2011: Felices Fiestas / Happy Holidays

Airview of Nampula, Mozambique

2011.. tis almost over and as always so much life has transcended, so much life (allah inshallah) yet to transcend and live. I am sitting today here in Sao Paulo, with a leg up given my recent ankle twist. And although the year is closing here with a sad note, Cesaria Evora died this past week – one of my first introductions to African music – there is yet so much to live…

And this year began in Africa, in Mozambique to be more exact as has begun many a times in the last few years. I went to visit the house, and principally the children that had made so much progress with the wonderful leaders of AZLera’s Project Ocean, Freddie / Margarida / Max / James / Joao (www.azlera.org) . As always, arriving into Nampula from Maputo, the huge African sky opens up and once again I am “home” in Africa. Upon arriving, I heard of the tragic news of Malangatana’s death, the famed painter of the revolution. I went down to the Museu Nacional de Arte, in the Av. Guerra Popular, where many years before I had first come up upon his paintings. Below is not one of Malangatana’s paintings I believe, but this one made me think of him.

Museu Nacional de Arte, Maputo

It was a short sejour in Africa, before once again I had to return to Lajeado, Rio Grande do Sul, amongst chickens in the factory. 

Laying-hen farm, Lajeado, RS

Learned much once again about leadership and patience. My character was tested in such varied forms while in Lajeado; maybe come to think of it, the destination was a point of necessary catharsis, “away” from the city center.

Chickens, Lajeado, Rio Grande do Sul (Brasil)

I left Lajeado in late February,  having arrived there during the previous summer. I had to move one more time – one of many over the last 23 years- with a few cardboard boxes and a small van to Sao Paulo. I knew not what awaited in the “city”. I arrived fresh eyed to a small hotel room, and feeling as my first day in Hong Kong many years ago. Following then, similar steps, I took my camera and walked out the door, to explore. Sao Paulo: And if I could sum up the city? I would describe it as an urban gritty landscape, where beauty is intermingled with the detritus and needs to be dug, dug up from amongst the rubble.

Rua Augusta, Sao Paulo

A few days later, I took up housing in a small pousada, called Pousada Zilah in the Jardins neighborhood. I felt not unlike Maneck Kolah, one of the main characters in Rohinton Mistry’s novel A Fine Balance, taking up housing chez the “tati” (at least in name). Testing my wings at least for a few days, went to Merida, Mexico for my friend Sergio’s wedding and for exploration. In particular, had been keen on seeing Ruta Puuc outside of Merida. “Angkor Wat”-like buildings with elephantine stuccos of none other than Tlaloc, god of rain in the Mayan and Aztec pantheons.

Ruta Puuc, Merida

The route, the solitude and room for thought in the road concocted a toxic brew of freedom that allowed for uncontained expression. Amongst ruins and shadows, I wrote, I drew, I dreamt. Dreamt of the future, not of the past. Of what Mexico can be, with such rich history, too optimistic to think of what had been lost. The Time is Always Now – the name of the first exhibition I attended (twas Peter Beard’s), my first year in NY in ’98 in Broome Street in Soho – still fresh in my mind after all these years.

Ruta Puuc, Merida

“Yet knowing how way leads unto way”, one of my favourite phrases of my oft-quoted Frost preferred poem. Coming back to Sao Paulo, I moved around, looked for a “suitable” house and moved in soon enough to settle into my new surroundings. I had yet to settle when I was again active in a turnaround project with the wonderful Thoreau team that I have come to so deeply appreciate and trust, Jimmy, Jorge, Eduardo and Daiana. Since then the year took a life of its own with work taking precedent. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the constant visits from my brother Christopher, my parents & middle brother Oliver and wife Lana, Beatrix, whom stayed here for a about 1.5 months on an architectural project and Margarida amongst others.

Christopher & Beatrix

Luna arrived sometime in May, 5 months old according to the people at the adoption center; this means that she will be 1 year old on January '12.  Here she is in her first days at the house. Despite been much larger, she has not stopped chewing since, yet has proven a wonderful teacher. 

Luna, first days

Austral winter quickly arrived and the time to get things done kept ticking, internal urging to move on projects long postponed. So after much back and forth at some point in August found myself in Portland, Oregon housed chez Peter, his wonderful wife Jennifer and Mateo – the kid that has gotten to the end of knowledge. The purpose was to work on a short film along with a wonderful crew made up of a beautiful African-American woman and a coterie of young and eager actors. The experience was fantastic; we are still awaiting for the prelim results, yet I want to do it again. 

Mateo & Actor on set

The Oregon stay was but a few days, before heading back to Sao Paulo. At some point in September, after some tribulations in one of the assets, and as always par chance, came to lead of one of the companies in the fund, the famed luxury brand in Brazil – Daslu (www.daslu.com.br).  There was much work to do with an already sleepless body, was a bit ill-prepared during the first days, yet the team and I divided 100% into it. I have enjoyed it, the team @ Daslu is wonderful and creative. Have found sartorial freedom amongst the back-offices of this most feminine company.

I managed to squeeze 5 days in Europe in the fall (our austral spring) to attend the AZLera fundraiser led by the team. I headed one night to Paris to visit David and Thomas, my long standing Parisian lawyer friends from UCLA and then  2 days in Copenhagen, Denmark. I had been wanting to visit the city to see its famed progressiveness. And progressive it was, with its ubiquitous bicycle paths, open and kempt open spaces. If I had to choose a lemma for the city? I would say: 

Can Design Save the World? No, but it can help

Exhibit on Design Thinking, Danish Design Center (Copenhagen)

I have been now at Daslu for almost 13 weeks. I find myself now in December, a few days from year’s end.  Once again like every year, I have not much to say but thank you. Thank you for sharing your time, your knowledge, your friendship. Allah inshallah we can see each other in ’12 at some point. I will stay in SP since I am in crutches after a silly fall I had 2 weeks ago. Yet will try to head to the land that has come to also become a part of me and have named now Tlalli. Tlalli is in Vale da Prata, distrito de Mirantao, in the interior of  Minas Gerais, its mornings the most mysterious with my family that visits.

Tlalli, Vale da Prata, MG

Once again, thank you and Happy Holidays,

 

Ws + Luna