From Thursday, 9 June to Sunday, 26 June, the festival 'Pianos égarés' is back in the Geneva communes!
Come and try out one of the 18 self-service pianos available to passers-by in public spaces around Carouge, Chêne-Bourg, Cologny, Geneva, Perly-Certoux, Vernier, Versoix, and Veyrier. These musical moments in the streets and parks create new opportunities to meet and exchange with like-minded people.
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 月岡芳年 (1839-1892)
Illustration du pont Gojô de la Chronique de Yoshitsune, 1881
Fondation Baur, FB.DFC.2019.9 © Fondation Baur, photo Marian Gérard
The Fondation Baur exhibit on Japanese prints take place from 25 May through 24 July 2022 in Geneva. Make sure you try to pass by and see this exceptional showing of rare items.
This exhibition presents, through three distinct themes, a glimpse of the enormous diversity of subjects and styles that characterize Japanese printmaking in the second half of the 19th century. All of these works were produced between 1860 and 1890, three decades corresponding to the last years of the Edo period 江戸 (1603-1868) and the beginning of the Meiji era 明治 (1868-1912), a crucial period in the history of modern Japan that saw profound political and societal changes brought about, among other things, by the opening of the country to ideas and technologies from the West. The first part of the exhibition, the so-called "Yokohama images" (Yokohama-e 横浜絵), illustrates the initial phase of this exchange, that of the encounter with Westerners, marked above all by curiosity.
The second part, the hashika-e 麻疹絵 ("measles pictures") reflects the hopes and fears felt by the population in the face of a deadly epidemic in 1862. The exhibition concludes with a presentation of the great draftsman Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 月岡芳年 (1839-1892), whose professional career took place precisely between 1863 and 1892: deeply attached to the history and values of his country, he was also an innovative and creative artist.
Casper Edmonds is Barnum in The Greatest Showman
Founded in 1972, GAOS (Geneva Amateur Operatic Society) is celebrating their 50th anniversary! To mark this milestone, GAOS is staging a unique show 17-19 June 2022, “A Night at the Musicals”, with a very festive ambiance for all ages. They are kindly offering a pair of tickets to one of our readers! Please read down to participate in the draw.
They will perform 30 hit songs from 14 recent Broadway and West End shows which the society has not yet staged. The cast is comprised of 45 adults and children; they will sing, dance, and bring the show to life in their own special way.
Extracts include songs and actions from:
- Les Misérables
- Wicked
- The Lion King
- Phantom of the Opera
- Jesus Christ Superstar
- A Chorus Line
- Come From Away
- The Book of Mormon
- Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cinderella
- Annie
- Frozen
- Matilda
One of Know-it-all Marketplace's newest members is an awesome resin jewelry creator, Kimmie Chung. She is periodically hosting resin workshops and we wanted our readers to know more about her and her upcoming workshop. We asked Kimmie more about her background here.
Have you been working on this idea forever?
For about 4 years I organized painting and wine workshops. However, once I discovered resin, it became my new passion. The painting workshops have metamorphosed into resin jewelry workshops in the last year. Once someone tries the technique, they are hooked. It has elements of surprise as it is something that needs to be mastered and experimented with overtime. You are not always expecting the exact result but many are happy accidents too! Plus you can stick almost anything in resin, recently I have been asked to put a baby dog tooth and honeycomb in resin.
I really encourage all ages 10 and up to attend one of my workshops to have a first experience. The next one will be held 11-12 June 2022.*
What is your background and your “day job”?
I am originally from Southern California. After a bachelor in Fine Arts, then a Master in Education from the University of California, Santa Barbara, I believe I am really fit for my job teaching Art to Middle School students at an international school in the area. I moved to Europe 10 years ago and have now settled just outside of Geneva in neighboring France. I consider my home now in Europe and have adapted to the local lifestyle.
“No Exit” by Jean-Paul Sartre - Performed in English - "Huis Clos" in French
"Hell is other people..." Three strangers trapped together in a "hell" eerily similar to the real world find their stories are intertwined, with each alienating the other yet unable to escape. Passions, animosities, and power struggles soon create explosive tension. GEDS have kindly offered a pair of tickets to one lucky knowitall.ch reader. Read below to enter the competition.
Musings from Director Gary Bird
Jean-Paul Sartre’s play, "No Exit" (French title "Huis Clos") is often claimed to be Sartre’s clearest literary work demonstrating what he meant in "Being and Nothingness" as existentialism. He wrote the play in Paris during the Nazi Occupation, and it premiered on 27 May 1944 only 11 days before D-Day.
Because the play was censored and monitored by the Nazi occupiers, Sartre had to be careful of what he said so as not to set off any "red flags".
Sartre identified with the French Resistance, so any “messages” or themes in his writing had to be subtextual. For example, by setting the play in a mythical place (i.e., Hell) he avoided any charges that might have been brought against him as depicting the Occupation – which he was clearly doing.
Some examples of the Nazi subtext: the "Valet" in reality the closest thing to a jailer; or the elegant "Second Empire" furnishings of the room in Hell (a hell uncannily resembling the real world) alluding to an authoritarian regime that was eventually overthrown.
