Strolling around Asuncion del Paraguay

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Museo del barro (Mud Museum) at Asuncion, Paraguay. Photo

©BA Inspiration

In past trips I have conducted searches so thorough, that visiting the circuits afterwards seemed more like a confirmation procedure than like an actual discovery. But the last days of summer found myself in the fiscal task of turning BA Inspiration into a Limited Liability Company (!) to undertake the first of (hopefully) many projects: serving as the content editor for all of Discovery Latin America’s blogs. So I arrived in the capital of Paraguay with no preparation other than the address of the house we were staying in, and some tips from Carolina of Guaraní Porã.

The first encounter with the city was abrupt, especially for two cyclists: the lack of respect for pedestrians intoxicated us like the exhaust smoke from a car. But after three weeks experiencing the sincere kindness of Paraguayans and perceiving an effervescence that reminds me of Buenos Aires when it wasn’t so weary of itself, we got to feel a great affection for Asuncion.

Much of this connection had to do with staying in beautiful houses with hosts that seemed to have been chosen for us by a match-making service, which made me think of how precise is the marriage of a person living in a house and a person who chooses it from a list of Airbnb options. About them and about their dens I will talk in further posts.

What follows is a list of the places we liked, put together with recommendations from the hosts and information from brochures and magazines spotted by chance.

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Made in Chacarita

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Set of chairs by Chear Project, by Tomas Dieguez and Martin Huberman. Photo

All photos ©Alejo Pichot

When reading an article about SF Made, a label created by entrepreneur Wendel Rosen to promote local production in San Francisco,  some time ago, and watching the Made by Hand videos celebrating artisan craft in Brooklyn a litte afterwards, I wondered when we would start talking about the value of local manufacturing in Buenos Aires. Not because it didn’t exist already, but because it was usually not communicated as a differential, positive attribute for products.

This year the word ‘local’ began popping up more frequently, though its application varies: it can denote local trade or the local origin of a product’s materials, but these do not mean locally made. Finally, a few days ago the concept appeared with the launch of Chear Project, which designer Tomás Dieguez and architect Martin Huberman created under the theme, ‘Made in Chacarita.’

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Inspiring Gifts II

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Inspiring Christmas gifts from Buenos Aires by KOM, Modesta, Babuni, Planar, Guarani Pora and Hirr. Photo

(All prices in Argentine pesos) Alpargatas with ‘drop’ print by Andanzas + KOM ($130 for kids, $150 for adults, sold by both brands) / Bag made with fused plastic bags by Modesta ($240, 10% discount if you bring 30 plastic bags) / Sleeping dog ring by Babuni ($450 silver version, $350 copper or nickel silver versions) / Document holder made with recycled leather by Planar ($150) / Coroshiré, CD with beautiful music by Misiones-born Cecilia Pahl at Guaraní Porã ($40) / Bowl “O” by Hirr at Reunión ($260)

I’m not one to but presents when dates or traditions force me to, but I can leave my Grinch aside and see the Holidays as an opportunity to support creators and projects I respect. Thus, here’s my present-friendly-objects list for this year. (Plus, 2011′s Inspiring Gifts are still available.)

Junta Feria Debut at Meridion

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Illustrations and photos at Otero, and the Mite stand in the background. Photo

Images ©BA Inspiration

The second week of November took place the first edition of Junta Feria, a kind of extension of the Young Neighborhood section of arteBA fair which gathered 15 art spaces from Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Rosario, Tucuman, Sao Paulo and Quito.

If one has been around one’s fair share of ‘emerging art’ events and ‘young galleries’, it is possible that one is a bit tired of such terms and the easiness with which they’re used. But more than a continuation of this, the event seemed like an evolution: the fact that the galleries left egos aside and coordinated themselves to generate a stronger statement was encouraging, but apart from that the fair had an air of camaraderie, more cooperation than pedantry.

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A neighborhood of galleries growing up

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Promotional image of Junta Feria by Lino Divas

©Promo images of Junta Feria by Lino Divas

The Barrio Joven (Young Neighborhood) section at arteBA fair served in the past years as a consolidation space for certain independent national and regional projects which represent young artists. With its relatively low cost, it allowed them to access the connections and sales the event facilitates without the investment larger galleries make. (To give you an idea: for the upcoming 2013 edition, a 250 Sq. Feet stand in Barrio Joven costs around 1200 US dollars plus tax, while a similar size space in the general area of the fair is about 6500 plus tax.)

There’s a catch, as usual: you can apply to be there for a maximum of three editions. (Is it a freshness injection for the event, a tool to capture exhibitors, or both? You decide.)

What happens, then, when a gallery that doesn’t have such a large business-volume fills its quota? A possible answer might be Junta Feria, an event described as the 1st. Latin American Young Art Fair, whose inaugural edition takes place November 14 to 18 in Buenos Aires.

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