Edge Management » Arts & Culture

Book Covers, Menu Covers

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 02:10:00 +0000

It’s not nearly as common today as it once was, but the art of leather binding isn’t lost at all. There are still many antiquarian booksellers and bookmakers who appreciate and continue the art of protecting their most precious books. Leather is one of the most durable materials, helping to protect anything from the elements. It’s also one of the most attractive ways of covering something, which is one of the reasons it’s such a valuable material.

People who know the skills necessary to work with leather usually fall out of the category of craftspeople and into the realm of the artisan . A century ago, it was common practice for the wealthy citizens of the world to have their most valuable books bound so that they could survive for generations. As such, a leather cover has a certain touch of antiquity, not to mention enormous class and style.

That’s the same effect that one can get with leather menu covers , where the touch is such a lovely one, the customers will certainly take note. Even if it doesn’t register consciously, the feel of a leather cover in one’s hands means that the object has a weight and value that is precious. The cover will also serve as an excellent protection, while providing style and sensibility that is hard to match.

Book Covers, Menu Covers is a post from: Edge Management

Florence Has David!

admin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 02:10:00 +0000

When in Florence, above all else, you must see Michelangelo’s David, located at The Accademia Gallery, Viz Ricasoli 60. The statue of David was housed in the Piazza Signoria for more than 4 centuries, but is now exhibited in a hall especially constructed just for this statue; designed by architect Emilio De Fabris. There are other works by Michelangelo that follow the sculptor’s artistic development, from his famous David to his ‘Slave’ series and his sculpture of San Matteo.

Accademia Gallery stands on a site formerly occupied by the ancient Monastery of San Matteo and Convent of San Niccolo di Cafaggio, whose grounds covered the entire area lying between Piazz Santissima Annunziata and Via Ricasoli. The Gallery also features an impressive collection of paintings ranging from the 13th century to the 16th century, and besides the highlight of the Statue of David, the Gallery includes important works by Taddeo Gaddi, a 24-panel representing scenes from the life of Christ, and St. Francis; the Sienese school Crucifix from the 13th century; and the Pieta by Giovanni da Milano.

No matter what great works are housed at Accademia, it’s still the Statue of David that everyone comes to see and so should you, even if you’re strapped for time, staying one night at a hotel Florence offers its tourist, you must fit this in your itinerary. The statue of David and the unfinished Michelangelo statues that lead the way to the main attraction, is worth the ticket price or even extending your stay. The perfection of the human body, down to the veins protruding from the hands, the stance of the body with muscles, and the determination seen in David’s eyes will take your breath away. This masterpiece is why Michelangelo is considered the greatest sculpture ever born.

Hours are Tuesday through Sunday: 8:15am to 6:50pm. Cost of a ticket is 6.50 Euros. European Union and regular state teachers receive a 50% discount. Free admission for groups of Italian and schools accompanied by their teachers, tourist guides with an official document, tourist interpreters accompanying a group with an official document, Members of ICOM and European citizens under 18 or over 65.

Florence Has David! is a post from: Edge Management

Mexico City’s Sun and Moon Pyramids Still have Significance in Today’s World

admin — Wed, 12 May 2010 02:10:00 +0000

The Teotihuacan Pyramids , located just outside of Mexico City, Mexico, is the largest pyramidal structures built during in the pre-Columbian Americas and have been considered worthy of being inhabited by Gods and by tourists alike. Teotihuacan pyramids, a monumental city, is a thousands of years old civilization and city with wide avenues projecting up to the cardinal points of the universe, a city patterned with dwelling places and with streets that have bore witness to vast activities of people and goods coming and going in this mythical city of the lofty realm of Gods. Many Mexico City area hotels offer tours to this site, visit this page to find out more. Visitors to the pyramids will find mural paintings of mythical figures and Gods, nocturnal beings, jaguars and liquid skies.

The archaeological remnants of the city itself, plus the vestiges of fine pottery from the people of Teotihuacan’s, which are on exhibit around the world, express the past generations of peoples who inhabited this ancient city. The central ceremonial area is laid out in symbolic axes: the Pyramid of the Moon and to its side, the immense, rising stone mass of the Pyramid of the Sun; two structures that represent the duality between the creation of nature and the people who built these limestone, volcanic rock walls. At the other axes, the north-south axis – the Avenue of the Dead is where the buildings, plazas, palaces, alters and the wings of the butterfly extends to either side.

The Pyramids were abandoned, which still perplex archaeologist even today as to why, but hundreds of years later, other people named the site ‘The City of Gods’, with good reason, it was steeped in deep religious convictions centered around cycles in nature that gave directions for sowing, reaping, draughts, rainfall and a cosmology with strict phenomenological relationships expressing astronomical and calendrical aspects that was reflected in the very construction of the city. So much so, the very patterns of life, the unprecedented levels of perfection, the cycles of production, urban designs, ceremonial objects, vases and the social structure of the Teotihuacan’s are currently reflected in today’s agricultural systems and the new movement for a better urban renewal paradigm.

Mexico City’s Sun and Moon Pyramids Still have Significance in Today’s World is a post from: Edge Management

The Shakespeare Garden of New York City

admin — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 22:12:33 +0000

Central Park is huge. Unless one takes the time to wonder through slowly, or unless one is lucky enough to have a knowledgeable guide, there are many smaller sections of the park that may get missed. One such section of the garden is the Shakespeare Garden, known to be one of the best spots in the city to stop and literally smell the roses. One of the things about New York that so surprised me the first time I visited, was the gardens. The gardens located in the abandoned spaces between the high rise skyscrapers, and the gardens that hung off of the fire escapes throughout the city.

This was not the concrete jungle I was expecting, it was a bunch of people living in a very small area, who valued beauty, even if was just a pot of geraniums outside the kitchen window. Many of the parks in New York went through times of neglect and disrepair, be it whether the country was consumed with the happenings of the Second World War, or whether the people were to distracted trying to survive during the Great Depression. By the middle of the 1970′s however, many parks got renovated, such as Washington Square Park in the East Village, and Prospect Park in Brooklyn.

So too, did the Shakespeare Garden of Central Park, start to be tended and cleaned up. William Shakespeare wrote about many aspects of life in his prose and his plays, and this garden in the park, is dedicated to him. Only plants and flowers that he had made mention of in his writings, are located within the garden. Hotels are plentiful on the Upper East side, and if you are traveling to the city in the spring time, look here for those that will ensure you close access to the park, as this is a blooming time that you really do not want to miss. Who knows, you may be able to time it in order to see a play, Shakespeare in the Park, in Shakespeare’s Garden…what a better way to celebrate the life of the beloved Bard?

The Shakespeare Garden of New York City is a post from: Edge Management

Santa Rosa Symphony Inspires Violinist

admin — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:06:32 +0000

Okay, I’m only 21 but I think after last summer I have much of the rest of my life planned out. No one takes me seriously when I tell them this so I’m confiding it to you though I express my plans to manifest these elements in a more relaxed fashion. It all started when I spent a week in Santa Rosa last summer with my parents. I almost didn’t even go with them because it was an incredibly busy summer for me and I had some important performance dates coming up. I’m a music performance major and will graduate next year with a degree in violin performance. I have played the violin since I was seven and don’t remember ever not loving it in the last fourteen years. Okay, that’s a lie, I have actually hated it a few times but it’s one of those love hate relationship things.

Anyway, they really wanted me to go and I was able to rearrange my schedule and I don’t think I could have done anything greater for myself that summer. We spent a week in one of the Santa Rosa hotels that was in an older section of town. It was really cool and had a nice historic feel. I absolutely fell in love with the city almost from the moment I arrived there and am one hundred percent sure that this is where I want to move when I finish school. We attended a performance of the Santa Rosa Symphony and I really enjoyed it and respect the company. Of course I would love to audition for them and earn a spot but I’ll just do some freelance performance until that happens. This is where people tell me I’m naive, but I feel like I’ll be able to make a living, at least pay my bills by doing some private teaching and also working freelance performance jobs. Meanwhile, I definitely plan to move to Santa Rosa and maybe live there for the rest of my life, who knows. It’s a beautiful city and I love it and I also believe that things will just work out fine with continued hard work and commitment.

Santa Rosa Symphony Inspires Violinist is a post from: Edge Management

Karen Finley Presented New Work in New York

admin — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:13:56 +0000

New York City is known for a lot of great cultural landmarks and elements and its theatre and performance scene are one of, if not the most prominent. Guests who may have stayed in one of the top New York hotels in September and/or October may have been lucky enough to attend the limited run of Karen Finley’s new work Karen Finley: The Jackie Look. The show was scheduled to open September 19th at the Off Off Broadway space The Country Club and closed late last month on on October 24th. Finley is well known, and sometimes feared, for her bold depictions of society, private life and her sometimes controversial methods of performance. In The Jackie Look Finley applies her perspective to the iconic look of Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis and analyzes concepts of femininity and the demands being the First Lady can place on a person.

Finley has a long history of solo performance and a somewhat controversial career. She has been hailed as some as a healing social element that exposes archetypal myths and hypocrisies, and others have condemned her as inappropriate and deviant. What an amazing ability to balance between the two and maintain her perspective and performance intentions, without being sucked into the dangers of labels and warped self belief.

One of her most remembered historic moments by the mainstream population is the notorious NEA grant dilemma of 1990. During this year, complaints by Senator Jesse Helms and other political and religious conservatives put pressure on the government supported arts endowment agency. Four active NEA grant receiving artists were declared as creating works that were indecent, and Finley was one of these. The other three artists were Holly Hughes, Tim Miller and John Fleck. Due to the political and social moral pressure, the artists had their grants revoked and have since become known as the NEA four.

Karen Finley Presented New Work in New York is a post from: Edge Management

Singapore Hiphop Buskers

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:24:18 +0000

It’s always interesting to come to know a place through its food, and in Singapore the cuisine can tell many stories from its many histories. As a major port for centuries, there have been many cultural influences here that have worked their way in through the food. In Singapore, restaurant living is an illustration of its enormously cosmopolitan tastes, which are a reflection of its fascinating history. You might forget about history altogether, however, when you taste the splendid offerings from our fine selection of restaurants, which contain a fabulous array of tastes and culinary traditions that you can only find in Singapore.

The selections can be very specific to a certain kind of food, such as Italian, or very eclectic, offering local traditions served with a contemporary flair. Our chefs are some of the finest in the world, and are studied in both classical and state of the art cooking techniques, all designed to dazzle and enchant your taste buds, and offering a culinary glimpse into what Singapore is all about. And after a splendid meal, you’ll have more opportunities to enjoy the cultural life in Singapore. There are many exceptional venues to see live performance, such as dance, theatre, and opera, and loads of galleries and museums to keep your hunger for local culture satiated. There is also a fairly impressive tradition for street performance, or busking, here, and you may find yourself watching b-boys like Amsyar Bin Ramlee.

The 18-year old breakdancer is working currently with Styles from Beyond, and his work is really something to behold. He was a second runner up at the Pulse Hip Hop Knockout, and his stylings on dance floors and sidewalks are worth watching, as his career is starting to make some spectacular moves. He performed with his group at the Singapore Street Festival, an event which showcases some of the hottest urban talents in Singapore. The tradition of street performance in the world is fascinating, and its engagement with the locals and international visitors makes visible another kind of art that happens every day, and in unexpected places.

Singapore Hiphop Buskers is a post from: Edge Management

Alvaro Rodríguez Fominaya, Hong Kong’s New Curator

admin — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:10:49 +0000

For all the necessary considerations for your travel arrangements in Hong Kong, hotel accommodations are perhaps the most important. The hotel is the center of the journey, the place where you lay your hat and your head. Hong Kong is a beautiful place to be spending any amount of time. It’s one of the most metropolitan places in the word, with a wide diversity of culture and ideas. Our hotels put you in the center of the city, making it possible to see all the things you’re interested in, as well as providing a luxurious calm to your stay. We specially select our hotels to offer the best of the old and the new, with a rich tradition of hospitality blended with the best of contemporary furnishings and technologies.

After a delicious sleep in our exquisitely decorated rooms, and a fantastic meal served up by top chefs who specialize in all the intricacies of international cuisine, we recommend spending time getting to know Hong Kong. There are countless possibilities for distraction here, with an exciting urban landscape with some of the best people watching in the region. Fashion is worn like art, and gives a great way of looking into the local culture. There are also excellent clubs for live music, and fantastic performing arts work here. One of the most exciting changes to the local scene recently has been the appointment of Alvaro Rodríguez Fominaya as the curator for Hong Kong’s Para/Site art space.

He began a three-year term in January, 2009, and will be an interesting figure to watch, in a very lively cultural space. Para/Site has a great history in its short existence, presenting local and international work that is challenging and exciting. Alvaro Rodríguez Fominaya will bring an impressive list of credentials, and art world contacts, with him. He has done projects all over the world, in Spain, the U.S., Latin America, as well as Hong Kong, and it will be interesting to watch the work develop here. He sees the art space as an active participant in the cultural landscape, and this will benefit everyone who lives here or comes to visit.

Alvaro Rodríguez Fominaya, Hong Kong’s New Curator is a post from: Edge Management

Excited to be going to the Met

admin — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:50:15 +0000

I first head opera in the Loony Tunes cartoons I watched as a child growing up. Not knowing the songs were just tiny pieces from giant works and not really caring. The tunes would stick in my head and run through my brain over and over again. I would hum them as i played and went about my business. Hearing an live from the Met broadcast one Saturday I heard the Barber of Seville. Early on the Figaro song is sung and I realize I know this from the cartoons I watched as a kid. I listened to the rest of the opera surprised at the number of songs and melodies I recognized. i had heard these tunes in movies, TV shows, commercials and who knows where else. Now in my best New York City hotel I am excited to be getting ready to see my first live opera performance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York city. I have viewed excellent opera in man y other locations like Santa Fe new Mexico where the magical summer opera has gone on for more than 60 years. Today a state of the art open air theater greets guests from all over the world from July to August to see operas designed, directed and preformed by hand picked apprentices world wide. The audiences come from all over the world too. The breathtaking views from the opera house at sunset set the perfect mood for an evening of opera viewing. Some productions are done with open backdrops, this leaves no back to the stage and the view goes out for 100 miles looking over the Sange de Cristo Mts. When darkness falls and the opera begins some evenings there are distant showers roaming the deserts and the flashes of lightening and rumbles of thunder become part of the magic of the Santa Fe experience. My experience at the Met tonight cannot compare to the open air festival of Santa Fe in many ways but seeing the opera performed by a company that has been in existence for more than 150 years.

Excited to be going to the Met is a post from: Edge Management

Spanish Surrealism

admin — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 16:59:53 +0000

If you are looking for a vacation centered in five-star hotels, Spain is one of Europe’s more splendid and interesting countries. With an enormously complicated and fascinating history, Spain has been at the center of some of the world’s greatest turning points. Our hotel accommodations puts you in the heart of Spain’s great cities, where you can live in the extremes of luxury and prepare yourself to have new adventures in a country deeply connected in cosmopolitan culture while remaining fiercely connected to local identities. We offer amenities that meet the highest standards in the industry, in service, cuisine, facilities, technological connectivity, and hospitality, plus we offer loads of extras to distinguish your stay here and make for memories that will last a lifetime.

Some of the best minds in the world are drawn to Spain, for its achievements in science, philosophy, architecture, and art. In the art world, Spain has always played a major role, living at the center of most world art movements, and often creating movements of its own. IN the 20th century, one of the most influential movements in art was surrealism, and Spanish Surrealism contributed in a very important way, and continues to influence contemporary art through the surrealist touches from its artists. Surrealism is an art movement that came from the remains of Dadaism, taking its chaotic and playful spirit, and combining it with the new developments of Freudian psychoanalysis. Taking the language of dreams as the most visible way that the subconscious speaks to the conscious mind, the visual art became a representation of dreamscapes interrupting the flow of waking life.

Two obvious Spanish artists working with Surrealist techniques are Joan Miró and Salvador Dalí. Both have left legacies that are immeasurable, and their work can be seen all over the world, but Spain offers some excellent museums where their original works can be observed. Dali’s Theatre Museum in Figueres is one of the best opportunities to dig in to the history of surrealism first-hand. There are also the films of Luis Buñuel, who collaborated with Dalí at one time, and who has redefined cinematic language. For Spanish-descended artists who contributed to the school of Surrealism and who have created a new artistic language that falls outside of formal Surrealism, we can look at the iconic Frida Kahlo and Remedios Varos in México, to find roots for the next waves of contemporary dream language in visual art. These artists offer contributions to world art that are still evolving, but certainly have roots in the tenets of classical Surrealism, and carry Spain’s artistic genius in the diaspora.

Spanish Surrealism is a post from: Edge Management