COSTA DO SOL
The crowd by the sea on a weekend afternoon
Maputo has its own ‘Sunset Bouleward’ although it is actually ‘Sunrise Bouleward’ a long beautiful road along the coastline of Maputo, generally named Costa do Sol. It is facing the Indian Ocean where the sun rises in the East. On weekends it is very difficult to travel there because people like to cruse slowly in their cars, walk and generally do a modern Promenade. All along sit ladies with plastic cooling boxes full of beer and ice cubes to sell to us the strollers. It is also great to buy cheap locally barbequed chicken (the name of Frango) with French Frieds. We went on Saturday to chill and enjoy the local fun by the sea. The sea is very brown, not totally because of man made pollution but from all the material brought forward by the grand rivers that arrive at the sea and accommodate Maputo Harbour.
The kids love playing in the waves!
March 3, 2010
Tags: beach, maputo, mozambique, play Posted in: PONDERINGS 
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DESIGN PROGRAM IN ISAC, SEMESTER START SOON
The campus has very nice areas, here the teachers are walking between buildings
The design teachers in ISAC are a small hardcore group with very good working spirit. Helder, Gabriel and Karina met in my house today to go through the program named: INTRODUCTION TO DESIGN. It is good to have run the first semester last year, before Christmas and summer holiday (named: Semester Zero), beacause we managed to get lots of experience about the procedure of the teaching. It is good to be able to evaluate the response of the students to the various projects and the landscape that the new school shall thrive in. There will be run some basic courses that will be common, like History of Art, Methodologies etc, like in all art and design schools. But the hardcore design teachers have to concentrate on the fundamental issues about being a designer. We will have in ISAC a program for design supporting people to go in three directions basically: Product Design, Visual Communication and Fashion Design.
A walk on the main pedestrian spine on campus
Of course, like in all art academies, certain parts of the program will be done in cooperation with the other two specializations: Visual Arts and Culture Management. Since different designers have many common elements in their procedures (future scenarios, problem definitions etc) part of the design education program is also going to be run in common projects where the different specializations can address the projects in their own manner.
After the meeting we have a structure of the chronological progression of a design student from beginning until the end of 3rd year (not all projects though written) with the timeline dispersed with realiztic project and theoretical input with occasional intensive periods, like when guest teachers and fellow students from the Norwegial school (and hopefully others) will come here to work on common projects together.
On Friday we went for a walkabout on the ISAC campus so that all the new teachers could see the facilities and think of how to utilize and what extra is needed at this early stage. The photos show this very nice event.
Looking over one of the classrooms. The government suppliers (I think) miscalculated the size of the students and the tables are for kindergarten. But we will manage, no problem.
February 28, 2010
Tags: academy, art, DESIGN, maputo, mozambique, teaching Posted in: DESIGN No Comments
BULLFIGHTING ARENA IN MAPUTO
The entrance side of the stadium
In our minds Bullfighting has always been predominantly a Spanish sport. But it is also Portugese and of course then South-American. Since Mozambique was a Portugese colony from since colonies were invented (and this is obvious everywhere today in Modern Mozambican society) they also brought with them Portugese Bullfighting. There is one discarded Bullfighting ring here in Maputo and I am told there is an other in Pemba in the North. Because of my curiousity I went to look at the stadium here, it is close to supermarkets and local market. It is in a terribly dilappidated state as can be seen from the photos, and the one who has responsibility to look after it has rented our spaces in it. Almost all of them are garages and car parts sales. There is a sublime beauty in the activity of men fixing cars and a grand concrete stadium.
All around are the traditional market stalls, where one can buy the household groceries, vedgetables, salt and rice and sugar.
Portugese style bullfighting is somewhat different to the best known Spanish. There is a horseman (rider) dressed in traditional 18th century costumes and he fights the bull from horseback. The horses are specially trained for the fights and often have skills in dressage and many exhibit that in the arena. The purpose of this fight is to stab three or four bandarilhas in the back of the bull. Then forcadors are a group of eight men who challenge the bull directly, without any protection or weapon of defense. The front man provokes the bull into a charge to perform a pega de cara or pega de caras (face catch). The front man secures the animal’s head and is quickly aided by his fellows who surround and secure the animal until he is subdued. Forcados were usually people from lower classes who, to this day, practice their art through amateur associations.
February 27, 2010
Tags: architecture, bullfighting, maputo, market, mozambique Posted in: PONDERINGS No Comments
TWO TYPES OF DIALOGUES ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE: ISAC
On day two of the week, full house listening to philosophy and visions
I am fine with understanding Portugese when we are in normal conversation, in shops etc. and I have given talks and lectures in the language, using PowerPoint for support. When the dialogue moves over to philosophical concepts and strategy, I must admit that I get a bit lost and make up my own interpretations. I do in a way create a personal fiction stimulated by what I hear. But it so happens that my first main education took place in Italian, so the terms are often similar. This blog is a reflection from sitting in a symposium in ISAC for a whole week, where the dialogue has been about a new school. The symposium was about what an art and design academy is and how to map the landscape that this school is being created in. Discussions all the way from copy machines to the post-modern condition and African culture. Very interesting reflections came up about how an establishment of a traditional art and design academy (in the model of Western tradition) is reflected or complimented in an African culture, that is really a cooking pot of latin colonialism (Portugal), Arab culture (they have been here for more than 1000 years) and the cooperation between local art with imported Western art. Professor Severino Ngoenha gave a talk named Post-Modernism and aesthetics. Great to listen afterwards to the dialogue about the mix, for example of traditional local dance (a fundamental strength here in Mozambique) and Western dance tradition. Something that I have really been wondering about when seeing celebrations of workshops where Northern people and local people create projects together. I still am not sure of what I think about it. Could it be a dance between the rich and the poor, and maybe the poor only dances because the others pay. I am going to think about this more when I see more.
The dialogue did actually go this way: questions about acceptance of Post-Modernism (in brackets from me Western Capitalistic driven aesthetics) without some strong ethical platform to base the academic philosopy on. These preoccupations are exactly the same as mine.
On the second day Dr. Emília Afonso gave a presentation about pedagocal methodology in universities, maintaining what I have also always meant that experience and tacit activity in the workshop is fundamental to the teaching of art. But she also maintained that similar principles are similarly valid in other specializations, like medicine etc.
Many speakers were invited and most of the new professors and leaders gave their opinions, but I am not going to list all the names here.
Part of the group planning the design and art faculty
At last on the final day of the symposium people got down to the nitty gritty work of planning practical issues for the second semester that is going to be run. Rooms, who of the new teachers is taking responsibility for the courses that are written in the original document. This document has been in development during the last 3 years, I received it ca 2 years ago and gave my comments. It is now in a way fixed, like all ‘study plans’ – but of course has landed in immediate redevelopment like all study plans. It is of course true that institues develope strengths based on (a) the people that they are able to recruit, (b) location and culture and (c) political and economic conditions.
The students and teachers of ISAC were asked to come up with a proposal for a logo for the school. It is interesting how a discussion about a logo can be a tool for creating a common understanding of what the institute is. Therefore the proposals and the dialogue were very important for a group of people that are creating a new society with a common goal. Teachers, administration and students. The dialogue lifted almost all the issues that were spoken during the first days of the symposium, spoken by philosophers, professors, outside mentors and cultural experts. A discussion about a simple graphic image is sometimes more complete and on a more common level than dialogue about isms and future scenarios. It includes all!
A planning photo. Maimuna and the tables with visual arts and design programs with credit counting etc.
February 22, 2010
Tags: academy, art, DESIGN, maputo, mozambique Posted in: DESIGN Comments Closed
FASHION SHOW IN MAPUTO
Mozart is a school of crafts, where young people can attend for few months at the time to get experiences of the various traditions in making here in Maputo. There is ceramic, sewing, metalwork, jewelery and many more.
There was a small festival last weekend with various performances by the young peope, a kind of a celebration after two weeks of intensive workshop activity bu youngsters.
One of my students in ISAC, a fashion designer ran a fashion show there and it was great fun to go and see how she is faring. There were actually two fashion designers that presented their work, our student who calls her Mama-Africa (a very grand name to take up) and the other one was a young designer that I have not seen before named Manuela Fache. Her work is very promising. The two ladies are very different designers, Mama is very experimental in use of recycling and patchwor with less regard for tailoring, while Manuela seems to me to celebrate more the beautiful Mozambican body. But it is not for me only to make criticism, here are photos of some of their wor for people to see for themselves.
The outfits designed by Mama-Africa
We are actually these days discussing the faculty of art and design in ISAC and how to support fashion design. Me and Karina have to go through listing all the basics that are needed to run a good workshop for fashion. There is great celebration of colours and patterns in this country, based on the fantastic capulana culture that is here all over. It will is fun to see how the patterning, the colours and graphics play with the making of clothes. I have myself designed few shirts out of these materials and will continue to do so.
The outfits designed by Manuela Fache
February 16, 2010
Tags: africa, DESIGN, fashion, maputo, mozambique Posted in: DESIGN No Comments
DAY OF THE PROFESSORS IN ISAC
A part of the round table today. The general director Filimone Meigos is furthest to the left
Today was the first meeting of professors this semester at our new academy ISAC. Now the school is running proper since many positions have been evaluated and filled. That means we have good crowd and the faculty is feeling like an academy. Last semester was the pilot semester, where we tested many things, made a lot of mapping with the students and ourselves, especially on reflection after the first teaching experiences in this Mozambican culture. I am of course the only ‘alien’ person here, all others are Mozambicans, or in some cases Portugese with long term affiliations to the culture here.
There was lot of discussion about the future of Mozambican art and design, how the school should be active in the community Matola, an outskirt local authority from Maputo that has museums and galleries and various other cultural activities. I made a point that it is very important to design to be well embedded in the art and culture scene as it is a development of the creative industries and those are growing at an incredibly fast rate here in Maputo, albeit much slower outside the capital, in the country in general.
Then there were informations about teacher contracts, teaching hours etc. etc . like is so common when teachers come together. The administrative platform has to be laid out. We have of course been working on curriculum for months, and now it reaches certain realization since there are people to fill those roles that were envisaged, – or as is sometimes the case to modify the roles to the great people that have become available. We discussed space and equipment and many other things.
In the afternoon we had a faculty meeting in the new faculty of art and design, where again many had to loft their understandings about the value of such and such, anything from anatomical drawing to visual culture and concept art.
Tomorrow, and actually all this week we will continue with the seminar for teachers with motivational talks interspersed with group discussions and brain stormings. I must admit it is a great feeling to be part of such a birth, in a culture that somehow seems to embrace art and design so well. Maputo is a lively city with something happening every day, even to the stage that I have to take regular breaks away to rehabilitate my reserves.
Here are photos of the new team of professors in Istituto Superiore de Arte e Cultura.
Lunch break
February 15, 2010
Tags: art, DESIGN, education, maputo, mozambique Posted in: DESIGN No Comments
CROCODILE RIVER CONCENTRATION
Buffaloes in the heat of the day
I went to this river to concentrate on two projects that I have to write. It is good to know of such places with tranquillity. They give you focus. I have many favourite places in my homecountry Iceland, windows to mountains or glaciers where I have drawn pictures or written some strange text.
This very nice location on the banks of the river is a small B&B, self catering and there is a small straw roofed gazeboo on the bank where I can sit in the shade and think with my computer on my lap (hence laptop). There is very little disturbance, except the occasional excotic animal moving on the other side of the river.. And of course it is great to be disturbed by an occasional elephant coming for a drink. Here is a simple album of photos of my companions. The projects are not so interesting to be published, only projects about design, development and education. How nerdy can one be?
February 12, 2010
Tags: buffaloes, crocodile, DESIGN, kruger park, south africa Posted in: PONDERINGS Comments Closed
SUMMER HOLIDAY HOBBIES AT HOME
Atanasio, Gildo, Rejao, Soley and Dagmar on the Mac that Jonni managed to get for us.
Being properly back in Maputo starts off the many activities that are needed here to keep up the pressure for more results and learning. It so happened last Sunday when I went to Nucleo, a colony of artists here in Maputo, to listen to some life music that I bumped into a Belgian film maker, Dagmar Duportail.
Invited him home to look at what we are up to, the material that the guys have been accumulating during the study trip to Iceland and Norway. It so happens that Dagmar Duportail is a very capable and amiable guy so he promised to run a workshop in Final Cut and After Effects (video making software for those of you that are not into this jargon). Since the schools are still on holiday and ENAV is actually being moved the workshop took place in the now abandoned home and newly born media-lab in the living room. The photo shows part of the students following Dagmars exposition. I kind of like the chaos of capulanas, high technology and the straw furniture that I designed and endless wires as shown earlier.
February 5, 2010
Tags: DESIGN, film, video Posted in: AFRICA, DESIGN, ISAC - KHiO, MOZAMBIQUE Comments Closed
COURSE IN AFTEREFFECTS AND FINAL CUT AT HOME
Atanasio, Gildo, Soley, Rejao and Dagmar.
Dagmar Duportail, a Belgian film maker, has been so helpful to come around today to give the interested students a crash course in the two software programs that are really needed for film and animation. Poor Dagmar landed in walking into Nucleo last Sunday and met me and now he is badly involved in helping out. Here is a picture from our ‘home’
February 5, 2010
Posted in: AFRICA, DESIGN, ISAC - KHiO Comments Closed
INSTITUTO SUPERIORE DE ARTE CULTURA
Karina (design), Maimuna (visual arts), Victor Sala (everything) comparing notes after the interviews with the applicants and going through marks and portfolios.
INSTITUTO SUPERIORE DE ARTE CULTURA has run its semester zero and now it heads into first semester with most of the staff in place and the second intake of students is just happening. The plan is that the regular school week starts on March 1st, and there are many exciting things to look forward to for the next coming months.
Here are images of the activities of today in ISAC.
Lists of the names of all those that applied for work in ISAC are posted on the windows on campus. Those that have been deemed appropriate are waiting for the final decision of the recruitment committee. This is a long and democratic process with evaluation of each capability and social skills involved.
February 4, 2010
Tags: art, DESIGN, maputo, mozambique Posted in: DESIGN Comments Closed
ARCHITECTURAL PROJECT
The house in rebuilding stage. Photo taken from the graveyard.
One of my drawings of the complete project, graveyard wall on the right with a roofed gate.
I have now over a year been working on a project in the north-west of Iceland, rebuilding a farm, an old concrete structure since ca 1925 and landscaping the surroundings. It is very important to farms, how they stand in the landscape. This house is in a very harmonious position with a mountain peak in the distance, a view to the sea in the other and next to a redundant graveyard. We decided to rebuild the concrete building although early ideas were that it should be torn down and a new timber structure erected instead. But my argument that history is an important element in the soul of a building helped convince the clients that rebuilding is more successful and does actually sympathize with the wider countryside. Rebuilding the dry stone churchyard wall will also play an important part in the complete picture. This Christmas we went to visit the site and actually stayed in a nearby house for one night to enjoy the complete winter in Iceland with stars and Northern Lights.
The drive to the farm in the winter snow, mountain and a view to the sea.
January 29, 2010
Tags: architecture, DESIGN, farm, iceland, rebuild Posted in: DESIGN No Comments
CHRISTMAS SUMMER HOLIDAY
Rejao waiting for tomorrow in London Underground
This year Christmas break has been dominated by the project on sustainability that David and Rejao are doing by traveling and living with us for 5 weeks in the North. We have met great many people and are thankful for all the support that we have got. The blog reports are on the Nordic/Moz page.
The great fun of waiting. David, advertizment, escalator on the London Underground
Waiting for bags in Maputo Airport. Uff! That was some experience, we had with us the two new imacs that Dinamo advertizing company in Norway has given, the hard work of Jonni, and we had invoices with zero on them for import since they were gifts. Great fun for all, customs officers, us and local helpers!
January 29, 2010
Tags: computers, maputo, mozambique Posted in: PONDERINGS No Comments
CIRRUS MEETING OF TEACHERS
We had a great meeting of teachers of design and art in Reykjavik last week. It was a 3 day event with ca 40 international delegates visiting the Iceland Academy of the Arts mixing with the local academics. The meeting looked specifically at three different areas: Gender Equality and Design; Post-Crisis and Design and Common MA Education in the Scandinavian-Baltic countries. Here is a link to the program.
Meeting in plenum, Jóhannes dean of the design faculty in Iceland is talking
The event took place for the fourth time and has been very successful in knitting together the people that are dealing with the master education in the Cirrus region. People had time to mingle and exchange ideas and develop further cooperation. Now I have to start making the annual funds application to the Nordic Council of Ministers and wait proposals from the different members.
Image from the Design Innovation for Gender Equality workshop, developing further the website for the project. Teo, Lorraine, Birgitta and Soley working hard
January 28, 2010
Tags: baltic, DESIGN, education, master program, nordic Posted in: DESIGN Comments Closed
I AM REDEVELOPING MY WEBSITE
These days I am redeveloping my website from the old windows based system to a wordpress platform. The aim is not to change the site much to those that visit the site, but this will simplify for me how I post material on the site. The old site will then appear in the archives if anyone needs older posts.
Here I post one photo that I took in Hugmyndahús Háskólanna, an innovation centre in Reykjavik
January 23, 2010
Posted in: PONDERINGS No Comments
DIG EQUALITY WORK
We continue working on the Design Innovation for Gender Equality project, both by including it in action based projects, now more or less in development work since located mostly in Africa, and as research. There was run a parallel session in the last Meeting of Teachers that took place in The Iceland Academy of Arts this January. This is an annual conference run by Cirrus Network that I am the leader of. Hildur Fjóla Antonsdóttir from the Gender Equality Training Programme at the University of Iceland participated on behalf of the University of Iceland.
Lorraine Farrelly from the Portsmouth School of Architecture has run a simple mapping research project during the last semester. This is part of our cooperation in Pillar I, Task 4, Design Innovation for equality and diversity in the University of Iceland Center of Excellence named EDDA. here is her report.
Here is the original Project Description.
We are sending in an application for small funds for a meeting in Konstfack in Stockholm in the coming year. It came out in the parallel that they have been doing some interesting work in this field and it is important to continue the work that kind of became rekindled in the Cirrus meeting.
January 23, 2010
Tags: DESIGN, diversity, equality, gender, research Posted in: DESIGN Comments Closed
