Snapped

My favourite art books are photography compendiums - heavy coffee table collections where the grainy faces stare out from the pages with the same immediacy as the moment they were caught on camera.

The Family of Man is a really classic collection. The photos are completely timeless and the beautiful images make up a groundbreaking series that set the scene for the development of photojournalism as an art - which raises a whole new host of questions. If you are interested in this debate, visit the Pulitzer Prize Photography exhibition at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.. The photos are jarring, and there is a series of short interviews with some of the winners who discuss how they captured the event on film, and what it feels like to have their image - often a private moment of pain and suffering - achieve international acclaim.

On This Site is an eerie series of now vacant landscapes where heinous crimes once occurred. Thumbing through is uncomfortably compelling. The unsettling experience speaks to the power of photos beyond the image, and it presents an interesting alternative to the frozen action of photojournalism.

A photography book that thrives on words as much as images is Homeless. Portraits of street-dwellers in San Francisco are accompanied by the words of the subjects themselves. They range from schizophrenic rants on being chased by the FBI, to heartrending tales of abandonment, abuse and escape. Sometimes it is hard to discern between the two, and the photographer offers no further explanation, save the weary faces of the subjects.


To India With Love is a visual explosion that combines snazzy graphic design with artistic motifs and classic photographs. The book is a sensory treat that captures the vibrant colors, fragrant smells and exotic sounds of India between it's pages. The collection is designed as homage to the nation in the wake of the Mumbai terrorist attacks,and the pages are punctuated with 'love letters' from actors, artists and designers who have fallen in love with the country. Perhaps an overly nostalgic and unrealistic view of India, the book nevertheless captures the ongoing romance and optimism of a country so rich in history and tradition, as it enters the modern world, full throttle.

In Case You Felt Rushed

Today was a national holiday in Buenos Aires in accordance with the new Bank Holiday Law. The city was off work, and the banks weren't functioning; hardly ground breaking news. On the other hand, there were no national protests blocking traffic, so for once everyone could actually make it to work.

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner circumvented Congress with a presidential decree in order to increase the number of 'feriados' or bank holidays per year. It was obviously a matter of national urgency, which is all too obvious in a country where ordering a coffee takes a whole day and the parks look like fairgrounds - on a monday. Nevertheless it was an important political move: I'm never one to pass judgement. Click here to read why.

And when you're done, here are a couple snap shots of park life in Buenos Aires. Yeah, wish you were here?

This is how we do it, do it! Excercise Class, BA styleeee

uno, dos, TRES! Work it muchachas!

Just a regular park day

For the Latin Lover in you. Or, if you're lucky, for your Latin Lover.

This is tame for BA Roller Bladers. Usually they're an army on wheels.

And of course...there's always time for spotting a mullet!

A Review of Reviews

A few weeks ago I went to La Embajada Bar to write a review for the 54 Historical Bars series in the paper. It was a complete dump and I totally wouldn't recommend it. Thats why you should totally read my review.

And if we're talking reviews, here's a quick round up of the first glacier museum in Latin America, opening this week in Argentina. I didn't actually go because it's miles away in Southern Patagonia, but I did write a review of the man behind the endeavour. Click here to decide for yourself whether that was worthwhile.

A Hallow's Eve Past

So. Halloween may have come and gone. But I don't exactly move with the times (you may have gathered that when all my blog entries appeared on the same day). Even so, here's a little something to get you in the mood, or at least remind of you of spooky times, long gone.

My offering for The Argentina Independent's Top 5 Section. And you all thought I wanted to be a serious journalist.

With Recoleta Cemetery gracing the cover of many guidebooks, Buenos Aires has always existed along side the dead. But lurking behind every postcard is a far spookier past. Presenting the cities’ top five haunted places; a tour through the legends of the underworld, as told by the spirits themselves… (click to read on)

Recoleta Cemetary: Buenos' Aires' very own city of the dead

Where the Heart Is

If there's anything I've learnt since being in Argentina, its how much I love, love, LOVE Mexico. I definitely want to live in Mexico one day; it's so spirited and so Latin. A whirl of bright colors, spicy smells, zesty rhythms, endless energy. Its become a mild (more than mild) obsession since arriving here, much to the dismay of my friends who have been subjected to the below song on repeat, for weeks on end now. I think this passage from a Lonely Planet sums it up perfectly, and is a really good piece of writing.

Be careful: Veracruz is intoxicating. Scantily clad, she adorns herself in sea shells, permeates car exhaust and casually testifies her sordid colonial past. She’ll gladly share her last taco with you and just as gladly take your last peso. Usually you’ll find her swiveling to salsa, boozing, or laughing at her own joke. She gives her inhabitants, the ever-proud and doggedly faithful jarochos, a place to fall in love on her sweltering shores saturated with mariachis, seaside cafés, trova, and explosive sunsets. And for the broken-hearted, she offers miles of coastline boulevard for solitary rambling – save during her raucous Carnaval, which rocks Mexico. Whatever the case may be, Veracruz, both regal and trashy, could make even the most stoic bloke wax poetic.

I love this piece of writing - the personification of Veracruz is so evocative; sharing her last taco, and taking your last peso, her sordid colonial past, regal and trashy, etc I think it's great, and if it doesn't make you want to go to Mexico I don't know what will. I could go on.













While we're on the subject, check out this song; it also fits perfectly. The fact that it's just off tune makes it even better.

Doggy Dos and Paw Pedis: Porteños and their Pups

There is nothing Porteños like more than walking their dogs. Certainly man's best friend, the dogs here are treated to 'doggy dos' (hair treatments), paw pedis, and 'ruff robes' (nothing short of a ballgown).

Professional dog walkers clean up well, making a decent living carting the pooches of the wealthy across the palm tree boulevards - often ten at a time. What they don't clean up, however, is the dog poo. It is literally everywhere, turning a stroll through the city into a veritable ballet.

Here at Cerviño 3981, we have our very own dog... 'Dom,' or maybe 'Dominic.' I can't say I'm a fan. Sometimes he pees on my floor. Sometimes he eats the cat food (yes we have one of them too). Either way, i'm less than enamoured. I clearly don't have what it takes to be a Porteño.

That's alot of doggies


Who are they waiting for?


This professional dog walker spent the whole time on his phone.