Once again..I am slacking on the blog. I do apologize for any frequent readers. I am guessing though..that the majority have lost interest due to my inconsistantcy updates! I would like to give props to a Miss Sara Barnes. I check her blog every now and then and she is always on top of things with updates..wish I could say the same. But anyhow. I will try to make up for it now. It~s currently 530 in the morning and due to the heat today..I am having trouble sleeping. A start to an early day!! The sun is already coming up! So I wanted to share a few pics. Still haven^t taken many but am hoping the warm weather holds out for the weekend. I would like to finally get some sun. I am getting a little tired of the strange looks I get when people see how pastey white my legs are. ha ha. Though today on the bus..I noticed a girl sitting close to me that was whitter than I was and I am pretty sure she was Brazilian.



Oh and here I am..nice and white. My friend Claudinha took me to a cachoeira. A beautiful waterfall in the Foresta Tijuca. It was a nice little hike up to this place and well worth it.




I wanted to dedicate this post..mostly..to sharing my experience or experiences on the bus in Rio. Now that I am working in Barra. I commute pretty much all week from Botafogo to Barra. It is not the best commute but there are many things I enjoy about as well as many things that really irritate me. First off I would like to think I am a rather patient person..but yesterday the bus commute was driving me crazy. On average the ride lasts about 1-2 hours. It really depends on the time of day and whether or not there is an accident or an event going on in some part of the city. Lately it has tended to take around 2 hours. Ive been trying for the last several trips to find the fastest route. There is only one bus that passes right near my place and goes directly to where I need to go in Barra. The only problem is it doesn~t come very often and is rather small. Small meaning..many times you get on and people pack in until there is no room left to breathe. Mix that with 90 degree weather and no air conditioning....and you have yourself a hell of an experience..oh and when I say that pack in..I really mean it..like sardines. Just when you think another person cant squeeze in..the bus stops and someone else gets on..somehow..somewhere.

Now the more positive. The best part of the bus right is really the scenery. Since you are on the bus for so long and travel fairly far..you get to see many different areas of the city. You start in a average, typical neighborhood in the South Zone of Rio. Then travel past the botanical gardens and Gavea which are more ritzy. Then through a long tunnel that opens to more view of Gavea and the American school from above..then another tunnel that is much longer and more irritable when stopped in the middle. Sometimes when the traffic is really backed up, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is the only thing I can think about..once it opens up, it~s like a whole other world. You look to your left and see an enormous hillside home to over 200,000 people..Rocinha. One of the largest favelas in Rio and can catch quick glimpses of the streets which are always full of people walking. Past that you see the Pedra da Gavea where depending on the day you might find people hang gliding from the mountain and those that have landed on the beach...you pass though another quick tunnel that opens to a beautiful view of the ocean and on your right an luscious hillside with lots of beautiful green vegatation that has large house intermixed along the hill. I often dream of having a place like that myself..someday. There is one tunnel left that finally ends with a full view of Barra. From there it is usually smooth sailing. Another 15 minutes and Ive arrived.

Id like to document this experience more..but still havent figure out the best way to go about it..

Here are some more pics!





There was a huge flood here this past weekend and because of it..I had a hard time getting home Saturday night. I was stuck on the street and couldnt make it across the street to get home..so I stood and waited with a few other people..here are a few pics. It~s amazing how quickly the rain came and filled the streets..pretty unbelievable. I was actually on the bus in Lapa, visiting some friends and the rain started when I left for Botafogo. I got there in 20 minutes and the bus driver opened the door to let people out..and no one was exiting..the water was too high. So I road the bus past my house to another area and waited. eh.


This is the space where I will show my piece next month!


Here is where I sometimes work in Katie~s home


This is my crazy but fun friend Brunna. This was taken at a great sushi place she took me in Lapa. Later that day we went to a cool outdoor fair they have once a month with crafts and antiques. I am thinking about making some things to sell next month there.

Also..about SUSHI! My friend Tato..took me out for Sushi a few weeks ago and now I am addicted. I hadnt eaten it since Freshman year after a bad experience..now I am addicted! Man! Was I missing out!



Marina and I! In Lapa during Carnival!

Vic Muniz

Long overdue post. I've arrived! I am here in Rio and have been trying to stay busy the last few weeks. The biggest news being..I will be showing a newspaper piece in a space in Ipanema. So you can guess what I will be doing the next few weeks! :)

I am going to start posting something daily. Thinking of taking a picture of somewhere I go each day while I am here. Here are a few images of pieces by a Sao Paulo born artist who lived in Brooklyn now. He just won an award for his documentary at the Sundance Festival. He makes pieces with trash found in Rio. Read this article!

Partiu Feroz!

I am not one to give in and quit..I want to continue what I started so……..back to Brasil I go. In a little less than two weeks I will land and the chaos will begin. I’ve got a lot of things already planned this trip so my time spent being productive will be well worth it. On top of that Carnival starts the following week so I will be able to finally see and experience the madness in person. Today is my last day at work so this next week I will update more about my plans and the articles I promised to write awhile ago…ha ha..PLUS a new wood piece I have been working on..slowly but surely. :)

More from NPR..my work day

upcoming topics

Another short week of work has given me the opportunity to work on some grants and applications for upcoming show. I am eager to see what will come of the proposals I am suggesting. I also am hoping to write a few entries in the blog. here are a couple pictures that give you a preview of what is to come!!

new music

I've become a little bit of a NPR junkie at work. I'm on a mission to find some new music to buy. Here are a few tunes I enjoyed.

Morro da Coroa

Rio de Janeiro is a city full of beautiful wonders. For each individual spectator, the beauty is found any many different forms. For me, Rio is beautiful for not only their wonderful beaches but also their lush, rich mountains, colorful and crowed streets, and most importantly, for the people that come from all over the world with the same mission, to see this marvelous place!! Sometimes I still can't pin point why I enjoy this place as much as I do. I think some of the reasons are indescribable but rather a feeling and an instinct that keeps coming back and will for some time. Often I feel like when I am there, I am somehow a different person, which in some ways one could argue is quite ironic. I felt like I was more myself in this other country, with a different language and culture. I guess in some ways it’s because these last few months, I was finding myself, the things I like and dislike along with discovering the new and I haven’t had the chance to do this any other time or at least be happy about it! I was confident, I was happy with myself, and I was enjoying everything about my life.

When it comes to being in a new place or environment, my natural instinct is to want to familiarize myself with the simple things. I often times find myself trying to remember landmarks on a street or certain names that will forever remain in my memory. When I rode throughout the city, whether that be on the bus or in a taxi I always was people watching or glued to the window and captivated by the scenery. I think some of my favorite memories spent in Rio, this past trip, were actually when I was commuting around the city by bus or foot trying to reach a destination for a meeting or to visit my family. It’s hard to believe at one time I was petrified of riding the bus because after a few weeks, I took it everywhere and often 3 or 4 times a day. On my many adventures around town, I once in awhile found myself taking a cab from the south zone to the north zone either on my way to the Rodaviara or bus station. It is impossible to drive through Rio without spotting a mountain covered with a favela or shantytown, which are the homes of thousands of Cariocas, each one uniquely different and spread throughout the city. One in particular has always been of interest to me because of the absurd color palette. See it is common to pass by a favela and just be amazed at the colors that are created by the mismatch placement of each building. I found it is easy to appreciate the beauty found in these communities and just how captivating they are to many people. Well in this one favela I had noticed, there are sections that have been painted this funky blue and I was always questioning why this was. I asked a few people and had some different responses. One response involved a theory about the different communities within the favela or possibly a way in which the drug lords mark off territory but I wasn’t really buying any that I had heard. It didn’t really make sense to me. So….I decided to do a little research on the net and see what I could find.

With the help of google maps I was able to identify the area where the favela was located, I’ve identified the favela as Morro da Coroa. Here is a pic that I found through my search. Gives you an idea of what I was talking about with the blue buildings but it looks even more absurd from afar.


Through my search, I stumbled upon this site about two guys from The Netherlands that started painting murals inside favelas in Rio. I am not really sure if this is what is being worked on in Coroa but thought it would make for an interesting post. They launched the Firmeza Foundation that supports the creation of striking artworks in unexpected places. It collaborates with local people to use art as a tool to inspire, create beauty, combat prejudice and attract attention. The project has really taken off in the last few years and it seems they have gained a lot of exposure through what they are doing. Here is a link to their site Favela Paintings and also some youtube videos you should check out. These projects look amazing and what they are planning next will be incredible. They want to organize a project where an entire favela will be painted with the help of everyone in the community. Each house hold would help paint their own house. From what I have read, it seems that the project will take place in a favela located in Copacabana but I am still not sure. They don't give a direct name. I was hoping it was the Morro da Coroa! Here is a link from their site about it. Check it out!







More Info

Getting involved in something like this seems like a great opportunity. Something new to look into to during my next trip!