Long weekend over the Constitution Bridge, so one more day to enjoy all the cultural offer that we discover in our newsletter. Festivals in surprising places, films ready to win all possible Oscars (with a Spanish actress at the helm) and many other plans that you cannot miss.
a concert
Ombra Festival (Barcelona). In an empty warehouse where engines were built decades ago, first for aviation and then for automobiles, an “encounter with unusual sounds” takes place. The poster is not as important as the concept, the sound thread, which leads attendees through electronic music wrapped in beams of light that interrupt the darkness. It takes place in the old Mercedes-Benz factory from December 6 to 8 in the El Bon Pastor neighborhood, and features concerts by A Split-Second or In Strict Confidence.
Three recommended books
- ‘Urban Gothic’ by several authors (Horror Vacui). When someone thinks of Gothic horror, they think of the damp ruined abbeys in front of a cliff, the black and voracious forests or the unclean beings that step invisible on the leaf litter. But what a good view the editors of the wonderful Horror Vacui have had, who have worked to compile a volume of urban fiction stories because “the city is the true monster that we have created in the attempt to protect ourselves from those other monsters that we imagine in the open. ”, they write in the prologue. Opens the book the great Layla Martínez, author of Woodworm. Nine other authors accompany her on this dark journey, including Flor Canosa and Alba G. Mora. In bookstores from November 24.
- ‘David Bowie. Lives. An oral biography’ by Dylan Jones (Es Pop). Based on seven long conversations with Bowie and 180 interviews (including lovers, accomplices and rivals, some of whom had never spoken about their relationship with him), Dylan Jones constructs an oral biography of the influential musician. From childhood to blackstarhis farewell album, in a chronological narrative. Jon Savage has called it “goldsmith work” and has assured that it provides new perspectives; With the rivers of ink that Bowie has spilled, it is a praise to be taken into account. In bookstores from December 4.‘
- Art and madness’ by Lamberto Maffei (Editorial Alliance). There is a lot of talk about the madness of artists, from a common place, without really thinking about what implications mental problems have and how they influence creation. That is why I found this essay by the Italian neurobiologist Lamberto Maffei, also author of Praise of slowness (2016). “People who come out of the sheep herd of the globalization of thought could be described as crazy,” Maffei tells us. Already in bookstores.
Three recommended films, by Javier Zurro
- ‘Emilia Perez’. Write down this name, but especially that of the actress who plays the character in this original and wonderful musical. Her name is Karla Sofía Gascón, she is Spanish and she is an earthquake who has already won the Best Actress award at Cannes and is even aiming for the Oscar. A queer musical narco directed by Jacques Audiard, who has no bad film and who has turned this madness into one of the films of the year.
- ‘Blitz’. You can now see Steve McQueen’s new film on Apple TV+, a drama about the bombings of London in World War II told from the perspective of a child. What could be the umpteenth story with Spielbergian overtones becomes in McQueen’s hands one of the few stories (perhaps the only one) of the war where race and class crosses its characters.
- ‘The lighthouse’. This year, Christmas brings us a very appetizing cinephile dish, Robert Eggers’ version of Nosferatu. To celebrate, the film library dedicates a series of all his films to the filmmaker. They are few, but they have managed to elevate it as one of the most personal views of recent horror cinema. This week, on Thursday the 12th, you can see The lighthouse.
Three plans for the weekend, by Laura García Higueras
- Nougats 1880. Let’s start with Christmas. The Sirvent family has been making sweets since 1725, for 11 generations, and this bridge opens the doors to three exhibitions in Madrid, Toledo and Alicante, in which they explain the machinery and utensils they use to make their recipes. They organize guided tours and there will be free tastings of nougat, sweets and chocolates. Ideal to start preparing the body for the stress typical of these dates.
- Historical organs. This week starts the cycle Christmas in the Historical Organs of Castilla-La Manchawhich seeks to rediscover the historical value of a heritage that includes more than 30 instruments distributed throughout religious buildings throughout the region. It begins this Friday in the church of Santa Catalina in El Bonillo (Albacete), and will continue on Saturday in the cathedral of Sigüenza (Guadalajara) and on Sunday in the parish of Santo Domingo de Guzmán in Terrinches (Ciudad Real).
- Manga Barcelona. For manga fans, this long weekend is your moment, since Barcelona hosts the 30th edition of this festival, whose extensive program includes workshops, exhibitions, gastronomic sessions, film screenings and a dedicated space for recording podcasts and interviews. The guest of honor is the screenwriter and artist Naoki Urasawa.
Four exhibitions, by Jordi Sabaté
- ‘A writer who draws’ (Madrid). Saul Steinberg was an American cartoonist and illustrator of Romanian origin, best known for his work for The New Yorker. Steinberg, who graduated from the Milan Polytechnic in the 1940s, had to leave Italy because of Mussolini’s racial laws. Now, for the first time in Spain, the Juan March Foundation brings a retrospective of the author. The exhibition, which can be seen until January 12, presents all his facets and how they related to each other throughout his life: there are 400 works that cover painting, graphics, collage or photomontage and come from different private collections and European and American institutions.
- ‘Max Ernst: Surrealism, Art and Cinema’ (Madrid). On the occasion of the centenary of the Surrealist Manifesto, this exhibition will have its world premiere at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid. The exhibition proposes an innovative and unprecedented approach to the life and work of the famous artist in relation to the cinematographic medium. In total, more than 300 pieces of this figure of the European avant-garde will be exhibited, including oil paintings, sculptures, photographs, graphic works, unique books and film projections from different European collections and museums.
- ‘Paul Pfeiffer. Prologue to the history of the birth of freedom’ (Bilbao). Paul Pfeiffer is an American sculptor, photographer, and video artist whose artistic practice is characterized by his in-depth analysis of the nature of spectacle, identity, and the intricate mechanisms employed for construction of images in contemporary culture. His creations often reflect on the dichotomy between veneration and objectification, particularly in reference to global icons, such as athletes or pop stars. The Guggenheim in Bilbao hosts an exhibition of his most significant works until March 16, 2025.
- ‘The footprints of Altamira’ (León). The Térmica Cultural de Ponferrada approaches prehistoric art with a collective exhibition that offers the vision of this style by various local artists. The exhibition can be visited for free until April 30 and allows you to observe the dialogue between contemporary artistic representations and prehistoric cave paintings.
Librotea’s recommendations
The question we don’t want to ask ourselves hovers this week at Librotea: what will become of us when we read books written (that’s a saying) by AI. Meanwhile, we have Piedad Bonnett.
Every Friday morning Elena Cabrera works as a cultural prescriber in a bulletin that summarizes cultural news in a first part that highlights some of the stories published by the section that week. The newsletter has three fixed blocks: 3 section stories; 3 cultural plans chosen by Laura G. Higueras and 3 film recommendations chosen by Javier Zurro. In addition, the last newsletter of the month Gerardo Vilches chooses three comics.
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