Wednesday in the City

Yesterday Judy and I went on a walk to Atocha, since it was such a lovely and sunny day. I didn’t have class until 6, and Judy didn’t want to go to hers, so we decided to spend some time outside. We went to an exhibit at the Caixa Forum called “Zonas de Riesgos,” (Risk Zones) which included photography, sculptures, video installations, etc.

 

One work by an Iranian women called “Turbulencia” consisted of a room with two walls and two video installations on each side. In one of the videos, a man in white sings in an auditorium, with an audience of seated men behind him, also dressed in white. It’s a passionate and traditional song, with a strong rhythm and instrumental music. In the video on the other side of the room, we see the back of a woman dressed in black with her head covered, in an empty auditorium. While the man sings, the woman stands without speaking, a shadow on the screen.

 

After the man stops singing, the camera in the other video moves to focus slowly on the woman’s face, who starts to sing. At first, it’s a soft song, accompanied by whispers which make us think the voice isn’t hers. Little by little, the song, which isn’t traditional or accompanied by musical instruments, becomes a terrible, tormented one, with other voices overlapping, full of fury and horror. The men in the other screen are quiet, expressionless. It’s a very impressive, evocative, and beautiful work.

Afterwards, we get some drinks and take a walk through Retiro Park. Through the city there are many plastic cows that form part of the exhibit “Cow Parade.” There are cows of all kinds, painted differently, and all pretty funny and interesting-looking.

There’s also a book fair near Retiro where cheap second-hand books are sold, even though you have to go hunting in order to find something worthwhile.

I had a class at  6, dinner with Javi in Chueca in a restaurant called Wagaboo, some beers,.. in sum, a pretty good day.

 

A Peaceful Sunday

Sick of the complications which this weekend brought us with the lamentable holiday of Valentine’s Day, Judy and I decided to take advantage of the sunny weather in the afternoon. We went to the Temple of Debod, an Egyptian temple that was transported to Madrid in 1968 as a gift.

I had seen it on a Sunday night for the first time after asking Javi where it was, and why I hadn’t noticed such a giant structure in the city after so many months of running around.  Unlike that night, yesterday the park, which is close to Plaza España, was full of people enjoying the rest of their weekend. We sat in the grass under some trees to bask in what was left of the afternoon sun. We talked about relationships, our lives in Madrid, men, everything that we find ourselves talking about at every hour in our little home.

The Bird of Paradise

I’ve also started to dine with John in his new apartment because of his new ambitions to cook; we’ve already eaten hamburgers with eggs and mushrooms, twice. As always, we have endless conversations. I’ve also realized that dining tables are quite useful, since in my apartment there isn’t anywhere to eat other than the little coffee table in the living room. John lives with a couple of artists,  and there are some pretty things around the house, like this flower in the kitchen. We’ve already gotten used to eating late, and very slowly.