Monthly Archives: October 2016

Storytelling

Dobrila Pintar – master of glass jewelry and sculptures

Artist Dobrila Pintar never gave up on her dreams. As an economist she was working for years in banks and small, boring offices which suffocated her, while all the time she was striving for art where her innate creativity could be express. Her enthusiasm, determination and persistence paid off and today she is respected American artist – producer of original glass jewelry and artist awarded from the respectable guild associations across America.

Born in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, Dobrila graduated economy on Belgrade University. She moved to America 20 years ago with husband Mirko Pintar, pilot, and kids Nemanja and Andrea. First 10 years they lived in Minneapolis and then they moved to Chicago. Those first immigrant years were challenging for Dobrila mostly because she didn’t know English language.

That frustrated me very much and I’ve been very persistent to learn English language as soon as possible. The feeling of powerlessness and isolation made me cry few times – she said, remembering her first immigrants years. – If you live here you have to accommodate to new condition and if you don’t know language that is huge barrier. Maybe people will help you few times because they feel sorry for you but that is not good thing. That’s why I always recommend everyone who moved to America to learn language.

With that positive attitude and energy Dobrila learned English very fast. After that she enrolled Minnesota University and soon graduated on it. After that she worked as computer designer, then in banks on credit approval.

I never liked office work. You are sitting in booths, separated from other people. That environment has been killing me and I kept coming home with a headache. Even today I feel unpleasant when I have to go to bank.

She started working on jewelry even before her college. She was a hippie generation and she was making jewelry from beads. At the same time she started painting.

In Belgrade I went to Kolarac endowment to learn painting. When I moved to America I started producing jewelry a little bit more. I don’t have any special school, but there was always some manufacturer who needed help. I just worked and learned all the time because I always wanted to do something original. Every color and every shape in my work are original. In the beginning I’ve been producing silver jewelry, but after that I turn completely to making glass jewelry.

Dobrila has her own art studio at the Bridgeport Art Center Gallery building at South loop of Chicago. Long time ago that building was empty warehouse and now that’s the place where artists can rent art studios.

There is a work, creative atmosphere in Dobrila’s studio. There are billboards with jewelry, multicolored glass she bought as a tiny colorful stick, pearls, a little figures of animals, mythical creatures and symbols… There are glass earrings, necklaces, bracelets, pendants… And there are tools that, perhaps, remind more of metal milling workshop than on the art studio of the woman; there are gas cylinders with a cutting soldering iron, lathe for metal cutting, small furnaces for drying glass, drawer full of hammers and pliers…

– I attended various workshops across America and I still do. In the meantime, I learned to work on the machines and a soldering iron. I was in Florida, Portland, New Mexico… I used to stay there for a month without a phone or TV just making jewelry and learning from teachers, some of whom were Indians.

It was a great honor when Dobrila was elected for Artist of Residence program, that brings together exceptional artists, connects them, organizes presentations and lectures. During this prestigious program artist has an obligation to show the process of making jewelry to her colleagues, to teach others what she knows, to motivate them and direct. She was also honored (along with 11 other artists) with the award the Artist of the Month. This prestigious award has opened many doors for her.

– Now I get invitations from galleries and art festivals I could have only dream in the past or applied like everyone else. Everything is connected with famous Chicago Art Institute and Cultural Center, because they all work together – galleries, Art Institute, museums, curators, gallery owners… It is a great honor for me and for Chicago – she said.

Dobrila Pintar is proud that Sofia Vergara, a popular Hollywood actress of Colombian origin, wears her necklace. She says that her daughter Andrea knows a friend of the famous actress and right before Sofia’s birthday her friend saw Dobrila’s necklace I bought it for her. However, Dobrila doesn’t have Sofia’s permission to show the picture of Dobrila’s yellow necklace.

Dobrila says she is open to give her knowledge to other talented people. – I have my students and I want to show this skill to people who are interested in this, especially children. Many people are thrilled when they see that they made jewelry by themselves, with their hands.

Milica Puric

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SERBIAN VERSION – SRPSKA VERZIJA

Dobrila PIntar

Šarene fantazije u staklu

Umetnica Dobrila Pintar nikada nije odustala od dvojih snova. Kao ekonomista ona je godinama radila u bankama i suvoparnim kancelarijama koje su je gušile svojom skučenošću, dok je sve vreme težila umetnosti u kojoj je njena urodjena kreativnost mogla da se ispolji. Njen entuzijazam, upornost i neodustajanje od snova su se isplatili. Danas je ona jedna od najcenjenijih američkih umetnica – proizvodjača unikatnog nakita napravljenog od stakla i metala i nagradjivana od najuglednijih esnafskih udruženja i umetnički7h institucija širom Amerike.

Ova Beogradjanka završila je Ekonomski fakultet u Beogradu i sa mužem Mirkom Pinatrem, pilotom, i decom – Nemanjom i Andreom, pre 20-ak godina doselila se u Ameriku. Prvih 10-ak godina živeli su u Mineapolisu, a onda su se doselili u Chicago. Te prve imigrantske godine bile su za nju izazov, najviše zato što nije znala engleski jezik.

To me je veoma frustriralo i bila sam vrlo uporna da ga savladam što pre – kaže energična umetnica, prisećajući se da je osećaj usamljenosti i izolovanosti dovodio nekoliko puta do suza. – Ako živiš ovde moraš da se uklopiš, a ako ne znaš jezik to je ogromna barijera. Možda će ljudi pokušati da ti pomognu iz sažaljenja, ali to nije to. Zato uvek preporučujem našima da uče jezik.

Sa tako pozitivnim stavom i energijom Dobrila je brozo savladala jezik, a onda upisala i završila Minesota univerzitet i došla do postidpolomskih studija na prestižnom Karlson menadzment fakulktetu. Potom je radila kao kompjuter dizajner, a onda u bankama, na odobravanju kredita.

Nikad nisam violela taj kancelarijski posao. Sediš u separeima i odvojen si od drugih ljudi. To me je ubijalo i kući sam stalno dolazila sa glavoboljom. Ja se i sad narogušim kad treba da idem u banku.

Nakitom je počela da se bavi još pre studija. Bila je hipi generacija i pravila je nakit od perli, a kasnije je počela da se bavi slikarstvom.

Išla sam na Kolarac da slikam, a kada sam se doselila u Ameriku počela sam malo vise da proizvodim nakit. Uvek je tu bio neki proizvodjač kome je bila potrebna pomoć. Nemam nikakvu specijalnu školu, ali sam radila non-stop i učila jer mi je uvek bila želja da radim nešto originalno i svaka boja i oblik su kod mene originalni. Tako sam prvo radila nakit od srebra, a onda sam se potpuno posvetila pravljenju nakita od stakla’, kaže ona.

Ona sada ima svoj atelje na južnoj strani Čicaga u velikoj zgradi Bridgeport Art Center Gallery koja je nekada bila zapušteni magacin, a sada zgrada u kojoj se umetnicima iznajmljuju ateljei za rad. U jednom od tih atrljea, Dobrilinom, vlada prava umetničko-kreativno-radna atmosfera. Tu su panoi sa izloženim unikatnim nakitom, raznobojno staklo koje Dobrila kupuje u orginalnoj formi – kao staklene štapiće u jarkim bojama, perle, figurice životinja, mitskih bića i simbola. Tu su staklene mindjuše, ogrlice, narukvice, privesci… A tu je i alat koji, možda više podseća metalostrugarsku radionicu nego na umetnički atelje jedne žene: tu su plinske boce sa lemilicama, struga za sečenje metala, male peći za sušenje i oblikovanje stakla, fijoka prepuna kelšta i čekića…

Pohadjala sam različite radionice širom Amerike, a i danas to radim. U medjuvremenu sam naučila da radim na mašinama i lemilicama. Bila sam na Floridi, Portlandu, Novom Meksiku, gde sam ostajala po mesec dana bez telefona i televizora učeci pravljenje nakita od učitelja, od koji su neki bili Indijanci.
Veika čast za Dobrilu bila je kada je izabrana za program Artist of Residence, koji okuplja izuzetne umetnike, povezuje ih, organizuje prezentacije i predavanja. U okviru tog prestižnog programa imala je obavezu da pokazuje kolegama proces svog rada, da uči druge ono što ona zna, da ih motiviše i upućuje. Još jedna čast pripala joj je kada je u oktobru prošle godine, zajedno sa još 11 umetnika dobila nagradu The Artist of the Month. Ovo prestižno priznanje otvorilo joj je mnoga vrata.

Sad dobijam pozive od galerija i art festivala o kojima sam ranije samo mogla da sanjam ili sam morala da konkurišem kao svi ostali. Sve je povezano sa čuvenim čikaškim Art institutom i Kulturnim centrom, jer svi oni sarađuju – galerije, Institut, muzeji, kustoti, vlasnici galerija. To je velika čast i za mene i za Čikago – kaže Dobrila.

Dobrila Pintar ponosna je što Sofija Vergara, popularna holivudska glumica kolumbijskog porekla nosi njenu ogrlicu. Ona kaže da njena ćerka Andrea poznaje prijateljicu slavne glumice i da je ta žena uoči Sofijinog rodjendana videla Dobrilinu orgrlicu i kupila je za nju. Dobrila, međutim, nema odobrenje od glumice pa ne sme javno da pokazuje sliku na kojoj se vidi kako nosi Dobrilinu žutu ogrlicu.

Na kraju Dobrila kaže da bi zaista volela da svoje znanje o pravljenju nakita prenese nekome. Imam svoje studentei hoću da pokazujem ovu veštinu onima koji su zainteresovani, posebno deci. Znam da mnogi budu oduševljeni kad vide da su sami svojim rukama, napravili neki nakit od perli.

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Art

We will never end – Vladimir Cetkar, New York jazz musician

Smile, talent, positive attitude and energy for life – Vladimir Cetkar

~ Milica Puric ~

Vladimir Cektar, talented jazz musician, songwriter, and singer, a Macedonian who lives and works in New York, plays and travels all the time. ‘When new people show up on my concert, they think that they will hear something deep and heavy considering that I play jazz… But I think that everyone can identify with my music, because it resembles the music of the late ’70s, even of Oliver Mandich, whose music I adore’.

‘When you play that kind of music there is always great energy around…’ , says Vladimir Cetkar who came from Macedonia to Boston at famous Berkeley Music Academy, and after that went to the capital of the jazz music- New York.

‘When I came to Boston everything seemed cold and foreign, especially because I had a beautiful life back home. I didn’t come to America to look for a better life, but to learn more about the thing I love and to study music.’ He remembers that there were no many people from Ex Yugoslavia in Boston, there were no Macedonians at all, he was the only one.

Vladimir Cetkar in New York City – the the capital of jazz music

‘One day, in the elevator, I heard the Serbian language, and immediately got acquainted with two guys from Kragujevac, who are my friends and colleagues. One of them was Bojan Dugić- son of the famous fife player Bora Dugic. Тhe two of us worked together on many projects. He is an incredible producer, and has passion towards everything that is pure and sincere. We live in New York, and he is a part of my music. We have memories, enthusiasm… I always worked with him and my pianist, a colleague from Berkeley, the amazing Milan Milanovic, from Belgrade.

Vladimir Cetkar moved to New York in 2008, and published his first album ‘We will never end’. That album opened many elite club doors for him in New York, Boston, Washington, LA. After that album he published the second one – ‘Heavenly’, and promoted it across America and the rest of the world.

When asked how it looked like coming to New York, the city in which the competition is huge, Vladimir Cetkar tells us that competition is really big, especially among musicians who work on the same genre as he is – the mix of jazz, disco and funky music, that is created in New York. But, after all, he made his way.

Vladimir Cetkar is performing at his concert

‘My music is like some kind of distillation of everything that I have listened up until now, and my life experience in Ex Yugoslavia. There are no Balkan elements in my music, which is unusual for musicians that are originally from Balkan. They often put our elements in their music, because they think that they have to, but they don’t. We should all have universal answers. That means that if we have folklore we should respect it, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do universal things. That won’t estrange us, on the contrary, it will make us cosmopolitans. We will be more appreciated’, says Vladimir Cetkar, who adores traditional music and drinking wine while listening to it.

‘I think that we don’t have to change our identity and our name to be accepted. Imagine creating this music genre in Boston and New York while your name is Vladimir. Prejudices are everywhere and that is why we have to keep looking for elements that will keep us together, we must keep searching for love and spread it. I told to myself that my music will always be positive. I make music deep from my heart and soul, where you can find only love and no prejudice. I think that people can see it.

Traveling all over the world is another Cetkar’s passion

When asked what is his dream and life goal, Vladimir says that he wants to be fulfilled and active in America and Europe. ‘America has great beauties, but my family is in Europe. It is always nice to have this two worlds, because then you have an experience that many others don’t. I travel, meet people-that is the best way for getting rid of prejudices. When I perform around the world, for example in Central America, I always hang out with local people, use their public transport, so I can feel the ambient. What use does a man have when he goes to Guatemala and don’t leave the resort. It is almost like he was only at the airport, he saw nothing, experienced nothing. We live short, but our hearts are big, filled with emotions…that’s why my first album is called: ‘We will never end’. We should be filled with positive energy and love, we should accept our differences, because people love to be separated, to be more special than someone else, but basically, we are all the same. That’s why music is special, it is the magic in which people are always uniting, unlike politics where everyone is separating. We have to nurture music and tradition. That is exactly what I am doing. I write notes for my compositions by my hand because I love that creation, the process of an old craft. My father and grandfather made brushes with their own hands, so I make music with mine too’. Vladimir Cetkar said.

Vladimir Cetkar is recording his music in studio

When asked what word would he send to young artists, that are now coming to New York like he once did, Vladimir says: ‘I would tell them to be ready and to be sure that music is what they want to do the most. They should have enormous energy and persistence to stay, to work and to create. Even with all of that it will always be hard, but they shouldn’t calculate, they should create with 100% of love, with no plan b, because the audience can always feel the calculation. They have to work from their hearts, even if it leads them to failure because it is always better to be honest with yourself while trying to reach perfection similar to Gods from Olympus. I recommend them to prepare to hear ‘No’ for hundred times, but that is not because they aren’t good enough, it is because everything didn’t fit right as it supposed to. They have to be persistent and spread the energy of their hometowns. They shouldn’t be newborn Americans. We have a beautiful culture and it should be shared around the world, even while playing disco punk music. We all play it like foreign people and we are respected for it. We are showing a whole other world to American people, the one that they didn’t even know existed. We should be music ambassadors while being ambassadors only by smiling to someone on the street.

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SERBIAN VERSION – SRPSKA VERZIJA

Vladimir Četkar

Živimo kratko, a srca su nam velika

Retko koji muzičar može da se pohvali tolikim brojem nastupa i stalnim putovanjima po celom svetu kao što može Vladimir Četkar, talentovani džez muzičar, kompozitor i pevač, Makedonac koji živi i radi u Njujorku.

Svirka u Cikagu u nekadasnjem klubu ‘Bubamara’

‘Kad na moje koncerte dodje nova publika ona uvek pomisli da će, pošto sviram dzez, da čuje nešto teško i ozbiljno… Ali mislim da sa mojom muzikom svako može da se identifikuje jer ona podseća na muziku kasnih 70-ih, pa čak i na Olivera Mandića čiju muziku obožavam. Kada se stvara takva muzika energija je uvek lepa… ‘ kaže Vladimir Cetkar koji je iz Makedonije najpre došao u Boston na čuvenu Berkli muzičku akademiju, a onda i u dzez prestonicu – Njujork. ‘Kada sam došao u Boston sve mi je bilo hladno i tudje, posebno zato što sam kući imao lep život. U Ameriku sam stigao ne da bih tražio bolji život, već da bih učio ono što volim i studirao muziku.’ Seća se da u Bostonu nije bilo puno ljudi iz bivše Jugoslavije, a Makedonaca nije bilo uopšte, on je bio jedini. Jednog dana u liftu sam čuo srpski jezik i odmah se upoznao sa dva momka iz Kragujevca koji su mi i danas prijatelji i kolege. Jedan od njih je Bojan Dugić, sin poznatog frulaša Bore Dugića. Nas dvojica smo radili zajedno na mnogim projektima. On je neverovatan producent i ima ljubav prema svemu što je iskreno. Obojica živimo u Njujorku i on je deo moje muzike. Imamo zajedničke uspomene, entuzijazam… Uvek radim muziku sa njim, dok mi je pijanista neverovatni Milan Milanovic, Beograđanin i moj kolega sa Berklija…’’ kaze Vladimir Četkar.

Putovanje po egoziticnim destinacijama i druzenje sa lokalnim ljudima jedna je od omiljenih aktivnosti Vladimira Cetkara

Vladimir se preselio u Njujork 2008. godine i tada je objavio prvi album ‘ Za nas nema kraja’ (‘We will never end’). Taj album mu je otvorio vrata brojnih elitnih klubova u Njujorku, Bostonu, Vašingtonu, Los Andjelesu… Posle tog albuma objavio je i drugi ‘Božanski’ (‘Heavenly’) i promovisao ga širom Amerike i sveta.

Na pitanje kako je izgledalo doći u Njujork grad u kome je najveća konkurencija umetnika iz celog sveta, Vladimir Četkar kaže da je konkurencija zaista velika, posebno među muzičarima koji rade muziku kao on – mešavinu dzeza, disko, fanki muzike koja je stvorena u Njujorku. Ipak našao je svoj put.

‘Moja muzika je kao neka destilacija svega što sam slušao do sada i nekog mog životnog iskustva u bivšoj Jugoslaviji… U njoj nema balkanskih elemenata, što je neobično za muzičare sa Balkana koji obično ubacuju naše elemente jer misle da to tako mora da bude, a ne mora. Mi svi treba da imamo univerzalni odgovor. To znači, ako imamo folklor treba da ga poštujemo, ali to ne znači da ne treba da radimo ono što je univerzalno. Time se ne udaljavamo od sebe, već postajemo kosmpoliti… Time će nas vise ceniti….’ kaže Vladimir Četkar i dodaje da obožava tradicionalnu muziku i da uz nju najbolje pije vino.

Vladimir Četkar – Jos jedna slika sa putovanja

Mislim da ne moramo da menjamo svoj identitet i svoje ime da bi nas ljudi prihvatili. Zamislite samo stvaranje ovakve vrste muzike u Bostonu i Njujorku kada se zoveš Vladimir! Svugde postoje predrasude, i zato treba da tražimo elemente koji nas objedunjuju, a ne razdvajaju, da tražimo i širimo ljubav. Rekao sam sebi da će moja muzika uvek biti pozitivna. Pravim je duboko iz srca i duše u kojima postoji samo ljubav i nikakva predrasuda. Mislim da ljudi to prepoznaju…’

Na pitanje šta je njegov san i cilj u životu, Vladimir Četkar kaže da želi da bude ispunjen i što vise aktivan i u Americi i u Evropi. ‘U Americi je velika lepota, a u Evropi mi je familija. Lepo je kada imaš ta dva sveta jer imaš iskustvo koje mnogi drugi nemaju. Ja putujem, upoznajem ljude, a to je najbolji način da se razbiju predrasude. Kada nastupam po svetu, recimo u centralnoj Americi, uvek se družim sa lokalnim stanovništvom, putujem njihovim autobusima da bih doživeo taj ambijent… Jer kakvu korist čovek ima kad ode, recimo u Gvatemalu (Guatemala), pa ne izlazi iz odmaralista (resort). Kao da je bio na aerodromu, ništa nije video, ništa doživeo… Živimo veoma kratko, a srca su nam velika, puna emocija… Zato sam i nazvao prvi album ‘Za nas neće biti kraja’ (‘We will never end’). Treba da budemo ispunjeniji sa pozitivnom energijom i ljubavlju, da prebrodimo naše razlike jer ljudi mnogo vole da budu podeljeni, da budu specijalniji nego neko drugi, a svi su isti. Zato je muzika posebna. Ona je magija u kojoj se ljudi uvek objedinjuju (unite), za razliku od politike gde se svi dele. Zato muzika mora da se neguje kao zanat i tradicija i ja baš to radim. Note za kompozicije pišem rukom jer obožavam tu kreaciju, taj proces starog zanata. Tako su i moj otac i deda pravili četke rukama, pa tako i ja ručno kreiram muziku…’ kaze Četkar.

Bogota, Kolumbija – muzicar i strastveni putnik koji obilazi ceo svet

Na pitanje šta bi preporučio mladim umetnicima koji dolaze u Njujork, kao što je i on došao, Vladimir kaže: ‘Da budu spremni i sigurni da je muzika ono što žele da rade najviše na svetu. Treba da imaju neverovatnu energiji i volju da bi ostali da rade i kreiraju. I pored toga uvek će biti teško. Ali, ne treba kalkulisati, već treba raditi sa 100 procenata ljibavi, bez ikakvih rezervi, jer publika odmah oseti kalkulaciju. Treba raditi iz srca pa makar i po cenu neuspeha jer bolje je biti iskren prema sebi i stremiti ka savršenstvu kao bogovi sa Olimpa. Preporučujem im da se bore i da budu spremni da će čuti pre jednog ‘da’ na stotine, na hiljade ‘ne’ i to ne zato jer nisu kvalitetni, već zato što se nije sve sklopilo kako treba. Moraju da budu uporni i da šire onu energiju odakle dolaze, a da se ne trude da budu novopečeni Amerikanci. Mi imamo lepu kulturu i nju treba da širimo, čak i ako sviramo disko pank muziku. Ali mi to sviramo kao ljudi koji su došli sa drugih prostora i tako dobijamo poštovanje. Tako će Amerikanci otkriti jedan novi svet, jedan kosmos za koji nisu znali da postoji. Mi treba da budemo muzički ambasadori, pored toga što smo već ambasadori svojih zemalja ako se jednostavno nasmešimo nekome na ulici,’ kaze na kraju Vladimir Četkar.

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Events

The flower queen of music – Dona Onete, Brazilian singer, guest of Chicago

She walked slowly and with the difficulties. She needed help to get on the stage, but once she gets there, once she sits on the chair in the middle of the stage and starts singing she shines like a queen of Brazilian music. That’s what the audience at Old Town School of Folk Music experienced on September 23^rd when remarkable Brazilian singer Dona Onete made her Chicago debut at 78. As a part of traditional World Music Festival in Chicago she performed with her live band ‘Bossa Tres’ and presented songs from her second album ‘Banzeiro’.

That night Brazilian singer brought in windy city an exotic atmosphere of South America. She was dressed in a beautiful, vivid Brazilian colors. She worn colorful, floral dress, Brazilian scarf around her head, a lot of jewelry, but her passion was the most impressive. She was singing one after another dancing song and she made everyone in Old Town School of Folk Music dancing and having a wonderful time. Maybe she was the oldest one over there (even that’s not nice thing to say for any lady) but she was the most energetic of all. She was full of life and love for music and singing.

Between the songs Dona Onete and the members of ‘Bossa Tres’ talked only Portuguese language – everybody understood what they were talking about. Together they made an amazing performance and their joyful, cheerful Brazilian music made almost everyone in the audience gleeful. The saxophonist from the band was especially inspiring. He was playing his instrument and at the same time dancing, running on the stage and getting down into the audience just to dance with them.

Discovered by a local band in her hometown, Onete has been singing and writing songs for as long as she can remember. She released her first, debut album in 2014, at the age of 73. but she is now making up for lost time.

Her experience shines through on Banzeiro, a collection of songs that combine traditional rhythms with buoyant Carribean-inspired melodies, local Bossa Nova act Bossa Tres opens this free World Music Festival concert.

Milica Puric

Art

‘Tower to the people’ – Joseph Sikorsky’s movie about Nikola Tesla

At the world premiere of the Nikola Tesla-based film, Tower to the People, Emmy-nominated composer Marina Arsenijevic (L) and award-winning director Joseph Sikorski (R).

Marina Arsenijevic, composer of the music for the movie ‘Tower to the people’, and Joseph Sikorski at the world premiere of the Nikola Tesla-based film, ‘Tower to the People’

Joseph Sikorsky made two movies about Nikola Tesla. First one is the documentary ‘Tower to the people’ which tells us about Tesla’s last laboratory, Wardenclyffe laboratory, on the Long Island, about hundred kilometers away from New York. The other movie is ‘Fragments from Olympus’ which we filmed with co-author Michael Calomino.

Joseph Sikorsky, director, producer, screenwriter and a great fan of Nikola Tesla, became fascinated with the famous scientist about 15 years ago, when he was in a book store and accidentally found some material which speaks about F.B.I investigation of Nikola Tesla’s work. The provided document contained chapters about deathly rays and wireless energy. Sikorsky was very attracted by all of it.

The enigmatic life of electrical genius and visionary Nikola Tesla unravels through a posthumous F.B.I. investigation into his particle beam research, including a new super weapon called a “death ray”.

During the height of World War II, the F.B.I. races to secure the papers and experiments of an enigmatic recently deceased scientist, who shortly before his death claimed to perfect a new super-weapon… a particle beam that could destroy ten thousand planes from 250 miles away… an invention referred to as the “death ray”. Did the machine exist? Was it a threat to the war effort? Or was the radical inventor mad? It sounds like science fiction, but it is true.

I started to read about Tesla and the more I read my obsession grew bigger. I couldn’t believe that I have finished school, went through America’s educational system without ever hearing about Nikola Tesla. I have decided to start a mission that will raise consciousness about Tesla and his accomplishments. I wanted to show how he fought and to correct the mistake that history made and as I work in film industry I thought that movie is the best way for completing this mission. That is why I made ‘Fragments from Olympus’.
In the screenplay Fragments from Olympus, federal authorities race for an answer, as they probe the life of genius inventor Nikola Tesla. Based on recently declassified documents, and the amazingly triumphant and tragic life of Nikola Tesla, this is the story about one of the world’s most forgotten hero. Sikorski’s goal was to bring the achievements of Nikola Tesla to public attention, to help restore the credit that history has mistakenly placed elsewhere.
– Michael Calomino and I decided to tell story of Tesla through examination of investigation that F.B.I did. At the same time I found out that Tesla’s laboratory Wardenclyffe, that I am only 40 minutes away, is in very bad condition and that it may soon be sold. My team and I wanted to keep the historical laboratory, so we connected with groups like Tesla science center. As we all know we collected money in 2012. Through historical venture that was started by Matthew Inman. The restauration is worth millions, so we decided to make documentary about past, present and future of Wardenclyffe. We named the movie ‘Tower to the people’.

Jane Alcorn, the presdent of Tesla Science Center, and Joseph Sikorski

Josef Sikorsky says that he and his team went through many troubles and came across many tests in 13 years of dealing with this problem. Their interests for Tesla grew bigger since the movie ‘Fragment from Olympus’ won the Long Island International Film Festival, and also since the movie was a quarter-finalist at the American Screenwriting Competition, the largest screenwriting competition in the USA.

Unfortunately, many wanted to represent Tesla in the negative way, like crazy scientist and out mission had the opposite goal. Through the movie we tried to remove misconceptions about him. That’s why we missed many offers. We realized that we have to keep the control over the movie if we wanted to present the exact Tesla’s portrait, so we turned to independent production. We found a great support from significant people, and some great Hollywood names joined our mission. For example Michael Lerner, nominated for Oscar, actress Sean Young from the ‘Blade Runner’ and ‘Wall Street’, actor Leo Rossi moviemaker, Howard Smith from ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Matrix’.

We succeeded at collecting resources for continuing pre-production and then we decided to donate the money for actions that included redemption of Wardenclyffe. We donated 30.000 $ for Tesla Science Center. On the other hand, our documentary ‘Tower to the people’ had completely different path. Interviewing so many significant people connected to Tesla was a great honor. One of them was William Terbo, last blood relative of Nikola Tesla. From the museum of Nikola Tesla in Belgrade we got some rare photographs and sketches so we succeeded at reconstructing the Wardencluffe tower for our documentary. I will keep raising consciousness about Tesla in America.
A genius and a hero

‘At first I got interested in Tesla because of the deathly rays, and because of the machine for making earthquakes but the more I found, the more obsessed I become. So now I am more interested in some other technologies that he developed. From my perspective he didn’t even have to invent anti-gravity machine to reach the top of the science world. Working for benefit of mankind without any personal finance interests makes him a bigger hero’, says Sikorsky.

Milica Puric

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SERBIAN VESRION – SRPSKA VERZIJA

Džozef Sikorski, reditelj i producent dokumentarnog filma o Nikoli Tesli ‘Kula ka ljudima’

Odbrana skromnog genija

Reditelj Džozef Sikorski snimio je do sada dva filma o naučniku Nikoli Tesli. Prvi je dokumentarni film ‘Kula ka ljudima’ (Tower to the people) koji govori o poslednjoj Teslinoj labaratoriji Vordenklif na ostrvu Long Ajlend 100-ak kilometara od Njujorku, a drugi igrani film ‘Fragmenti sa Olimpa’ (Fragments from Olympus) koji je uradio sa koautorom Majkl Kalominom.

Džozef SIkorski, nezavisni reditelj, producent, scenarista i veliki Teslin obožavalac, postao je opčinjen Nikolom Teslom pre 15-ak godina kada je u jednoj knjižari nabasao na nekakav materijal u kome se govorilo o tome kako je FBI, posle Tesline smrti, istraživao njegov rad. U priloženom FBI dokumentu govorilo se o smrtonosnim zracima i bežičnoj energiji i to je veoma privuklo njegovu pažnju.

Počeo sam da čitam o Tesli i što sam vise čitao moja opsesija njime je postajala sve veća i veća. Nisam mogao da poverujem da sam prošao kroz celo školovanje, obrazovani sistem u Americi i da nisam nikad čuo o njemu. Odlučio sam da krenem u misiju koja bi podigla svest o Tesli i njegovim dostignućima. Želeo sam da pokažem kako se borio i da ispravim istorijsku nepravdu, a pošto radim u filmskoj industriji mislio sam da je najbolje ostvariti ovu misiju kroz film. Tako je nastao film ‘Fragmenti sa Olimpa’. Majkl Kalomino i ja odlučili smo da kažemo Teslinu priču krtoz istinito FBI ispitivanje njegovih istraživanja. U isto vreme saznao sam da je Teslina labaratorija Vordenklif, od koje sam udaljen 40 minuta, u veoma lošem stanju i da postoji opasnost da bude prodata. Moj tim i ja smo se zaintersovali za očuvanje istorijske labartorije i povezali sa grupama poput Teslinog naučnog centra. Kao što svi znamo novac je sakupljen 2012. godine kroz istorijski poduhvat koji je pokrenuo Metju Inman. Restauracija će koštati milione, a mi smo odlučili da napravimo dokumentarni film o prošlosti, sadašnjosti i budućnosti Vordenklifa. Film se zove ‘Kula ka ljudima’.

Džozef Sikorski kaže da su on i njegov tim kroz 13 godišnje bavljenje Teslom prošli kroz mnoge turbulencije i naišli na mnoge testove. Interesovanje za Teslu povećalo se otkako je film ‘Fragmenti sa Olimpa’ pobedio na Internacionalnom filmskom festivalu na Long Ajlendu (Long Island International Film Festival) i otkako je bio četrtfinalista na najvećem takmičenju scenarija u Americi.

Na žalost, mnogi su želeli da ga predstave u negativnom svetlu, kao ludog naučnika, a naša misija je imala upravo suprotan cilj – da kroz film odstranimo zablude o njemu. Zato smo propustili mnoge ponude. Shvatili smo da moramo da zadržimo kontrolu nad filmom, ako želimo da prezentiramo tačan Teslin portret, pa smo se delimično okrenuli ka nezavisnoj produkciji. Dobili smo veliku podršku značajnih ljudi, a našoj misiji pridružila su se neka velika holivudska imena kao što je Majkl Lernar, nominovan za Oscara, glumica Šon Jang iz filmova ‘Blejdraner’ i Volstrit’, glumac Leo Rosi i kinematograf Hauard Smit (Howard Smith) iz ‘Hari Potera’ i Matriksa.

Uspeli smo da nekako prikupimo pare kako bismo nastavili predprodukciju, a onda smo odlučili da novac doniramo za tadašnju akciju prikupljanja novca za otkup Vordenklifa. Tako smo donirali 30.000 dolara Teslinom naučnom centru. Sa druge strane, naš dokumentarni film ‘Kula ka ljudima’ imao je mnogo drugačiji put. Bila je velika čast intervjuisati tako mnogo značajnih ličnosti koje su bile vezane za Teslu, kao što je Vilijam Terbo, poslednji čovek koji je sa Teslom u krvnom srodstvu. Od Teslinog muzeja iz Beograda dobili smo retke fotografije i nacrte tako da smo uspeli da rekonstuišemo kulu Vordenklifa za naš dokumentarac. Jedva čekam da nastavimo da podižemo svest o Tesli u Americi’.

Genije i heroj

Tesla me je najpre zainteresovao zbog smrtonosnih zrakova i zbog mašine za pravljenje zemljotresa. Međutim, što vise saznajem o njemu to sam sve opsednutiji, a sada sam mnogo zainteresovaniji za neke druge tehnologije koje je razvio. Iz moje perspektive, on nije ni morao da izume antigravitacionu mašinu da bi osvojio jedno od najvišijh mesta u nauci. Njega već čini herojem to što je radio za dobrobit čovečanstva, a bez ikakvih ličnih finansijskih interesa – kaže Sikorski.
Milica Puric

Storytelling

Country singer Stefani Rose about her life and music

Country singer Stefani Rose started to sing even before she started to talk. Her first audience were her dolls, and later they got replaced by people from her dad’s diving club, people in the Serbian church in Arizona, children in a theater, beauty pageants and commercials.

Stefani Rose was born in Las Vegas. She moved to Palm Springs in California, but later to New York so that she could attend the Yale University. At the same time she was writing her own music, singing, performing and learning from country legends – Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson.

Her passion towards songwriting and music has helped her when she felt the most helpless in her life – when she learned that her one-year old son has epilepsy. During those hard days she found, with the help of music, people who had similar experiences and started to talk about that which other people were afraid to talk about. She started raising awareness and teaching people about this disease, and her first album ‘Reaching Out’ was accepted as the anthem for the fight against epilepsy. All the revenue from that song went to the Epilepsy Foundation which raises awareness about this disease.

Few years ago I was depressed. I felt that the burden of life was too heavy for me to bear. My one-year old son was diagnosed with epilepsy, my two year old daughter was allergic to everything, my husband had lost his job, and I was thinking that I’m losing my mind. Before that I had left my job so that I could stay home and take care of my family, and now I felt that I had let them down.

That terrible feeling of powerlessness had reminded her of a time when an unknown robber assaulted her so that he could rape and kill her as the police had explained to her. The trauma was severe, and Stephanie fought against it by ‘locking the event in a dark box’ somewhere deep in herself and losing the ‘key’. She didn’t want to talk about it, and she asked her friends and family not to mention the event. On the surface everything looked normal, but Stephanie was still helpless deep down. She escaped the memories by taking sleeping pills and antidepressants. And then in 2006. she got married. She stopped taking the pills and started to live healthy, especially when she got pregnant. And everything was perfect until the 27 minute long epileptic attack that her son had in 2011. The doctors had no explanation why that was happening and were asking her if someone in her family had epilepsy. At the same time Stefani’s trauma had returned, and the robber from her past started to haunt her in her dreams. Everything seemed lost until the moment that her mom had called her and told her that she had gotten the documents which show that her brother, Stephanie’s uncle, also had epilepsy.

That was the message that I was longing for so long. It inspired me to talk about the things I’ve been going through. I started to write songs again, to run, to go to a therapist, read books about health and nutrition, to lost weight and to finally get a grip on my life. I found new strength in myself: I could finally talk free about the robber from my past and the disease of my son. I also started to sing songs that I had written for my friends, but haven’t had the courage to record them. I want inspire other people.

Two years after that, Stefani recorded an album in Nashville, th

e capital of country music in America. Her new song ‘Crazy in my blood’ came out in 2012.

I realized that the power to change our lives is in ourselves. Maybe we will do it on our own, but if we try to reach out to the world, someone will answer. Maybe it will take some time, maybe we will hear our own echo, but we will hear an answer.

Stefani says that it’s incredible to see the reactions and the letters that she had gotten from people when they heard her song ‘Reaching out’ or when they read about her experiences.

I replied to every letter very seriously, because everyone deserves my answer. We find similarities in our experiences – whether they are about epilepsy or about our life experience or about our happiness.

Many people are grateful that she stepped out to talk about a disease that many people usually don’t want to talk about.

I had gotten letters from fans that had lost their loved ones to epilepsy and who had found new strength by listening to my song. No one has to be alone or to have a lack of information. I found the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles and have finally started to control my son’s disease and my own life. At the same time I started to write about my newfound strength that had changed my life. I’m grateful for that and I try to give back as much as I can.