Hands in Poems: Dennis Ávila (II)

Dennis Ávila

Efecto giroscópico

En distintos momentos de mi vida

he contemplado

la fugaz existencia de un trompo:

remolino de madera,

fusión de aire y manos.

Fríos como pinzas

crean el viento en miniatura,

la energía del sosiego

y los moldes para la utopía

del movimiento perpetuo.

Aunque giren en el suelo

o en la mano,

nadie que creció cerca de un trompo

podrá evadir los códigos ocultos

en su dialecto de espiral.

Su baile es centrífugo:

seres inanimados

que viven por sí mismos.

Para ellos la eternidad es equilibrio,

el tiempo se llama profecía

y danzar significa espectadores.

En distintos momentos de mi vida

he visto morir a un trompo:

debilitarse hasta caer,

volver a empezar.

Personal Correspondence: Maruja Mallo - Alfonso Reyes

Fonte da imaxe: http://www.epdlp.com/cuadro.php?id=2161

MOITO lle teño que agradecer a Anxo Vieites Salgado, o meu profesor de arte de COU. Non esquecerei xamais esas clases rigorosas e detalladas, coa arte como única protagonista, as obras maxistrais en filmina iluminando o salón de actos do IES Terra de Xallas: a ménade danzante, O chamamento de San Mateo, o matrimonio Arnolfini, o Partenón, as obras de Christo e Jean-Claude,... Saiamos da clase con síndrome de Stendhal e rematamos o curso coa sensación de ter vivido tanto!

Hai dez anos, volveu ensinarme, esta vez a través de miña irmá. Moito antes de que iso da clase invertida estivese de moda, as alumnas de arte prepararon unha exposición de mulleres artistas verdadeiramente ben feita e fascinante de ver. As rapazas, aparte de elixir as pintoras e as obras, facer o traballo de investigación, redacción e montaxe, eran tamén as guías, falando entusiasmadas de Frida Kahlo, Tamara Lempicka, e outras, entre elas tamén Dona Maruxa Mallo (1902-1995), unha feliz descuberta. Esa sensación de formiguiño ao ver por primeira vez os seus cadros enfeitizantes, cun aquel hipnótico que fai que non poidas deixar de miralos.

Seguinlle a pista a través dalgunha revisión da súa vida e obra como o programa de "Imprescindibles", vendo así a muller libre, independiente, talentosa, transgresora e anacrónica. Dicía que pintaba desde o asombro, desde a sede, desde unha sensibilidade profunda, e será por iso que cando miro a súa obra, se me desnuda a mirada e se me sincopa o corazón.

Quédavos aquí un estudo da súa correspondencia con Alfonso Reyes: trece cartas escritas sobre papel con caligrafía enrevesada, cartas que recollen as súas "pintorescas impresiones" en palabras de Alfonso Reyes, e que "despiertan en mí la viva emoción". Gozade!

III Postcrossing Meetup - Send us your postcards!

After organizing two meetups in Galicia, it is time to take Postcrossing to my hometown, Santa Comba. It is actually very exciting because of the obvious intimate personal connections to the area and also because many people here have been (and continue to be) immigrants, mainly to Switzerland, Venezuela and Germany, and therefore there is a tradition of writing letters and postcards. By way of an example, in my own family, we have written to each other during our periods abroad, and that means that I have postcards from my grandpa, my uncles and my father from the times they were living abroad. Paper treasures of the heart.

Anyway, I think bringing Postcrossing to the younger generations is a fair way of recovering a habit that has been a part of our community but that has been fading over the last twenty years. 

Things have been really easy to organize thanks to the good will and support of Anabel López, English teacher in IES Terra do Xallas, who was also an attendee to the meetup in Cabana de Bergantiños and thought it would be motivating to get her students involved.  She was also kind enough to come with me to present the project to the mayor María Pose Rodríguez, who listened attentively to the proposal and promised to consider it. Also, Dolores Nieto, principal of the CEIP Barrié de la Maza, has showed her interest in the project and we hope to be holding a workshop at the school next January.

In the meanwhile, next Monday (tomorrow) I will be giving a workshop to introduce twelve-year-olds to Postcrossing, so I am excited to see how they will respond!

And while we get everything rolling for our III Postcrossing Meetup in Santa Comba, designing the card, choosing a venue and organizing the activities, it would be great if you could send the students in Santa Comba a card (to the address below). As usual, the students will receive them with great thrill and then, on the day of the meetup (probably sometime around January/February next year) we will reply to you and send the special card designed for the event and signed by all attendees.

IES Terra do Xallas
Rúa de Rosalía de Castro, S/N
15840 Santa Comba
A Coruña - SPAIN

Looking forward to receiving your cards!

Thanks for your generosity!