Mariano Otheguy
MSc in Naval Architecture, specialising in Offshore Engineering and Yacht Design.
Oops, it seems this might be the wrong place to put an introduction of who I am… it seems.
It was many years ago when I entered the School of Naval Architecture in Madrid, the port without a coast, the beach without a sea, the floating structures with even more sense than anywhere in the shore side. Just few months after getting deep into the hardest maths and physics I had ever got in touch with, I joined the Tuna. This University Folk Ensemble with centuries of tradition became a complete universe of music to explore, plenty of lessons to learn which I gratefully studied hard for many years and still do…
The years went by, I became the Director of the ensemble and together with my work team many beautiful things emerged. A true friendship, a group synergy, then the prizes, the recordings, the performances all over the world… so many experiences with real friends, with the kindest people worldwide as well, the most incredible stages and the weirdest situations. I felt really deep feelings that I am still processing and assimilating most of them, when the hurricane of our western style of life leaves some idle minutes to take a breath. A typhoon of lectures and exams, workshops and theses, composite materials racing yacht design, steel oil rigs, on board works supervision, sails blown up by moon winds, the breeze which brings the hope from overseas, the hope of a dream you know is to come true soon, somehow, somewhere…
Right here, right now. When you feel your spirit tells you to do something, then you understand you will do. No explanation needed. None at all. Simply the feeling that it is true. The Cartesian spirit, which has been so successful in science and technology, thus impregnating our popular culture, does not include the personal feeling and intimate experience as something actually existing… nevertheless, it exists. So, when you feel you have to do something, then you must run after it in a hurry. Research in Engineering. Latin Music. No explanation needed. None at all.
Right here, right now is when and where I am, brought by the hand of Descartes and the passion and enthusiasm which should be the core and the reason of every single decision taken in our lives. All of this is what has recently brought me to Newcastle upon Tyne. The breeze of a PhD Programme in Engineering, the moon winds of Luna de Mayo, the Latin-Fusion band I enjoy so much with my good friend Sergio Camacho.
Thus, that night the Moon turned round, stared at me. She took her full metal clothes off and it was then that I could see her heart was soft, tender and… warm. It was May. Full Moon of May. Luna llena de Mayo.
Tomorrow? There is no tomorrow. Time does not even exist. There is only right now right here, where you are reading these lines.