Halkan élünk - we live quietly

In Budapest, artists live quietly...
This street-art-manifesto on the wall of an old building of the 7th district, the old Jewish ghetto, is trying (quietly) to catch one's attention. Imagine yourself in the middle of the Budapest-nightlife, where the price of the vodka is playing the leadrole and the youth gets lost in the narrow streets full of bars hiding in some inner-courts. There is little place for big thoughts, not only because of the ebrious state that takes its territory every week-end, but also because the actual nationalist/right/extreme-right political environment kills slowly but surely all kind of free thinking.

Hungary has always been on the wrong side, for every significant moment in History. But today, the last hope in solidarity, optimism and a positive development of the society is killed by some crazy and selfish right-wing politicans. So artists keep on living, but quietly... Halkan élünk.

Mariann (between Vienna and Budapest, July 2011)

Pass the Eviair

Eviair (not Evian) seems to be one of the largest "ad" campaigns to have recently hit the streets of New York. Exhibited on phone booths to dumpsters all across the city these ads are endorsing a new and unusual product - bottled clean air. Some of the black and white ads feature young girls on piggy back, a young woman tending to her garden or a father carrying his son at the beach- these familiar scenarios quickly turn grim though as the models are wearing gas masks which are attached to a bottle of Eviair. I am not sure who can be credited for these creations – possibly an environmental group or street artists- but they are an effective campaign that highlights the need to improve air quality or our future looks bleak.

Karine (New York, June 2011)

Half-Awake in a Fake Empire

Burj Khalifa from Dubai Mall, picture taken on the 1st of July, 2011 at 7pm (local time) 

Dear Gnubrev'ers,

How could I avoid to show on the first post the tallest building in the World transcribing the audacious endless limit of Dubai Empire? 

In My desert, we cannot rely on history, culture or tradition. 

However, we're building the City together by mixing anyone and everyone from the World. The result is the biggest Hub for intercultural relations. We are every single day in contact with people from so various places that it feels like Dubai is the reverse story of the Tower of Babel. We don't understand each other, simply we learn to understand each other by growing together and by aiming to accomplish any type of achievements, as the symbolic Burj Khalifa for example.

From some basic assumptions, few people would think only how fake Dubai can be. Unfortunately, most of the time, the media will introduce this region as it appears to be, not as it really is. To better understand what this place means, you have to come here and discover how this Fake Empire works. So many people will never try to experience the journey, but so you should do. Come and see how we do live in a place where every step has to be created by us.

Yes, indeed, there is Life here. Almost two years of mine at least, and certainly more to come...

... in My Fake Empire

I cannot forget that I was listening to the song by the National (Video: Live at Terminal 5, New York) when I landed for the first time in Dubai. It expresses a feeling that I have acquired not so longer after my arrival.

Yes, we're half-awake in the middle of this huge Hub, but we still do our small little things like spending time with friends, enjoying good food, working hard, partying, resting, going to the beach... in a word like thousand, we do live in the City of Life where all our dreams can be true, where we can feel at home far away from Ours...

Faithfully yours,

Vahe (Dubai, July 2011)