EASA008 /// ireland /// letterfrack /// issue 01 /// wednesday, august 13 2008
Good evening, EASA. It’s our fifth or even sixth day in Ireland now, and the 28th tisgruzdys.com summer assembly has now finally oficially launched,as we’ve all happily arrived to Letterfrack. Or Leitir Fraic, as them Irish call it. As some of you have already noticed, we like the Irish language so much we even decided to rename the official EASA newspaper, usually called “Umbrella”, and use “scáth báistí”, meaning exactly the same. And some more Irish can be found on bottom of the pages of this paper. To be continued! The editorial is not a weather forecast, but we can’t avoid the main topic of the last few days and especially the last 24 hours. It’s wet and cold. Sadly. Nobody asked for the rain (certainly not the organizers), it just exists (heavily). As one of the Umbrella participants philosophically explained, having read a poem by a teenager Jewish girl, Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger written during WW2, it simply means that the sky is crying for all the world. There is no need for us to cry any more. Also the famous Austrian artist, Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser, said that every raindrop is a kiss from heaven. So. EASA is not a 7* hotel. But it is neither a tourist camp, as one of the tutors pointed out, so drinking in the rain might not be a perfect plan for the two weeks. Simply said, it is about enjoying ourselves, experiencing new things, meeting new friends and producing some quality material in the end of it all. Why not trying doing this and ignoring the real world. xoxo!
MORE MEDIA COVERAGE
This newspaper has been with EASA since day 1 back in 1981. It will be with you every working day of the assembly as well. Ater a short appearance in Elefsina last year, EASA.TV is back, bigger and better. This year we have a great team ready to film every stupid move or mistake you make, so you better watch out! We will show every second night, around dinner/lecture time, starting tonight. Featuring: the weather forecast; workshop interviews; the irish are well funny; reviewing Letterfrack; music video’s... EASA.TV - fuck architecture, let’s make tv! Stay tuned, as we’ve added the RADIO! as well. The more, the merrier, they say. If you by any chance left your FM receiver at home, you can listen to the radio in the Cafe and the Events tent. More places coming!
- amazed by the Trinity College in Dublin I also have to mention the academic part of the Dublin part. It was nice to see that the organizers really put an effort in not only showing us the city but also helping us understand it. Beginning with the Dublin’s The first four days are behind us. But it does feel like metamorphosis who I personally loved (nice music weeks have passed, so many things have been seen and in the background) and the great idea of having us some absorbed. being taken around by great guides. Impressive!
EASA008 IS KICKING OFF!
The EASA spirit showed up on time at the opening party that then continued late into the night. Old faces, new faces and loads of “water” it all helped to keep us up late into the first night… the floods might have blocked the roads from the airport but nothing could stop us! Sleepless nights followed… all the way up to Dublin castle, where we were greeted impressively by RIAI President Sean Ó Laoire himself. And loads of wine and canopy... ... until the movie night when I started to feel just a little bit tired and sleepy. Luckily the huge storm that started just after leaving UCD woke me up. Respect to the people that managed to stay up until 3am.
Have something to say? 1
The trip to Letterfrack was long but we cannot say we missed coffee. Again, was great to find more about Irish architecture and history. So far, so good. EASA seems to be good in getting into difficult weather situations lately. But that is just something you cannot predict. So we are experiencing firsthand the what the locals say is the worst summer they had in decades and all we can do is dive in and enjoy it. - by Nina
NOTE FROM THE ORGANIZERS
Plan your Sunday early - check the list below, choose what you like, and if it’s not free, pay a half of the price deposit tonight (pribably via the NCs) and the rest of the money on Sunday.
CONNEMARA COMMUNITY RADIO
The Connemara Community Radio (CCR), which will host the EASA RADIO, deserves a separate story! We went there today and met the radioman himself, Peter Weldon. “Possibly the most interesting radio station you will ever tune into”, - that’s what they say about themselves. Might be true! The first ever community radio in Ireland started out in 1987 but didn’t get the license until 1995. Right now around 100 (60 – 120, they say) seriously trained (they do the training here in CCR) volunteers are working at the station on a frequent basis. The program contains (it’s a must) 40 percent of speech and 60 percent of music. The spoken program consists of everything that serves in building the community and strengthening the relationship of the 10 000 people that the radio reaches, aged somewhat between 8 – 80. And we must take into note that this area has one of the densest populations in Europe – 9 people in one square km! So the radio IS one of the essential communication items. Apart from everyday news, requests and advertisements, the CCR broadcasts medical advices, religious mass and rugby games, the latter being the most popular. The statistics tell us that 38% of the population listen to CCR on daily basis and 90% do it at least once a week. During the rugby game probably! And a historical bit to end with…. Letterfrack is actually quite a symbolic place for CCR, because it was the exact place to where Gugliemo Marconi, the inventor of the radio, sent a duplex transatlantic wireless signal all the way from Nova Scotia. Back in 1902. Find out more nemarafm.com
- we are not coming back to Colaiste Eoin...
on
www.con-
Do you know the old saying about not eating the yellow snow? We have one more.
DO NOT DRINK THE YELLOW WATER.
We don’t mean beer! It was claimed yesterday that the tap water is ok to drink and is full of minerals, but sadly it is not OK. We are not sure about the minerals part, but … Instead, drink the UV treated water from the fountain next to the café. Irish phrase of the day. TA MO EADIE FLIUCH [taw muh ea-dee flee-uck] My clothes are wet. 2
THE ONE ABOUT THE WEATHER
Here are the EASAns of today, glad to be answering our question that was asked while we walked around the campus. We hope we can do a sunny survey as well! Michael Eder, Austria
Miso Litterman Sladek, Solvakia
I like the weather; it’s totally different from Greece last year but I think it brings people together. If you’re freezing get closer.
I afraid about my shoes. They’re my best shoes and I even impregnated them with Nica wax.
Matas Siupsinskas, Lithuania
Gizem Oktay, Cyprus I’m too cold and it’s too rainy. I left Cyprus with 45 degrees.
I like the weather and I’m totally prepared. But I also brought sunblock and swimming stuff because I was in Greece. I packed everything in paperbags which was pretty smart. Hana Michelkova, Kristine Heckova, Slovakia
Carla Smyth, UK I like it, just fine.
H: I can stand it for two weeks but not longer because she will freak out and get depressed. K: I like the weather with my raincoat.
Paolo Murmura, Italy Jeanne Wery, Switzerland, Hugo Pointillart, France J: F***ing shit weather. I hop it stops raingin tomorrow, ‘cause we are too wet. H: I will commit suicide if it rains like this during five days. Simple sentence: I’m not gonna survive.
Alex Alewac, Greece
I love it but I wans’t prepared for so much rain.
Felix Engelhardt, Germany I like it a lot – it’s what I expected. I can’t imagine this place with sunshine it’s just feels right. I borrow umbrellas from friendly women.
Fantastisch!
Bojana Boranieva, Macedonia I don’t don’t mind the cold and the rain but I just don’t want it to rain into my sleeping bag.
Irish word of the day. BAEDRUJANG [bed:rungang] To be coughed upon. 3
Agnieszka Baryla, Poland It’s so dry and sunny and so warm especially at night and it makes me very entustiastic and willing to work outdoors.
WEATHER
TOMORROW
Err... This is actually a quote from The Irish Meterological Service (www.met.ie); "The weather continues to remain very unsettled with no hope at all of any improvement for the rest of the the week or over the weekend.". Irish Weather. Impossible is nothing. ™
wh at?
Fo r a l l n ew ( a n d o l d ) p a r t i c i p a n t s U M B R E A L L A h a s p rep a re d a
Get to Know EASA Crossword 1 2 3
melissa kinnear architecture sans frontières uk
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hum:arc presents
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gust 6pm - 7 pm
ay 14th of au t lecture thursd
gues
1. Irish summer weather 2. Easa is an assemlbey of... 3. A small EASA is called... 4. The participants on EASA is coming from... 5. A person in charge of a workshops is called a... 6. It’s nice to be outside in the... 7. The yellow thing comming out from the taps are called... 8. The weather the next week will consist mostly of... 9. A person that has been to five EASAs is a... 10. A EASA party animal is also known as a...
architecture sans frontières - uk is a uk registered charity: “our workshops, grass-roots activities and lecture programmes promote ethical practice, particularly in poverty habitats. we train built-environment professionals to be more relevant to the agenda of development and - by supporting networks with local partners help to build organisational capacity”
THE SCANDINAVIAN HEAT
EASARADIO LIVE at Connemara Community Radio 87.8 FM & 106.1 FMdaily 18:00 pm
A tremendous amount of Scandinavians, mostly Danish, were spotted in the now ex infopoint (the new one is in front of the IT lab), sitting in the middle of the tent, sharing some booze and … some heat. They offered us to spank a HEAT BAG really hard a few times, and after that heat ourselves. It’s an amazing experience. Contact the Danish NCs for the instructions.
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