The second edition of the day gives a voice to the protagonists of the different cultural disciplines that coexist in Cartagena, such as literature, music, design and visual arts
Artistic expression is the result of a work sustained with time, dedication, illusion, effort and inspiration. They work as a tandem that comes together in the reality of the creator, ready to express what flows within him with the tools he knows best, in a practice where imagination is the guide. Literature, visual arts, music and design are some of those expressions that protagonists with their own names find in Cartagena, devoted heart and soul to projecting art and culture beyond its borders. The second edition of the ‘Cultural UP’ meeting was the perfect setting to bring together some of these names, to highlight both the most traditional and the new artistic expressions, to emphasize that culture, in all its aspects, its space and public has in the port city.
The El Batel Auditorium and Conference Center and LA VERDAD, sponsored by Emasa and Cartagena Parque, promoted in this forum the analysis of current events in the sector in Cartagena at an event moderated by the representative of LA VERDAD in Cartagena, Gregorio Mármol, that was enlivened, between conversation and conversation, by the poems of some participants of the literary creation and writing workshop for young people ‘Libreta Mandarache’. Its aim was “to be a meeting and reflection point for young people to discuss the important aspects they are involved in”, as emphasized during the inauguration by the cultural representative of the City Council of Cartagena, Carlos Piñana, who emphasized the importance of “The essence, know the tradition and the rules of the artistic discipline in order to evolve as an artist».
Many of these artistic branches are subject to stereotypes, as is the case of trovo, an art based on poetic improvisation and a strong bond with tradition, which tries to update its image so that young people live it with passion and break with association of being “something mature”. The trovero Juan Diego Celdrán, a member of the José María Martín Trovera Association, entered the world of trovo with a responsibility to keep it alive and expand it, realizing that “if the tradition does not adapt and fit into the today, he ends up dying.” The word is the basis of the art of the sudden, which it shares with another discipline such as rap, in which claim and protest are present together, although they express it in a different way. “Rap is born from the suburbs to protest situations of marginality, and also trovo, because in the mine they talked about people dying,” added Celdrán.
“There are clichés with rap in terms of a criminal or fringe message, but it always comes from people outside of this movement who don’t listen to it because whoever gets into it knows it has nothing to do with it,” said the rapper. Tolo Orthografo. clarified (Juan Bartolomé Sánchez Estrella). In both expressions, observing the environment allows the letters to serve as a claim or urgency; of criticism or gratitude.
The roots were also expressed by Gonzalo Ruiz, guitarist of Nunatak, who defended that “things have to be done with passion and that passion grows in what they taught you and what you discover for yourself”, and that “once you come in and settle yourself, you just have to evolve”. Whether the inspiration comes from what is perceived or what is felt, the three musicians agreed that they are united by a creative process built on the trinity of “inspiration, heart and head”.
If writers agree on anything, it’s being good readers. The beginning of her new story, novel, or poetry can appear anywhere: for Mireya Encinas, anyone who talks to her can become a character, or everything they tell her in a story, showing her interest in human behavior; For the writer, poet, translator and professor of modern languages at the Polytechnic University of Cartagena, Natalia Carbajosa, language and different voices are the focus of her inspiration. “I look at how a person expresses himself, how he says things, the vocabulary he uses, because it’s his way of presenting himself to the world… the street. » he added.
Despite the fact that poetry “is no longer a minority”, and the novel “continues to defend itself”, he affirms that “it will never be good or exuberant times for poetry”, so he encourages those who have an inclination to write , stop waiting for the weather to be favorable. “A world without art is an egg world, and a world without new voices is an incomplete world,” he added. Therefore, despite his defense that “there must be something innate” in the art of writing, Encinas encourages work and education as it “affects the quality of the writing”.
In the visual arts, shapes, color and lines are central. Whether paintings or urban art, there are a series of common elements that the artists consider in this composition. “Our goal is to compose something that conforms to certain aesthetic canons and is only removed by the support we use,” said the artist Pedro Diego Pérez Casanova, in whose creative process he abstracts from the place and enters his creative world , without location or barriers. .
As indicated by the ‘street artist’ Art Mateo, in this process he tries to take the project on a creative level that he feels comfortable with, keeping in mind that in the case of urban spaces, “you have to conceptualize something heterogeneous and make people love all the people that go through that space”. “Each artist is a different world,” he added.
Both showed uncertainty in the face of the emergence of virtual reality and its application in the world of design, which “lost craftsmanship and the value that a painting or pictorial work should have”. “We must be clear about technology and use it to our advantage to save time and costs, but we must not lose the basis of where we came from or the appreciation or value that should be given to it,” added Art Mateo.
“The cultural offer in Cartagena is very rich and what you have to do is to maintain and support many of these initiatives and the artists and young talents of the city”
«The trovo must be born by and for the country in which it is located. Part of a tradition, but if the tradition does not adapt and does not fit in with the current times, it will perish»
“There are clichés with rap in terms of criminal or fringe messages, but it always comes from people outside of this movement who don’t listen to it”
“Things have to be done with passion and that passion has to have grown somewhere, in what they taught you and what you discovered yourself”
«A world without art is a hollow world, and a world without new voices is an incomplete world»
“Anyone who talks to me can become a character, and whatever they tell me, a story”
“As long as I get up every day and am happy with the work I do, it is worth it and gives me satisfaction”
«Inspiration does not exist, but you have to provoke it. When you sit down and think about something, it starts to come up with ideas.”
«Handicraft and the value of a painting or painting made with a brush is lost. It should not be lost, but use technology to our advantage »
Designer Nathalia Hernández, creative director of Natalapha Estudio, confessed during her talk in ‘Cultural UP’ that sometimes the road gets tough and people think they’re throwing in the towel, but the driving force at the moment has always been “do what you like from the heart» As a fashion designer, it is her value that each person follows his own line and to his liking and “feel not disguised”, in the face of a reality in which what the “influencers” say is copied. creativity is important, but so are the materials, in which he shows his predilection for using striking ornaments such as feathers or fringes and color He advises those who want to devote themselves to this creative discipline to “fight for what makes you happy, because everything is a matter of attitude” as he shows his gratitude for getting up every day and being happy with the work he does.
For ten years, the El Batel Auditorium and Conference Center has become a major player in the cultural life of the city, year after year it is gaining in number thanks to a program that constitutes a permanent cultural offer in Cartagena, among the other activities such as exhibitions being added.
The maxim was to cover all genres of shows to “reach all of society”, as the manager, Ana Pardo Sánchez, pointed out at the meeting. While there are star genres such as humour, popular or live music concerts, the Auditorium analyzes the public’s demand to “create an adequate program without forgetting any genre”. “Our interest is to be able to reach all audiences, and when there is an audience, to be able to have an offering for them,” he adds.
The Batel has adapted to the conditions in which it has had to live these years, as evidenced by the programming of outdoor concerts or the Xtraordinary Nights on the terrace of the Wall in the face of the restrictions caused by the pandemic. “We promoted it to be able to offer cultural activities at a time when everything was very limited, and thanks to the acceptance we have consolidated it,” says the manager, who expressed her satisfaction with the acceptance of this programming, given the efforts of the whole team person working there.
He calls for a joint programming of all agents working in society’s culture, based on communication that “achieves planning that avoids duplication so that it doesn’t backfire, because it’s ineffective.” “The cultural offer in Cartagena is very rich and what you need to do is to maintain and support many of these initiatives and the artists and young talents of the city,” he concluded.
Source: La Verdad
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