Marco Torres Pop Life exhibition @ El Hotel: 27/02/09

Knowing that it was the last weekend of winter gave Miss W the urge to batten down the hatches, hire some DVDs and snuggle up on the couch with her cats while she still had a seasonal excuse, however Ibiza’s glorious weather combined with the Pop Life exhibition opening party tonight had me reaching for my nearest tie-dyed mini-dress and hotfooting it down to Pacha’s El Hotel.

Screen print artist Marco Torres – one of the crew responsible for the mega successful Rock Nights parties – was tonight adding a splash of vibrant colour to the otherwise all-white El Bar, in the form of an exhibition of Pop Art work, a series of 60s inspired imagery in the well-known style along with some retro visuals and a feast of musical sounds courtesy of Lost Angeles.

OK, so it wasn’t exactly The Factory and the installation wasn’t quite Andy Warhol, but with the pop art on the walls, the groovy soundtrack and the uber-cool arty types draped across couches for art’s sake, it was enough of a Sienna-Miller-as-Edie-Sedgewick fashion moment for me!

Vibrant colours and plenty of teensy little dots made up the bulls-eyes, bullets, Twiggy and Audrey Hepburn inspired heroines and foxy afro prints adorning the walls – some images seemed familiar while others (my favourite being a long-haired girl driving a car) were fresh to the eye and left me asking the question, where can I get myself one of these?

The music had a fun, nostalgic vibe and had plenty of punters bopping about (many of them from the comfort of the big comfy white couches, like choreographed dancers in a film clip) and was inspiring a few singalongs to the lyrics – or perhaps that had more to do with the free-flowing champagne doing the rounds?

I have to say, not being a card-carrying member of the artsy squad in Ibiza – I’m more of a drop-in member myself – I wasn’t aware that the general dress code was all black, meaning my colourful sixties attire really stood out from the generic monochrome uniforms of everyone else.

But Miss W has always loved being in the spotlight, so who’s complaining?

THE LOWDOWN

THE GOOD: Art openings are always good for spotting geek-chic potential boyfriends and tonight was no exception. Think thick square glasses, skinny jeans, stripey t-shirts and floppy hair and you’ll know the type I mean!

THE BAD: The quality of sound in El Hotel was a tad too echo-y and tinny for Miss W’s ears – I felt like I almost had to shriek just to hold a conversation with my friends.

THE GOSSIP: Miss W knows of a few well-known Ibiza social types who didn’t make it to the opening, despite rsvp-ing in the affirmative. Luckily for them, the exhibition continues until March 11th so perhaps they could purchase a piece of art to make up for missing the fabulous fiesta?

Calçotada @ Ca n’Escandell: 21/02/09

Contrary to popular belief, Miss W is not averse to getting her hands dirty. As much as I enjoy a manicure and a lavish dollop of hand cream whenever possible, there are occasions where I’m happy to muck in there and get amongst it. ‘Get amongst what?’ I can hear you thinking. Is it pottery? Gardening? Finger-painting perhaps?

No, this is something, had you explained it to me a week ago, I may have shied away from, however you live and learn, you shouldn’t knock it until you try it and I’m here to tell the tale.

I’ll just get on with it then, shall I?

On a gloriously sunny Saturday afternoon, Miss W and the White-ettes, with Little Miss Mini-White in tow headed to the rustic surrounds of San Juan Agroturismo Ca n’Escandell to sample a much-loved Catalan gastronomic tradition – the Calçotada.

Translating literally to Onion Feast, the calçotada is an homage to the succulent, lush and sweet green onions known as calçots, a cross between a leek and a spring onion, sporting long pale stems and ripe for the picking at the very end of winter.

Judging by the mouth-watering smell in the air, one could literally follow their nose to find where the action was taking place. Just past the pool was a l-o-n-g makeshift BBQ, where sizzling away on top were hundreds of bunches of calçots.

Once blackened to a crisp, each bunch was individually wrapped in newspaper, fish and chip style and taking their place on the grill was an assortment of meat and sausages. The combination of the delicious smell wafting through the air and the sun shining on her face left Miss W feeling like summer had already arrived.

Once we were seated, the friendly and informal style of dining meant grabbing your own parcel of calçots – and this is where getting messy begins – and digging in. After a quick demonstration, it was all systems go for the White-ettes, pinching the root of the charred onion to pull out the soft centre, dipping it in Romesco sauce (a tasty blend of roasted tomatoes, hot peppers, almonds, hazelnuts, vinegar, garlic, paprika and a lot of love according to Cristina Escandell) then tipping our heads back, taking aim and praying to the gods of fashion that it doesn’t end up all over your Miu Miu sweater! De-lish!

THE LOWDOWN

THE GOOD: If you are spending the weekend at Ca n’Escandell, the Calçotada is included as part of your stay. Thankfully for the rest of the Ibiza population, the public is invited to join in the fun every Saturday from now until the onions run out in April.

THE BAD: On one charcoal encrusted hand, getting dirty is all part of the process. On the other, it wouldn’t hurt to have some bowls of lemon water on the table to help clean up afterwards and avoid accidental black smears all over your clothing and face!

THE GOSSIP: Miss W was afraid of having onion breath, however the sweetness of calçots means you don’t even need a tic-tac. However, vegetarians beware! While the onion part of this tradition is very veg-friendly, the following main course is purely carnivore based. Our advice? Skip straight to the dessert and the accompanying Cava and Café Caleta.

Valentine's Day in Ibiza: 14/02/09

I’d like to start by saying it is totally not my fault I am unlucky in love. It’s not my fault that I have what can only be explained as extremely high standards for the guys that I meet to live up to or that so far, no one has managed to meet them. And it’s definitely not my fault that I believe in love at first sight, a love that lifts us up where we belong and that all we need is love.

Like most single girls around the world, Miss W blames all of the above entirely on her mother – who in turn has every right to pass the blame over to Walt Disney, seeing as I was brought up on a resounding chorus of ‘Some day my prince will come’ along with the firm fairytale belief that every girl grows up to get her very own happily ever after.

I should be so lucky!

So anyway here we are again, another loveless Valentine’s Day in Ibiza, where the postman is not beating a path to my door nor are the native blooms in danger of becoming extinct due to my extreme popularity. Hmmmm…

Thankfully for Miss W and her un-betrothed co-horts, it seems there is plenty of love to go around on V.Day in Ibiza. It may not be a candlelit table for two, however party-hopping by the light of a disco ball is every bit as desirable, especially when you know everyone at these parties will be single! From Grial’s Does Ya Mama Know… It’s Bloody Valentine’s Day, complete with gruesome black cats and charred roses and Be My Baby at Girlz Skool to a pre-club soiree at Pacha’s El Hotel, the Ibiza lonely hearts club were anything but this weekend.

However (for Miss W anyway) there was a distinct lack of potential boyfriend material in attendance at any of these events – only serving to remind me even more of my New Year’s Resolution (why oh why do I declare these things in such a public forum?) and the fact I am no closer to achieving it than I was on New Year’s Day! Lucky I have my friends, my social life and my island (oh, and of course my cats!) to keep me busy in the meantime…

I mean honestly, I wouldn’t have been able to make time for a Valentine’s date in my busy schedule anyway! Though between you and me, at this late stage any lost-in-the-post cards, gifts and marriage proposals may still be accepted…

THE LOWDOWN

THE GOOD: Despite the fact that there were no love interests on the horizon, Miss W still got a surprise visit from the Valentine Fairy in the form of a tailor-made card… Awwwww, friends are just the best, aren’t they?

THE BAD: Is it bad to feel pangs of envy when your friends are being showered with Agent Provocateur, weekend spa escapes at Aguas De Ibiza and even romantic proposals in sunny Mexico? I guess this is one time Miss W will have to settle for living vicariously through others…

THE GOSSIP: Is that the pitter-patter of tiny feet we can hear? At least, that’s what we suspect may be on the horizon for one of the island’s newly engaged couples, judging by the swift proposal and hasty wedding preparations…

07/02/09: Japanese Cultural Week wrap-up

I’m turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so…

That’s the tune that’s been on high rotation in Miss W’s head this week, the second annual Japanese Cultural Week in Ibiza. The seven-day program dotted with kitsch events and quirky workshops was enough to make me dig out my finest kimono (well, kimono-inspired outfit anyway) and get involved.

Starting with a contemporary dance performance – Butoh is the official name and I guess the best way to describe it is as a Japanese modern ballet interpretation. It was certainly something we don’t see on the podiums at Pacha in the summer!

Next up, a Manga flick (I love the amazing animation, even if I can’t always follow the storyline) followed by master classes in sushi making at Ibiza hotspot, sushipoint. After two days of lessons, I think Miss W can safely say that she’d prefer to leave this particular art to the professionals.

Sadly, Friday night’s dance spectacular in the Dalt Vila Cathedral was rained out, which meant early doors at Grial for Does Ya Mama Know (‘We’ve got Japanese Friends!’ their gorgeous Geisha girl emblazoned flyer declared).

With beautiful oversized folding fans, paper lanterns and sprigs of almond blossom hanging from the roof, a dash (or four) of sake plus the rain-sodden performers (who at one point decided the actual bar was the perfect space to dance, instruments and all) Grial became Ibiza’s very own little Tokyo for the night.

The grand finale? The closing party at Pacha’s El Hotel, presented by HOVI VJ Club. A room that can sometimes appear a little clinical white space became a buzzing hive of full of TV screens and techie-looking equipment, churning out a fusion of music and super cool visuals, inspired by Japanese culture. By midnight, the bar was overflowing and Miss W thought it was the perfect time slip away unnanounced….

I mean, you wouldn’t want me to turn into an origami pumpkin would you?

THE LOWDOWN
THE GOOD: The chance to become completely immersed in another culture for a week, without even having to leave the island.
THE BAD: The crazy kooky weather the world has been experiencing this week has even affected ibiza, as we were hit with a week of unpredictable high winds and flash storms, which didn’t bear well for the outdoor events planned.
THE GOSSIP: The promotional flyer for the closing party spoke of inspiring Japanese fashion, however Miss W isn’t quite sure you could call the choice of matching head-to-toe red ensembles of audio visual producers FR4M3 particularly inspired. Even though the duo have recently returned form a trip to the place in question, we're pretty sure this is NOT a direct nod to the streets of Harajuku…