What If?

Metropolis
Online Greenlight Review
Almudena Daz

Jean Arp was a successful German-French abstract artist. He was born on

September 16, 1886, in Strassburg, German Empire (now Strasbourg,
France). And he died on June 7, 1966, in Basel, Switzerland. He was known
as Jean Arp, but also as Hans Arp. This is because when he spoke German,
he refered to himself as Hans, but when he spoke French, he refered to
himself as Jean.

Arp was a sculptor, a painter and a poet. He was best known for being one
of the founders of the Dada movement in 1916. He was the leader of the
Abstraction-Creation Group in Paris, 1930s. And he was also a member of
the American Abstract Artist group.

Talking about Arps inspirations. Arp was influenced by the Expressionist

artists group Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) by some Modern Art artists
such as Wassily Kandinsky and Pablo Picasso. His first wife, Sophie Taeuber,
was his primary collaborator and also his inspiration. He was also associated
with the Surrealism and the Constructivism.

Talking about his style, Arps main characteristic is the biomorphic evolution
inspired by forms found in the nature. Almost all his works are sculputures
made of bronce, stone and marble. And in these sculputures he always
represents the organic forms he found in the natural world. Growth and
fecundity are his main themes. Arps scultures have hard edges, shaper
angles and straight lines. But the important thing is that the elements of his
works can be pick up for re-doing another different work. Apart from this, the
paintings, collages, bass-relieves, essays and poetry are also important
characteristics of his style.

Arps art is always an experiment with abstract form and colour in two and
three dimensions.

JEAN ARP

Al-Medina. Evergreen Emerald.

Travelogue
Days and days at the sea, you will see an island that, in the distance, looks like a woman, Al-Medina. There are a
lot of boats full of people that go there, but just a few of them, almost empty, return. Al-Medina is a city that
expands on a huge island. On this island, changes take over. Al-Medina will amaze you with the metamorphosis
that occur there. But do not be fooled by this citys beauty, because nothing in Al-Medina is eternal and nothing
is what it seems.
It will take you just a little time to realise that in Al-Medina, the things can change its shape. The time which
forms take to transform depends on the thing that is changing. Buildings can change its shape in just a few days,
they never return to their original shape and they never repeat any form previously made. But it is not only that,
its inhabitants, who call themselves residents, can also change. They can change their body, their life, their
personality, their age, their sex And they will never again be the same people. When they go to sleep, they
never know if they will be the same person they were on the previous day or whether they will be a different
person. That is why it is a city made for silence. Its inhabitants do not often speak to each other, and when they
speak to another person, they speak softly, almost whispering. You will never hear them speaking. Neither will
you hear people laughing, crying or singing. Everybody who lives in this city is completely accustomed. The only
sounds you will hear in Al-Medina are the noise the water makes when it flows from one place to another, the
noise the buildings make when they are growing and transforming, the people working and the animals. But do
not misled by the idea that the city may be boring. Once you have lived here long enough you will be able to
hear something you will never forget, the sound of silence.

It is also a city made for the night. Its only light comes from the fire, a fire that never extinguishes and which is
also constantly changing as the city. Sometimes this fire lights some streets, and sometimes it illuminates others.
Perhaps, the only thing that does not change is that it always illuminates the same statue. A statue that is right in
the middle of the island. A statue in which Daphne is no longer a woman and its becoming a laurel tree. This
laurel tree expands to all the buildings roofs, making the city like it is under a beautiful blanket of leaves and
branches. The sun light never penetrates directly into the city.
The old city of Al-Medina has an irregular shape and it seems to be a big maze. You will be lost in its narrow
streets and in its incredible architectural monuments. The streets are paved and there are not such things as
sidewalks. You can see small pieces of grass among the pieces of stone.
The streets are usually full of people, but they are always quite busy doing the job of the person in which they
have woken up that day. Fortunately, they have already learned how to do any job. They work as acrobats,
escapists, magicians, knife throwers In Al-Medina, everybody works on performance jobs. It is like a thousand
year old carnival with its plentiful storytellers and soothsayers making their way through the labyrinth of alleys.
And although it seems that this is a big mess, it is something that is organized and everybody has a role and there
are never disturbing noises.
In Al-Medina, almost all the facades are covered with vegetation. Besides the plants, the elements that were used
to build the city are wood, stone and water. The wood and the stone are just the materials for giving certain
strength to the city, as the important materials are the water and the vegetation that make the metamorphosis
process possible. Some small rivers sneak inside the city, in some of its narrow alleys and its endless dead end
streets. There is water everywhere, and in the places where there is no river or canal, there are precious
fountains. In all these fountains there are sculptures. There are some fountains whose sculptures symbolize
growth, there are others whose sculptures symbolize fertility ... The fountains are the most colorful part of the
whole city and this is because they are full of a great variety of flowers. These flowers never fade.

But the most important feature of this city is magic. Magic is that element that makes changes possible. It is said
that the main source of magic is Daphnes sculpture, but actually, the origin is unknown. This magic has many
features. The first one is that it creates an incredible atmosphere inside and outside the city. It makes a different
environment. One of the things that can get your attention about this environment is that almost all Al-Medina is
green. But it is not the same green colour everywhere. As the shape of the city changes, the green tone changes.
What is in the metamorphosis process is in a dark green tone while the things that are without any apparent
change remain in a light green.
Another feature of this magic is that the atmosphere never changes. The weather is always the same: it never
rains and it does not snow either. There is no sunshine and no clouds. But despite this, Al-Medina is always kept
in perfect conditions. It does not rain but the humidity in the ground, in the walls and in the vegetation is
considerable. Everything remains fresh. There is also no sunlight in Al-Medina, but the light of its inner fire is
enough. In addition, it stays always in the same season, it is always Spring. There is fresh air, an incredible
variety of flowers and good weather.
But the real essence of Al-Medina s magic is that it gives a kind of life to the buildings and they can be changed
a billion times without stopping. Also the inhabitants of Al-Medina are immortal. It is said that in Al-Medina
resides the secret of the eternal youth, because all the inhabitants are young people.
Al-Medina is an enchanted place where time has been suspended, giving you a glimpse of life that sticks out like
a gem in the middle of a feverish imagination.

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