Women’s March on London
Women and allies around the world marched today Saturday, January 21st 2017, for gender equality and human rights, on the awakening of the first day for Donald Trump’s presidency of the United States.
Author: Oriol Salvador
Spanish-Canadian journalist, news product thinker and digital media professional specialized in producing, managing, optimizing and distributing content on online platforms and social media.
Andy Shauf, la magia del folk
Entrevista al artista canadiense Andy Shauf el dia después de su concierto en el Primavera Sound 2016, en Barcelona.
Tras su actuación ayer en el Auditori, Andy Shauf ha charlado un rato con nosotros horas antes de su segundo concierto en el Primavera Sound 2016, esta tarde en la Sala Teatre del Primavera a la Ciutat, en el Raval. El multiinstrumentista ha participado por partida doble en esta edición del festival presentando su primer disco “The Party”, publicado por Anti Records y cerrando así la gira europea que lo ha tenido ocupado las últimas semanas.
En la entrevista nos explica que prefiere el acogimiento de actuar en una sala como el Auditori a los grandes escenarios. Continue reading “Andy Shauf, la magia del folk”
TUBECON 2015: The idols of Finnish teenagers are now on YouTube
Tubecon, in Helsinki (Finland), is the biggest YouTube related event in Scandinavia. Read more about it and the success of YouTube in Finland in my article for the Foreign Correspondents’ Programme.
Kids don’t watch TV anymore; they watch YouTube instead. This statement is becoming common in many countries worldwide and Finland is not an exception: recent data show that 18% of Finns between 15 and 39 years of age watch YouTube every day.
The (Finnish) national YouTube community is in a continuous growth: 357 YouTube channels have more than 10,000 subscribers and 45 channels have got over 100,000 subscribers. Most of these channels are Finnish-speaking. Victor Potrel from YouTube HQ in London said that such a large community for a language of 5.5 million speakers is a unique phenomenon for the online video platform.
These channels represent a wide offer of diverse content. Video creators are developing a strong engagement with their audiences both through their videos and through social media profiles. “Is like meeting a friend”, Potrel said.
This strong engagement is what made Tubecon a reality: in 2013, some of the most successful Finnish YouTube creators were setting regular meet-ups with their fans, but when attendance to these informal gatherings was reaching 2,000 people, they realized that there is a need for a more structured event allowing a larger capacity. Tubecon was on the making.
Continue reading “TUBECON 2015: The idols of Finnish teenagers are now on YouTube”
Nian, el monstre
Aquest conte explica perquè a la Xina donen la benvinguda a l’Any Nou Xinès amb petards, danses del lleó i el decorant-ho tot de vermell: volen espantar a Nian, el monstre.
Hi havia una vegada…
Fa molt temps, hi havia un monstre que es deia Nian. Li encantava tenir espantat a un petit poble a la Xina i el visitava un cop l’any per espantar a tots els seus habitants. La visita al poble sempre era el primer dia de l’any, per recordar als vilatans que seguia allà un any més i que debien de seguir espantats.
Maneki-Neko: els gats de la bona sort
El maneki-neko (招き猫), un petit gat d’origen japonès amb la pota alçada, ha guanyat popularitat en la cultura occidental durant els últims anys – tant te’l pots trobar a les prestatgeries d’un basar com protagonitzant els anuncis d’un refresc – però el seu veritable significat i origen és encara desconegut per a molts.
Existeixen diverses llegendes que expliquen l’origen dels maneki-neko. La més acceptada es remunta a l’època dels senyors feudals a Japó, en l’era Edo, a la fi del segle XVII. S’explica que un temple de Tòquio passava per greus dificultats econòmiques. El seu sacerdot, molt pobre, tenia una gata anomenada Tama.
Un dia, un senyor feudal de gran fortuna, Ii Naotaka, va ser sorprès per una tempesta mentre caçava prop del temple. Es va refugiar sota un gran arbre fins que la gata li va fer senyals perquè es refugiés dins el temple. Quan es va apropar, un raig va caure sobre l’arbre on inicialmente havia buscat aixopluc. Agraït, Ii Naotaka va finançar la reparació del temple i va ajudar econòmicament tant el sacerdot com la seva gata.
En morir Tama, la gata va rebre un enterrament amb tots els honors en el cementiri per a gats del temple budista de Gōtokuji, a la zona de Setagaya (Tòquio), que segueix en peus avui dia i va ser ampliat recentment.
#ffbcn: La fábrica de las ‘start-up’ de Barcelona
El 17 de septiembre se celebró el acto final de fàbrica futur barcelona (#ffbcn), una iniciativa del Ayuntamiento de Barcelona y la Obra Social “La Caixa” que pone el punto de mira en el futuro, incentivando diez proyectos de futuro de diez jóvenes emprendedores en diez ámbitos distintos. Hablamos con Bibiana Ballbé, comisaria de #ffbcn, y con tres de los participantes en #ffbcn.
Fanfarlo – “Let’s Go Extinct”
Fanfarlo busca el sentido a la humanidad.
En ‘Reservoir’ (2009), la banda londinense Fanfarlo presentó algunos temas épicos – como The Walls Are Coming Down, Ghosts o Fire Escape – con unos violines y trompetas beirutizadas que todavía resuenan en nuestra cabeza.
En ‘Rooms Filled With Light’ (2012), reemplazaron esos violines por sintetizadores y un imaginario inspirado en los clásicos de ciencia ficción.
Dos años después, en el recién salido ‘Let’s Go Extinct’ – del que ya escuchamos un prometedor anticipo hace unos meses con el EP ‘The Sea’ – parecen haber encontrado el equilibrio entre contenido y forma.
I WANT MY MTV: Where did the “M” for “music” go?
The foundation of MTV as a “mood enhancer” and the replacement of music videos for reality TV-shows in the recent years.
In contemporary societies, the media is not only considered an entertainment or a source of information, it is part of human life and how humans socialize.
The media that people consume says a lot of who they are. For instance, political views are fairly reflected on the political views of the media outlets consumed. Media also influence interactions of humans on their daily activities. Think, for example, on how much of the topics on your daily conversations with friends or acquaintances are related to media or on how media influences current debates on social and political issues. As much as media seems inseparable from people’s life, it’s closely related to contemporary history, which is fairly reflected in the media.
Mass media and mass popular culture is assumed to be commercially motivated and is difficult to determine whether it reflects audience interest or intentionally shapes and manipulates them, according to the interest of those who produce it.
Celebrities are the myths of this time and many memories people has come from a song, a movie or even a TV channel.
Traditionally, aspects such as religion, family or work defined people’s identities, but this has gone in favor of different aspects such as leisure activities, consumer lifestyles and, specially, mass media. The media is partly responsible, furthermore, on how leisure or consumer lifestyles are defined. It is a big part of people’s identity, with several commonalities produced from shared experiences through mass media. It also defines collective imagery and memories: celebrities from the media are the myths of this time and many memories people has come from a song, a movie or even a TV channel, all different kinds of media. Continue reading “I WANT MY MTV: Where did the “M” for “music” go?”
Experimental Documentary: from the script to the video blog
Critical analysis over the processes of production and reception of experimental documentaries.
The video installation Script, by Brazilian artist Veridiana Zurita, was featured in Possible Futures (October 10-26th, 2013), the last activity of VOORUIT100, a six- month celebration for the 100th anniversary of Vooruit, the historic building in the city of Ghent (Belgium), currently used as a music venue, cafeteria and arts centre.
Script explores the relations between two women, a mother and a daughter. The daughter is Zurita and her mother is a psychoanalyst, based in Sao Paolo (Brazil).
The project is based in the meeting of these two women during two weeks, when they both recorded themselves on video while playing their social, familiar and affective roles, exploring themselves and the relation to the other. Continue reading “Experimental Documentary: from the script to the video blog”
“Ernest & Célestine”
Movie review of the French animated comedy-drama film Ernest et Célestine (2012), based on children’s books by the Belgian author and illustrator Gabrielle Vincent.
This is not the first time that anthropomorphized animals are used to show the glories and miseries of our society. The technique is as old as humanity and is tied close to a little mouse that became the icon for a major animation film company (and for the 20th century in general) or even further, with the earliest fairy tales.
In the traditionally crafted animated film Ernest & Célestine, it is shown through two main characters, a little mouse and a big bear, outsiders of their respective societies, living in parallel worlds on the surface and in the underground.
Oriol Salvador 