I completely omitted this photograph when I made the initial edit from the student protest in London (November 8, 2010).  I remember the moment when the fire extinguisher was thrown off the roof so clearly.  It was, like in a photograph, as if time stopped.  I can’t explain the many thoughts that crossed my mind in the brief instance that it took for that object to drop to the ground, but they were all terrifying.  The most terrifying though was that someone would definitely be killed the moment that the extinguisher got to ground level.  Miraculously this did not happen.  I don’t know if we owe this miracle to the police or the students, but in that moment, police and students, for as brief as it was, were on the same side of the gun.

I do not wish to enter in the meaning of this moment, but I will say that it shows a break in the comradeship of students.  For the fight at the time became not against the establishment, but against the activists who were at the time on the roof.  Perhaps, if we get more philosophical, we were fighting ourselves, who until then were supporting what was going on.  And many still cheered after this happened.

Now, as a photographer I thought that the image could have been stronger if I would have been closer to the falling object, and captured both the expressions of the people and the extinguisher.  Having thought about this photograph for some time now, I’ve realized that the image is actually stronger as it’s been shot.  The space that the extinguisher occupies in the surface of the photograph is insignificant.  Then there are the people on who can be barely spotted on the roof, and the crowd of police and students in the bottom.  This insignificance of the extinguisher in mid flight on the photograph becomes an allegory of the whole reason for the demonstration.  On the one hand, it shows how insignificant the person who threw it thought this act was (and how insignificantly small his brain was too).  On the other hand, it represents what the government has done to students.  At this point of the day, the activists on the roof have taken the place of the institution, and in this act, metaphorically illustrated what the government has done by raising student fees.  They’ve dropped a bomb on our heads and everyone else who was there (ie the police) while they sit in Parliament and politicize education.

In the past days, Humboldt Squids have migrated north to the coast of California, expanding their territory due to climate change. A perfectly normal thing » Read the rest of this entry «

It was just a few days ago Michael Jackson upset a crowd at the O2 arena in London.  It also seems a few days ago, when my parents took me to one of his concerts at River Plate stadium in Buenos Aires.  We sat in the back.  The sound was the worst I’d ever heard, I can actually say there was no distinguishable sound.  I can also remember » Read the rest of this entry «

This essay will try to define and comprehend the concept of the spectacle as understood by Guy Debord and Jean Baudrillard. It will look at how this concept, together with Baudrillard’s concept of Simulation, and the Situationists International have influenced contemporary art, particularly in the category of performance, happenings and arts criticism of the mass media. It is relevant to mention, that as the Situationist International » Read the rest of this entry «

It’s been a week since I came back to London. It took longer for my mind to arrive, and it finally did yesterday at the London College of Fashion graduate’s show.

It was delayed for an hour, in which I sat by my better half and friends fiddling with my hands, my eyes heavy, and stomach growling for a burger. I sat on the third row at the very beginning of the catwalk and dreamed on.
The lights turned off and the fashionista music rose to a deafening volume. A spotlight turned on illuminating the beginning of the catwalk. There was a moment where everything stopped, the music played but the scilence was numbing. As my eyes lightened and a long leged burger walked on to the catwalk.  It stopped right about where I was sitting, turned in its place and faced me opening it’s arms.

The lights turned off and the fashionista music rose to a deafening volume.  I was exited to see my friends work on the catwalk.  I’d seen some of their designs, but I wasn’t ready for what would come.  Clothes in movement look much better, usually.

Irene Brandt

I am an outsider insider to fashion, so I will try my best and comment about the show.  I’d like to start by Irene Brandt, who displayed an elegant collection inspired in Guillermo Kuitca’s theatre paintings.  A concise collection made of silk and wool, with a black, grey and soft beige palette.  Everything sown and finished to perfection.  It is worth mentioning her hand held purses and rope legings stood out in the collection.

Joseph Lazo 1

Josef Lazo 2

Josef Lazo 3

Second, Josef Lazo presented a sexy collection with painted fabrics, soft fabrics and rough fabrics.  I saw a lot of legs out in the air, which to me is a plus.  Also, very elegant body suits made of rough looking painted fabrics, alway’s keeping elegance and quality before anything else.

Fran and Jess

Fran & Jess 2

My two favourite though, I must admit were Frances & Laetitia.  Their series, bodering on coherence, displayed a mixture of fur, batik, hoodies, fury leggings, polygonal patching and crazy punk shoes.  It was surprise after surprise, and the coolest most extravagant clothes in the show, I found much of them actually wearable.  Perhaps not all at once, but combined with other things.

Anyway, this is the opinion of someone who knows nothing about fashion, but enjoy’s it none the less.

Thanks to “Serbias Ambassador to the World” for quoting a passage from one of the articles in this blog.  It is a great site working for Serbia against the negative propaganda that the media has spread along the years.

“Serbia’s Ambassador To The World core mission is to change the negative image of Serbia that has been present for many years, and systematically begin repairing Serbia’s image in the world. The way we do this is mostly by getting the right information to the right people at the right time, combining frequent posts to Serbia’s Ambassador blog and diplomatic relations, with blog comments and editorial replies in response to online news and editorials about Serbia.”

To know more about it, and read about Serbia, visit Serbias Ambassador To The World website.

I was happy to see the day was grey when I rose late this morning. I took my time to get out of bed and make a coffee. The hostel was quiet and empty bottles lay on every surface. I made myself a Turkish coffee and smoked a cigarette on the balcon. At 12, I started out to photograph the city.

My first destination was NATO street, as I call it. Perhaps Serbians call it the same way, I don’t know. Along a distance of 400 hundred meters you can find the American embassy, the Polish one, Croatian, Canadian and German. Also the bombed Police Headquarters and Central military headquarters. These two buildings were bombed in 1999 by NATO.

The American embassy looks like a bunker. The windows have been covered with steel sheets and cement. It is situated on a corner, and the perpendicular street to NATO street is barrackaded and cars need a special permit and security check to go through. The residents of the area are not very happy to have to go through this every time they return home.

Across from the bombed Police Headquarters is the new Police Headquarter. I wasn’t very welcome when I photographed the facade. A police officer ran towards me from his booth. I played stupid and walked away.

At the military headquarters I took some photos from the street. There is a wall made from metal panels so one can’t see at street level what is behind. I asked a military guard if there was any possibility to enter the building to photograph. He said I could only do it from the street. I wouldn’t give up that easy. I climbed a tree were the guard couldn’t see me, or I couldn’t see him. I made a shot and he pulled me down by the heel. He had told me it was not possible to photograph inside. I said I was sorry, and he told me I should delete the photo. Fortunately it was a film camera. Unfortunately he wanted to take me in and get the film. I once again said I was sorry and that I was a student from Argentina.

“Argentina!” he exclaimed, “Ok, but please don’t take photos inside the building.”

“I’m sorry.” I shook his hand and introduced myself properly.

We talked about politics. Kosovo was mentioned, America was mentioned. Chavez, Che Guevara, Hugo Morales and Fidel Castro. I asked Ivan if I could photograph him. He smiled, I could tell he was flattered, but he was doubtful about it. He said that if somebody saw this he would get in trouble. In the end he said I could photograph him from behind, only because I was from Argentina. I made him walk towards the wall and shot. All throughout, he looked worried that someone might see us. When it was over, we walked away in opposite directions.

It started raining. I went into a street restaurant to rest and have some food and write my diary. I spend one hour there until it stopped raining. A city’s tempo changes dramatically when it rains, I enjoyed seeing this happen for a short time. When it stopped the normal tempo was restored.

I would like to make clear that I am aware of some mistakes in my writing for the posts of this trip.  I am blogging from a phone and on the go, so I tend to make things short.  For the spelling mistakes, blame Apple, they don’t seem to be very good at literary skills.