The Rough Skin of the Elephant
Posted: December 3, 2015 | Author: zoowithoutanimals | Filed under: Art, Photography | Tags: animals, barcelona, bear, Catalan, elephant, escaped animals, flix, free animals, gazelle, giraffe, patric marin, rhino, rhinoceros, tapir, Tarragona, toucan, zoo, zoo without animals, zoowithoutanimals | Leave a commentThe Rough Skin of the Elephant (La piel ruda del elefante, 2013-2015) is the title of a series by the Catalan photographer Pàtric Marín which pictures surprising scenarios of animals escaped from the zoo and trapped inside various spaces in a city – a parking lot and other charmless locations. The photographs caught my attention immediately, apart from being thoroughly well executed, moving, and tragic, they are in perfect harmony with zoowithoutanimals. They are wonderful, see for yourself:

Raül and Emma

Wake up, Glòria!

Jordi, learn to fly please!

Ismael, reflection is for idiots

Rita hangs by a thread

Xavier, go out of here!

Artur’s sad job

The end or the beginning

Josep, what do you want?
See more of Pàtric’s work in Fotografia a Catalunya
CaboSanRoque
Posted: May 21, 2015 | Author: zoowithoutanimals | Filed under: Art, Music, Performance/Installation, Zoowithoutanimals writes about Art | Tags: arts santa monica, band, barcelona, cabosanroque, Catalan, cobla patafisica, instruments, jazz, musicians | Leave a commentCaboSanRoque is a Catalan band which has been performing for 14 years and has released 6 albums, but beyond that they are “sound collectors” and artists. The experimental instruments they create are works of art, they look nothing like the compact and streamlined musical instruments we are used to seeing. These are large, complex machines made from scrap objects, including tape measures, shells, typewriters, hockey masks, a cow skull, and even a washing machine making a gentle hum. The objects are assembled into crazy mechanisms which, when activated, create an array of sounds that range from the beautiful to the strange: clicking, squeaking, banging, rattling, hissing and more. The effect is a wild and jazzy orchestra.
The fascinating contraptions are reminiscent of Michel Gondry‘s films The Science of Sleep and Mood Indigo. These films create surreal worlds which are full of bizarre inventions, like the “Pianocktail,” a piano programmed to mix and dispense cocktails. The setting created in this exhibition was similarly surreal and very magical. Whether you were walking around the room observing the strange instruments, or lying on the floor, eyes closed, immersed in the sounds around you, you were likely to experience a sort of trance.