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JPG+DOC #2

Double Dublin

Short Story Time - The Report

HELLO, Michela Scala Art&Illustration

Spring/ Summer 2014

pictures and text protected by copyright.

www.cliziamacchi.cominfo@cliziamacchi.com

https://www.facebook.com/cmfreelancephotographerTwitter: @freelanceph_CM

Here we go again.

A little bit late, but the second issue is out, too.

The reasons for the delay were essentially two.

By the end of May, I was ready for the upload, right on time. But I was also ready to

take off and land in Norway, for a trip to the Fjords, through Bergen and then back

to Oslo. So I thought it was better to leave the last proofreading for when I’d be back

and had my mind free from all the planning details and doubts.

Once back to London, my mind was actually free, but also very much into the trip I

had just finished, and I somehow struggled to get back into an old atmosphere and

point of view (plus, everyday life and the return to routine...).

Secondly, the feedback I had on the first issue. A lot of good remarks on the photo-

graphy side, and many thumbs down on the general design and layout. Even if I am

not a graphic designer, that is where I got stuck.

I tried to change something, rethink everything, but I figured out that it will be hap-

pening only from the next issue.

I decided to upload this one as it is, as a memento for my own mistakes.

If you decide to read though this issue, though, your journey will start in Dublin; it will

take you to high end venues and offices, to finish in the colourful world of a real de-

signer.

Enjoy,

C

#2

it didn’t strike me that much, I have to admit it.

I must have become so used to bad weather, strong wind

and photographic challenges that the lovely weather was

making everything too easy.

Therefore, I didn’t try to write anything on the spot, but wai-

ted until I got back to my routine. As usual, I start every new

journey with as less expectations as possible, in order to

let the place decide how it would like to be represented.

While downloading the files, I found out that two dif ferent

stories had come out: the first was another chapter of

my warehouse/ factory love - perfectly depicted by the

Guinness’ headquarter - and the second was a totally

spontaneous and unplanned portrait of of them, the Dubli-

ners.

“A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods

Historically warehouses were a dominant part of the urban lan-

dscape from the start of the Industrial Revolution through the 19th

century and into the twentieth century. The buildings remained

when their original usage had changed.”

That is probably why I like so much such buildings. They

remind me of many things: from the smell of my grandpa old

cellar, to Dickens’ novels to human memory.

In these kind of places there is always something to discover,

every scratch on the wall can tell its own story.

Q

As soon as I realised that I had enough good pictures to

set up a small series, the name Dubliners came along

in a second.

But the mood is not going in the same direction as Joy-

ce’s tales.

Despite the slightly melancholic touch given by some

buildings decadence, the homeless who makes the

bridge his place and the bench very far away from the

rest of the crowd with just one lonely figure, the overall fe-

eling I like to perceive here is that of the Dubliners positive

and warm at titude.

These people are busy in running errands, strolling on

the Ha’Penny bridge or enjoying the sun in the park, all in

Dubliners

a very bright and colorful background.

For them, this is not the time to look back: it’s time to enjoy

the sun - a sunny day is a blessing in every northern

country and it’s a major sin not to make the most out of it

(and yes, I am seriously meteopathic) - keep themselves

busy and move on.

short story

TIME

The Report

According to my contract, everyday I must check all the night’s reports that

the branches all over the world have to send to the head office, which is

me.

The locations are officially all over the world, but, I must say, they are only

five. Once the reports have been checked, I can go ahead with my other

duties.

In these five papers I have to check all the bottles sold, how the evening

was, if that restaurant had any hotel referral or any VIP coming in, staff team

on the floor and so on and so forth.

Lately, I have noticed something funny on the staff side.

It’s about one of the receptionists, she’s got a pretty unusual name.

First of all, since one year , that girl is working every bloody Friday and Satur-

day. Every damn weekend. Never a rota request, or a shift swap. Friday and

Saturday; Friday and Saturday; Saturday and Friday.

Then I don’t see her for a while, I think, oh, she did it, finally! But then, there

you go again, and this time for a whole week, covering her collegues’ holi-

days.

I haven’t mentioned the funny thing, yet. She can work as much as she likes,

after all.

The funny thing is how she writes.

I’m not talking about the style: there’s not much to say in a report.

Her handwriting can make you feel everything on your skin, it literally gives

you goosebumps. And it follows her mood, too.

The first time I’ve notice that trick, she had just got the job. Trust me when I

say that she didn’t look well on those days. Every single letter was sharp, full

of acute angles. Words weren’t smooth at all.

But this was changing all the time: one day was different from the other.

On a Friday she was as sharp as a blade, while on the following day every

word was like a balloon, sweet like a cherry, and, exactly like cherries, one

followed the other, smoothly, as her lip balm.

I was feeling ridiculously happy just reading these few words put together, I

must admit it.

And I thought that behind everything there was a guy.

What else could make the girl feel so nervous, and the next day so bloody

happy?

It had to be about love.

Actually, no, it couldn’t be. Remember? Not a weekend off.

Was it about the drinks on the workplace? Maybe…

T

I was dreaming of a meeting over there, and then to invite her out for a cof-

fee after meeting, and that all afternoon long she was writing to me small

notes instead of talking.

How are you?

“I’m very well, thank you. Did you have a good flight from the states?”

You could even hear the accent hidden in the doodles. Funny vibrations.

Even stronger, because you couldn’t imagine her voice.

The voice is a very important feature, you know: give someone the wrong

voice and it’s over. Gone. Spoiled for life. It could have been just slightly hi-

gher – or lower – pitched to be perfect.

And then, everytime I feel lost in such daydreaming, a collegue’s shrieking

voice is waking me up to do something else.

That’s why the sounds written by the receptionist with the funny name are

going straight inside the drawer.

I’m sure they will have a nice chat with all the other reports.

Let’s jump from VBM’s detached and unsolved point of view to a much more bold and

colorful approach.

Surely Michela knows how to do it.

She got her graduation at Turin’s Politecnico in -date- and her work clearly takes inspira-

tion from the pop art and Liechtestein in particular.

She likes to represent family and friends as they could be anyone else’s relatives and

friends, familiar faces everyone can recognise and remember. They could be used in

advertising and you will forget that that face actually belongs to somebody.

She also has a very ironic approach to her country’s (political) issues, actually recurring

in all her body of work.

Clicks:

https://www.behance.net/michela_scala

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Michela-Scala-Art-Illustration

Hello,Michela Scala Art & Illustration

WHAT SNEXT

NORWAY

Short Story Time The Story of Edward Saltlake, Edge Fixer

Hello, SLB

Q