Århus Guerrilla

A new movement for those that still believe that there is a hope in this asphalt jungle...

...has taken the streets of Århus

Like small Spring miracles...

...these gardening warriors are not afraid of the challenges...

...hanging their works from the river walls or invading crowded urban spaces...

...to create small pieces of art for our everyday life

More info (in Danish) on: http://centerforurbankunst.dk/

White smile

Finally, the snow flakes fall down, hiding the concrete and lighting up our town and our minds...

Time stands still in Åboulevarden

Sometimes we feel like if time was frozen...

...like in Åboulevarden, where the clock above always tells that it's 10:35. Summer or winter, even in the old pictures...

That's why we should not trust clocks, because sometimes they try to confuse us, telling so many different times as the Danish design clocks below, also on the riverside..

We won't believe them, no matter if Arne Jacobsen has created them for the National Bank of Denmark or for the Aarhusian city hall. Cause it's only 4 PM and there is still some light outside, and the days start to grow again in this mild January...

In a little while the city lights will show their supremacy in the urban landscape...

...drawing impressionist pictures on the water...

...until the morning sun comes

Århus by night

One of the things I love most from Århus is its dark sky at night, that let you enjoy the view of the stars even from the city center

When the days become shorter, Aarhusians love to light the cold winter nights with candles...

...but when everyone goes to bed, the only lights alive are the neon ones, that conquer the city in silence...

...winning the battle against the souls of the Spanish soldiers that long time ago gave its name to  a place called Spanien...

Fantasy pearl tree

Can you imagine my surprise when I found this magic tree during a walk in Vennelyst Park today?

Like a Christmas tree in autumn, full of colorful and funny ornaments, from transparent marine creatures...

...to modern everyday objects...

I wonder if all this has anything to do with Perleplade Syndikatet...
Maybe Århus has got its own OEPS crew, the 2 girls that became popular by making "pearl grafiti", a very original and interesting form of street art.
You can visit this link for more pictures and a Danish article about pearl graffiti.

Guide for the "new poor"

"Catharsis" or "emotional cleansing", this is what I felt when I came out from the cinema today after watching The Good Life by Eva Mulvad, in the Nordisk Panorama film festival.

This tragicomic documentary shows the everyday life of two Danish women, mother and daughter, living in the beautiful Portuguese town of Cascais. They used to be rich but they are "the new poors" now, unable to adapt themselves to their new reality and living stuck in the sweet memories from a lost past that will never come back...

"Work is still a taboo word for me", says Anne Mette to her mother, when they are unable to pay the rent because they only have 20 € to spend the rest of the month.
Later on she tells us that "the new poors are doing worse than the new richs", complaining all the time about their bad fate and blaming on her parents because they never told her how to survive on her own in real world...

Anyway, Anne Mette still shows a good sense of humor, being social and able to enjoy the small things of life from time to time.

That's why I've decided to write this small guide for the "new poors":

1. Walk on the sunny side of the street

2. If it's rainy and you prefer to stay at home, read that book that you never finished, with a cup of your favorite tea / coffee.

3. Open the window, breath deep and smile.

4. Talk to that stranger that smiled at you in the street the other day

5. Drop fast food and buy something new in the market, for the price of cheap street food, you can cook something special at home

6. Call to that friend that always makes you laugh

And remember: The best things in life are for free!

Let's move!

The people from Århus can be quite original and they express their personality even when choosing their modes of transport. Look at the following pictures, I'm sure you'll find something to your taste too.

For the rockabilly...

For the francophile...

For the Barbie girl...

For the gentleman...

For the Mediterranean...

For Popeye...

For the cowboy...

For the green mind...

For the dreamer...

And for the free spirit...