Anna Netrebko, Warwick and the globalism of the early 2000s 

One of my favourite stories about my grandad was that he was a big fan of “La Traviata.” A son of a relatively successful merchant in Nikšić, at some point between the two world wars, he accompanied his mother to Karlovy Vary spa, where he met a Czech girl and fell in love. Unfortunately, his paramour contracted tuberculosis and passed away, which set him off … Continue reading Anna Netrebko, Warwick and the globalism of the early 2000s 

Best of Belgrade Food Scene 2023: A value for money guide

It has been a while since I did this type of list. Firstly, COVID threw a spanner into a lot of great businesses which did not survive the pandemic or have changed how they work entirely (lots of them, like Proleće and most of Skadarlija becoming basically crap overpriced tourist haunts) . Secondly, when I started writing this blog, Belgrade’s food scene was significantly less … Continue reading Best of Belgrade Food Scene 2023: A value for money guide

No, things will never be okay / “Tennessee waltz”

My Grandmother was an amazing person, without whose love and support my life would have been much worse. I owe a lot to her: love of Belgrade’s history, a certain sense of humour, as well as the tendency towards obesity and comforting myself with food.   She was kind, funny and strong, and a rare person whose affection towards me I could physically feel whenever … Continue reading No, things will never be okay / “Tennessee waltz”

Lost Belgrade: Structures that should RETVRN to Belgrade’s street

Serbia’s and Yugoslavia’s embrace of modernist architecture after WWII has been so thorough that any thought of reviving architectural styles before 1920s is seen as automatically kitschy and a no-no amongst our architects. While some structures were restored (the building housing the National museum, Central Belgrade palace complex) after extensive aerial bombings during WWII many were replaced with new modernist buildings, but there was also … Continue reading Lost Belgrade: Structures that should RETVRN to Belgrade’s street

Путовање до базена: Правда за круг Двојке

Јутрос сам одлучио да се мало охладим и запалим на 25. мај, како бих се охладио од спарине које се спсустила. Како сам успео да промашим фамозну Двојку и 79ку, кренуо сам пешке из лиминалног дела Старог града у коме обитавам и у коме сам обитавао, стицајем околности, од детињства, са ”Старе Палиуле”, ”Копитареве градине”, ”испод Скупштине”, ”око Палмотићеве” (без медицинских импликација) – све у … Continue reading Путовање до базена: Правда за круг Двојке

Hidden Belgrade (66): SIVilisational decline

For a very long time, SIV, for me, was just a drab government building. While I passed it fairly often, unthinkingly, on my regular walks between old Zemun, much like the whole of New Belgrade – with the exception of Sava Centar – it was unremarkable, melding into the grey mass of what I (and many around me) termed as “uninspiring socialist architecture”, something that … Continue reading Hidden Belgrade (66): SIVilisational decline

Pokretači #136  Srpski DNK projekat i istraživanje porekla sa Nikolom Vukosavljevićem

Nikola Vukosavljević je Glavni urednik Srpskog DNK projekta, koji je deo širih aktivnosti genealoškog ruštva Poreklo. Pričali smo o tome šta DNK analize mogu i ne mogu da nam kažu, zašto su moćna alatka u istraživanju istorije i arhelogije, iako podložna misinterpretacijama. Beleške Srpski DNK Projekat i Poreklo O političkim debatama oko korišćenja DNK u arheologiji Lep kanal o praistorijskim temama i migracijama Pratite Pokretače … Continue reading Pokretači #136  Srpski DNK projekat i istraživanje porekla sa Nikolom Vukosavljevićem

Pokretači #135 Staša Tončev iz 21grams o balkanskoj duši u Dubaiu

Straša Tončev je pokretač 21grams – izuzetnog restorana balkanske hrane u Dubaiu koji je uspeo da dovede dušu naših protora na ovo zahvetno tržište. Pričali smo o nagradama koje su ona i 21grams uspeli da osvoje, pokretanju posla u stranoj zemlji i tome šta je duša naše hrane. Beleške Lokacije 21grams u Meyan Mallu kod Jumeriah beach-a i u TimeOut Marketu kod Burj Khalife Tekstovi … Continue reading Pokretači #135 Staša Tončev iz 21grams o balkanskoj duši u Dubaiu

#134 Rođak sa sela: Uroš i Milena Stojanović u i o Misači

Uroš i Milena Stojanović su zamenili ulice Stare Palilule za aranđelovačko selo Misača, gde su zasadili voćnak i pokrenuli “Rođak sa sela”, proizvodnju kobasica i drugih delikatesa. Pričali smo o lepotama i izazovima života na selu: od problema sa trenutnim “podsticajima” do toga zašto bi svi trebalo da negujemo seoski mentalitet. Beleške Rođak sa sela Facebook profil O Misači i par saveta za putovanja po … Continue reading #134 Rođak sa sela: Uroš i Milena Stojanović u i o Misači

Belgrade Post-Modern: Ruins at the End of History

“The only way for us to become great, or even inimitable if possible, is to imitate the ancients.” Johann Joachim Winckelmann  “As is the case with the weather: rain and storms from the West reached us and so did Postmodernism. At the very beginning of Postmodernism, a great conference was held in Zagreb on that topic, which identified vectors and positive values ​​of the movement … Continue reading Belgrade Post-Modern: Ruins at the End of History

Pokretači #123 Monika Lang o ilustracijama, stvaralačkom putu i stranputicama

Monika Lang je jedna od najboljih ilustratorki u ovom, sve boljem, polju u Srbiji. Pričali smo o njenom stvaralačkom procesu ali i putu koji je sama krčila kao free-lancer do nekih od najboljih grafičkih rešenja u proteklih par decenija kod nas.  Beleške Džef u Veneciji, smrt u Benaresu – Džef Dajer Intervjui sa pokretačima Majstora i Margarite i Zaokreta (Monikini više nego zadovljni klijenti!) Suveniri … Continue reading Pokretači #123 Monika Lang o ilustracijama, stvaralačkom putu i stranputicama

Pokretači #121 Stefan Tošović o akcijanju i akciji u sportu i medijima

Stefan Tošović je čovek iza Akcijanja u akciji, jednog od najboljih novih medijskih projekata koji približavaju sport, fitnes ali i druge discipline gledaocima. Stefan, inače bivši urednik Men’s Healtha Srbija, je podelio i svoje uvide u svet fitnesa i medija, dve industrije koje su se ozbiljno promenile u protekloj deceniji. Beleške: Stefanov osvrt na sport tokom pandemije Intervju sa Stefanom Kneževićem Stol kod Bora Pratite … Continue reading Pokretači #121 Stefan Tošović o akcijanju i akciji u sportu i medijima

Build Better: How a Belgrade Firm Built the World

Energoprojekt, the most famous firm based in Belgrade, is celebrating 70 years this year, and thanks to the great people of BINA (Belgrade International Architecture Week) I got acquainted a bit further with both its amazing HQ in New Belgrade as well as its accomplishments around the world. The frim, founded in 1951, initially focused on major energy projects in Yugoslavia, building its coal and … Continue reading Build Better: How a Belgrade Firm Built the World

Making an entrance, Belgrade style

Entrances to buildings in Belgrade used to be stages where architects showed their utmost creativity in the interwar period. They were designed to woo potential tentants to buy or rent by making a block of flats look like a private castle, or to impose the serious nature of a company or official building. Some of my favourites were built while Belgrade modernism (local variant of … Continue reading Making an entrance, Belgrade style

Inventing Illyria for Gain and Glory

Being an ambitious and accomplished sailor in 16th century Spanish Empire could only get you so far. Despite being a hero of the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 against the Ottomans, saving two ships in the failed attack of the Invincible Armada on the English in 1588 and sailing the world over, Petar Grgurić might have been an admiral but he faced a glass ceiling: … Continue reading Inventing Illyria for Gain and Glory

Beosvet Podkast #1 Dorćol Menhetn

Novi podkast o Beogradu. Prva epizoda o Dorćolu, Dorćol Menhetnu, o tome kako se grad promenio od vremena kada su njim žarili i palili Gru i Isidora Bjelica… i zašto ne treba da budemo nostalgični Za slične sadržaje, lajkujte The Nutshell Times na Facebooku! Postanite mecena The Nutshell Times-a preko Patreona. Continue reading Beosvet Podkast #1 Dorćol Menhetn

Hidden Belgrade (53): Belgrade’s Most Storied Church

Church of the Ascension (Vaznesenjska crkva) lacks the glitz of Cathedral Church of St. Michael the Archangel (Saborna crkva), the grandeur of St. Mark’s and St. Sava’s, or romance of Ružica and Topčider church, but there are few churches, in the city who witnessed as many dramatic and glorious events in the city’s history. That was maybe its fate from the beginning given that it … Continue reading Hidden Belgrade (53): Belgrade’s Most Storied Church

Pokretači #84 Andrej Josifovski Pijanista o uličnoj umetnosti / Beograd

Andrej Josifovski, aka Pijanista, je jedan od najkreativnijih domaćih uličnih umetnika, koji je pre par dana uzbudio javnost svojim novim radom, privremenom instalacijom raspetog Hrista na stubu sa kamerama za nadzor. Pričali smo o smislu ulične umetnosti u vremenu kada se ona sve više komodifikuje, o njegovim pokušajima da od Bežanijske kose napravi muzej na otvorenom kao, i „grass-roots“ inicijativama za unapređivanje krajeva po Beogradu. … Continue reading Pokretači #84 Andrej Josifovski Pijanista o uličnoj umetnosti / Beograd

Pokretači #82 Dušan Sekulić Sejkul o vizionarskom dizajnu i arhitekturi / Ljubljana

Dušan Sekulić – Sejkul je prošle godine dobio Slovensku Nagradu za Oblikovanje (tj. dizajn) u kategoriji “Perspektivni” za projekat Ljubljanskog Transport Hub-a koji bi doveo laku avijaciju u srce Ljubljane. Njegovi vizionarski projekti uključuju vrlo i elegantan vizir (kao stvoren za trenutnu situaciju), kao i prilično kontroverzni projekat stana u bilbordu. Pored ovakvih konceptualnih ideja, Dušan se bavi i dizajnom svetlosti, scenografijom kao i standardnim … Continue reading Pokretači #82 Dušan Sekulić Sejkul o vizionarskom dizajnu i arhitekturi / Ljubljana