BENJI KNEWMAN
BOOKAZINE
2015
Project for the bookazine
Benji Knewman, volume 2
www.benjiknewman.com
"SPANISH TOPICS"
1 - ABANICO or FAN
Here's one of those clichés that has a base in reality; yes, there are parts of the Iberian peninsula that get really hot in Summer. It's true. But not the whole country melts during this time of the year nor everybody appeases hot flashes with a fan, unless your +80 and you got a little flamenco dancer doll on top of the TV, that shows football 24/7.
2 - PAELLA
Not all paellas are nice, in fact, some can cause indigestion. And others are actually nothing more than "rice with stuff".
3 - OLÉ
In theory, "olé" is an admiration expression towards someone or something. It's a shame that the few situations it's used are Summer songs, flamenco, bullfights, Eurovision or in the South of Spain. For the rest, saying "olé" is as familiar as chatting in Esperanto.
4 - SAY NO TO BULLFIGHTING
What for some is a cultural celebration, for us it's nothing more than cruelty. Call us crazy, but we really don't think everyone involved in them is having fun, specially when one of the participants (in this case, the bull) get stabbed 'till death. You know.
5 - PEINETA or BACK COMB
"Don't touch my peineta" a.k.a don't bother me. This tipical back comb is a totally over the top hair accesory endangered in the folkloric environment. We must preserve it; the world is not the same place without unnecesary capillary statements.
6 - FREGONA or MOP
The mop was a huge input to humanity and it was created by the Spanish inventor Manuel Jalón Corominas in 1964. It's been stuck to the hands of every mother in the country for 51 years, creating humid floors where, if you step, said mothers can throw a slipper at you or even disinherit you. On the top left, a copy, in homage to the amazing Joan Miró.
Text, Ane guerra
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