Tejas Verdes – spectacular theatre holding a Chilean mirror up to this island’s past (The MAC, until 14 June)

It’s estimated that over 3,000 Chileans went missing or were killed in the aftermath of the 11 September 1973 coup. Tejas Verdes tells one story. Standing in The MAC’s dark theatre space with a gritty feel underfoot, the audience listen to the disturbing testimony of six women who explain their involvement in the disappearance of one young Chilean woman, Colorina. Over an hour, a series of monologues unravel the horror of the physical torture the “leftish revolutionary” endured. A military …

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Villa and Discurso – Chilean political drama in The MAC (27 May-14 June)

Two great plays – Villa and Discurso – form part of a season of Chilean political drama at The MAC. Sitting last night in an amphitheatre constructed in the upstairs venue, for ninety minutes the wraparound audience listened in to a discussion between three Chilean women who had been singled out to decide on how to transform the former Villa Grimaldi secret torture centre. Villa begins with a vote and it quickly becomes apparent that there are no obvious answers …

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The ALMA Inauguration

As the BBC reported on Wednesday, having opened its eyes in 2011, and with 57 of its 66 antennas now ready to receive data on the Chajnantor Plateau in the Atacama desert, Chile, the Atacama Large Millimetre/Sub-millimetre Array (ALMA) was officially inaugurated on March 13.  Here’s the associated ESOcast 55: The ALMA Inauguration. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO). Editing: Martin Kornmesser and Herbert Zodet. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi Shida. Written by: Javier Perez Barbuzano and Herbert Zodet. Narration: Sara Mendes …

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“damn, what a sky…” – redux

[Image credit: ESO/Y. Beletsky]  Another stunning time-lapse video of the wondrous night sky above the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope [VLT] array on top of Cerro Paranal in Chile’s Atacama Desert.  This time presented as ESO Cast 50: Chile Chill 1.  [Marvel at the solar system in motion… – Ed]  Or, indeed, the galaxy.  Stay with it past a relatively slow start for the best images. Video via Eso Observatory. Video Credit: ESO. Editing: Herbert Zodet. Web and technical support: Mathias André and Raquel Yumi …

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