One Plus One Equals Three

The Quiet American x 3

As readers of this blog can probably tell, I journeyed to Vietnam recently. I liked it. Alot. Years ago I travelled to Macau, and found that very interesting too: a Mediterranean (Portuguese) city in Asia. Well, its similar in VN: French colonial architecture (in places), in Asia, and you can pay in US dollars. An unusual mix. Although I made an effort to pay in VN dollars (Dong)... I was in Vietnam after all, not Kansas. It is a dizzying place, a heady mix of intense humidity, whizzing motorscooters, stunning food, appealling local design and handcraft work, women wearing a gorgeous 'national dress' of a long silk blouse and silk pants, terrific coffee (although I'm not so sure about the weasel variant – beware of fakes – although they may be a safer bet), colourful lizards scurrying through the jungle – all set amidst a backdrop of 'tropical Frenchness'. Quite a unique mix. It made quite an impression. I had always wanted to travel there after reading The Quiet American as a youngster (still a favourite novel of mine, having re-read it recently).

There are significant efforts to grow and develop the Vietnamese tourism industry, which is a great 'earner' for the country. Saigon is the site of some recent yet rather faceless, bland 'vertical development' (which is, I guess, inevitable). But the French aspect to the city is captivating: 1920's French architecture (well, buildings built by local artisans in the 'French style'), some of which as been skillfully and deftly renovated (some not). Strolling down the tree-lined boulevards popping into a café for a quick bowl of phở, then another café for some great espresso – Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City as it's now known, got a big 'tick' from me. A most interesting and determinedly 'alive' place.

Ozploitation: Crashed, Burned, Exploded, Kung-Fu'd, Nuded-Up and More

The trailer for the new film: Not Quite Hollywood, a filmic exploration of the wild and wonderful world of Ozploitation cinema. Don't miss this selection of original trailers for these remarkable films of (largely) the 70s and 80s. Quentin likes them too. 

Progress on Burj Dubai

Was just wondering how the tallest building on the planet was coming along...

Quite well. Keep up the good work. Don't forget the door-knobs on level 152.

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Saigon: Eat Korean, Charge Your Phone

Spied in a Korean restaurant* in Saigon: why not charge your phone (if it happens to be a Nokia, Samsung or LG, Motorola or Siemens) whilst eating some hearty, spicey Korean fare... washed down with the local 333 beer of course. Unfortunately my phone's a Sony Ericsson so I couldn't utilise their unique complementary in-meal recharge service. However I can report that the meal itself (dolsot bibimbap) was very good.

*When travelling with a Korean (my darling wife), within minutes of arrival – no matter where you are, one grows accustomed to the habit of looking for the nearest available kimchi – even when the local fare is devastatingly good, as it was in Saigon.

Jean-Luc Godard: YouTubed

"Films are the only things by which to look inside people, and that's why people are so fond of movies and why they'll never die."

An excerpt of the infamous ten minute tracking shot (and opening) for Jean-Luc Godard's 1967 film Weekend. Lots more YouTubed Godard in the continuation.

David Lynch on Films on Phones

The Beautiful Signage of Old Vietnam

Most of the photos here are from the city of Hoi An, now largely a 'tourist town' in Central Vietnam. From the UNESCO site: "Hoi An Ancient Town is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a South-East Asian trading port dating from the 15th to the 19th century. Its buildings and its street plan reflect the influences, both indigenous and foreign, that have combined to produce this unique heritage site."

A fascinating place to visit, and highly recommended for type-nuts. The mix of Vietnamese, Chinese and French typography is spellbinding. (But note that in order to fit in with the surrounding streetscape, some signs have perhaps been deliberately 'aged' – see Phuc Loi below). Cars are banned from the old city area of Hoi An too. You get around by walking, cycling, perhaps a ride on the back of a motor-scooter. Lovely.

Even More Propaganda Posters

Whilst we're on communist/socialist 'propaganda' posters (see below): some Soviet, Czech, Chinese, North Korean, Vietnamese and Cuban political posters. I'd hit the mute switch though... not so sure about Jimi as soundtrack IMHO(!)

Vietnam: Propaganda Preserved (Sort Of)

Upon landing in Vietnam, the first thing I was keen to spy was a propaganda poster or three (and then have a bowl of steaming phở). However the first thing I spied, which kept us entertained over a few days spent in Ho Chi Minh City (which I'll call Saigon, the locals' preferred term for the city-proper) was a completely dizzying and endless sea of motor-scooters and bicycles all politely jostling for position as they whizzed through Saigon's streets (everyone gives way to... everyone!). Then the propaganda posters came into focus.

Unlike other communist countries that have seen the development of their economies and cultures evolve into 'market-based communism' and perhaps have no real need to pursue the design of posters promoting anti-Western concepts and nationalistic concerns (such posters would compete with KFC, Honda and Samsung advertisements and signage after all), Vietnam still continues the 'propaganda poster tradition' (in a way). North Korea maintains a hardline 'old-school communist' approach to their propaganda (guns, tractors, heroic stances), whilst Vietnam's 'propaganda' has evolved into public service and health-related announcements, as well as creating posters based on traditional nationalistic and nation-building themes. Saigon's bustling streetscapes are dotted with them.

Now it's easy to see communist propaganda being commodified into hip, street-savvy clothing and it's readily available in a few galleries about town that cater largely for tourists. The hip element of Saigon culture has embraced the propaganda poster as an indigenous 'street' art form with shops such as Dogma printing prop-posters onto t-shirts that wouldn't look out of place in some of the trendier night-spots around town. The Apocalypse Now bar being a Saigon favourite(!). My favourite propaganda poster gallery in Saigon was the Hanoi Gallery, with a remarkable collection of decades worth of posters. Originals retail for US$200, small prints for US$10.

Of course I walked away with a few...

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The Visual Articulation of 'Artikulation'

Created in 1970, this is the non-traditional musical notation by Rainer Wehinger of György Ligeti’s Artikulation, a seminal piece of early electronic music from 1958. Wehinger's musical notation "used a timeline measured in seconds, and used shapes and colors instead of notes on a staff. He used dots for impulses and combs for noise... (and) different colors to represent variations in timbre and pitch."

Thanks Mark Seggie.

Roman Cycle-cop Celebration

To 'Mel' of Murrumbeena: 1+1=3 isn't obsessed with motorbikes and motorscooters (I've only ridden one a couple of times), but they do seem to find their way into this blog quite a bit, as chance would have it. For some reason. I must like them. Well, scooters anyway.

Molte grazie Leon!