Summer? What summer?


I know there are technically a few days left until English Sunfest '08 officially draws to a close, but I thought I'd get a head-start by breaking the news here first:

There was no summer in England this year.

None. Zip. Zilch. Nada. F-all. You heard it here first, folks.

I remember what it feels like to say goodbye to summer. And especially to those of you in the States, I remember what it was like going back to work/school after Labor Day. Most of the time, it sucked. But think of it this way, at least you can look back on a summer of BBQs and pool parties (or trips to the beach, if you were lucky) and lots of outdoor fun. In England, all we have are incredibly depressing re-runs of Bulmers ads.

So here's to next year, when rain or shine I plan to re-enact "Asado en Mendiolaza" by Marcos López somewhere in Central London.

While you're waiting for that fine and undoubtedly rainy day, you can check out his work and other cool stuff at "Opening Maps (Mapas abiertos) Contemporary Photography in Latin America until September 21, 2008 at the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels:

At the heart of the Summer of Photography, the Opening Maps (Mapas abiertos) exhibition provides the most complete panorama ever presented of the artists, themes, and trends of contemporary photography in Central and South America and the Caribbean. Overseen by the Spanish curator Alejandro Castellote, this selection of more than 200 photographs results from several years of research and cooperation involving photographers, artists, critics, historians, and people in charge of cultural institutions in the countries of Latin America. Opening Maps has deliberately chosen to leave to one side the usual themes of Latin American art and explore the eclecticism and subjectivity of artists who are sometimes almost unknown. By approaching things from three angles (rituals of identity, scenarios, and alternative histories), however, the exhibition nonetheless succeeds in tracking down the common denominators of a Latin American outlook on the world. (Podcast)

At least we never need to buy sunscreen.