Charles Olsen's Blog: Pensamientos lentos, page 5

Nuevos Rostros de Madrid

Charles Olsen por Luis Baylón, Madrid 2008
En el año 2009 la exposición, 'Nuevos Rostros de Madrid', fue presentada en varias salas de la capital. Retrataba a los extranjeros que habían hecho de Madrid su nueva casa y fueron fotografiados por cuatro reconocidos fotógrafos: Baylón, Campano, García-Alix y Ouka Leele. Luis Baylón me retrató con la foto que ilustra este post y para acompañar la exposición grabaron el siguiente documental donde aparezco tocando la guitarra flamenca en el minuto 6:18. ¡Según palabras de Lilián, mi esposa, al verme se enamoró de mi!

In 2009 an exhibition, titled 'Nuevos Rostros de Madrid' ('New Faces of Madrid'), toured various exhibition spaces around Madrid. It featured portraits of foreigners who had made Madrid their home and they were photographed by four well-known photographers: Baylón, Campano, García-Alix y Ouka Leele. Luis Baylón took the photo of me above and in the following documentary, made to the accompany the exhibition, I appear playing flamenco guitar at minute 6:18, and as Lilián, my wife, says, seeing this was the moment she fell in love!

Grey matter

This reminded me of the tests we did in primary school in New Zealand at the start of the year to see which level we went into for maths and English. This was at the end of the 1970s. I used to enjoy the tests because we never prepared for them and so didn't have time to worry about them beforehand.

So to start the year I had a go at this intelligence test set up by BBC Horizon and Dr Adam Hampshire at Imperial College, London, and below is a diagram of my overall result. The web is the general population, the thick grey circle is the average (50% of the population). So 'Mental Rotation' is in the top 5% and 'Emotional Discrimination' is in the bottom 50%. 
It will be interesting to see the results of this project, particularly how changes in society such levels of stress, or the increasing use of smartphones etc., affect our brains. Will those of us who used old dial telephones have better memories for number sequences? Will GPS reduce spatial memory?

I've also been thinking about my own learning style recently, both with new languages and studying the piano. How does a phrase or a melody become a natural sequence you can draw on at will? I love that moment when, having practised a piece over and over with the sheet music, I can play it with my eyes closed and the piece is pretty much all there without me thinking of where each finger has to go, but actually memorising the piece takes me a lot longer.

You can find out more and do the test on BBC News: Take the Great British Intelligence Test: How clever are you?.

The Afternoon in Croatia, Greece and Italy

My poetry film The Afternoon formed part of the #8 international video poetry festival in the Institute [for Experimental Arts], Athens, Greece (12/13 December), and was shown in The Kino Klub Split, Croatia (7/8 December) and in the In Absentia Digital Pavilion, Foggia, Italy (11 December).

It is currently on tour as part of the Poetry+Video programme curated by Marie Craven.




Poster from the #8 international video poetry festival in the Institute [for Experimental Arts], Athens, Greece:


During presentation in the In Absentia Digital Pavilion, Foggia, Italy
(Foto credit: In Absentia Digital Pavilion)

The Afternoon in Croatia and Greece

My poetry film The Afternoon formed part of the #8 international video poetry festival in the Institute [for Experimental Arts], Athens, Greece (12/13 December), and was shown in The Kino Klub Split, Croatia (7/8 December).

It is currently on tour as part of the Poetry+Video programme curated by Marie Craven.




Poster from the #8 international video poetry festival in the Institute [for Experimental Arts], Athens, Greece:

Recorrido fotográfico 2 – Photographic Journey 2

Y continua el recorrido fotográfico por los eventos poéticos del otoño 2019 con el festival Griots es Poetas en la Casa Encendida empezando con la actuación impresionante de d'bi young antiafrika.
And the photographic journey continues through the Autumn of 2019's poetry events with the poetry festival 'Griots es Poetas' in the Casa Encendida starting with the amazing performance by the Canadian dub poet d'bi young antiafrika.

d'bi young antiafrika




Koleka Putuma


Mutombo


Afroféminas en la Casa Encendida para el festival Griots es Poetas.
Participants in the recital and discussion by Afroféminas in Casa Encendida during the poetry festival Griots es Poetas.


Heidi Ramírez, [traductora], Koleka Putuma, Betiza Bismark, Artemisa Semedo, Lilián Pallares y Natalia Desmesura


Pongo


Marta Eloy ensaya antes de su presentación en Conde Duque durante el festival POEMAD IX
Polish poet Marta Eloy Cichocka during soundcheck before her recital in Conde Duque as part of the POEMAD IX festival.


Recital de poesía de Colombia seleccionado y introducido por el antropólogo y ensayista Carlos Granés, con Lilián Pallares recitando acompañado en el violonchelo de Raul Platz en Conde Duque, Festival POEMAD IX.
Recital of poetry from Colombia chosen and introduced by the anthropologist and essayist Carlos Granés, with Lilián Pallares accompanied on double-bass by Raul Platz as part of the Festival PoeMad.






Presentación del libro 'el ejército ha huido'. Poesía de Óscar Pirot en La Noche Boca Arriba.
Presentation of the poetry collection 'el ejército ha huido' ('The army has fled') by Mexican poet Óscar Pirot.




Y para terminar, una cena especial para celebrar el cumpleaños del poeta Ángel Guinda.
And to finish, a special lunch to celebrate the birthday of the poet Ángel Guinda.

Recorrido fotográfico – Photographic journey

Selección de fotos que he tomado en eventos literarios y artísticos este otoño, empezando con la presentación del libro Cuaderno adrede (Fundación Gerardo Diego) de Javier Lostalé en el Café Comercial.
Selected photos I've taken in literary and artistic events this autumn, starting with the book presentation by Javier Lostalé in Café Comercial, Madrid.







Presentación del libro de Lucía Mbómio en el Centro de Residencias del Matadero.
Book presentation by Lucía Mbomio in the Matadero Centre for Contemporary Creation.





Presentación de libros de Ilia Galán, Y sembré estrellas en Oriente (Pseudohaikús) y Reconstruir Babel (Entre lenguas transparentes) publicados por Detorres Editores, en Sin Tarima Libros, Madrid, con Calixto Torres, Jesús Urceloy y el autor.
Book presentation by Ilia Galán in Sin Tarima Books, Madrid.







Entrevista a Lilián Pallares en Casa de América por la presentación de su poemario Bestial (Papeles de Trasmoz, Olifante Ediciones)
Interview with Lilián Pallares in Casa de América before the presentation of her collection of poems Bestial.







Durante la presentación de Bestial en las Sala Cervantes, Casa de América, con Javier Lostalé, Lucía Mbomio y Justo Bolekia.
During the presentation of Bestial in the Cervantes Room of Casa de América.







Exposición sobre el Bauhaus en el Palacio de Sástago, Zaragoza.
Exhibition about the Bauhaus, in the Sástago Palace, Zaragoza.





Dibujando el interior del Palacio de Sástago, Zaragoza.
Sketching the interior of the Sástago Palace, Zaragoza.





Miguel Ángel Yusta y Lilián Pallares tomando un café antes de la presentación de Bestial en la Fnac de Zaragoza.
A coffee on the terrace in Plaza España, Zaragoza, moments before the presentation of Bestial.



El fotógrafo Indio Juan Moro y Lilián Pallares en Zaragoza. 19.650 km de Nueva Zelanda…
The photographer Indio Juan Moro and Lilián in Zaragoza. 19,650 km to New Zealand…



Lilián en el barrio el Tubo, Zaragoza.
Lilián in a neighbourhood in the old town of Zaragoza.





Exposición de los artistas residentes en el Centro de Residencias de Creación Contemporánea en el Matadero, Madrid.
Exhibition of the resident artists in the Matadero Centre for Contemporary Creation.







Correct Look, exposición fotográfica de Sara Martin Lopez sobre peinados africanos con la contextualizacion historica de Clara Caballero y poemas de Lilián Pallares musicalizados con el violinchelo de Cary Rosa Varona.
Moments during the photographic exhibition of Sara Martin Lopez with Clara Caballero giving a historic context to the photos of African hairstyles followed by the poems of Lilián accompanied by the cello of Cary Rosa Varona.

Antípodas en Conocer al Autor

En octubre 2019 hablé de mi libro Antípodas (Huerga y Fierro) en Conocer al autor. Puedes ver el vídeo en Conocer al autor aquí, y leo poemas de libro aquí.
También hablé de la antología Palabras Prestadas 6 (Ediciones de la Medianoche), el proyecto poético que dirijo junto a Lilián Pallares. Puedes ver el vídeo aquí.

In October 2019 I spoke about my poetry collection Antípodas (published by Huerga y Fierro) for the literary platform in Spanish Conocer al autor ('Meet the Author'). You can see the video here and I read poems from the book here.
I also spoke about the poetry anthology Palabras Prestadas 6 (published by Ediciones de la Medianoche), a Spanish poetry project I direct together with Lilián Pallares. The collection includes winning poems from the New Zealand Given Words competition. You can see the video here [In Spanish].







Fotos: Lilián Pallares

highlights

There are lots of posts hidden away here so I thought it would be good to add a guide to introduce some of the more interesting parts to browse. How about photos, poems, poetry films and the videoclip 'La Piragua', all touching on the theme of water? Travel to Colombia through photos, poems and my travel article "Mangos! Papayas! Melons!"

There is a collection of black and white photos and my experiments with cinemagraphs. You can find a selection of poems in English, including my videoclip 'I wont' call' and translations of Latin-American and Spanish poets.

I've done a number of interviews in Spanish and Mexican literary magazines, Spanish television and radio, as well as one in English on Upbeat, Radio New Zealand. I wrote a number of posts about the III Antonio Machado SxS Poetry Fellowship including the article in Kea New Zealand 'Life as a kiwi in Spain'.

There are posts related with my books Sr Citizen and Antípodas and you can watch some of my poetry films.

I also recommend two longer reads – my essay On Being Sanguine: Two Years of Panic and a Response to Terror in Christchurch in the Cordite Poetry Review, Australia, and my thesis on Velázquez and his Influence on Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Painters.

Creative Summer

September and the temperatures have fallen to a nice 24ºC and rain finds its way through sun-cooked wooden window frames to drip onto the white recently cleaned sofa.

I have been reading and re-reading all the poems sent in for the National Poetry Day Given Words competition and together with Mikaela Nyman and Clare Arnot we have decided the winning poems. Read NZ Te Pou Muramura have kindly published these along with an article I wrote on how the competition began, which you can read here. There were many wonderful poems and we've made a selection of our favourite 40 that you can read on Given Words.

My poetry film Vertigo (below) has been selected for the Ó Bhéal International Poetry Film Competition which takes place in Cork, Ireland, on Sunday 13th October. See the shortlist here.

"The films were chosen from 198 submissions from 118 filmmakers in 33 countries, all completed within two years of the submission opening date.

Our 2019 judges, poet Stanley Notte and poet-filmmaker Colm Scully, will select one winner to receive the IndieCork award for best poetry-film."












Pictured right is six year old Nathan who sat for a short photo shoot last week. It's great to work with someone so natural and expressive and I have shared a selection of my favourites on charleolsen.es.










I recently set myself the challenge of reading books alternately in Spanish and English. After the intense 700 pages of Ian Gibson's biography of the Spanish poet Antonio Machado, Ligero de equipaje, I have whizzed through the delightful stories and poems of Glenn Colquhoun in Jumping Ship & Other Essays and the Spanish translation (from the original Catalan) of Eva Baltasar's Permafrost which is full of poetry and had me reading passages aloud to Lilián from the first chapters. So now I'm back to English and have begun New Zealand poet David Eggleton's edgeland and other poems.  David Eggleton has recently become Aotearoa New Zealand’s Poet Laureate for 2019-2021.


And finally, with the suffocating heat in August and all the poems to read, I forgot for a moment the video clip we filmed in Soria with Lilian and the musicians Manuel Madrid and Nestor Paz. The song is based on Lilián Pallares's poem Viento Soplao (Whispering Wind). There are subtitles available in English (click on CC), or just enjoy the music and sound of Spanish!

Four days in Soria for Expoesía 12

Expoesía is the annual poetry festival of Soria in the province of Castilla y León, Spain – the city I stayed in for a month last year as part of the III Antonio Machado Poetry Residency of Segovia and Soria. It took place this year in August and it was a relief for Lilián and me to escape the summer heat Madrid for a few days. Soria at over 1000m above sea level is much cooler in the evenings.

Setting up for our performance in the theatre Palacio de la Audiencia.
We had a busy schedule presenting our family show Palabra Azul 'poesía del agua'  (Blue Word 'poetry of water'), directed by Daniel Aguirre, in the theatre Palacio de la Audiencia; taking part in a presentation of the recipients of the Antonio Machado Poetry Residency; presenting Lilián's latest collection of poems Bestial (Olifante. Ediciones de poesía); participating in the recital of poetry and music A Son de Versos; as well as being available to sign books.

Reading a poem during the presentation of the Antonio Machado Residency recipients.
Lilián presenting her collection Bestial in the Alameda Park.
There were also many other performances, presentations, and children's activities during the festival and as much of it takes place in the main park – and it being the summer holidays – there is a wonderful relaxed atmosphere with people stopping by to see what's going on.

I did get away one morning to walk down to the River Duero, along one of the paths I'd found last year, with views like this one back to the Shrine of Our Lady of Myron and the Santa Ana peak behind:







Lilián and I also squeezed in the filming of a video clip in the nearby town of Alconaba with musicians Manuel Madrid and Nestor Paz of Poesía Necesaria. It is for a track from their latest album ConVersando con Ellas, in which they have made arrangements of poems by ten women poets including two of Lilián's poems. We filmed Lilián's poem Viento soplao ('The blowing wind') and she asked me to play the Colombian flute or gaita in it, so…

Playing the Colombian gaita to a field of sunflowers.
So I'm currently editing the final touches of the video clip and this Friday 23 August being National Poetry Day in New Zealand, I am also receiving loads of entries for the Given Words poetry competition which I'm looking forward to reading.