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Search RuthAndJohn.com NOTE: click on the link then put your search words inside the quotes on Google
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| Buster and Charlie hard at work. | Buster and Charlie in their secret clubhouse. | A froggy visitor in our courtyard. |
21.08.2021
Western, Between Pays Bigouden and Monts d'Arrée
Photography by Stéphane Lavoué
Our friends Dave and Kathleen from Nice came to Brittany for a short stay and we went with them
to some local exhibits in Musée de Bretagne. It was our first
museum visit in more than 18 months. The health pass was required for entry. It was also the first time we had seen Dave and Kathleen in 2 years. It's always such a pleasure to be with them.
The primary exhibit is of the expansive works of Stephane Lavoué, a Bretagne photographer.
According to the exhibit brochure, Lavoué's exhibit, Western, Between Pays Bigouden and Monts
d'Arrée "presents several photographic series produced in Brittany: L'Equipage , a gallery of sound
portraits of regulars in a bistro in Penmarc'h; Les Mois Noirs , a portrait of the Pays Bigouden, its
inhabitants and its landscapes, its fishing workers and its youth; and Les Enchanteurs , a new series
produced for the occasion, which follows in the footsteps of Ankou through the Monts d'Arrée. As
for the 11 short episodes of Pause photographique, Arte's documentary series, they come back, from
Vladimir Poutine to Zinedine Zidane, on the portraitist work for the press carried out by the
photographer for ten years."
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| "Fafa at Home" | "Blacksmith at his Workshop" |
"Kombucha (fermented tea) Producer at his Home" |
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| "Saint-Rivoal Forest" | "Achille Berthou at Relec Abbey" | "Catherine at her Farm" |
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| "Lorie, Fresh Sea-Fish Employee" | "Saint-Guénolé Fishing Port" | "Malwenn, Queen of Embroiderers" |
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| Emilien, Marine Carpenter" | "Philippe, Botmeur" |
21.08.2021
FACE AU MUR (In Front of the Wall)
Graphic design from 1970 to 1990
While we were at Musée de Bretagne. we also saw the exhibit Face au Mur (In front of the wall),
graphic design (posters) from 1970 to 1990 [exhibition from 25/05 to 03/10] . One section was by
Brittany graphic artists about world, French and Bretagne social issues and events. Another section
displayed posters by world artists addressing crucial social issues and a third section is about
international mobilization against world-wide oppressions including Latin American dictators,
police brutality, racism, misogyny. The Face Au Mur exhibit contains more than 130 posters
designed for anti-war, anti-nuclear, pro-labor, human rights and more. Brittany's Transmusicales
posters are also displayed. Additional information about the posters is detailed below and more can be found on the
Musée de Bretagne Graphic Design web page.
The Golden Age of the Cuban Revolution
The Cuban Revolution of 1959 brought about an unprecedented wave of creativity in the world of
graphic design. Shortly after Fidel Castro came to power, commercial advertising was banned in
Cuba: Cuban posters became political but also cultural. The universe of socialist revolution and
anti-imperialist struggles against a background of decolonization nourishes Cuban creation.
Some Cuban posters highlight heroic figures who legitimize the Castro revolution (Lenin, Ho Chi Minh or Che)
and become real emblems. Conversely, the poster artists do not hesitate to play with known figures by diverting them,
Nixon metamorphoses into a vampire
International Week of Solidarity with Latin America by Asela Pérez 1970
The OSPAAAL ( Organization of Solidarity with the Peoples of Asia, Africa and Latin America) is
the permanent structure of the Tricontinental Conference, meeting in Havana in 1966. At the time of
independence and outbreaks of guerrillas , the non-aligned countries want to coordinate the struggle
against imperialism and (neo) -colonialism. After Cuba's rapprochement with the USSR from 1968,
it became above all a vector of the country's foreign policy, particularly towards African countries.
See Red Women's Workshop
In 1973, Pru Stevenson created this shocking poster: she spewed out the clichés associated with
women. In 1974, she joined the See Red Women's Workshop, a collective that made the fight
against negative images associated with women, in the media and in advertising, her priority. The
poster is adopted by the group.
US Graphic Art
Milton Glaser designed the psychedelic Bob Dylan poster below, which was attached to the album "Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits"
in 1967, with a circulation of over 6 million copies. This poster is one of the most famous in the world, with its recognizable
graphic style. A benchmark for graphic design on an international scale, Milton Glaser passed away in June 2020, on his 91st birthday.
Transmusicales Posters
A leading light of the modern music scene, every
winter for the last 30 years, the Transmusicales in Rennes, has given us a taste of the musical trends
of tomorrow.
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| Popular Front poster from the 1970's | Anti-war poster from the 1970's | Anti-war poster from the 1970's |
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| Anti-Apartheid poster from the 1980's | Amnesty International Poster | United Nations Peace poster |
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| Picasso Peace poster | Poster of Brittany Socialist Party | Anti-Fascist poster |
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Psychedelic Bob Dylan poster by Milton Glasser 1966 |
Anti-Vichy poster | Poster for the Breton Democratic Union |
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| Another Picasso political poster | Labor poster | Political poster from the 3rd Republic |
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International Week of Solidarity with Latin America |
Poster for Kan-arbobl (people's song), the Breton song, music and culture competition |
See Red Women's Workshop |
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| Anti nuclear poster | Transmusicales poster | Nixon by Alfredo Rostgaard produced for OSPAAAL 1972 |
Street Art in Our Neighborhood
Twenty five years ago I worked for a Community Development Corporation in San Diego, CA
which created expansive street art projects in the neighborhood of City Heights. Apparently
something similar is happening near our current home. Previously there had been some street art in
this neighborhood but it wasn't updated or changed regularly. Last year and this year the art is
changed or added to every 2-4 weeks. It makes exploring the neighborhood even more fun.
Red diamonds and blue pineapples have been newly stencilled on nearby traffic markings and
public exercise/play equipment. I don't know what those symbols mean.
The Brittany tourism web site
has images and info about street art in Brittany starting with
Rennes, Apparently we have a "Banksy of Brittany" - who is named WAR!
Images
Video
Here is an interactive map of street art in Rennes.
There are some billboards a block or two away which are updated regularly but we are most often
confused by them. I don't know who creates or controls the content but they are abstract or nature
subjects - definitely not corporate advertising. Elsewhere in Rennes there are plenty of Clear
Channel corporate advertising billboards, though.
Brittany tourism has more useful and interesting information about Street Art in Brittany
on it's web site.
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| Girl on a Swing |
"Hug me. I don't get tired of it. The universe is watching us." |
Blue pineapple in a bicycle lane figure |
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| I still don't understand the French billboards. | Street art in Rennes | I guess the red diamonds mean something. |
10.08.2021
STEM
I shared another presentation with the Oregon STEM group this month. This one was about the
recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) study indicating that the Atlantic
Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), part of the Global Conveyor Belt, has slowed much
more than previously thought and it's collapse is possible in decades or less. In that case large parts
of Europe would freeze, the NE US will flood and other terrible climate tragedies would occur
throughout the world. Click to read my presentation.
Here's a link to the IPCC report
with a token included in the link courtesy of
Washington Post so you can read the report for free.