Art

  • Dedza town in Malawi
    Africa,  Art,  History,  Malawi

    Climbing To Dedza: Pottery, Petroglyphs & Bad Tomatoes

    Miles trundle by as we journey back north, leaving behind the lush green fields of the tea plantations and soon passing again through the metropolis which is Blantyre with its big buildings, big crowds and big character, then onwards along the M1 through more police checkpoints than we care to count. Green becomes red, rolling becomes flat and then flat becomes spectacular mountain. After Ntcheu we’re not even sure which country we’re in, our maps suggesting that the highway we’re driving along is the border between nations, Mozambique on our left and Malawi on our right.  Dedza announces itself with a large welcome sign and yet another speed trap, smoke…

  • Francisco Brennand at Oficina Brennand near Olinda, Brazil
    Art,  Brazil,  History,  Independent travel,  Photography,  South America,  Travel Blog

    The Crazy World Of Francisco Brennand

    Picture an artist and sculptor being given a gigantic space in which to let his imagination run riot. Imagine if that space was a disused factory set in substantial grounds with endless opportunities for indoor and outdoor exhibition, and if that sculptor was given enough time to create over 2,000 items in an isolated world of fantasy. And finally, imagine if that guy had a mind full of wild ideas way beyond the norm. Welcome to Oficina Brennand and the life’s work of one Francisco Brennand. First, some context and history.  The factory in question, with its many brick built industrial buildings and wide open grassy spaces in between, was originally…