Archive for the tag video
The mascletá correguda
Urban spaces at the origins of a tradition
The mascletá as we know it today seems to have its origin in an act of movement: the mascletá correguda or ‘runned mascletá’. In the mascletá correguda, long strings with fireworks (the so-called traca) are disposed along the streets of a village or neighbourhood. The fireworks are lit at one extreme and explode all along the way, allowing people to run under the exploding fireworks or along with it, ‘accompanying the fire’.
Misty
by Erroll Garner
The mascletá
A symphony of explosions
The mascletá is a (mostly) daytime firework show consisting on rythmic sound explosions. It is based in the use of the so-called ‘masclet’ (a kind of powerful firecracker), whose explosion receives the name of ‘thunder’. The word’s etimology lies in the Valencian word for ‘male’. It is probably related to the loudness of the sound, what was considered masculine, and to the fact that these fireworks explosions were dedicated exclusively to holy men; whereas celebrations for holy women had a lighter, more feminine character. The origin of the mascletá lies probably in the purifying character of black powder, to scare evil spirits. Today, mascletás are common in weddings and other celebrations.
The mascletá is a very austere show, it has no colours or shapes to decorate, it is based on the beauty of the pure explosion. It normally lasts for 5 to 10 minutes and follows a strict order. In this sense, we can consider them authentic symphonies of noise.
Hedgehog in the fog
Hedgehog in the Fog (Ёжик в тумане, Yozhik v tumane) is a 10′ 1975 Soviet animated film directed by Yuri Norshteyn. Dreamlike and deceptively simple animated story of how a curious little hedgehog takes a detour through the mysterious fog on the way to see his friend Bear, gets lost and finds his way out again. Hegdehog in the fog’s main theme is the concept of Enlightment and release from the mist of civilization. It is considered one of the best animated films of all time.
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