Feeeeeet: Dear Tom.....

(left) 12foot6: Stand up for our right to dance-wicked on the dance floor! & (right) Marcela Peralta: Pongamos de Pie por sus derechos / Stand up for our rights.

Dear Tom,

Thanks again for sending through this 12foot6 bowling feet photo (-:= (= intentionally upside-down handstand smiley)

I was so happy in being reminded of the cool-floor and not-so-cool-floor crew that I thought I’d include your photo here.  Since arriving in Buenos Aires I've taken this blog on a slight diversion into blog-post-cards (a. in a never-ending mission to try to be more concise and b. because so many things in this city remind me of you fond folk back home) So being as your feet reminded me of this photograph from the Ser Voluntario (To be a volunteer) exhibition at the Borges center, it seemed a good moment to give you a shout out.

Sending hugs to everyone at the studio.

Big love,

Kim

:-)

Celebrations: Dear Fish....

Dear Fish,

I know I’ve sent you this photo by email, but I wanted to include it in the blog too, to say again a big HUGE happy CONGRATULATIONS to you for bringing the new life of wee little Oscar safely into this world.. ...yay, amazing!

I hope you’re comfortable and enjoying your first few days getting to re-know Bazza-bump as this wonderful little creature your son. Your son, wow how special to write that.

Aw Fish, I so wish I could be there to visit you and meet Oscar.  I’ll really really look forward to that moment in the summer.

In the meantime sending you and Piers and Oscar lots and lots of love, hugs and kisses.  Seeing as the murals in the image above are actually from Chile, here’s a Buenos Aires post card for you and Piers: an accordian playing dude and a crocheted tree from port area La Boca.

 

See you sooooooon!

Big love,

Kim

:-)

More Marilyn in BsAs: Dear Anna....

Dear Anna,

Marilyn!!  All throughout this exhibition I was thinking of you m'lovely lass. :-) I know how much you like this icon, so I thought you might like these two snaps showing her not in film stills but in her life.

In the photo on the left Marilyn looks so young and innocent, especially in contrast to the harsh and masculine features of Natasha Lytess, a European immigrant and Marilyn's teacher in Hollywood.  Interesting poses, Natasha turning away, rejecting the plea from Marilyn whatever that may be... acted or genuine?

The photo on the right is from February 1954, at a concert Marilyn gave for United States troops in Korea.  I like how in this she's captured mid movement rather than in the usual staged pose.  And I love the natural laughter on her face and the wonderment and admiration on the soldiers faces...I'm trying to imagine what energy there must have been within that crowd of young men at having her feminine presence amongst them at this highly stressful time of conflict.  She must have been a fresh breeze for them, (though I wonder for some would there be an element of heightened sexual frustration, being so far from their wives and girlfriends?)

Interesting too, the context of the exhibition, in a gallery of the Borges Cultural Centre, which is on the top two floors of this extravagant shopping mall at the corner of Viamonte and San Martin.  The link between the seductive poses of Marilyn and these of the fashion model hanging multiple times along the row of shops fascinated me in thinking about the enactment of femininity and feminine sexuality.

Perhaps it fascinated me so much because it's an aspect of the feminine that I'm not great at - acting seductive that is, being much more comfortable instead with the natural 'climbed-down-out-a-tree look (as my brother Daniel puts it) or the clowning approach as Åsa and I demonstrated with the Where's Wally London marathon costume choice that you so objected to Anna! ;-)

So, here's hoping you're well and happy Anna, sending a big hug from Argentina, the home of the most seductive dance of all, Tango!

Big love,
Kim
:-)
x

Marilyn in Jorges BsAs: Dear Lynsey....

Dear Lyns,

So I'm serious:  I'm responding to your in-reponse-to-this-blog-blog so wonderfully named Dear Kim.... (dinnaekenwhityertalkinaboot!).... love it!

Here's a postcard image for you from the Marilyn Monroe exhibition that Daniela and I went to at the Borges museum in the city centre the other day.

I know these are film stills, so Marilyn-in-characters acted, but still, I love how in contrast to the well known glam-sex-symbol Marilyn here in the photo on the left she is all innocent and homely.  I have a feeling you'll like her outfit in the photo on the right, and probably want one for yourself on your next trip to the beach.. in fact can we both have one?!

Through the myriad of photos of Marilyn in the exhibition we seemed to get a glimpse into who she might have been as a character, and I get the feeling she was warm with a big heart, and from the writing about her form directors who directed her, witgh a huge natural talent for her craft.  But as with every celebrity whose image has become iconic there are always the questions how much was she performing in her public life, how much was she acting consciously or how much performing subconsciously in the way we all 'act' the versions of ourselves we want to present to the world on a daily basis?  How 'authentic' was she?

Interesting to read then in the exhibition notes that Blanca María Monzón's in curating the show was to draw attention to the idea that all of us are impressions, constructed from a myriad of different snapshot images... hence why for different people we can represent different things, as each person views each other through the filter of their own personal experiences and world view.

 It's my intention that in observing these photos we take into account that nobody is anything more than a copy, of a real or imagined copy, whose resemblance refers to the identity of the subject, but that will never be in its totality.

(is it cheating to include more than one-photo in these postcard blogs?!...Apparently even with this approach I can't be concise.)

Also Lyns, because you complained that there are not enough photos of me, here you go.. one from la Boca.  The reason for minimal photos of me is mainly because I'm always behind the camera, partly because I'm shy of being photographed - perhaps why here it felt slightly more comfortable being semi-camouflaged amongst the turquoise!

Thanks for the blog-laughter Lyns!  Sending you and Gabs big hugs and dancing vibes from the city-of-tango!

Big love, 

Kim

:-)

Love and Psychology in BsAs: Dear Kate....

Dear Kate,

How are you m'lovely?

Here's the 'Psychoanalytical A-Newspaper' that is dedicated in its entirety to "Loves" that I was emailing you about.  Seeing this title I was intrigued and happy, particularly after the conversation with Günter where we chatted about how in our cultures it seems hard to talk about love or to say that that is what we are looking for.  I'm reminded again and again of Kids Company and our beloved Camilla Batmangelidh's fearless talking of 'love as the cure'.  So to see an entire newspaper dedicated to Love in all its manifestations was a refreshing surprise.

At first I thought this was a particularly unusual and impressive find, but over the course of the last few days I've noticed more and more fascinating titles on the heavily piled news-stands around the city on the 'subtes' (metros), in the bus terminal, on street corners. As well as the daily news and cheeky bum-flashing papers, glossy celeb mags and kids comics there always seem to be plenty of socially-focused, and psychoanalytical publications too.  Yesterday on just one stand I noticed 5 different psychology papers....interesting!

The kids are photographed outside a free arts workshop that we passed in la Boca, the colourful port area of the city.  We've passed a number of free workshops, and that in combination with this focus on psychology and social well-being reflected in the newspapers gives me the impression that Argentinians, like the Chileans, are very turned on and conscious when it comes to social responsibility  and still value the quality of community life before individual success.

I know this is one of my struggles with London, how the aggressively capitalist society places individual success before and at the expense of the community.  Perhaps indirectly our work at KidsCo is attempting to redress the balance...?  KidsCo was certainly an important community for me.

And after all these deep and serious thoughts I'm now brought back to the image of us playing during that Sunday afternoon of the course and the wonderful and liberating moment of weaving our creatures in and out of the dragon-garden holes..... and I'm reminded of the joy of play and how the importance of creating safe, holding and supporting communities is so that within them we can relax within our relationships to one another, be ourselves, explore, create and enjoy!

With all the live music, bars, restaurants, Tango shows, milongas (tango gatherings), galleries, murals, theatres and cinemas here in Buenos Aires it certainly seems the Argentinians know how to create, play and enjoy.

So thank you Kate for being a catalyst for many thoughts and adventures, thank you for being the first UK creature to respond to the postcard project, and thanks for being a brilliant mate to play with!
Happy Playing m'lovely :-)

Big love,
Kim
:-)
x

ONE: postal/ postcards

La plantilla para la postal, version español:

The postcard template, English version:

Detalles del proyecto y una guía como participar: / Project details and a guide for how to participate:

Esperando a recibir las respuestas! Looking forward to receiving your responses!

Big love

:-)

Love from Buenos Aires x

A detail of Buenos Aires that seems quirky to my Londoner-eyes are these familiar-looking bright red phone- and post-boxes.  Perhaps the rainy backdrop to the letterbox makes it all the more familiar.... it seemed to rain pretty much non-stop from my second day on until this morning.  Lesson learned: it is NOT wise to wear shoes with giant holes worn through the soles while walking through rainy streets. Who'd've thunk it!

These London-reminders are apt symbols of communication in this city where there seems to be such a myriad of details reminding me of you special folk back home that I am constantly taking photos to digitally post back to you.  So for my up-coming series of posts I'm going to hopefully swap the long rambles temporarily for shorter postcard-posts that will hopefully give you a wee taste of the vibrancy and variety of Buenos Aires (do I hear you saying 'phew' on the non-ramble point?  Let's hope I can stick to it eh?! ;-) )

This new approach will be echoing dear friend Kate Gallon's recent email postcard, and responding to (stealing from?!) another beloved friend, Lynsey Butler's hilarious blog-in-response-to-this-blog Dear Kim... (Idinnaekenwhityertalkinaboot).    Lyns' blog is SERIOUSLY funny... and sharply concise (Lyns I need to learn from you how to wit-not-waffle!)

And how important it is to communicate, hey... Thanks to Mauro I'm carrying a copy of '25 propositions to "Live Well"' from expert in Andean world view and minister of External Relations of the Multinational state of Bolivia, David Choquehuanca, and below is point number 15, to know how to communicate oneself:

15.  To know how to communicate oneself.

To Live Well is to know how to communicate oneself.  In the new Multinational State one tries to revive the communication that existed in ancestral communities. The result of this good communication, mentioned by the Chancellor, is dialogue.  "We have to communicate ourselves in the way that our parents used to, and we must resolve problems without them becoming conflicts, this we must not lose."

Also, it's just damn nice to stay in touch hey? So anyone who wants to take a leaf out of Kate's book and send me post-card email (?!) please feel free, it will make me very happy, and as Kate says, otherwise this blogging business feels very one-way.

And from personal postcards to project postcards....

In a happy moment of synchronisity it also happened that Kate sent me her answers to the postcard project unprompted exactly as I was planning the logistics of inviting you folks back home and around the globe. What a welcome surprise!  So again, any of who you would like to participate, follow the process explained in the following post and you will make me a very happy munkey! :-)

So thanks Lyns for the brilliant blogging and thanks Kate for your postcard-email and for being the first from back home to respond to my postcard project, ace!

:-)