really enjoyed - congrats on a job well done!

Jonze's "sci-fi love story" gave me so much food for thought as I was watching it. Honestly. I didn't know if I felt mesmerized by the storyline or simply terrified of the world it depicted, one which our society might inevitably be heading for. I mean, will we one day end up actually having a relationship with a machine, whether a computer or our ubiquitous mobile phone? Who knows!

As usual, Phoenix and Adams deliver extraordinary performances - and so does, to my mind, an "invisible" Scarlett Johansson just by her (terribly seductive) voice, doesn't she?

Anyway, for those of you who didn't have the chance to relish "Her", this is the film's official trailer ...

... plus a short yet interesting interview on the BBC's "Newsnight" with its director:

Fernando: A SATURDAY AFTERNOON IN RIBADAVIA

Some years ago I was working in in Galicia. I must admit that I really have fond memories of the place because it is an amazing place to live in. Apart from its breathtaking coastal areas, unspoiled beaches and well-known landmarks, Galicia has surprising places and villages off the tourist traps, unknown to many people, where you can find very friendly locals, delicious food and inviting landscapes. 

During the time I spent there I used to travel to remote little villages as well as bustling cities and big villages in order to know more about what life was like in that particular part of the country that I love so much. So on a cloudy November afternoon, after an early lunch, I drove with three colleagues of mine to Ribadavia in Orense’s province. We enjoyed ourselves while wandering around the village and its surroundings, visiting the main tourist attractions and shopping for exotic local stuff in an open market. 

At 9 pm, as we were about to leave the village, we stumbled across a stone building with no windows and a big wooden door, which apparently seemed to be a small chapel, although there were no crosses or religious symbols outside that indicated it could be. We could hear male voices singing from inside, so we guessed that it was presumably a choir doing some rehearsal. One of my colleagues, curious enough to know was going on inside, pulled the door smoothly. We saw a group of middle-aged men sitting in a rectangular wooden desk full of food and drinks. On seeing us they stopped singing immediately.” Sorry, we didn’t mean to disturb. We wrongly thought that this building was perhaps a chapel. Please, carry on with the party"- said my colleague. One of the men stood up and told us “Come in, we have an excellent wine that is worth tasting”. We politely refused the invitation, but the man insisted on his offer.  He said to us: “On the left there is red wine, the white wine is on the right and there is also some cheese and pasty on the cupboard on both sides", so we guessed that the place could be either a bar or a wine shop.

We diffidently approached the cupboard where there were several chipped taziñas and filled them with wine. It was extraordinarily tasty and so were the cheese and the empanada. The men continued enjoying the party oblivious of our presence and the one who was apparently in charge seemed to take no notice of everything we were drinking and eating. Therefore, I wrote down in a small piece of paper everything that we drank and ate. The wine was extremely soft and light as usual in that kind of wine (Ribeiro) so we almost gulped down the two first taziñas and, after drinking several more, we ended up joining the party. We had good fun, as the men were making amusing comments and telling jokes, some of them in gallego. In fact, though they were speaking the language most of the time, it wasn’t a problem for us at all because we could understand it easily, and all of us liked the Galician language.

At 10.30 pm, after an exchange of pleasant, polite comments among us, all the men stood up and said goodbye. They left the building apparently in a hurry, considering the mess on the table, where there were some leftovers, half empty taziñas, an untouched piece of bread, a cardboard box full of red apples, as well as homemade apple pie, a small box of cigars and many other things together with dirty dishes. We immediately thought that the man in charge would come back soon in order to clear up all the stuff. Nevertheless, after half an hour no one did, so we went outside in the hope of seeing someone but the street was completely deserted and silent. The only sound was a dog barking into the distance.  We were alone and, much to our surprise, we found out that the entrance door could only be locked from inside the building and obviously we didn’t want to leave the bar without locking it. So, to our astonishment, we were holding the fort of a wine shop for a while. In the meantime, we refilled our taziñas once again and, truth be told, we were almost drunk and having a great time. 

At 11.30 pm we still soldiered on, but we had to make a decision sooner or later. At midnight, we heard the sound of a door opening just behind one of the barrels. We stood up immediately and ran towards there. A tall, well-built man in his early seventies appeared in the threshold of a hidden door. He had grey hair and blue eyes and, though he was wearing a creased shirt, there was something smart in his presence. “Good evening, gentlemen”, he said to us. “It is two minutes past midnight and I’m afraid I have to close our wine cellar right away. I have a date with a very attractive lady and I just can’t wait to see her”. And he immediately started quoting famous sentences from well-known writers which spoke about love. We had a nice chat with him.  He seemed to be a learned person indeed, actually a retired man who spent his time growing his vineyard and sharing the wine with his friends. He lived in a house next door which had a direct access to the cellar. He told us that his friends would come back tomorrow morning to tidy up. He refused to take any money from us but we reached an agreement and left some money inside an empty cigar box as maintenance expenses before saying goodbye.

On our way to where the car was parked, we found a fountain in the middle of a park. I put my head under one of the streams. The cold water cleared my head and my body somehow to help me drive sober. I’ve always been a careful driver and right then I wouldn’t dare be drunk at the wheel for two reasons: it is too risky and also you can put your life and the lives of others in danger.  At about four we managed to go back home safe and sound.

It was an unforgettable experience which perfectly encapsulates my idea of traveling. Every trip means for me knowing new places, meeting new people and living experiences that otherwise I wouldn't live at home and, inevitably, open my mind and my readiness to embrace change.

Fernando, I really love this post, congrats! It perfectly illustrates what "the tiny wonders of life" mean, very much like we discussed in our lessons today. It's only a shame you did't take any pictures of the lively choir or the party you shared with those welcoming villagers.

So come on, guys. Can you share with us any more travel experiences like this? I'm sure you can recall a few, can't you?

Sara Collantes - London: Concrete, glass and flesh

What could I say about London that hasn’t already been said? How can I, in barely 600 words, live up to a city that gave me so much in such a short time?

It gave me the freedom which comes from anonymity, you know, to walk throughout the city as if it were mine. I felt at home every moment of every day while walking down its famous streets and parks: St. James’s Park, Camden Town, Covent Garden, Bishop’s Park or the Soho at night. I was exposed to lots of culture, since London is known worldwide for being a paradise for people who love art, history, theatre, music and cinema. Its cultural offer is simply endless (and often free): The British Museum, The Natural History Museum, The National Gallery, The Victoria & Albert Museum, etc. And the most important thing, it gave me a new point of view from a more open mind.

London had never been one of those cities I was looking forward to visiting before I die, but over a year ago, the chance of going suddenly showed up. A friend of mine was there doing an internship as part of his University doctorate in Neurobiology. Héctor, that’s his name, was having a really hard time as he was there all alone, away from his family and friends, and he didn’t stop telling me how amazing the city was. So I didn’t think about it twice and two weeks later we, my boyfriend and me, were there, in the big city.

It was a gloomy Tuesday but it seemed to me like all was glittering when I went out of Picadilly Circus tube station. Everything there is big and intense but at the same time absolutely accessible and unpretentious. There’s a perfect blend of the highest office towers with the simplicity of some old buildings. A really good example is the Globe, a reconstruction of the 16th-century theatre where most of Shakespeare’s works were played, whose next-door “neighbour” is the Tate Modern, a former power station turned into the most visited gallery of modern art in the world.

Find me if you can!

Now, you should juggle what the day can offer you with its astonishing nightlife. I mean, when you’re in this enchanting city with your perfect partner and one of your best friends, time just flies. We went to every rock bar we could afford or we found on our way, regardless of whether they were big and popular or tiny and filthy, until we lost the track of time - and missed the last tube as well! But the second floor of a double-decker at 4 in the morning is great fun.

Brian May live!

London is the city par excellence. Not only does it have its own life, which runs giddily through its veins, whether narrow streets or big avenues, but it’s this life which also trapped me and I didn’t even notice. London is a blend of cultures and races, a labyrinth of concrete, glass and flesh but I didn’t want to find the way out. It didn’t win my heart at first sight but little by little: every sip of my pint, every step I took in a park and every “sorry” I got from a stranger, tied me to the city inevitably. Everything is possible in London, even seeing Brian May in concert in St. Pancras’ railway station - like it wasn't important at all!

It is ironic how people always highlight London’s vast proportions and infinite possibilities but then we all get amazed for its quiet and cozy isolated, places, and eventually, end up falling in love with it.

I want to finish this post with some beautiful words stolen from a book by Peter Ackroyd called “London: The Biography”: “London goes beyond any boundary or convention. It contains every wish or word ever spoken, every action or gesture ever made, every harsh or noble statement ever expressed. It is illimitable. It is Infinite London”.

Sara, congrats on a fantastic post! It's really written from the heart, and I can see how much enjoyed London.

Tell you what, guys. Samuel Johnson used to say "When a man (sic) is tired of London, he's tired of life". The things is I went to the British capital a few times in a row in the early / mid 80s, so eventually I kind of grew tired of it myself. I mean, don't get me wrong, how can anyone deny there's so much to do and see there? So many instantly recognizable landmarks (do I need to write a legend under each photo?!) to visit. But still I thought enough was enough and I should know other equally interesting places in the UK. Besides, I daresay I've never been that keen on huge cities, and the usually chaotic traffic, the "hustle and bustle", made London somewhat less appealing.

I  know someone else in the class has also visited this "wonder"ful city, so will you post your own comments about it, now that we're dealing with the subject of "Wonders of the world"?

Rosa Baez - Lewis Hine’s exhibition: Building a nation

Lewis Hine's self-portrait

Last weekend I had the chance to see the Lewis Hine exhibition placed in San Benito Gallery in Valladolid.

Lewis Hine (1874-1940) was an American sociologist and photographer, considered the father of documentary photography. He took his pictures in the USA, mainly in New York, in the first third of the 20th century.

He realized that “one picture is worth a thousand words” and used his camera as a tool for social reform, so much so that he finally managed to change some labour laws.

The exhibition, which consists of 60 original photos, can be divided into three collections or projects:

First Collection: Immigrants arriving at Ellis Island

At the beginning of the 20th century, New York was the most important city in the world, so many people from overseas left their countries pursuing the American Dream.

Ellis Island is next to the Statue of Liberty, where boats full of immigrants had to stop in order to control and test them before they were allowed to enter New York.

Some of the photos in this project are portraits: faces alone - their skin prematurely aged - as well as big families with all their humble belongings, who look nostalgic, penniless, sick and tired.

Second Collection: Child labour conditions

Children working in the street, selling newspapers, delivering packages, etc.

Children from Pittsburgh, some of them working in cotton mills, others in coal mines.

It’s very shocking that children look extremely tiny compared to the objects they manufacture, like newspapers, machines or suits.

Along with child labour, there are some photographs that show mothers and their children working in humble, dirty and untidy rooms in their own homes. Even the youngest child, who is no more than five years old, is working. In one particular photograph the family are assembling parts of plastic flowers while in another they are all sewing clothes. We must take into consideration that work at home was a low-paying job.

Third Collection: Men working in the Empire State Building

In these photographs Hine demonstrates his admiration for those strong young men who risked their lives working at hundreds of metres high. They were heroes, without whose effort the building, prosperity and growth of the USA wouldn’t have been possible.

This thrilling, moving and historical exhibition will be open until 27th April. It is a must!

On this video from the BBC you can see some of Lewis Hine’s photographs: The child labour photos that shamed America.

Thanks a lot, Rosa. A fantastic post to celebrate 3,500 hits of our blog! I couldn't remember Hine by his name but the moment you mentioned the iconic image of some Empire State workers (see below), I realised who you were talking about. Such inspiring black-and-white photos, aren't they? But hey, was it a photo during the building of the ES or the Rockefeller Centre, instead? And did Lewis Hines actually take that legendary shot?

The iconic "Lunch atop the the skyscraper". Was it just a publicity stunt?

It's only coincidence that a few months ago I happened to get into a bar in town near Cuesta Sancti Spiritus - whose name I fail to remember now - which featured this instantly recognizable snap as part of its lively decoration. I couldn't help staring at it for a few minutes while sipping a beer and I wondered what was the life story of those men in the photo. But yesterday, when I was looking for the image online, I unexpectedly came across an article of September 2012 appeared in the Daily Mail which might shock you all. It did to me indeed!