Recreation

Holidays at home

In 1933, the Dutch historian Johan Huizinga suggested in his book Homo ludens
that play is an essential, foundational element in the generation of a culture (albeit
not sufficient on its own).

Art and play might be considered two sides of the same coin: they’re both processes
by which we lend meaning to our passage through life. The history of humanity itself
could be read as a playful/creative project in which new worlds are constructed and
reality transformed through work with different materials.

These processes raise an endless number of questions but they include the
following: How much of the creative process of artists is play? How do the emotions
we experience during childhood seep into our adult realities? In both play and art,
adults and children are on a level playing field. In both, we immerse ourselves in
experimentation that can transform our reality, that opens up free, liberated spaces
in which to explore our dreams and identity. Art and play break down our prejudices
about knowledge, giving it new meaning, confronting us with the absurd, the
unexpected and the impossible from a position that leaves us feeling renewed. Art
and play are both rights with which we must fully engage as we construct our worlds.
And perhaps now more than ever it is essential that we indulge in them if we are to
find a creative response to adversity.

The artwork that provided the spark of inspiration for these unusual winter holidays
is Nube elefante (Colourful Elephant), the colourful plasticine installation by the artist
Mauro Koliva, from Misiones, which featured in the exhibition A History of the
Imagination in Argentina, presented in the Moderno’s galleries in 2019. In it strange
and fascinating creatures – which the artist gave the feel of the Paraná riverscape
– stimulate our senses and invite us to unleash our imagination and playfulness.

¡NOW ONLINE!
Vito ver y Vito verá by Ernesto Ballesteros

Curators’ recommendations from our
Listen [Visual sounds] cycle, part of #Recreo/h5>

The curators of our Listen [Visual Sounds] cycle, Jorge Haro and Leandro Frías,
bring us music to liven up our week. They suggest three volumes of Soothing
Sounds for Baby by the American composer, pianist, producer and inventor Raymond
Scott, an iconic recreational/educational album entitled Concierto familiar infantil
played by the Orquesta Sinfónica| de Minería (Mexico) and two notable albums by the
Argentine composer and professor Judith Akoschky, a specialist in musical education
and initiation: Cuadros Sonoros (Volume 1) and Ruidos y ruiditos (Vol. 2).

These sound recordings are joined by the following audiovisual links which feature
Listen MINI recordings, Listen (Visual Sounds) participative sound experiences
for children. 

Ludotecnia, by Jorge Crowe, with visuals by Loli Mosquera (2016)

Listen [Visual Sounds] also recommends this mini documentary about an
extraordinary experience provided by the children’s orchestra of Spain,
Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia.

THE LINE ON THE LINE
Homage to Víctor Iturralde Rúa.
Made by the Pablo Ducrós Hicken Museum of Cinema

The Pablo Ducrós Hicken Museum of Cinema, through Raúl Manrupe (the historian
and researcher of advertising and animation archives at said institution) and the
Museo de Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires, with its cycle ‘Cinema is Something Else’,
pay homage to a great creator and pioneer in the history of children’s film..

Víctor Aytor Iturralde Rúa (Buenos Aires, 1927-2004) was a film critic, filmmaker, animator, documentary
maker, writer, researcher, historian and film club organizer. In 1956 he set up Recreo Infantil La Calesita,
inspired by the Parisian filmmaker and educator Sonika Bo and especially the teachers Olga and Leticia
Cossetini from the city of Rosario, Argentina. He went on to develop the idea of children’s film clubs,
putting on films and events designed for children. He became famous on Argentine television bringing
his high quality material into the homes of thousands of children from the 70s on La luna de Canela con
Canela, up to Cine Club Infantil and his work as a consultant for the programme Caloi en su tinta.

Fantastic reads

Click on the image to see all the recommendations!

Works of art open doors to new worlds, building bridges to other disciplines
and stories. Adriana Fernández, a specialist in children’s and youth literature,
recommends her favourite stories to read during holiday week and reflects
on the relationship between comedy, literature and childhood.

Jair Jesús Toledo
I don’t know if it’s a work of art, but it could be an exhibition

Jair Jesús Toledo, I don’t know if it’s a work of art but it could be an exhibition, video, 2020, 15:33 min

A set of experimental recording fragments made several years ago during the old
normality (2012-2016) when no one valued an everyday grind that now seems like
an adventure. Somewhere between a rehearsal and an experiment, the fragments
veer between research for an artwork and the portrayal of things that happened (or not).

Paper stories
Storytelling with Vera Veiga

Vera Veiga reads us ‘Una Caperucita Roja’ (A Little Red Riding Hood) by
Marjolaine Leray employing the Kamishibai technique (a Japanese technique
known as ‘paper theatre’ )

Fátima Pecci Carou
The studio in my head

The artist Fátima Pecci Carou reflects on her artistic practice, introducing us to her
series ‘Periods of Solitude’ which addresses the idea of spending time alone with no
company other than our fantasies and realities. These paintings refer to the work of
artists who spend a lot of time alone making their works which then become public,
collective images. Far from the idea of an anguished solitude, these artworks
celebrate the introspective life as a driver of the imagination.

Marcela Sinclair
Prêt à porter noodles

Marcela Sinclair invites us to make noodle jewellery. In this hilarious tutorial, Sinclair
teaches us to make a necklace out of dried pasta, showing us how play can lead to
creation and picturing herself showing off her work at fancy parties. The artist
suggests that we think beyond the object, to concentrate on the links in the chain so
as to enter a different time. A time where objectives and goals don’t exist, a time for
play and the imagination.

Challenge Marathon

We present a marathon of drawing exercises to do as a family. Do them in
whatever order you like. Don’t forget to publish your creations on social
networks and hashtag the museum.

• Select and draw the jars and bottles you find at home.
• Look closely at the walls and ceiling of your bedroom. Draw everything
  you find hanging from or stuck to them.
• Draw a member of your family. You can do it while you read, cook, or
  do some other activity.
• Draw all the fruit and vegetables you have to hand.
• Draw everything you see through your window.

The Little Collector [O pequeno colecionador]

THE LITTLE COLLECTOR [O PEQUENO COLECIONADOR] project is led by
Artur Lescher, Paula Azevedo and Mariane Klettenhofer who have collected toys
made by artists. These works are designed to encourage playful and artistic
experiences that offer a reflection on what it means to play. Is the creative process
similar to a game? Can a toy be seen as an imaginative exercise and reflection
about the world?
The Little Collector project [O pequeno colecionador]/Toys by the artists of Sao
Paulo share the testimony of artists who make their own toys with the Museo de
Arte Moderno de Buenos Aires. Come find your toy in this video!

The Little Collector presents:
a laminate to colour in by the artist Luísa Amoroso

We share this laminate to colour in which the graphic artist Luísa Amoroso
created for The Little Collector [O pequeno colecionador] project from Sao Paulo

Click on the image to download the complete illustration!

The Little Collector project presents the artist
Marcelo Cipis and his toy

The Little Collector project presents the artist
Guto Lacaz and his toy