February 7, 2012, New York. The filming of the new series “Smash” had been finalized at the

Angel Orensanz Founda¬tion in Lower Manhattan. The filming includes dazzling recreations of the inte-riors of the Taj Mahal in India and includes dazzling and inebriating dances, inspired by the life of Marilyn Monroe and in mythical narratives from India. World fa¬mous director Steven Spielberg is the producer of this new series. The neighborhood was an orderly production lot, like a discrete Hollywood. The series of festivities started with a reception at the Metropolitan Museum. The series started last monday night and is expected by millions of viewers. The saga narrated in the movie ends up with a brilliant ballet and several dream sequences took place inside the Foundation. This production might carry like never be-fore the interiors of the Angel Orensanz Foundation through architectural waterfalls of color and light.

A team of 50 specialized workers implemented this dazzling scenery during a week of intense dedica-tion. One of the most dazzling elements of this program of diffusion in the media and the digital world is a photo display in Times Square. Angel Orensanz was inspecting it personally when he was spotted by a group of dutch tourists. Angel Orensanz created for this project two steel sculptures that guarded and inspired the production from both sides of the presiding throne.

Angel Orensanz became soon a point of attraction in Times Square, under the huge poster of “Smash”. The group of dutch tourists recognized Angel Orensanz and explained them his rapport to the big post-er of “Smash” and the history of his Foundation building. Angel Orensanz spoke of original movies and plays shot and produced at the Angel Orensanz Foundation. He mentioned Dracula by Philip Glass, Band in Berlin by Susan Feldman, Jacques Derrida and his master presentation on deconstruction. He also mention big events that were hosted by Arthur Miller, Alexander McQueen and Sarah Jessica Parker and Mathew Broderick family events.

The sensuous dances of Angelica Houston and Uma Thurman of “Smash” will be one of the most excit-ing and worldwide TV presentations early this spring.

Steven Spielberg recreates the Taj Mahal in the Angel Oren-sanz FoundationA TV Series for the entire worldby Derek Bentley

Angel Orensanz in Times Square

There was upon a time, where all the ingredients where in peace and bored until two men named Nich-olas Kurti and Hervé This, revolted the world of the kitchen forever.

It is absolutely impressive how many things can be done thanks to the interaction between chemistry, physics and food. A new concept of art is taking part really quickly since these two men started to introduce their experiments in the culinary art in the early 80’s. But it wasn’t until the 90’s that many chefs like Ferrán Adria, Heston Blumenthal, Homaro Cantú and many others, contributed to create out of this molecular gas-tronomy an artistic vanguard, finding, step by step, more prestige in the international cuisine.

This kind of gastronomy, finding inspiration in flavor and color has nothing to envy to painting or sculpture. In just one drop of reconstructed tomato soup you can find a thousand refinements or an interesting new way to savor in a simple deconstructed dessert like it can be strawberries and cream .

The techniques used in molecular gastronomy are like children experiments, but with a good ending. Some of these techniques are:

Liquid Nitrogen: you can make ice cream out of any-thing you like, even out of any alcoholic drink. As you may know, alcohol can only transform into ice cream with this technique due to the low temperatures it re-quires for doing so .

Spherification: Sodium Alginate and Calcium Lac-tate are the two components required to create great looking caviar from anything you want .

Gelification: Very used in molecular gastronomy to decorate dishes or to give them a special touch.

Siphon: Creates a spectacular smooth texture in your dishes .

Air Techniques: Soy Lecithin is enough to create this spectacular foam .

Vacuum techniques: in here the flavor and qualities of the food you are cooking, are better preserve by using a plastic bag, high temperatures and a vacuum machine .

Deconstruction: It is a technique invented by the Spanish chef Ferran Adriá. It consists in isolating the

Molecular GastronomyThe culinary vangardby Sandra Martin Garcia

From left to right: Nicholas Kurti, Ferrán Adriá for New York Times and Hervé This

I think it is a sad reflection on our civilization that while we can and do measure the temperature in the atmosphere of Venus we do not know what goes on inside our soufflés.

—Nicholas Kurti

various ingredients of a dish, usually typical, and re-build it in an unusual way, so that the appearance and texture are completely different while the taste stays the same. The most famous of his dishes is the decon-struction of the Spanish omelet .

There has been a battle between Santi Santamaria (5 Michelin Stars winner chef ) that advocates transpar-ency in his dishes and recipes and Ferran Adriá (consid-ered one of the best chefs in the world) who defends secrecy.

Santi Santamaria defended the idea that this kind of cuisine could be something harmful for health. But one of the most used components in molecular gastronomy is a thickening substance call methylcellulose and this is an additive that is obtained from cellulose, (a com-mon component in vegetables and fruits). Beyond that, additives are not toxic and are absorbed by the body in the same way that fiber.

Moreover, Santamaria declared in a gastronomic as-sembly organized in Madrid (Spain):“We are a bunch of phonies who work for money to feed the rich and the snobs”. The Professional Association of Euro-Toques issued a strong statement, backed by more than 800 chefs partners-in which the statements made by The Catalan were described as “an attack on the spirit of solidarity and respect for their own colleagues.”

It has been said that the term Molecular Gastronomy sounds complicate and elitist and that’s the reason why many experts dislike the use of this term as it can cre-ate confussions or bad thoughts like the ones Santama-ria expressed. But althought this cuisine is very much

about techniques, it needs an expertise eye.

There are many investigations that were needed to develop this kind of dishes, and at the end, the majesty of the result depends only on the knowledge of a real chef more than in how to manipulate these techniques. The heart of this cuisine resides in the combination not only of flavor, but also of texture, in order to create a masterpiece with a unique and exquisite taste.

It is, althought we can all make in our own kitchens a molecular and gastronomic laboratory, we should fo-cus a bit in the advices found in many blogs like “Un-der my Knife” by Gretchen Torrey, in webpage’s like “The Experimental Cuisine Collective” or in the YouTube section named “Molecular Gastronomy”; after a bit of research, we can be ready to experiment in our own homes and perhaps, to find the inspiration needed to become creative chefs. If you are more the kind of per-son who likes to just enjoy a good meal, I can recom-mend you to have a look to “Immaculate infatuation” a blog written by some experimental cuisine fans, who recommend various restaurants to go in the city.

So, get ready and bon appétit!!

Molecular Gastronomy

Angel Orensanz moves his utopia sphere from Wall St. to Norfolk St. by Edewin Perez

New York February 10, 2012. Sculptor Angel Orensanz has moved metaphorically Wall Street to Norfolk St.: From Zuccoti Park to his Foundation. He has just finished in the central space of his Foundation building a large size floating sphere. He has devised several spheres over the years. The innovative point at this moment is his “transfer” of the atmosphere at Zuccoti Park (Wall Street) to his historic building on Norfolk St. It was a staging, a performance, almost a dramatized ritual In which fire plays a significant role.

The world moves around and has been moving around money for the last thousands of years. In the video piece that this document formalizes in images, dollar bills appear exhausted and flying out of their millennial formulations. Angel Orensanz sees signs of a new society in which the world will become a flexible, mutating set of dedications and pursuits. The world is flowing and flying and seems closer to free itself of a disguise that protected it for generations. Angel Orensanz hopes that society will soon float and flow free from chain centuries of production, conservation and preservation. What Angel Orensanz is telling us is that today more than before everything reflects and feeds a specific system of values; that our vision of the word is always codified in economic value terms. That like in the old myths humans are dancing around their own illusions and expectations.

This sphere is meant to circulate through the streets and avenues of the city of New York. He did a similar pilgrimage twenty years ago, in the aftermath of the burning of the Twin Towers. He moved then another similar sphere from the steps of the Metropolitan Museum on Fifth Avenue to Liberty Street in downtown. Now he will move it in a reverse way, in the middle of the night; from the Twin Towers location to Norfolk St. Not too many people are aware that Norfolk St. happened to be the hub of social and political confrontation in New York, and may be in the US decades ago.

The memories of that push for a moneyless society are totally gone; only some new solo Sisyphus resist in a post capitalist society.

Angel Orensanz, February 2012 | Images ©Nestor Cristiano

Angel Orensanz, February 2012 | Image ©Nestor Cristiano

Metamorphosis

I met Zarub Zereteli recently in New York at his Exhibit of his paint-ings ( great exhibit!) presented at the National Arts Club. To me it was a mind boggling discovery that he is not only talented sculptor but also amazing painter.

Zurab Zereteli, as it is generally known, world-famous sculptor of statues and monuments but the fact that he is also absolutely out-standing painter is not “generally known fact”. Very often it comes to my mind that in his art style as a painter he has a certain similitude with my favorite giant-artist of of Italian Renaissance Merisi Caravag-gio, or simply said, Caravaggio. One important similarity is that for some unfair and unreasonable reason facts of Caravaggio legend-ary life obscured his outstanding contributions to world art history. A hundred years after his death, his legend as a man was always ahead of his personality as a real master artist. Well, we all know that at the end is art what prevails over time and circumstances.

Despite different critical opinions of many art-critics about art of Zurab Zereteli I think that his canvasses reflect the vivid exhilara-tion of the master-impressionists, fauvists and the best European art scene brought to contemporary culture, artistic and otherwise. Zurab Zereteli portrays large canvasses that explode with waterfalls of reds, yellows and blues. Like in the romantic German and Russian poems the public is paraded through forests of color and fantasy. His canvasses are gigantic forests of yellows, reds and greens. Imagi-nary characters from ancient tales smile and cry. Popular characters of old American movies come to meet us half way between dream and fantasy. They seem to be ready to tell a story and to hear an

He is president of the Foundation for the Children’s Park of Miracles (from 1988 to the present); and the originator of the Moscow Inter-national Foundation in support of UNESCO. He is aUNESCO Good-will Ambassador since March 1996. Since 2005 he holds, as well, a chair as a member of the Public Chamber of Russia. Tseretelli’s St. George conquering the Dragon is installed just a stone throw away from the sculpture garden of the Parks Department of the City of New York, curated by Sherill Kazan, the President of the World Council of Peoples for the United Nations at the Dag Hammershold Plaza. She was involved as well in the installation of the St. George sculpture of Zurab Tseretelli in the UN grounds, across from the Dag Hammarshold Plaza.

Zarub Zereteli was the primary object of the the Second Russian Cultural Festival at the Angel Orensanz Foundation in New York that was presented in Manhattan, at the Angel Orensanz Foundation from November 14 to December 14, 20011. Thousands of visitors came to the Angel Orensanz Foundation to celebrate the vitality of the contemporary Russian artist.

Zurab TsereteliArtist and Statemanby Al Orensanz

Movie still from Angel Orensanz’s short “The Final Score” (La Partida Final) (2008)Image © Angel Orensanz

From left to right: Afon´s dream & Gabriela

ON TVArts from the OrensanzRussian Arts and Literature

PROGRAM

December 13 & 20, 2011 | 7:30 PMRussian Arts and Literature

With its upcoming two episodes, contemporary with the Second Russian Art Festival at the Angel Orensanz Foundation, “Arts from the Orensanz” pays tribute to the cultural exchange between the foundation and the russian art and literature scene with contribution of Angel Orensanz to the current Russian scene.

The Angel Orensanz Foundation palpitates perma-nently with up to date cultural creativity in all fields. No political, financial or ethnic interest mediates this flow of art and culture, continuing a cultural tradition of a hundred years between Lower Manhattan and Russia; from the days of Vladimir Mayakovsky and Sergei Eisenstein to Andrei Voznesensky.

The program includes personal remembrance of Vosnyesensky and readings from his poems. Ella Esipovich guides the viewers through her photo ex-hibit and talks about the subtle socio-political layers of her portraits of aging movie starts, outcasts and millionaires of the tech-age in contemporary Mos-cow. In another recent exhibit, the extraordinary im-ages give a glimpse at the 1900s cultural milieu at Russian painter Repin’s estate with an intriguing cast of characters.

Scholar and author Dr. Patricia Thompson, the American daughter of poet Vladimir Mayakovsky and art critic Alexander Borovski, from the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg talk about the work Angel Orensanz, with its sediments of meaning and varied linguistic layers placed physically in the context of the Russian landscape.

You can watch a short preview of the program by clicking here.

Klara Palotai

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