Media literacy definitions have been in flux during the 20th century. Scholars, policy makers, educators, and activists from Europe, Australia, and North America, in particular, have defined the term according to their different interests, ideologies, and perspectives, giving rise to several definitions that are contradictory. Although the conflicting interests of the stakeholders have become an…
My Chilean friend Alvaro invited me to a pumpkin party the weekend before Halloween. I told him I was not very familiar with the pumpkin tradition but liked the idea of meeting at night with friends and collaboratively work in the creation of the famous jack-o’-lanterns. Although I have enjoyed the passion that people in…
Following the traces of the youth grassroots media production in Austin has been exciting. It is nice and intellectually challenging to discover new worlds. As I decided to pursue the project of documenting some of the practices of the local youth (sub) cultural scene, I have been talking to some of the baristas in coffeehouses…
Have you ever been in a concert where the pieces are played twice? Have you ever been in a museum which galleries have been turned into performance stages? Have you ever listened to the sound of 80 trombones arranged across two floors? Today’s concert at the Blanton Museum, entitled “Space and Symmetry” was such a…
The first time I saw them was in 2010, attached to the metal railings of the Pont des Arts in Paris. They looked mysterious and out of context. Over the metal surface of their body one could see handwritten names. Names of lovers over padlocks attached to a bridge. What a curious thing I thought….
Coffee houses have been at the center of the public interactions of modern cities and societies. Although nowadays, they are not particularly the places for the discussion of public affairs and the circulation of information (this tends to happen in other mediated spaces), they are still important places to hang out, get drinks and food,…
I am back to school. Two weeks ago I started to participate in the Austin Samba School weekly meetings at a gymnasium located in the campus of a former Texas Insane Asylum now transformed into a State Hospital. The school is also known as The Acadêmicos da Ópera. It is a vibrant community of dancers…