Control - Spoek Mathambo

A "darkwave township house" cover of Joy Division. Need I say more?


SPOEK MATHAMBO - CONTROL from spoek mathambo on Vimeo.

Well, actually, I do - the BEAUTIFUL video was directed by photographer Pieter Hugo (he's the one responsible for the amazing hyena men series) and cinematographer Michael Cleary.

Cortina de Fumaça (Smokescreen)

O documentário Cortina de Fumaça, de Rodrigo MacNiven, aborda de maneira objetiva e nada moralista um assunto MUITO importante que raramente é discutido de maneira clara: a atual política de repressão às drogas.
Rodrigo MacNiven's documentary Smokescreen approaches in an objective and non-judgemental way a  VERY important subject that is rarely discussed in a clear manner: our current drug policy.



Através de inúmeros depoimentos de cientistas, médicos, políticos e sociólogos, o filme consegue trazer à tona fatos esclarecedores e incontestáveis sobre os reais interesses por trás da repressão às drogas. Sem qualquer opinião pessoal sobre consumo, o doc consegue afastar qualquer chance de algum moralista de meia tijela levantar a bandeira da apologia (pausa pro bocejo).
Statements collected from doctors, scientists, politicians and sociologists clarify and bring to the surface incontestable facts regarding the real interests behind drug repression and anti drug laws. With no personal opinions regarding drug use, the film is able to keep away moralists who might be tempted to raise the apology flag (yawn)

 Ou seja, mesmo que você seja radicalmente contra o uso de drogas (alô dona leilane neubarth, mãe de dois filhos), vale assistir pois o filme se vale do assunto para, na verdade, discutir algo bem maior: a caça às liberdades individuais em prol de interesses sócio-político-econômicos bem questionáveis.
This means even if you're radically agains drug use (the link above is in reference to a crazy brazilian reporter's verbal attack on an interviewee who used facts that went against the reporter's personal opinion on the subject) you should watch it because the film uses the topic to discuss something much bigger and important: the persecution of individual freedom in the name of questionable social-political and economical interests.



Para assistir na íntegra, clique aqui
To watch the complete film, click here (sorry, no subtitles for the portuguese spoken parts, but most of it is in english)

The King and the Minotaur

A mid-spring night’s dream. Cliché as it may be, that is the only way I can describe “The King and The Minotaur”. Located in an 1850’s barn near King’s Cross, the pop-up gallery features video installations, sculptures, illustrations, performance and live music – all scattered throughout a maze-like structure.

The project is the brainchild of architects James Wignall and Bradley Moore, whose studio is right next door (part of Babel Studios complex, where the barn is located). 

When asked by the owner if they were interested in the unused space, the two jumped at the opportunity to bring the beautiful architecture of the stable to life. According to Bradley, apart from the screens, everything else was pretty much already there – they just had to rearrange it.

The structure invites you to explore the scenery at your own will, bringing a factor of awe and adventure to the experience. The see-through screens allow visitors to view each other and interact as they try to figure out how to go from one chamber to the next, making each time around unique - you never know who you will bump into along the way.

The shadows of passersby are cast and multiplied on the screens and voiles, forming a sort of ongoing spontaneous “projection” that sometimes overlaps the videos.

As if this weren’t enough, some very peculiar “inhabitants” make the whole thing even more surreal. The entrance is guarded by a doll-faced pixie that opens the gate at the sound of a knock and greets the newcomers. Next to her, sits the minotaur, knitting away. Finally, a group of female “fauns” wonder around all night, occasionally stopping to deliver beautiful performances combining theatre and contemporary dance.

Music of the heavens: every night guest composers take their place on the hanging wooden platform where they perform the evening’s live score.

After making your way through the maze, you can grab a drink in the beautifully assembled “Liquid Room”, make yourself comfy on a hay block stool and chill out while watching other visitors try to figure out how to get there. The fact is, 5 minutes inside and you forget all about London – I felt like I was in someone’s cottage, ready to see meadows and lakes when the exit door opened. This was by far one of the most interesting, original and pleasurable experiences I’ve ever had here in London. Or anywhere else, for that matter…

Because of the theme, all the works displayed have a sort of mythical, storytelling quality. To learn more about them, use the mouse to explore the virtual maze on their website. More pictures here. 

“The King and the Minotaur” is open from 7pm to 12am, Thursdays to Saturdays, until April 30^th (it will be closed over the royal wedding weekend). Tickets cost £7.00 and can be bought here.

projeto stills/stills project #3 - amelié poulain (jeunet)

Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001)
diretor / director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
fotografia / cinematography: Bruno Delbonnel
sinopse aqui / sinopsis here

Fettuccine à londrina

Nunca fui muito fã de massa com molho branco - acabo sempre indo pro tomate, pesto verde ou algo mais oriental. Mas dia desses me bateu um desejo incontrolável de mudar de cor...

I was never a big fan of white sauce pasta dishes - usually I go for tomato, green pesto or more oriental sauces. But lately I was taken by this desire to change colours...

Lembrando de um prato que eu sempre comia quando criança (nos tempos de Marina Barra Clube), cheguei na receita abaixo - minha versão veggie do Talharim à Parisense (alias, alguém me explica esse nome?!)

A childhood memory inspired me to come up with this recipe - a veggie version of a brazilian dish called "Parisian Spaguetti" (I have no idea why...)

Ingredientes (Ingredients): 
- tofu defumado (smoked tofu)
- cebola roxa (red onion)
- alho (garlic)
- abobrinha (courgette)
- molho branco (white sauce)
- feijões-da-china germinados (sprouting mung beans)- veja como germinar aqui (sprouting tips here)
- noz moscada (nutmeg)
- queijo parmesão (parmesan cheese)
- manteiga (butter)
- sal e pimenta (salt and pepper)

*obs: como na maioria das vezes cozinho só pra mim, faço tudo sem medida certa, to tato mesmo. Fora que gosto não se discute, então se alguém gosta de mais queijo, menos cebola, fique à vontade pra inventar as quantidades que quiser ;)

Since I usually cook for one, I don't bother with exact quantities. Its all a matter of taste anyway, so if someone likes more cheese or less onion, feel free to try out different approaches to the recipe ;)

Preparo (preparation) :

Acho que todo mundo consegue cozinhar o macarrão (no meu caso, fettuccine) sem problemas né? Então vamos direto ao molho: numa frigideira, derreta a manteiga e refogue a cebola picada. Quando a cebola estiver dourada, adicione o tofu bem picadinho. Deixe fritar bem. Adicione o alho e abobrinha picados, diminua o fogo e deixe refogando até que a abobrinha comece a murchar. Adicione sal e pimenta a gosto. Adicione o molho branco (eu apelei pro molho pronto, mas caso vc queira preparar o seu próprio molho branco, a receita está aqui) e misture bem. Adicione uma pitada de noz moscada moída e o queijo parmesão ralado e misture bem. Por último, com a frigideira já fora do fogo, adicione os feijões da china germinados (a razão para comê-los germinados é justamente potencializar o valor nutricional dos feijões - por isso eles não devem ser levados ao fogo). Despeje o macarrão cozido na frigideira com o molho e misture. Prontinho!

I believe the cooking of the pasta (in my case, fettuccine) is pretty much taken care of, right? So let's go straight to the sauce: in a frying pan, melt the butter and fry the chopped onions until golden. Add the finely chopped tofu and let it fry for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped garlic and courgette and stir them until golden. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the white sauce (I went for a ready made one, but if you want to make your own, here's the recipe) and stir. Add a pinch of ground nutmeg and grated parmesan cheese. Stir. Finally, with the heat already off, add the sprouted mung beans (using them sprouted potentializes their nutritional value. for that reason, they shouldn't be cooked). Add the drained pasta to the pan and stir in the sauce. Done!