I was invited to the launch party of Mariscal’s new book Sketches this past Friday at Palo Alto. A new tome filled with the artist’s drawings over the years. I find his work a bit irritating, but I do believe he has played a very important part in Spanish design and illustration history. Part rebel, part provocative, Mariscal narrates stories through his drawings. Stories that we can all relate to, everyday situations, ingenuity with a naughty twist. He was the person charged with creating the 92′ Barcelona Olympic mascot, Cobi.
The party officially started at 19:00, but I didn’t go until almost 22, as we all know that in Spain a good party never gets underway until people have had supper. It is always a pleasure to go out to Palo Alto, it’s like a small urban oasis. The invitation stated that everyone should bring something to drink and eat, that there would be tortillas, beer, drink mixers, gin and tonics, agua de Valencia and ice. At first I thought that was a bit stingy, but then it dawned on me that it was an easy way in which everyone would be able to drink exactly what they liked.
The party was organized in various areas. Since the crowd was so diverse, the variety of spaces to chill out was a good idea. There was a posh bar for the “upscale” people, a children’s area, a main drinks area with the different bottles that people brought as well as mojitos and capirinhas, a two-person cinema housed in an old car and the main hall, which was being used for concerts.
The concert was probably the biggest surprise. On the invitation, various bands were announced, but when I finally managed my way over to the main hall, who should be playing but Gran Wyoming with his band. (For those that don’t know, Wyoming is a very well-known television presenter who has been instrumental in Spanish television history. He must be around 55 years old yet has so much energy on the stage.
Most of the songs were covers, but they managed to make the crowd vibrate. At one point, Mariscal himself climbed on stage to play the drums. It wasn’t too clear if he actually knew what he was doing, but at least he was having a rocking time.
All in all, a very good party. I decided to leave when the police showed up due to the noise level. Here are some videos of the guys rocking out. It was definitely a “see it to believe it” moment.
Related Posts:
You might also like
 |
 |
 |
 |
Fashion
Events
Life outside Barcelona
Exhibitions
Delicious Food and Restaurants
Things that make me Smile & Dream
Others Articles I have Written
Audiovisual Design
Let's go to the Movies!
Photography
Books and Comics
Theatre and other Performing Arts
We All Love Complaining…
30/10/2009 at 10:43 Permalink
Conozco bastante bien Palo Alto y me encanta el lugar…uno de los pocos sitios de Barcelona donde no parece que estes en la city…sin duda…un lugar para perderse…