Grand Lake Farmers Market

On the way of our morning run in Oakland (CA), we found a local farmers market. We purchased some organic veggies and handmade pasta for dinner. They are so fresh and yummy! This market has lots of energy.

http://www.splashpad.org/farmersmkt.html

Every Saturday at Splash Pad Park in Oakland, CA, U.S.A.

Mustafa's Atelier

We were very lucky to meet Mustafa through a friend. He is a Moroccan Artist living and working in the old medina of Casablanca.

We spent a day with him starting off with mint tea at a cafe, then a stroll through the medina and some art making in his atelier. He works on projects and his own art making during the day and teaches children in the afternoon. He is very passionate about spreading the love of art to children who may not have access to it, it was really inspiring...even to hear some local kids come knocking at his door that afternoon... Mustafa!

This is Mustafa.

The picture above and below is his favourite building. We don't speak French or Arabic, and he doesn't speak English or Japanese, but we had Italian in common. He would say "come bellissima é questo blu....é bellissima'

The atelier.

He is very inspired by the colours of the medina. The old walls with layers and layers of peeling colour, tiles and his own childhood memories growing up in the medina.

Grazie mille Mustafa!

Yumi Takahashi online exhibition at the virtual Guggenheim Bilbao

"THE LIGHTNESS OF HAPPINESS"

yumi takahashi online art exhibition 2011 at virtual Guggenheim Bilbao

dear plastic's new project "online art project #1" starts today. the artist yumi takahashihas her art exhibition at the world famous museum Guggenheim Bilbao in the virtual world.

we hope you enjoy our new project.

the other side of Casablanca

(to my right is a slum, to my left is a 5 star restaurant)

the slum/ shanty town areas are hidden behind cement walls

We visited Casablanca in Morocco. We loved our first experience in North Africa. The food, the people, the language, the culture...Our 2 week stay barely skimmed the surface of this amazing culture but we are so excited to delve deeper into this exciting world.

Besides the common visual images of Morocco: beautiful tiles, carpets and mint tea, we were surprised to be confronted by the other side. Air pollution, littering, shanty towns and plastic (!).

The city felt like one big contradiction. Slums next to 5 star hotels and top restaurants. Trash scattered everywhere, chaos, pollution outside but immaculate spaces inside.

There seemed to be a misconception in attitude: the bigger the car, the bigger the house, the more you waste, the wealthier, more powerful you are. Plastic and it's "throw-away" attitude was everywhere... there seems to be this idea that excess symbolises wealth, that same feeling that advertising in the 60's was portraying...and plastic is one thing everyone can use in excess.

There is no recycling system. The poor go through household trash on the side of the streets and they are the only form of recycling in Morocco... pulling out bottles and re-selling them. There is no understanding or education Re: the environment and ideas of sustainability.

At the moment the city is busy "re-building" Casablanca, with plans for it to become the next Abu Dhabi.

Moroccan houses are immaculate, they are like opening a door into paradise after experiencing the pollution in the streets.

There is a big contradiction between the inside and the outside. My inner world and your other world. It was extreme in Morocco but you see it in other countries too... possibly in more subtle ways, but it exists.

It feels as if we need to find a way of re-connecting this inner and outer and then maybe we would treat the outer world with as much respect as our inner world?

'We are all connected, we are all related, there is no I and the other, I am the other, the other is me' Satish Kumar

collaborative consumption

I recently finished reading "What's mine is yours: a rise in collaborative consumption"

An exciting concept that is spreading all around the world.

You can watch Rachel Botsman, the author, talk about the concept here:

Rachel Botsman Author and Social Innovator from theme media on Vimeo.

Find out more here

You can even swap, barter or pass on a copy of the book with their "book tracker" system through the website.

100% hand-making= the best travellers companion

Hand sewing and knitting has become my best friend, keeping me company during long flights and train trips.

Dress fabric from mina perhonen.

Knitted bra and singlet kits from Wool and the Gang.

sun bleached hydrangeas & co

Another floral post...but I couldn't resist. Getxo, being a coastal town, is covered with hydrangeas. They are everywhere, beautiful, bountiful and wild.