Artistic photography?

“The practice of photography is no longer a means for recording reality. Instead, it has become reality itself.”
~Ai Weiwei

Artistic photography is a field which many of us encounter throughout our lives. In fact, in tandem with photography as such.

I remember the changing technology throughout my life, regarding photos. From camera rolls you left at a photo shop for them to develop, to the ease of digital photos in this time, eventually on our mobile phones. It is a kind of – what is called - “commodification” toward mass consumerism.

Though I in the course of my life often enjoyed taking photos, such as during travels, the “art” was for me more in what I photographed – e.g a landscape, houses, weather – than how I took it. I did often not even bother to check out all the camera’s technical options and possibilities (lighting, panorama, zooming, highlighting) that much, only when necessary.

I did not even quite know how more “professional” photos were taken: something with resolution, sure, and with stands, and other added equipment.. Bigger cameras too. Much more I did not know. Neither did I ever have much interest in buying a more expensive, professional camera.

My interest got awaken more by visits to museums devoted to photography in Amsterdam – you have a few nice ones -, and elsewhere, such as Bilbao, combining usually specific compositions and scenes from everyday reality, that happened to be captured with camera. One exhibition, for example, I saw in Amsterdam’s FOAM museum was of photos of socially critical (exiled, freedom-loving) Chinese photographer Ai Weiwei (photo hereunder).

It opened my eyes for the fact that photography is – in fact – or can be considered – an actual art form: more than just documenting, or catching a real moment.

“In the '70s, in Britain, if you were going to do serious photography, you were obliged to work in black-and-white. Color was the palette of commercial photography and snapshot photography.”
~Martin Parr

COMMODIFICATION

I am afraid that with the massive spread of smart phones in the last decade, many people fancy themselves good, even artistic photographers, just by selecting good scenes and images, looking perhaps a bit at lighting. It is now not a “project” anymore, e.g. camera rolls you used to take to a developer to be picked up later, relating to a certain vacation or event. Now with the smart phones and the Internet it became a continuous “photo focus” as we go through life, some more fanatical than others.

“Technology has eliminated the basement darkroom and the whole notion of photography as an intense labor of love for obsessives and replaced them with a sense of immediacy and instant gratification”.
~Joe McNally

A funny building, bike, or car, a strange obstacle, a lively street scene, street art, extraordinary people.. all can be “photo worthy”, and when deemed as such, these digital photos spread publicly easily through social media, indeed full of such personal photo galleries.

Though I like taking photos and nice photos too, sometimes I feel it to be “overkill”. That might be a personal thing, for I have never been very “visually oriented”: music and text/content attracted me more, eased my mind more. For the same reason, I have never been a “film buff”, certainly not of the “superficial and spectacular” Hollywood films, with often more visual spectacle than substance. At least, there should be a balance.

Yet, a photo does not mean much by itself: there is always a story behind it, that makes it intriguing.

There is first the reporting, historical, and social value. The look in the eyes of people, usually tells a whole life story, without “deceptive” words.

HISTORY

As photography developed as such since the 1820s and 1830s, first in France, and then slowly “improved” and internationalized, some historical periods did not or hardly have direct images, rather representation, including paintings and drawings.

SLAVERY

One of those historical epochs I miss “documenting” photographs of, is that of slavery of Africans in the Americas, and the related trans-Atlantic slave trade between Africa and the Americas. Such a crucial and impactful period for many people and several continents, is visually mostly represented by drawings and paintings. Some drawn by those officially hired, but sometimes still with free spirits.

An example of the last is the Scottish-Flemish soldier in Dutch service John Gabriël Stedman, who showed the cruelty of slavery in Suriname, a Dutch colony. His drawings/sketchings were mostly supported by written historical sources, including the cruel punishment and conditions of slaves.

Somewhat ironically, he was sent to Suriname as a soldier to help suppress slave rebellions in that colony, later somewhat switched as he got in a relationship with a slave woman, and began to question the conditions, or at least the severity, of slavery. Some images of slavery in Suriname he left that were manmade, yet somehow educational. Not real, but hinting at reality.

Similar drawings/sketching or paintings of slavery exist from elsewhere in the Americas: e.g. the French colonies, Brazil, Jamaica, and Cuba. The painters/drawing artists tended to be somehow serving the colonial government, but at times more free to allow some reality, besides the “idealizing” of all-too picturesque plantations, as a harmonious village, that it never was: it was overall based on fear and violence.

I worked for years in a scientific institute studying (especially) Caribbean slavery, and I remember those drawings, often as illustration in works about slavery, in e.g. Jamaica or Suriname (with drawings by the mentioned Stedman). Later historical epochs were of course illustrated with, well, photos.

A selection of such paintings/drawings of African slavery in the Americas, I used for the video of my song Backra Massa (including Stedman’s sketches in Suriname).

PHOTOS OF SLAVERY?

Photos, on the other hand, could “hide” or “rework’ the reality of plantation much less than such drawings or paintings, and I even theorized once that the British abolished slavery (in 1836) fearing the photos (that soon spread to Britain by the 1830s) of plantation slavery in its colonies, and the negative image of cruelty it would give the British Empire. Slavery was abolished later in places like Suriname, the US, Brazil, and Cuba, between the 1850s and even 1880s, so photos of plantation slavery could have been made there more, but mostly were not allowed, for being unfavorable to the colonial authorities, or inconvenient. Yet, some were made.

“It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. You need less imagination to be a painter because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the extraordinary”.
~David Bailey

There are some actual photos of people who were actually slaves, African-born and American born, and those are intriguing and impactful. Especially in the US, between the 1840s and 1860s – including the transitional civil war, actual photos were taken, of plantation slaves in southern states like South Carolina or Virginia. Quite some photos of slaves were also made in Brazil and elsewhere.

The expression on faces of actual slaves are telling and impressive, as well as the general context. These photos visualized the horror and tragedy of dehumanization, of being made inferior like cattle. Facial expressions of enslaved Africans show often a mixture of resignation, sadness, and anger. Photos can capture that directly, drawings/paintings only imitate that.

Here is such an impressive series regarding the US, but there are also interesting photos during slavery, of slaves, taken in Brazil, Cuba, and elsewhere.

http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/maai/enslavement/text1/photosenslaved.pdf

GREY AREA

These documenting photos of “harsh reality” (including those taken during WW II and the Holocaust, in wars, of famine) – with little room for “posing” – contrast somewhat with later “journalistic” photos – photojournalism -, often with interested parties (promotion, often for commercial or political reasons), but also with more artistic aspirations of photography developing over time.

A grey area between “reporting/documenting” photos and “art” photos developed, normally called “documentary photos”. Capturing moments – as photography does -, but in a specific wider context. “Stylized reality”, you can consider it, e.g. a photo series on “Life in the favelas of Rio”.. Of course photos of such a project are not random, or taken nonchalantly, as so many do with their smart phones, nowadays. They are professional photos. Moreover, they refer to a social reality one wants to “report” on, as it were, visually. There’s a story and a message.

“Photography is the easiest medium with which to be merely competent. Almost anybody can be competent. It's the hardest medium in which to have some sort of personal vision and to have a signature style.”
~Chuck Close

From this, the following step is toward what is known as “fine-art photography”, defined as “using photography as a medium for creative expression” and with as goal “expressing an idea, a message, or an emotion”.

An intriguing field, which I myself however could never grasp fully, yet often appreciated, such as in museums, online, in books and journals. Of course, I tried to make “fine-art” photos myself, with limited means, haha. Using light/shadow, setting, and perspective, etcetera, as so many may have. I remembered that one of my older brothers took it further: he was more visually oriented than me – even took up painting -, but also devoted for a period time to “fine-art photos”, including in black and white.

(Photo above: taken in photography museum Huis Marseille in Amsterdam, Netherlands.)

Yet, what I still not fully understand is the difference between “representational” (or documentary) photography and “fine-art” photography: is it the same difference as between figurative and abstract art?

A painting friend of mine from El Salvador, who made mainly abstract paintings with medical references (he was also a doctor/physician), told me: “You don’t “understand” abstract art, but instead you “feel” it..”.

Is that it?

ORCHESTRATED

All in all, my ambiguous relationship with artistic or fine-art photography lies precisely in its staged, orchestrated character. Scenes are not natural, people are not themselves, but pose. Or are they? In one’s posing one expresses one’s dormant ambitions or desires, still shining through in the facial expression and attitude, however orchestrated and “artificial” a photo scene or setting may seem.

Other modern fine-art photos include the “photoshopping”-like techniques, moving even more into the world of the fictional, artificial, and unreal, but with an artistic function. The latter is an added value, because there are countless “photoshopped” photos based on lame humour, as well as photo manipulations for political or economic goals.

Large political crises (or “hypes”), like the one around corona since 2020, often make – like dictatorships – use of photos and films to “shape” minds. The Nazi propaganda of superior Aryans, versus footage of a Jewish ghetto, that Nazi films portrayed as filthy and with sordid characters and facial expressions, or related to newsreels about dictators like Mussolini or Franco doing “good” works, like opening a bridge or estuary, in the country. Nowadays, some photos of overloaded hospitals, or a man collapsed on the street (of course an unusual reaction to a flu, however severe, by the way) are proven to be manipulated, or misapplied (with a lying text) to the supposed “danger” of covid..

Psychologically, this is also interesting. As knowledge developed that “traumas” tend to be very “visual” in remembrance, especially among the victims. They often remember "visual" details of traumatic events stronger than, e.g. background noise, things said, smells, or – remarkably – sometimes even the felt physical or mental pain. This shows the strength and impact on our brains of "the visual" or imagery. Of course this very strength was and is misused, such as for political or commercial goals.

AMSTERDAM

The two photography museums I visited several times in Amsterdam, the Huis Marseille and the FOAM, convinced me of this added value of an “artistic” goal, rather than “comedic” or political/economic ones. They exhibited international photo art, often with political connotations, but indirectly.

In addition to my regular visits to these and other museums over the years (including also in Marseille, and the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, N. Spain -photo above), in my personal circle I encountered people who told me about their professional photographic activities. Dimitris Meletis (orig. from Greece) has his own site, and also Alessandra Carnio (Argentinian, of Italian origin), both of whom I met in Amsterdam. There are also examples of their art and work on these websites.

https://dimitrismeletis.com/

and

https://www.alessandracarnio.com

To both of them, during conversations, I made the same joke: that I feared that with those smart phones, almost everyone fancies oneself a somehow “artistic” photographer, mostly unjustly. That “joke” of mine is only funny because it is true. Expectedly, their response was something along the lines of “that’s not the same..”. Not the same, they hinted at, because of an artistic approach, preparation, and technology/tools.

Especially for those interested in water and bridges, by the way, the Dutch capital Amsterdam is an appropriate location. One of the cities in Europe – and even the world – with most canals and water through the city, and – relatedly – the city with most bridges in the entire world (true fact).

Though the overall architecture in Amsterdam is perhaps more “Protestant” and “Germanic/ Northern European” than what one knows of flamboyant or graceful architecture in e.g. Southern or Eastern Europe, it is not without nice decorative and beautified streets, houses, of cityscapes, along with varied social and human scenes. Both Meletis and Carnio used the city Amsterdam for their photo art too.

While Alessandra Carnio seems to focus more on “fine-art photography” as such (including "portraits"), and Dimitris Meletis has a broader, professional approach (including video/documentaries on international social themes, and commercial photo assignations), both try to make a living out of it, and therefore have to operate commercially, on a market. Thus, they each in their own way move also in the “grey area” between fine-art photography and something more economic or political. Like with other “pure” art forms: there is no money in it, so they have to.

Yet, the world right now needs pure art, and also this art, especially after the overload of political and mass media manipulation – including misuse of photos and imagery – during the so-called “corona crisis” since Early 2020, and the draconian “lockdown and curfew policies” damaging (or attacking?) culture and art. The morbid emphasis on a virus and supposed “infections” driven by elites, had little joy and inspiration, due to its political – and some say cold financial – motivations, especially leaving a bad taste, as the stated “public health” goals were merely an excuse or a cover.

In reality, this “plandemic” as some call it, creates something unreal, by “faking” the real. Art – including fine-art photography -, does in fact the contrary: it shows the real through the unreal. Exactly the opposite.. That's the reason for censorship of "free" art in dictatorships.

And all of us with our mobile smartphones? It depends on the person and ambitions, but mostly resembling “representational”, reporting, or quasi-journalistic photos, thus more daily and mundane.

CONCLUSION

The implicit question throughout this essay was if I really view photography as a valid creative art form. This essay served in a sense for me to assemble arguments in favour or against that notion.

An interesting article I found on the Internet, addresses this same question:

https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/is-photography-art-debate/

I can conclude from all this, that I consider some types of photography as actually artistic, as is called “fine art-photography”, relating in my opinion mostly to “intent” and goals, as also the "formal" definition of art, I mentioned before. Techniques are not irrelevant, but advanced techniques (perspectives, camera, lighting etc.) have been used – some say: misused - as much for commercial or political photography.

Goals of artistic photography should ultimately relate to edifying, enlightening – as all art. In other words: showing different ways to view reality, rising above it, while enchanting or “moving”. This is different from the utilitarian goals of commercial aims or political propaganda. It is more uplifting.

I have seen quite some examples of this too..

"I think art certainly is the vehicle for us to develop any new ideas, to be creative, to extend our imagination, to change the current conditions."
~Ai Weiwei

Graffiti intensity (Intensidad de grafiti)

(The following text interchanges English and the Spanish translation of the same text..so scroll on if necessary //

El siguiente texto intercambia inglés y la traducción en español del mismo texto..así que "scroll" adelante si es necesario)

//

I was not specifically focussing on it. It was a focus that developed spontaneously by taking all impressions loosely in. While travelling on the Canary island of Tenerife in late January, 2014, I visited for a few days the biggest town on this island: Santa Cruz, which has over 200.000 inhabitants.

Some parts of Tenerife are very touristic, Santa Cruz, the city in the North East of the island, relatively less. It has a sort of Mediterranean, lively feel. Lively and at the same time relaxed, a nice combination I also found in Mediterranean cities. The sunny weather helps of course, perhaps also the culturally ingrained Siesta break, casting a “resting” shadow over even non-siesta parts of the day.

Like I said, I was not focussing on something specific: just seeing how Santa Cruz de Tenerife as a city is like: no uptight plans..I only had loose plans, flexible plans..or no plans at all. Time that is really free and really mine… that is vacation for me. I checked the buildings, architecture, changing from quarter to quarter, visited some museums, parks, walking, drinking something ….”you done know”.. Meanwhile I tried not to get lost, but even that will work out.. I knew the address of my central-lying hotel..

Photo: Santa Cruz de Tenerife

// (No me fijé específicamente en ello. Fue un enfoque que se desarrolló de manera espontánea, absorbando todas las impresiones libremente. Mientras viajé en la isla canaria de Tenerife a finales de enero de 2014, visité por unos días la ciudad más grande en esta isla: Santa Cruz, que cuenta con más de 200.000 habitantes.

Algunas partes de Tenerife son muy turística, Santa Cruz, la ciudad en el noreste de la isla, relativamente menos. Tiene un ambiente mas o menos Mediterráneo y vivo. Vivo y al mismo tiempo relajado, una buena combinación, que también encontré en las ciudades mediterráneas. El clima soleado ayuda, por supuesto, tal vez también la ruptura de la Siesta, culturalmente arraigada, que tira, por decirlo así, una sombra "del descanso" sobre incluso otras partes del día.

Como ya indiqué, no me concentré en algo específico: quería sólo ver cómo Santa Cruz de Tenerife es como ciudad: no tenía planes “tensos”.. yo sólo tenía planes sueltos, planes flexibles.. o ningún plan en absoluto. Tiempo que es realmente libre y realmente mío... eso son vacaciones para mí. Miré los edificios, la arquitectura, el cambio de barrio a barrio, visité algunos museos, parques, a caminar, beber algo... "ya tú sabes".. Mientras tenía cuidado no perderme, pero incluso eso no era problema: sabía la dirección de mi hotel céntrico...) //

Photo: Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Whatever my plans and where I ended up, photographing became a part of it, which I liked to do as well. Taking photos requires by itself a stronger focus. As if I need help from some apparatus to really look well at things. Nonsense of course, it is all psychological.. Still, it works out that way.

Some neighbourhoods had a lot of graffiti on walls that surrounded houses/apartments. Close to my hotel, in an old, central part of Santa Cruz was such a quarter: lower houses, some old and not well-preserved, others better preserved… Typically Canarian architecture – including as characteristics quite pleasant pastel colours for walls - shone through behind and alongside “blind walls” painted/written on. These walls, and other walls in other parts, such as near the sea-front, were very graffiti-intensive. “Santa Cruz must have a very active graffiti scene”, I thought then.

Images came to my mind of groups of young - probably in their late teens/early twenties – Canarian/Tinerfeño hip-hop fans, perhaps some with semi-legal activities, wearing “hip” clothes including the inevitable baseball cap, spraying these graffiti signs, “tags”, and images. Superficial images betraying lack of knowledge, which I admit.

I have never studied before the graffiti phenomenon too much. A little bit: some article, some documentary. I was not wrong about the connection to the hip-hop scene. I am more a reggae fan than a hip-hop fan, but I happened to know this. Hip-hop culture in the broad sense includes the music genre, break dance, and, yes, graffiti. Unauthorized, illegal signs and images on urban buildings.. youthful “rebels” marking their territory..

Photo: Santa Cruz de Tenerife (centro/Calle Santiago)

// (No importa lo que fueran mis planes, o donde terminé, la fotografía se convirtió en parte de eso, y tomar fotos me gustaba como actividad también.Tomar fotos requiere de por sí un enfoque más fuerte. Como si necesito ayuda de algún aparato parar mirar realmente bien a las cosas. Una tontería, por supuesto, todo es psicológico .. Aún así, funciona de esa manera.

Algunos barrios tenían un montón de grafiti (o 'aerosol' como también se le dice) en los muros que rodeaban casas/apartamentos. Cerca de mi hotel, en una antigua parte central de Santa Cruz, hubiera un tal barrio: casas bajas, algunas antiguas y no muy bien mantenidas, arquitectura típicamente canaria - incluyendo como características muy agradables colores pasteles para las muros – se mostró detrás y al lado de "muros ciegos" pintadas/escritas. Estos muros, y otros en otras partes, como cerca de la orilla del mar, eran muy “grafiti intensiva”. “Santa Cruz debe tener una escena de grafiti/aerosol muy activo", pensé entonces.

Imágenes vinieron a mi mente de grupos de jóvenes - probablemente en su adolescencia / veinte añeros – fanáticos canarios / tinerfeños del hip-hop, tal vez algunos de ellos con actividades semi-legales, con el uso de ropa "cadera", incluyendo la gorra de béisbol inevitable, rociando estos signos de grafiti, "tags", e imágenes. Estos imágenes superficiales traicionan una falta de conocimiento, esto admito.

Nunca he estudiado demasiado el fenómeno de grafiti. Un poco: algún artículo, algún documental. No estaba equivocado acerca de la conexión a la escena del hip-hop. Yo soy más fanático del reggae que del hip-hop, pero eso si sabía todavía. La cultura hip-hop en el sentido amplio incluye el género de la música, breakdance, y, sí, el grafiti/aerosol. Escrituras/señas e imágenes ilegales no autorizadas en edificios urbanos.. "rebeldía" de juventud marcando su territorio.. ) //

Photo: Santa Cruz de Tenerife

REBELLIOUS?

Recently I read more about graffiti, and everybody can learn more about it through Wikipedia. Illegal (non-state/government/popular) drawings on walls go back to ancient times, Roman times and other periods, for instance in Italy (hence the Italian name), but as a recent phenomenon it developed in the place where hip-hop developed as well: New York city. The earliest examples of graffiti as urban, youth culture art were, however, found in the city of Philadelphia, since the late 1960s. This was before the actual music genre of hip-hop arose (around 1980), but it got connected with it. Not necessarily though: unrelated to hip-hop culture criminal gangs also began to use graffiti to mark territory.

Unfortunately – because it makes it less “rebellious” in my opinion – the first US graffiti artists (probably) had - according to most sources - no social commentary or political aims. No “liberate the poor” was written, nor “unite against the oppressor” or something along those lines. No, a young guy wanted to act tough, show his ego, and boastfully marked his territory; mild vandalism you can call it. Some say he left texts and signs for a girl he fancied. Not too different from people who write texts or phone numbers on toilet walls, only outside, on the urban streets..

An association with groups of youth further developed since the 1980s, in New York and other urban centers, sometimes gangs, sometimes bored, sometimes somehow rebellious or wanting to express an own identity. Graffiti artists made their - most often dispossessed – voice known in the cold anonymity of the city. Those of who the voices “the powers that be” were not interested in, rendering it often inherently rebellious. Graffiti artists had own artistic “tags” build around letters, as specific markers… just like artist like Van Gogh or Velazquez had on the bottom of their paintings.

You can see it as bored, annoying youth involved in mild vandalism, wanting to “mark their territory”. Yet, I can’t help have sympathetic feelings toward such a combination of artistry and “a cry to be heard”. Apart from criminal gangs using graffiti as well, the rest of it lacks the cynicism of for instance football hooligans, criminals, or those who generally act easily violent physically against people. Or, for that matter, the cynicism of other age groups: bank presidents, capitalists exploiting people, corrupt politicians, authoritarian rulers or bosses.. A young quy wants to paint something artistic on a wall; somewhat “cute”: like the logic of a little child who starts drawing on white/light walls in the house when he can’t find paper. My mother told me that I as a child sometimes had done this – starting to draw on walls in the house.

Photo: Santa Cruz de Tenerife

// (¿REBELDE?

Recientemente leí más sobre grafiti, y todo el mundo puede aprender más sobre ello a través de Wikipedia. Dibujos ilegales (no-estatal/-gubernamental, popular) en los muros se remontan a tiempos antiguos, la época romana y otros períodos, por ejemplo, en Italia (de ahí el nombre italiano graffiti), pero como fenómeno reciente se desarrolló en el lugar donde el hip-hop ha desarrollado también: la ciudad de Nueva York. Los primeros ejemplos de grafiti urbano, como cultura juvenil, sin embargo, se encontraron en la ciudad de Filadelfia, desde finales de los año 60 (1960s). Esto fue antes de que el género de la música actual de hip-hop surgió (alrededor de 1980), pero se conectó con él. No necesariamente, sin embargo, no relacionado con la cultura hip-hop bandas criminales también comenzaron a utilizar el graffiti para marcar su territorio.

Por desgracia - ya que hace que sea menos "rebelde" en mi opinión - los primeros artistas de grafiti estadounidenses (probablemente) no han tenido - según la mayoría de las fuentes – ninguna intención de comentario social ni fines políticos. No fue escrito "libera a los pobres", ni "unense contra el opresor" o algo por el estilo. No, un chico joven quiso hacerse el duro, mostrar su ego, y jactanciosamente marcó su territorio; vandalismo leve, se le puede considerar. Algunos dicen que él dejó textos y signos para una chica que le gustaba. No muy diferente de las personas que escriben textos o números de teléfono en paredes de los aseos, sólo fuera, en las calles de la ciudad..

Una asociación con grupos de jóvenes se dearrolló desde la década de los 1980s, en Nueva York y otros centros urbanos, a veces entre pandillas, a veces por aburridos, a veces de alguna manera rebelde, o con el deseo de expresar una identidad propia. Los grafiteros hicieron su voz – en su mayoría desposeída - conocida en el anonimato frío de la ciudad. Aquellos de quienes las voces no les interesaban a "los poderes fácticos", lo que lo hace a menudo inherentemente rebelde. Los grafiteros tenían “tags” o "etiquetas" propias construido alrededor de letras/palabras, como marcadores específicos... al igual que artistas como Van Gogh o Velázquez tenían abajo en sus pinturas.

Se puede considerar esto como algo de unos jovenes aburridos, pesados, involucrados en actos de vandalismo leve, con ganas de "marcar su territorio".. . Sin embargo, no puedo evitar tener sentimientos de simpatía hacia un tal combinación de arte y "un grito de querer ser oído”. Fuera de las bandas de delincuentes que utilizan el grafiti, el resto de esto parece carecer el cinismo de hooligans de fútbol, criminales, o los que suelen actuar fácilmente violento físicamente contra personas. O, aún, el cinismo de otros grupos de edad: presidentes de bancos, capitalistas que explotan la gente, políticos corruptos, gobernantes o jefes autoritarios.. Un joven que quiere pintar algo artístico en un muro; es algo "gracioso": como la lógica de un niño pequeño que empieza a dibujar en las paredes blancas / ligeras en una casa cuando no puede encontrar un papel. Mi madre me dijo que cuando era niño a veces yo había hecho esto - dibujar en las paredes en la casa.) //

Photo: Santa Cruz de Tenerife

TENERIFE

I soon noticed that the graffiti I saw in Tenerife was very artistic: not just three or four letters intertwined which I already was familiar with, no..it included also (colourful!) faces, figures, pyramid-like figures/symbols, objects like motors, a picture of (I think) the football player Lionel Messi, trees…alongside “intertwined letters”, “curved” words in certain colours. I am willing to consider some of it without a doubt as “art”. Informal art..

We are living in 2014 in an Internet age. On the Internet I can search for information about the Santa Cruz or Tenerife graffiti scene, maybe through hip-hop culture related websites. Tenerife is a tourism-intensive island and therefore relatively international. What I thought (and hoped): that the graffiti expresses an own Tenerife or Canarian cultural identity is still not totally untrue, but it has to be nuanced. Some famous graffiti-artists in Tenerife are said to come from parts of mainland Spain (Bilbao for instance, Galicia or elsewhere), one is originally from Andorra, while yet another from neighbouring island Gran Canaria.. Besides this there were local Tinerfeño graffiti artists as well, so the link with local identity is also there… the graffiti scene – in light of the said US and hip-hop historical connection - is however by definition “international”, as expressive of a modern, international hip-hop culture some feel comfortable to be associated with. Perhaps as escape from or welcome addition to a limited local/national cultural frame..

Photo: Santa Cruz de Tenerife

// (TENERIFE

Pronto me di cuenta de que los grafitis que vi en Tenerife eran muy artístico: no sólo tres o cuatro letras entrelazadas que ya conocía, no..incluyendo también caras, figuras, figuras piramidales / símbolos, objetos como motores, todos muy coloridos. Una foto de (creo) el jugador de fútbol Lionel Messi, árboles, además de las "letras entrelazadas" como etiquetas, y palabras "curvas" en ciertos colores. Estoy dispuesto a considerar algunos de estos grafitis, sin duda, "arte". Arte informal..

Estamos viviendo en el año 2014 en la era de Internet. En Internet puedo buscar información sobre la escena del grafiti de Santa Cruz de Tenerife, tal vez a través de la cultura relacionada: en los sitios web sobre la cultura hip-hop. Tenerife es una isla “turismo-intensivo” y por lo tanto relativamente internacional. Lo que yo pensaba (y esperé) : que el grafiti expresa una identidad cultural propia de Tenerife o de Canarias, mientras no es totalmente falso, pero tiene que ser matizado. Algunos famosos grafiteros en Tenerife provienen de partes de la España peninsular (por ejemplo Bilbao, Galicia o otros lugares), uno es originario de Andorra, mientras que otro de la isla vecina de Gran Canaria.. Además de esto hubieron tinerfeños grafiteros locales también , por lo que el vínculo con la identidad local también existe... La escena del grafiti - a la luz de dicha conexión histórica con EE.UU. y el hip-hop es, sin embargo, por definición, "internacional", como expresión de una cultura hip-hop internacional moderna: algunos se sienten cómodos asociandosse con ella. Quizás como escape de o adición bienvenida a un marco cultural local/nacional limitado..) //

Photo: Santa Cruz de Tenerife (centro)

Photo: El Médano (south coast / costa del sur de Tenerife)

OTHER CITIES

I travelled quite a bit in my life, and I have visited several cities, generally staying more than one day in a city, and travelling/walking through large parts of them, including outside of the centre. I live, to start with, in Amsterdam. The somewhat larger cities – say with 100.000 or more inhabitants - where I stayed more than one day (and walked around in), and visited roughly in the period 2005-2013, include: Berlin, London, Bristol, Birmingham, Dublin, Marseille, Milan, Pisa, Lisbon, Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, Sevilla, Malaga, Cádiz, Valencia, Alicante, and Murcia. Outside of Europe: Havana, Santiago de Cuba, and Kingston, Jamaica.. In the Netherlands I know Amsterdam well (of course) as well as other cities as Rotterdam, Leiden, Haarlem, and Utrecht, which I visited regularly over the years.

I can safely say that with all this “city travel” experience I do not recall being in a more “graffiti-intensive” city in my life than Santa Cruz de Tenerife. I know this is quite a statement, and I have not really visited New York, which is important to point out.

Maybe I am mistaken and do not remember all I went through well, after several years. Yet, I always focussed on architecture and liked taking photos, so there must be some, if subjective “truth” to it..

To be sure, I reviewed the photos I took in most of these places, and my assumption was mostly right. Graffiti appeared mostly by accident and marginally on these photos I took. Most probably because it was less present, or in excluded suburban parts, but then you have to specifically look for it: in Santa Cruz I found a lot of it automatically.

One exception is the rural city Murcia in South East Spain, which I visited in 2009. Murcia was one of the few cities - before Santa Cruz - where I thought: “the graffiti scene must be quite active here”. Varied graffiti (images/symbols not just texts) as well. Other Spanish cities stayed behind this, though there were some spots in Sevilla or Málaga with quite some graffiti. Even less graffiti I saw in German or British cities: only rarely and small pieces. Maybe it was more hidden, cleaned more frequently, or the graffiti scene was simply relatively smaller.

Regarding the Caribbean cities I visited I can say that a hip-hop based graffiti culture as such is not really present there: on walls people write or draw things in Jamaica, especially in poorer, more neglected neighbourhoods – often social comments, or on music, or Rastafari references, which in some cases come close to graffiti, but overall without the developed forms, ”tags” and specificities of the New York-derived hip-hop graffiti culture. Perhaps ironically, since hip-hop is historically partly derived from Jamaican musical (dee-jay) traditions.

Despite the existence of a Cuban hip-hop scene in this time, Cuban cities neither have that type of graffiti tradition: partly for cultural reasons: other reasons are probably political or economical. Like in Jamaica, you of course can find in Cuba occasional writings by common people on some “hidden”walls. In Cuba you can find what some one called jokingly “state graffiti”: revolutionary statements along the lines of “Siempre con el Che” (Always with Che-Guevara) or “Revolución o muerte” (Revolution or Death), but this, while often written on blind walls, is not popular nor part of a subculture. It can better be seen as state propaganda or advertising, only not through cardboards or posters, but through wall writings. It also lacks the visual artistry of graffiti texts.

Photos underneath: (a/un "pre-dread" Michel) in/en Murcia (2009):

// (OTRAS CIUDADES

He viajado bastante en mi vida, y he visitado varias ciudades, por lo general permaneciendo más de un día en una ciudad, y viajando/ caminando a través de una gran parte de estos ciudades, incluyendo las afueras. Yo vivo, para empezar, en Amsterdam. Las ciudades un poco más grandes - por ejemplo con 100.000 o más habitantes - donde me quedé más de un día (y por cuales caminé bastante), y visité más o menos en el período 2005-2013, incluyen: Berlín, Londres, Bristol, Birmingham, Dublín, Marsella, Milán, Pisa, Lisboa, Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao, Sevilla, Málaga, Cádiz, Valencia, Alicante, y Murcia. Fuera de Europa : La Habana, Santiago de Cuba, y Kingston, Jamaica .. En los Países Bajos Amsterdam conozco bien (por supuesto), así como otras ciudades como Rotterdam, Leiden, Haarlem y Utrecht, que visité con regularidad durante los últimos años.

Puedo decir con seguridad que con toda esta experiencia de "viaje de ciudad", no me recuerdo estar en una ciudad más “grafiti-intensiva”, o "intensiva de grafiti", en mi vida que Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Sé que esto es una declaración bastante fuerte, y yo realmente no he visitado Nueva York, que es importante señalar.

Tal vez me equivoco y no recuerdo todo lo que visité muy bien, después de varios años. Sin embargo, siempre me centré en la arquitectura y me gustaba tomar fotos, así que debe haber alguna verdad (aunque “subjetiva”) en esta constatación mia..

Para estar seguro, revisé las fotos que tomé en la mayoría de estos lugares, y mi suposición parecía por regla justa. Grafiti apareció en su mayoría por accidente o marginalmente en estas fotos que tomé. Lo más probable es que porque era menos presente, o en partes suburbanas excluidos, pero también hay que buscarlo específicamente: pero en Santa Cruz me encontré con un montón de grafiti automáticamente, sin buscarlo.

Una excepción es la ciudad rural de Murcia, en el sudeste de España, que visité en 2009. Murcia fue uno de los pocos ciudades - antes de Santa Cruz - en el que pensé: "la escena del grafiti debe ser muy activa por aquí". Grafitis también variadas (imágenes y símbolos, no sólo textos). Otras ciudades españolas se quedaron detrás de esto, aunque hubieron algunos sitios en Sevilla o Málaga con bastante grafiti. Aún menos grafiti vi en las ciudades alemanas o británicas: en contadas ocasiones y pequeñas piezas.Tal vez era más oculto, se limpian con más frecuencia, o la escena del grafiti era simplemente relativamente menor.

En cuanto a las ciudades del Caribe que visité, puedo decir que una cultura del grafiti como tal, basado en hip-hop, no está realmente presente allí: en los muros personas escriben o dibujen cosas en Jamaica, especialmente en los barrios más pobres y desatendidas - a menudo comentarios sociales, o sobre música o referencias a Rastafari, que en algunos casos se acerca a grafiti, pero en general sin los formularios desarrollados, "tags"/”etiquetas” y especificidades de la cultura hip-hop de grafiti como desarrollado en Nueva York. Tal vez irónicamente, ya que el hip-hop se deriva en parte de la historia (dee-jay) tradiciones jamaicanas musicales del reggae.

A pesar de la existencia de una escena del hip-hop cubano en este tiempo, las ciudades cubanas no tienen ese tipo de tradición de grafiti: en parte por razones culturales : otras razones son probablemente político o económico. Como en Jamaica, se encuentra a veces escrituras de gente común, en algunos muros “escondidos”. En Cuba, por supuesto, si se puede encontrar lo que alguien llamó jocosamente "el grafiti estatal": declaraciones revolucionarias como "Siempre Con El Che" o "Revolución o Muerte", pero esto, mientras a menudo escrito en muros ciegos, no es popular ni parte de una subcultura. Más vale que se puede considerar como propaganda estatal o un tipo de “publicidad” política, no a través de cartulinas o carteles, sino a través de escritos en muros. También carece el arte visual de los textos de grafiti. ) //

Photo: the city of Sevilla (barrio de Triana)

Photo: Birmingham (UK)

Photo: city of Leyden (Netherlands/Holanda)

AMSTERDAM

Due to this Santa Cruz experience, back in my home town Amsterdam, from Tenerife, I got an increased interest in graffiti. I noticed and searched more than before for graffiti going on my daily way through Amsterdam. I even had specific graffiti “journeys” on my bycicle, taking photos. Some kind of vague research on “vague” recurring aspects, of a vague “subculture”. Vague to me, but still, or maybe therefore, intriguing..

Of course, international graffiti comparisons can be made, despite the only vague knowledge I had of the Amsterdam graffiti scene. There is a large hip-hop scene in Amsterdam, which I encountered, but as primarily a reggae fan never stayed in it too long or intensively. I also knew of squatters active in tagging and graffiti art.

One thing I can say is that Amsterdam is much less graffiti-intensive than Santa Cruz, but I saw more graffiti than in e.g. British cities I visited. Maybe they cleaned it more in some cities than in others, but it seems to confirm the relatively anarchic image – which is overall partly exaggerated – Amsterdam has for British and others. Maybe I knew Amsterdam better. Spanish cities like Málaga or Madrid seemed to have a bit more graffiti than British or German cities. Perhaps also, again, because it is cleaned less often: certain parts of Spain, like Tenerife or Murcia are economically poorer than Germany or Britain: cleaning public walls costs public money..

Back to the graffiti I found in Amsterdam. I looked for it in more suburban parts of Amsterdam (West, East, South East), as well as in the city Centre and saw quite some graffiti. Then I compared in my mind with the graffiti I saw in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Photo: Amsterdam (west/oeste)

Photo: Amsterdam (centre/centro)

// (AMSTERDAM

Debido a esta experiencia de Santa Cruz, de vuelta en mi ciudad de residencia de Ámsterdam, desde Tenerife, ha aumentado mi interés por el grafiti. Me di cuenta y busqué más que antes de grafiti, durante mi camino diario por Amsterdam. Incluso tuve "viajes" específicas dedicados al grafiti con mi bicicleta, para tomar fotos. Algún tipo de investigación sobre los aspectos "vagos" recurrentes, de una "subcultura" vago. Vago para mí, pero aún así, o tal vez: por lo tanto, interesante.

Por supuesto, comparaciones de graffiti internacionales se pueden hacer, a pesar del conocimiento solo vago que tenía de la escena del grafiti de Amsterdam. Hay una gran escena del hip-hop en Amsterdam, que encontré, pero como principalmente un amador de reggae nunca me quedé en ella demasiado tiempo o intensivamente. También sabía de Ocupas ilegales activos en el etiquetado y el arte del grafiti.

Una cosa que puedo decir es que Amsterdam es mucho menos intensivo de grafiti que Santa Cruz, pero vi más grafiti que, por ejemplo, en las ciudades británicas que he visitado. Tal vez lo limpiaron más en algunas ciudades que en otras, pero parece confirmar la imagen relativamente anárquico - que es en realidad en parte exagerada - Amsterdam tiene para británicos y otros. Tal vez es porque yo conozco Ámsterdam mejor. Ciudades españolas como Málaga o Madrid parecían tener un poco más de grafiti que las ciudades británicas o alemanas donde estuve. Quizás también, de nuevo, porque se limpia con menos frecuencia : muchas partes de España, incluyendo Tenerife o Murcia, son económicamente más pobre que Alemania o Gran Bretaña: la limpieza de los muros públicos cuesta dinero público..

Volviendo a los grafitis que encontré en Amsterdam. Busqué en partes más suburbanas de Amsterdam (Oeste, Este, Sureste), así como en el Centro de la ciudad, y vi bastante grafiti. Luego comparé en mi mente con los grafitis que vi en Santa Cruz de Tenerife. ) //

Photo: Amsterdam (centre/centro)

Photo: Amsterdam (southeast/sureste: station Holendrecht)

COMPARISON

Amsterdam graffiti was predominantly on hidden, somewhat secluded walls, or on building lots. Never was it overwhelming or on too central places. In Santa Cruz it became in several streets or squares – even in parts of the monumental city centre - overwhelming, though to differing degrees. You had to see the graffiti: it was not marginal but central to the view. Safe some small street or an occasional isolated tunnel, this was rarely the case in Amsterdam, though there were specific graffiti spots or streets. Graffiti is, to summarize, more ”hidden” in Amsterdam than in Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

Regarding form, I noticed that Amsterdam graffiti was predominantly text-based, mostly words albeit artistically intertwined, sometimes with several colours, but often also in single colours. Political or social messages were scarce. Images or more colourful scenes were not absent, but much more rare than in Santa Cruz (or Murcia), where some graffiti pieces were complex, colourful paintings of entire scenes. In Amsterdam I found this incidentally too, but only in two or three cases. Exceptional, rather than the rule. In Santa Cruz, images and colours were more the norm, often even more than mere (artistic) texts.

Regarding “meaning”, the graffiti was for outsiders often vague in Amsterdam, probably because it consisted of “tags” by graffiti artists: words, nicknames, often abbreviations, sometimes painted/sprayed artistically, sometimes not so. Not always easily decipherable. In some cases texts seemed to have a meaning beyond personal names, referring to popular culture or other things. Some texts are enigmatic, like “karm mixer” (mixer of what?), or “rice”, which I read on walls and roll-down shutters in central Amsterdam. In Santa Cruz some street artists even wrote sayings or poems, but besides such vaguer name “tags”, the graffiti overall seemed visually more enhanced, colourful and varied than in Amsterdam.

It is hard to determine what this says about the cultural differences between in this case Amsterdam and Santa Cruz de Tenerife. A cold, Northern European culture, versus a southern, Canarian culture?: Tenerife being an Atlantic island close to Africa, with many migrations and connections to Spain (to which it belongs since the 1490s), Africa, as well as since colonial times the Americas. Perhaps the difference between a Protestant-influenced - celebrating (seeming) sobriety – culture of Amsterdam, and a “decorative” Catholic Spanish culture plays a role in these differences.

There are economic differences: Netherlands fares now economically in general much better than Spain, while the Canary Islands - despite tourism incomes - are even among the poorer regions (along with e.g. Andalusia, Murcia, and Extremadura) in Spain, with also a high youth unemployment. You might think: more time for graffiti among some youth, but less money for paint..

Both Tenerife as Amsterdam are very much visited by tourists (millions yearly, to a degree “spilling over” to the city Santa Cruz), so heavy tourism is a commonality between these cities. Berber roots of a part of the population (of Moroccan descent) of Amsterdam, and also of Canarians (overall ethnically a mix of original Berber-speaking peoples and Spaniards) is another possible commonality. Berbers in the Canary islands were never Arabized or Islamized, so the cases of Arabic script I saw in some graffiti in Amsterdam West were absent in Santa Cruz. I did see pyramids recurring in Santa Cruz graffiti, but that is something else.

Besides this, the cultural difference is evident, but at the same time there is another commonality across all modern graffiti, in all the places I visited.. There mostly is a connection of the graffiti with youth part of - or influenced by - hip-hop culture. Not every graffiti artist is of course necessarily a hip-hop fan, but the worlds are largely intertwined. There are quite some hip-hop fans in Tenerife. There are also reggae fans I noticed at a party in a Santa Cruz club – called Banda Aparte -, where they played reggae songs by Chronixx and other current Jamaican artists. Like in the Netherlands there are however probably more hip-hop fans in Tenerife and Spain than reggae fans. Unjustly in my opinion, but it is probably due to the US influence, mainstream/commercial acceptance of some (not all) hip-hop, and probably the simplistic prejudice connecting marijuana with reggae fans. And, of course also because of the overall more rebellious (anti-system), socially critical lyrics within reggae.

Photo: Amsterdam (centre/centro)

Photo: Amsterdam (centre/centro)

Photo: Amsterdam (east/este)

// (COMPARACIÓN

Grafiti en Amsterdam fue predominantemente en muros ocultos, algo solitarias, o en sitios de construcción. Nunca era abrumador o en lugares muy centrales. En Santa Cruz se convirtió abrumador en varias calles o plazas - incluso en partes del centro de la ciudad monumental -, aunque abrumador en diferentes grados. Se tenía que ver el grafiti: no era marginal, sino central en la vista. Aparte de alguna pequeña calle o un túnel aislado ocasional, esto era raramente el caso en Amsterdam, aunque hubieran sitios o calles de grafiti específicos. El grafiti es, en resumen, más "escondido" en Amsterdam que en Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

En cuanto a la forma, me di cuenta de que grafitis en Amsterdam eran predominantemente basado en texto, en su mayoría palabras, aunque artísticamente entrelazadas, a veces con varios colores, pero a menudo también en un solo color. Mensajes políticas o sociales eran escasos. Imágenes o escenas más coloridos no estuvieron ausentes, pero mucho más raro que en Santa Cruz (o Murcia), donde algunas piezas de grafiti consistían de pinturas complejas, coloridas escenas enteras. En Amsterdam encontré esto por cierto también, pero sólo en dos o tres casos. Excepcional, más que la regla. En Santa Cruz, las imágenes y los colores eran más la norma, a menudo incluso más frequente que simples textos (artísticas).

Con respecto al "significado", los grafitis en Amsterdam solían, para los de afuera, ser muchas veces “vagos”, probablemente debido a que consistía de "tags" (etiquetas) de grafiteros: palabras, apodos, a menudo abreviaturas, a veces pintadas/rociados artísticamente, a veces no tanto. No siempre fácilmente descifrables. En algunos casos los textos parecían tener un significado más allá de los nombres de personas, en referencia a la cultura popular o de otras cosas. Algunos textos son enigmaticos, como “karm mixer” (¿mezclador de que?) o “rice” (¿arroz?), lo cual estaba escrito en muros y telónes metálico en un parte del centro de Amsterdam. En Santa Cruz algunos artistas de la calle incluso escribieron frases o poemas, pero además de similares nombres "etiquetas" vagos, los grafitis en general parecían visualmente más desarrollados, colorida y variada que en Amsterdam.

Es difícil determinar lo que dice esto acerca de las diferencias culturales entre Amsterdam y Santa Cruz de Tenerife. ¿Una cultura fría del norte de Europa, frente a una cultura del sur, canario? Tenerife siendo una isla del Atlántico cerca de África, con muchas migraciones y conexiones con España (a la que pertenece desde la década de los 1490s), África, así como desde la época colonial con las Américas. Tal vez la diferencia entre una cultura influída por el protestantismo - celebrando (aparente) sobriedad -, la cultura de Amsterdam, y una cultura católica española, digamos más "decorativo", juega un papel en estas diferencias.

Hay diferencias económicas : Holanda va ahora económicamente, en general, mucho mejor que España, mientras que las Islas Canarias - a pesar de los ingresos del turismo – se encuentra entre las regiones más pobres (por ejemplo, junto con Andalucía, Murcia y Extremadura), de España, con también un alto taso de desempleo entre los jóvenes. Se podría pensar: más tiempo para el grafiti entre algunos jóvenes, pero menos dinero para la pintura..

Tanto Tenerife como Amsterdam están mucho visitados por turistas (millones anuales, hasta cierto punto extendiendose a la ciudad de Santa Cruz), siendo una coincidencia entre estas ciudades. Raíces bereberes de una parte de la población (de origen marroquí) de Amsterdam, y también de los canarios (en general étnicamente una mezcla de pueblos de habla bereber originales y españoles) es otra posible coincidencia. Bereberes en las islas Canarias nunca fueron arabizados o islamizado, por lo que en Santa Cruz los casos de escritura árabe que vi en algunas pintadas en Ámsterdam Oeste eran ausentes.También vi pirámides recurrentes en la pintada/los grafitis en Santa Cruz, pero eso es otra cosa.

Además de esto, la diferencia cultural es evidente, pero al mismo tiempo, hay otra característica común etre todo el grafiti moderno, en todos los lugares que visité.. Hay sobre todo una relación del grafiti con un parte de los jóvenes, fanáticos de - o influenciada por - la cultura del hip-hop. No todos los artistas de grafiti son, por supuesto, necesariamente fanáticos del hip-hop, pero los mundos se entrelazan en gran medida. Hay bastantes fanáticos del hip-hop en Tenerife. También hay fanáticos de reggae allí, de que me di cuenta en una fiesta en un club - llamado Banda Aparte – de Santa Cruz, donde se escuchaba canciones de reggae por Chronixx y otros artistas jamaicanos actuales. Pero, al igual que en los Países Bajos hay probablemente más fanáticos del hip-hop en Tenerife y España que fanáticos del reggae. Injustamente en mi opinión, pero probablemente es debido a la influencia de EE.UU., la aceptación comercial de (un parte del) hip-hop, y probablemente el prejuicio simplista conectando marihuana con los fanáticos del reggae. Y, por supuesto, también porque las letras y textos dentro del reggae, suelen ser en general más socialmente críticas y rebeldes (contra el sistema). ) //

Photo: Amsterdam (centre/centro)

Photo: Amsterdam (west/oeste)

CONCLUSION

Anyhow, besides such commonalities (including basic ones, like the principle of (name) tagging, youths “marking territory”, and international hip-hop (sub)culture), visually and artistically there seem to be quite some differences between the graffiti in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Amsterdam.

A broader - or deeper - conclusion on why specifically Santa Cruz de Tenerife would be relatively more graffiti-intensive than other places is quite difficult to make, without deeper insight into Santa Cruz's or Tenerife's graffiti scene's history. I already hinted at possible reasons for this, which might be cultural, but also social, economic, or demographic, but I have no certainty there. It would be interesting to know though..

// (CONCLUSIÓN

De todos modos, además de esos puntos en común (incluyendo algunos básicos, como el principio de etiquetado de nombres, jóvenes "marcando su territorio", y la (sub)cultura internacional de hip-hop), visualmente y artísticamente parecen haber bastantes diferencias entre los grafitis en Santa Cruz de Tenerife y los en Amsterdam.

Una más amplia - o más profunda - conclusión sobre porqué específicamente Santa Cruz de Tenerife es relativamente más intensivo de grafiti que otros lugares es muy difícil de hacer, sin conociencia más profunda de la historia de la escena del graffiti de Santa Cruz o de Tenerife. Yo ya he insinuado posibles razones para esto, que pueden ser culturales, pero también sociales, económicos o demográficos, pero no tengo ninguna certeza allí. Sería interesante saber, sin embargo.. ) //

Word Power

I have a somewhat odd relationship with the country France. Mainly, during my life, I got to see it as the country “in-between”. Purely practical that is. Being half-Spanish and living in the Netherlands, we (I and family) often went to Spain, at first for years by car or bus, and had to go through France, of course a much bigger country than Belgium.

France therefore felt principally like (no disrespect intended) a larger hurdle to overcome. Our minds were not totally closed, and we looked around when we had to sojourn in France. As we usually crossed the border on the west-side, near Irun (Basque country), the “half-way stop” we chose mostly was in the broad south-western area of France: roughly between Poitiers and Bordeaux. I also remember us staying somewhat more to the south, in or near the French Basque country (in Spain itself we still had some way to go). I myself went a time alone to Spain by train, through France, but with the exception of a few hours in central Paris as a stopover, I spent little time in France: I went to see different parts of Spain, and France was a large country I had to pass through. Again, no disrespect for the French, but I had specific interests and connections I chose to focus on because of my background.

Regarding culture and society, France became in my mind the “other” Latin-speaking country. Culturally also between Northern Europe and Southern Europe. Different from the Spain of my maternal background, as well as from the Italy of my paternal background. French is a Latin/Romance language but not one I was very fluent in. Further, there were vague associations of a culture of food, perfume, certain art forms, and fashion I got through media about France.

Recently I chose France – for a change – as a travel destination. Again (see other posts), there is a reggae connection: I flew on Marseille and also wanted to go to Avignon. Nearby Avignon there was, in the village of Bagnols-sur-Cèze, the Garance reggae festival: one of the biggest of Europe. Interesting, big names like Burning Spear, Sly & Robbie, Clinton Fearon (former Gladiators), Midnite, Willie Williams, and others were scheduled to perform. This influenced my decision to go to that part of France. It did hardly define the whole trip, though. I went to travel and see another part of Europe I knew not too much about. Though it is and remains true that “I go where reggae is”, my travelling goals were in this case broader.

The Garance reggae festival is one of the biggest of Europe. It was held between 27 and 30 July in 2011, and roughly around that time I flew to Marseille: the biggest city of the Provence in South France, and the second-biggest in France, with more than a million inhabitants. The biggest port as well. It is historically the oldest French city, founded by Greeks.

Later I would go to inland Provence, to Avignon, nearer to the festival. Avignon itself was known for its theatre culture, and there was during most of July a theatre festival in the town of Avignon, which has about 90.000 inhabitants. I read in Dutch newspaper ‘de Volkskrant’ that this theatre festival’s origin dates back to 1947, then meant to revive post-war French art life.

LANGUAGE BARRIER

I (unfortunately) reencountered a phenomenon throughout all this that I almost forgot about for a time: the language barrier. I’m not fluent in French, had it at school until I was about 20, and learned some, but not extensively. I found out again how it is to not be able to talk freely and extensively, to having many options of speaking your mind, and expressing yourself with the locals. I spoke some French, and at times English, but it went a bit difficult, and remained necessarily too often superficial and practical.

You cannot deny the importance of language. It is related to what some Rastas call “word power”. More existentially, this means that speaking words in itself has the power to create. The Bible even seems to start with this premise: “In the beginning was the word, and the word was God”. As most Rastas find that Jah (or God) is within oneself, and is a living man, you could in some way argue that Jah “in I” is silenced, because of a language barrier. Limited as I life force. To a degree, of course. In any case, you get somewhat excluded from surrounding society and, well, people.

MARSEILLE

Marseille broadly seemed to respond to a northern Mediterranean atmosphere. It is hard to grasp the cultural tenets, though I got an idea. The French culture seems to pay much attention to “the refined”, to “form”, or “style” in the broad sense. This is evident in the French cuisine, as in other, daily customs. Courtesy is also valued high, however superficial. For instance in greeting when entering a store, “bonjour”, and the way how you say thank you. Arguably, in my experience, people in Spain seemed more “informal” in their overall demeanour and behaviour. This is not the same as being “rude”: Spanish seemed just as friendly and respectful, but in another way, maybe comparable to how you talk with your friends or team mates. In France, social customs seemed more distant and formal.

In other ways, Marseille is a modern, multicultural European city. A port-city like Bristol, which I discussed also on this blog. The specific colonial past of France comes to the fore in the type of non-European immigrants. Relatively many from Algeria and Morocco (geographically not too far of course), but also from sub-Saharan Africa, the Comoros Islands, and Vietnam (for a period a French colony as not everyone seems to know). Multicultural means in most cases not living among people of different backgrounds, but rather living quite apart from other ethnic groups, concentrated in specific quarters/neighbourhoods, dominated numerically by specific ethnicities/cultures (or religions). The same applies to other cities in Europe of course.

The area around the main train station St-Charles, not too far east of the Old Harbour and centre of Marseille, is largely inhabited by people originally from the Maghreb: Algerians and Moroccans, with Islam being an important religion.

The Old Harbour (Vieux Port) in Marseille’s centre has a different, more Mediterranean feel from the Harbour I saw in Bristol: lighter, yellow-ish, and less sombre colours than Bristol’s canals and harbours. The Old Harbour – however – is not used as a commercial, industrial port anymore. The modern, economic port is located more to the northern outskirts of Marseille.

A view on Marseille's Vieux Port (Old Harbour)





Architecture can be interesting, because it is the most obvious material sign of a culture and society. The Provence region of South France seems to be characterized by yellow-ish, pink-ish “light” colours: lighter and more southern/Mediterranean than, say, Bristol or Amsterdam. Yet, it is also different from Spanish cities. There were similarities with parts of Italy, but it was neither the same as, say, Pisa, where I have been.

I am however not so much an “architecture buff” as I am a “museum buff” (to use Lonely Planet-travel guide parlance). I like visiting different museums. I did it in Marseille and Avignon as well.

I’ve visited several interesting museums during the trip. In Marseille’s Le Panier quarter (the Montmartre of Marseilles, they say) there was an exhibition on Orientalism in French paintings: how especially French painters saw the Orient: the Middle East, North Africa.

It was very interesting. The term orientalism was of course by Edward Said, who was most probably an interesting and versatile, innovative thinker. One thing bothered me, though, from my perspective. Marcus Garvey – in time preceding Said – broadly pointed at some of the same things or principles as Said, only earlier: how the West saw the rest of the world from their cultural perspective and their (colonial) interests in mind. Garvey focused on the colonial project as it affected sub-Saharan Africa more than the Orient. Garvey receives overall nonetheless much less academic interest than Said. Unjustly, I think.

Furthermore, it is definitely not the case that the Orient was “ravaged” by European colonialism more than sub-Saharan Africa. On the contrary: let us think of the extensive slave trade alone affecting millions in black Africa, by both Europeans and Arabs.

A view on Marseille's Le Panier quarter






After a few days Marseille, I went to Avignon, about 80 kilometres north/inland, on the river Rhone.

AVIGNON

It was “theatre month”- as each July, in Avignon. This means that there are many performances in the several theatres in the town – which has normally about 90.000 inhabitants -, and many artists and performers on the street, most promoting their plays/pieces to be seen in the theatres.

Central Avignon, late July 2011






I found it fun and interesting to see so many street performances. These ranged from musically to visually artistic, the juggling, the acrobatic, the literary, and everything in between. Dancers, capoeira, street dance, a guy dancing with a silver, seemingly floating ball by his hand. Music from Amerindians, to African music - such as from the Senegambia region - , to traditional or classical French, pianists, Flamenco-like Spanish guitar players... Some of it sounded really good.

GARANCE

Then there was the other festival: the Garance reggae festival. Partly unconsciously I wanted to compare it with the other festival I went to in 2010 in Spain: the Rototom reggae festival in Eastern Spain, Benicassim, held in August, discussed also on my (this) blog. In both cases I heard the same: this is the biggest reggae festival of Europe. Of neither festival I went every single day, but having been there substantial parts of the festivals and knowing the programmes, I am quite sure that I can say this: Rototom in Spain (formerly Italy), is bigger than Garance in France. Rototom lasts more days (namely 6) and has more artists and concerts. Concerts that are even relatively long for festivals. Garance, in comparison, lasted 4 days, and the premises/terrain also opened later than in Benicassim/Rototom. There were at both festivals quite some reggae concerts of different artists, of course, which is more important than who is biggest. There were however also organizational differences.

The festival terrain








Another flaw, maybe, of the Garance festival is its somewhat isolated location. It is held in the town Bagnols-sur-Cèze, about 40 kilometers from Avignon. It does not have an own train station (Avignon being one of the nearest), and public transportation is too limited: like Rototom concerts tended to end close to 3 o’clock in the morning, but you cannot get out of Bagnols at that time (save by expensive taxi). That would not be a problem if the accommodation in Bagnols was extensive, but there was few when compared to Benicassim, laying on the much-visited Spanish Valencian coast. Besides this, the Garance festival had no debates or forums: it could have been more intellectual (with more word power?).

Nonetheless - I’m done complaining now - I eventually could go 2 out of the 4 days, and saw concerts of Burning Spear, a Studio One revue (Lone Ranger, Prince Jazzbo, Willie Williams, King Stitt and others). “Oldest living deejay” King Stitt was introduced as no less than “the first rapper in history” (Well, I think...no, that’s maybe a topic for another post). Unfortunately, these latter did not perform with a live band, but with a deejay playing Studio One riddims. The sound was good (though not perfect: I think e.g. the sound of the snare drum – not unimportant in reggae – could be better), and it was still fun to see these deejay-ing veterans.

King Stitt on stage








Burning Spear had a characteristically good show, good band (he tends to take his own band for concerts), and good sound. Winston Rodney is still very active and seems motivated. High points for me included some songs, including the song ‘Marcus Garvey’. I think this song’s “crucial” horns and strong riddim did it, along with its meaning/lyrics. About the Jamaican black leader who receives less attention than Edward Said.



The second day I went to Clinton Fearon (formerly of the Gladiators), rocksteady veteran Ken Boothe, British-based fusion/reggae artist Natty, Jimmy Cliff (I saw only part of it), Sly and Robbie and Junior Reid, and Midnite. Clinton Fearon had a great concert, Ken Boothe was nice, Natty had its moments (not all though), Sly & Robbie was mostly great, and somewhat shortly Junior Reid appeared on stage, which was a good, but later chaotic performance. I saw a large part of the late concert of Midnite (beginning after 1 o’clock at night).

Clinton Fearon on stage







Clinton Fearon and the first part of Sly & Robbie was of these concerts the most impressive to me. Midnite - from the US Virgin Islands - was nice, but they have a distinct, sobre style, which combines the experimental with the laid-back. An acquired taste, perhaps. This no-frills and “reasoning” sound is very much their own and in that sense unique. Yet, after about a half an hour it got somewhat monotonous. Plus it was late, by then.

Screen with main stage concert of Midnite






Furthermore, there were different stands, such as a good place for Ital - Rastafari, natural/vegetarian - food - where I had a great Ital meal with sweet potatoes, and a deejay, with mostly nice tunes and a good sound (Jamaican sound system-style: think high, piled up loud speakers, heavy bass).

Back in Avignon, I visited some museums (again), such as the extensive Curet museum of fine arts with also an interesting Egyptian exhibition along with paintings, and the former Papal palace (for a period Avignon apparently was a “second” Rome). Varied and cultural.

SYMBOLS AND/OR SIGNS?

For the last 3 nights I went back to Marseille, where I had to catch the plane. I visited more museums, such as on the Marseillaise (yes, the song: anthem of the French revolution, and now French national anthem, some maybe can mum it). It was in French, but I got the main content more or less. Interesting were the different versions – and uses - of the song. The next day I went to the Museum of Contemporary Art. The latter was outside the centre and quite a walk (I knew buses went, but I walked), passing the modern Olimpique de Marseille football/soccer club stadium, the Velodrome.

I could have taken the bus and partly the subway/metro to the Museum of Contemporary Art, but I saw on the map exactly how to walk. I find that pleasing somehow: to find my own way. I had to walk the Rue Paradis out to the end (by itself a few kilometres), from the Charles de Gaulle square in the centre where I had breakfast (actually it was 12:30 hours, but hey..). I walked the Rue Paradis out. Near the end of it I wanted to sit down and sought in a side street a place to rest. In a residential street I sat down, I was somewhat surprised (though not too much), to find a drawing of Martin Luther King’s face on a wall.

After resting I walked on on the Rue Paradis. Martin Luther King, “Paradise” street: symbolic it seems. I still had a few kilometres to go. After the Rue Paradis it was not long until I saw the stadium, which appeared somewhat more modern to me than another one I saw recently (of Spanish football/soccer club F.C. Sevilla). Both Olimpique Marseille and Sevilla can be qualified as “big” clubs, playing often in European leagues. For a long time now France fares economically better than Spain, but that is not saying much: Real Madrid and Barcelona are the richest football clubs of Europe. That’s another issue, though.

The Velodrome stadium







After the stadium I went to a quieter, greener part of Marseille, and after a few kilometres I found the Museum of Contemporary Art. It was very interesting and, some may find, comical. Like Andy Warhol and others many contemporary artists use modern-day objects (e.g. cardboard, tubes, car parts) and repackage them, or use other symbols, turning out seemingly “absurd”. Such as the art-work of a big stone “sleeping” in a (broke-down) bed. Contemporary art includes also photography. There were interesting photographs - such as of Dutch-Somali politician/activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali - alongside installations and paintings. Further, there was also a portrait in light (as installation) of Malcolm X from the 1960s.

Malcolm X in Marseille's Contempory Arts museum






Marcus Garvey, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, (Paradise Street, maybe the Egypt exhibition), more symbolic clues! Added to this can be the interesting work ‘King of the Zulus’ by Jean-Michel Basquiat, the Contemporary Art museum held.

More symbols along with this: the evening before I had a tasty dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant, Axum, which was decorated with Ethiopian symbols. The Ethiopian lady who attended me (of the owning family) commented in French on my “Ethiopian” necklace, which included Haile Selassie I and Ethiopian flag colours. I saw this restaurant by chance - believe it or not - (I was looking for another restaurant that was closed). Add this as a symbolic, Rastafari connection to the ones I already mentioned. Mind you, most of these symbols I encountered by chance: I did not expect to see the Martin Luther King drawing in that street. I did not know what to expect in the Contemporary Art museum. I did not plan to go to the Ethiopian restaurant. Maybe I should have. Beyond symbols, were they signs?

View of Rue Paradis








How much did I walk to the Contemporary Art museum, about 5 kilometres? Still, I walked this distance back - past the stadium, Rue Paradis etc. - and did not take the bus. Back at my hotel I was a bit tired, but it was overall worth it, not just because of the symbols and/or signs, but they were part of it.

I strive mostly for rationality, and I think that symbols or signs are not always to be trusted, but here I appreciated the symbolic clues and signs. In the end, as language connects and gives meaning to (also visual) symbols, this can also be seen as a form of “word power”. A power which overcomes any language barrier.

Yet in practice, a language barrier remains annoying though, even alienating. Yet, signs and symbols guided me somehow.