Londres o Roma, Roma en Londres. SOUTHWARK LIDO.

From Rome to London… connection.
I have been participating in Rome, Eternal Tour Festival, with a story about a place call Rome during this summer. And the story was about a place in Medellín, an unexisting cinema theater that once was call Rome.

During this trip I was all the time thinking about the idea I have always had about Rome. So I toke pictures and i finish taking also nice videos about this idea represented in a oniric and a bit comic way for me.

Here are somme graffitis about the idea and also i have already posted in this blog the things I have being doing in Rebuilding Rome Project.

This photo was taken in Arezzo´s Petrarca monument.

I was thinking about public baths, public roman baths, and then public bathrooms. Al type of graphics , erotic draws, writes, can be found in walls in all public bathrooms. So I was exited with the idea of how could be imagin a Lido roman bath today if all the satiricon ideas could became real now days.

I know this photo about David, Michel Angel, has nothing to do directily with roman baths or something like that, but it always make me think about all the public sculptures placed in the reach of people that are extreamily used because of the permanent rush with hands. I have notice what everyone does, penis and sexual parts brilliant when metal materials are use. This sculpture is not at the reach of people but this photo is usually taked.

Then I started to think about fountains, the relation romans have with water and public fountains.

So I had this idea of filming a public shower, or public bath in a fountain. And it toke me to get a look again to Fellini’s films like la Dolce Vita, Rome, Satiricon, and then Pasolini’s films and Antonioni’s.

Here are some little sequences of some of the little films I have made in Rome.

Then I was planned to do projections in London because some friends invite me also to participate also in their project: Southwark LIDO. This project was built for the LONDON FESTIVAL OF ARCHITECTURE 2008. Near the TATE MODERN.

This construction consisted about a temporary lido, created by my friends of a French architecture collective EXYZT and filmmaker Sara Muzio on Union Street. So, the LIDO was built following the tradition of Roman baths, or the idea of it.

Which provided a setting for social gathering, ritual cleansing and uninhibited political discussions, the Southwark Lido hosted a variety of activities in an unusual, architecturally innovative environment. Curated by The Architecture Foundation, the Lido provided bathing and breathing space for the general public, residents of Southwark and visitors to London Festival of Architecture alike.

Within a futuristic low-tech complex, visitors of all ages enjoyed the refreshing spray of the water deck, or sweat it out in a sauna; there where also a paddling pool for children; beach huts doubling as changing rooms and living pods for staff; a sun deck; a bar, a mobile garden… etc.

During the LFA2008 Southwark & South Bank Hub focus week, 9 – 13 July will host:
• Lunchtime Picnics: Take a proper lunch break: bring your lunch to the pool side, have a quick dip, sunbathe and socialise
• After School Club: Activities for children of any age
• An After Work Drink: Come and relax after a hard day’s work: sweat out tensions, have a drink and enjoy informal presentations by artists, musicians, architects, and many others
• Film Club: Evenings are for film screenings in the open air, pool-side cinema

Last night at the LIDO, Vj projection and thriller dance.

Animation and photos, Julie Guilches.