IDENTIDADES 1 ENGLISH IDENTIDADES 6 ENGLISH | Page 74

New York artist Duke Riley, who used
white, plastic-like plates, created the
project: it needed to be sprayed with
water and detergent every once in a
while because it was exposed to the
elements and across from the sea. Duke
Riley participated in the game: the
Cubans, who did not know him, lost 8-7,
by only one point. To the delight of
smiling observers, players from both
groups often fell, not only for lack of
practice or knowledge, but also because
of the cold beers they were invited to
have at the meeting. Duke brought no
fewer than 200 pairs of skates and an
equal number of socks: they were
displayed by number and size within
wooden boxes used to collect and hold
items. When they were set up, they gave
the impression of being shoe racks. The
rink offered free recreational time to
skate for 20 minutes at a time, from 510PM. Another novelty at the arts
festival
was
that
there
were
performances involving sand, parasols,
and plastic easy chairs on a section of
the Malecón’s sidewalk at the
aforementioned intersection till the
tunnel entrance.

The sun was eclipsed by the joy,
brotherhood, and love that bathed the
Havana coast. People embraced each
other, no matter where they came from
or where they were going, which,
perhaps, can be interpreted as a desire
for peace and friendship. Yet another
novelty was the number of young and
adult tourists from the U.S. Fearlessly,
they allow themselves to be seen at any
hour, day or night, chatting with
whomever they please. Something has
happened! There were also regattas
along the coast of Havana involving
American yachts, American football
games… Something is definitely up!
Many are shocked by the normalcy, and
the Twelfth Biennale allow all to see not
only multiple artistic manifestation but
also to open up to reestablishing friendly
ties that never should have been broken.

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