INFORMATION FILE
SMALL CHANGE
In Romania, like in other parts of the world, children go caroling at Christmas. In Romania, however, children wear real bear skins as they go from house to house, singing and dancing. Before the advent of Christianity, the bear was considered sacred, and the ancient tradition of children performing traditional songs to ward off evil in the new year is still popular in Romania. After the country's economic downturn, however, the tradition has moved from the countryside to the cities and children now perform for money from Christmas Eve until the New Year.
The goat dance appears in the habit of the New Year's Eve as a symbol of fertility and fecundity, connecting the Romanian territory to the Greek antiquity and to the Oriental civilizations. The goat dance Watching today the play of the Goat mask, in every area of the country, you'll recognize in the virtuous pantomime of the mask bearer, in the vitality of his movements but also in the death and rebirth of the Goat, the ancient symbol of vegetation. The goat dance is a frantic dance, which is executed for thousands of years in every carolled house. The goat dance has different names from a region to another: stag in Hunedoara, goat or "turca" in Moldavia and Ardeal, "borita" in South Transylvania. This custom is also called "brezaia" in Wallachia and Oltenia, because of the multicoloured appearance of the mask. The goat The traditional goat dance is a complex folk play with many characters (masks). The woodenhead of the Goat is covered with fur (of kid or rabbit). The inferior jaw is mobile in order to "clatter". Its cornels may come from a real animal (the goat, ram or deer) or may be made of wood. Between the cornels there are fantastic decorative compositions from the girls' beadwork or their handkerchiefs, multicoloured tassels or ribbons, mirrors, tinsel, ivy, basil, artificial or natural flowers. Goat costume Everything is extremely glittering and fascinating, reflecting the light and the relegation of the dark and the cold, which destroyed the vegetation. The body of the Goat is made of textile (carpets, red sail) on which other decorative elements are sewed: embroidered handkerchiefs (Suceava), beadwork sticks (Bacau), thatch ear (Botosani, Iasi), goat furs (Vrancea, Mehedinti), sail or colour paper filets (Neamt, Giurgiu) etc.
The bear dance can be seen on New Year's Eve only in Moldavia. Its origin are older than 2000 yers and it's very similar to the Goat dance. It is said that it drives away the evil spirits and this way the new year what comes will be cleaned up.
A young man plays the bear role. He carries a bear skin on his head and shoulders. The skin is decorated with red tassels, mirrors, gold threads and brass nails. He's tied in chains and droved by a bear leader. A herald wearing old military uniform opens the show. Then the bear leader orders the bear to dance. The bear has a real suite of musicians. So he'll dance on drums rhythm or on pipes song.
THOM BROWNE
Thom Browne is an American fashion designer. He is the founder and head of design for Thom Browne, a New York City-based menswear and womenswear brand. Browne debuted his womenswear collection in 2003.
http://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2014/09/nyfw-thom-browne-ss15/
http://showstudio.com/collection/thom_browne_new_york_womenswear_s_s_2015
BESPOKE
Thai culture has been shaped by many influences, including Indian, Lao, Burmese, Cambodian, and Chinese. Its traditions incorporate a great deal of influence from India, China, Cambodia, and the rest of Southeast Asia. Thailand's national religion, Theravada Buddhism, is central to modern Thai identity. Thai Buddhism has evolved over time to include many regional beliefs originating from Hinduism, animism, as well as ancestor worship.
Thailand's prevalent religion is Theravada Buddhism, which is an integral part of Thai identity and culture. Active participation in Buddhism is among the highest in the world.
Iris van Herpen
Iris van Herpen stands for a reciprocity between craftsmanship and innovation in technique and materials. She creates a modern view on Haute Couture that combines fine handwork techniques with digital technology .Van Herpen forces fashion to the extreme contradiction between beauty and regeneration. It is her unique way to reevaluate reality and so to express and underline individuality. The essence of van Herpen is expressing the character and emotions of a woman and to extend the shape of the feminine body in detail. She mixes craftsmanship- using old and forgotten techniques- with innovation and materials inspired on the world to come.
“For me fashion is an expression of art that is very close related to me and to my body. I see it as my expression of identity combined with desire, moods and cultural setting. In all my work I try to make clear that fashion is an artistic expression, showing and wearing art, and not just a functional and devoid of content or commercial tool. With my work I intend to show that fashion can certainly have an added value to the world, that it can be timeless and that its consumption can be less important then its beginning. Wearing clothing creates an exciting and imperative form of self-expression. 'Form follows function' is not a slogan with which I concur. On the contrary, I find that forms complement and change the body and thus the emotion. Movement, so essential to and in the body, is just as important in my work. By bringing form, structure and materials together in a new manner, I try to suggest and realize optimal tension and movement.”
Iris her designs require every time an unique treatment of material or even the creation of complete new materials. For this reason, Van Herpen prefers interdisciplinary research and often collaborates with other artists or scientists.
I have been looking at jungle images, and different shades of green.
Algae are a very large and diverse group of eukaryotic organisms, ranging from unicellular genera such as Chlorella and the diatoms to multicellular forms such as the giant kelp, a large brown alga that may grow up to 50 meters in length.
WORLDS COLLIDE
The Bank of England, formally the Governor and Company of the Bank of England, is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world, after the Sveriges Riksbank, and the world's 8th oldest bank. It was established to act as the English Government's banker, and is still the banker for the Government of the United Kingdom. The Bank was privately owned by stockholders from its foundation in 1694 until nationalised in 1946. In 1998, it became an independent public organisation, wholly owned by the Treasury Solicitor on behalf of the government, with independence in setting monetary policy.
The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street' is the nickname of the Bank of England which stands in the heart of the City of London. But was there really an old lady of Threadneedle Street and what had she to do with Banking? There was indeed an old lady…Sarah Whitehead was her name. Sarah had a brother called Philip, a disgruntled former employee of the bank, who was found guilty of forgery in 1811, and executed for his crime. Poor Sarah was so shocked she became 'unhinged' and every day for the next 25 years she went to the Bank and asked to see her brother. When she died she was buried in the old churchyard that later became the Bank's garden, and her ghost has been seen on many occasions in the past. The Gordon RiotsAnother phrase often used is 'As safe as the Bank of England', and is used to describe a system that is strong and secure. But in 1780 the Bank did not seem so safe during the Gordon Riots, when for days, London was terrorised by an Anti-Catholic mob led by Lord George Gordon. After burning down Newgate and other prisons, the mob turned its attention to the Bank. A small force of troops were hastily organised by the government and managed to repel the attack. Since then, apart from a short period in the 18th century the Bank has been guarded every night by the Bank Piquet, drawn from detachments of the Guards, stationed in London.
http://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/The-Old-Lady-of-Threadneedle-Street/
Black and Decker
Black & Decker Corporation is an American manufacturer of power tools and accessories, hardware and home improvement products, and technology based fastening systems. On March 12, 2010, Black & Decker merged with Stanley Works to become Stanley Black & Decker. It remains as a wholly owned subsidiary of that company, but maintains its own headquarters in Towson, Maryland, a suburb of Baltimore.
Description
Black and Decker is the most popular power tool brand in the UK. Furthermore, it is the biggest manufacturer of power tools in the world with an unsurpassed global distribution network. Its one of the leading manufactures of lawn and gardening power tools and accessories. The brand continues to place emphasis on the importance of design, research and development. Black & Decker produces a wide range of tools and products for the home and garden. Black & Decker's power tools range includes cordless drills, jigsaws and sanders.
Cordless Power Drills
The cordless power drill was introduce by the collaboration of NASA and Black & Decker as NASA couldn't drill samples out of the moon with a corded drill. They teamed up with a lil company called Black and Decker to make battery operated versions for moonwalks and built a whole DIY industry by accident.
Aims
Black & Decker aims to produce innovative products and value for money or its consumers, whilst maintaining high quality. Black & Decker has increased its strong hold over the rest of the market by developing its multi-functional tools range. Black & Decker aims to ensure that its products are both exciting and challenging, but remain the best tools for the job.
History
1910- Black & Decker began in by two Americans, Duncan Black and Alonzo Decker to form their own manufacturing company. The brand started off with a range of equipment for the US mint, to bottle capping machinery.
1914 - begun to produce the goods for which it would subsequently become world-renowned. Opened in Boston and New York and a new factory was built in Towson, Maryland, to cope with the phenomenal growth.
1922 - Branch out to Canada
1928 - The first factory was built in the UK, which produced a range of heavy-duty tools including tappers, screwdrivers and grinders.
1946 - Black & Decker created home tools to expand products. The company decided to make tools specifically aimed at this market — the company is now know as the DIY market.
1960s - saw further expansion, with the opening of new branches in Scandinavia as well as in the UK, and the opening of new headquarters in Maidenhead. Black & Decker turned its hand to 'space development' in association with the National Aeronautical and Space Agency (NASA). Black & Decker devised a cordless zero-torque space tool, used on the Gemini project, and in the early 1970s, a Black & Decker moon drill was used to remove core samples from the lunar surface.
2000 - Black & Decker launched a sawing range, making a traditionally hard working tool, into a safe and efficient one with three blades for different sawing needs.
2003 - the popular Quattro Multi-tool was relaunched. The 14.4V Quattro Multi-tool is an all-in-one answer to the four key DIY tasks -- drilling, sanding, screwdriving and jigsawing -- achieved with its interchangeable heads. The Quattro¨ Multi-tool is one of the most successful and easy to use power tools on the DIY market.
2010 – Black & Decker merges with Stanley Works to become Stanley Black & Decker.
http://www.brandrepublic.com/news/193565/Superbrands-case-studies-Black---Decker/
MEMORIES CONTAINED