What's better than live music, beautiful art and cocktails on Saturday afternoon? Well, nothing really. This was the case last Saturday at the stunningly beautiful Rose Rouge cocktail bar, as musician James Burki and artist Susan Lucida showed off their best work.
On Saturday, July 14th, the Pica Pica Parade once again brought live music and art to Rotterdam Noord. This time, the location was Rose Rouge, a cocktail bar on the corner of Benthuizerstraat and Bloklandstraat in the Oude Noorden neighbourhood.
The first thing I did when I arrived at Rose Rouge was head to the bar and check out the menu. I knew I was getting a cocktail, it was just a matter of choosing the right one. Rose Rouge has a variety of cocktails with rather uncommon ingredients such as egg whites and celery.
Pica Pica presents James Burki and Susan Lucida at Rose RougeThe friendly bartender assured me they weren't as adventurous as I thought. Still, I kept it safe and ordered a 'Holiday.' You can't go wrong with grapefruit gin and lemonade, right?
Pica Pica presents James Burki and Susan Lucida at Rose RougeI swear I didn't know it was going to be this pink. 'Holiday' ingredients: grapefruit gin, liquer de violettes, sicilian lemonade.
Rose Rouge
Rose Rouge has an amazing decor. While the band was setting up and my drink was being prepared, I decided to snap a few shots of the café's interior design.
Pica Pica presents James Burki and Susan Lucida at Rose Rouge
Pica Pica presents James Burki and Susan Lucida at Rose Rouge
Pica Pica presents James Burki and Susan Lucida at Rose RougeJames Burki
"We're going to start." It's around a quarter past five when James Burki, together with a percussionist and guitarist start performing. James Burki is a songwriter from the Hague. His music can be described as pop-punk/indie. Burki is mostly inspired by American music from the 1980's as well as more recent acts such as Owl City and The 1975.
Pica Pica presents James Burki and Susan Lucida at Rose RougeAccording to James, he's used to performing in a big band with live drums and synthesizers. But the acoustic setting, though different, suits the music very well. The music is melodic, the vocals are passionate and every hook is so catchy it simply begs you to sing along.
Pica Pica presents James Burki and Susan Lucida at Rose Rouge
Pica Pica presents James Burki and Susan Lucida at Rose Rouge
Pica Pica presents James Burki and Susan Lucida at Rose RougeFind out more about James Burki's music by visiting the official James Burki Facebook page.
Susan Lucida
Today's featured artist is known as Susan Lucida, a pseudonym which draws in equal parts from both Susan Sontag and Camera Lucida, has come to Rose Rouge to exhibit her work: Icons. Through her art, Susan Lucida aims to distance the photo from the photography by adding mixed media, such as textiles, filigree or gold. The result is a photo that isn't really what it seems. The subject of the photo is 'perfect', but the angle and the amount of light in the room affect the way the image is perceived. At first, you might not see anything at all. That is until you really pay attention.
Pica Pica presents James Burki and Susan Lucida at Rose RougeIn today’s society we are bombarded with photographs. Images that are staged, framed or photoshopped and increasingly becoming more homogenous. Everywhere we see the same values emerging on the looks of beauty, power or attractiveness. - Susan Lucida
In her own words, the photo's we see in everyday modern media symbolize a loss as they do not make a contribution to society. Susan Lucida wants you to make an effort not to take images at face value, but to really try and understand what is going on in terms of both the image and the way it is framed.
Pica Pica presents James Burki and Susan Lucida at Rose Rouge
Pica Pica presents James Burki and Susan Lucida at Rose RougeFind out more about Susan Lucida by visiting her official website.
Location: Rose Rouge
Rose Rouge is located in Rotterdam Noord. You can get there by taking trams 4 or 8. It's a 6-minute bicycle ride or a 20-minute walk from Centraal Station (2 kilometres).
