Video Se

The Fulbrighter I've spent the most time with in Zagreb, Willie Osterman, is a professor of photography at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. He was invited to exhibit his work here in this new year, and asked if he could display some new work, not his past material, but something he might derive from his time here. Once he got the go-ahead for that plan, he invited many of the people he's come into contact with over the past months in Croatia to sit for portraits--but not your ordinary, run-of-the-mill portraiture. His concept, which you will see snippets of in the video below, was to capture a detail of the subject in his viewfinder, and thereby to replicate the dreamlike quality of the furtive and fertile period of his Fulbright semester in Zagreb. He titled his show FROM THE CORNER OF MY DREAMS for this reason, and the exhibit was astonishing to say the least.

First of all, it was held in the Lotrščak Tower, the wicked cool defense structure from which every day at noon a cannon is discharged. Willie's exhibit took up three floors of the tower, and the reception was on the first of these. This is mostly the reason the video pingpongs between boisterous party and quieter viewing.

The second reason I found his work astonishing was the reaction I found myself having to seeing my detail portrait among the selected. Not only was I flattered, but I discovered the real thrill of seeing something so familiar (my own ear) through the artist's eye and lens, like hearing my script performed by someone else for the first time . . . the duality of what I knew and what I had not considered as an objective rendering. It's akin to something I always share with my students about the purpose and power of art: ARTISTS MAKE THE STONE STONEY AGAIN FOR THE AUDIENCE. So much is taken for granted in this life that art can remind people of the simplest object anew, be it a stone, a laugh, a scent, or even an ear.

Third, because of my intimate connection to the exhibit, and to my own portrait, I find the result of his work with me to be beautiful and engaging, and I'm sure all of the others who sat for him with a big camera lens inches away from random body parts feel the same way!

Still, flattery aside, and humility (as usual) dispensed with, I believe my ear to be one of the highlights of the series. This is partly the reason for this entry's punny title: "Video Se" is a play both on the video camera I employed and sounds close to the Croatian for "I Saw myself."

So how did I like the exhibition as a whole? Well, to paraphrase Abe Burrows' review of I AM A CAMERA, "Me Leica!"



[I don't want to infringe on his art by concentrating my commemoration of the evening exclusively on his pictures . . . see his blog for the better renditions of the photos at http://www.willieosterman.com/]

Train Ride to Vienna with Gina Marie Mazzetti

As some of you know, I met a lovely, lovely person just before leaving Morgantown and she quickly grew to sweetheart status. More than that, she took time off from her job at the year's end to visit me! We had a marvelous time together, and I will document more of that in future 'blogs, but here is a taste of the trip we took from Zagreb to Vienna . . . for around $40 each! We also enjoyed the first sunshine in over a week, and Mother Nature couldn't have chosen a more beautiful terrain to shine on than these foothills to the Alps. The route went roughly from Zagreb through Maribor in Slovenia, through Graz in Austria ending up in Vienna. All told, about six hours of serene travel. Well, there was one drawback--I taught Gina to play Shithead* on the train and she beat me the first four games! Grrr.



*http://www.pagat.com/beating/shithead.html

And Now a Legal Disclaimer

“This site (enter site’s title and address) is not an official Fulbright Program site. The views expressed on this site are entirely those of its author (or insert name here) and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State or any of its partner organizations.”

I received a nice email from someone at the embassey that reminded me to include the above verbiage in my 'blog somewhere. Sharp-eyed followers of ZagreBlog (and you know you are!) will notice that I've just now added the paragraph to my "About Me" section.

Vidimo Se

The Fulbright is ipso facto exciting, fun, and a highlight of any career. I don't have to explain the incredible thrill that spending an academic year abroad in a country such as Croatia affords me. The news to you, dear reader, comes in the understanding that the people I meet on the trip are in many ways the most rewarding part of this expatriate experience: sure, there are beautiful mountains and old buildings and strange alphabets, but the people with whom I come into contact constitute the lion's share of the Fulbright raison d'être.

Students, colleagues, artists, and random people I encounter in my day-to-day activities all contribute to my absolute enjoyment of Croatia. Larry and Judy Moneta have been two of the high points of my stay here so far (not to imply I'll meet any better down the line . . . I doubt it). Larry is a Student Affairs guru at Duke University and he brought his lovely wife Judy along to make this a joint experience.

Not only did they suck the marrow out of their semester in Europe, filling every day with new adventures and making a real difference to the university system here and in other parts of Eastern Europe, but they also provided a much-needed sanctuary in their apartment for regular Fulbright potlucks . . . so welcoming and generous!

Here they are on one of their many outings:



I know one of the best mementos I'll be bringing back with me is their friendship, and one of the advantages of people over objects is that I'll be able to keep their particular gifts in my memory and heart, and add some potlucks back in the States in the coming years.

Bon Voyage, Larry and Judy, and as we pseudo-Croats say, VIDIMO SE! ("Be Seeing You!")

Lippizaners in Training

In the small, picturesque town of Đakovo (pronounced "Jakovo"), in the central Croatian region called Slavonia (not to be confused with Slovenia, Slovakia, Slavonska, or any other permutation of those sounds), live several dozen mares, their colts and fillies, and a few lucky studs. There are actually two separate places: a stud farm and a training stable, separated roughly ten minutes by car. The horses are born dark and the lucky ones grow to be white and get to perform with the world-famous Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria, and around the world (on tours). Others become coach horses and fulfill other specialized functions, as they have for centuries. Below, the video displays some of the horses I encountered on a beautiful day in October 2009.

You Say You Want a Resolution . . .

As this is the time of year for such things, let me say that I hereby resolve to update my blog more assiduously in the coming months. It is not for lack of exciting adventures that I have been derelict, but a kind of inertia sets in when one does not develop the habit.

I intend to post a mix of major moments of the past two months along with timely updates as they happen, the better to chronicle this Fulbright year abroad.

So, as I am beginning anew, and without further ado, let me introduce the New Year with the Zagreb experience last night: the sweet and lovely Gina Mazzetti in town and in my heart 31.XII.2009 . . .