Juxtaposed Harmony: Tallinn, ESTONIA.

When I first visited the Baltics in the fall, I immediately fell for the charm of Tallinn and knew it was only a matter of time before I would return. Fate found me cruising the unknown old town streets until I happened upon the Sally Studio, a dynamic school for contemporary arts... a special place with a cool mission. Furthermore, I learned that Tallinn would be the Cultural Capital of Europe for 2011, and that the Sally Studio would sponsor Eksperimenta!, a international contemporary art triennial.



As the project is aligned closely with my interests and experiences in art education, I wrote a proposal to present a workshop loosely based on the concept of synesthesia and experimenting with multi-sensoral artistry. Around the new year, I was informed that my abstract was accepted and I would be joining twelve other artists from ten countries to present at the IDEAlaboratory.















Fast forward a few months... and here I am, back in Tallinn, at the inaugural Eksperimenta! triennial, surrounded by a sea of artists and ideas. My presentation, Juxtaposed Harmony, is designed to expand the boundaries of composition to include multiple-sensoral stimuli and facets of creation. By experimenting with sound montage, mixed media installations, and , we uncover new avenues for contemporary solution.


















I'm grateful for this opportunity to exchange with so many diverse artists and to revisit such a culture-rich community. I met some incredible young students from Turkey to Korea to Latvia... all offering fresh perspective and showing great promise in the world of contemporary art development. Thank you to the Sally Studio and the Fulbright Commission, for sponsoring my workshop and offering me yet another source of inspiration.

The Great (Micro)State: Luxembourg, LUXEMBOURG

I couldn't do a legitimate Benelux tour without hitting the LUX... so I took a day-trip excursion to the lush green city-state of Luxembourg.

Though it was a (European) holiday, Easter Monday, not much was closed in this touristic city; turns out a lot of people had the same idea as me... spending some time cruising the old town, the new town, the castles, the walls, and (best of all) the parks!








One of the coolest interactions of the day was when I met this Portuguese park ranger / sculpture artist... he didn't speak any English and I don't speak any real Portuguese, so we had a long conversation about the city, his family, his work, my travels, etc. in 'Spanish' (probably a lot longer than it would've been if either of us really spoke Spanish fluently... but it was a lot of fun). I really dig finding common grounds... and when they're not there, it can be even more fun to make them... I find communication with strangers about strange things, while confusing, enlightening and inspiring.

I also had a chance to check out the contemporary art museum: Casino Luxembourg. They had some really intriguing exhibits... I spent most of my time viewing these video installations in conjunction with Pascal Grandmaison... they were outta sight!

Host of the EU, Host With the Most: Brussels > Bruges, BELGIUM

Three days in Belgium, and everything went (better than) as planned. For starters, in a city that gets as much rain as Portland, we happened to experience the sunniest days of the year... it was, in fact, it set a record for being the warmest city in all of Europe one of the days we were there (and that never happens in Brussels)! But the weather was only the beginning of the warmth I felt in Belgium.

I have been incredibly fortunate with all of my hosts along my travels this year; I've met some amazing people and been welcomed by super kind locals in each of the cities. Continuing with my great streak... I haven't ever met more generous strangers than my new friends Marie-Françoise and Jean-Jacques in Brussels. My friend Trish put me in touch with her long-time friends and we hit it off right away. In just three days with them, they made me feel so welcome that I felt like I was part of their family.

Marie-Françoise cooked for me every single meal, even when I wasn't around... she just wanted to have food ready for me when I got back 'home.' They treated me to a personal walking tour (concentrating on the rich art-nouveau architecture of the city, much credited to Victor Horta), authentic Belgian-style waffles, chocolate, ales, cheeses, and filled in the gaps with great conversation and quality time at their place in Schuman (right in the mix, near the EU headquarters, etc)...

One afternoon, Jean-Jacques took us to one of his favourite beer halls; tucked in a side alley (off of tourist row): A La Becasse. We did the tasting tour of four fine belgian ales and then... on my fifth... I discovered my new favourite beer in the world: Gueuze Cantillon. Coincidentally, Jean-Jacques has family ties to this organic lambic and I was convinced to give it a try... and it wasn't just because it was my fifth beer of curiously strong Belgian notoriety... because I tried it again the next day and was equally impressed!












On Easter morning, I found myself in the city center at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula... wow... a pretty special place to happen upon, and a great way to start the days' adventures to Brugge. Bruges (English spelling) is a gorgeous medieval town in the Flemish region (northwest Belgium)... and another prominent World Heritage Site of UNESCO!










I could go on and on about my stay in Belgium (and, I'm sure I may in conversation), but for now, I'm trying to catch up on journaling... so I must leave my words short... and let the photos tell more of the story...