Red Flowers in Memoriam

How much I admire a person with a gift. Not the mundane kind of gift like when you have a talent to make money or to memorize the yellow pages, but the sort of gift that transforms an individual into a unique person, a historical character, a reference for generations to come. Most people have to die first so others become aware of their imprint on history but a few are lucky enough to leave this world with the satisfaction of not being just a number but an idea, a spirit, a name, flowing in the stream of the collective mind till the end of times. I did not have any particular reason to post these red flowers today but one item of news called my attention this morning: Luciano Pavarotti dies at 71. One single headline lost in a sea of tragic stories but ladies and gentlemen we should rise and give his eternal soul a stand-up ovation and throw a thousand red flowers in memoriam.
Una Furtiva Lagrima - Luciano Pavarotti

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Keith Richards and Woody Allen - Paper Mache - Barri Gotic, Barcelona

Is it possible to see Keith Richards and Woody Allen in Barcelona, both in the same room, considering that the only thing in common that they have is they are weird and play an instrument? 

I had the chance to live such mystic experience in front of a souvenir shop in Barri Gotic, but both celebrities were made of paper mache. I had my doubts with Keith though!. Keith cost about 220 euros as I read on the tag hanging from his "cigarrette". 

Don't say it wouldn't be great to have one of these somewhere around the house just for the fun of it, if affordable of course.

Palau Sant Jordi Sports Center and Concert Hall in Montjuic, Barcelona

Palau Sant Jordi, not far away from the tower in yesterday's post (yes, that white tip is not on the roof) is a totally different building both in design and functionality. This time we are facing a wide almost square building (see the Palau Sant Jordi on Google Earth) that in spite of looking big standing at the entrance, seems to be terribly flat from the distance as proportions are deceiptful in the enormous square of the Olympic ring on Montjuic Hill (check Palau Sant Jordi in an old post to see what I mean). Palau Sant Jordi was meant to be a sports center and as such was inaugurated in 1992 for the Olympic Games in Barcelona. Nevertheless, designers were wise enough to conceive the facilities as a multiuse space that can shift from a skating rink to a tennis court, a swimming tank, a basketball court and what's best, an important concert hall where famous bands and singers have performed. The building was designed by the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki & Associates. Find out about what other important works by Arata Isozaki here: Arata Isozaki & Associates via Emporis.

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