Composting Graphics

These are two images I did for our Compost Signage.

From this:

To these: 

(this is used on a tag to indicate <You can add your compost>)

(this is used on the tag asking not to add other compost, to the one already composting)

The Nazi Olympics - Berlin 1936

As an Italian, I had a lot of occasions to visit exhibitions about the Holocaust and Fascism-Nazism. Moreover, I went to Berlin and also there I paid a visit to memorials and museums. They say: it's because we have not to forget. I'm totally aligned with this goal, but at the August Wilson Center I could really add that we have also to sincerely understand it. The current exhibition about the Nazist Olimpics in 1936 it is incredibly well done, clear and rich of contents. It is really a precious contribution to the memory and the understanding of an awful era. Written boards, pictures, videos, everything is incredibly clear and easily readable, with a path the explains the big History and the many individual Stories History is made of. 

(Image: The official poster for the 1936 Summer Olympic Games shows an Olympian rising above Berlin's landmark Brandenburg Gate. (1936). )

The theme is very painful of course, but the presentation is not approaching the subject of Holocaust in the typical way we are acquainted in Europe. It is schematic and effective in listing data and dates. Moreover, great attention is here paid to the Afro American Athlets that participated to those. Very touching and interesting, this is a part of the story that must me remembered as well. Racism is still rooted in our society and differences between ethnicities are still source of unfairness (just check out the unemployment rates between white people and Afro Americans: October, 2012!!).

© photo from http://www.pittsburghurbanmedia.com/

The presentation introduces the historic background, in Germany and all over the world, and then presents the issue: Germany and Hitler that do want the Olympics to be in Berlin, but had to cover the regime of oppression the wordl knows is going on there.

From this, all the exhibit explains the different positions on that event: the Jewish community (German and American), the US government, the US Olympic Committee (historically independent from the government), Europe point of view... but the most interesting point of view is the one of the Afro American community.

Before the events, lots of marches and public debates were held all over the world. At first, USA seemed to be  mainly contrary to those Olympics by Hitler. The Afro American community (we are in the 1936) was very disappointed by this position, affirming that also in the US they were discriminated as well, not being able to freely attend sport competitions.

In the end, USA participated (and consequently all the rest of the world did) in order to <guarantee the fairplay and the respect of human rights>. 

Germany got the biggest number of medal, but US did well also thanks to the Afro America athletes (that were anyway presented as "helpers" by German newspaper.

In the end, Germany created the most gorgeous Olympics ever, very welcoming for everybody, and this distracted a lot of people, from really understanding what was going on.

Here http://www.pittsburghurbanmedia.com/Holocaust-Center-of-Pittsburgh-and-August-Wilson-Center-Partner-to-Present-The-Nazi-Olympics-Berlin-1936-Exhibition/ you can find an interesting article about the way the exhibit is organized, with related activities.

Another interesting feature of the exhibition is the presence of original videos that show how sports were played in the Thirties. Pretty amazing and different from today.

An exhibition to remember, and to understand.

Unblurred - first friday's on penn

First Friday of every month, you know where to go, in PGH.

http://friendship-pgh.org/paai/unblurred/

Yesterday night, despite the rainy cold night, I went to Garfield on Penn, by bicycle, with a friend. First stop is Calabria's pizza, of course. Then, get the gallery crawl starting.

I won't explain you what each gallery did, but only post here some pictures of the most interesting things I saw. Interesting for good or bad, there is no unappellable judgment here. Just considerations about what people want to tell us. Let's listen to them.

  MODERNFORMATIONS:

cristian breitkreutz wants to tell us something about a struggling life. Among all his displayed works (that didn't make me crazy for buying them, by the way) I just select these. I found interesting the similarity to some famous paintings. I'm pretty sure I could have found more links, but this is it, for now.

(name of the place n.a.)

This place is short on Penn, but very deep in the building. And at the end of it I found a lot of old chairs, each is different. Each must have seen a lot of backs, I would say. Each is ready for guesting the next guests. Music, probably. The displayed art was not that interesting, but the chairs were somehow uncannibly photogenic. 

IMAGEBOX: 

Photographs transformed into kaleidoscopes - by Andrew Karaman. An elegant game for the eyes. 

 ARTESAN TATTOO GALLERY: 

Amazing collection of stories, readable on each picture displayed in a very effective way. The theme is not new, but the pictures are very good and well printed. Caldwell Linker is the photographer and at the Artesan Tattoo Gallery you can also see the book about the work. I wish I were braver, and buyed that. This is a good example about how to talk about something. And you don't need words to tell it. 

Since the picture (on the right) was playing with the concept of double life, I played a little with Photoshop, coz I wanted to meet both the personalities (on the left, my editing). Nice to meet you both!

And for the first time, since the cold weather attracted less crowd, I noticed the flooring of the place. 

All made out of1 cents!

IRMA FREEMAN GALLERY: 

Good lessons of photography also here, but not only - as usual for the IFG. Mainly related to PGH, I just selected few works I thought were very well done. 

 Gallery on Penn@Winebiddle

It finally opened, after a summer of work in progress. This is my first visit there. Very nice space, furnished with old armchairs that totally deserve a visit there. Oldish but goodish. 

The best is the working old charcoal burner, working, with an old guy telling stories in front of the fireplace. Nice nice nice!

In time of Elections, I leave you with a quote by President Wilson.

See you "next" Friday.