Category: Cultural Travel

Happy Birthday John Cage

Happy Birthday John Cage from HappyHotelier on Vimeo.

This year the 100th Birthday of a famous American composer, John Cage, will be celebrated.

This Birthday cake installation for John Cage I found in an exhibition in the Museumsquartier of Vienna that I visited quite unexpectedly earlier this week. I made a small piece of video so that you get a feel of why all small loudspeakers were used to decorate the cake.

Featuring more than hundred different works, “MEMBRA DISJECTA FOR JOHN CAGE: Wanting to Say Something About John” is an homage to John Cage, whose hundred birthday is being celebrated around the world in 2012. The Latin term “membra disjecta” in the exhibition title indicates John Cage’s method of working with a scattering of elements from various sources. The subtitle refers to a multiple that John Cage created in Marcel Duchamp’s honor after his death: “Not Wanting to Say Anything About Marcel.”

If you happen to be in Vienna shortly a must visit exhibition!

Below is a trailer for an memorial of John Cage in The Hague on March 10, 2012:

Jaap van Zweden Musical America’s Conductor of the Year 2012


The Hague must be proud of its former Residentie Orchestra conductor Jaap van Zweden:

DALLAS, TX (Nov. 3, 2011) – The Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) proudly announced today that the prestigious Musical America has named DSO Music Director Jaap van Zweden its Conductor of the Year Award 2012. He has been awarded this honor for his critically acclaimed work with the DSO and for the excellence of his music-making, both in Dallas and as guest conductor with some of the nation’s most prestigious orchestras.

…

Having joined the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra as concertmaster at age 19, van Zweden spent the next sixteen years inspired and mentored by Solti, Haitink, Giulini, Harnoncourt and Bernstein. With Berstein’s encouragement, the Juilliard-trained violinist began studying conducting in the Netherlands and performed as violinist and conductor with several orchestras between 1994 and 1997. In 1997, van Zweden made his decision to conduct full time, played his last concert as a violinist with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and was named the chief conductor of the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, where he remained until 2003. In 2000, he added the music directorship of the Residentie Orchestra of The Hague to his credits, a post he held until 2005.

Originally from the Netherlands, van Zweden entered The Juilliard School in New York at age 16, as a student of Dorothy DeLay. Van Zweden is very committed to bringing awareness and acceptance to the cause of autism.

Via a tweet from the US Embassy in The Netherlands and the blog of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Flipflop Project by Florentijn Hofman (Dutch Design 59)

Fat Monkey by Florentijn Hofman
Fat Monkey by Florentijn Hofman 2
Fat Monkey by Florentijn Hofman 3
I discovered the site of Florentijn Hofman, a Dutch designer specializing in great outdoor installations. This Fat Monkey was created out of flipflops at the occasion of the Sao Paulo Pixel Show. Would you believe the ordinary flipflop could be the source (pixel) of such installation?

L.O.V.E. Maurizio Cattelan’s Finger (Street Art 18)

Via Designboom I came across Maurizio Cattelan’s finger which is on display in front of the Italian Stock Exchange in Milan. Maurizio is know for his tongue in cheek sometimes controversial art installations. The big question here is whether it is the vox populi against the bankers or the bankers against the people…Notice the two status symbols parked there, the Mini and the Fiat 500 retro editions.

The statue was created especially for and donated to Milan, but immediately refused by the city’s administrators.

‘We want to be confirmed as the capital of contemporary art’, the city’s administrators officially stated, ‘and we have to not only mediate but also accept what we do not like’.

Therefor it is only on display during the 10 days of Milan’s fashion week….

Interview Magazine has an insightful interview with the artist provocateur as the Italian Media have coined him.

Dutch Queen Beatrix will open New Car Museum in The Hague

On July 2, 2010 Dutch Queen Beatrix will open a New Car Museum in The Hague. It is practically located in the garden of her residence. It will be the new home for the Louwman Museum‘s car and art collection that will move to The Hague from its present location Rosmalen.



The Ferrari 500 Superfast Speciale of the photos was built by Ferrari on specs by the father of Queen Beatrix, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands.

As Ultimate Car page reported:

Although all Superfasts were similar in design and configuration, Enzo Ferrari was more than happy to make an exception for one of his most loyal customers, Prince Bernhard of The Netherlands. Like for all his Ferraris, the Prince specified green (Verde Pino) as the colour for his Superfast, but that’s not what makes s/n 6267 SF a ‘Superfast Speciale’. For reasons unknown he had Ferrari fit a 330 GT derived four litre engine, which was not a problem as the Superfast’s chassis was derived from the 330 GT. A special bench type front seat is fitted, designed to seat a second passenger. With no air conditioning or power steering the Prince’s Superfast is a true driver’s car, stripped from all luxuries.

In fairly original condition, it is pictured here at the 2003 Bonham’s Gstaad Ferrari Auction. It found new owner for just over 420,000 Swiss Francs. Prince Bernhard’s Superfast has found a good home in the National Dutch Auto Museum in Rosmalen, The Netherlands.

It is not very clear what name will be appropriate for the museum. The present signs name it Louwman Museum. The Louwman family who build it are car importers who started the collection. But they also acquired the Dutch National Automobiel Museum a few years back when that came in financially lesser circumstances. It’s prior name was The Louwman Collection. We will see. I wouldn’t be surprised if Louwman would get the Queen so far as to grant him permission to name the museum Royal Dutch Automobile Museum.

Personally I believe that whatever the name will be, it is very important for The Hague to get this new museum which has a unique collection of cars and car art and will be worth a visit.