Thursday, November 30, 2006

Sala de Fotografia

SOBRE FOTOGRAFIA- (MALI), el Museo de Arte in el Parque de la Exposicion, Lima, has recently opened a new room exhibiting a permanent collection of black & white fotos portraying a history of photography in Peru- the first of its kind in the country.

A history of photography in Peru developed in the 19th century with the ´era of guana´ and its subsequent modernisation, especially through successful studios such as Estudio Courret Hermanos, (a large collection of which is now with the Biblioteca Nacional del Peru).


The photographers represented are:
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Mariella Agois
Miguel Aguirre (b.1973 Lima)
Teodosio Barreto (Taller de Fotografia Social, Morococha)
Juan Enrique Bedoya (b.1966 Lima)
Luz María Bedoya (b.1969 Lima)
Rafael Castillo (cerca 1860-1887)
Fernando Castro (b.1952 Lima)
Juan Cazaux (cerca 1860-1868 Lima)
Eugenio Courret (1840-1900)
Estudio Courret Hermanos
Martín Chambi (b. 1891-1973 Puno)
Carlos Domínguez (b.1933 Lima)- foto de hijos de ´Desaparecidos´, 1983.
Milagros de la Torre (b.1965 Lima)
Roberto Fantozzi (b.1953 Lima)
Juan Manuel Figueroa Aznar (1878-1951)
Fernando Garreaud (1870-1929 Chile)
José Gabriel González (1875-1952 Cusco)
Philippe Gruenberg (b.1972 Lima)
Billy Hare (b.1946 Lima)
Pablo Hare (b.1972 Lima)
Jorge Heredia (b.1958 Lima)
Eduardo Hirose (b.1975 Lima)
Francisco Laso (1823-1869 Tacna)
Fernando La Rosa (b.1943 Arequipa)
Ricardo La Torre (cerca 1911)
Manuel Mancilla
Gilda Mantilla (b.1967 LA) - ´Lima*Peru´
Eugenio Maunoury
Miguel Mestres (cerca 1920-1950 Lima)
Edward Ranney
Villroy Richardson (con Courret)
Sebastián Rodríguez (1896-1968)
Javier Silva Meinel (b.1949 Lima)
Rosalind Solomon (b.1930 Illinois)
Georges B. von Grumbkow (cerca 1877)
Carlos y Miguel Vargas
Max T. Vargas (cerca 1930´s Arequipa)
Ricardo Villalba (cerca 1870)

http://museoarte.perucultural.org.pe/
fotos:
Hermanos Vargas, Plaza de Armas, Arequipa, 1929.
Martin Chambi, Qoyllur Rita, Cusco, 1924-1930.

posted by Lou @ 11:05 PM 0 comments

Santa Rosa

Procession de Santa Rosa, Lima, 1890.
Santa Rosa was the first saint of the Americas, born in Tacna, Lima!

posted by Lou @ 3:03 PM 0 comments

La Plaza de Acho

Lima has a bull-ring, la Plaza de Acho. The bullfighting season is late Octubre to late Noviembre, 3pm on Sundays. (There is also a short season in March).

Most of the matadors are spanish but the most famoso peruano matador is Rafael Castañeta and in 1993, the spanish matador Cristina Sanchez was the first woman to fight in Lima. The bullfights are advertised in all el periodicos with fotos of the matadors.

The foto was taken in 1940.

posted by Lou @ 2:48 PM 0 comments

Larcomar, Miraflores

I have less than a week now in Lima before I start travelling. I have finished editing Grupo GEA´s fotos and entered them in to a foto database. On Monday I have to give a presentation on how to take good fotos, so desperately looking up the spanish for ´bend your knees´, or ´move closer in´and ´photography is all about thinking in your head´!! Very technical expertise, of course!

posted by Lou @ 2:38 PM 1 comments

Cafe Zeta

Proper coffee in Cafe Zeta, near parque Kennedy in Miraflores.

posted by Lou @ 2:35 PM 3 comments

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

El Killers




Thanks for the fotos of the Killers, Loz and missy f milligan!! I wonder if they're coming to Lima!? I am hoping to enjoy Lima nightlife for my last weekend in the city.

posted by Lou @ 2:06 PM 3 comments

Mermelade de fresas

Making home-made strawberry mermelade with Maria en la cocina this afternoon. I was allowed to cut the strawberries in half!

posted by Lou @ 3:54 AM 3 comments

Blanquiroja!

I am now an official blanquiroja supporter- through the good times and the bad!

posted by Lou @ 3:51 AM 0 comments

Mi torta de compleanos!

Maria baked me a cake for my birthday- muy rico! Accompanied by wonderful sandwiches, earl grey te and sparkling cava in the garden. I have never celebrated my birthday on a lovely summer's evening before!!

Lucia gave me a beautiful soft baby alpaca scarf, Lucia's sister Maria-Carmel a lovely leather purse and Kevin bought me a peru football shirt!! Muy, muy amable. Estoy feliz!

posted by Lou @ 3:41 AM 0 comments

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Feliz Cumpleanos


Muchas gracias para todo el saludo de cumpleanos!!

besos
xx

posted by Lou @ 12:44 AM 0 comments

Los Derechos de la Mujer: Los Olivos

Today, I visited a Womens' centre in Los Olivos, a northern districto of Lima about an hours drive from Miraflores. In Los Olivos 30 yrs ago, the area was all owned by Haciendas and very fertile land. Now, after rapid expansion the area is built up completely and controlled by many housing associations alongside the PanAmerican Highway and hugh supermarket stores. One community often has to work with 2-3 housing associations making it difficult to get things done for the communities.


The centre works with over 2000 women providing training in personal development, manual skills and self-esteem. In peru, women on average earn 46% less than men, work in less secure occupations and are more likely to be illiterate through lack of formal education. Workshops are run focussing on a wide range of issues: human rights, sexual reproduction, health promotion, nutrition, citizenship, as well as training in hairdressing, cake-making, embroidery, knitting & sewing for income generation projects.

I spent the afternoon talking with Estrela from Solidaridad Para El Desarrollo y Milka from Los Padres de San Colombano and next Tuesday we are going to visit a womens' project in San Benito, an hours drive from Lima.

posted by Lou @ 12:11 AM 0 comments

Monday, November 27, 2006

Dia de la No Violencia contra la Mujer

Last saturday marked the day of 'No violence against women' in Lima. Groups and organisations campaigning against domestic violence and for the rights of women went to the Palacio de Gobierno to hand in a manisfesto to el presidente Alan Garcia. Amnistia Internacional en Peru have put up lots of banners around Lima.
http://www.amnistia.org.pe/


Domestic violence is a very big social problem facing peru and a report by OMS (Organizacion Mundial de la salud) makes very stark reading. It has been released that in Cusco, 1 in 10 women have suffered some act of domestic violence. It´s the second highest place in the world after Ethiopia. 42% of the women are aged between 15 and 49yrs. 69% of women from rural areas in peru suffer malnutrition.


posted by Lou @ 11:39 PM 0 comments

Los italianos en Peru 1880-1930's

El Jardin de Estrasburgo, a restaurant and Salon de te, 1900. In 1897, it held the first exhibition of cinema in Lima by Vitascope Edison (passengers on the Chilean Steam from Panama) in the presence of el presidente Nicolas de Pierola.

Lima's economy was greatly helped by the prosperous industrial immigrants from Europe, the majority of which were italians, predominately from the city of Genova, followed by the french. In 1863, there were 341 italian businesses in Peru and the wealthy upper-class italians from Genova funded the Banco de Italiano en Peru. The chinos were actually the largest immigration group and between 1849-1875 there were over a 100,000 suffering terrible conditions working in the Haciendas and in the exploitation of guano.

The italians created the 1st fire brigade company in Lima, 'Bomberos', in a building next to the old Congress building which now holds the Museo de la Inquisicion (foto 1898).



 Lima 1920's- calle towards the Monasterio of San Francisco and the Palacio Torre Tagle.

posted by Lou @ 12:16 AM 1 comments

Sunday, November 26, 2006

El Parque de la Exposicion, Lima

This sunday afternoon I have been at home in the casa reading about the 19th century history of Lima and looking through some amazing old fotos from the archives of both Courret & Eduardo Dargent Chamot, (whilst drinking italian coffee and a special treat chocolat!).

The Palacio de la Exposicion (Julio 1872) now houses the Museo de Artes, in the grounds of the Parque de la Exposicion. El presidente at the time, Jose Balta (1868-72) and the city of Lima were embracing the industrial boom (of guano) and in modernisation wanting to progress alongside cities such as London, Paris and Madrid. The Palacio de la Exposicion was used in the same way as Crystal Palace in 1851 to hold the Gran Exposicion. In the 1860's Lima had dropped its colonial street names and tried to emphasise the new Republic, at the same time Paris was revolutionising its own street planning with Hausmann's new boulevards.

El Pabellon del Presidente, 1872 (or the Glorieta Presidencial del Parque de la Exposicion). El Presidente Balta re-established constitutional rule, granted a monopoly of guano export to a french company and oversaw the new railroads. His overspending on many public and engineering works and borrowing large loans from Europe brought the country to the brink of economic collapse and in 1872 he was desposed and shot!

posted by Lou @ 11:28 PM 0 comments

Saturday, November 25, 2006

El meyor del perros!

In the 'Parque de la Exposicion' I came across the 'Kennel Club Peruana' championships!

There was a polite round of applause every time they went for a trot. The best in show.

posted by Lou @ 10:00 PM 2 comments

Cafe de Lavazza!

Muchas gracias Debbie rey de Scotland para el cafe de italiano y muchos chocolat!! What a treat! So, the peruano postal system does work!

Tina was right, the coffee here is pretty awful, (drinking nescafe instant as an expresso in Cusco was a low moment). El meyor cafe es Colombiano!

posted by Lou @ 5:05 PM 3 comments

Barranco

El bar, Barranco, Lima.

posted by Lou @ 2:26 AM 2 comments

Cerveza en el bar, Barranco

Salud!- a primero cerveza pequeno en Lima- well worth the wait! The two major breweries in Lima are Cristal y Brahma. I am in a bar in the district of Barranco next to Miraflores. Barranco is very bohemia and has a vibrant nightlife but is much smaller than Miraflores. It developed as a holiday resort for the upper classes- think Brighton!

I really like the old bar it reminds me of one of my favourite places- the cava bar in Barceloneta and I keep expecting Annie & Lindsay and Mingus the dog to walk in any second!

posted by Lou @ 2:20 AM 0 comments

El Museo de la Electricidad, Barranco

A tiny museo in the suburb district of Barranco with a small display of historical fotos of trams in downtown Lima. The railways arrived in 1871 and the trams came to Lima in 1905!


The tram is going to 'La punta', the point on the coast below the port district of Callao, where apparently they serve the best ceviche in Lima!
.

posted by Lou @ 2:09 AM 0 comments

Friday, November 24, 2006

Una mujer de inspirar

I have been very inspired by the life of the young woman Maria Elena Moyano, a community activist living in Lima. She was brutally murdered by the Shining Path in 1992 for speaking out against them. A few months later the leader Guzman was caught.

At the foto exhibition 'Yuyanapaq. Para recordar 1980-2000' there was a small room of photographs and a recording of one of her speeches. Not too sure of my film-making skills but here goes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvLklR3z__Q

posted by Lou @ 5:17 PM 0 comments

Maria y su hijo David (y el pavo)

Maria and her son David having just cooked a turkey for thanksgiving, (for Kevin my fellow house lodger, a NYorker), served with a thousand other delicious dishes!

Happy thanksgiving Nicole! Awesome.

posted by Lou @ 3:47 AM 0 comments

Palacio Torre Tagle

Built in 1730 for the Marques de Torre Tagle (Treasurer of the Spanish Royal Navy), one of the best examples of 18th century residential colonial architecture in Lima especially the carved wooden balconies on the exterior and the interior courtyard (el patio).

It's virtually impossible for people to see the courtyard of the palacio because it is now owned by the Foreign Affairs government ministry, but Lucia is a very strong and inspiring woman so I was allowed in for 5 minutes! The woodwork of the Balcones is incredibly beautiful.
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Inside el patio (the inner courtyard of the 18th century Palacio Torre Tagle), and upper-class Limenan ladies attending a carnaval, 1917.

posted by Lou @ 12:14 AM 0 comments

El Museo de la Inquisicion y del Congreso

The main hall of the building was used as a private courtroom where the members of the Inquisition Tribunal met. There's also a secret door to the Grand Inquisitor's private room, a library and torture chambers with a secret dungeon and subterranean cells. After being tortured, the prisoners were then paraded at a public trial in the plaza mayor. The wood of the intricate carved ceiling was imported from Nicaragua. I didn't understand too much of the guided tour but the lifesize wax clergymen and torture victims freaked me out completely!






The plaza mayor, Lima and a public trail of the Spanish Inquisition. Lima was the main seat of the Spanish Inquisition for all of South America from the 1560s onwards.

http://www.congreso.gob.pe/museo.htm

posted by Lou @ 12:01 AM 0 comments

Thursday, November 23, 2006

1971 anos del chinos del cerdo

Today, Lucia very kindly took me out for a chinese lunch in china-town, downtown Lima at el restaurante Wa Lok, chifas de la calle capon. We thought of her daughter and our friend Adrian who both love chinese food!

With brooding thoughts of my cumpleanos next week, for all us 1971 we are the year of 'el cerdo', apparently we're extrovert, jovial, sensual, amusing and like all people. Mmm, not sure about that one...?!

posted by Lou @ 11:49 PM 1 comments

La alcachofa


Artichoke, the Lima way, with a tangy limon and aji (chili) sauce dip.

posted by Lou @ 11:44 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

La Blanquiriojas!









Peru beat Panama 2-1, a goal in the final minutes by the 'gunner' of the moment, Alva, known as 'el artillero'! My sports photography continues to improve?! Hoping to go to a match on the weekend..

posted by Lou @ 9:43 PM 0 comments

Pastel de Polenta

Maria's home-made pastel de polenta, muy italiano.

On thursday it is Thanksgiving and we're having dinner for fellow house-lodger Kevin, from New York.

posted by Lou @ 9:26 PM 0 comments

Lima Centro: la ciudad de reyes

Calle Carabaya in the old part of downtown Lima, off the plaza de armas near the train station. Lima was founded by the spanish conquisitor Francisco Pizarro in 1535. A university opened in 1551 and Lima became the America´s seat of the Spanish Inquisition in 1569.

Art nouveau street sign. The city grew quickly and was the continent´s richest and most important town during colonial times. Following the wars of independence from Spain in the 1820´s Limas´s importance as a colonial centre faded.
The Monasterio de San Francisco, an early colonial church in Lima (17th century) and includes a convent and a square- baroque and moor influence. In 1551, the first university founded by the Spanish Crown was established in the convent, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. It holds a library of antique texts and the catacombs are home to over 70,000 burials. I can´t face the catacombs, I think I would be traumatised for the rest of my life!

The Municipalidad building (built in 1944) on the Plaza Mayor, also known as Plaza de Armas (Armas is the republican independence name but there is a return to the colonial name Mayor). A disastrous earthquake wiped out most of the city in 1746.

posted by Lou @ 9:01 PM 3 comments

Expo de graffiti: Martha Woodman

A foto exhibition of grafitti art in and around Lima held at the Municipalidad, Lima centro.

posted by Lou @ 8:53 PM 2 comments