Art show! / Exposicion del arte 26/04/2007
Posted by dlatman in Graffiti, Morocco, Spain, art, fun, nc, shopping, travel.2 comments
GRAFFITI GIBRALTAR:
street art from both sides of the Gibraltar /
arte graffiti de los ambos lados del Gibraltar
Where: Padgett Station, 401 E. Main Street, Carrboro NC
When: May 1-31, with a special opening Friday night May 11 from 6-9pm, part of the Carrboro/Chapel Hill second Friday Art Walk.
How: drive or walk over, ride your bike, or fly down! The Triangle is a great place to visit.
Artist Statement: My travels to Spain and Morocco last year were rich with many fulfilling experiences. The families I stayed with and friends I met in both countries were among the most hospitable and generous people I’ve ever known. Yet the trip also provided insight into the disturbing and exploitative relationship between wealthy nations (such as Spain and the US) and their developing neighbors to the south (Morocco, Mexico). Crossing the border in particular was a unique and in some ways heart-wrenching experience. Art can be a powerful tool to expose, explore and possibly transcend our borders; and I offer these photographs in this spirit of connection.
More details: about 18 of my photos will be displayed and available for purchase, I am keeping costs low so most people can afford them. I’ll also be selling unframed 5″ X 7″ prints of other graffiti pictures from Europe/Morocco for really cheap, plus self-printed books of my unrelated travel diary, “Danny’s Roadside Guide to Michigan.” Also cd’s of Arabic and Spanish music if you’re lucky! Plus free food and drinks.
Notre chemin / Our way 20/04/2007
Posted by dlatman in Graffiti, Morocco, art, history, literature, queer, travel.add a comment
From Assilah, a beautiful coastal town in Morocco. My friend Marouane from Rabat told me that the red Arabic script on top reads “Assilah.” He explained that in French, the name means stay here: “assi” means sit and “la” here.
You may notice the poem is written in French, the second language of most Moroccans due to France’s colonization of North Africa in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. My friend Justin informed me that this is the beginning of a poem called “Les leçons d’Edgard” written by Jean Sénac, a gay Franco-Algerian poet. He was assassinated in Paris in 1973. Justin transcribed the poem as the following:
Notre chemin passe par les traverses
Il est large et precis comme un cou de taureau
Il craint le coeur dans les heures adverses
Dans le plaisir il craint les mots
Notre chemin quand tombent les averses
Soit la XXX et l’eglantine à crocs
Et si XXX au feu central nous verse
Notre pied garde assez le flot
Notre chemin procéde par ensignes
XXX trés clair ton sourire XXX
Ta voix consent aux larines de la XXX
Mais l’or au front il trace solitaire
Notre chemin de paix dans les pis de la terre
Some of the words are blanked out because, as you can tell even in the large version, the script is quite intricate to the point of confusion at some points, and other parts are chipped away. I hope to research Sénac more, but it appears his poetry has not been translated much into English. Here is a cruddy version via Google translation:
“The lessons of Edgar”
Our way passes by the cross-pieces
It is broad and precise as a bull neck
It fears the heart in the unfavourable hours
In the pleasure it fears the words
Our way when fall the downpours
That is to say the XXX and the wild rose with hooks
And if XXX with central fire pours us
Our foot keeps enough the flood
Our way proceeded by signs
XXX very clearly your smile XXX
Your voice agrees to the gulls of the XXX
But gold with the face it traces solitary
Our way of peace in worse of the ground
On a lighter note, my friends Ian and Valeda recently introduced me to the Channel 101 TV show “Planet Unicorn.” I highly recommend you watch this. It may change your life.
Macaroon collage, page 4 12/04/2007
Posted by dlatman in Collage, Jewish, food, history, peace.2 comments
Passover has ended, I am back to eating bread now, but how can the meaning of liberation continue to resonate with me? Simply put: to oppose the slavery of human bodies and spirit whenever possible. I don’t take the word “genocide” lightly but the truth is, it is happening today. Yesterday I heard The NY Times columnist Nick Kristof speak on the genocide in Darfur, a situation that was sickening to learn more about. Yet if more people had addressed the horrifying conditions of European Jewry during WWII, perhaps less people would have died. He acknowledged that more people die annually from AIDS and malaria, but that genocide is caused by human evil… and needs the balance of human decency.
Kristof acknowledged world leaders’ failure to intervene on the Sudanese people’s behalf, and stated that regular people can step up to the challenge. Some steps you or I can take include learning more and sharing information with family and friends; calling the White House and our state representatives to encourage them to initiate peace talks in Sudan; and getting involved with divestment campaigns.
Macaroon collage, page 3 08/04/2007
Posted by dlatman in Collage, Jewish, food, fun, spirituality.add a comment
Tonight is the 7th night of Passover. I continue the tradition by expressing my love for food, family and art. Here is the third installment in my “Macaroon” collage zine, which is available for purchase through my Paypal account.
It is dedicated to my family in Queens, NY, the second best place in the world after Brooklyn. Following is my Dad’s recipe for matzah brie, a great breakfast alternative to French toast during the holiday.
Matzah Brie (serves 4 people)
1 to 1.5 cups milk
2-3 eggs
~8 pieces matzah
1 Tbsp. butter
dash vanilla (optional)
-heat up milk so it’s warm (not boiling)
-crack eggs, beat into milk
-add dash of vanilla, mix well
-break up 1-2 pieces of matzah at a time and place in milk mixture. Soak for about 10-20 minutes; the soggier the better, in our opinion.
-heat up frying pan, melt butter
-with a slotted spoon pick up the soaked matzah and add to pan. Fry for a couple minutes, flip over, break up pieces with spatula. Cook for a few more minutes until brown.
-continue this process until all matzah is cooked.
-serve with syrup, honey, jam or plain
Eat with family and enjoy!
Macaroon collage, page 2 03/04/2007
Posted by dlatman in Collage, Jewish, food, fun.2 comments
To be honest I did not originally write “die of ecstasy” but something a little less, how shall we put it, family-friendly. I really love food, luckily I am not the only one.
Last night was the first night of Passover and right now I am noshing on delicious kosher for Passover home-baked mandel bread. Here is my mom’s recipe, with some additions from a friend and my own experience. Ingredients are available in the kosher or ethnic food aisle of most major supermarkets.
Kosher for Passover Mandel Bread
-Preheat oven to 350. Grease or line two pans with parchment paper.
-Cream 1/2 lb. (two sticks) butter and one cup sugar. Add six eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, and 1 tsp.vanilla.
-In a separate bowl sift together 2 and 3/4 cups matzah cake meal, 3/4 cup potato starch, and 1/2 tsp. salt.
-Fold dry ingredients into wet ones until the batter is fairly uniform. Add 1 cup chocolate chips, OR 1 cup chopped almonds &/or 1 cup raisins. You can chill the dough for up to half an hour to make the next part easier.
-Wet your hands and shape the dough into 2 loaves, about 3-4 inches wide. Mix 1 tsp. cinnamon with 2 tsp. sugar in a separate little bowl, and sprinkle on top of your loaves.
-Place loaves on pans and bake for about 45 min.
-Remove loaves to a cutting board and cut into 3/4″ slices. Place the pieces cut-side up on the pans and return to a 400 degree oven for about 8 minutes or until golden brown.
-Cool on baking rack. Will keep at room temp. in an airtight bag for several weeks… but they don’t last that long at my house!
If you want some visual aids in making NON-kosher for Passover mandel bread, check this video out.
