Living on for more than 100 years

100th Anniversary of the

Cultural Commemorative Projectenvisioned by

Dodo Newman

TITANIC

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The 100th Anniversary of the Titanic Cultural Com-memorative Project was envisioned by Berlin based artist and Inspirationaliste, Dodo Newman. It presen-ted borderless art and cultural changes over 100 years.

During the project multiple nations came together, numerous national representatives, cultural attachés, ambassadors and embassies to share their cultural histories and roots, and to safeguard the memory of the passengers of their own nations.

Focusing on the human aspects of the Titanic ship, Dodo’s extraordinary Titanic Cultural Commemorati-ve Project was an art initiative marking this centenary. And still it is…

Present selection also highlights some of the most fascinating human stories from the biggest maritime disaster of the human history.

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100th Anniversary of the

Cultural Commemorative Projectenvisioned by

Dodo Newman

TITANIC

Inspired by the most fascinating human stories of the legendary TITANIC ship.

A project where multiple Nations came together to share their cultural history and roots linked to Dodo Newman‘s crystal creations.

Cultural changes over 100 years& Borderless Art

The perfect example of Dodo combining the past with the future was her 100th Anniversary of the Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia project using the very best elements of Swarovski. It included limited collectible items inspired by the most fascinating human stories of the legendary Titanic ship.

The project she already initiated back in 2009, focused on the 100th Anniversary of the sinking, the same year when Dodo‘s Holocaust survivor grandmother was expected to be 100 years old. Dodo‘s grandmother Marta was also born in 1912, the same year when the Titanic found its final place in the ocean. Marta spent 100 years on our Planet and she was the one who taught her granddaughter to never give up her dreams and to fight until the very end for her goals.

Growing up with this important teaching from her grandmother, Dodo‘s commemorative items focus on the human values, the people behind the legendary ship, on the emotions and on the personal life paths and destinies.

Titanic: Living on for more than 100 years

Dodo‘s grandmother Marta (1912-2011)

„My grandmother is a great survivor of war and Holo-caust and she is one of my biggest hero.“ - remembers Dodo - „I learnt a lot from her. I believe we can all learn from people who survived the time with pride and honour just as the brave passengers of the Titanic.“

- Dodo Newman

„All the passengers had hope when they stepped over the stairs of the Titanic.

A hope that lives within each of us even today.“

- Dodo Newman

The Titanic ship was an incredible place, which brought together many cultures from various parts of the world, mainly in the name of hope and new life. During Dodo‘s research works she discovered fascina-ting human stories among the Titanic passengers related to over 43 nations.

For this reason the Titanic Cultural Commemorative Project also contained an interesting cultural aspect, the introduction of the vari-ous cultural development of the different nations of the passengers. During the project multiple nations came together to share their cultu-ral history and roots linked to Dodo‘s crystal creations.

„History overtakes the Future“ as Dodo labeled the project, for which she also combined SWAROVSKI elements as well as LED lightening.

Combining SWAROVSKI elements Dodo managed to bring ultimate luxury into contemporary art.

„I have always been looking for the unique things in my whole Life. The magic of the past and its mystical essence has always attracted me, I found it fantastic to be able to immerse ourselves in our history and past and to allow ourselves to be part of it. All creations made by Man whether they were huge, tiny artworks or objects have proved that there are eminent achieve-ments independent of the different centuries that are worth remembering, respecting or admiring.

When I was a child I felt apart from the world. Gro-wing up as a white child in India I often dreamed by the seaside, I never really felt myself alone there. The most beautiful actor of my dreams was always the infinite ocean. I would watch the huge waves for hours, smell the salty air or just gaze at the ships and boats disap-pearing on the horizon. The ocean meant for me free-dom and the eternal space for opportunities. Perhaps this is why I am traveling so much even today, to explore eternity, the new, to find what inspires me and by which I am able to inspire others as well. My Soul is eternal and free.

Whenever I feel a bit sad or I just want to hide for a while to a safe place from the everyday happenings, I only need to close my eyes and I am a child again. I am sitting beside the ocean on the sand and the wind and the steamy, salty air blows through my hair. These thoughts, dreams help me always to forget, as well as fill me up with renewed energy, giving me stability. Most people have dreams but many do not take steps toward them. Sometimes I also feel it is very difficult to reach them but I endure to the very end of the path. I know deep inside that if I would give up my dream I would get lost and my life would be purposeless.

In moments of weakness I grab onto this glimpse of memory in my past and I know that nothing is impos-sible by riding the waves of the sea.

There is always new hope behind the horizon no matter how high those waves are.“

- Dodo Newman

Workers leaving the shipyard at Queens Road in early 1911. The RMS Titanic can be seen in the background, underneath the Arrol Gantry.

„I have always been looking for the unique things in my whole Life. The magic of the past and its mystical essence has always attracted me, I found it fantastic to be able to immerse ourselves in our history and past and to allow ourselves to be part of it. All creations made by Man whether they were huge, tiny artworks or objects have proved that there are eminent achieve-ments independent of the different centuries that are worth remembering, respecting or admiring.

When I was a child I felt apart from the world. Gro-wing up as a white child in India I often dreamed by the seaside, I never really felt myself alone there. The most beautiful actor of my dreams was always the infinite ocean. I would watch the huge waves for hours, smell the salty air or just gaze at the ships and boats disap-pearing on the horizon. The ocean meant for me free-dom and the eternal space for opportunities. Perhaps this is why I am traveling so much even today, to explore eternity, the new, to find what inspires me and by which I am able to inspire others as well. My Soul is eternal and free.

Whenever I feel a bit sad or I just want to hide for a while to a safe place from the everyday happenings, I only need to close my eyes and I am a child again. I am sitting beside the ocean on the sand and the wind and the steamy, salty air blows through my hair. These thoughts, dreams help me always to forget, as well as fill me up with renewed energy, giving me stability. Most people have dreams but many do not take steps toward them. Sometimes I also feel it is very difficult to reach them but I endure to the very end of the path. I know deep inside that if I would give up my dream I would get lost and my life would be purposeless.

In moments of weakness I grab onto this glimpse of memory in my past and I know that nothing is impos-sible by riding the waves of the sea.

There is always new hope behind the horizon no matter how high those waves are.“

- Dodo Newman

The Titanic docked in Belfast, February 1912. It underwent sea trials before setting sail from England to New York in April.

On April 10th 1912 the legendary ship Titanic started off to the wide ocean with huge hopes as a proud example of a creation of Humanity. The journey ended tragically, 706 passengers survived the clash of April 14th 1912, their lives changed drastically after this event. This moment in history proves that any aim, dream is possible, any creation can be realized, however it is not possible to challenge nature’s power.

Dodo’s extraordinary Titanic Commemorative project, which started from the vision in 2009, was an art initiative marking this centenary.

Dodo’s creative work highlights the human aspect of the tragedy – the 2,240 passengers and crew, 1,517 of whom perished. It conjures a poig-nant image of people boarding the Titanic full of hopes and dreams, unaware that they were destined to share a tragedy of unimaginable magnitude. They came from every walk of life: personnel from the ship; the rich and famous (American millionaires Benjamin Guggen-heim, Isidor Straus and John Astor all drowned); professionals; the poor, seeking a new life. Friends, families and strangers alike, they were to be linked in collective memory forever.

Using her own special technique, Dodo‘s Commemorative Titanic Memorabilia depict the emotions that the survivors experienced. Frag-ments of glittering diamonds, semi-precious stones and brilliantly glinting SWAROVSKI elements represent icebergs, which she applied to transparent PlexiGlas. The surface effect was magical: liquid crystal against a background of swirling oceanic blues, reflecting the play of light on icy water – shockingly beautiful and quite simply, unique.

The Titanic Memorabilia Collection offers a unique opportunity to own a part of history and enrich our human heritage: dedicated to the memory of the passengers, it touches our hearts today, 100 years after the worst maritime disaster in peace-time history.

These rare and ultra limited masterpieces are handcrafted and all of them include a Certificate of Authenticity. Each one of them is limited among the different nations of the world, representing a rare piece in itself as well as a valuable element for our future.

HSH Princess Charlène of Monaco owns as well a Titanic Commemo-rative Memorabilia (Nr. 153), falling in love with the unique resin com-positions experimented by the Inspirationaliste.

The Titanic memorabilia are ultra-luxury products, creations for more than a life time that will remain always unmatched and rare. This secu-red by the legendary passengers themselves, the people who lived and who had a real story. The boxer, the mayor, the loving couple, the banker, the rich socialite, they all give us a piece of story, an emotion to remember forever.

„I stand in front of all the people who were present in those histo-rical moments with deep and pure respect. No matter how difficult it was to accept the course of this destiny, the Titanic has no doubt given something new to Humanity.“

- Dodo Newman

Titanic at Southampton docks, prior to departure

The limited range of Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia is a one and only piece of handcrafted „jewelry“ (sculptural painting), created by Dodo.

Each Titanic memorabilia commemorates an individual personal story, therefore each one of them is unique in itself.

The memorabilia is made on transparent PlexiGlas surface (100 cm x 50 cm) with Dodo‘s invented resin technique. The see-through PlexiGlas also offers a unique play with lights for the SWAROVSKI elements, implemented into each memorabilia. The surface is a beautiful play of light and shadow.

Characteristic of the Memorabilia

Since the surface is made on PlexiGlas it has two completely different impression on each side. The front side of the memorabilia depicts the „above water“ feeling with cold and frozen feelings, while the back side of the memorabilia presents the „under water“ feeling, a view from a passenger under the icy water. It is fascinating to stand in the back side to see as the light plays with the SWAROVSKI crystal elements, giving back the feeling as the moonlight approaches the deep water, just as it might have happened during the night of the disaster.

All Titanic memorabilia have a special holographic and numbered sign on the right bottom corner linked to the selected passenger. The holo-graphic sign appears on the Certificate of Authenticity as well, which was made by a Treasury print on unreproducible paper.

Certificate of Authenticity for theTitanic Commemorative Memorabilia.

The Titanic passenger list ranged from the richest people in the world to the poorest, setting out to make a new life in America. It is perhaps the range of people on board with a wide range of reasons for travel which makes the ship's story so fascinating.

The class system, which existed at the time ensured that these different social classes never met nor mixed while on board, except perhaps during the very last minutes of the Titanic's lifetime.

The passenger list of the Titanic included some of the most prestigious figures of its time. Many businessmen, industrialists and manufactur-ers of the Titanic were aboard during that fateful day of April 14th 1912. The majority of first class passengers were well known in their countries of origin and some were even known worldwide.

Passengers of the Titanic

People walking on the deck of the Titanic. Courtesy of Denver Post Archives

Of the total 2,223 passengers (2,240 including the cross-channel passengers) aboard the Titanic only 706 survived the disaster. Most of the Titanic passengers who died did so from the cold. The water temperature was at around freezing point or just below. In such water temperatures a person can die in as little as 15 minutes to at most an hour. Others died from falling objects especially when the stern rose high in the air, the forward funnel broke off and fell in the water and eventually when the ship broke in two and the stern fell with great power on the water. Many undoubtedly drowned.

The majority of the Titanic passengers were in the steerage. Most of them crossed the ocean to begin a new life in America. They sold everything they had and took with themselves only their prized possessions.

The third class passengers were thought little of and did not get any of the luxuries that the first class passengers were given. However they were given additional luxuries compared to other ships. Third class passengers had an open air gathering area, the poop deck or the stern of the ship. They were not allowed to mingle with the first and second classes. Social classes were kept very strong at that time, there were barriers that kept them in that area and these barriers proved to be fatal for them, forcing them to be trapped in their area.

Incredible life stories

Period: 2009-2012

100th Anniversary of the TitanicCultural Commemorative Project

Nada

The Titanic ship had at least* four Bosnian/Bosnia and Herzegovina related passengers.*Due to the unfortunate fact that many of the Titanic passengers are still unidentified.

1912

Culture in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1912 was largely influenced by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which ruled the country at the time.

This period brought significant influence of European culture, espe-cially in architecture.

Intense building is represented in modernisation and structural trans-formation of cities. Architecture is in eclectic pseudo styles like classi-cism, neo-renaissance, neo-baroque, and even neo-Romanesque, and neo-gothic. Unique pseudo style is "Pseudo-Moorish style" based on Moorish architecture of southern Spain and Egypt.

The new architecture brought Bosnia into the family of Central Euro-pean states, and made Sarajevo a city that kept pace architecturally with Prague and Vienna.

The Officers' Casino – Army Club is a typical example of late 19th/early 20th century architecture. It was the first major building conceived along romantic lines in Sarajevo, where the impression of motility and fragile equilibrium is achieved by stepping the architectu-ral elements (portico, central projection, wings of the building...) and reducing ornamentation to a minimum or merely underlining them.

The present appearance and size of the building date from 1912, when it was extended and given an additional storey with a large formal hall.

From the very outset, this building played a very important part in Sarajevo’s cultural life, as it does to this day. This building was the headquarters of the “Militarwissenschaftliches Verein” and a had a large library. The Officers‘ Casino was also used for lectures. Under the heading „Public Lectures“ the press wrote that „the board of the military scien-tific society and casino is preparing a series of interesting scientific lectures for this winter.“

The first public concerts were also held in the Great Hall of the Casino.

„The bands of infantry regiments no. 1 and no. 75 played works by Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Delibes and Halevy.“

Philharmonic and other concerts by the military bands were to be held on a regular basis in the Casino Hall.

It was in this building that the first opera was performed.

Commission to preserve National Monuments designated the historic monument of the Officer Casino as a National Monument of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

2012

Sarajevo City Hall (Vijecnica) is the biggest and the most representati-ve building from the Austro-Hungarian period in Sarajevo.

It was constructed to house the city administration in 1894 and conver-ted into the National Library in1949.

Vijecnica was reopened in spring time this year, more than 20 years after being burnt down during the war.

The building was constructed in a mixture of styles combining histori-cism and pseudo-Moorish styles. The style models are the so-called Mozarab and Moorish arts from Spain and the Maghreb.

The style reflected the multicultural character of a city in which the East and the West coexist.

The building has a triangular foundation with a six-angled centre – the hall, the most important part of the luxurious interior topped with the glass dom.

The City Hall building was constructed on the site of the Mustaj-pasha’s mejdan, where once two inns and a house were situa-ted. The inns were pulled down and the house owner wanted to have his house practically carried brick by brick and rebuilt on the other side of the Miljacka opposite to the City Hall, for a bag of ducats. So was done and this house is there even today, and it is known as the "Spite House"(INAT KUCA).

After 18 years of reconstructing, Sarajevo City Hall returns to its former glory.

It was reopened in May, 2014 with an animated performance at the building of Vijećnica in honour of the renovation and reopening of this symbol of culture and knowledge.

Beside Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra, many soloists and artists, as well as 200 Bosnian and Herzegovinian young artists participated in the opening program of Sarajevo Vijećnica.

300 officials, among which were the highest representatives of the poli-tical and social life of B&H, and representatives of the international community attended this important event.

© Courtesy of the Embassy of Bosnia & Herzegovina in Berlin, Germany

Size: 100 cm x 50 cmYear: 2012Art category: Sculptural paintingBase: See through PlexiGlas surfaceMaterials: Natural Pigments, SWAROVSKI crystal elements, transparent liquid Crystal Resin

Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 2043dedicated to Mr. Cerin Balkic.

One and only piece of handcrafted „jewelry”, created by Dodo Newman, the Inspirationaliste. All Titanic Memorabilia have a special holographic and numbered sign on the right bottom corner.

Mr. Cerin Balkic was born in 1986 in Batic, Bosnia.

He was a 26 years old general labourer when he boarded the Titanic on Wednesday 10th April 1912 in Southampton. The married Balkic travelled as a 3rd class passenger and he bought his ticket through Viktor Klaus-Wildi Titanic ticket agent.

He was travelling to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania but he could not make it. He found his final peace in the deep ocean during the night of April 15th 1912. His body was never recovered.

Bosnia and HerzegovinaMr. Cerin Balkic

RMS Titanic leaving Belfast for her sea trials on 2 April 1912

Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 2043dedicated to Mr. Cerin Balkic.

Back side of the Memorabilia.

Esperanza

The Titanic ship had at least* one Cuba related passengers.*Due to the unfortunate fact that many of the Titanic passengers are still unidentified.

1912

It is reiterated to admit that the US intervention in the War of 95 or Necessary War had frustrated the process over thirty years of fight for the independence of Cuba and the realization of Marti's ideas in its widest sense, because his political and social thought and his views on education and culture didn´t take place in the Republic to be born.

Intellectuals like Manuel Sanguily, Salvador Cisneros, Juan Gualberto Gómez, Enrique José Varona, Carlos Baliño, Esteban Borrero and Jesus Castellanos, among others, have presented just battle in the press, at the Constitutional Convention and to the Senate's reactionary and neocolonial lawyers. All claimed absolute independence and at the same time they have denounced the conversion of the island into a US trade colony. Several literary works have framed the revulsion at US interventio-nism: Poems “My Flag” of Bonifacio Byrne (1861-1936), “The two flags” of Enrique Hernandez Miyares (1859-1914), and his sonnet “The most beautiful” are considered the most relevant in the early neocolo-nial Republic.

Byrne's poem is a poetic synthesis of popular feeling against the inter-vention of the North, while the sonnet of Miyares Hernández was inspired by a speech by patriot Manuel Sanguily to the Senate of the Republic to oppose a bill that would impose Cuba a shameful trade Reciprocity Treaty with the United States. Thus the culture of Republi-can Cuba, the culture of the first generation of Republican intellectuals was born under the sign of political frustration. In summary, actions in defense of the Cuban form but starting from the imaginary and the symbolic.

However, it has emerged cultural projects, such as the Society Confe-rence (1910-1915) and the journal Contemporary Cuba (Cuba Contem-poránea) (1913-1927), indebted to previous academic principles to this epoch, and free of attractive personalities, although both acknow-ledged the presence of a virtuous Cuban, the pedagogue Enrique Jose Varona.

Genres such as essays and narrative -adopting sometimes narrative codes of the naturalist stream of the French Emile Zola-, were the liter-ary forms of representation of republican situation. In the case of the novel, all the characters would end up beaten on their fight against adverse circumstances.

Moreover, criticism of the prevailing status appropriating the well-known native choteo (or cubaneo) has its best exponents at this early intellectual development in caricature of „La política cómica“ and in the theater plays to be staged at the Alhambra Theatre, heirs of the comic theater of the nineteenth-century – „La casita criolla“ and „La segunda República reformada“, among others -, alluding to shenanig-ans among politicians and other ills of the republic and, in essence, meant the humorous and extroverted Cuban, as their feelings of frust-ration and pessimism as well.

On the stages were well-known figures such as the actor Arquímedes Pous, musicians like Jorge Anckermann and librettists as the brothers Gustavo and Francisco Robreño, Federico Villoch and Jose Antonio Ramos.

Meanwhile, issues such as racial discrimination, banning of black people and mulatos to the most ignominious labor, disregard for the rights of women, need of housing, poor access to health facilities and education, high illiteracy rates in those neocolonial early Republic, problems that would recrudesce with the passage of time.

It is reiterated to admit that the US intervention in the War of 95 or Necessary War had frustrated the process over thirty years of fight for the independence of Cuba and the realization of Marti's ideas in its widest sense, because his political and social thought and his views on education and culture didn´t take place in the Republic to be born.

Intellectuals like Manuel Sanguily, Salvador Cisneros, Juan Gualberto Gómez, Enrique José Varona, Carlos Baliño, Esteban Borrero and Jesus Castellanos, among others, have presented just battle in the press, at the Constitutional Convention and to the Senate's reactionary and neocolonial lawyers. All claimed absolute independence and at the same time they have denounced the conversion of the island into a US trade colony. Several literary works have framed the revulsion at US interventio-nism: Poems “My Flag” of Bonifacio Byrne (1861-1936), “The two flags” of Enrique Hernandez Miyares (1859-1914), and his sonnet “The most beautiful” are considered the most relevant in the early neocolo-nial Republic.

Byrne's poem is a poetic synthesis of popular feeling against the inter-vention of the North, while the sonnet of Miyares Hernández was inspired by a speech by patriot Manuel Sanguily to the Senate of the Republic to oppose a bill that would impose Cuba a shameful trade Reciprocity Treaty with the United States. Thus the culture of Republi-can Cuba, the culture of the first generation of Republican intellectuals was born under the sign of political frustration. In summary, actions in defense of the Cuban form but starting from the imaginary and the symbolic.

However, it has emerged cultural projects, such as the Society Confe-rence (1910-1915) and the journal Contemporary Cuba (Cuba Contem-poránea) (1913-1927), indebted to previous academic principles to this epoch, and free of attractive personalities, although both acknow-ledged the presence of a virtuous Cuban, the pedagogue Enrique Jose Varona.

Genres such as essays and narrative -adopting sometimes narrative codes of the naturalist stream of the French Emile Zola-, were the liter-ary forms of representation of republican situation. In the case of the novel, all the characters would end up beaten on their fight against adverse circumstances.

Moreover, criticism of the prevailing status appropriating the well-known native choteo (or cubaneo) has its best exponents at this early intellectual development in caricature of „La política cómica“ and in the theater plays to be staged at the Alhambra Theatre, heirs of the comic theater of the nineteenth-century – „La casita criolla“ and „La segunda República reformada“, among others -, alluding to shenanig-ans among politicians and other ills of the republic and, in essence, meant the humorous and extroverted Cuban, as their feelings of frust-ration and pessimism as well.

On the stages were well-known figures such as the actor Arquímedes Pous, musicians like Jorge Anckermann and librettists as the brothers Gustavo and Francisco Robreño, Federico Villoch and Jose Antonio Ramos.

Meanwhile, issues such as racial discrimination, banning of black people and mulatos to the most ignominious labor, disregard for the rights of women, need of housing, poor access to health facilities and education, high illiteracy rates in those neocolonial early Republic, problems that would recrudesce with the passage of time.


2012

With the triumph of the Revolution on January 1, 1959 the Cuban soci-ety has experienced profound changes in all structures, because the government cultural functions were previously performed by the Department of Culture of the Ministry of Education. It has started then a long process of democratization of culture and symbolic institutions to the country's culture were created such as the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC), created just 83 days after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution and the Casa de las Américas was established in April 1959.

La Casa de las Américas was founded by the revolutionary govern-ment. La Casa had spread thereafter the work of the Revolution and led the visit to Cuba of many intellectuals who were in contact with the new realities. Another vanguard institution in the development of Cuban culture is UNEAC: social, cultural and professional organizati-on, NGO with legal personality and full legal capacity, which groups the Cuban writers and artists. Since its creation it has been represented by renowned artists in all areas of aesthetic and philosophical arts.

The creation in 1962 of the National School of Art is another important step for the development of Cuban culture after 1959. The establish-ment of this center represents the beginning of the amazing expansion of arts education in the country and it is one of the most significant and beautiful works of the Revolution expressed in the development and prestige attained by art in Cuba. In the second decade of the 70 ' comes another key center in the development of art education in the country: the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA). This center is the only university center for higher education in the arts in the country and is a unique institution in the Latin American context.

Also in 1976, in the process of institutionalization of the bodies of the Central Government, the Ministry of Culture was established with responsibility for directing, supervising and implementing cultural policy. In 1989, after a reorganization and with accumulated experi-ence, new institutions emerge such as the Cuban Institute of Music, the National Council for the Performing Arts, the National Council of the visual Arts, the National Council for Cultural Heritage, which together with the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry and the Cuban Book Institute, academicals institutions for research, preservati-on and protection of heritage, for the work in the community, and others, integrate the system of the Ministry of Culture.

Since the early 90 ' Cuba has been blocked by the US government. Culture, therefore, has not been seen outside of this context. The impact of the blockade on the cultural sector extends from the impossi-bility of cultural exchange between artists from both countries to denial of permission of commercial works or acquisition of high-technologies to developing events such as theater, cinema or music.

Another of the achievements is the creation and development of a nati-onal cinema. Each year we can enjoy several film festivals, the most important is the Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana, where you can appreciate the value and quality not only of our film but also of the Latin film, that in most cases does not reach internatio-nal screens because of the globalization of culture itself that is holding by the great powers and the most powerful among them, the USA; is another space where we can put ourselves in the history and current situation, culture and values of other countries.

© Courtesy of the Embassy of Cuba in Berlin, Germany

The extent of cultural movements to rural and mountainous areas and the introduction of new technologies in the processes of artistic and literary creation and promotion are other big challenges proposed and achieved by our culture revolution.

Cultural development programs being carried out in our country are expression of Cuban cultural policy and the principles that sustain it. There is no doubt that in the Cuban social model, culture is an unques-tionable instrument of transfer of ethical values that act in human growth.

With the triumph of the Revolution on January 1, 1959 the Cuban soci-ety has experienced profound changes in all structures, because the government cultural functions were previously performed by the Department of Culture of the Ministry of Education. It has started then a long process of democratization of culture and symbolic institutions to the country's culture were created such as the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC), created just 83 days after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution and the Casa de las Américas was established in April 1959.

La Casa de las Américas was founded by the revolutionary govern-ment. La Casa had spread thereafter the work of the Revolution and led the visit to Cuba of many intellectuals who were in contact with the new realities. Another vanguard institution in the development of Cuban culture is UNEAC: social, cultural and professional organizati-on, NGO with legal personality and full legal capacity, which groups the Cuban writers and artists. Since its creation it has been represented by renowned artists in all areas of aesthetic and philosophical arts.

The creation in 1962 of the National School of Art is another important step for the development of Cuban culture after 1959. The establish-ment of this center represents the beginning of the amazing expansion of arts education in the country and it is one of the most significant and beautiful works of the Revolution expressed in the development and prestige attained by art in Cuba. In the second decade of the 70 ' comes another key center in the development of art education in the country: the Instituto Superior de Arte (ISA). This center is the only university center for higher education in the arts in the country and is a unique institution in the Latin American context.

Also in 1976, in the process of institutionalization of the bodies of the Central Government, the Ministry of Culture was established with responsibility for directing, supervising and implementing cultural policy. In 1989, after a reorganization and with accumulated experi-ence, new institutions emerge such as the Cuban Institute of Music, the National Council for the Performing Arts, the National Council of the visual Arts, the National Council for Cultural Heritage, which together with the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry and the Cuban Book Institute, academicals institutions for research, preservati-on and protection of heritage, for the work in the community, and others, integrate the system of the Ministry of Culture.

Since the early 90 ' Cuba has been blocked by the US government. Culture, therefore, has not been seen outside of this context. The impact of the blockade on the cultural sector extends from the impossi-bility of cultural exchange between artists from both countries to denial of permission of commercial works or acquisition of high-technologies to developing events such as theater, cinema or music.

Another of the achievements is the creation and development of a nati-onal cinema. Each year we can enjoy several film festivals, the most important is the Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana, where you can appreciate the value and quality not only of our film but also of the Latin film, that in most cases does not reach internatio-nal screens because of the globalization of culture itself that is holding by the great powers and the most powerful among them, the USA; is another space where we can put ourselves in the history and current situation, culture and values of other countries.

The extent of cultural movements to rural and mountainous areas and the introduction of new technologies in the processes of artistic and literary creation and promotion are other big challenges proposed and achieved by our culture revolution.

Cultural development programs being carried out in our country are expression of Cuban cultural policy and the principles that sustain it. There is no doubt that in the Cuban social model, culture is an unques-tionable instrument of transfer of ethical values that act in human growth.


Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 2107dedicated to Mr. Servando José Florentino Oviés y Rodríguez.

One and only piece of handcrafted „jewelry”, created by Dodo Newman, the Inspirationaliste. All Titanic Memorabilia have a special holographic and numbered sign on the right bottom corner.

Mr. Servando Jose Florentino Oviés y Rodriguez was born on February 21st 1876 in Aviles, Northern Spain. He was the son of Ramon Oviés and Maria del Carmen Rodríguez.

In 1912 he was living in Havana with his wife Eva Lopez del Vallardo. The couple had one son named Ramon Servando.

Servando Jose Florentino Oviés y Rodriguez worked in the import business as a merchant for a family firm called Rodriguez & Co.

He was 36 years old when he boarded the Titanic. He first embarked on Wednesday, April 10th 1912 in Cherbourg as a first class passenger.

Unfortunately Servando José Florentino Oviés y Rodríguez died in the disaster. His body was later recovered by the MacKay Bennett and it was labelled as body #189.

During the tragedy he wore blue serge pants, a grey shirt marked as “J. R.” and a black coat and vest. In the beginning the body was thought to be the body of a 28 years old sailor. His body was buried at Fairview Cemetery in Halifax on May 3rd 1912.

Eventually his body was identified by J. A. Rodriguez, his employer of Havana, Rodriguez & Co. After the identification his body was exhu-med and reburied on May 15th 1912 in the Catholic Mount Olivet Cemetery.

After his death his wife Eva filed a claim for $75,000 for the loss of his life and further $2800 for the loss of property.

CubaMr. Servando José Florentino Oviés y Rodríguez

RMS Titanic departing Southampton on 10 April 1912

Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 2107dedicated to Mr. Servando José Florentino Oviés y Rodríguez.


Håb

The Titanic ship had at least* six Danish/Denmark related passengers.*Due to the unfortunate fact that many of the Titanic passengers are still unidentified.

1912”In my opinion, this is the best ground, the best country, the best city and the best of times.” So short, so simple and so optimistic is the description of the Danish author Johannes V. Jensen of his time. But the pretty picture doesn’t last, because the years around 1912 were also in Denmark a time of change. The period of technology and industriali-zation had a huge impact on people, arts and society. New genres and for example mass production were blooming. Simultaneously, traditio-nal concepts about the social order and the culture were disbanded. All of this can be mirrored in the Danish cultural life of the year 1912.

The year begins with the death of one of the country’s sharpest pens. While being on a reading tour in the US, 54 years old author Herman Bang dies on January 29. Bang was well known for his psychological flair and impressionistic writing style. Inspired from pictorial art and movies, he experimented and tried to capture a glimpse of the moment to describe a part of the entity in a specific second. This focus on the changeable and on the observers view is considered as a beginning of relativism and post-modernism. Bang can to a very high degree be described as a modern writer. During his lifetime, however, he was blasted for being strange. The so called Danish “home-authors” and their front man, the already mentioned Johannes Jensen, were by far more accepted with their description of the Danish origin.

In that way, the impressionistic writing-technique disappears with Bang’s dead. But already the day after his death, on January 30, a new Danish star is born: Finn Juhl, the father of Danish design. Juhl got world famous for designing the TheTrusteeship Council Chamber at U.N Headquarters in New York. His birth in 1912 is the beginning of Danish design’s golden years in the 20th Century. Danish silent movies had their most important years from 1910 to 1914. The instructor August Blom is today known as a pioneer and a ground breaking moviemaker, who in 1912 instructed the film “The Vampire Dancer”. The later on popular topics, vampires and Count Dracula, were here used for the first time in the cinematic universe. “The Vampire Dancer” was announced to outshine everything, the audience had ever seen before – and actually it was a huge success.

Musically, the important Danish composer and conductor Carl Nielsen had in February 1912 his breakthrough. His symphony “Sinfonia espansiva” was very well received by the audience as well as the critics. From this moment on, without doubt Carl Nielsen was the leading composer in the country. This opus has since played a major role for the spreading of his music and many still reckon “Sinfonia espansiva” for being the best of Nielsen’s symphonies.

The Danish painter J.F. Willumsen represented in pictorial art the expressionistic and liberated modern art. With his painting “Female Mountaineer” he created a modern, liberal woman, who stands in front of a mountain massif with impressive confidence. The painting shows the woman of the 20th Century par excellence – a freed woman, who breaks with traditional gender roles – and, thus, is a good picture for some of the changes Denmark archived during the 20th Century.

”In my opinion, this is the best ground, the best country, the best city and the best of times.” So short, so simple and so optimistic is the description of the Danish author Johannes V. Jensen of his time. But the pretty picture doesn’t last, because the years around 1912 were also in Denmark a time of change. The period of technology and industriali-zation had a huge impact on people, arts and society. New genres and for example mass production were blooming. Simultaneously, traditio-nal concepts about the social order and the culture were disbanded. All of this can be mirrored in the Danish cultural life of the year 1912.

The year begins with the death of one of the country’s sharpest pens. While being on a reading tour in the US, 54 years old author Herman Bang dies on January 29. Bang was well known for his psychological flair and impressionistic writing style. Inspired from pictorial art and movies, he experimented and tried to capture a glimpse of the moment to describe a part of the entity in a specific second. This focus on the changeable and on the observers view is considered as a beginning of relativism and post-modernism. Bang can to a very high degree be described as a modern writer. During his lifetime, however, he was blasted for being strange. The so called Danish “home-authors” and their front man, the already mentioned Johannes Jensen, were by far more accepted with their description of the Danish origin.

In that way, the impressionistic writing-technique disappears with Bang’s dead. But already the day after his death, on January 30, a new Danish star is born: Finn Juhl, the father of Danish design. Juhl got world famous for designing the TheTrusteeship Council Chamber at U.N Headquarters in New York. His birth in 1912 is the beginning of Danish design’s golden years in the 20th Century. Danish silent movies had their most important years from 1910 to 1914. The instructor August Blom is today known as a pioneer and a ground breaking moviemaker, who in 1912 instructed the film “The Vampire Dancer”. The later on popular topics, vampires and Count Dracula, were here used for the first time in the cinematic universe. “The Vampire Dancer” was announced to outshine everything, the audience had ever seen before – and actually it was a huge success.

Musically, the important Danish composer and conductor Carl Nielsen had in February 1912 his breakthrough. His symphony “Sinfonia espansiva” was very well received by the audience as well as the critics. From this moment on, without doubt Carl Nielsen was the leading composer in the country. This opus has since played a major role for the spreading of his music and many still reckon “Sinfonia espansiva” for being the best of Nielsen’s symphonies.

The Danish painter J.F. Willumsen represented in pictorial art the expressionistic and liberated modern art. With his painting “Female Mountaineer” he created a modern, liberal woman, who stands in front of a mountain massif with impressive confidence. The painting shows the woman of the 20th Century par excellence – a freed woman, who breaks with traditional gender roles – and, thus, is a good picture for some of the changes Denmark archived during the 20th Century.

In „Female Mountaineer“ J. F. Willumsen‘s fascination of the moun-tain and his attraction to the woman are united into a whole.© Statens Museum for Kunst

© Written by Tom Schwarzer & Kathrine von Holst,Courtesy of the Embassy of Denmark in Berlin, GermanyIn „Female Mountaineer“ J. F. Willumsen’s fascination of the mountain and his attraction to the woman are united into a whole. © Statens Museum for Kunst

© Written by Tom Schwarzer & Kathrine von Holst,Courtesy of the Embassy of Denmark in Berlin, Germany


2012

In Danish society anno 2014, the culture is Denmark’s lifeblood. This is at least Marianne Jelved’s claim. She is the Danish minister of cultural affairs and this is her judgment on one of the country’s most important cultural export-goods, the literature. Furthermore, she said that “Danish literature is helping us to bind the Nation together. We use it in order to understand us and Denmark right now”.

In the new Century, Danish literature is characterized by a mixture of humour and darkness as well as reality and fiction. It is marked by a significant severity, which provides courage. At the same time, it is also funny, strange and witty. According to a survey of the year 2004, every week 25 percent of all adults in Denmark read fictional books. Of these, many are riding the crime thriller wave which hits the readers with its chilling plots and complex stories. The interest in literature from Denmark is e.g. flowering in the United States too and the Danish writer Dorthe Nors for example first got her break-through in her native land, after she was published in English.

But Danish culture is defined by more than its literature. Many com-bine Danish culture primarily with design and architecture. This is very true, since Danish design largely is an important part of the Danish everyday life and the Danish national identity. A stylish and functional interior is as important for most people as to be surrounded at home by aesthetical objects. Many Danish interior objects have become icons of 20th Century’s design. In Denmark and also abroad almost everybody knows the chair “The Egg” by Arne Jacobsen. And the PH-lamp of designer Poul Henningsen can be found almost in every Danish household. Danish industry got more and more aware of the importance of design from Denmark and so the focus on it has

grown gradually. New terms like sustainability and service-design have come up and are the new challenges, young Danish designers have to face.

During these years, the Danish fashion industry has undergone a hitherto unknown prosperity. A cascade of young designers and two fashion weeks a year in Copenhagen put the Danish capital on the map as one of Europe’s leading fashion cities. Simultaneously, Danish films and TV-series are as popular at home as abroad. The cardigan-wearing, tough-minded police officer Sarah Lund from “The Killing” and Prime Minister Birgitte Nyborg from “Borgen” with her complica-ted private life are TV hits in the United Kingdom as well as in other European countries like Germany. Movies like “In a better world” and “Melancholia” are internationally awarded and underline the state-ment that movie and TV successes from Denmark are being labelled as the country’s new cultural gold!

Musically female singers like Agnes Obel, Medina and Tina Dickow are dominating the scene with their mixtures of melancholic ballads, R&B tracks and modern, avant-garde music. At the same time, the famous Roskilde music festival is still attracting thousands of fans around all of Europe. And every year, the city-fest “Distortion” is held in Copenhagen’s streets and squares – which best can be described as organised chaos.

When we try to make a snapshot of Danish cultural life today, we see a vital impact on Danish society and the national identity of the country. That is why some claim, rightly so and without hesitation, that the cultural environment is Denmark’s lifeblood.

„Mogensen, Jacobsen, Bojesen & Co. – Dänische Designklassiker“.© Tanja Demmerath

In Danish society anno 2014, the culture is Denmark’s lifeblood. This is at least Marianne Jelved’s claim. She is the Danish minister of cultural affairs and this is her judgment on one of the country’s most important cultural export-goods, the literature. Furthermore, she said that “Danish literature is helping us to bind the Nation together. We use it in order to understand us and Denmark right now”.

In the new Century, Danish literature is characterized by a mixture of humour and darkness as well as reality and fiction. It is marked by a significant severity, which provides courage. At the same time, it is also funny, strange and witty. According to a survey of the year 2004, every week 25 percent of all adults in Denmark read fictional books. Of these, many are riding the crime thriller wave which hits the readers with its chilling plots and complex stories. The interest in literature from Denmark is e.g. flowering in the United States too and the Danish writer Dorthe Nors for example first got her break-through in her native land, after she was published in English.

But Danish culture is defined by more than its literature. Many com-bine Danish culture primarily with design and architecture. This is very true, since Danish design largely is an important part of the Danish everyday life and the Danish national identity. A stylish and functional interior is as important for most people as to be surrounded at home by aesthetical objects. Many Danish interior objects have become icons of 20th Century’s design. In Denmark and also abroad almost everybody knows the chair “The Egg” by Arne Jacobsen. And the PH-lamp of designer Poul Henningsen can be found almost in every Danish household. Danish industry got more and more aware of the importance of design from Denmark and so the focus on it has

grown gradually. New terms like sustainability and service-design have come up and are the new challenges, young Danish designers have to face.

During these years, the Danish fashion industry has undergone a hitherto unknown prosperity. A cascade of young designers and two fashion weeks a year in Copenhagen put the Danish capital on the map as one of Europe’s leading fashion cities. Simultaneously, Danish films and TV-series are as popular at home as abroad. The cardigan-wearing, tough-minded police officer Sarah Lund from “The Killing” and Prime Minister Birgitte Nyborg from “Borgen” with her complica-ted private life are TV hits in the United Kingdom as well as in other European countries like Germany. Movies like “In a better world” and “Melancholia” are internationally awarded and underline the state-ment that movie and TV successes from Denmark are being labelled as the country’s new cultural gold!

Musically female singers like Agnes Obel, Medina and Tina Dickow are dominating the scene with their mixtures of melancholic ballads, R&B tracks and modern, avant-garde music. At the same time, the famous Roskilde music festival is still attracting thousands of fans around all of Europe. And every year, the city-fest “Distortion” is held in Copenhagen’s streets and squares – which best can be described as organised chaos.

When we try to make a snapshot of Danish cultural life today, we see a vital impact on Danish society and the national identity of the country. That is why some claim, rightly so and without hesitation, that the cultural environment is Denmark’s lifeblood.

© Written by Tom Schwarzer & Kathrine von Holst,Courtesy of the Embassy of Denmark in Berlin, Germany


Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 9dedicated to Miss Carla Christine Nielsine Andersen-Jensen.

One and only piece of handcrafted „jewelry”, created by Dodo Newman, the

Inspirationaliste. All Titanic Memorabilia have a special holographic and

numbered sign on the right bottom corner.

Miss Carla Christine Nielsine Anderson-Jensen was born on February 13th 1893 in Denmark.

She worked as a maid in Eskildstrup, Pederstrup, Odense, Denmark where her father, Christian Jensen was a butcher.

Carla Jensen was 19 years old when she got permission from her parents to go and settle in America.

Carla travelled to America with her fiancé Hans Peder Jensen, her brother Svend Lauritz Jensen and her uncle Niels Peder Jensen.

The group of family traveled via Esbjerg and London to Southampton, where they boarded the Titanic on Wednesday April 10th 1912.

Carla shared her cabin with three other young girls, two English and one Swedish girl.

Evrey 3rd class passenger had to be below deck before 10 pm and so on the day of the sinking they turned to they room early. Right after half an hour of their return they felt a bump, however they went back to sleep.

DenmarkMiss Carla Christine Nielsine Andersen-Jensen

„We had confidence in the Titanic, the other 3 girls

would never wake again!“

„At 12.30 I heard a knock and my uncle said: You

better put a coat on and come up on the deck... so I put

a coat over my night dress.“

„We were up on the deck and there was not much com-

motion, we had hit an iceberg but everyone felt the ship

would stay afloat. The ship was fully lit and there was

music in the 1st class saloon. There was no panic even

when the lifeboats were launched, no one seemed to be

pushed to get into them and the women and children

went into the boats first.“

- as Carla remembered

Carla was placed probably in lifeboat 16, as were most rescued 3rd class passengers. Lifeboat 16 was one of the very last lifeboats.

She later recalled that while she entered a boat the men were making jokes with her saying that she might reach New York faster than the others that way. When the boat was lowered the uncle said „now you can wait there until we come“.

As Carla remembered lifeboat 16 was rowed by 6 crew members. When they got rowed away from the Titanic the orchestra was still playing. The ocean was quiet and the surface like a mirror. They were surrounded by other lifeboats and they saw lots of icebergs around them.

Then suddenly the unexpected catastrophe happened.

Carla and the other survivors were later picked up by the ship Carpa-thia. She remembered that they were well taken care of and all the survivors got warm food and drinks against the cold.

However Carla also described that the hours on Carpathia were fright-ful. Some women were just sitting apathetically and staring out into the air and others were wandering around screaming their mens‘

names. Some were lying around just crying and others could not handle the event. Several times they saw canvas covered bodies being lowered over the side.

Arriving to New York, Carla was quartered in a hospital. She received $200 from the Women‘s Relief Committee. From the hospital she sent a wire home that she had survived but the rest of her family had not, her father told her to come home immediately.

White Star gave her a second class ticket on Adriatic to Liverpool. She was back at Eskildstrup on May 13th 1912 and she never travelled out of Denmark again.

Later in 1915, Carla married Frederik Petersen, a farmer from Oremark. They raised three children Laurits Petersen, Ellen Barkholt (neé Petersen) and Bente Petersen. Some years after Frederik‘s death Carla moved to an old people‘s home in Ferritslev, Fyn, Denmark.

She died on March 14th 1980 and was by her own request buried in the nightdress she had worn on April 14th 1912.

„With fright we heard an incredible crash and it was as

if a scream from 1000 voices came from the lit giant

ship, when it broke in two and both parts rose into the

sky and sank.“

„We sat like stone figures and saw it all happen. What

was even worse than the screams was the deadly silence

that came after...it was frightful.“

- as Carla remembered

Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 9dedicated to Miss Carla Christine Nielsine Andersen-Jensen.


The Titanic ship had at least* one Egyptian/Egypt related passenger.*Due to the unfortunate fact that many of the Titanic passengers are still unidentified.

1912

Egypt has been for centuries the spiritual and cultural center of the Arab world., and has influenced the political and cultural life in the Middle East region.

Early last century Egypt witnessed a wide renaissance in all aspects of life, Educational, Culture, Political and Social developments took place. At that time literature and arts flourished, intellectuals were active, press got stronger, civil society organisations increased, femi-nist movements were booming.

Egypt was still under the British occupation, all aspects of life were hazily affected by the desire of the Egyptian people to gain their inde-pendence, and establish a capable sovereign state, depending on its national Experts.

One important feature of the Egyptian life at that time was Education; more people were going to high school and university. Egyptians could establish their first civil university in 1908, named the National University, currently Cairo University, which was an important step in their renaissance, as the British occupation long opposed the establish-ment of the university. It was students who always lead demonstra-tions against the British occupation.

Various prominent Egyptian and Arab figures and intellectuals gradu-ated from Cairo University. In 1912, Taha Hussein, the famous Egypti-an writer (who was blind since his childhood) was a student at the school of Law, and graduated in 1914.

In order to enrich the cultural life in Egypt, intellectuals established what was called the cultural saloons, which was like a get together to discuss cultural or political issues. One of the active saloons in 1912 was Maii Ziada’s saloon, established in 1911. Maii Ziada was a Lebanese-Palestinian poet and writer who lived in Egypt.

As a result of the active feminist movements at that time, the “Intellec-tual Association of Egyptian women” was established in 1914.

The Old Egyptian civilisation was always and important element of the Egyptian life and culture, Egyptians have always been so roux of their Pharaonic Heritage. In 1912 and important discovery took place, the bust of Queen Nefertiti was found in Amarna by a German missi-on. The bust is currently displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Berlin.

Egypt participated in the Olympics for the first time in Sweden in 1912, only one athlete participated, Ahmed Hassanein, a fencer. The Egypti-an Olympic Committee had been founded two years earlier and was added to the International Olympic Committee. Few years earlier, in 1907, the first sports club was established, Al-Ahly Club, as the first club for Egyptians, and it aimed at gathering Egyptian youth, and was always chaired by leaders of the Egyptians National Movement.

Egypt has been for centuries the spiritual and cultural center of the Arab world., and has influenced the political and cultural life in the Middle East region.

Early last century Egypt witnessed a wide renaissance in all aspects of life, Educational, Culture, Political and Social developments took place. At that time literature and arts flourished, intellectuals were active, press got stronger, civil society organisations increased, femi-nist movements were booming.

Egypt was still under the British occupation, all aspects of life were hazily affected by the desire of the Egyptian people to gain their inde-pendence, and establish a capable sovereign state, depending on its national Experts.

One important feature of the Egyptian life at that time was Education; more people were going to high school and university. Egyptians could establish their first civil university in 1908, named the National University, currently Cairo University, which was an important step in their renaissance, as the British occupation long opposed the establish-ment of the university. It was students who always lead demonstra-tions against the British occupation.

Various prominent Egyptian and Arab figures and intellectuals gradu-ated from Cairo University. In 1912, Taha Hussein, the famous Egypti-an writer (who was blind since his childhood) was a student at the school of Law, and graduated in 1914.

In order to enrich the cultural life in Egypt, intellectuals established what was called the cultural saloons, which was like a get together to discuss cultural or political issues. One of the active saloons in 1912 was Maii Ziada’s saloon, established in 1911. Maii Ziada was a Lebanese-Palestinian poet and writer who lived in Egypt.

As a result of the active feminist movements at that time, the “Intellec-tual Association of Egyptian women” was established in 1914.

The Old Egyptian civilisation was always and important element of the Egyptian life and culture, Egyptians have always been so roux of their Pharaonic Heritage. In 1912 and important discovery took place, the bust of Queen Nefertiti was found in Amarna by a German missi-on. The bust is currently displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Berlin.

Egypt participated in the Olympics for the first time in Sweden in 1912, only one athlete participated, Ahmed Hassanein, a fencer. The Egypti-an Olympic Committee had been founded two years earlier and was added to the International Olympic Committee. Few years earlier, in 1907, the first sports club was established, Al-Ahly Club, as the first club for Egyptians, and it aimed at gathering Egyptian youth, and was always chaired by leaders of the Egyptians National Movement.


2012

The vast number of cultural activities and events held in Cairo, empha-sises its role as a Capital of culture in the Arab World.

Cairo, the Capital of Egypt has become the center of the Arab book market, as well as seat of many libraries. The International Cairo Book Fair, held annually, has become a destination for knowledge seekers from the Arab countries, as well as international publishers.

Bibliotecha Alexandria, located in Alexandria on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, was opened in 2002 as a huge library and a cultu-ral center. It commemorates the old Greek Library of Alexandria and revives the importance of the city as an enlightening center.

Egypt is now a station for film industry, many Arab actors were based in Cairo along the past decades, and still. Cairo international film festi-val, Luxor festival for the African Film, and an Arab TV festival high-lights the country‘s importance in such a field.

Being the Base of Nile-Sat, the Egyptian TV satellite which covers the Middle-East and North Africa, Egypt contributed to the development of media production and freedom of media.

Egypt has got a vast number of theatres and the only opera house in the Arab world. It also hosts an International Festival for Experimental theatre.

Cairo University is the first ranking Arab University, with more promi-nent figures being graduated from the University, including three Noble Laureates, the Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfooz, the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and the former IAEA director general Mohamed El-Baradie.

Al-Azhar university is attracting thousands of foreign students, mainly from Africa and Asia, with new colleges introduced to the university in 1961 apart from the religious ones.

Aware of the need to promote science, scientific research is getting more support by the government and it is protected by the constituti-on. Ahmed Zoweil, Noble laureate established the „National Project for „Scientific Renaissance”, a huge scientific research centre, inclu-ding seven institutes.

More archeological discoveries are still announced, Egypt is about to open the New Egyptian Museum in 2015, and is doing great effort to restitute its looted antiquities abroad.

© Courtesy of the Embassy of Egypt in Berlin, Germany


Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 106dedicated to Mr. Hammad Hassab.

One and only piece of handcrafted „jewelry“, created by Dodo Newman, the Inspirationaliste. All Titanic Memorabilia have a special holographic and numbered sign on the right bottom corner.

Mr. Hammad Hassab was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1885. The 27 years old Egyptian became one of the most famous Arabic passenger of the Titanic ship.

Already in his young age, fate played a big part in Hassab’s life. During the winter of 1912 the wealthy American millionaire from New York City, Henry Harper arrived to Cairo. Harper and his wife, Myna Harper stayed at the Shepherd Hotel in Downtown Cairo where they asked the British travel company Thomas Hook & Sons who had a branch office in Cairo, in the Shepherd Hotel for a travel guide and translator. They were directed to the 27 years old Hassab.

During his service to the Harper family, Hassab used to earn 1.25 sterling pounds from his employer Thomas Hook & Sons.

When the trip of the Harper family was about to end, Mr. Harper told Hassab that he was most welcome to travel and go with them to New York City. Hassab was a quite handsome, unmarried man. Since his translator services were no longer requested, Mr. Harper supposed to take Hassab with him to New York more as a friend. Hassab gladly accepted the offer without any hesitation even if he had to leave his brother, Said in Cairo.

Mr. Harper bought a first class ticket for his new friend for over 76 sterling pounds, which is nowadays more than $8.000, more than the annual income of Hassab was.

Before boarding the Titanic at Cherbourg on Wednesday, April 10th 1912 Hassab and Harper travelled to Paris, France, where Mr. Harper bought a dog. The dog was named Sun Yat-Sen after a Chinese revolu-tionary.

EgyptMr. Hammad Hassab

During the trip on the Titanic Hassab’s identification card revealed that he worked as a dragoman for Mr. Harper and a servant to Mrs. Myna Harper.

When the Titanic hit the iceberg, Mr. Harper, Myna and Hassab were having a dinner. As first class passengers they were informed among the first ones by the crew members. One of the crew members asked them to head to their rooms and to put a life jacket while they collected their valuables.

The three of them hurried to their rooms then they were taken to the lifeboats. On their way Mr. Harper forgot his hat and he wanted to go back and get it but his wife strictly prevented him from doing so.

Harper‘s dog, Sun Yat-Sen.

Interestingly when James Cameron, the director of the movie “Titanic” sent a robotic device to the wreck of the Titanic in 2001, the robot ente-red into Mr. Harper’s suite and took a picture of the hat that remained at its spot.

Mr. Harper, his wife, Hassab as well as the dog, all survived the trage-dy of the Titanic. Eventhough Mr. Haper and Hassab were not suppo-sed to have access to the life boat, they got quickly into the lifeboat 3.

Some sources described them as cowards for this act, however also many revealed that Hassab was on the lifeboat to help row.

There is a photo of a lifeboat taken by J.W. Parker, crew member of the Carpathia, that might have been the one they got on and interestingly this is the only one photo available about Hassab and Mr. Haper’s wife, Myna.

The photo shows two men among many women. The two men, one dark skinned and a white one are seated next to a woman holding a puppy, they are believed to be the Harpers and Hassab.

Eventhough their lifeboat was designed to save and carry 60 people, it did not wait for other passengers and it left with less than half of its capacity. This was clearly shown on the taken photograph as well.

The only photo available of Mr. Hammad Hassab.

After the tragedy they disembarked Carpathia on Thursday April 18th 1912 in New York City.

Arriving to New York City Hassab sent a Marconigram to his brother Said, which was transmitted on April 18th 1912 at 5.20 am:

In 1927 Hassab sent a postcard to the United States which depicted a boat crossing on the Nile. The letter which urged a former client to consider to return to Cairo, was dated 1926 and the envelop also inclu-ded Hassab’s business card.

„Said Hassat Mena House Cairo, Egypt All safe Hammad“

Later on Hassab returned to Cairo where he resumed his work as a translator at the same company as he worked before, with Thomas Cook & Sons.

The business card, which is currently displayed at the Brooklyn Museum was quite extraordinary by stating:

Since Hassab provided a genuine connection between Egypt and the Titanic, already on board (April 12th 1912) a legend developed. Accor-ding to this legend the Titanic carried a „cursed mummy“, the Princess of Amen-Ra, which was later believed as the reason of the disaster of the unsinkable Titanic.

„Having the distinction of being Survivor from the wreck of the Titanic.“

Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 106dedicated to Mr. Hammad Hassab.


The curse of Princess of Amen-Ra

During the night of the April 12th 1912 eight people gathered together in the first class smoking room. While all seemed going well they discussed various topics related to the meaning of life.

As it usually happens in every trip, the night could not pass without a ghost story. Especially because among one of the group of eight was Mr. William Thomas Stead, the English spiritualist and journalist. Stead was the one who began to tell a ghost story which opened the gate to the legend of the Egyptian mummy, Princess of Amen-Ra on board of the Titanic. This story haunted the Titanic and her sinking for decades.

As a spiritualist Stead knew well how-to and when to start his story, just before midnight on the 12th April.

He told the other passengers that he had found an Egyptian Mummy and the translation of the inscription on the Mummy’s case. Stead followed his story by explaining that the inscription warned that whoever should verbally recite the inscription would meet a very violent death.

The group listened to him with curiosity and they wondered whether his story was serious. Was there such a curse? Was there a mummy on board of the Titanic?

While Stead told the story to the curious seven people he already disc-losed his premonition about his death.

During the disaster seven of the group of eight went down with the ship, including the story teller William Thomas Stead. The only survi-vor of the group of eight was Mr. Fred Seward.

Seward was so shocked after what happened, that later when asked about the full mummy story he told he would never dare to retell it.

Mr. William Thomas Stead

As a fact we know that the Princess of Amen-Ra lived 1,500 years before Christ. When she died she was buried in a vault at Luxor, Egypt. She had an ornate wooden coffin and she was buried deep at the banks of the River Nile.

Since the death of the Princess there was silence around it. Only in the late 1890’s her wonderfully handcrafted coffin, including the remains of Princess of Amen-Ra were offered to sale in Luxor for four rich young Englishmen.

The four men drew a lot and the winner who purchased the coffin took it to his hotel room. As the legend says a few hours later he was seen walking out to the desert and he never returned.

The next day one of the other three men was shot by an Egyptian servant accidentally and his arm was so badly wounded that it had to be amputated.

By returning home to England the third man lost his entire savings because his bank had failed.

The fourth man lost his job, suffered multiple illness and he had to sell matches in the street to survive.

Interestingly the coffin of Princess of Amen-Ra still reached England in another way. After a very misfortunate travel it was purchased by a business man in London. Not so long later three members of the family of the businessman had a serious road accident where they were all injured. Furthermore his house also caught fire, therefore he decided to give away the coffin of the mummy. Finally he donated it to the British Museum.

The coffin of Princess of Amen-Ra

The delivery of the coffin to the British Museum also strengthened the belief of the curse of the Princess. As the coffin was unloaded from the delivery truck just in the courtyard of the British Museum, the truck suddenly went into reverse and hit a passer-by.

Right after the accident two workmen were lifting the coffin up the stairs when one of them fell down and broke his leg. Despite he was perfectly healthy, the other workman died suddenly two days later. But this was just the beginning of the tragical and troubled events at the British Museum.

After the coffin of the Princess of Amen-Ra was installed in the Egypti-an Room of the British Museum the night watchmen frequently heard frantic hammering and sobbing from the coffin. After one watchman died on his night duty at the Museum, the other wanted to quit. After the tragical death the cleaners also refused to go close to the coffin.

Since the coffin was not cleaned and handed well, one of the visitors tried to remove the dust from the face of the painted coffin. While he removed the dust his child got a serious infection and he passed away.

After the death of the child the authorities stepped in and the British Museum had to remove the coffin of Princess of Amen-Ra from the public Egyptian exhibition room.

Princess of Amen-Ra

The coffin was delivered to the basement in the hope that it will not hurt anyone there. Sadly during the upcoming week the supervisor of the moving was found dead lying on his desk and one of the helpers cauught a serious illness.

In 1912 a hard headed American archaeologist purchased the Mummy and tried to arrange its removal from the British Museum to New York. From England he travelled back to the United States with the White Star liner Titanic.

In 1985 Charles Haas, President of the Titanic Historical Society gained access to the original Titanic’s cargo manifest and he found out that there was no coffin or mummy on the cargo list of the Titanic.

Even if it was probably a confusing, supernatural ghost story origina-ted by Mr. Stead who previously had a visit to the British Museum, the story was given more credit when the survivor Fred Seward told how Stead had told his story on the 12th April, just two days before the disaster happened.

It is a known fact that the coffin never left the British Museum and it is still there today. So the coffin itself never travelled onboard the Titanic. It is still there and visible, the British Museum displays the case under EA 22542 and exhibits the coffin lid of Princess of Amen-Ra in Room 62.

What makes the legend interesting is the fact that after the tragical sinking of the Titanic in 1912, the British Museum never presented the actual mummy of the Princess of Amen-Ra. As the official explanation says the remains of the Princess of Amen-Ra were left behind in Egypt and it never arrived to England.

The Titanic ship had at least* sixty-six (some refer to one-hundred-fifty-four) Lebanese/Lebanon related passengers.*Due to the unfortunate fact that many of the Titanic passengers are still unidentified.

1912

Around the turn of the twentieth century Lebanon and its diaspora had a blooming art scene. Popular writers like Khalil Gibran, whose work “The Prophet” has been translated into well- over forty langua-ges, and Ameen Rihani both immigrated to the United States and shaped the representations of Lebanese culture abroad.

It was also the time of famous painters like Daoud Corm, who is consi-dered to be a pioneer of Lebanese painting in Lebanon. Among his students were Gibran and Khalil Saleeby. The latter is purported to be the founding father of Lebanese modern art. He gained part of his professional training in Europe and in Philadelphia and was probably the first Arabic painter to paint nudes.

In 1912 Lebanon was still under Ottoman rule which is also mirrored in its artistic production dating back to that time. The mixture of Orien-tal and Western characteristics is reflected across Lebanon’s artistic production. Turn-of-the-century architectural sites, like the Sursock Museum, display Italian as well as Ottoman influences.

Today the institution hosts pieces from Lebanese as well as internatio-nal artists dating from the 18 century to contemporary art. „Every beauty and greatness in this world is created by a single

thought or emotion inside a man.“

Khalil Gibran, Broken Wings, 1912


2012

Lebanon is a country of many facets, where East meets West and diffe-rent religious and cultural influences mingle to a rich mosaic of cultu-ral diversity. It has a long tradition of being home to cultural and edu-cational institutions, like printing houses, media and universities.

Its cosmopolitan character in combination with the creative spirit has fostered a vivid art scene which makes Lebanon unique in the region. This is displayed by internationally renowned festivals visited by artists from all over the world, like the Baalbeck International Festival, the Beiteddine Art Festival or the Beirut International Film Festival.

It has brought forth famous filmmakers, musicians and writers such as director Nadine Labaki, Ziad Rahbani or Amin Maalouf, just to name a few. The mixture of cross culture elements is also reflected in Lebanon’s music scene. Unesco Artist for Peace Marcel Khalifé, for instance, is a singer, composer and oud player who combines traditio-nal Arabic music with Western elements.

Due to massive efforts of the Lebanese government and private initia-tives today’s Lebanon has restored its multifaceted cultural landscape after the end of the 15-year-long civil war. A landscape that has yet so much more to give.

© Courtesy of the Embassy of Lebanon in Berlin, Germany

Miss Banoura, daughter of Ayoub Daher and Mari Yusuf was born in 1900 in Kafr ‘Abaida, Lebanon.

Banoura was only 12 years old when she boarded the Titanic. Even at this young age, she was to discern, her lifeboat partially filled, that „many more could have been saved“.

Banoura had left her hometown of Kafar Adidah in the district of al-Batrun. She traveled with her cousin, Hanna Tannous Muawwad (John Thomas) and his son, Tannus (Thomas), as well as other relatives from the village of Tuhum. Also, with the group of villagers was Shani-nah who would act as chaperone to the young girl.

Today, Banoura‘s village lies approximately 53 kilometers from Lebanon’s capital Beirut. There, young Banoura grew up accustomed to her surroundings of almond orchards and olive trees. Immigration meant that this would be the first time she would leave her parents in the village, to travel the vast ocean. This would also be her last. Her cousin, Hanna Tannous Muawwad, was taking her to Columbus where her 17-year-old brother, Dahir, had resided for almost a year. Together the two would go on to Canada where her other older brother, Yusuf (Joseph) lived. Others from her village had reached America – a few having traveled even further to Canada, specifically Owen Sound, Ontario, proof as evidenced in Ellis Island record arrivals in 1911.

She was just 12 years old when she travelled with the Titanic. She aimed to join her uncle in Ontario, Canada. When she left her parents behind, Banoura did not know or understand English.

officers of the ship carried Banoura to the last (collapsible C). She was never to see Hanna, his son, Tannous or Jirjis Yusuf again. The three male cousins of Banoura remained on board of the Titanic, they lost their lives in the disaster.

Passengers did not know what to do. Fearing they may lose everything, many carried what they could from their belongings. They quickly came to realize that passengers were being boarded on the lifeboats and not their belongings. Hoping to retrieve them in a lifeboat into which they would be placed, passengers began to throw some personal things overboard from the deck of the sinking ship. Something fell at Banoura’s feet. It turned out to be a sack of rare coins. She picked it up and kept it with her while she waited to see what God had in store for her.

The next few hours were hours of suffering. Minutes after being placed upon the lifeboat, Banoura saw the lights of the Titanic go out. Yet more vividly, she remembered the screams and the wails, the moans and the cries of those seeking help reverberated for two hours after the ship sank. It was extremely cold, so bitterly cold, that aboard the lifeb-oat, as she recounted, four Syrian men on the same boat died from the intense cold before the rescue ship, the Carpathia arrived.

She also remembered the sight of another Syrian man who had not been taken aboard the lifeboat, jumping from the deck of the Titanic into the ocean. From the jump his arm struck a piece of ice, cutting him „from the wrist to the elbow, clear to the bone“. He managed to stay afloat until one of the other lifeboats picked him up out of the water.

Half clad, she became numb and exhausted to a point that she could not remember clearly the arrival of the Carpathia.

After disembarking from Carpathia in New York City on Thursday April 18th 1912, Banoura was taken to one of the local hospitals in New York. Later from the hospital she had been taken to the Hebrew Shelter and was one of the last ones to be released from it from among the Syrian survivors, along with another Syrian distant relative and travel companion Shaninah (Jirjis) Shanin Yusuf Wyhbah.


Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 2109dedicated to Miss Banoura Ayoub Daher.


She boarded the Titanic as a third class passenger at Cherbourg on Wednesday, April 10th 1912. She traveled together with her cousins Shawneene George Whabee, Tannous Thomas, Gerios Yousseff and Tannous Doharr.

On the night of the 14th, Banoura was asleep when the collision took place, as were Hanna and his son. The father awoke with the shock of the crash and ran on deck to check out what had happened. Officers of the ship informed him that there was no immediate danger. He retur-ned to tell them that they may as well go back to sleep.

At about 1:30 a.m. she awoke to find water in the cabin. Quickly she woke her cousin who found that his son was not in his bed. During the night when the Titanic hit the iceberg, Banoura was below deck waiting with the other third class passengers. Hanna Tannous Muaw-wad told her to run up to the deck, as he needed to find his son.

Both Banoura and Shaninah recalled that some first class passengers, those who were not permitted to board the lifeboats, ran down to the lower deck to assist in bringing steerage passengers above. They tried to urge the women and the children to leave. The two reasoned that due to the lack of comprehension of English and the instructions being given, these first class passengers came simply to help those they could.

Banoura ran and among the confusion, found the young Tannous. She told him that his father was searching for him below and that he must go down at once to find him. There were two stairways, one leading towards the stern and one towards the bow. The boy went down one and the father came up the other. Banoura told her cousin that his son had just gone down to find him, pointing out to him the stairway. Hanna ran back to find him. It was assumed that either Banoura‘s two cousins were caught below deck or that the father was not able to locate his son and could not and would not save himself without him.

Jiris Yusuf, another Syrian cousin traveling with her and Shaninah pushed the two women towards the lifeboats. Finally Banoura was saved thanks to Shawnee Abi Saab who took her by hand. They went to the main deck and ultimately to Collapsible Lifeboat C. There, the

Initially, the Syrians did not want to inform her of her cousins‘ deaths, reassuring her that the following day they would arrive. It was five days later that she would be told the horrifying news of their death.

Once in New York, Arab-American newspapers were able to corrobo-rate her name and to list it correctly in their publications.

Banoura had listed John Abdow as her point of destination on her arrival on the Carpathia. The 1912 Columbus city directory shows at this address John Abdow and Son. The newspaper Mir ah Gharb infor-med the readers on the 19th that the young girl’s destination was Columbus, Ohio and that she was on her way to join her brothers.

At the little dry goods store, many Syrians came to see the little girl and to mourn for the loss of the entire party of her relatives, who had perished on the ship. Cared for and attended to by her relatives, she gave an explicit account, through an interpreter, of her ordeal the night of the sinking. She did not speak English.

To reach Columbus, she first traveled to Youngstown with Syrian survivor, Shaninah Yusuf, and then onto Columbus to her relatives and to her brother, Dahir. Finally Banoura could made it to her uncle‘s home in Ontario, Canada.

On Wednesday, April 24th 1912 at 2:10 a.m., 12-year-old Banoura Ayoub Dahir arrived in Columbus, Ohio from New York to the dry goods store and home of her cousin, John Abdow at 270 N. Third Street. Variations of her name initially appeared on the list of survivors such as Ayout Banoura and in various Arab-American newspapers shortly after the disaster as Baddurah Ayyub, Manturah Yarub, and Tannurah daughter of Ayyub Dahir. In Lisan al-Hal however, from Kafar Abida, Manturah Yaqub’s name is given as one of the passengers who drowned.

In Columbus the family of John Abdow bemoaned the fate of her cousins and his nephew, at 160 N. Fifth Street, at the home of Joseph Thomas, peddler and salesman, relatives and friends of Hanna Tannous Murawwad gathered in sorrow. Hanna, businessman of Columbus, had gone back to Syria to bring back his 15-year-old son to

the city to educate him in Ohio State University. Now both men, along with the other relatives of Banoura had died.

The young Syrian girl who had listed on the Manifest „housework“ as her occupation or calling now received from the Emergency Relief by the American Red Cross assistance the amount of $225.00 [ERARC Case No. 96 - $225.00]. Further there is a possibility that it is Banoura Ayoub Dahir who on April 22nd was disbursed the amount of $525.00 and then on the 26th, $575.00 by the Women’s Relief Committee. Through the Hebrew Sheltering and Immigration Society but under the name of „Belaria Hepeb“.

Banoura stayed with the Abdows for a time and then went onto Detroit and then to Canada to the home of her uncle. Granddaughter, Mary Ann Reid, who spent much time with her grandmother, states that a woman from the Doharr family in Ontario came to the U.S. and took Banoura back to live with the uncle. It appears that one of the relatives traveling with Banoura was this uncle’s son. No one recalls the name of the uncle or the son. However, the victim would have to have been either Jiris Yusuf or Tannous Dahir.

Distraught over the loss of his own son, Banoura’s uncle could not bear to look at the young girl and turned her out of his home „as she survi-ved and his son did not“. After not being accepted by the uncle, the ‘Doharr’ woman then took Banoura to her home. The „Doharr“ family name would lead one to believe then that the cousin who had perished may well have been Tannous Dahir. It was during her stay with the ‘Doharr’ woman and her large family that, there Banoura met her future husband.

Sadly her uncle turned away from her and he did not allow the girl to stay in the house. Banoura was taken in by another woman who had immigrated from Lebanon earlier.

Just after five months of the tragedy, on September 9th 1912, Banoura married Michael Deyoub who had immigrated from Syria.

On September 11th 1912, at the age of 13, she married 26-year-old Michael Deyoub. Originally from a town near Damascus he had immi-grated to the United States some years earlier. Michael and Banoura’s marriage took place about 150 miles north of Toronto in Owen Sound, in the county of Grey. The marriage certificate shows Banoura’s age as 17, which, according to her family, was not her true age. She had taken the age of a deceased sister.

While residing in Windsor, where both her brothers now lived, two children were born, Mary (Samaha) and George. They then moved to Detroit, Michigan where Banoura’s husband found work with the Ford Motor Company’s Rouge Assembly Plant. Five more children were born, Peter, Tamir John, Ferris, Margaret (Romano) and Sarah. Mary and George became American citizens after their father had taken his U.S. citizenship.

What Ferris remembers most about his mother was that although she was a ‘tiny lady’ she had a big heart. „Mom was a fighter“ and from the time of her rescue, knowing that there was only a small chance that some would survive, she did beat the odds. She did the same for her children and family.

The sack of coins that remained with her as a „scar“ from the Titanic, she eventually sold during the Depression to ensure that her children were fed and that there was always food on the table.

She also had a strong character. The young girl who had grown into a fearless mother was ready to guarantee that house expenses be paid and the support of her family secured.

Her husband, Michael, while working at Ford Motor Company‘s Rouge Assembly Plant, received a cash envelope with his pay for the week. One week Michael came home without his pay, having gambled it away. Banoura got on a bus, went down to Ford‘s Headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan and told her complaint to Henry Ford himself.

As luck would have it, when Banoura went to the plant, which was a small operation at the time, Henry Ford was there that day. This woman of fortitude met one on one with him to ask that her husband‘s paycheck be sent to her personally. From that day onward all subse-quent pay envelopes were sent directly to her instead of being given to her husband.

Banoura’s husband died in 1956 and Banoura in 1970. She is buried in Mt Olivet Cemetery in Detroit. As a 12-year-old, Banoura had sailed the ocean but would never sail the waters again. Banoura never retur-ned to her parents to Lebanon and despite her experience on the Titanic she loved boating.

As for the woman who accompanied her aboard the Titanic and who brought her with her to Youngstown, Shaninah, when interviewed in 1937, only knew that Banoura was married and lived in Canada and that she had „two fine children“. Family members say that there was never any contact again after their arrival in the U.S.

Banoura Ayoub never talked about the Titanic, and when her children took her to see the Clifton Webb movie about the disaster, Banoura Ayoub Deyoub cried and cried.

Banoura died on December 3rd 1970 in Detroit.






LebanonMiss Banoura Ayoub Daher













Banoura and Michael on their wedding day











































































































Titanic survivors on the Carpathia.




































































































Banoura and Michael in the early 1950‘s.




































Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 2109dedicated to Miss Banoura Ayoub Daher.
































надеяться

The Titanic ship had at least* two Russian/Russia related passengers.*Due to the unfortunate fact that many of the Titanic passengers are still unidentified.

1912

The late 19th – early 20th, the period often referred to as the Silver Age was a time when Russian culture saw its greatest and fullest flouring and gained considerably in scope with new trends in art, literature und music emerging. It was an exceptionally creative period on par with the Golden Age a century earlier. In the West other terms, including Fin de siècle and Belle Époque, are somewhat more popular.

The early 20th century in Russia saw both social and cultural uphea-vals. Realistic portrayal of life did not satisfy artists any longer, and their argument with the classics of the 19th century generated a bundle of new movements.

In ballet “Russian seasons” in Paris, organized by Sergey Diaghilev, enjoyed wide popularity among Western audiences. Russian dramatic theatre flourished too with great Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko establishing the Moscow Arts Theatre.

In visual arts, Avant-garde emerged as one of the leading movements. Such worldwide famous and acclaimed artists as Malevich, Kandins-ky, Chagall created their masterpieces.

© Courtesy of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Berlin, Germany

1912 Gramm truck being tested in St. Petersburg, Russia.

2012


Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 42dedicated to Mrs. Miriam Kantor.


Mrs. Miriam Kantor was born in 1888 in Witebsk, Russia. Her father was from Moscow, Russia which was also the residence of Miriam when she boarded the Titanic.

She was married to Mr. Sinai Kantor and they aimed to travel together to Bronx, New York. The 24 years old Miriam and her husband purchased their second class ticket and they boarded the Titanic on April 10th 1912 in Southampton.

Her husband was a commission merchant bringing several trunks of valuable fur to the United States, expecting to sell them there. He also planned to study medicine once he established himself in New York.Miriam also had a university degree and she also planned to continue her studies in New York. She wanted to study dentistry.

Miriam survived the disaster, she was rescued in lifeboat 12 by the ship Carpathia. Her husband Sinai perished in the ocean. Later on his body was recovered by the MacKay Bennett (#283) and it was buried at Mount Zion Cemetery, Queens, New York, USA.

After arriving to New York City on Thursday, April 18th 1912 she deci-ded to go to her uncle Mr. Berman at Boston, Massachusetts. She was unwilling to return to Russia because she could not earn her living there.

RussiaMrs. Miriam Kantor

Since Miriam lost all of her money in the disaster, the American Red Cross Emergency Fund decided to cover her tuition and school fees and living expenses for the period of four years. The fund was placed in charge of the Council of Jewish Women who supervisioned her studies.

Beside the generous help of the American Red Cross Emergency Fund ($809.98) and the Mansion House Titanic Relief Fund (£100), Miriam also had a life insurance claim of $50,000 and a property insurance claim of $2,200.

„The grief of the young widow was of that profound kind which has passed the stage of tears. When the interview was over and she was to go, whether she knew not, in a land where she was penniless, where she knew no word of its language, she stood for a moment looking at the stronger woman, who had mastered the situation and had been the leader. Hesitatingly she held out her hand, and then turning her face up like a little child, she paid the only tribute she understood as she kissed the older woman on the cheek, and mutely walked away with the Consul leading her by the hand. It was the final tribute to fortitude combined with tenderness.“

- Mrs. J. J. Brown recalled the THE TIMES Magazine interview on April 20th 1912, seeing last time the little brown-eyed, baby-faced Miriam at the Ritz-Carlton with the Russian Consul.

Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 42dedicated to Mrs. Miriam Kantor.


Courtesy of National Geographic

The Titanic love story

On April 13th 2012 the Internet portal Russia Beyond the Headlines, published an interview with Anatoly Sagalevich, who as a hydronaut visited the wreck of the Titanic more than 50 times.

He also met with James Cameron. Sagalevich suggested the director to extend the Titanic movie with a great love story.

Everything started in July 1991, when Sagalevich saw for the very first time the Titanic wreck. As he described it, it was an impression which he will never forget. During those times he worked together with Stephen Low on the film called „Titanica“.

„When I saw it, it left me in complete awe. And to this day, every time I go on an expedition to the ship, I am overcome with the same feelings. Two parts of a huge hull lying within about half a mile of each other. The space between them is strewn with randomly scat- tered objects. On the first expedition, we used bottom beacons to reach the bow part of the liner. I immediately identified the tip of a broken mast with the “crow’s nest,” the misshapen platform of the lookout man who was probably the first to see the ship’s impending destruction. The hold had been turned upside down and you can see the frames of cars that probably belon-ged to the rich passengers. Then there was the star-board lifeboat deck. Through a ripped side, I could see inside Captain Smith’s cabin, his bathroom and his bed. The officers’ cabins are separated from the outside world by square portholes. In short, every detail and every new angle revealed traces of a sudden tragedy. I have seen many shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea. But the Titanic is truly the epitome of great human disaster, woven together by the hundreds of individual tragedies of its passengers. Nobody that night could have imagined that such a super-modern ship was in any kind of danger. As it turned out, the Titanic’s maiden voyage, with its creator on board, was also its last. Humanity paid a price for its arrogance.“

- Anatoly Sagalevich

Just one year later during the film premier of the „Titanica“, Sagale- vich was introduced to James Cameron who was eager to make a film about the disaster. Cameron asked Sagalevich‘s permission to see the deep-water submersibles that were used to make unique shots.

One day Cameron shared with Sagalevich his main doubt, that the underwater footage alone is not enough, a gripping plot was needed and he did not even have a leitmotif.

This was the turning point when a small conversation initiated of one of the most amazing and heart-breaking story, the „Titanic“ movie. What Sagalevich highlighted purely and simply:

- The world is tired of blood and violence, cruelty and petty rival-ries. Why don’t you show noble relationships between people and romantic love?

- What is love as you understand it? - asked Cameron.

- Love is like flying.

Not so later Cameron flew back to the United States and it seemed that the idea for the film was dead and buried.

One day Sagalevich‘s phone rang and Cameron was on the other side:

- Tolya, we’re on. Let’s get to work.

During the 19 days of the expedition Cameron always dived together with Sagalevich and they made 12 tandem dives. Initially Cameron planned to shoot eight sequences for the film, but he ended up shoo-ting more than 30, even if he had to work in a 12 degrees Celsius temperature in the depth of the Ocean.

Scene from James Cameron‘s „Titanic“ movie.Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Paramount Pictures, Lightstorm Entertainment

Upanje

The Titanic ship had at least* four Slovenian/Slovenia related passengers.*Due to the unfortunate fact that many of the Titanic passengers are still unidentified.

1912In 1912, Slovenes were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and accounted for no more than 4.75% of the entire population. Neverthel-ess, they were very successful in culture and sport. Even if the Slovene language never equalled German, their rich publishing activities and the lively activities of cultural associations strengthened Slovene natio-nal identity.

In 1863, the Južni Sokol gymnastics society was established in Ljublja-na (the 'southern brother' of the Prague Sokol Movement founded in the Czech region of the Empire). In 1912, its activity culminated in the inauguration of the Sokol House in Ilirska Bistrica on 9 June; a women's gymnastics section of the movement was established in Tries-te. Another important event was the Sixth Sokol Festival in Prague, where the Slovene Stane Vidmar took first place and became a Slavic Sokol champion. In Prague, members of Slovene Sokol showed they had reached the level of their Czech friends. In 1912, Slovenes won their first Olympic medal at the Summer Olympics in Stockholm. The Slovene Rudolf Cvetko was a member of the Austrian sabre team, which took the silver medal.

In 1912, the Slovene Regional Theatre in Ljubljana (today the Slovene National Opera and Ballet Theatre) celebrated its 20th anniversary. At first, the theatre alternately hosted Slovene and German artists; after 1911, a new theatre was built for the German ensemble (today the Slovene National Drama Theatre), which enabled Slovene actors to intensify their activity and perform every two or three days. The theat-re staged Ivan Cankar's play, Fair Vida, which he based on a folk myth, and a poem by France Prešeren, who also wrote the Slovene national anthem The Toast in 1844. Theatres were also popular in Idrija, Trieste, Celje, and Maribor. In smaller towns and certain villages with approp-riate halls, cultural societies staged diverse drama performances.

According to the folk tradition, the Fair Vida myth originates from the period between the 9th and the 11th century; the story was popular among writers and poets, who offered various interpretations. Howe-ver, at the turn of the 20th century, the mythical figure of Fair Vida became a reality. It was a time of severe poverty in Europe, including Slovene territory, so Slovene girls and women, mostly from the Vipava Valley, left their families to seek work abroad. At first, they headed for Trieste, but after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1896, they also emig-rated to Egypt (Alexandria) and became known as the Alexandrians. The year 1912 was no different: Slovene women continued to go abroad. According to the journal of the Austrian Saint Raphael Society Der Auswanderer (The Emigrant), in only one year, more than 2000 Slovene and Austrian women emigrated to Egypt.

In 1912, the Slovene Illustrated Weekly (Slovenski Ilustrovani Tednik), following the example of the Viennese Interessante Blatt, was very popular among the Slovene public. Published every Thursday, it featured interesting topics from home and abroad; it was also popular because of its rich illustrations. The 12th issue featured photographs of the Slovene choral society Planinski Raj in Lorain, Ohio; the Danica choir and tamburitza society in Ajdovščina; a photograph of Anica Wintrova as Vida in Cankar’s play Fair Vida; the St. Francis Catholic education society from the Savinja Valley; the Dobrač tamburitza soci-ety near Villach; an illustration from the novel In the Bora, in the Storm, and so on. On 29 March 1912, issue 13 (Vol. 52) of the Teacher’s Companion (Učiteljski Tovariš) stated “This issue is truly all-Slovene: it has pictures from every region of our Slovene homeland, old and new (America). – It is worth distributing to all Slovene families.”

The weekly demonstrates that cultural activity in Slovenia in 1912 was extremely varied, and covered a wide range of domains.

Photo: Saved in Historical Archive Ljubljana, A2-021-ZA Lj - Lj Opera

In 1912, Slovenes were part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After the dissolution of the Empire in 1918, Slovenes were included in the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, which, after only 33 days, became the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Its official name was changed to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in 1929. In the new state and the new system introduced after 1945, Slovenia became one of the six Yugoslav republics. In 1991, Slovenes began to live in an independent and sove-reign state for the first time in their history – the Republic of Slovenia.

At the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Slovenia was represented by 66 athletes in 12 disciplines. For the first time since Slovenia's inde-pendence, the hockey team qualified for the Olympics. Tina Maze won two gold medals in alpine skiing, while Peter Prevc took silver in ski jumping (normal-hill competition) and Žan Košir took silver in snow-boarding (parallel slalom). Slovenia also won four bronze medals: Teja Gregorin in biathlon cross-country skiing/single, Peter Prevc in ski jumping (large-hill competition), Žan Košir in snowboarding/parallel giant slalom, and Vesna Fabjan in cross-country skiing. In the same year, Slovenia qualified for the Basketball World Cup held in Spain for the third time since independence. The Slovene basketball team reached the quarter finals.

Culture in Slovenia in 2014 comprises a broad spectrum of events. Museums, galleries, theatres, cinemas, operas, choirs, and various groups are engaged in a wide variety of activities; associations, of which there are currently more than 23,000, deserve special mention. There is always an opportunity to see a good theatre performance, visit a museum, hear a concert by various Slovene or foreign musicians, watch a sporting event and much more. In the fine summer weather, the whole of Slovenia is transformed into a huge stage for various open-air events.

The centenary of the outbreak of the First World War was a major occa-sion for cultural events. At the start of the War, more than 160 thousand Slovenian soldiers from the Austrian part and approx. 20 thousand from the Hungarian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire were mobi-lised. To mark the occasion, the National Museum of Contemporary History launched an exhibition entitled We Never Imagined Such a War (the title is a quotation from the war diary of a Slovene N.C.O., Ivan Matičič). The exhibition tries to capture the personal stories of civilians and soldiers during the First World War, which also led to the collapse of the multi-national Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Slovene National Museum mounted an exhibition devoted to the personal Photo: Sašo Kovačič, National Museum of Contemporary History

story of Lieutenant Rudolf Cvetko (in 1912, the first Slovene to win an Olympic medal), entitled Fronts Awaken: Rudolf Cvetko and the First World War. He was a role model for his men, as he led them with courage and determination through all four years of the war. The Rail-way Museum also launched an exhibition entitled The End of Peace, which was held in a railway carriage used as a mobile medical unit in the First World War. The Provincial Museum of Gorizia and the Nova Gorica Isonzo Front Society co-organised the exhibition Our Mountain Rifle Regiment, presenting Imperial-Royal Mountain Rifle Regiment No. 2, which was also the first Slovene mountain unit. The centenary of the Great War was also marked at the Park of Military History, the biggest military and historical site of its type in Slovenia, which orga-nised various events and activities.

The Slovene National Opera and Ballet Theatre in Ljubljana remains the leader of cultural life (the Slovene National Opera and Ballet Theat-re succeeded the Slovene Regional Theatre in Ljubljana); it celebrated its 120th anniversary in 2012. Apart from the new additions to the regular programme, it boasts an extensive repertoire of opera, ballet and concert pieces of contemporary and classical music performed both at the National Opera and Ballet Theatre and in guest performan-ces in Slovenia and abroad.


2012




The centenary of the outbreak of the First World War was a major occa-sion for cultural events. At the start of the War, more than 160 thousand Slovenian soldiers from the Austrian part and approx. 20 thousand from the Hungarian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire were mobi-lised. To mark the occasion, the National Museum of Contemporary History launched an exhibition entitled We Never Imagined Such a War (the title is a quotation from the war diary of a Slovene N.C.O., Ivan Matičič). The exhibition tries to capture the personal stories of civilians and soldiers during the First World War, which also led to the collapse of the multi-national Austro-Hungarian Empire. The Slovene National Museum mounted an exhibition devoted to the personal







© Courtesy of the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Berlin, Germany










Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 144dedicated to Miss Manca Karun.

One and only piece of handcrafted „jewelry“, created by Dodo Newman, the

Inspirationaliste. All Titanic Memorabilia have a special holographic and

numbered sign on the right bottom corner.

Miss Manca Karun was among the youngest passengers of the Titanic ship and her relatives are still alive in Slovenia.

She was born in 1907 in a part of Austria-Hungary, which is today‘s Slovenia.

She boarded the Titanic on April 10th 1912 with her father Franz Karun and her mother‘s brother-in-law. She was only 4 years old at the time of the tragedy. Mr. Karun and little Manca lived in Milje Slovenia and they traveled to Galesburg, Illinois as 3rd class passengers of the Titanic.

Mr. Karun was returning from Slovenia to the United States after selling the family farm for $750.

On the night of the disaster both Karun and her father were saved by lifeboat 15 and they disembarked from the ship Carpathia in New York City. Unfortunately the $750 income from the farm was lost in the ocean during the disaster.

Mr. Karun was among the very few who traveled with a child without the mother on board and for this reason he had a place in the lifeboat. The lifeboat 15 was the last rescue boat lowered in the ocean and Manca boarded first. Mr. Karun was the last to be lowered by rope, which greatly surprised him since there were only women and child-ren in the lifeboat.

The following year of the disaster Manca and her family returned to Slovenia, which is where she found love with Anton Juvan. They got married and lived in Slovenia until her death in September 18th 1971.

SloveniaMiss Manca Karun

Manca‘s four siblings later returned to the United States.

Interestingly Manca also gave life to four children: Toucka, Marjan, Anica and Lojzka.

Some of her descendants still live in Milje, Slovenia.

Manca Karun with her family, standing second from the left.

Survivors of the Titanic on the deck of the ship that rescued them, the Carpathia.Courtesy of Bain News Service, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 144dedicated to Miss Manca Karun.


i-Themba

The Titanic ship had at least* five South African/South Africa related passengers.*Due to the unfortunate fact that many of the Titanic passengers are still unidentified.

Fulufhelo

Tshepo

1912

The history of South Africa is one that is steeped in ancient tongue and regime dating back to the earliest discovery of human life on earth. So in presenting a centenary account of South Africa from 1912 to 2012 in just a short space of expression is indeed daunting and damn near impossible, but this country is renowned for making the impossible, possible.

Cast between the ending of a great war in South Africa and a war that would be known as the Great War or World War One, 1912 was a fasci-nating time in South Africa. The Second Anglo-Boer War was fought from October 1899 to May 1902. The war ended in victory for Britain and the annexation of both republics thus uniting the country and both would eventually be incorporated into the Union of South Africa in 1910.

As the Anglo Boer was ending other significant developments were taking place in the country. In 1902 coloureds (a nomenclature created by the apartheid government to box people who found no space in other race groups) the African Political Organisation to represent the interests of "educated Coloured people."

Abdullah Abdurahman, a Scottish-trained doctor, became president of the organization in 1904, and, by stressing the political discrimination to which coloureds were subjected, he had built it into a vital body with 20,000 members by 1910. Mohandas Gandhi began a passive resistance campaign against the pass laws in 1906, leading Indians in Natal and the Transvaal (they were legally prohibited from living in or entering the Orange Free State) in demonstrations and organizing stop-work protests that won the support of thousands of people. Numerous meetings were held by Africans, coloureds, and Indians to protest the whites-only nature of the constitutional discussions that took place in 1908 to 1909. These activities culminated in March 1909 in a South African Native Convention, which called for a constitution giving "full and equal rights" for all blacks, coloureds, and Indians.

But it was opposition to the Natives Land Act, preliminary drafts of which were debated in 1911, that led to the formation in 1912 of the most significant organization, the South African Native National Con-gress (renamed the African National Congress [ANC] in 1923). This development would have far reaching consequences for South Africa and the entire African continent. The ANC would later lead South Africa’s struggle for liberation revolutionizing the concept of freedom fighting in the country and the entire continent. Not that the ANC was alone in this struggle.

In short, the surge forward in South Africa was by no means monopo-lised by the ANC, despite the longevity of its existence, its persistence in exile and its occasional quasi-military appearance within South Africa's borders. Yet the ANC did manage to translate its popular salience (and that of Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for his stance against injustice for 27 years and then become its first democratically elected president), its international resonance (becoming much more credible in this respect with the virtual disappearance from the scene of its long-time Soviet-bloc allies), its rather spottier presence on the ground inside South Africa, and its increasing and quite dramatic rapprochement with international capital into a winning hand in the on-going bargaining with the apartheid state. And it did emerge victo-rious in 1994. Moreover, the fact that it had by the 1990s abandoned any promise of offering a radical alternative to continued subordinati-on to global capitalism (and to its leaders' own aggrandisement as the new well-rewarded masters of state power) did not, at first, cost it heavily at the polls. It was the party of "liberation" after all.

The start of New Year 2012 was thus very special for South Africa and the whole African continent. Sunday 8th January 2012 marked the 100 years of the African National Congress (ANC). In his Message for the centennial celebrations of the African National Congress, President Jacob Zuma recalls for us President Mandela‘s profound words from the dock during the Rivonia Treason Trial, on 20 April 1964 in court when he said:

„During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die“.

The ICU, the Unity Movement, the Pan Africanist Congress and Azani-an People's Organisation (AZAPO) were, of course, significant hetero-dox players over many years. Then, in the 1970s and '80s, the Black Consciousness Movement, the range of trade unions that would soon become COSATU, and the township insurgency that first burst into flame in Soweto and then, spreading dramatically, helped fuel the United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Mass Democratic Movement (MDM) also had vital roles to play. Even more expansive in their import than any some-time "internal wing" of the ANC was a wide range of local outbursts and assertions as part of a genuine mass resis-tance in South Africa (one not always easily identified as "belonging" to any one or another broader movement).

So in 1914 while the world was entering the first war that would bring the entire world to its knees, South Africa gave birth to the National Party. The Party that would in 1948 go on to introduce the most legisla-ted form of racial segregation and subjugation, apartheid. A rule that would end 44 years later in 1994 and 11 years later in 2005 bring an end to the National Party. During that period however South Africa’s mul-tifaceted society would grow in spite of the mire of apartheid. Every fibre of life would find expression for or against the system. Religious institutions like the Dutch Reformed Church would preach the impor-tance and value of white domination from the pulpits; whilst at the same time leaders from all religious background would stand together vehemently opposed to this system, some giving their lives whilst others would go on to receive Nobel Peace Prizes for the tireless efforts non more popular than Bishop Desmond Tutu. Tutu would continue to take the moral high ground beyond 1994 and even go up against his former freedom fighters who took up post in ruling South Africa.
















2012




© Courtesy of the Embassy of South Africa in Berlin, Germany













© Courtesy of the Embassy of South Africa in Berlin, Germany / M.E. Graphix / Yoshi‘s Oakland

"Untergang der Titanic", as conceived by Willy Stöwer, 1912

I‘ll see you in New York.

South African passenger Mr. Thomas William Solomon Brown was among the few, who in the middle of the tragedy of the Titanic did not forget to be human.

Once he secured his beloved wife Elizabeth and his daughter Edith in lifeboat 14, he stepped back on to the boat deck and he offered his seat in the lifeboat to secure others.

He ensured a beautiful, long life for his daugther, since Edith became the oldest survivor of the sinking of the Titanic.

„He was talking to the Rev. Carter and smoking a cigar.“

- remembered Edith, his daughter

„That was the last time I saw my father. He said, 'I‘ll see you in New York.'“


Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 2106dedicated to Mr. Thomas William Solomon Brown.


Mr. Thomas William Solomon Brown was born in 1852 in Cape Colony, South Africa.

Mr. Brown was a successful hotelier at Cape Colony, South Africa but he decided to start a new life in Seattle, U.S.A. when his business suddenly started to decline. Seattle was also familiar for him as the hometown of his sister-in-law.

He turned 60 when he boarded the Titanic with his second wife Eliz-abeth and his daugther Edith Eileen.

Elizabeth was 20 years younger than Mr. Brown and the couple had two children. The family already suffered from a tragical loss of their first child, who passed away at the age of 8 from diphteria, which was a serious bacterial infection in those times.

South AfricaMr. Thomas William Solomon Brown

The family boarded the Titanic at Southampton on Wednesday, April 10th 1912 as second class passengers.

The family was occupied in separate cabines, mother and daughter shared a four bed cabin with two other ladies, whereas Mr. Brown was accomodated in another cabin.

On the night of the sinking Mr. Brown secured the survival of his belo-ved family, placed his wife and daughter in lifeboat 14 and he stepped back and gave a chance to others. As many survivors remembered he was there just smoking a cigar, awaiting his fate.

After the sinking his body if recovered, was never identified. Mr. Brown died with the Titanic on April 15th 1912.

The Browns Prepare to Abandon Ship(on Sunday 3rd August 2003, David Haisman published a book with an extraordinary insight abouthis mother‘s experiences on the Titanic. The book was titled: I‘ll See You In New York)

Her father stood in the doorway of their cabin and said,

„There's talk that the ship has hit an iceberg.“

It was those fateful words that were to change their lives forever.

Edith, along with her mother Elizabeth, were sharing a Second Class cabin onboard the Titanic. Her father, Thomas W.S. Brown, was sharing another Second Class cabin further along the passageway.

It was almost midnight on Sunday of April 14th 1912 when Thomas still in evening dress, made this announcement to his wife and daugh-ter. Just 15 minutes previous to this, both women had been woken up by what only could be described as a shudder and several soft bumps. At that precise moment, Edith occupying the upper berth, switched on her bunk light, parted the surrounding curtains, and peered down at her mother lying on the bunk below.

Elizabeth had also heard the noises and, on turning on her own bunk light, stared up at her daughter in total bewilderment. Edith quickly threw back her bed covers, swung her feet out and on turning, descen-ded step by step down the little varnished bunk ladder to the cabin floor. Crossing the cabin to the porthole, she pulled the neat little curtains apart, opened the port glass and stared out into the blackness. At first, she could see nothing until her eyes became accustomed to the darkness and then gradually, she began to make out the ships lights reflecting on the black water far down below. The sea was flat calm with no wind and looking up, she could see a mass of stars in the night sky. Looking down again towards the stern of the ship she could see great swirls of foam and turbulence as the ships propellers churned up

the water, apparently, going full astern. This in turn caused a great deal of vibration around the cabin with the clinking of glasses in the wash stand, creaking and squeaking of wood panelling about the room and door handles rattling.

Edith drew her head back in from the porthole to enable her mother to see for herself that the ship was stopping. Elizabeth looked down at the water for a brief moment and then, drawing her head back in, crossed the cabin back to her berth. Sitting on the edge of her bunk with a worried look on her face, she said to Edith in a somewhat shaky voice, „I wonder what this is all about then?“

The excessive vibration experienced just a few moments ago, had now stopped as Elizabeth, sitting on the edge of her bunk, now rose to cross the cabin floor to turn on the main overhead cabin light. The only sound now audible was the distant whine of an electric motor from somewhere far inside of the ship. The night air from the open porthole made the cabin feel colder and Elizabeth, sitting down again on the edge of her bunk, said to Edith, „Pass me my dressing gown from the wardrobe please dear.“ After passing her mother‘s dressing gown to her, Edith crossed again to the porthole to see if anything else was happening. Once again, after her eyes had become accustomed to the darkness, she could see that all was quiet, the turbulence had ceased and the ship was now motionless on a flat calm sea.

On closing the porthole, Edith crossed the cabin to sit alongside of her mother on the lower berth saying to her mother, „Everything seems so quiet.“ It was shortly after this that Thomas had tapped the door and informed them about the iceberg. He had advised them to put on warm clothing and life jackets and to follow him back up on deck. Eliz-

abeth looked at her husband in utter disbelief at such a suggestion. Thomas on the other hand was not to be deterred and on entering the room, reached up to the top of the wardrobe and pulled down two lifejackets. Elizabeth was an extremely nervous person by nature and this action by her husband wasn't helping matters any. Edith at 15 years of age was not too worried at this stage and obediently did as she was told, knowing her father never made any rash decisions.

Both women proceeded to put on their long grey serge topcoats before Thomas began to help them on with their life jackets. Elizabeth remai-ned speechless as her husband busied himself about her, adjusting the bulky life jacket and finally tying the tapes in front with a large bow. The life jackets were made up with cumbersome hard square chunks of cork, held together by stitched duck canvas and when placed over the head, hung from the shoulders and tied at the waist. With these on over their heavy clothing, both women looked and felt twice their size, causing Edith to giggle for a moment, forgetting the seriousness of the situation briefly.

Before leaving their cabin to go up on the boat deck Edith said to her father, „Why aren't you wearing your life jacket father?“ to which he replied, „Don‘t let that worry you for the moment my dear. Let‘s get you and your mother organised first and then I can get myself sorted out later.“ Edith thought how typical of him. Always putting us first at all times.

Making their way out of their cabin, they proceeded along the plush carpeted passageway to the first flight of stairs, which would take them up to the Second Class Promenade Deck. At this time there were just a few passengers moving about the passageways and stairs, some in evening dress, others with coats over night attire, and some with life jackets on. There was a bedroom steward with a tray of dirty cups and saucers balancing on the palm of one hand, tapping cabin doors with the knuckles of his other hand calling out,

„Everyone up with life jackets on please!“

He continued with this until arriving at the night pantry at the far end of the passageway. There was little response, the whole scene quite

relaxed with the odd quip about having a good nights sleep being disturbed and others, not even bothering to answer the stewards call.They continued up the stairs with their carved banisters and beautiful wood panelling on the walls, passing other passengers returning to their cabins, remarking that it was too cold to remain on deck for any length of time. They arrived at the top of the final flight of stairs and stepped out onto the boat deck into the cold night air, joining a group of people already gathered around lifeboat no.14. Thomas had noticed whilst in their cabin the small notice behind the door saying that occu-pants of that cabin would assemble at lifeboat station no. 14. during any emergency.

Below their position on the boat deck, they could hear lively music being played by the ship‘s orchestra, with Elizabeth remarking to her husband nervously, „Some people don't seem too worried about this situation Tom.“ His reply was, „It‘s better to be prepared in case things get out of hand and we may have to get into those boats.“ Other people stood around engaging in light-hearted conversation as they watched some seamen take the covers off of the boats and prepare them for lowering down to the water.

Edith was feeling tired after being woken from a deep sleep and between yawns began to think about her comfortable bunk and said to Thomas, „When do you think we'll be able to go back to bed father?“ „Soon dear. Soon.“ he replied. Her mother however was far from tired and was showing some considerable concern as the crew continued working at clearing away the boats. Her father, fully realising her mother's fears at the way things were developing, did his best to calm her down by saying that he didn't think it would be too long before he would be taking them below again and tucking them in for the night, once the emergency had been called off.

There was considerable talk about ice being thrown about by some of the steerage passengers on the forward Well Deck. There was also mention that some Third Class passengers at the forward end were leaving the Well Deck area carrying their suitcases and belongings. Up to this point in time, there had been no official indication that anything was wrong, other than some stewards directing passengers to go up on deck with their life jackets on. There had been no alarm bells, hooters

certainly bring that along with her if ever going back to the cabin for any reason.

Lifeboat No. 14, being their designated boat, had Fifth Officer Lowe in command. He was a Welshman in his late twenties and well known as a bit of a disciplinarian, ordering people into the boat in no uncertain terms. His voice had authority and could be heard on more than one occasion, shouting at the crew to,

„Get a bloody move on!“

More and more people were beginning to arrive on the boat deck from the decks below as Elizabeth said to Thomas in a faltering voice,

„How on earth do they expect to get this lot into those tiny boats.?“

Her husband could see her point but dared not say anything other than,

„It's quite amazing just what those boats will hold.“

At this time the Reverend Carter rejoined the „Browns“ at lifeboat No.14, after taking his wife, Lillian, to her respective lifeboat. The Carters had been their dining companions since leaving South- ampton and they had all become good friends during the voyage but now, Earnest Carter would remain with Thomas until the end. Edith had always remembered this turn of events regarding Lillian Carter, throughout her lifetime, as there were questions that just didn't add up. If she had gotten into a lifeboat, then how come she was listed as drowned? Or perhaps she had decided to leave her boat before lowe-ring to rejoin her husband the Reverend Carter in order to be with him until the very end? The Titanic will no doubt keep some of these secrets forever.

or announcements from ship‘s officers that there was a problem, hence the relaxed attitude of the passengers.

Edith and her parents continued to wait patiently, watching and liste-ning to the goings on around them as more people continued to arrive on the boat deck. Many were still in evening dress and apparently in good spirits, attempting a witty remark now and then as the ship's orchestra continued to play lively music from the deck below. Amongst the chatter there was wild speculation as to what had actu-ally happened with rumours that the ship would need to undergo urgent repairs whilst others spoke about the emergency being over reacted and would soon be called off. Apart from all of this, passengers and crew alike were behaving in an orderly fashion although the look on Thomas's face revealed that he wasn't too happy at the way things were developing.

The night appeared to be very still now with the ship stopped, but very cold with several passengers returning to their cabins to put on extra clothing and some, unbelievably, returning to go back to bed. This was not to last however as ship's stewards, stewardesses and all other crew members were given strict orders that all cabins would have to be evacuated immediately and told to proceed to the boat deck with life jackets on.

The crew were performing their duties in an orderly professional manner, treating all classes firmly and politely. Elizabeth was becoming increasingly distressed as more boats were being prepared for lowering and, once at deck level, people ordered into them with grea-ter urgency. Thomas was doing his best to calm her down by saying, „Don‘t upset yourself my dear. I shall probably get into another boat once all the women and children are sorted out first.“ He knew this didn't sound very convincing but what else could he say at a time like this? Edith held tightly onto her father's arm with both of her arms, stamping first one foot and then the other in order to maintain some circulation around her feet. She began to think about how fortunate she had been by bringing her Wordsworth Birthday Book with her as she would never leave that behind whatever the circumstances. She remembered leaving behind in it's place, her gold and coral necklace that her father had recently bought for her in London and would
































































































The crew were performing their duties in an orderly professional manner, treating all classes firmly and politely. Elizabeth was becoming increasingly distressed as more boats were being prepared for lowering and, once at deck level, people ordered into them with grea-ter urgency. Thomas was doing his best to calm her down by saying, „Don‘t upset yourself my dear. I shall probably get into another boat once all the women and children are sorted out first.“ He knew this didn't sound very convincing but what else could he say at a time like this? Edith held tightly onto her father's arm with both of her arms, stamping first one foot and then the other in order to maintain some circulation around her feet. She began to think about how fortunate she had been by bringing her Wordsworth Birthday Book with her as she would never leave that behind whatever the circumstances. She remembered leaving behind in it's place, her gold and coral necklace that her father had recently bought for her in London and would The iceberg thought to have been hit by Titanic, photographed on the morning of April 15 1912.

As more people assembled around the boats there was an instant almighty deafening roar high above their heads as super heated steam exploded out of one of the waste pipes at the top of one of the funnels. This caused screams and shouts with people ducking almost as one, thinking for an instant that the ship would blow up beneath them.

The deafening roar of steam that had to be vented off due to the enor-mous build up of pressure from the boilers was now blocking out all other sounds as the crew and officers continued to shout through cupped hands and wave their arms around in their efforts to be under-stood. After some twenty minutes or so, the noise had abated some-what to just a loud hiss and the ship's orchestra could be heard once again, this time playing on the boat deck.

„Look father! There's a light over there.“

Thomas followed his daughter‘s outstretched arm to a light twinkling on the horizon.

„Yes my dear!“ he replied quickly. „I do believe you're right!“

With that the Rev. Carter also agreed that there was indeed a light on the horizon. Edith then said excitedly,

„I certainly hope so“

„Do you think they will come to help us father?“

„Yes“ replied Thomas. „I certainly hope so.“

The time had now come for Edith and Elizabeth to get into lifeboat 14 and Edith was dreading the thought of leaving her father on the boat-deck and how it would effect her mother.

Adapted from the book titled „I'll See You In New York“ by David Haisman.

Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 2106dedicated to Mr. Thomas William Solomon Brown.


Miss Edith Eileen Brown, the oldest living survivor of the sinking of the Titanic was born on October 27th 1896 in Cape Colony, South Africa. Her father was Mr. Thomas William Solomon Brown and her mother was Ms. Elizabeth Catherine Ford.

Edith was only 15 years old when she boarded the Titanic as a second class passanger traveling to Seattle with her family.

Thanks to her beloved father, Edith and her mother were rescued in lifeboat 14 by the ship Carpathia. She lost her father, who offered his seat to others during the tragedy.

Arriving to New York mother and daughter spent some days at the Junior League House in New York, before they continued their travel to her aunt in Seattle.

Despite the family plans they did not stay in the U.S.A. and they went back to South Africa. In the upcoming years mother and child were separated, Edith lived with relatives in Cape Town bur her mother remarried, left her and moved to Rhodesia.

After some years of suffering life offered love to Edith, when she met with Mr. Frederick Thankful Haisman in May 1917. Interestingly just six weeks later Edith and Frederick were married, holding the ceremo-ny on June 30th 1917.

Edith gave birth to her first child in August 1918, she gifted her husband with 10 children altogether.


Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 606dedicated to Miss Edith Eileen Brown.


Later the family moved to Southampton, then they moved back to South Africa to their roots. They were finally rested at Southampton.When she was 99, Edith had a great desire to go back and visit the site of the sinking of the Titanic. She wanted to throw a rose into the ocean, where also her father found his final resting place.

Her daughter, Dorothy Kendall remembers this way:

„It was a sort of remembrance for my mother,“

„He (Edith's father) was talking to the Rev. Carter and smoking a cigar,“ - Ms. Kendall said - „That was the last time she saw her father. He said, 'I'll see you in New York.'“

„She saw the ship go down from half a mile away,“ - Ms. Kendall said - „The lights were on, and the band was playing.“

„The next morning she saw bodies, a lot of bodies in the water, some in their pajamas, some in vests, some only in underpants.“

„She had nightmares for years, but she's got over it,“ - Ms. Kendall said.

Edith Eileen Haisman died on January 20th 1997 in her 100th year of lifetime.

She recieved the gift from Life to go back to the site where she lost her father and has changed her life, before she passed away and found peace in a nursing home.








South AfricaMiss Edith Eileen Brown

































Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 606dedicated to Miss Edith Eileen Brown.












Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 98dedicated to Mrs. Elizabeth Catherine Brown (née Ford).


Elizabeth Catherine Ford, mother of Edith Eileen Brown and wife of Mr. Thomas William Solomon Brown was born in 1872 in the Cape Colony, South Africa.

She turned 40 when the family boarded on the Titanic as second class passengers towards Seattle.

Thomas and Elizabeth had two daughters, but they traveled only with Edith because the other child passed away at age 8 from diphteria.

On the night of April 14th to 15th 1912, when the tragedy happened Mr. Brown placed her and his daughter in lifeboat 14. He secured their survival while he stepped back and waited for his fate.

South AfricaMrs. Elizabeth Catherine Brown (née Ford)

Mrs. Brown and her daughter were rescued by the ship Carpathia. They reached their original destination in Seattle with her sister Jose-phine and her husband Edward, however after a few years they deci-ded to move back to South Africa.

Elizabeth Brown soon remarried and went to Rhodesia, where she died on June 29th 1925.

A collapsible lifeboat with canvas sides.

Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 98dedicated to Mrs. Elizabeth Catherine Brown (née Ford).


Esperanza

The Titanic ship had at least* eight Spanish/Spain related passengers.*Due to the unfortunate fact that many of the Titanic passengers are still unidentified.

1912

In 1912 the Spanish poetry masterpiece “Campos de Castilla” is pub-lished. It reflects the feeling of that year, 1912, with its slow pace, pessi-mistic air and faith in human beings. With this outstanding lyrical work, the poet Antonio Machado writes one of the most glorious pages in Spanish poetry.

The political context of the time was critical: in 1898 Spain had lost its last overseas possessions, which is known as a “disaster”. In fact, the bulk of the Empire had been lost at the turn of the nineteenth century with the independence movements of the large colonies in the Ameri-cas, and the war of 1898 only made evident the difficulties of a demo-cracy then still underdeveloped.

In response to this political and social crisis a cultural movement emer-ged that led the Spanish culture to a new high: from the generation of 1898 to that of 1927, the names of Unamuno, Machado, Pío Baroja, Valle Inclán, Ortega y Gasset, García Lorca, Aleixandre, Salinas, Gerar-do Diego, Dalí, Buñuel and Picasso reflect a time of creation, especially in the fields of literature and visual arts that can only be compared with the baroque “Golden Age”.

The long process of democratization, a true “work in progress”, gene-rated a great intellectual debate around the reasons for the end of the Empire and the need for political, economic and cultural regeneration. Therefore, during the first years of the turn of the century, with its great technical advances, a new cultural modernity was created that allowed the development of the artistic advance called “the isms”: symbolism, expressionism, cubism... However, contrary to the trans-gressor of the artistic proposals, the photographs from that time show us the image of a society still very much formal in dress and moderate in its expression.

2012

The Ysios winery building in the area of the Rioja Alavesa, designed by the architect Santiago Calatrava, reflects the new Spanish cultural trends by binding together the concepts of gastronomy, architecture, artistic expression and nature.

The Spain of 2012 appears politically very different to that of 1912. The young democracy turns 35 years old and starts to not be so young any more, even the King abdicated in 2014 in order to make way for a sense of renewal. The “State of Autonomies” has been developed which has enabled more regional self-government and Spain is itself a thriving member of the European Union. The leap onto the international stage is no longer based on military power or on State-to-State relations but on public diplomacy, and on its capability of seducing foreign socie-ties.

The Spanish culture no longer understands sectors or disciplines; the creative being has become an integral, transversal exercise and covers image, music and speech, binding gastronomy to poetry, industrial vision to the theatrical stage, and the boundaries between theatre, dance, music and poetry are proclaimed unclear. The biggest pheno-menon of these new trends may be a minor video artist, but also the La Fura del Bauls performances or the participation of cook Ferrán Adriá in the Bienal of Kassel.

The culture has gone global, cosmopolitan and technological, tearing down borders and through the Internet it has become known as a planetary phenomenon. In this interdisciplinary global concept, the Spanish culture is projected into the world with all the artistic expressi-ons: performing arts, visual arts, architecture, poetry… The new land-mark buildings are the cathedrals of our time and house temples of knowledge: universities, museums, but also airports and stations.

The weight of the Spanish language in the world has established itself as the second most international language, spoken by some 500 million people, which makes literature in Spanish, more than that of Spain, a global weight. There is no purely Spanish literature or cinema, they are Ibero-American: writers, screenwriters, actors and directors do not see any more in the national labels than a passport, its language as univer-sal and with that their creations are understood.

© Written by Ignacio Sánchez de Lerín,Courtesy of the Embassy of Spain in Berlin, Germany


Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 150dedicated to Mr. Julian Padron Manent.


The 26 years old Mr. Julian Padron Manent was born in Spain in 1885 from his parents Gertrudis and Andres.

The young Julian worked as a chauffeur before he boarded the Titanic at Cherbourg on April 10th 1912.

For this young and single gentleman the journey with the Titanic was just a part of his aim to travel from Barcelona, Spain to his home in Plaza del Valor, Havana, Cuba.

After purchasing his ticket for £13 17s 3d, he traveled as a second class passenger with his ticket number of SC/PARIS 2146.

He was luckily rescued on lifeboat 9 and on Thursday, April 18th 1912. He disembarked Carpathia in New York City.

SpainMr. Julian Padron Manent

For Mr. Manent the journey was life changing from many aspects and fate played an enourmous part in it. This young gentleman did not only survive the tragedy but he also found true love on board of the Titanic.

After it‘s sinking the lucky Mr. Manent married fellow survivor Florentina Duran y More and they lived for 47 years together in love.

Florentina died in 1959 and 9 years later, in 1968 Julian Padron follo-wed her as well. To symbolize fate and the forever loving bond, they were buried next to each other in an elaborate mausoleum in Colon Cemetery, Havana, Cuba.

They had no children but they safeguarded two precious gifts: Life and Love.

Eager to hear the latest news about the sinking of the RMS Titanic, people gather outside the offices of The New York Sun on April 15, 1912.Courtesy of The New York Times

Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 150dedicated to Mr. Julian Padron Manent.


The Titanic ship had at least* one Thai passenger.*Due to the unfortunate fact that many of the Titanic passengers are still unidentified.

1912

In 1912 Thailand was called Siam. It was the only independent country in Southeast Asia that was not administered by a European colonial power. Under the reign of His Majesty King Chulalongkorn the Great, who reigned over Siam from 1 October 1868 to 23 October 1910, the country underwent modernization and established close economic and political ties to states all over the world. It was a very prosperous time for Thai-German relations that were already formally established in 1862: engineers and advisors from Germany and other European countries were involved in the building of the Siamese railway system, the modernization of the health and education system and started to set up businesses in Siam.

While the country was modernizing, it preserved its unique cultural traditions. Siam always has been known for its festivals, including the famous Songkrank festival.

The word “Songkran” comes from Sanskrit, meaning transformation or change; to be specific, the changing of the zodiac signs. Timed to coincide with the rising of Aries on the astrological chart, the auspi-

cious festival is a period when people cool off in the mid-summer heat, show respect to family elders and receive their blessings in return and also pray for loved ones who have passed away and cannot be present.

During the Sukhothai period (13th – 15th Century), Songkran was celebrated both in the royal court palace and among the commoners. However, the size of the celebration was not as elaborate as of today. Back in those days, civil servants and other government officials would pay homage to the king, and would drink the oath of allegiance to the king or the government, while the king would provide an annual salary to all officials.

Later on in the Ayutthaya period (15th – 17th Century), the festival was expanded by including the bathing of the Buddha image. Also, the festivities would include the forming of sand pagodas and entertai-ning celebrations. In the Rattanakosin period (from 17th Century onwards), the rituals have been conducted in a similar pattern as those during the Ayutthaya period.

2012

In 2014, Thailand is an open, modern society. With its long-time econo-mic growth it has established itself as an economic hub in Southeast Asia. Thailand has emerged as one of the most popular tourist destina-tions of the world, fascinating people from all over the world with its beautiful landscapes, sandy beaches, warm hospitality, unique cuisine and vibrant culture.

Still, Thai traditions and customs play an important role to today’s society. They have been adapted to today’s ways of living in Thailand and values such as respect for elderly persons and the family continue to shape Thailand.

Today, Songkran is considered to be the most magical festival for Thais, as it creates the important bonds of unity between families and communities that bring the Thai people together. It is not just about sprinkling water at each other, but about the traditions of hospitality, love and relationship in Thai families. Children who have moved away from home for work return to their families to bask in the love of their parents and elder relatives.

The local temples are central to the Songkran festivities, and it is tradi-tional for everyone celebrating Songkran to make at least one visit there or to a blessed area to pay respects to and purify Buddha statues. At the temples, merit is made and water poured onto the hands of family elders to show respect and seek their New Year blessings. The water throwing, so often associated with Songkran is normally enjo-yed by young people and children though people of all ages tend to join the fun at some point.

Another Songkran tradition is when sand is brought into the grounds of temples and used to create sand pagodas as a way of making merit.

It is believed that during the year, Buddhists inadvertently take earth from temples away on the soles of their feet or shoes when they have paid their respects. So the sand is returned at the Thai New Year in the form of these mini pagodas.

The celebration also includes cheerful local entertainment, which in fact, suitably unites the mutual relationship between members of the family, society, nature and the surroundings. Therefore, Songkran Festival has proved to be the most important and grandest festival of the year. Moreover, many Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Lao PDR also celebrate this colorful festival.

© Courtesy of the Royal Thai Embassy in Berlin, Germany


Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 2071dedicated to Mr. Alden Gates Caldwell.


Banoura and Michael in the early 1950's

Mr. Alden Gates Caldwell was probably the only Thai passenger on the Titanic and he was also among the youngest ones.

He was born on June 10th 1911 in Bangkok, Siam, today Thailand. He was the son of Albert Francis and Sylvia Mae Caldwell and he was just 10 months old when he boarded the Titanic.

His parents Sylvia and Albert attended Park College in Missouri where they met and fell in love. Shortly after their graduation they married on September 1st 1909 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The couple moved to Siam and they both taught at the Bangkok Chris-tian College for Boys in Bangkok. They were under the auspices of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions, while there they retained their American Citizenship.

Their son, Alden Gates Caldwell was born on June 10th 1911, in Bang-kok. The little Alden lost the dual citizenship due to the unfortunate fact that the birth was not registered at the American Consulate. Later on the grown up Alden found himself unable to obtain a birth certifica-te and had no official proof of his dual, American citizenship.

In 1912 the family traveled through Europe and they were at Naples, Italy when they saw a sign in the hotel advertising. It was the advert of the new White Star liner Titanic and his coming first voyage.

They immediately decided to travel with the Titanic but they were unable to make a reservation in Naples, therefore they traveled to Eng-land. Arriving to London they waited for a cancellation in the White Star office, but luckily they got the tickets they wanted.

ThailandMr. Alden Gates Caldwell

The Caldwell family boarded the Titanic on April 10th 2012.Photo is copyrighted by Julie Hedgepeth Williams, author of the book "A Rare Titanic Family: The Caldwells' Story of Survival."

On April 10th 1912 the family boarded the Titanic in Southampton as second class passengers. They aimed to travel home with the Titanic to Biggsville Illinois, United States.

„It was a carefree and happy throng that sailed with the Titanic on her first and last voyage... The rhythmic beat of her propellers would, as a matter of fact, not cease until the narrow Atlantic had been crossed. The weather was ideal and the sea was calm. Everyo-ne was having a good time... The tables were piled high with all the luxuries and delicacies that one would desire. All were interested in the record speed that we were making. No mention was made of the icebergs.“- Albert Francis Caldwell

On the evening of the disaster Albert Francis Caldwell spoke on the subject „Perils of the Sea“ at his table during the second class dinner.

„How little did that happy group, who with reverent thoughts, were worshiping God, realize that within a few hours the majority of them would meet him.“- remembered later back Albert Francis Caldwell

After dinner the Caldwell family retired to bed at 10pm. They were awakened by the sound of the collision and the sudden stopping of the engines. Going up to the deck a sailor told them about hitting the iceberg, but he also ensured them that there was no danger to the unsinkable Titanic ship.

The Caldwell family returned to their cabin and they went to sleep. They were awakened a second time as well, but this time by someone repeatedly hitting the door bells and yelling „Everyone on deck with your life belts.“

Putting on his clothes Albert was clearly not alerted. He even left his best suit and several U.S. gold pieces in his cabin. The Caldwell family made their way up to the boat deck where a great throng of people had gathered. There was no panic and when the order came to fill the lifeb-oats, women and children first, passengers were initially reluctant:

„They felt that it was safer to stay on the big ship. She could not sink. Consequently, the first lifeboats left the ship half filled with women and children who were practically forced into them. I did not want to trust the lives of my wife and baby to a tiny life boat and be lowered into the ocean, and we like many others held back.“- Albert Francis Caldwell

The Caldwell family before the Titanic disaster.

Period: 2009-2014

When a stoker came up from below he was in a far better position to tell them the truth that water was gushing into the holds and the Titanic was sinking.

Mrs. Caldwell got into the lifeboat 13, while the little Alden was tossed to Mr. Steward Frederick Ray who was in charge next to the lifeboat. Mr. Caldwell stepped into the bow as the boat was lowered.

Little Alden was wrapped in a blanket but he cried incessantly in the hands of Mr. Ray. As Mr. Lawrence Beesley, fellow lifeboat 13 member recalled, the baby Alden cried until someone noticed his feet were exposed. As soon as they covered the little feet the crying was stopped.

From the safety of the boat they watched as the great ship sank:

„At first, she seemed unharmed but, as we looked toward the bow of the ship we could see that the lower line of portholes extended down into the water. The lights on the Titanic burned until a few minutes before she sank. She tipped, head- first, lower and lower into the water, until all that we could see was the stern of the boat outlined against the starry sky. She hung as if on a pivot and then, with a gentle swish, disappeared from sight.

For a moment all was silence and then, across that waste of waters, wafted a sound that will ever ring in my ears, the cries of those peri-shing in the icy water. They did not drown for they could not with-stand the cold water and died, one by one, from exposure.“- Albert Francis Caldwell

The whole Caldwell family were rescued and they disembarked in New York City from Carpathia on Thursday, April 18th 1912.

Later on Sylvia published the „Women of the Titanic Disaster“, a narrative of the sorrow and sacrifices of her fellow female passengers.On December 21st 1914 life surprised Alden with a little brother, the second son of Sylvia and Albert was born. He was Raymond M. Cald-well.

The seemingly happy couple, Albert and Sylvia were divorced in 1930.Alden’s mother Sylvia moved to Bloomington and 14 years later she remarried to Mr. George J. Mecherle. She died on January 14th 1965. Albert later also remarried to Jennie Whit Congleton.

Alden Caldwell one month after the Titanic disaster in his mother's booklet, „Women of the Titanic Disaster“.

Alden graduated in 1934 from the University of Illinois. He received his master degree as a chemical engineer.

He never married and he lived most of his life in Allentown, Pennsyl- vania. He worked for Leigh-Portland Cement Company as a chemical engineer for more than 33 years.

Alden was very passionate to try to prove his American citizenship. He wanted to gain the American citizenship in order to receive social security benefits and retirement fund.

Later on, after his father’s death in 1977, Alden retired in Largo, Flori-da. In his remaining life Alden spent the time with travels between his winter hem in Florida and his summer cottage in tone Lake, Wiscon-sin. He loved to play golf and to go to fish.

He was a very lonely man lived solitarily, many remembered him as an unfriendly and reclusive person. When he died in 1992, some of his neighbours did not even know his name. Alden also refused to attend the reunion of the Titanic survivors in 1988.

Of course some others remember him as a kind person, who freely spoke about his memories about the Titanic ship. He always high-lighted that he held no interest in the story of the Titanic, however Alden was always open to re-tell it and did not mind to speak end- lessly about what his parents told him about it.

Between 1986 and 1987 his memories were preserved on audio tape and it is kept safely in the archives of the Titanic International Society. It is the only known interview that Alden gave about his experiences on the Titanic.

He died on December 18th 1992 in Largo, Florida.

The booklet written by Alden‘s mother, Sylvia Mae Caldwell.

Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 2071dedicated to Mr. Alden Gates Caldwell.


Umut

The Titanic ship had at least* six Turkish/Turkey related passengers.*Due to the unfortunate fact that many of the Titanic passengers are still unidentified.

1912

The year 1912 appears to be the start of a period in which the old empires began to collapse and new nation states emerged. In that context, the Ottoman Empire has lost most of its territories starting with the Balkan Wars in 1912-1913 and during the World War I, 1914- 1918. The Dardanelles Campaign of the First World War, 1915-1916, was a turning point for the Turkish people, due to the fact that the total invasion of Anatolia by the Allied Powers has been prevented there.

At the end of the WW I, the most of Anatolia was divided among Greece, Italy, France and the Great Britain, except a small enclave of the Central Anatolia which was given to the Ottoman Empire. The Turkish people, united behind Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, waged the War of Inde-pendence in 1920-1921 and have managed to establish the modern Republic of Turkey in 1923 with the current borders. Since then, Turkey has achieved a steady development and has become an equal and respected member of the international community with her democra-tic parliamentarian regime and free market economy.

Turkey enjoys to be the 16th biggest economy in the World today with her competitive goods and services, relatively young and educated population, modern industry and dynamic growth history which is estimated to be around 3.3 % this year ( 2014).

The Republic of Turkey owes its current admirable position to the revolutionary changes that it has gone through during the first years of the Republic, which have included the changing the alphabet from Arabic to the Latin, the introduction of civil and penal codes derived from European countries and the adoption of a secular state structure. Today Turkey is a dedicated member of important international and regional organizations such as NATO, OSCE, OIC, OECD and the Council of Europe and contributes to stability, security and well-being in its region and beyond. Since 1964 Turkey has been waiting to be accepted as a full member to the European Union. Turkey has harmo-nized her legislation with the EU laws and has established Customs Union with the EU countries in 1996 as a serious step towards her full membership.

Of course, when we look back to 1912, where people could travel without visa requirements, one can notice that not everything has changed in a positive direction since that time. Today ethnic, religious and cultural discrimination has become a serious problem and has created deep prejudgments amongst the people all over the world. The life stories of the passengers of Titanic can serve as an inspiration for us to overcome this great problem. We know that the passengers of the Titanic were divided into three classes with respect to the price of the tickets they have bought. But at that night of the accident, those class differences were not observed and lives of everyone were tried to be saved without any discrimination. We should hope that one day the human beings shall be considered to be equal children of Adam and Eve with equal rights... and we should try to make it real.

The Republic of Turkey, the successor of the Ottoman Empire where different religions and cultures peacefully co-existed for many centu-ries, has always opened her doors to the people who try to escape from political, ethnic, cultural suppression or from wars.The following statement of H.E. Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, reveals this fact explicitly:

“Fertile, stable and peaceful lands have always been a safe haven for the people in desperate conditions throughout the centuries.

Motivations to migrate have changed in time. However, the spirit of the territories of the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey has always remained intact in this sense.

Currently, tyranny of despotic regimes, sectarianism, lack of inclusive-ness, cultural polarization, terrorism and poverty cause internal and international strife and hence prompt forced movements of individu-als and peoples to seek refuge and shelter in foreign lands.

We believe that such challenges of our Century require a human-oriented approach and diplomacy. Therefore, humanitarian aspect of our foreign policy is sacred and indispensable. The dignity of indivi-duals is the core element of this policy.

If Titanic were a transatlantic passenger boat still cruising today, Istan-bul would definitely be one of her favorite destinations.

Turkey continues to stand as center of stability in the mid of its turbu-lent region. It serves as a safe harbour for the victims of conflict in the neighbouring countries. As of today, we are hosting more than 1.5 million Syrians in Turkey.”

2012



















© Courtesy of the Embassy of Turkey in Berlin, Germany















Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 126dedicated to Mr. Neshan Krekorian.


Mr. Neshan Krekorian was born in the village of Keghi in May 12th 1886.

He was 25 when he decided to emigrate to Canada with many of his fellow compatriots. When he decided to travel with the Titanic he was heading to Mr. Paul Martin in Hamilton, Ontario. Mr. Martin offered him a new home.

Before the maiden travel he worked as a general labourer in his last residence in Abosknak, Turkey.

Mr. Krekorian boarded the Titanic as a 3rd class passenger on Wednes-day April 10th 1912 in Cherbourg. Later on a complaint remained from his travel about being “cooped up like chicken” in his third class cabin at F-deck.

On the night of the sinking, after playing cards and going back to his bunk, Krekorian noticed that his porthole was left open. He noticed as he closed it that there was ice on the surface of the water, which was new for him.

„Even though it was the first time in my life I had seen icebergs, I didn't think much of it because they were barely noticeable.“- he said later.

During the fatal accident Krekorian managed to get into Lifeboat 10 from Deck-A. He was lucky enough to jump into a lifeboat but many said that he deliberately saved himself.

He survived the disaster although he caught pneumonia and was hospitalised in New York where he arrived on Thursday April 18th 1912.

TurkeyMr. Neshan Krekorian

As his son, George later recalled, Krekorian jumped from the Titanic to the icy water, near to lifeboat 10. He claimed that two men were figh-ting in lifeboat 10 and they both ended in the icy water. He climbed into the lifeboat when he saw the two spots open. This is why he got pneumonia because he had ice cold clothes and he had to wait for the rescue until next day. He helped row the boat away from the sinking of the Titanic.

In New York City Neshan received enough money as a Titanic survi-vor from White Star and the Red Cross to continue his travel to Canada. Because of his pneumonia he had to be hospitalised later again in Brantford, Ontario for a couple of weeks.

After moving to St. Catharines, Ontario in 1918, he married Persa Vartanian on July 12th 1924 and they had three children.

Later on Krekorian looked for stability in his life and he worked all his life for General Motors on the Automobile Assembly line.

His travel with the Titanic was his one and only time on a ship. Whene-ver he went anywhere near water, his daughter said:

„His face betrayed his thoughts, he would gaze at the water, and instantly you knew he was reliving that night.“

He died on Sunday May 21st 1978 in St. Catharines, and he was buried at Victoria Lawn Cemetery.

On the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic his grandson, Van Solomonian said:

„I don’t completely understand all the fascination over the Titanic tragedy, said Van. What I do know is that if my grandfather hadn’t survived, I would not be here. ... and I can’t help but wonder why he was blessed and so many others were not.“

Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 126dedicated to Mr. Neshan Krekorian.


Esperanza

The Titanic ship had at least* two Uruguayan/Uruguay related passengers.*Due to the unfortunate fact that many of the Titanic passengers are still unidentified.

1912

At the beginning of the XX century the country achieved peace and effective independence. Great changes came along with growth in population, immigrants of diverse origin, fuelled the creation of the first welfare state in the world, encouraged by the leadership of Jose Batlle y Ordonez, all coexisted among different social classes.

Women joined public life, they could divorce by their own will and vote.

For the upper class it was the “Belle Èpoque”. A way of enjoying life like in Europe. Particularly in a french way. That meant the appea-rance of luxury manor houses, with furniture imported from Europe, where wealthy families spent their holydays.

The death penalty, bull fights were abolished and other progressive legislation protecting workers paved the way for the construction of a large and strong middle class. New neighborhoods with affordable houses, “patios” and balconies, emerged. Life in the “barrios” encou-raged proximity and solidarity.

Afrodescendents, among slaves, created their own culture expression known as “candombe”.

Tango, at the beginning rejected, was accepted and very popular. The famous Carlos Gardel made his debut in Europe in the Uruguayan Legation in Paris.

Familiar relations were strict. Authority of parents admitted no cont-radiction. Uruguay encouraged early freedom of religion, free educa-tion at all levels although open behavior of lovers before marriage was not, at those times tolerated. Even people married for years with many children devoted respect to each other.

The british minority, owners ot the main railways enterprise, introduce the practice of different sports: like cricket, rowing, rugby and soccer!

It was the time of great writers like Florencio Sanchez and Horacio Quiroga. Painters like Torres Garcia and his school:the constructivism and sculptors like Belloni whose works can be appreciated in many parks all over the country.

The most luxurious hotel in South America ,”The Carrasco”, and other significant structures like the Hotel “Pocitos”, “Parque Hotel”, started shaping a very special City of Montevideo that, with other recently born sea resorts like Punta del Este, ignited the engine of tourism moved by a strategically, high quality and natural, harbor that connec-ted through ships, its inhabitants as well as foreigners, coming and going to other world cities.

At the beginning of the XX century the country achieved peace and effective independence. Great changes came along with growth in population, immigrants of diverse origin, fuelled the creation of the first welfare state in the world, encouraged by the leadership of Jose Batlle y Ordonez, all coexisted among different social classes.

Women joined public life, they could divorce by their own will and vote.

For the upper class it was the “Belle Èpoque”. A way of enjoying life like in Europe. Particularly in a french way. That meant the appea-rance of luxury manor houses, with furniture imported from Europe, where wealthy families spent their holydays.

The death penalty, bull fights were abolished and other progressive legislation protecting workers paved the way for the construction of a large and strong middle class. New neighborhoods with affordable houses, “patios” and balconies, emerged. Life in the “barrios” encou-raged proximity and solidarity.

Afrodescendents, among slaves, created their own culture expression known as “candombe”.

Tango, at the beginning rejected, was accepted and very popular. The famous Carlos Gardel made his debut in Europe in the Uruguayan Legation in Paris.

Familiar relations were strict. Authority of parents admitted no cont-radiction. Uruguay encouraged early freedom of religion, free educa-tion at all levels although open behavior of lovers before marriage was not, at those times tolerated. Even people married for years with many children devoted respect to each other.

The british minority, owners ot the main railways enterprise, introduce the practice of different sports: like cricket, rowing, rugby and soccer!

It was the time of great writers like Florencio Sanchez and Horacio Quiroga. Painters like Torres Garcia and his school:the constructivism and sculptors like Belloni whose works can be appreciated in many parks all over the country.

The most luxurious hotel in South America ,”The Carrasco”, and other significant structures like the Hotel “Pocitos”, “Parque Hotel”, started shaping a very special City of Montevideo that, with other recently born sea resorts like Punta del Este, ignited the engine of tourism moved by a strategically, high quality and natural, harbor that connec-ted through ships, its inhabitants as well as foreigners, coming and going to other world cities.

2012

Uruguay, one of the smallest countries in South America, with a popu-lation of around 3,400,000, has in recent years become an attractive destination for foreign investment, building a reputation worldwide as a safe and profitable country in which to carry out projects and busi-nesses.

The country is a founding member of MERCOSUR (South America’s trade agreement – the biggest regional market in the world, with 270 million potential consumers) Uruguay due to its strategic geographi-cal location, political, economic and social conditions has captured interest from all over the world.

In 2014, the Uruguayan economy is expected to grow by 3.4 percent after 10 years of continuous growth. Between 2003 and 2012, Urugua-yan GDP cuadrupled, the highest growth rate in its history, above the average level in Latin America. Uruguay’s national forecasts confirm that the economy will continue to grow in the future. Uruguay created traceability, a system that tracks all the chain production of its superior quality meat is also planning to be able to produce quality foods to reach 50 million consumers.

The reliability and responsibility of the country’s macroeconomic management made it easier for Uruguay to overcome the strong shock waves coming from external upheavals and volatility, which reflects a decrease in vulnerability to external events, although its products are consumed in 180 countries. As a consequence of this stability and economic dynamism and the trust that it inspires, in April 2012 the rating agency Standard and Poor’s assigned Uruguay the Investment Grade, which was also later assigned by Moody’s and Fitch.

Uruguay has legalised abortion for all women in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, marriage among same sex and free consumption of canna-bis.

The country has a long list of sport victories. In the hall of fame in soccer there are many Uruguayans. Twice olimpic champion in 1924 and 1928 and twice FIFA world Soccer champion: in Uruguay 1930 and in Brazil in 1950.

Uruguay is also very active in all kind of artistic expressions. Painting and music are traditional but in the last years uruguayan films were rewarded in international festivals.

Has the highest speed in transmission of data in the region. The biggest software producer in south America adopted the program one computer per child –known as Plan Ceibal- in all public schools. It also has the highest rate of incorporation of energy produced from renewa-ble origins (mainly wind, sun and biomass) and will account for 60% of its electricity consumption in 2016, being this a world record.

Uruguay, one of the smallest countries in South America, with a popu-lation of around 3,400,000, has in recent years become an attractive destination for foreign investment, building a reputation worldwide as a safe and profitable country in which to carry out projects and busi-nesses.

The country is a founding member of MERCOSUR (South America’s trade agreement – the biggest regional market in the world, with 270 million potential consumers) Uruguay due to its strategic geographi-cal location, political, economic and social conditions has captured interest from all over the world.

In 2014, the Uruguayan economy is expected to grow by 3.4 percent after 10 years of continuous growth. Between 2003 and 2012, Urugua-yan GDP cuadrupled, the highest growth rate in its history, above the average level in Latin America. Uruguay’s national forecasts confirm that the economy will continue to grow in the future. Uruguay created traceability, a system that tracks all the chain production of its superior quality meat is also planning to be able to produce quality foods to reach 50 million consumers.

The reliability and responsibility of the country’s macroeconomic management made it easier for Uruguay to overcome the strong shock waves coming from external upheavals and volatility, which reflects a decrease in vulnerability to external events, although its products are consumed in 180 countries. As a consequence of this stability and economic dynamism and the trust that it inspires, in April 2012 the rating agency Standard and Poor’s assigned Uruguay the Investment Grade, which was also later assigned by Moody’s and Fitch.

Uruguay has legalised abortion for all women in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, marriage among same sex and free consumption of canna-bis.

The country has a long list of sport victories. In the hall of fame in soccer there are many Uruguayans. Twice olimpic champion in 1924 and 1928 and twice FIFA world Soccer champion: in Uruguay 1930 and in Brazil in 1950.

Uruguay is also very active in all kind of artistic expressions. Painting and music are traditional but in the last years uruguayan films were rewarded in international festivals.

Has the highest speed in transmission of data in the region. The biggest software producer in south America adopted the program one computer per child –known as Plan Ceibal- in all public schools. It also has the highest rate of incorporation of energy produced from renewa-ble origins (mainly wind, sun and biomass) and will account for 60% of its electricity consumption in 2016, being this a world record.

© Courtesy of the Embassy of Uruguay in Berlin, Germany


Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 678dedicated to Mr. Francisco Mauro Severiano Carrau.


&

Francisco Mauro Severiano Carrau was born in November 8th 1884, in Departamento Montevideo, Uruguay from loving parents of Antonia Rovira and Pedro Carrau.

When he was 27 years old he boarded the Titanic at Southampton as a first class passenger.

In those times he was a resident of Montevideo, Uruguay and he travelled together with his nephew José Pedro Carraú-Esteves under the ticket number of 113059.

Francisco Carrau, though very young, was an active member of the board of directors of one of Uruguay‘s traditional companies, Carrau & Co., well known importers and also in the maritime business (the company is still operating in Uruguay today).

Instructions on business procedures, which he left when he died, were used well into the ‘50s.

UruguayMr. Francisco Mauro Severiano Carrau

According to family legend, when they went to board the ship, their cabin had not been allocated, so calmly but with confidence, Fran- cisco looked for someone in authority and threatened to cause a tremendous fuss if the problem was not immediately rectified. The cabins were, apparently, quickly found.

On the night of the sinking, Mr. Carrau and his nephew were observed by second class passenger (and survivor) Mr. Julian Padro y Manent standing with a fellow Uruguayan passenger, Mr Ramon Artagaveytia. They were also seen by first-class passenger Mr. Elmer Z. Taylor. Mr. Taylor and Mr. Padro y Manent's versions of events differ quite widely.

While Mr. Padro y Manent reported the three men joking and relaxed, Mr. Taylor, who later escaped the wreck with his wife, clearly states that the Carraus were not joking about the situation and appeared quite alarmed.

The two men died and their bodies were never recovered.

Titanic Commemorative Memorabilia Nr. 678dedicated to Mr. Francisco Mauro Severiano Carrau.


The Titanic Commemorative Project was very dear for Dodo and not just because of the human aspect but also because of the dedication of it to her beloved grandmother Marta.

On 18th December 2011, just one year before the centenary, Dodo recei-ved a very sad news: her beloved grandmother passed away in her 100th years of life. The news broke Dodo‘s heart because she was like a second mother for her, who was always there for her.

Dodo was shocked and emotionally broken for many weeks also because her grandmother did not live to see the Commemoration project, which she dedicated for her and that she so much worked on in the past years.

Dodo continued to create further memorabilia, going forward with the project even though she was in a huge emotional disturbance. She created these memorabilia in tears. Using toxic resin started to be very heavy and emotional for her.

However life has its own mysterious intentions and ways and a new and unexpected visitor stepped into Dodo‘s life.

Unexpected visitor

While she was alive, Marta always told Dodo that she will be gifted with a child when Marta will be gone. A new life was conceived in December 2011, probably days before Marta passed away.

The day in January 2012, when Dodo knew for sure that she was preg-nant with Faye Martha, was when she first saw and heard her child‘s heartbeat at the doctor. This was the moment that Dodo knew that her child will definitely bring about many changes in her life.

That same day that Dodo was confirmed to be pregnant, her doctor warned her not to continue to use resin as a toxic material and all other types of paints like oil, colour pigment powder, acrylic, terpentine, etc. because they can be harmful for the new life.

Although in January 2012 Dodo temporarily stopped with her pain-tings, she did not stop with her aims and with continuing discussions with Swarovski to push further her Commemorative project.

During her pregnancy she made only one exception, which was a very special piece created for HSH Princess Charlène, the Princess of Monaco.

The last photo made withDodo and her beloved grandmother, Marta (1912 - 2011).

The Titanic Commemorative Project was very dear for Dodo and not just because of the human aspect but also because of the dedication of it to her beloved grandmother Marta.

On 18th December 2011, just one year before the centenary, Dodo recei-ved a very sad news: her beloved grandmother passed away in her 100th years of life. The news broke Dodo‘s heart because she was like a second mother for her, who was always there for her.

Dodo was shocked and emotionally broken for many weeks also because her grandmother did not live to see the Commemoration project, which she dedicated for her and that she so much worked on in the past years.

Dodo continued to create further memorabilia, going forward with the project even though she was in a huge emotional disturbance. She created these memorabilia in tears. Using toxic resin started to be very heavy and emotional for her.

However life has its own mysterious intentions and ways and a new and unexpected visitor stepped into Dodo‘s life.

While she was alive, Marta always told Dodo that she will be gifted with a child when Marta will be gone. A new life was conceived in December 2011, probably days before Marta passed away.

The day in January 2012, when Dodo knew for sure that she was preg-nant with Faye Martha, was when she first saw and heard her child‘s heartbeat at the doctor. This was the moment that Dodo knew that her child will definitely bring about many changes in her life.

That same day that Dodo was confirmed to be pregnant, her doctor warned her not to continue to use resin as a toxic material and all other types of paints like oil, colour pigment powder, acrylic, terpentine, etc. because they can be harmful for the new life.

Although in January 2012 Dodo temporarily stopped with her pain-tings, she did not stop with her aims and with continuing discussions with Swarovski to push further her Commemorative project.

During her pregnancy she made only one exception, which was a very special piece created for HSH Princess Charlène, the Princess of Monaco.

Dodo with Faye Martha in 2012.

„Passion cannot be learned, cannot be faked or copied.It is something that burns like fire and if not kept alive it soon can burn out.The source of my Passion has always been Love,Love from people being inspired by what I createand what I give back to them.“

- Dodo Newman

I was always a dreamer since the day I was born. I could stare in the long distance, lost in my dreams for long hours. I imagined for many years that I could grow wings whenever I wanted to and that I could be anywhere in a second if I thought of it hard. I dreamed of taking dreams to others and to make everyone happier.

I stopped dreaming first when I was told to stop aspiring and desiring to become an artist and to start „living” up to „reality“. My favourite was the sentence: „You are living in a dreamworld, come down to earth“. I was a teenager then and had not much choice but to do as my father told me to. I conformed to his future picture of me of becoming a successful diplomat like him, and for fear of not being loved and loosing him, I gave up on my childhood dream, burying it deep down.

I tried from time to time to break out, I even accepted the belief that dreaming is a bad thing, that I am not worthy of it and that it is just a „dream“.

It was difficult for me to break out from such expectations and from the trap of believing that I am loved and appreciated only if I conform to how others want to see me. I held on to this pattern even long after my childhood. Nothing really satisfied me during these years, I felt a continuous dissatisfaction and unhappiness wherever I went and whatever I worked on.

I believed for long that my natural state of going back to my dreams was a wrong thing to do, that dreaming is bad, that it will keep me stuck in achieving anything, that it will hold me back in finding my purpose and my state of happiness.

„Dreamers never quit“

I chose art to change people and to make them see and feel things differently. I chose writing and speaking to make other people believe in their dreams again, to inspire them to dare to imagine again. I conti-nuously innovate materials, views, beliefs to challenge the existing and to bring about change, proving that there is a huge richness of „otherness“ beyond our limitations when we step out and start to explore.

As I slowly started to open my eyes and wake up to realise that my dreams are the underlying powerful engines to become myself again, I also began to see clearly.

Dreams have become the opposite of reality in every day discussions, general beliefs and thoughts. In our fast paced world, full of distrac-tions most people do not put much energy and time to their dreams. Having „no time“ for our dreams equals with: „my desires, my passi-on are worthless, trivial to even think of“. With the years passing by many people dry out of the colourful, joyful, playful Being who once held a dozen of dreams within. For most people their childhood dreams, beliefs and capability in creativity fades away with their age. In one of my favourite book „The Little Prince“ there is a quote that says:

„All grown-ups were once children...but only few of them remember it.“

„Dreamers never quit“ is my favourite quote from the movie of the life of Walt Disney, one of the biggest Dreamers of our times. However I often have the feeling that to say I am a dreamer means I never realise anything. Having dreams, taking care of them, building, imagining and envisioning them is what makes us who we are: all different with unique desires, wishes and thoughts. A dream will continuously change, just like the cells in our body, they uplift us and give us the passion to live for.

Dreams belong to our own Selves, they are not there to be explained, to be judged. Our dreams that we envision, imagine and transform are part of the way we create our own life.

I was always a dreamer since the day I was born. I could stare in the long distance, lost in my dreams for long hours. I imagined for many years that I could grow wings whenever I wanted to and that I could be anywhere in a second if I thought of it hard. I dreamed of taking dreams to others and to make everyone happier.

I stopped dreaming first when I was told to stop aspiring and desiring to become an artist and to start „living” up to „reality“. My favourite was the sentence: „You are living in a dreamworld, come down to earth“. I was a teenager then and had not much choice but to do as my father told me to. I conformed to his future picture of me of becoming a successful diplomat like him, and for fear of not being loved and loosing him, I gave up on my childhood dream, burying it deep down.

I tried from time to time to break out, I even accepted the belief that dreaming is a bad thing, that I am not worthy of it and that it is just a „dream“.

It was difficult for me to break out from such expectations and from the trap of believing that I am loved and appreciated only if I conform to how others want to see me. I held on to this pattern even long after my childhood. Nothing really satisfied me during these years, I felt a continuous dissatisfaction and unhappiness wherever I went and whatever I worked on.

I believed for long that my natural state of going back to my dreams was a wrong thing to do, that dreaming is bad, that it will keep me stuck in achieving anything, that it will hold me back in finding my purpose and my state of happiness.

I chose art to change people and to make them see and feel things differently. I chose writing and speaking to make other people believe in their dreams again, to inspire them to dare to imagine again. I conti-nuously innovate materials, views, beliefs to challenge the existing and to bring about change, proving that there is a huge richness of „otherness“ beyond our limitations when we step out and start to explore.

As I slowly started to open my eyes and wake up to realise that my dreams are the underlying powerful engines to become myself again, I also began to see clearly.

Dreams have become the opposite of reality in every day discussions, general beliefs and thoughts. In our fast paced world, full of distrac-tions most people do not put much energy and time to their dreams. Having „no time“ for our dreams equals with: „my desires, my passi-on are worthless, trivial to even think of“. With the years passing by many people dry out of the colourful, joyful, playful Being who once held a dozen of dreams within. For most people their childhood dreams, beliefs and capability in creativity fades away with their age. In one of my favourite book „The Little Prince“ there is a quote that says:

„Dreamers never quit“ is my favourite quote from the movie of the life of Walt Disney, one of the biggest Dreamers of our times. However I often have the feeling that to say I am a dreamer means I never realise anything. Having dreams, taking care of them, building, imagining and envisioning them is what makes us who we are: all different with unique desires, wishes and thoughts. A dream will continuously change, just like the cells in our body, they uplift us and give us the passion to live for.

Dreams belong to our own Selves, they are not there to be explained, to be judged. Our dreams that we envision, imagine and transform are part of the way we create our own life.

Uniqueness comes hand in hand with my life path, with the circle of birth and death and with the time and patience that is dedicated to create something new, with the persistence to make a dream come true. Everything comes from passion, persistence and belief.

My aim is to inspire people to stop for an instant and feel different for a moment in time, to make them immerse in their imagination, belie-ving in their dreams.

My passion comes from the burning desire towards discovering new things and new worlds. I transform my life travels into vivid sources of inspiration. I am inspired by the contrasts, the differences leading to the quest for beauty and harmony.

Differences and contrasts give birth to new ideas and new creations. Each story is beautiful within itself. I create to bring forth timeless, magical and inspiring dreams.

Beauty, perfection and continuous renewal to inspire and make others dream... All these together define my objective for innovation.

My footprints originate from a unique vision that cannot be catego-rized or compared to others, they speak their own language.

My place is outside the box. The impossible motivates me to make a difference and to be unique. Dreams do come true!

Artistic Expression

Major Achievements

Dodo is known for her close co-operation with Swarovski and her artistic invention using resin technique, which after eight years of experimentation is one of her legacies for the next generation.

Swarovski crystal elements represent unique top quality crystal art at its best which is the perfect match for Dodo‘s resin art invention. With this exceptional method she brings the ultimate of luxury to the contemporary art scene. She has experimented with a unique tech-nique that has become her trademark worldwide.

SWAROVSKI

Dodo combines this technique with the future and the past, with the traditional and untraditional out of the box methods.

A limited jewelry-artwork was designed for Her Serene Highness Princess Charlène of Monaco in 2012.

The artwork is a diamond surfaced jewelry-artwork where all the colours, the reflections of the water and the purple shades were inspi-red by Her Serene Highness Princess Charlène.

Princely jewelry-artwork

„I remember when I saw the wedding with You and Prince Albert and I saw that very special moment in the old chapel when the tears covered Your eyes. It was a very emotional moment for all of us because it was the moment where everybody realized how deeply you were moved and how profound your Love for Albert is. And as you appeared in your amazing dress, it was like an Angel coming down to Earth. The simplicity was surrounded with a heart breaking feeling that day.“

- from the private mailings of Her Serene Highness Princess Charlène and Dodo Newman.

The artwork was created to remember the precious moment of the Princely wedding. Besides the diamond surface there are also Swa-rovski crystal elements implemented in it, to remember Her Serene Highness Princess Charlène‘s Armani wedding dress.

The artwork is a diptych, a two piece jewelry-artwork, both sides complementing each other. There is a special wave cut in the middle of the composition, representing the endless ocean. This is where the two pieces fit together, to live forever together in peace. The two complementary pieces fold together just as the „A“ and the „C“ in Her Serene Highness Princess Charlène and His Serene Highness Prince Albert II‘s dual cypher.

A peculiarity is that when Dodo started to create the jewelry-artwork entitled „The Biggest Love Story“ as a commemoration for the Royal wedding and the forever bonding love of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II and his beloved wife Her Serene Highness Princess Charlène of Monaco, she was few months pregnant. This was an element that added to the inner beauty and the uniqueness of the artwork.

Dodo‘s work was celebrated in many media later on as „the perfor-mance of priceless art transcendent value of the precious love“.

It was selected into the TOP 100 Ultra Luxury trends in 2013, starting from the position of 71, rising to the 3rd position by 2015.

Courtesy of Ms. Celina Lafuente de Lavotha



Letter from Her Serene Highness Princess Charlène of Monaco to Dodo Newman.




















Detail from the jewelry-artwork, showing the Titanic coal surrounded by diamonds.

Invention of a new material

Dodo is an accomplished artist, the inventor of her unique plexi-resin technique, as well as the new material the liquid crystallized resin. Her works are currently placed at the 3rd place among the World Ultra Luxury Trends (overtaking Chopard, Bentley, Rolls Royce, etc.), pub-lished in January 2014.

The combination of Dodo‘s invention, the liquid resin and the various crystal elements paves the way for a new line of luxury and art.

„Being different and making a difference is what I thrive to achieve by creating artworks. My footprints originate from a unique vision that cannot be catego-rized or compared to others, they speak their own language. This is the reason why I invented the resin art technique, revolutionizing PlexiGlas art.“

- Dodo Newman

Innovation of a new material

„I was very happy to paint and work freely but I wanted to start and find new ways in my art, new challenges. My way in life and in art has never been the same as what the majority does, my way has always been and is unique and special.“

In the years when Dodo‘s abstract and free expressive way of pain-ting was developing, she experimented with a new technique with which she worked on PlexiGlas using resin and other materials.

„It was a truly big challenge for me because I was working with a highly flammable material and in the beginning there were several times when my studio caught fire.“

The new technique brought all the expected results and high quality, new artworks were born.

„I immensely love to work with this technique until this present day, since all artworks have two sides because of the PlexiGlas‘s unique material. These two sides play wonderful games with light. All the works give very different effects during daytime or during night. This is the technique that makes my art more playful and more free too.“

It is also a material which allows Dodo to add other interesting materials as well like crystal elements, diamonds and diamond powder, creating not only transparent but also sparkling and dazz-ling effects.

Selected into the Top 100 Ultra Luxury Trends

Dodo is the inventor of her unique plexi-resin technique. One of her latest creation is currently placed at the 3rd place among the World Ultra Luxury Trends (overtaking Chopard, Bentley, Rolls Royce, etc.).

The Ultra Luxury Trend Report allows to have the foresight into what ultra luxury trends will be important to take into account for the next one to four years.

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Living on for more than 100 years