Sarah Q. 4.06

buona sera!

alright, well my bar project went really well and it was so fun to make. it helped that i was already friends with all the owners at joshua tree so they were thrilled that i was making a movie there. giulia, the bartender, was so excited to be in it, she kept giving us shots and free drinks just to be putting her hand in front of the camera... the action was great, the alcohol might have made things a little harder (haha). I put up a few still frames from the movie, and you can view it on youtube also.. its not fully loaded yet but if you search for 'night at joshua tree goings on at pub in florence' you should be able to find it in the next few days

moving onto rituals.. i have so many rituals in my life it seems impossible to just pick one. im jewish and have so many rituals associated with judaism that i love and do all the time, but im in italy and so i want to do something more italian and in the moment that im really involved in. i thought about siena and what rituals they have there, and decided i want to do my project, or at least some of my preliminary research, on the Palio (the horserace that happens twice a year in the piazza del campo of siena). there are 17 sections of the city, and each one has its own mascot/team. there are SO many rituals involved.. like taking the horses into the churches the day before the palio (and if they make a poop its really good luck!), and guarding the horses all the time so other contradas (neighborhoods) dont try and hurt it, or how in Onda they eat 'trippa' the day before the palio every year, and the HUGE cenas that the contradas have before each palio, etc.

i might want to make a piece thats more generic and captures just the spirit and emotions throughout the ritual of the palio - perhaps a big watercolor or all the different contradas and overlap it with a stunning charcoal drawing of horses charging down the streets of the piazza. i would love to give this piece to our friends in Siena - Angelo and Laura and their daughter Giulia.. but i'll have to make their contradas (Onda and Bruco) stand out more than the other ones probably!!