Latest news with #Huguet
Korea Herald
24-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Complex twists in simple lines: Vincent Huguet, Pierre Yovanovitch reimagine 'The Marriage of Figaro'
French creators bring to stage their inspirations including Bong Jun-ho's 'Parasite,' hanbok and 1920s French architeture The Korea National Opera opened its 2025 season last week with Mozart's comedic masterpiece, "The Marriage of Figaro," directed by Vincent Huguet with set and costume design by Pierre Yovanovitch. Hailing from France, the two brought a distinctly French sensibility to Seoul. Though the location didn't specifically shape their vision, he welcomed the opportunity to step outside his comfort zone, Huguet told The Korea Herald last week, adding that it was "exciting" to bring a bit of France to Korea through his interpretation. Set to music by Mozart, "The Marriage of Figaro" was written by Italian writer Lorenzo Da Ponte, adapted from the French play by Pierre Beaumarchais. The opera unfolds over the course of 24 hours, centering around Figaro, valet to Count Almaviva, and his fiancee Susanna as they prepare for their wedding. For the opera known for intricate plot twists, mistaken identities, clever disguises, overlapping romantic intrigues and layered social commentary, Huguet and Yovanovitch created a stage that reflects structural simplicity and timeless elegance, blending clean lines with geometric touches. "Because of my background in studying history, I have a tremendous respect for the operas that I'm staging. My role is to honor the original while offering an interpretation that resonates with the present," Huguet said, adding that he is not that much interested in taking bold creative liberties with the interpretation of the work. 'It's about returning to the essence of the work — what moves us — and building something meaningful from that foundation,' he added. Huguet made his opera directorial debut in 2012 with Delibes' "Lakme" at the Opera National de Montpellier. Between 2021 and 2022, he directed Mozart's entire "Da Ponte trilogy" — "Cosi fan tutte," "The Marriage of Figaro," and "Don Giovanni"— at the Berlin State Opera. Still, Huguet emphasized the need for fresh aesthetics to help connect opera with younger audiences, especially as the traditional opera-going demographic continues to age. To bring a new aesthetic, Huguet and Yovanovitch collaborated for a second time. Yovanovitch, an internationally renowned designer, fulfilled a personal dream by venturing into opera stage design. For 'The Marriage of Figaro,' which is Yovanovitch's first time creating costumes, the designer drew inspiration from both France and Korea. For the latest production, the two artists drew inspiration from Ziggurat, an ancient Mesopotamian temple tower, and Villa Noailles, a 1920s iconic early modernist house in southeastern France. This design choice underscores the timeless elegance and clarity of modernist aesthetics, providing a clean, structured visual frame for the complex narrative, according to Yovanovitch. Huguet added that the set design was also inspired by Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning film "Parasite," in which stairs symbolically represent the division and movement between social classes. The stage light reflected the events of the single day, with lighting used to mimic the changing position of the sun. Against a backdrop of gentle curves and empty walls, the lighting captured the passage of time with poetic subtlety. Huguet noted that the garden scene at the opera's end is both the most beautiful and the most important space in the entire production. The opera unfolded dynamically through a rotating stage at the center, which changed along with the distinct scenes of the opera. The custom designs also reflected the essence of the story. 'Depending on the light and depending on the angle, the costume design could be absolutely French or absolutely Korean but it's never one or the other. Just as 'The Marriage of Figaro' is on the edge, and never black or white,' said Huguet. gypark@
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
An Archaeologist Found a 1 Million-Year-Old Face
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Fragments of human facial bones that surfaced in northern Spain have been found to be 1.1 to 1.4 million years old, meaning that they are parts of the oldest human face in Western Europe. The individual, now called 'Pink,' is thought to be more primitive than Homo antecessor—a hominin which lived in the area 800,000 to 900,000 years ago—and closer to Homo erectus. Similarities between Pink and Homo erectus prompted scientists to give this new individual the name Homo 'affinis' erectus, though further research needs to be done to determine more about this face's morphology. When a fragment of a skull emerged from a cave in northern Spain, archaeologist Rosa Huguet was almost certain it came from a human ancestor. What she didn't know at the time of the excavation was that she was coming face to face (pun intended) with the most ancient human visage in Western Europe. Huguet nicknamed the hominin 'Pink.' The oldest faces on the European continent—which are also the most ancient outside of Africa—were unearthed in Dmanisi, Georgia, and belong to five 1.8 million-year-old skulls from a hominin group known as Homo georgicus, which is thought to be closely related to Homo erectus. When early humans arrived in the western part of Europe was less certain, until now. The cheek and upper jawbone fragments that Huguet and her team found in 2022 (and have been investigating since then) are between 1.1 and 1.4 million years old, making them the oldest human fossils in Western Europe. 'This finding enables us to not only learn about the facial morphology of early Europeans, but also increase our knowledge of the evolutionary history of our ancestors in Europe,' she said in a study recently published in Nature. Before this discovery, the Iberian Peninsula was still the only region with any evidence of early human migration to Western Europe. The only other artifacts this ancient were a 1.1 miillion-year-old hominin jawbone (found at the same site in 2007), a slightly older tooth and finger bone from nearby, and several stone tools. But these had little to tell about human settlement and activity during the Early Pleistocene. The next oldest human fossils are Homo antecessor bones (about 800,000 to 900,000 years old). These were also excavated from the site at which Pink was uncovered—known as Sima del Elefante—and Huguet observed that their facial morphology is much closer to that of modern humans than Pink's was. Homo antecessor shows an obvious difference in the section of bone just below the eye socket, which 'slopes down and backwards just like Homo sapiens,' as Huguet said in the study. The same part of Pink's face slopes forward, which is considered to be more primitive. Something else that stood out about Pink was the side of the face, which was less arched than that of Homo antecessor. The upper jaw of Homo antecessor showed a bend that Pink's upper jawbone did not have. Pink also had a flatter nose and was missing a hollow area below the eye, and all these differences led Huguet to conclude that she was looking at a hominin further removed from modern humans than Homo did this face compare to Homo erectus and the Georgian skulls? Both of these hominins had pronounced differences from Pink on the sides of the face, with cheekbones that protruded outward more. Pink also had a narrower face than Homo erectus fossils from Africa and Asia. Despite this, it is still thought that Pink is closer to these faces than Homo antecessor, and is possibly a new hominin species that is now being called Homo 'affinis' erectus—a hominin close to Homo Erectus. There are, literally and otherwise, many pieces missing from Pink's history. The researchers think that the hominin may fall somewhere in between Homo georgicus and Homo antecessor. It is also possible that Homo affinis erectus and Homo antecessor coexisted for a while, or that Pink's species vanished entirely before Homo antecessor appeared. Huguet plans on continuing with her research. Either way, Pink is giving prehistoric Western Europe a new face. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Photos reveal face of million-year-old human unearthed at ancient site
Archeologists have unearthed what could be the oldest human face in Western Europe. Dated at between 1.1 and 1.4 million years, the bone fragments have some resemblance to extinct Homo erectus and was found close to animal bones with cut marks from stone tools. This week, Professor Rosa Huguet from Rovira i Virgili University recalled the moment her team first discovered the fossilised bones. She described the feeling as one of 'great excitement' paired with the responsibility of needing to rigorously research the find. 'Where it was recovered was very ancient. Later, when we realised it was a face, and during the paleoanthropological study, we saw that the discovery was not only important but also groundbreaking for the study of human evolution,' she told Yahoo News. Related: Object used in 12,000 year old curse unearthed in cave The fragments, which have been collectively named ATE7-1, were found at the Sima del Elefante dig site in Northern Spain in 2022. They were once part of the ancient human's maxilla and zygomatic bones that form the upper part of the jaw, roof of the mouth, and areas of the eye socket and nose. The findings were published in the prestigious journal Nature overnight. Humans are thought to have settled in Eurasia about 1.8 million years ago and this is evidenced by the ancient stone tools from the period. Bone fragment fossils are much less common. In an email to Yahoo, Huguet described the world in which ATE7-1 likely lived in. 'Paleoecological data suggests an open, humid forest landscape with trees, shrubs, and watercourses in the vicinity of the site,' she said. Looking at the adult face bones, it's impossible to tell anything about the person's appearance, sex, or even which species it is. It's been provisionally named Homo aff. erectus, indicating an affinity to Homo erectus, pending further evidence. What tells us more about the person and how they lived are the other objects found nearby. 'We have recovered a small collection of tools, including cobbles and flakes made of quartz and flint, both local materials, suggesting that the lithic resources were sourced from areas near the site,' Huguet said. 'Use-wear analysis of these tools indicates they were likely used for processing animal meat. Additionally, we recovered a rib from a deer-like animal at the site, which shows clear cut marks, providing evidence that these hominins could obtain meat resources for their survival.' 🐣 Once common Aussie bird among 21 new species facing extinction 😳 Mammoth de-extinction team produces 'groundbreaking' new creature 🦴 Extinction of giant species rethought after 'very rare' find Huguet hopes to find more fossils at Sima del Elefante that will allow her team to better understand this new species that lived in Europe over a million years ago. 'It will certainly be challenging, but not impossible. And if [Sima del Elefante] has shown us anything, it's that anything can happen, and everything is possible,' she said. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Million-year-old discovery reveals 'groundbreaking' insights into ancient lives of humans
Archeologists have unearthed what could be the oldest human face in Western Europe. Dated at between 1.1 and 1.4 million years, the bone fragments have some resemblance to extinct Homo erectus and was found close to animal bones with cut marks from stone tools. This week, Professor Rosa Huguet from Rovira i Virgili University recalled the moment her team first discovered the fossilised bones. She described the feeling as one of 'great excitement' paired with the responsibility of needing to rigorously research the find. 'Where it was recovered was very ancient. Later, when we realised it was a face, and during the paleoanthropological study, we saw that the discovery was not only important but also groundbreaking for the study of human evolution,' she told Yahoo News. Related: Object used in 12,000 year old curse unearthed in cave The fragments, which have been collectively named ATE7-1, were found at the Sima del Elefante dig site in Northern Spain in 2022. They were once part of the ancient human's maxilla and zygomatic bones that form the upper part of the jaw, roof of the mouth, and areas of the eye socket and nose. The findings were published in the prestigious journal Nature overnight. Humans are thought to have settled in Eurasia about 1.8 million years ago and this is evidenced by the ancient stone tools from the period. Bone fragment fossils are much less common. In an email to Yahoo, Huguet described the world in which ATE7-1 likely lived in. 'Paleoecological data suggests an open, humid forest landscape with trees, shrubs, and watercourses in the vicinity of the site,' she said. Looking at the adult face bones, it's impossible to tell anything about the person's appearance, sex, or even which species it is. It's been provisionally named Homo aff. erectus, indicating an affinity to Homo erectus, pending further evidence. What tells us more about the person and how they lived are the other objects found nearby. 'We have recovered a small collection of tools, including cobbles and flakes made of quartz and flint, both local materials, suggesting that the lithic resources were sourced from areas near the site,' Huguet said. 'Use-wear analysis of these tools indicates they were likely used for processing animal meat. Additionally, we recovered a rib from a deer-like animal at the site, which shows clear cut marks, providing evidence that these hominins could obtain meat resources for their survival.' 🐣 Once common Aussie bird among 21 new species facing extinction 😳 Mammoth de-extinction team produces 'groundbreaking' new creature 🦴 Extinction of giant species rethought after 'very rare' find Huguet hopes to find more fossils at Sima del Elefante that will allow her team to better understand this new species that lived in Europe over a million years ago. 'It will certainly be challenging, but not impossible. And if [Sima del Elefante] has shown us anything, it's that anything can happen, and everything is possible,' she said. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
