Sunday 14 April 2013

Feather Forecast

I'm lucky enough to be able to say that I've lived in quite a few cities in my life. All these cities are completely different from one another, hell, even I changed depending where I was in a given time! I always wondered, what makes a city the way it is?

Sure enough, its culture and geography does play a major role, but there's also an elusive element to it. Somehow the different ways its inhibitants interact with each other and the city - their synergy, if you will - is what really gives a city its unique flavour. What would happen for instance, if we could magically swap the whole population of say Paris and Tokyo? Would Paris feel like Tokyo from that point on? Would it stay like Paris? Or maybe something completely new might emerge? Deep, man...

Sadly, I haven't got the faintest idea. However I'm sure that in order for a city to be intersesting, characteristic and generally a cool place to live in, its locals have to go out of their way to make things happen, to fight the mundane, to 'do shit'! A buzzing city has to have a blooming art scene, a cacophony of subcultures (even if most of them are beyond annoying), a variety of different districts, events, galleries, theatres, festivals... and lately flash mobs!

That's right y'all, flash mobs! Flash mobs are the latest trend in celebrating the urban lifestyle and breaking the everyday routine. These spontaneous gatherings of total strangers - joined by the common goal of having a good time and to do something out of the ordinary - are the perfect reminders that we do, in fact, live together, share our immediate environment, interact with eachother (and we have done so for a long time), even though we had no idea that the other even existed!    

Budapest is not as big on extraordinary events yet as London for example, but it does have a couple of gems that puts her in the big league. And luckily a growing number of minor ones, such as the pillow fight that took place right next to my university the other day (no connection whatsoever). In its brilliant simplicity, it was the perfect example of why we need events like this in our towns - complete strangers of all ages and creeds having a blast together! Because most people are eager to go out and do something crazy (yet socialy acceptable), while having an ultimate bonding experience with their cities and fellow citizens! They feel that the empty shell of the city that consists of the sum of its buidings has to be filled with life, with taste, with things that happen! The city is us! Paris is not the Eiffel Tower, its the Parisians and what they make it to be. We are the ones who are forming our surroundings, there is no elusive 'They' - it's You and Me!

So I call everyone to shake things up! Every time you stay at home watching telly, shooting time in the forehead - your city sheds a tear...






























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