This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/22/argentina-merry-go-round-carousels-economy
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Argentinians make time for carousels as economy takes turn for the worse | Argentinians make time for carousels as economy takes turn for the worse |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| From the outside, Leo Moreno and Mariano Sidoni's workshop resembles an ordinary garage. Inside, grinning horses and deer reminiscent of Disney's Bambi repose in stacks or stand on pedestals, awaiting a coat of paint. | From the outside, Leo Moreno and Mariano Sidoni's workshop resembles an ordinary garage. Inside, grinning horses and deer reminiscent of Disney's Bambi repose in stacks or stand on pedestals, awaiting a coat of paint. |
| The two men's carousel-inspired design objects grace the entrances of some of Argentina's finest addresses. Upper-class Argentinian children are rocked to sleep on their maple-wood stallions, hand-carved on a whistling lathe in the workshop which Leo inherited from his grandfather. | The two men's carousel-inspired design objects grace the entrances of some of Argentina's finest addresses. Upper-class Argentinian children are rocked to sleep on their maple-wood stallions, hand-carved on a whistling lathe in the workshop which Leo inherited from his grandfather. |
| But his grandfather's economy this is not. Argentina is teetering on the brink, and even in this space of childhood fantasy, the crisis can be felt. And yet the two men, best friends from university are managing to build a business that reminds adults to pause for a moment and enjoy the simple pleasures of a merry-go-round. | But his grandfather's economy this is not. Argentina is teetering on the brink, and even in this space of childhood fantasy, the crisis can be felt. And yet the two men, best friends from university are managing to build a business that reminds adults to pause for a moment and enjoy the simple pleasures of a merry-go-round. |
| "I have been coming here since I was a kid, since I was five," Moreno said. "The first thing we did when we took over the space was have a little party for our friends. We ate and drank. But then we asked ourselves what we should do here. The first step was to start cleaning, to put love into this place." | "I have been coming here since I was a kid, since I was five," Moreno said. "The first thing we did when we took over the space was have a little party for our friends. We ate and drank. But then we asked ourselves what we should do here. The first step was to start cleaning, to put love into this place." |
| That was 2006, the peak of Argentina's boom years. For a moment, it seemed as if an Argentina of internet startups and tech outsourcing had finally broken free from what some have dubbed la crisis perpetua – the country's unerring tendency to lunge from one economic or political crisis to the next. Today, many blame the populist policies of president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner for this latest resurgence of "la crisis". | That was 2006, the peak of Argentina's boom years. For a moment, it seemed as if an Argentina of internet startups and tech outsourcing had finally broken free from what some have dubbed la crisis perpetua – the country's unerring tendency to lunge from one economic or political crisis to the next. Today, many blame the populist policies of president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner for this latest resurgence of "la crisis". |
| But if Argentina's 40% annual inflation rate was the harbinger of tougher times to come, its sovereign debt default last month was the story's denouement. For entrepreneurs such as Moreno and Sidoni, the default's immediate impact has been an inability to forecast demand for their products. | But if Argentina's 40% annual inflation rate was the harbinger of tougher times to come, its sovereign debt default last month was the story's denouement. For entrepreneurs such as Moreno and Sidoni, the default's immediate impact has been an inability to forecast demand for their products. |
| "We can't always afford the materials we need," said Sidoni. "In order to save money, we buy new materials half of the time and restore objects that we find at markets the other half of the time." | "We can't always afford the materials we need," said Sidoni. "In order to save money, we buy new materials half of the time and restore objects that we find at markets the other half of the time." |
| And yet for the two men, who said they felt trapped by their previous jobs in graphic design offices, their freedom to design has made the struggle worthwhile. | And yet for the two men, who said they felt trapped by their previous jobs in graphic design offices, their freedom to design has made the struggle worthwhile. |
| "We were missing the connection to the art of building, to the world of craftsmanship," Moreno explained. "We dreamt of making this studio here into a little Bauhaus for our own experimentation." | |
| In keeping with Bauhaus aims, the duo have attempted to meld craft with fine art. The craft part of their experiment can be seen on their "test carousel," where they put newly restored carousel animals through their paces before releasing them to clients. The fine art part can be seen hanging out on the roof. There, dozens of secondhand lions, tigers and bears made of wood and fibreglass peer out onto the Buenos Aires city skyline, while awaiting their makeovers. | In keeping with Bauhaus aims, the duo have attempted to meld craft with fine art. The craft part of their experiment can be seen on their "test carousel," where they put newly restored carousel animals through their paces before releasing them to clients. The fine art part can be seen hanging out on the roof. There, dozens of secondhand lions, tigers and bears made of wood and fibreglass peer out onto the Buenos Aires city skyline, while awaiting their makeovers. |
| But why would anyone build a business around carousels? | But why would anyone build a business around carousels? |
| Moreno and Sidoni say it's about revitalising a part of Argentina's cultural history. | Moreno and Sidoni say it's about revitalising a part of Argentina's cultural history. |
| There are no statistics on how many merry-go-rounds exist in Argentina, but one cannot help but notice their abundance: some spin forlornly in vacant lots, others in well-frequented parks buzz with children's laughter. "On a nice winter day like today, you would take your kids to the carousel," Moreno said. "It's not something that you'd just do while you're on vacation. We don't have these mega parks like Disneyland. But we do have carousels on most plazas." | There are no statistics on how many merry-go-rounds exist in Argentina, but one cannot help but notice their abundance: some spin forlornly in vacant lots, others in well-frequented parks buzz with children's laughter. "On a nice winter day like today, you would take your kids to the carousel," Moreno said. "It's not something that you'd just do while you're on vacation. We don't have these mega parks like Disneyland. But we do have carousels on most plazas." |
| Sidoni suggests that the country's Italian and Spanish roots might account for the fact that in an age of Twitter and Facebook, Argentines still make time for merry-go-rounds. | Sidoni suggests that the country's Italian and Spanish roots might account for the fact that in an age of Twitter and Facebook, Argentines still make time for merry-go-rounds. |
| "People spend a lot of time with family," Sidoni explained. "We hug a lot. It's normal to take your son or daughter to the carousel once a week. Maybe in Europe or in other places people just don't have the time for this any more." | "People spend a lot of time with family," Sidoni explained. "We hug a lot. It's normal to take your son or daughter to the carousel once a week. Maybe in Europe or in other places people just don't have the time for this any more." |
| But Sidoni says another aspect of the Argentine interest in merry-go-rounds links to the country's unresolved trauma around having lost its place among the world's top nations towards the beginning of the 20th century. "Nostalgia and melancholia are part of our culture," Sidoni said. "You hear it in the tango and in tango lyrics." | But Sidoni says another aspect of the Argentine interest in merry-go-rounds links to the country's unresolved trauma around having lost its place among the world's top nations towards the beginning of the 20th century. "Nostalgia and melancholia are part of our culture," Sidoni said. "You hear it in the tango and in tango lyrics." |
| John Turci-Escobar, an expert in tango and Argentinian music at the University of Texas at Austin, agrees. "Towards the beginning of the 20th century, carousels were a place where you could go and hear tango music," Turci-Escobar said. "They were one of the few places at the time where the lower and middle classes could hear any kind of mechanised music." | John Turci-Escobar, an expert in tango and Argentinian music at the University of Texas at Austin, agrees. "Towards the beginning of the 20th century, carousels were a place where you could go and hear tango music," Turci-Escobar said. "They were one of the few places at the time where the lower and middle classes could hear any kind of mechanised music." |
| Turci-Escobar says that while kids rode carousels, men would dance the tango with each other. Argentinian carousel culture thus played an integral role in the popularisation of the tango. Man-to-man tango lasted until the 1920s, at which point women began tangoing too, generally with men. | Turci-Escobar says that while kids rode carousels, men would dance the tango with each other. Argentinian carousel culture thus played an integral role in the popularisation of the tango. Man-to-man tango lasted until the 1920s, at which point women began tangoing too, generally with men. |
| But after the second world war and rapid industrialisation, Argentinians began to long for the days when evenings were spent dancing to the carousel. | But after the second world war and rapid industrialisation, Argentinians began to long for the days when evenings were spent dancing to the carousel. |
| "The tangos I've seen refer to carousels with nostalgia. They are referring to a time that has passed," Turci-Escobar said. "If you listen to some of the earlier tangos, you hear piano notes in a high register, which is meant to remind you of the sounds of a carousel." | "The tangos I've seen refer to carousels with nostalgia. They are referring to a time that has passed," Turci-Escobar said. "If you listen to some of the earlier tangos, you hear piano notes in a high register, which is meant to remind you of the sounds of a carousel." |
| For Moreno and Sidoni, their carousel-making business isn't just a way to preserve a part of their country's past, but also a means of surviving its harsh economic present. "What's unique to Argentina is our manner of creativity," Sidoni noted. "We are trying to make the most of what we have at our disposal. The reality is, we can't import a lot from abroad. So we try to make beautiful things from what we have around us." | For Moreno and Sidoni, their carousel-making business isn't just a way to preserve a part of their country's past, but also a means of surviving its harsh economic present. "What's unique to Argentina is our manner of creativity," Sidoni noted. "We are trying to make the most of what we have at our disposal. The reality is, we can't import a lot from abroad. So we try to make beautiful things from what we have around us." |