Author: Kate Wilson

Visca Frida!

~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

Last week we looked at the work of Frida Kahlo. None of the children had heard of her and most of my knowledge came from the film so it was interesting to read more and to experiment with ideas from her work. Obviously some of the more gory details were not really suitable for 4 and 5 year olds but the general idea of someone who looked inside herself and painted from her own life and experiences was interesting to them all.
We talked about memories – happy and sad ones – then made little dramas to act out in the show. Each child chose the actors to play the different parts – usually of their parents, sisters and brothers and grandparents. Funny how many memories included a swimming pool!
They each did a self portrait, including their heart and the cords emerging from it which led to bubbles with drawings of the memories and important things in their lives.
At the top – as Frida did – they wrote VISCA and their name.
One of the best parts of the show for me was when they showed their painting and called out their names……. ‘Sóc la Ona, Visca Ona!’ and the whole audience yelled back ‘ Visca Ona’

 The week was marked by emotional ups and downs – perhaps the Full Moon or the influence of Frida?  One boy went wild on a daily basis and couldn’t sit or stand quietly long enough to practice his story. He raced around the room, tapped his feet, turned manic somersaults, resisted all attempts to quieten him down. But….when doing his self portrait or decorating the cigar boxes which we called boxes of desires, he was totally focused and creative and peaceful.
I don’t know why I didn’t take a photo of those boxes – they were incredibly beautiful and if we only had the time we could have talked more about the choices they made of images to use to depict their desires.
Next week….tomorrow…..Andy Warhol.

Hanging out Washing in Public?

~ Kate Wilson ~ 7 Comments

This week was very busy and although I took photos and thought about things to write about here it seemed impossible to find time to actually do it.   And recently I have been having a battle with myself about the blog – what is the point of it?  who reads it?  is it just a self indulgence? 
One of the busy – and nice  – things this week was that two friends arrived from England and spent five days here in Granollers. Or, to be more honest they stayed in Granollers but spent a lot of time in Barcelona.  We were working in the summer school so this was a good arrangement but it did make me realise that when I think a visitor is coming here to my home town, in fact many times they are imagining a holiday in Barcelona!  It’s better to know this before you get disappointed.
I went up to town with them one day.  We walked through the old streets around Princessa, looking for shade and finding places I have never noticed before like this old convent which is now a civic centre

After seeing Santa Maria del Mar where I had a sleep in one of the pews, we had lunch in tiny Bodega Palma for the menu price of 7.50 – very good in this area! Then I wanted to find the place where you can have your feet massaged by little fish nibbling your toes in a tank. Two friends gave me a voucher for my birthday and it seemed like the sort of thing you don’t do alone – more fun with a couple of companions in tow. But the streets were hot and narrow and we wandered for what seemed like hours

 I felt responsible for my friends who were looking for some expert guidance and I realised that when I go to Barcelona I tend to follow my nose rather than a set plan. This is fine for me but doesn’t work when you have others trudging behind you. So Carrer Correu Vell…..see you next visit!
We then went and walked up the Ramblas in the full heat of the sun which is not my idea of a good time in any language.
However I did get a photo of the Miro mosaic

We also managed to buy two pairs of cotton gloves in this lovely shop of sheets and towels

 You can see from the door that it is not Catalan – the sign says Cerrado and not Tancat.

One of my friends said how great it was to see some of the places that are now in my life. I asked her if she had not ever seen this blog – that there are lots of photos of Granollers and my favourite parts of Barcelona.  She said that no she doesn’t like blogs and the internet and facebook and all that speaking with strangers and talking about your private life in public. It was interesting as she is very much a book person, which surely is also a way of communicating with many other people,  but somehow the internet brings out a different response.  What I find liberating and exciting for her is deeply suspicious.
If you are reading this then perhaps you are more like me but if you know what she meant then do let me know…..what is it about blogs that makes some people feel so wary?

A Summer Party

~ Kate Wilson ~ 3 Comments

Back on the last train from Barcelona to Granollers. We went to a goodbye party for a friend in a small cosy flat in the Gotic area and so now I am pleasantly rolling a little as if on a gentle boat trip.
Lovely evening  with a group of people from many different countries in South America and Catalunya.
Around a table, lots of talking in both Catalan and Castellano.
Laughing, struggling to hear but knowing that when I missed a bit, a smile would do.
Food kept appearing from the kitchen – home made  empanadas and pizzas.  Someone brought a Columbian dish made from maize which tasted a bit like polenta. Picture below.
Bottles of wine were opened, drunk, and replaced.
As we left, sadly before the music started as we had to catch the train, a flan appeared. It is a sort of milky egg pudding. Like creme caramel but firmer. Like Crema Catalanya but spongier.
I have to say that I love going to Barcelona, love these multi cultural warm parties, sticky nights, the sounds of the street and even the smell of pee as we walked to the metro.
Thank you Sandra and Jim and thank you Pep for coming with me!

Nellie the Elephant

~ Kate Wilson ~ 2 Comments
Picasso Week at the Summer School

We were going to work on circus things. I tried to think of an English song to teach.
What about Nellie the Elephant?
And so the show began to take shape and in the end Nellie was the star!

Or one of them. Here is one little tiny student who walked on the red ball – The Ball Of Fire!!! – all the way to the trapeze and then amazed everyone with her high flying act
Picasso made plates at one stage of his life so we did too

And everyone managed to sing Nellie the Elephant in English while wheeling her around in a final parade as she said goodbye to the circus and trundled back to the jungle!