Some of Damanhur and now in the Art

hello,

as promised I post some of the pics of the Temples of Humankind in Damanhur. This labyrinth of rooms is all made by the people of Damanhur. 2 million buckets of rocks have been removed over 30 years. Google Damanhur.com
This blog has been released last week about the course we did there.http://www.damanhurblog.com/2012/06/26/seven-days-to-purpose-whats-your-tree/

one of the chambers in the Temple of Humankind

one of the rooms in the temple

                                                     The hall of mirrors

Now in Montecastello di Vibio, Umbria. This is the tiniest, most stunning, little village you can imagine. Here is the International School for painting and drawing where I do the 3 week program.
I am busy, working 8 hours a day on landscape painting, life painting and drawing, and sculpture.
The group is small, we are only 9 students! The school can have 30. Also here they feel the recession.
I am the oldest with mainly talented art students from the US. By the way: I am not too bad at all to be honest. I am enjoying the landscape painting which is quite challenging for me after many years of abstracts. Also working in oils is difficult, mainly because of the heat, they won't dry so quickly.

The teachers are from the US as well. Google is you like their names and have a look at their work,
Celia Reisman, landscape painter from Philadelphia, sculptor Brian Booth Craig and painter Samuel Evensen from New York.

It is such a luxury to be able to work all these hours just on the arts, Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included, we have our own studio and in the evenings you can enjoy a lecture or a movie.
Montecastello has a lively community with social evenings where mainly all the village people come together and enjoy themselves with food, drinks and dancing. It is great to watch the oldies. I was asked for some dances too by one of the older chaps. What a joy and so much fun!!

Went for a (long) trip to Rome with the group and had a bath in the arts, The Carravagio's, Michel Angelo's Bernini's and Raphaels are everywhere. Rome is one big museum and full with devoted visitors. I was broken and my feet where crying.
Next Friday is the trip to Perugia and Assisi.

10 of July till 16th. A week in the Damanhur community 40ks west of Turin-Italy.
I heard about Damanhur around 1990. A group of people inspired by Oberto Airaudi, who is an Alchemist, had build the 'Temples of Humankind' in the rocks under ground. A spectacular piece of art in different levels with labyrinths, different rooms with stained glass, sculptured walls and figures, paintings with sacred geometry etc. etc. This group is involved with research into cutting-edge therapeutic techniques, the Arts and New Sciences.
The community has around 1000 citizens, having their own currency, a mystery school, sustainable energy, prema-culture projects and connections all over the world.
Have a look at www.damanhur.org and another interesting project on www.quadriselfici.it

I did a course here called "What's your tree"developed by Julia Butterfly Hill, the young woman who lived in a tree for 736 days and with that action she prevented the forest to be destroyed by the big companies. Google her name.

The purpose of this course is finding your true purpose in life, your own Tree. We were a little group, only 4 and I was the youngest!
A couple from Israel, she born in Finland and he in Iraq, both Jewish. And John from Scotland, who is one of the leading persons in Findhorn community.
The course was led by Quaglia del mare (all the Damanhurians get an animal name and later they also get a plant name), a young woman originally from Taiwan. She was great in holding us on track and leading us to our purpose. It was good experience.
We have visited many parts of the community: The Sacred Woods, The Temples of Humankind, several Nuclio's (community-family houses each with their own work field), we worked on the land, shared meals with them, did an sculpture art class, a pizza competition and lots of other fun and interesting things.
I met wonderful, amazing people from all over the world and this was only the beginning.

The beauty of Italy is of course the nature, the old history and its people. Their liveliness, the way they dress, theirs sense for beauty and the food. All very precious.
Men and women are dressed after the latest fashion even in the mountain villages, they walk on high heels, wearing make-up, have manicured nails (incl some men).

And yesterday I left with the local taxi driver to the airport, very well dressed, shaved and bathed in after-shave. he explained me that there are countries which are intelligent, beautiful, clever and stupid. According to him Italy is a stupid country and New Zealand a clever one.
Have a look at some photo's. The ones from the Temples I will put in next time.

So, yesterday arrived in Montecastello de Vibio, Umbria. Here I will do the 3 week art class: landscape painting, live oil painting and sculpture. All 3 teachers came from the US. The township is most unique. An ancient, medieval village with its 250 inhabitants, 3 churches (one is called 'Uliminati".  I had my coffee this morning in the local cafe and was introduced to some of the people. More info  about this adventure will come next week.

Circles everywhere, for all kind of purposes: harmony, digestive system, insomnia, for different times of the year, like solstice and equinox.

Huge Menhirs, put in specific order, in or around the circles

One of the open air temples, place for celebration

The Guest House, meeting place for breakfast and social contacts

Listen to the music of the plants, an incredible experience

The temple of Horus

The people of this Nuclio (community) live in Tree Houses, and they have all the normal things we have, like electricity, washing machines and wi-fi

Another big circle

 One of the coldest nearly summer days in history!

 Rain, rain in old Cheese city Alkmaar

 With my sister cruising in the 'Red Light'
district of Amsterdam

 a whole new city has been built in Amsterdam

 view from a roof cafe in Alkmaar

having a 'Suriname' lunch in Amsterdam at the famous 'Albert Cuyp' Market

The first part of the trip is in Holland, stay with my youngest brother Ber and my cousin Dirkje.
Typical Dutch weather with lots of rain, wind and beautiful cloudy sky's. I spent my time as much as
possible with my cousin Dirkje. She lost her mummy when she was 9. She is brave.
I met my dear friend Tine in Alkmaar, Tine visits New Zealand every year for a few months.
Then I saw my sister Monique since many years. So special that time just vanish as we picked it up our lives like it was yesterday. Great fun to be with her on the scooter. No need for helmets when you have one with a limit to 30kms! so cool.
Finally the sun appears today.
Tomorrow I have my flight to Turin/Italy. Will be continued.