Cover Connections Winter issue 2008
First
published in the Connections magazine #22
Winter 2009
View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)
Thursday 10 June 2010
Connections Magazine - Autumn #21 2008
Cover Connections Autumn issue 2008
View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)
Intelligent Fridges
Are the new
‘must have’ techno inventions of today really necessary or are we just being
manipulated into believing that we need all this?
I remember
the uproar when the old vinyl disc was replaced by the compact disc, and the
perturbed few who realized that they could never ‘not be at home’, any more
with the introduction of the mobile phone. But what seems to have followed is a
conveyor belt of new inventions, which I doubt the necessity of. Added to the
blackberry, iPod, Mp3 player and iPhone there is also an intelligent fridge!
Well I
suppose it could well be true. This mammoth fridge, not only keeps your food
cool, makes ice cubes, is self-cleaning, and due to a cunning little strip
underneath each product knows how much milk is left. It then tells you when to
buy a new pack. Pretty handy, one may never have to write another shopping list
again. It also has a built-in screen for TV and Internet—Hooray! I may never
have to leave my kitchen again.
Don’t worry
about not having ever to think again, this will be compensated for by the fact
that one regularly trains ones brain with the brain trainer programmes offered
by a Nintendo DS Lite.
For those of you as cynical as me there’s a super short story called ‘The
Machine Stops’ by E. M. Forster, which shows what could happen
to the human race if we continue along this tack. But having said that, in a
couple of years I will probably be the proud owner of one, once I’ve bought a
bigger house of course.
View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)
Myriam Berenschot - Illustrations
When asked,
Myriam defines herself mainly as a teacher, offering painting and illustration
workshops, but she also works as an illustrator on commission for her own
pleasure.
Schooled at
the Academy Minerva in Groningen, she started by following illustration,
graphics and abstract painting, but later decided to add a teacher-training
course to the mix to broaden her prospects for the future. Finishing with a
first class honours in 1992, she then decided to head off to Indonesia for a
six-week break with two other colleagues.
Upon their
return to the Netherlands the three of them set up their own studio in central
Groningen. As well as pursuing their own work, they offered and developed a
range of classes from beginners to advanced, for both adults and children.
During this time Myriam was also busy giving portrait and watercolour classes
at the Volksuniversiteit in Zuidlaren, Drenthe as well as painting workshops at
children’s’ birthday parties.
The studio
was put on hold in 1998, with the life changing arrival of new members to the
various families coupled with moves to new houses and neighbourhoods. During
this period Myriam continued with her own work and started making decorative
coat racks on commission. She enjoyed being able to work on a smaller scale
again by choice and left abstraction by the wayside choosing to go back to her
preference of painting realistic and detailed works.
By 2005, and
with her youngest daughter Ella in school, Myriam decided to pick up where she
had left off and start up the painting workshops for children again. This she
has been doing ever since at the neighbourhood playground association: Het
Buurt & Speeltuinvereniging Helpman Oost ‘De Helpen’. Shortly, she will be
branching out to include evening classes for adults. Also, she plans to resume
the painting workshops for children’s’ birthday parties. Other work has
included illustrating the plans for landscape designers, as well as giving
drawing lessons for the SKC (after school reception) and illustrating a nursery
school newspaper.
For the future, Myriam is in the process of joining
forces with a couple of colleagues, each with a different creative discipline
to her own. She says, instead of being an island in one’s discipline, as so
many artists seem to be these days, she wants to see more of a mix between art
and music and intends to achieve this through her liaison with them. This could
pave the way to a whole new genre of workshop.
If you're interested in seeing more of Myriam’s
work, or finding out more about her workshops: Myriam
Berenschot
View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)
Dance is in!
Keeping fit
doesn’t always have to mean going slavishly to the gym, dressed in this
season’s lycra mishap, baseball cap crammed down as far as it will go (to
remain incognito), and acting like a demented hamster on a conveyor belt, in
order to fight the flab!
There are
other activities to hand, which can be fun, keep you fit and happy and help to
keep your social skills sharp as well. Have you ever thought of taking a dance
class? No, I don’t mean attempting to relive Flash Dance under the pretext of
being ‘discovered’ as the new dance hottie in town. There are a multitude of
dance opportunities on offer such as Ballroom dancing, Salsa, Tango, Quickstep,
Cha-cha-cha and even Belly dancing. Dancing is for everyone young and old. It
seems, and I have this from an informed source, that ballroom dancing is also
all the rage here, amongst the student population. Yes, surprising as this
information may seem students these days are also looking for active
distraction too.
So, let’s
take a look at a few and see what's out there
Ballroom
dancing covers several differently styled dances requiring a partner, the idea
originating in Germany. Skillful interaction between two people in a partnership
of dance means that its popularity not only continues as a form of social
dancing for events and parties, but is also part of the competitive dance arena
the world over, both for performance dance and entertainment.
Salsa
originates in the Caribbean (particularly in Cuba and Puerto Rico), Latin and
North America. The music is not surprisingly salsa music, which also has a
strong African influence. Again a partner dance with the sporadic solo steps
and group interaction, with partner change included.
‘Salsa’ is
the Spanish word for sauce. This spicy dance is flirtatious and sensuous. A
well-known dance school for this is Salsa Roy in Groningen (Dutch)
The passionate and intimate dance for two, the Tango was originally known
as tango criollo or simply tango. It
originated in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Montevideo, Uruguay, as a result of a
music genre by the same name, originating in South America. One of the many
tango styles of today, the popular Argentinean style can be recognized due
to its melodic nature and the use of percussion to break up any heavy accents. What many consider to be the authentic tango is that
which is closest to that originally danced in Argentina and Uruguay.
Belly
dancing is a western term for a traditional Middle Eastern dance form. In
Arabic, Raqs Sharqi is literally
translated as ‘oriental’, ‘national’ or ‘folk’ dance. The origins of the term originate in Egypt. In Greece and the Balkans,
belly dance is known as tsiftetelli.
Belly dancing is ‘uniquely designed for the female body, with an
emphasis on abdominal muscles, hip moves, and chest moves. It is firm and
earthy, traditionally with bare feet connected to the ground. It is a dance
characterized by smooth, flowing, complex, and sensual movements of the torso,
alternated with shaking and shimmy type moves’.
Should you
be interested in taking up belly dancing: Aina Danst offers
courses for people at all levels, including the possibility of a proof lesson.
Source: Wikipedia
First
published in the Connections magazine #21
Autumn 2008
View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)
The Noorderzon Festival
If you
haven’t been to the Noorderzon Performing Arts Festival yet, you should do so.
Every year for ten days in August this festival takes over the Noorderplansoen
(park), is in various theatres and other venues in the inner city of Groningen
and provides a varied and entertaining crossover theatre festival.
This year the
festival celebrated its 18th year. Each year it grows in popularity and
with a diversity of things on offer to do or see, and appeals to a wide
audience.
Entrance to
the part is free. There is a mixture of free and ticketed things to see. It
seems that this year two thirds of the program comes from abroad, and dues to
limitations the inner city location have more on offer this year.
The
diversity of the program includes theatre, dance, multimedia, film, video and
circus to name but a few.
The Romeo
and Juliet tents house bigger acts such as circuses or thought-provoking
theatre. Then there are the metal containers that house anything from quirky
little acts, to artists and designers. This year’s theme seemed to be more than
ever before about re-cycling, with some amazing results. Old pliers and iron
welded together became an unusual lampshade, or a small dog sitting patiently
waiting for its owner. Elsewhere, you could bring any article of your clothing
to one stall to have it ‘pimped’ with an original silkscreen design.
One
attraction I particularly liked was the ‘Pocket Garden’. A caravan had been
turned into a small garden and filled with plants and flowers. The outside of
it was pretty funky too!
As always
there is world food and drink available in tents and terraces to suit every
palate. In the evening the whole place is lit up with bulbs and trees are
illuminated by green lamps, whilst videos are projected onto a three-screened
object, which floats on one of the areas of water in the park.
For children
there is always loads to do, painting activities are on offer and this year
large paintings with cut outs where the heads should be were great for photo
opportunities.
For more on the festival, visit their website – Noorderzon
View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)
Thursday 3 June 2010
Connections Magazine - Summer #20 2008
Cover Connections summer issue 2008
The
tumbleweed summers of the Northern Netherlands.
View all issues of Connections HERE (editor, designer, illustrator: 2006-2013)
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