Flying Down To Rio

Yeah, yeah, yeah... Yes, I've been neglecting the blog these past few months and I am sorry for that. I've had too much on my plate and haven't been too "inspired" to write & post. I do miss being here more often and will make a bigger effort to remain more present at Little-Pumpkins from now on. I will be in Rio de Janeiro as of tomorrow morning for a 2-week holiday trip. I'm going to see the folks and bring Booboo back to th US with me when I return. I have a small trip planned to Parati and Ilha Grande and will post about it as I get the chance. Bon Voyage to moi!

Best,

PM

Veteran's Monument - Rio de Janeiro

I spent most of 2007 in Rio de Janeiro visiting with my folks. As I had plenty of free time I also did quite a bit of sightseeing, rediscovering my home town with the eyes of a tourist. I cannot recall the last time I had been to the monument on these photos, maybe on a field trip in grade school, who knows. This has to be one of my favorite ones in Rio, in a city where there are plenty of cool places to visit. I just love the main statue style and design. Though done in the early 60's they look so modern and dare I say, sexy? A brief history for you:

The "Monumento Aos Pracinhas", located at Aterro do Flamengo in downtown Rio de Janeiro, was projected by architects Marcos Konder Neto e Hélio Ribas, whose project won a nation wide contest. It was inaugurated in 1960 and it's Brazil's first construction done in exposed concrete, a very futuristic approach for the time. This monument and museum honours the fallen Brazilian soldiers of World War II and features two lofty columns either side of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A changing of the guard display can be seen here on the first Sunday of every month. The monument museum displays medals, documents and military uniforms that belonged to soldiers. The ensemble consists of three main pieces: a metal sculpture by Júlio Catelli Filho, in honor of the Brazilian Air Force - or FAB, a granite sculpture by Alfredo Ceschiatti depicting air force, army and navy men in uniform and a ceramics mural by Anísio Medeiros in honor of military and civilians dead at sea (image below).

If you happen to be in Rio de Janeiro go check it out as it is a only 2 minute walk from the Museum of Modert Art in Aterro do Flamengo.

Brazilian Carnaval Follies

It's been a little over a week since the end of carnaval - or Mardi Gras for the Northerners - but still I couldn't pass up to post some great images I got in my e-mail box yesterday. If you've never had the opportunity to experience Brazilian carnaval in person you don't know what you are missing! The joy and party fever is contagious and people of all ages, races and walks of life join in on the festivities. These images are of a street group in Rio de Janeiro, called banda, where revelers sing and dance to traditional samba tunes, usually accompanied by a small marching band. These bandas can gather anywhere from a dozen to a few thousand people following them on the streets.

I wish I had been there!!

Theme & Variation - More Rua da Alfandega

On my previous post about Rua da Alfandega, I might have missed to mention the chaotic foot traffic that, together with the narrow streets and on-the-sidewalk discount bins, can make anyone scream and run home. If that does not discourage you, that's the place to find good bargains in Rio, specially if you are in the market for a new carnaval costume. It's already October and the cariocas are already planning what they are going to wear comes February. There are a good dozen shops that cater to beads, rhinestones, materials, feathers and all things carnaval-related. If you are the lazy/uncreative type there are also places that will sell you the head-to-toe ensembles, just like they do on Halloween in North America. The best known shop is called Casa Turuna, that occupies a large chunk of the corner of Rua da Alfandega and Rua Senhor dos Passos. Casa Turuna, founded in 1915, is the paradise (or the claustrophobic's nightmare) for carnaval paraphernalia and accessories. Just simply ask for "it" and they sell it there. In such an eclectic place you may also purchase your maid's uniform, no not a costume, an actual uniform for "the help" so your cleaning lady or butler can look sharp when you have guests over. Among the mix you will even find Candomble's religious iconography, clothing and what-nots, that seems like an odd place to carry that stuff, but what the heck - that's Brazil to you.

More Graffiti Art in Rio

This is just a "miscellaneous" batch of cool graffiti art that I had photographed in Rio recently. These are images taken all over the city - from Copacabana to Gavea, from Urca to Ipanema - and they are just a small example of the variety of amazing work that one can see in Rio de Janeiro nowadays. As I am currently in the Northern Hemisphere I will be reporting from here soon on that subject soon - and you can await some great street art that I've already been capturing in pixels. For more great contemporary street art just give it a click!

More CowParade in Rio

A few more pictures of the charming "cowriocas" in Rio's Cow Parade, thanks to my sister, exclusively for Little-Pumpkins. There are almost 100 in total and they are displayed all over the city of Rio de Janeiro, mostly along the beaches. To see the complete cow picture gallery, list of participating artists and locations you can click here.

Faux Handbags

I spotted all these faux handbags during a single day's outing in Rio de Janeiro. I still kick myself for being too shy to pull out my camera in the subway when I saw this shabby-looking granny carrying a faux Louis Vuitton Murakami handbag, bows and all. Like any other major city these days, you will find peddlers selling copy-cat Guccis, Pradas and Fendis, and Rio is no exception. The local government does such a poor job to combat piracy in general, with conterfeit CDs, DVDs and computer software being sold EVERYWHERE, that I assume fashion is not high on their priority list.

Considering that for the price of a real LV bag you can purchase a good second hand car in Brazil it is no wonder that the local ladies also want to sport some flash, even if without the cash.

Theme & Variation - Rua da Alfandega

I keep noticing a certain pattern to the things that appeal to me in the photographs I've been taking recently. I am very attracted to images of clusters of repeat objects or things. I love neat store shelves and supermarket aisles, specially when I see rows of a repeat products perfectly aligned in a pattern. I find beauty also in everyday things that have been casually grouped, without prior thought. I guess I just like visual repetition of a theme or color. It could be a row of chairs, a discount bin, a stack of plastic bowls or a stylized shop window. I don't have any aspirations or claim to be a good photographer, nor do I use professional equipment, so pardon my lack of technique. My little Sony camera is serving me very well so far. I decided to name this new series "Theme & Variation" to paraphrase Piero Fornasetti, one of my favorite designers of all times.

All these images here were taken at Rua da Alfandega, in downtown Rio, that is a popular (read low-end) shopping area. There are about 6 or 7 rows of long narrow streets, chock full of "stuff" for sale, spreading out of the stores into the side walks. They call this area SAARA, the name of it's commercial association, and it's well known as a bargain hunter's paradise. There you can buy carnaval costumes, boot-leg DVDs, budget kid's toys, clothing, house goods and anything else you can imagine. Nowadays there is a new wave of Korean and Chinese merchants flooding the streets with Made in Asia discount merchandise, from electronics to cheap plastic stuff. It's definitely worth the visit, if not to shop just for the Brazilian cultural experience.

CowParade in Rio

The "Cowriocas" are in town! Since 1999 they've been seen from New York to Tokio, passing through Sao Paulo and London, and now they've arrived to greener pastures in Rio de Janeiro. This is the biggest street event ever done in Brazil and will be on display throughout the city from October 03 - November 24. While the cow sculptures remain the same, each city’s artists were challenged by the art from past events, inspired by the cultural influences of their respective cities, and moved by their own interpretation of the cow as an art object. CowParade is not meant to be high art, however. It is first and foremost a public art exhibit that is accessible to everyone.
The lovely cows will be put up for auction individually on December 11 for the highest bidders and anyone with enough cash can park one on their backyard. The proceeds will then be donated to the city's charitable causes. The average bid at the Chicago's auction reached US$25,000 and US$18,000 in NYC. Now let's see how much our charming Cowriocas will fetch!

Rio CowParade website For the official US site click here

Images via UOL

More Cool Graffiti in Rio - Gavea 2

A few more cool graffiti-art along the walls of the Jockey Club in Gavea, in Rio. The bottom three were about a block away from there, near the edge of Leblon neighborhood. Great Stuff!Feel free to send me cool shots from graffiti art from your hometown as I will be more than willing to post interesting work at Little-Pumpkins.