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    23.7.06
    Timm Siebeneck's Poetry and Philosophy
    I am very glad to publish on my other Weblog, SIN manada, two writings of Timm Siebeneck: "Luminosity", a poem, and "The First Song", an astronomical philosophy. I invite you to discover how his deep thoughts and feelings come to us through creativeness.
    posted by Laura R. C. @ 19:28   0 comments
    18.7.06
    New Art Gallery in Columbia
    Interview

    Timm Siebeneck: "My main profession is dreaming about what can be realized"


    Interview by Laura R. C.

    Photographs by Timm Siebeneck
    Serenity mirrors in his face and expression, but Timm Siebeneck is the most dynamic and creative person that I have known in Columbia. This 37 years old man was born in Kansas City, Mo, but he has lived in Columbia for about 13 years, where he works as a teacher and supervisor at the English Language Institute, as well as translator. He also develops his artistic side painting, writing and playing music. Two years ago he bought a house in the historic district of Rocheport, where he takes care of a farm, and now has opened a new art gallery and bookstore called “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, at Bauernhof Siebeneck. Although he is still building it and has little inventory, you can visit this place already on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, from 10:00 a.m. or earlier to roughly 2:00 p.m. or later on. "If I’m around, I’ll open it", Timm says.

    Q.: What can we find in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”?
    A.: I haven’t had time to stock the place well, but you can find paintings, sculpture, artsy birdhouses, homemade soap, homemade candles, German books of all genres printed in Missouri during the 19th and 20th centuries, antiques books of all genres, and lots of other stuff to come. I try to make everything myself or have my neighbours and friends make it. The business also entails my translating Romance and Germanic languages like Latin, French, Spanish, Italian, German and German dialects, Dutch, Flemish. I can translate from any one language into any other. My favourite materials to translate are genealogical documents and personal letters and correspondences that are many centuries old.

    Q.: Is it affordable?
    A.: I’m all about a deal, so I’m trying not to have outrageous prices. I’ll have lots of artwork and antique books under $50.00. I’ll sell many other gift items much less than $20.00. I’ll try to accommodate anyone within reason.

    Q.: How would you describe your Art Gallery?
    A.: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a story written by Washington Irving. In the story, there is a headless horseman who carries a pumpkin and squashes unsuspecting victims with his fiery jack o’ lantern. Ichabod Crane, a gentle school teacher, finally builds up the courage to confront the horseman. It’s a tale which is popular around Halloween. It was one of my favourite stories as a child and still is. In the old movie and cartoon, I really thought Ichabod’s house was cool, so I wanted to reproduce it in a way.

    Q.: How did you build it?
    A.: I built it all myself with mostly scrap lumber and recycled materials. I thank my generous neighbours for supporting me by dropping off lumber, kindness and inspiration. It’s a period place made to resemble 1799-1840. I still have a lot of work to do like installing a wooden floor, painting fine details, building more furniture.
    Q.: Why did you decide to create this space?
    A.: One day I was talking to a friend about all the projects I have written down in my project journal that I have to finish, and then it just took hold of me—I should open a gallery. After the initial thought, it created me.

    Q.: What is your main profession?
    A.: It’s really hard to say. I love teaching, creating art, translating. I think my main profession is dreaming about what can be realized.

    Q.: What is the meaning of painting in your life?
    A.: Painting is a relationship between the artist and other people. It’s also one of the ways the spirit corresponds with the world and it is a love-letter to God.

    Q.: You are painter, teacher, translator, language institute supervisor, you take care of a farmhouse and you have built this space with your own hands. Will this Gallery be as dynamic as your life is?
    A.: I guess it would be difficult for it to be anything less.

    Q.: How would you like to influence the community of Columbia with this new cultural space?
    A.: I just wanted to share my world a bit—no big plans to influence anyone; but inspire, now that’s a word…maybe inspire.






    Contact Information
    Art Gallery address: Bauernhof Siebeneck, 214 Central Street. Rocheport, MO 65279
    A skippin’ stone’s throw from the Mighty Missouri River
    Phone: 573-690-7680
    Email:
    bauernhofsiebeneck@yahoo.com
    Timm Siebeneck Webpage

    posted by Laura R. C. @ 12:41   0 comments
    17.7.06
    Dancing with a human being
    I am used to finding people from U.S.A. not too much communicative. They do not speak much about their personal lifes except if you make some questions, and sometimes so much questions that I do not feel comfortable. But when I met people from other countries, perhaps because they feel more neccesary communication staying in a stranger place -like me-, this changes. We can go deep in a conversation fast and know a lot of interesting details about each other. And when this happens by chance while you just go out for leisure it is a reward.

    Last saturday night I went to enjoy dancing salsa and merengue at "Spanish Fly", a new bar in Columbia Downtown. There I ran into a man from El Salvador, and he told me a really sad and hard story about his life in his country and what he experienced to get here. A story that we can easily find on the media news, but the influence of knowing this directly from a person who has lived it is much bigger.

    He was fighting in the Civil War of El Salvador -which lasted 12 years- and he does not know if he killed people, but for him there was not another option than shooting. The then-Gobernment recruited people with a simple proposition: fight against the communist side or been killed in the same moment. I think that the war is not a good idea to resolve a conflict, and I never thought being comfortable with a person who has killed somebody, but after listening to this... could I say that this person is really bad or wrong for doing this? When your total life, your survival depends completely on the death of others, could we ask somebody to be a martyr? Is the human being a hero when she/he gives more value to the life of others or when her/his instinct and nature cryes out for survival?

    Talking about this Nietzsche and his philosophy knocks on my door, and specially the texts from his book "The Antichrist". I really think that Christian religion, with a lot of years trying to model people, has made a big influence in the distinction between good and bad, either we are Christians or not, either we believe in god or we are atheist. And here I am trying to find an answer for all this questions and I cannot and I cannot judge this person. And If I wanted to find somebody guilty, it would be the then-Government, just because it did not respect the most important: the freedom of this man to decide.

    After the Civil War he came to U.S.A. as many other immigrants do: without the legal permission of the Gobernment of The United States of America, just because they decided, and just because of this living a lot of risks. Crossing the Mexico dessert during days only with a bottle of water, riding in the low part of a train or a truck..., almost dying. I cannot even imagine it. The same person who was taking part in war, was later suffering because there are people who think it is morally good to determine other's life and put punishment if they do not do what they want others to do.

    I never stop to be amazed of my species. Was I dancing with a killer, with a victim? I was dancing with a human being.
    posted by Laura R. C. @ 18:25   0 comments
    14.7.06
    Where the sky is hidden. NEW YORK
    I cannot make any comparison in the case of New York City. And I have just needed one day to realize that it is unique, a difference made of the most complex immigrant population. Faces from all the places of the Earth cross your vision with every step. And I did not need to speak English during my visit and also I could hear more times to speak Spanish in the streets than other languages. I lodged in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, close to Harlem, and in this point Broadway St. was an international showcase of small shops and restaurants.

    But the different human colors and the colorful mixture of publicity in the Capital of Capitalism seem to vanish by a hidden sky. The huge buildings and skyscrapers only let the city dress in grey. Dirty houses and crappy and crowd streets, pollution, a messy and noisy traffic made me feel New York City without enchantment and want to runaway, while I wondered: "How can these people live here every day? It is so stressful and exhausting for our senses!” The metro is so old that I was scared when I had to use it.



    Yes, New York City is special, but not in terms of beauty, magic or romanticism. It is special because of its size. It is a huge worker neighborhood. I walked down the street looking for its famous places: Empire State, Brooklyn Bridge, Chrysler Building, Central Park, 5th Avenue... And nothing satisfied me, nothing of this was surprising except its size. But is this something to admire or attractive? Not for me. And we are so used to see the images of the city from the sky or the distance, and at night with all the lights, that when you are inside of it you cannot recognize it as the same city. You just see cement and more cement. If there is any beauty inside of New York City, it is not made for a human scale.

    I think that the City keeps its seduction into the lifestyle, in what it can offer day by day. And this is not something that a tourist who is visiting just for 2 days can appreciate or enjoy. And finally I would like to say that I prefer this ugly and strenuous city than Washington D.C., the city of the empty prettiness without life.

    posted by Laura R. C. @ 14:53   0 comments
    10.7.06
    Impresiones de la costa este: PHILADELPHIA
    Retorno a Columbia, después de un viaje por las ciudades de New York, Philadelphia y Washington D.C. que no llegó a encenderme, no en su sentido placentero. Un viaje con aquel dicho castellano pegado a la maleta: "Éramos pocos y parió la abuela". Problemas de salud dos días antes de comenzar; inundaciones y cancelación de vuelo; retrasos el segundo día; la tarjeta de crédito que se queda atascada en el cajero apenas llegar y toda una tarde llamando a un teléfono de atención al cliente que parecía estar más de vacaciones que yo; los hoteles... el peor albergue que he visitado en otros países era mejor (y que queden bien claros sus nombres: Marrakech Boutique Hotel New York, y Braxton Hotel in Washington D.C. -Quien avisa no es traidor-); lluvia y más lluvia.



    De las tres ciudades hoy hablaré sobre aquella que me gustó: Philadelphia. Si tuviese que elegir una de ellas para vivir también sería esta. Como turista de un par de días resulta interesante conocer la parte más antigua de la historia de Estados Unidos, pues Philadelphia fue la capital hasta el año 1800. Y poniéndome en el papel de habitante, creo que tiene todo lo que se puede pedir a una gran ciudad (cultura, historia, infraestructuras, dinamismo) con lo agradable de un pueblo (calles a la medida de quien gusta pasear, tráfico moderado, limpieza, mercado local...). Y sin duda la ciudad se ha esmerado en su presentación, haciendo recorridos accesibles a pie, bien señalizados, visitas gratuitas y, en general, con una estética muy europea, haciendo una llamada a sus orígenes británicos. De hecho, no resulta muy diferente de una ciudad del norte de Europa, a excepción del clima. Incluso la atmósfera humana que se advierte por el casco histórico es similar, así como las edificaciones, entre ellas el Museo de Arte, de arquitectura greco-romana y los templos de estilo griego -Waterworks- que servían de sistema de abastecimiento de agua tiempo atrás.

    Pero siempre se manifiesta fuertemente su identidad estadounidense, albergando los símbolos más reconocidos de su nacimiento como nación: la Campana de la Libertad, el Salón de la Independencia (donde se firmó la Declaración de la Independencia de Thomas Jefferson y se escribió la Constitución de los Estados Unidos), el Franklin Court, la Casa de Betsy Ross (quien dicen ser la mujer que hizo la primera bandera), la Casa de La Moneda de los Estados Unidos, la Academia de Bellas Artes de Pensilvania, etc. Y a la vez, museos de nueva creación profundizan en este aspecto, lo cual muestra una vez más algo que llevo viendo desde que vine a vivir a este país, y es ese afán por mostrarse públicamente como estadounidenses aun estando en su propio país (con banderas y pegatinas propagandistas en tiendas, calles, casas...), que aquí suelen llamar patriotismo. Si bien en este caso de forma elegante y cultural.

    En cuanto a la parte artística de Philadelphia, el Museo de Arte me pareció excepcional de principio a fin, todo el continente armonizaba con el contenido como un marco adecuado resalta una pintura. Especialmente me gustó la colección de impresionismo francés y las salas dedicadas a arte estadounidense. Y en general puedo decir que es uno de los mejores museos de arte que he visitado (lo cual puedo decir también de aquellos que visité en New York y Washington D.C.), pues posee variedad de estilos artísticos, una cantidad apreciable de obras de cada uno de ellos, y entre ellas una selección de muy alto valor reconocido internacionalmente.

    Y una pequeña joya inesperada que me encontré fue el Museo de Rodin, con la escultura de "El pensador" invitando a la entrada, y "Las puertas del Infierno" seduciendo a sus espaldas. Básicamente eran cuatro pequeñas salas, pero con una concentración de esculturas que desde el primer paso adentro captaban la completa atención del espectador de forma mágica.

    También es fácil encontrar un lugar que se adapte a nuestros gustos gastronómicos, pues abundan los restaurantes tanto de comida local como internacional y de todos los precios. E incluso uno de mis sitios favoritos de Philadelphia fue su Mercado, donde más vibraba la ciudad, callejeando entre los puestos de carnes, quesos, pescado... Aproveché para comprar miel natural de alfalfa en un puesto de Amish y ese ha sido uno de los mejores "souvenirs" con los que me he venido. Deliciosa.

    Para no hacer nada, las plazas con fuentes son ideales, pudiendo elegir entre un escenario urbano, como el famoso Love Park, con conexión gratuita a Internet, o ribereño, mirando a los barcos que navegan el río Delaware. Chinatown también es una opción interesante para captar un poco de la esencia de China sin tener que llegar tan lejos y el aporte de una de las comunidades inmigrantes más importantes.


    En fin, que si estáis pensando en visitar Philadelphia, yo sí os la recomiendo.

    posted by Laura R. C. @ 16:24   0 comments
    Quién es Yo?

    This is a bilingual -Spanish and English- space to set free creativeness and uphold communication. It is the negation of the maxim that recommends people to be conformist and quiet: "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". See, hear and speak with me! Laura R. C. Columbia MO (USA).
    Para curiosos/Glance at

    mirada objetivada
    el bolso de Poppins
    salgamos a pasear
    interesting columbia