Look Who’s Enjoying the Sitges Quarterly Magazine: Alfonso Cuarón

Known for his incredible stories, his films are also very much character driven, engaging the audience to feel their personal, emotional experiences no matter the budget of the film.

Alfonso Cuarón Orozco is the filmmaker of Gravity, Children of Men and of course, Y Tu Mamá También. He is also the director of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

I must admit, although I knew that he is a director held in high esteem and of a few of his earlier films, I’ve been so very busy in research for a new project I’m working on (watch this blog!!), that I didn’t associate him with his Academy award win last year for Gravity. He defeated a group of men including: Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave), Alexander Payne (Nebraska) and Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street). And in doing so, Cuarón became the first Mexican-born director to win an Oscar.

I wasn't even aware of the The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Film Benefit honoring him in New York City late last November—considering my research took me to the city not only for the new project, but also for the next issue of The Sitges Quarterly magazine.

                                

                  

Having spoken with him about his films, friends, The SQ magazine and about the stories we cover, it is easy to see why he is a successful writer. He is very personable and focused on to whom he speaks. He is interested in people; a trait that no doubt helps him to write realistic characters and bring them to life on screen. And despite my interrupting him from his writing, he was charming as ever, giving me his full attention.

Enthusiastically, he said that he looks forward to coming to Sitges in order to attend its International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalunya which he’s heard good things about from his good friend, director Guillermo del Toro. I added, “I will hold you to that promise”!

And with the SQ in hand, he’ll know more about us…

Collaboration • Col·laboració • Colaboración

Along the lines of creating community (the mission of the Gay Sitges Link association), as I devised the concept for what is now The Sitges Quarterly Magazine, connecting residents and visitors was only part of the endeavour.

I felt Sitges was such a unique and wonderful place yet only superficial information about it was readily available to the public at large. What was available was information about its beaches, its location and a little about Santiago Rusiñol – the artist who put Sitges on the map as an artistic, attractive Mediterranean getaway. Information of any real substance was not available in English.

How extraordinary! Considering how popular it is as a holiday destination today, very little of its history is widely known… and so, I decided to change that reality.

Through collaboration with Sitgetans, day trip visitors, business conference attendees and holidaymakers, an exceptional project consisting of interesting perspectives, histories and stories could be remembered, found and shared. Photographs and historical anecdotes and events could be captured to grace the pages of the SQ. And now audio clips, home movies or news clips can be uploaded to this blog!

An excellent example of such collaboration began in the very first issue of the SQ with our Hidden Jewel feature. We featured a lovely stone relief carving, a capital on the exterior wall of the Palau Maricel near the church; it’s alongside several others with the typical theme of a group of men engaged in some activity. This one had the head of a woman with flowing hair and head cover beside a dog or wolf. And we weren’t sure of what it represented.

We invited everyone to write to us, in regard to “any feature, photo or information in our articles” and for any featured Hidden Jewel found in Sitges. We asked you to “please go find it and report back if you have any ideas about it”- and you did! In fact, we were very pleased to receive an email from Fran Romero.

It turned out that Fran had done some research on the Palau Maricel for a project of his, and he shared some his knowledge about the Maricel with our readers. He said that this capital in particular was the “most mysterious” of all of the capitals around the town and that all of them contain hidden stories, fables and depicting traditional Sitgetan life. The capitals of the doors and windows of the building were made ​​by Pere Jou, whose grandson has published several very interesting books of his grandfather's work*.

Fran Romero: “As I read (the SQ1), you are asking to be informed about this beautiful sculpture. Pere Jou loved tales and fables and this capital in particular represents the fable "The Fox and the Bust", which reads…

"Said the fox to the bust,

after smelling it:

'Your head is beautiful,

but brainless'

Like this there are many,

and although they appear men,

they're only busts”.

It was very heart warming to have moved someone enough for him or her to share such a story, and Fran touched the SQ team in return by doing so. He also offered an invitation to us, that if ever he could help us–all we had to do was ask.

And so I did!

As we were putting together the next issue of the SQ (no.5 – The Americanos) and because the Palau Maricel was created in that period in the history of the town, I asked him if we would like to collaborate with us and write a brief article about this important site. He obliged and wrote, “Palau Maricel: The Magnificence of Sitges”.

Hopefully it was the beginning of many more collaborations and partnerships to come.

Who knows what gems are waiting to be discovered? To be discovered, and help tell part of the on going story that is Sitges.

*[L'sculptor Pere Jou—Jou i Mirabent. Grup d'Estudis Sitgetans (1991, in Catalan)]

The Town of Festivals

Photos by Joan Valera

Logo de Turisme de Sitges

La Blanca Subur, or what is today, Sitges. A town known to be a place to holiday, to attend a conference, take weekend trips or enjoy a festival. Disused today, it was back in 2008, when the Ayuntamiento (Town Hall) commissioned a Barcelona based company to design a logo for the branding of Sitges as Sitges, Vila of Festivals. Why?

Because a town like Sitges, steeped in tradition, over time annually held many celebrations. There were celebrations for certain seasons, religious saints and artistic endeavours. Festivals are vital because they can help us understand our history. They also record patterns of cultural importance and change, and even highlight social trends, most recently, the Sitges Gay Pride. Events of a festival also allow opportunities for communities to come together and can broaden our cultural horizons.

In Sitges we see them as making a valuable contribution to the development of our tourism industry. Local businesses in town definitely benefit from new business that a festival brings and we see the event as good for the local community overall.

In the SQ, what we try to do in the In Season (En Temporada) section–is to demystify them. We research the festivals origin, we discover and learn what relation it has with the town and “pay it forward”, or share it with all who observe or participate in the festivities and read the content of our pages.

This Year 2015, in addition to several holidays, we celebrate:

   February 12^th-18^th Carnival of Sitges

   The Parades are on Sunday, the 15^th and Tuesday, the 17^th

   

   March 12^th–15^th International Patchwork Festival

   April 9^th–12^th Jazz Antic Sitges Festival (J.A.S.)

   June 6^th and 7^th The Corpus Festival

   Sunday 7^th, the street carpets made of flowers are on display

   June 18^th-22^nd Sitges Gay Pride

   June 26^th–28^th The Poetry Festival

   August 20^th—25^th Festa Major de Sitges

   Sitges’ main annual fiesta in honour of Saint Bartomeu,

   one of the town’s patron Saints.

   September 22^nd—23^rd Festa de Santa Tecla

   Sitges’ main annual fiesta in honour of Santa Tecla,

   one of the town’s patron Saints.

   October 1^st–31^st Tasta Sitges (A Gastronomic Festival)

   October 4^th–5^th The 53^rd Festa De La Verema—

   Grape Harvest Festival & 8^th Wine Tasting Experience

   October 9^th–18^th

   The 48^th Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalunya

And of course, we celebrate the festivities of Christmas on December 25^th, continuing through to the Three Kings Parade (La Cavalcada de Reis or La Cabalgata de Reyes) in January.

Although the authorities have decided to build the local economy on tourism, personally, I believe a better way forward for Sitges would be to diversify its economy. It would better carry us through times of global crises and slumps in the travel trade… putting that aside, what better way is there to spend your time in Sitges, a “vila of festivals”?

Reflection

 The beginning of the year usually invigorates hope for the future and yet at the moment I reflect on the many people who have come and gone here since my move to Sitges.

Sitges being a resort town attracts summer seasonal workers, but more than that, it attracts the artists, the party people, the northern Europeans and what I call - the temporary residents, the Restless.

Nothing wrong with them, but after the euphoria of our beautiful summer, the reality of everyday living sets in and the ones who love the hustle and bustle of the "season" find themselves in a very different Sitges. A quiet Sitges belonging to those who have relocated and remained here for more than a decade, and the old, established families that have their name on the many storefronts and above doors of various businesses around town. 

Those who have witnessed the changes in the landscape and been part of the town's evolution can tell stories of events, which have made a mark on its rich local memory.

Happenings that may or may not have been written about or recorded; fleetingly enriching life here, nevertheless somehow ever present, avoiding a scheduled departure from the collective mind. Like the Stargazer watching over playa San Sebastián back in 2007, by Barcelona artist Robert Llimós, or last summer’s flash mob dance in Plaça Industria – a sign of the times depicted in public art expression. They were captured artistic endeavours that stole the imagination.

Or Hola Club Sitges, a beach bar/café that arrived last summer for a chill-out trendy run, and today is gone… hopefully to return this summer!

(Look at the photos of the location carefully)

Maybe now, in this new age of technology, there’ll always be someone with a mobile device who'll capture the moment or temporary stay with a photograph, sound bite or video clip sharpening the "image" taken by memory for clearer recall; never really losing good times or friends past who embarked on the train leaving Sitges, forward along the coast, riding the rails on their track to the future.