Christo & Jeanne Claude

Christo's art projects can be seen as temporary large-scale environmental works (both urban and rural environments) which incorporate elements of painting, sculpture, architecture and urban planning. Achieved in the 1980s the Surrounded Islands in Florida featured as a series of giant paintings. The Umbrellas, Japan-USA 1984-91 has more to do with rural-urban planning. The logistics required for Christo's work is collosal: "3,100 umbrellas, each two stories high, 59.3 square meters (638.17 square feet), spread on a total span of 49 Kms (30 miles) by a width of 4 Kms (2.5 miles) along roads and highways, adjacent to barns, temples, churches, gas stations, schools, habitations and cattle."

Unlike the usual architecture and urban planning, "we are our own sponsors and we pay for our works of art with our own money, never accepting any grants nor sponsors" say Christo and his wife Jeanne-Claude, who are currently working on two new projects in the USA: The Gates in Central Park, NYC (started in 1979) and Over the River, on the Arkansas River, Colorado... "tout simplement genial".

For more information visit Christo & Jeanne-Claude Website

Photos by Wolfgang Volz

WISE - Electrology

Revisiting the fusion of jazz and electronic music, WISE explores new dimension between live improvisation and computer generated music. Electronic as a base to invent, to support emotions and ambiances. Around the founders of the band (Julien Birot, Robin Notte, Guillaume Poncelet), 17 musicians and singers united their talents to produce a modern and innovative first album. Electrology is a skillful mix of swing, soul, hip-hop and jazz. Wise is produced by Such Production and distributed by NAIVE. Chapeau bas...

Photo by Niko Biro

Documentary - Dark Days

Mark Singer, ex-model and improvised filmmaker captured a different perspective of NYC the Big Apple... Dark Days is a first documentary on homeless people living in the train tunnels under Manhattan. Tunnel-dweller for over 2 years, Singer moved in with them and together they filmed this underground neighbourhood of this unknown low cast: a filthy shantytown with electricity and running water courtesy of the city of New York. With the assistance of Patrick Markee, senior policy analyst at the Coalition for the Homeless in NY, the movie eventually served as an advocacy tool in the effort to provide decent housing to the tunnel community.
Dark Days was nominated at the Sundance Film Festival when released in 2000. A must see for its theme, its creativity and its human dimension.

Click here to watch a Video Clip from Dark Days

Wondering about history...

"First man to die / For the flag we now hold high (Crispus Attucks) / Was a black man / The ground were we stand / With the flag held in our hand / Was first the redman's / Guide of a ship / On the first Columbus trip (Pedro Alonzo Nino) / Was a brown man / The railroads for trains / Came on tracking that was laid / By the yellow man / We pledge allegiance / All our lives / To the magic colors Red, blue and white / But we all must be given / The liberty that we defend / For with justice not for all men / History will repeat again / It's time we learned / This World Was Made For All Men (...)"

Lyrics by Stevie Wonder
Song "Black Man" / Album "Songs in the key of life"
Mowtown Records 1976
Find out more about Stevie Wonder

Photo by BE*MOT