"Instants de Chine"

In the Espace d'art, Centre culturel Jacques Brel in Thionvile, I had opportunity to visit amazing photography exhibition "Instants de Chine" made from photographer that comes from Marseille.

Amazing photos and moments from his tour in China. Half and hour and more enjoying part of his memories from there and the pleasure to meet him in personal is the reason that I mention his expo in my e-diary.


Serge Assier is perfect person with wonderful humor and a lot of history that he share in the daily communication with the people that he met. I met him in the center when I went to visit the expo, he was sitting in the coffee bar early in the morning and after I introduce myself he explain me in short about his life and the experience that he gained during this years working as a professional photographer.


Like bio on his web site you can find a lot, I crop this part that will illustrate at least litlle part from his story:

Photographie : ©Serge Assier

Born on 1st July 1946 in Cavaillon (Vaucluse), France.
Taught himself photography. Lives and works in Marseilles (France).
Jean Roque Award 2000 : Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts of Marseilles, Tuesday 28
November 2000, Fine Arts class. Protactor Georges Bergoin.
Entry in the Who’s Who In France, 35th edition 2003-2004 – 50th anniversary of Who’s Who
In France

At age 14, I start my path in life as a shepherd.
At age 16, I become an apprentice in an auto mechanic’s workshop.
At age 21, I drive a taxi at night and take photographs during the day for my own pleasure.
At age 28, I am photographer reporter for the agency Gamma, Le Provençal, VSD and I have
twelve other commitments.
At age 32, photographic reporter at the newspaper Le Provençal, which later became La
Provence. Today, pensioner of the newspaper La Provence in Marseille.

As I have strong passions for the picture, I feel best when there is an urgency, a social event
or some extraordinary fact. During twenty years, I have also worked for the show business,
especially the Cannes Festival.

My ambition is to leave traces by my looking at things only. Until now, I have created 19
photo exhibitions. This means working profoundly on the sensitivity, the emotions and the
austerity of human beings, no matter what their race, religion, hometown or country is.
I also work on the dream and the purely imaginative with photographic poetry, female nudes
in strange places where dreams become reality. I have been very fortunate to cooperate with
poets, writers, academics, journalists, art critics and many others who share my passion for
pictures.

Friends without whom I would not be here today.





.. 'bout d expo "Moments of China", 54 photographs

exploring China and its villages, Serge Assier has captured the soul of its inhabitants. Living inside their society he patiently observe his surroundings, the places far away from the city, some schoolgirl laughing, kids playing on the streets, some local events, etc. Nothing seems to disturb the balance and serenity that come from these pictures taken soberly in black and white as to support the humility of this people.


The people accept this exhibition as a “photographic poem” - “moment of China”



you can see all the pics from this expo HERE

_haPPy expO°_GTC

It was actually group exhibition but I've made pics only from this painter. I don't know why I choose her, but probably because of the style that she promote.
There was also photography, some installations and some other modern shit :))

about her:
Carine Mougin is painter that create acrylic paintings in various formats for all ages. .. most of them fulfill with childish vibe and imagination. style that produce happiness and smile on ur face :D


..she is most of the time commercial painter, that is not very expensive, but in general she's unique, funny and the characters that she draw are happy and like part of our imagination. Inspiring smiles and messages that are playing with our thoughts, perfect combination of the colors, ambient that was reflecting positive vibe in the space of the gallery. She is amazing illustrator that is ready to create some world of fantasy. We'll be here to enjoy it!

Check some pics here or if u want u can check my fb album with the paintings that were exposed in Galerie des Galeries in the mall in Metz. ..otherwise u can check her web page.

colDmar d story

Colmar was magnificent story. When I said yes I want to come with the group I had no idea where will we I go.
The next day after 3 hours traveling we arrive and the first impression was, OK, normal not very big city, classical architecture, probably with nice center etc.

Few minutes after we were already in the center..here the story of my mind stop and start the story of my eyes. Amazing decoration for Christmas, every single house in the center was extra decorated and give impression like this is Santa village. Everything in Noel mood, people with cameras on every step. That day I think that everyone who was in Colmar was photographer that is trying to make his master piece.

The restaurants and the bars with classical new year music, people with red heads sell their unique souvenirs also as the galleries and the museums that were wide open during the holidays. With tea in plastic glasses with and frozen ears the exploration of the city was even more interesting and exiting. You can easily say that Colmar is actually ColD.mar but really is like this.



The city is with all that new year magic with lights, lamps and stuff but also with the minus temperature in this time of the year. The houses with private fairs were perfect place to get warm and also enjoy some works as old books, paintings, drawings..some hand-made dolls, sculptures, mirrors, post cards with the best places in the city etc

I wrote this after I come back home..

[colmar]
the magic of the holidays here's like in d ads for coca-cola. d streets vibrate with their positive energy. each atom radiates with excitement, winter tremble and desires. jingle bells here sounds original. .. on d faces fulfillment , in d smiles warmth that creates love in the air. night' feels the smell of the stars. as the story began here.

_for the end of this post I'll mention that I'm very happy that I had the opportunity to visit this ville that's why I publish this text even that it was before new year .. :)

In d house with @Quatuor Ebène

In the beginning I didn't know what kind of concert I will attend. I was thinking that will be classical music, then they told me that will be jazz or classical on the end it was unique misuque played by the famous Quatuor Ebène. Chamber space and chamber music. Theater in my mind. :)

I was thinking that I'll listen classical music and on the end I was listening adapted versions of famous artists and songs. They start the concert with footprints by Wayne Shorter and in their repertoire we hear: C. Chaplin, Eden Ahbez, Nicolas Roubanis, Brad Mehldau and Jevetta Steel.
I will mention somewhere between the perfect interpretation of Beatles that made our mood even more deep into the stye of sound that they create. The composition Nothing Personal form Miles Davis was the best ever that I listen live [maybe the only one, who knows :P]. The Libertango from Astor Piazzola and the last from the list, David Holmes 7-29-04 the Day Of, part from B.O. Ocean's Twelve were amazing. They change the atmosphere in the audience, on the end most of the public was supporting and follow them with applause. That was not enough for the audience to return them 2/ 3 times on bis :)

about the band:

"A classical string quartet that can easily be transformed into a jazz band" New York Times



Amazed, the critic describes how the four musicians played Haydn and Debussy first then move on after the break, their arrangement of music from the movie "Pulp Fiction" an improvisation on "Spain" by Chick Corea, and finally, recalling, by revealing the voice of a great a Capella quartet.





“Sie spielen, als ob sie eine fünfte Person wurden.” [The quartet plays as though there was a fifth person.] Ensemble- Magazin für Kammermusik, June, 2oo7

• Pierre Colombet, violin

• Gabriel Le Magadure, violin

• Mathieu Herzog, viola

• Raphaël Merlin, cello

"In everything we always wanted to do in music, there was deep within us during these hours spent in repeating Haydn, Beethoven and Bartok, a hidden dream to improvise and create a new way of seeing the quartet String.

Accompanied by drummer Richard Hery and our sound engineer Fabrice Planchat we now offer an entire program with different pieces and improvisations on the theme of jazz, film music and pop. "


Quatuor Ebène has studied extensively with the Ysäye Quartet, with Gábor Takács, and with Eberhard Feltz and György Kurtág. The Ebènes won in 2004 the ARD international competition in Munich and the Forberg-Schneider Foundation’s Belmont Prize in 2005. In 2007/2008, the quartet was invited into the most prestigious venues in Europe, Japan and the United States, they are among other products in the Vienna Musikverein, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Berlin Philharmonic and Carnegie Hall in New York in 2009 and participated in a cycle of Haydn's Wigmore Hall in London, with the Hagen Quartet, Emerson and Arcanto. In the beggining of 2009 they start their collaboration with Virgin Classics and since then they do their world famous tours and win the most important music awards.


I record the full song from Miles Davis, hope u like the recording :)




It start being to hard to catch all of the things/ events that are part of the cultural program for autumn/ winter season in the region Lorraine. There are still few more exhibitions that follow and yes trying to catch this pips in future. They have their own style, the night before they had a concert in a front of more then 1500 people, the songs that they play are familiar to the contemporary world and they are interactive with the audience. Friendly as the music they play.

You can check more about them on their official page or follow them on facebook

Foix, the mid term course

It's second day of my mid-term course connect with my EVS here in France. I arrived after more then 12 hours traveling from the North (Мetz) to attend program that will show to me better and more concrete things about my work as a volunteer, about my opportunities connected with my project and also to meet some of the other European Volunteers that I met on my on-arrival training.

Yesterday morning it was funny when I saw the Turkish and the Russian volunteers waiting in a front of the „foyer“ because it was locked, and it was 06:00 am.

After the coffee and the croissant in the city, the door was finally open and we went in our rooms. I was positively surprised when I saw that I'll be room mate with Davide, Italian volunteer that choose to go in South of France (Bordo) for his EVS.

When we went to start our activities in the big room we figure out that we are not alone. We're together with some newbies that I see for first time and obviously also volunteers like me. After the introduction of the organizer of the mid term Stella, we understood that part of the participants are here with Us for their on arrival training.

Everything start very good, the activities, the working groups, the reflection about our work, the place where we live, the people that we work with etc.
In the evening we attend class for traditional French dances and the local people from here were very happy to show us all those different steps in the dancing. We taste wine rose, usually produced in this region and also some of the food that the people prepare here.


Today we start in divided group, the newbies (on arrivals) have the activities that I had in May and we concentrate on our work more in details. We speak about the key competences and we need to make short brain storm about all the things that happens to Us since we come in France.
The key competences are very important about explaining the special levels in our work, connected with the developing of the new skills that we have opportunities to learn here.

Time for a break, I mean pause with coffee au lait!

Street aRt w0rksh0p @ Voice Of Art

The idea of this workshop is to present to the participants basic knowledge about the street art as accepted part of the contemporary art. In the last 20 years we observe how the art that we see on the streets becomes more concrete and the style of painting become better. There are new waves in the street art which nowadays are more attractive from some of the contemporary art that is presented in the world wide galleries.

The street art start as a subculture art. The first painters are some artists who show revolt to the society and to the main politic that the global society create for their citizens. The last days on the streets around the world we can see something that is more then will to tell something that the people will read. The street art is something that evolute as all the other branches in the art field.

Making street art means playing in same time with colors, forms, concept and adrenaline that is one of the main engines for expressing yourself on walls, trains and places not so easy visible for the normal people. Today is more easy to discuss about street art from perspective that is more accepted from the society as art. There are artists who expose their works even in galleries and museums.



The people start using different materials to bring their ideas more real. From old school grafiiti to colorful, from 3D to comics. Great illustrators we can find sharing their art on the streets, drawing their stuff right here – right now, or sticking their already made stickers.

We'll have the opportunity to see the whole pallet of variations of colors, styles, artists names and stories but also and to create our own.

The idea: „Sketch become reality“ will be real.
..trough letters, words, lines, characters, stories we'll try to present our imagination and our message in same time.

Artists like Banksy or BLU change the history of art. Banksy messages are very famous. He made alarm for the capitalistic society, made a bigger awareness for the social excluded groups, and all this with his works. The society in which we live today, change everyday, the taste of the audience become more diversity, different. Street art like part of this diversity society gives new ways of seeing the concept of living, it's accept solidarity in a way of making the society better [beautiful] place for living.

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

on arrival @ Montpelier

The on arrival training course is one of the four courses that are required under the Program for European Voluntary Service (EVS).
The first of this series of trainings is organized by the organization that sends you to this volunteer service, the second is this one who comes several months after the arrival. The third is somewhere after the middle of your stay, depending on how many months of the program you use and the last mandatory training is one who follows the completion of volunteer service, back in the home country.

My on arrival training took place sometime in the beginning of the fourth month of my stay here in Together, France and the organization that organized this training invite Us in southern part of France, near the city of Montpelier, just a few meters from the most beautiful coast sides here.
In this training I’ve met thirty volunteers from all over Europe. We were from everywhere and volunteers in various forms of civic associations and orgaisations. There were youngsters that volunteer in working with kids without parents, children with special needs, associations for organizing concerts, organisations for youth work as Together and others.

The workshops helped us to learn more French, and some important information about the European Union, which includes presentation of some programs that would be of our interest.
Our trainers presented the Youth In Action program in details and told us our goals and objectives as a volunteers in the European Voluntary Service.











We’ve got folders to archive all the activities that will be realized during our stay and in the end it will be easily for Us to observe most of the tasks that we’ve realized and that can implement and inspired Us to a further action, as well as those things that should be our key competences after our stay.
The presentations of the NGO’s where the volunteers stay helped us to make a network among those with similar interests. I hope these contacts will transfer in future collaborations.
The preparation of four issues of the newsletter helped us to show our creative writing skills. We represent volunteers whose mission is interesting and associations that are pushing for youth action.

We present the countries were we come from and on interactive way we present some of our traditional dances, games and quizzes. It was interesting method of bringing different cultures closer.
The training was attended by interesting young people from Europe who support the program of the European Commission which offers too many opportunities and who already have the mission to be realized.
The trainers were unique, congrats for organization and program.

Off programme:

• Two days before in Montpelier

• Visiting gallery and old exposition/ exhibition
  

• Night Walk in Montpelier with a movie director

• Victor, the guy from the kitchen

• A group of surfers and their private party

• Naked tourists on the beach

• sea shells
  

-o.O-

Fête de la Musique

This event takes place in France every year. In the cities there are musicians everywhere, stages in every corner in the town. You can hear different kinds of music, all people are out on the streets and squares.



In Thionville there were more than ten stages where you can hear various sound.
First we were on the stage where one band played music similar to the music that Nora Jones compose. Wonderful concert, people were relaxed, smiling..

After this concert together with Kristine, volunteer from Estonia , went to a concert of some of our friends, a band from Thionville. They play music from Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, Lou Reed, Mamas and the Papas. On their break, we went to a small town square where a band just preparing for performances. The poster had several bands, I recognize one of the bands - Kultur shock. I asked with my bad French, which band is drawn to playing.. the man could not answer. The bass player was on the stage, only two meters from me, I decided to ask him.

- Excuse me, do you speak English? (This is me in French)
- Yes man, I'm from America.

I knew it was from Kultur shock, I told him only that I’m from Macedonia, and they play punk mixed with Balkan music. I was happy and we started to speak, I said it would be better if we continue after the concert.
I had heard them once in Macedonia, but I had no opportunity to meet them and speak with them .. here we continue with the conversation on the private after party in their apartment after a really good concert.

On the other stages there were: hip - hop, indi, folk, rock, alternative bands etc. ..

Great event!

Training course Youthpass: for a better recognition of non-formal education

From July o2 till July o7 in Novoli, Italy training course organized by the youth organization WIP - Work In progress took a place.
French group with me as a leader couldn’t reach the training on the July o2 .. missed flight in Brussels due to the large traffic jam in front of Luxembourg and Brussels was the problem that was not part of our plan.
But, we joined the group of young people from 9 different countries the next day after we took the flight which was almost in the same time as the previous term.

Italy is a beautiful country, at least I felt like that when after four attempts to get there, the fifth time finally I broke the curse.
We landed at Bari and then we took a train to Lecce. After a small walk through town, visiting the exhibition of Caravaggio, Luigi member of WIP take us from Lecce and with his car bring us to Novoli where really wonderful group of people together with the coordinator of the project and president of the organization WIP, Lara were waiting for Us with great satisfaction.

At the moment we arrived there was a workshop on the agenda for designing the largest Youthpass. I join them immediately and few days after with several participants we made our design that is "almost" a copy of the original, and there was another group of participants that made a great creative version of the Youthpass.
In the night we visit Lecce and we attend the White Night or on Italian ‘La notte bianca’. Huge crowds of people in the streets. I was delighted from the night lights in combination with lights and street lights installed along different buildings with architecture that fascinates. Various bands and stages on all streets in Lecce, street artists, performance event .. I will remember.




Excellent discussion of Youth in Action Programme, presentation of a youth initiative that is implemented by an organization in the region Apulia, a photo and a video animation. New graffiti where we were accommodated ~ Centro Madonna di Lourdes, logo WIP few meters below the wall .. victory win at the Campus, that is regularly held there. We participate only in one of the games after the organizers gave us permission to participate, colorful team managed to win and give us a special motivation in communication with the local youngsters.

The visit of the beach and the excellent weather were perfect shot.

here are:
the blog of this Training Course Youthpass: for a Better Recognition of Non Formal Education
the picassa web album with all the pics from there.
the facebook event for this TC
the page of the organisation organizer of this exchange
and
also few articles about the exchange:
Lecce - YOUTH IN ACTION - GIOVANI EUROPEI PIU’ ATTIVI E MOBILI puglialive.net
Lecce - YOUTH IN ACTION - GIOVANI EUROPEI PIU' ATTIVI E MOBILI san-pietro-vernotico.virgilio.it
YOUTH IN ACTION GIOVANI EUROPEI PIU' ATTIVI E MOBILI polveredistellelecce.it
“Youth in action” per una gioventù consapevole C.S.V.S. - Centro Servizi Volontariato Salento
Youth in Action: un corso di formazione peer to peer leccenews24.it

..here is the video of the game where the colorful team w.IN!
Videoclip - Campus Giovani 2010: format EUROPEO

Eclats - Projet participatif de l'artiste Maider López

Like part of the youth exchange Power of Art we were invited to participate in the big performs that the Spanish performer Maider López was planning to do for the inauguration of the Pompidou Museum on the night of the Museums.

She is playing with the transformation of the landscapes and the buildings and try to put the audience in active participation in her works.
Involving people in her works makes her works very interactive and dynamic. The dusk is perfect time for her project when all Museum is lit.

This project, entitled "Eclats" set in motion the Centre Pompidou-Metz by moving the crowd and by the use of a utilitarian object: an umbrella lighted inside. The umbrella structure that mimics the architecture of the museum, each participant was symbolic miniature of Centre Pompidou-Metz and the sum of all the umbrellas create an architecture similar to that of Shigeru Ban.

photo by: Lydia Barone - Daily

Like thousands of atoms orbiting the Centre Pompidou-Metz, and like so many miniature replicas of his poetic and grandiose architecture, participants composed a work that is astonishing: the metaphor of an open, living, defined by its audience.

It was great performance, the people under the umbrellas were one with the Museum, there was created different way of moving, different way of understanding the passengers, smiles and flashes under the lights.
From the sky we were like ants around our house, moving closer to our door. Like message from the wind: go, go..closer to your home, then make a brake, then again go. In the night like new born stars we make Pompidou Museum even more lighter than it is.
Honored that I was part of it!

Thank you Julie Przedmojski for the invitation and for the umbrellas, the crowd actually was double and it was difficult to be part of the performance if you are not part of some groups leaded by the performer.




More about the artist Maider López

Pompidou_Metz, museUM for MODErn & c0n.temp0rary Art

(old post) 

the Museum is open .. now! :)

Видов информација на интерет за новиот музеј кој ќе се отвара наскоро во градот во кој живеам. Станува збор за Музејот за Модерна и Современа Уметност Помпиду.

Информацијата оди вака:

“Центарот „Помпиду“ во францускиот град Мец, настанат според замислата на јапонскиот архитект Шигеру Бан во соработка со парижанецот Жан де Гастине, е хексагонална градба, која се простира на површина од 10.660 квадратни метри

Над неа се надвиснува брановидна покривна структура, чија кула е висока дури 77 метри. На 5.000 квадратни метри ќе се простираат изложбените простори, распоредени во галерии, тераси и парк.

Како и во оној парискиот, во центарот „Помпиду“ во Мец акцент ќе биде ставен на претставувањето на современите уметници на 20 и 21 век, а проектот е поведен за децентрализација на оваа уметничка институција.

Свеченото отворање е најавено за 1 мај, а првата изложба, според многумина, еден од најубавите музеи на светот, ќе биде посветена на ремек-делата на уметници од минатиот век.”

Нова Македонија


Во наредниов период еден од проектите на кои ќе работам, а се однесува на полето култура и уметност е во просториите на овој музеј. Среќен сум што ќе бидам дел од проект кој ќе се случува и ќе биде презентиран токму во овој познат Музеј.
За него во последно време премногу се зборува. Најмногу затоа што отварањето на овој Музеј доцни едно три години затоа што комбинирањето на повеќето видови стакло, плексиглас, дрво и други материјали одзело повеќе време одошто им било планирано на проектните изведувачи.. Но, секако тоа е дел и од маркетиншкиот трик на Музејот со кој во текот на изминативе години, уште неотворен овој Музеј стигна на нивото на неговиот претходник, истоимениот во Париз. За оној во Париз се смета дека е најпосетуваниот Музеј за современа и концептуална уметност во светот или Европа, а овој одгранок само ја надополнува славата на Паришкиот. Градот Мец очекува разбранување во полето на туризмот со отварањето на овој значаен за Франција објект. Се очекуваат многу туристи од блиските држави како Германија, Швајцариjа, Белгија и Луксембург.

Како дел од овој музеј се спомнуваат неколку прекрасни, огромни, осветлени, со високи тавани галериски простории, простории за времени инсталации, изложби и перфоманси, неколку кафе барови, книжари и простории за одржување на најразлични презентации, саеми и работилници од областа на уметноста. Трајни постановки од едни од најпознатите иноватори во современата уметност за кои ќе зборувам и јас после отварањето. Оригиналноста на овој објект е препознатлива како од надвор по својот уникатен изглед и покрив, така и внатре во прецизната структурираност на просториите и нивната намена. Како простор за релаксирање имаат вградено две градини и тераса.

photo by: Magnolias Productions

...повеќе инфо за овој сеуште неотворен Музеј можете да најдете овде, или пак нешто повеќе за архитектите Shigeru Ban од Jапонија и Jean de Gastines од Франција. Доколку сакате можете да ги следите и на twitter.

My EVS stay in France

I started my European Voluntary Service (EVS) in about 3 months ago. I live in the city Thionville, that is on a half an hour train ride from Metz and Luxembourg, the cities in which my organization has offices/spots. I love this part of France as much for its geography as for its culture.

My stay here is related to the promotion of the organization in different ways, varying from fairs to group presentations in high schools. I often take part in youth exchanges and seminars, and sometimes I am also a trainer for some workshops where I share my prior experience. Currently, I design some promotional materials for TOGETHER and I prepare for my workshop “stickers art” that is part of the youth exchange Power Of Art. In this period of several months, I managed to meet many young and positive people, who also have chosen the association Together as their host organization, as well as volunteers from other organizations who have chosen France as a country for their volunteering stay. I visited several quite good places in the country and managed to make new contacts with many creative people involved in the active society. The French classes help me and motivate me to learn the language.



European Voluntary Service is a perfect opportunity for young people to meet new people, to learn new language (as much as they can), to acquire new skills, to share knowledge and also to learn new techniques and methods of education.

Together is a youth association that has accepted me as a part of the team that opened the doors to my ideas, which also gives me tasks in which I can realize my capacities and which fulfill me. I am happy that I am doing my EVS here in Together.


македонска верзија:

Мојот европски волонтерски престој го започнав пред речиси 3 месеци. Живеам во градот Thionville, кој е на половина час од Мец и Луксембург, градовите каде мојата организација има канцеларии.Овој дел од Франција ми се допаѓа многу како географски, така и културолошки.

Мојот престој овде е поврзан со промовирање на организацијата на најразлични начини од саеми до групни презентации на ученици во средните училишта. Учество на младински размени како учесник, но и како тренер за некои работилници за кои имам претходно искуство. Во моментов дизајнирам некои промотивни материјали за TOGETHER и се подготвувам за мојата работилница која е дел од агендата на младинската размена “Power Of Art”. Во овој период од неколку месеци успеав да запознаам многу млади и позитивни луѓе, кои исто така ја одбрале асоцијацијата Together за нивна host организација, како и волонтери од други организации кои ја избрале Франција како држава за нивниот волонтерски престој. Посетив неколку исклучително добри места во државата и успеав да создадам нови контакти со многу креативни луѓе кои се вклучени во активното општество. Часовите за француски јазик ми помагаат и ме мотивираат да го научам јазикот.



Евроскиот Волонтерски Сервис е одлична можност за младите да запознат нови луѓе, да научат нов јазик (колку можат), да стекнат нови вештини, да споделуваат знаење како и да научат дополнителни техники и методи за едукација.

Together е младинска асоцијација која мене ме прифати како дел од тимот и која ги отвори вратите за моите идеи, која исто така ми дава задачи кои се блиски на мојот капацитет и кои ме исполнуваат. Среќен сум што го избрав мојот ЕВС овде во Together.