The Mas i Mas Festival adds Rock

The adventure began nine years ago: providing a musical programme in Barcelona over the month of August. The Mas i Mas Festival was created to fill a vacuum and has become a big hit over the years.

Last year saw over 40.000 people attend its characteristic variety of music shows and 30-minute concerts.

Rock has never had a foothold at the Mas i Mas Festival until now, though, given its inclusion on the Sala Moog’s programme since last September (to take advantage of the early night hours) it could hardly be absent from this one.

It will follow the line established by the club’s annual programme, more or less veteran underground rock. Nodozurdo, Los Tiki Phantoms, James McCann Band, Joan Colomo, Tweak Bird and Title Fight are the big names.

Once that programme has ended, sometime around midnight, a new one will take over, electronica at the Moog, one of the city’s pioneering clubs in this style which happens to be celebrating its 15th anniversary this year.

The nightly performances include a review of the Spanish scene, international guests and nostalgia sessions reclaiming the ruta del bacalao – the Valencia techno route. James Holden, Optimo, Tony Verdi, Ángel Molina and John Talabot are just some of the artists who’ll be attending the birthday celebrations.

Poster for La Mercè Festivity 2011

A festival brimming with colour, energy, joy and light. That was how the Colombian illustrator Catalina Estrada wanted to portray Barcelona’s annual festival in the poster for La Mercè 2011.

Using the style and shapes she is known for, she has brought together the traditional features of the festival and the essence of this year’s, which will see lots of circus activities, music and art on the city’s streets.

With this in mind, this year’s guest city will be St Petersburg, one of Russia’s cities with a very strong dance and circus tradition.

The festival’s other big name revealed this Wednesday was that of journalist Joaquim Maria Puyal, who will get La Mercè 2011 under way with the traditional opening speech in the Saló de Cent at the City Hall on 22 September, over the three days of the festival, one less than last year because the 24th falls on a Saturday .

More than 40 Catalan street art companies will demonstrate the high standard of the shows produced here, some of which have received international awards. Parc de la Ciutadella and the Castell de Montjuïc, two star festival venues, will provide a showcase for these artists to put on their creations.

Inevitably tradition will play a unique part in the festival. This year the fire-totting devils and beasts will lead the way through Hell’s Gate, which will span the whole of Via Laietana.

And once again the City Council facade will turn into a cinema screen for La casa màgica, by Franc Aleu.

Opera Carmen on the Beach by Gran Teatre de Liceu

When summer is here the beaches are the ideal venue for enjoying culture, including opera. So, this Wednesday, 27 July, you’ll be able to treat yourselves to Georges Bizet’s opera, Carmen, which is being shown on Barceloneta beach from 10.15 pm.

Carmen, a veritable archetype of opera, is unrivalled in popularity and the admiration of both musicians and artists. It has given rise to numerous adaptations and owes it greatness to its innovative conception, well-crafted plot and brilliant melodic, harmonic and instrumental inventiveness.

To make that possible, a giant screen is being set up in the Plaça del Mar square, at Sant Sebastià beach. Visitors will be able to enjoy the opera for free, as long as you pick up an invitation from the neighbourhood associations beforehand.

Carmen on the Beach

BARCELONA First Mobile World Capital until 2018

After an 18-month search, the GSMA announced that Barcelona has been selected as the Mobile World Capital from 2012 to 2018. As the Mobile World Capital, Barcelona will be the home of the mobile industry’s must-attend event, the GSMA Mobile World Congress, and will also develop a range of other programmes and activities that will span the entire year benefiting the worldwide mobile industry.

We commend all of the finalist cities – Barcelona, Milan, Munich and Paris – for their excellent proposals and the huge amount of energy and creativity that was put into them. While all of the cities who competed for this title presented extremely innovative and compelling bids, in the end, Barcelona truly demonstrated that it deserves the title of the Mobile World Capital, with its combination of outstanding exhibition and conference facilities, its transportation and hospitality infrastructure, its commitment to expanding the reach of mobility throughout Barcelona.

Beyond the Mobile World Congress, the Mobile World Capital also features two additional elements: the Mobile World Centre and the Mobile World Festival. The Mobile World Centre will be comprised of permanent and temporary exhibitions which will meld culture and technological innovation, facilities for the development and incubation of mobile solutions, and retail and hospitality venues. The Mobile World Festival, which is targeted to the general public, will incorporate a range of activities including sporting events, music and art festivals, film awards, applications and technology fairs and more.

Mobile World Congress 2012 will remain at Fira de Barcelona Montjuic and will be held 27 February – 1 March 2012.

www.mobileworldcapital.com

The Hotel Barcelona Universal is about a 6 minute walk to the Rambles

We selected this hotel based on the location and the reviews, and having stayed there
I must say it was our best stay of our entire trip.
We arrived early morning and as our suite was not ready we sat in the hotel lobby. My daughter had caught the stomach bug on the plane and had fever. The management was kind enough to give us a temporary room so that she could rest. What a nice gesture, would never forget this.
The hotel is very clean, our suite on the 9th floor was out of this world, the sheer space, comfy beds, safe and cleanliness was superb.
The staff and management of the hotel are very friendly, providing guidance, maps, directions and suggestions e.g. they told us to get the T10 which was more economical.
The location is key, the hotel is about a 6 minute walk to the Rambles, all the streets are safe. We used to walk back to our hotel at 1 am with no concerns.
We started our day of with a wonderful warm buffet breakfast , wonderful coffee at the hotel, this gave us a great start to our day.
I would definitely rate this hotel as a 5 star, and would definitely stay here again.

By Neelam | Suite Skyline Barcelona, stay from 30th of  june to 05th of july 2011.

44th International Fantastic Film Sitges Festival of Catalonia

In a not-too-distant future humans are living side by side with mechanical creatures. A cyber engineer who is given the task of creating a robot child returns to his native city to be reunited with his family. He finds their relationships have changed beyond all recognition.

This is the premise for EVA, the opening film of the International Festival of Fantastic Cinema of Catalonia – Sitges 2011, which will take place between 6 and 16 October. This is Kiko Maíllo‘s first incursion into feature films and a new opera prima project for the Catalan film school ESCAC.

It is the first film in Catalan to open the festival and the cast includes Daniel Brühl, Marta Etura, Alberto Amman, Lluís Homar and Claudia Vega.

If EVA deals with the relationship between humans and machines this is no coincidence, since this year’s festival is inspired by artificial intelligence and intends to pay tribute to the Steven Spielberg film of the same title, ten years old this year.

This year also sees a reaffirmation of the festival’s commitment to home-made cinema. Another good example will come with the screening of Mientras duermes, the latest film by Jaume Balagueró, who will receive the Time Machine Award.

Other films from the Catalan or Spanish contingent are Emergo, directed by Carles Torrents and produced by Rodrigo Cortés, and the Spanish-Cuban coproduction Juan de los Muertos, an ironic take on Cuban reality and a highlight of Zombie Walk day, which is back for another year.

International films include The Yellow Sea, by Korean director Na Hong-jin, Grave Encounters, directed by The Vicious Brothers, Burke and Hare, by John Landis and Les contes de la nuit, an animated film in 3D by Michel Ocelot.

In fact 3D will again play a big part in the festival, with a presence in various sections, like “Midnight X-Treme“, with Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy.

:: Sitges Festival website ::

Program BAM Festival 2011

Despite having a new artistic director, the BAM festival retains its essential spirit: every style of music and a fair share of local representatives.

From 22 to 24 September, one of the big attractions of the coming BAM will be Herman Dune. The French folk group has become a summer phenomenon thanks to the inclusion of the 2006 hit “I wish that I could see you soon” in a beer commercial.

This is not the first time the festival programme has included the creators of soundtracks for such ads. It did in 2009 with Billie Vision and The Dancers.

BAM has always been a platform for new groups. That means you’ll be able to see the new British Jazz sensation, Portico Quartet, and the young Canadian singer-songwriter Little Scream, in the style of Arcade Fire and The National.

As regards electronic music, it has been announced that Zomby will be taking part, bringing BAM a touch of British dubstep. And from the Dominican Republic, Rita Indiana y Los Misterios will be bringing a taste of electro-merengue beat.

The festival is clearly opting once more for home-grown music. Guillamino and Bedroom, two very different musicians, head the list of Barcelona talent.

::: BAM Festival 2011 :::

City of Barcelona International Athletics Meeting

The Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium will once again be buzzing, with world-class athletes here for another City of Barcelona International Athletics Meeting.

This is one of eight European Athletics Association Premium Meetings and is regarded as one the best athletics meetings held in Spain, given the results of recent years.

The meeting will bring together a large number of top Spanish and international athletes, being one of the last chances for those hoping to take part in the World Championships this year in Korea, as well as those aiming for the 2012 London Olympics, to achieve their best times.

That is the case of Cuban Dayron Robles, the 110-metre world record holder, 2008 Beijing Olympic champion and 2010 Doha world champion; Nelson Èvora, Portuguese Olympic triple jump champion; Arturo Casado, Spanish European champion in Barcelona, 2010; and fellow Spaniard Natalia Rodríguez, silver medal winner in Barcelona and world runner-up in Doha, 2010.

Alongside the familiar faces of these world-class athletes will be those of amateur runners, competing in an area established for amateur athletic events, and other events for local and under-23 runners.

A Whale Skeleton installed at Museu Blau

From last Tuesday 12 July, visitors to the Museu Blau will be received by a very special host: the whale skeleton from the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona’s collection.

This skeleton of a Common Finback whale has now been installed in the museum’s entrance hall, and is displayed in a more natural position than at the Castell dels Tres Dragons. The size of the hall allows it to be exhibited in the position it adopts when diving into the sea.

The museum was closed to the public from 1 to 11 July so that the 20-metre long skeleton, which weighs one tonne. A team of architects were required for this to be possible, along with a series of companies specialising in large-scale assembly and cetacean skeleton assembly experts.

The skeleton has been under restoration over the past few months and the front part of the cranium has been repaired, after it was damaged when being taken down a year ago. All the bones have been weighed and measured, replicas of the invertebral discs, previously missing, were made, and the anchorage and support points designed.

As head of collections at the Natural Science Museum, Eulàlia Garcia, explained, the whale has a steel tube running through the spinal column, to which the anchorage points are attached, thus ensuring that the bones themselves would not be damaged for the installation. Some 44 cables hold the skeleton in place.

Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona – Museu Blau
Pl Leonardo Da Vinci, 4 | Sant Martí

Desbordamiento de Val de Omar exhibition at La Virreina

The moving picture as an educational tool. Far removed from big screen superproductions devoid of content, La Virreina Centre de la Imatge is rethinking cinema through the lens of popular education in six projects that are set to be exhibited between July and October.

These four “in-house” productions include one organised in conjunction with the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía and a project on the Cinématheque de Tànger. Using photography and experimental cinema they look at various types of culture that make up civil society.

The Pedagogical Missions of the Republic, which the photographs of José Val del Omar record in the exhibition Desbordamiento de Val de Omar (Val de Omar Overflow) are shown as the first initiative to favour cultural exchange during the time of the Second Republic.

La Virreina is showing one of his main film creations, Tríptic Elemental d’Espanya (Elemental Triptych of Spain), three shorts that merge the reality of Granada, Castile and Galicia with the artist’s poetic imagery.

Works like this, which are more hypnotic than narrative, reflect the technical evolution of this unknown artist, who went from recording missions to experimenting with new photographic and cinematographic equipment.

Palau de la Virreina -> La Rambla 99
www.virreina.bcn.cat

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