Culture

Three exhibitions convey the splendour of the city of Girona (in north-eastern Catalonia) during the Middle Ages. The curators of all three exhibitions wished to break away from the notion of “darkness” which is often associated with such times, when these several centuries actually shaped the city’s glorious past. Visitors can get acquainted with 13^th century Jewish doctors or intellectuals, walk down the streets of Medieval Girona, and contemplate masterpieces such as the portrait of Catalan King Peter III. The City Museum, the Museum of Jewish History and the Monastery of Sant Daniel are hosting exhibitions on medieval Girona until the 30^th of March 2014.

The 143 pictures that won the last World Press Photo contest – the main photojournalism event at international level, which is held each September in Perpignan – will be on show at the Barcelona Centre of Contemporary Culture (CCCB). Among such photographs are many scenes taken at Gaza and Syria along with pictures of sports, nature, social issues and current affairs. Director of the Photographic Social Vision foundation Sylvia Omedes stated the exhibition “was the best opportunity to see the state of the world through the best photos taken in 2012”.  

The 19^th Edition of the Manga Fair opened its doors on Thursday on the grounds of Fira de Barcelona in Montjuic. The exhibition space has increased by 10% since the previous edition, with the number of exhibitors reaching 160. This year the ‘Saló del Manga’ will focus on sports Mangas, highlighting works like Captain Tsubasaand Slam Dunk. Another exhibition will be dedicated to Spanish Mangakas. Catalan Minister for Culture Ferran Mascarell said the Fair was an “expression of popular culture” and a place of “creativity”. Director of the Manga Fair Carles Capdevila added the event was a showcase for Japanese culture as a whole, beyond the realm of Manga.

The rock star, who died on Sunday aged 71, participated in activities promoting Catalan culture and literature in the world. Lou Reed had stated on several occasions his admiration for some Catalan poets. The Velvet Underground founder worked with the Ramon Llull Institute (IRL) in two readings of Catalan Poetry in English. The first one took place in New-York in 2007 and the Punk icon Patti Smith as well as Reed’s life partner, the artist Laurie Anderson, also participated. The other was in Barcelona, in 2008, with only Lou Reed on stage. Some of the poems read were from Gabriel Ferrater, Perejaume, Enric Casasses, Maria Mercè Marçal and Miquel Martí i Pol.

The city of Barcelona will be the Guest of Honour at the 2014 Beijing Design Week (BJDW). This festival is one of the biggest cultural events in China and will be attended by three and a half millon visitors from all over the world. The news was announced on Thursday by Mayor of Barcelona Xavier Trias, Minister for Culture Ferran Mascarell and Director of the Ramon Llull Institute for Catalan Culture Àlex Susanna. The event is dedicated to Design, Architecture, Urbanism, and Contemporary Creation. Susanna insisted it was the most significant cultural project since Catalonia’s invitation to the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2007.

The 46^th edition of the International Festival of Fantastic Film of Catalonia ended on 20^th of October in Sitges (Greater Barcelona) on a very successful note. Ticket sales and public interest reached new highs while supernatural thriller Borgman was awarded ‘Best Film’. Fan favourite Charles Dance received ‘Time Machine Award’, Israeli directors Aharon and Navot Papushado Keshales won ‘Best Director’ and British actress Juno Temple and Chinese actor Andy Lau were also distinguished.

The Plague (‘La Plaga’), directed by Neús Ballús, is one of the 5 nominees in the ‘European Discovery’ category of the European Film Awards. In an exclusive interview with the Catalan News Agency from the BFI London Film Festival – in which Ballús is participating – , the film-maker explained that her movie’s nomination was totally “unexpected”. Ballús is very “impressed” by this decision, which she considers is “a recognition of movies made in a smaller and more humble dimension”.  She stressed that many Catalan movies have this dimension, which also gives them greater freedom to experiment.

Barcelona-based publisher RBA has announced that Icelandic author Arnaldur Indridason (Reykjavik, 1961) has won the seventh edition of the Crime Novel RBA Prize for his forthcoming book ‘Shadow Channel’ (‘Skuggasund’ in Icelandic). The novel begins with the mysterious murder of an old man in the Icelandic capital, and then goes back in time to a series of crimes committed in 1944. Indridason is one of the most prominent authors of crime fiction and has already published six works with the RBA. His novels have been translated into 21 languages and the majority involve the protagonist Detective Erlendur Sveinsson. The prize for the winner of the award is €125,000.

Barcelona has unveiled a new museum located in the Born neighbourhood, next to the Gothic quarter, which explores how life was in the city during the early 18^th century, and will exhibit 8,000 objects. The Born Cultural Centre shows the neighbourhood’s ruins dating from 1714, when residents were forced to destroy their own homes and leave without any compensation after Barcelona’s military defeat. Next to the area, the largest urban military citadel in Europe was built, being part of the fierce repression that the Bourbon troops inflicted on Catalan citizens. From that moment onwards, Catalonia lost its self-government institutions, its own laws and freedoms, and Catalan language was banned and persecuted with the aim to homogenise the recently-formed Spain.

This Friday, the Joan Miró Foundation presented the program for the 2013-2014 season. ‘Art in Public Space’ is the provisional title of the project that will take place between January and July of next year. It will bring together sketches, preparatory drawings, models, photographs and videos that form the background of Miró’s work that has been showcased in public areas. The Director of the Foundation, Rosa Maria Malet, also shed light on forthcoming temporary exhibitions including ‘Before the Horizon’ and ‘A place where artists have the right to fail. Stories of Espai 10 and Espai 13 at the Fundació Joan Miró’.

This weekend, the city of Tàrrega will be transformed as its annual arts festival kicks-off with over 400 performers entertaining crowds. The event, in its 33rd year, will have 24 venues and a total 300 shows. It prides itself on showcasing the best up-and-coming artists as well as placing an emphasis on more unconventional performances. There are numerous shows on offer including theatre, dance and music as well as events for children such as puppet acts and circus performances. The festival attracted 147,000 visitors in 2012 and is located in central Catalonia in the village of Tàrrega.

The 12th edition of the Acústica music festival has broken records with the highest amount of spectators ever. The five day music event, located in the town of Figueres in the north-east region of Girona, saw a total of 80,000 spectators – an increase of 25% on last years edition. The annual festival showcased the best of Catalan music and for its duration the centre of Figueres was transformed into a pedestrainised zone with open air stages in the streets. The most popular concerts were those of the groups Chambao, La Pegatina and the municipal band of Figueres and Delafé y las Flores Azules. The director of the event, Xavier Pascual, stated the attendance figures illustrate the “good health” of Catalan music and culture.

On Friday, the Castellers of Vilafranca completed the construction of a human tower containing 10 levels of three members making the highest human tower of all time. The accomplishment took place during the annual festival of Vilafranca and more than 10,000 spectators assembled in Vilafranca square to witness the spectacle. Experts have stated that it may go down as one of the best days in the history of activity as the thirty Castell groups that competed managed to complete numerous successful towers. This was the 30th time that the Castellers of Vilafranca have attempted this feat, with all ending unsuccessfully.

The medical director of the Coordinadora de Colles Castelleres de Catalunya (the coordinating committee of the human towers of Catalonia – CCCC), Daniel Castillo, has announced that the tradition is just as dangerous as practicing any other sport. Two weeks ago, a casteller (Castell participant) was seriously injured in Barcelona during the construction of a Castell. However, in an interview with the CNA, Castillo highlighted how that historical tradition is, in fact, becoming safer with only 2.5% of the 6,500 Castells of 2013 collapsing. “During the 1990s about 7% of Castells collapsed”, he noted. Castells is a tradition unique to Catalonia and in 2010 was declared a UNESCO element of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

During the 1960s a form of music emerged in the Raval district of Barcelona that combined the passion of the flamenco rumba with the speed and rhythm of the mambo and of rock. It became known as the Catalan rumba and was created by Peret and his peers. The documentary is called ‘Cuchibiri cuchibiri’ and will be directed by filmmaker Carles Prats. It will reveal the origins and evolution of the Catalan rumba through the life of Peret who is considered a founder of the genre and a key figure within the gypsy community of Catalonia. Prats noted how Peret is an “important figure” and is the Catalan rumba’s equivalent of “Chuck Berry or Elvis Presley”.