© Kirby Ferguson (via YouTube)
There is an element of explotation to all creatitvity, to appropriate is to take without permission —that’s creativity. You don’t ask others if you could do it, you just do it. Who would you ask anyway? It’s okay to take if you do it the right way.
As a foreigner very much into Asian –more particularly Japanese– culture, philosophy and design, cultural appropriation is a topic I’ve thought about quite a bit already —and even more so since I’m a father now, trying to be the best role model I can be.
Just like with his absolutely amazing series on remixing, Kirby Ferguson makes some valid points on this sensitive topic during his Farewell to Cultural Appropriation.
On a related note: Ferguson is bringing his 2020 series This Is Not a Conspiracy Theory to YouTube (for free). Episode one is available already, the other five parts will be released every two weeks. I haven’t seen it as of now, so I can’t tell you if it is any good, but given the recent track record of the filmmaker, I’m going to watch it for sure!
The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.
© The Beauty Of (via Youtube)
Some shots from one of my favourite movies, 2021’s fantastic interpretation of Frank Herberts Dune by Denis Villeneuve.
© Sigrid (via Youtube)
When the world is on your shoulders /
And the weight of your own heart is too much to bear /
Wеll, I know that you’re afraid things will always be this way /
It’s just a bad day, not a bad life
— from Bad Life by Sigrid feat. Bring Me The Horizon
Looking forward to the second album “How To Let Go” by Norwegian singer and songwriter Sigrid to be released on Friday, three years after her debut “Sucker Punch”.
© Love Hultén (via YouTube)
This beautiful wooden sound machine called TE-LAB by audiovisual artist Love Hultén is inspired by the Turntable Sequencer from Lomond Campbell and built around modules from Swedish electronics company and design studio Teenage Engineering —whose products and design language I admire a lot.
Read more about this unique instrument on the company’s blog.
© Google (via YouTube)
Each object has its own communication method, like puffs of air or ambient sounds. Additionally, their simple movements and controls bring them to life and respond to changing surroundings and needs.
Usually I’m not interested in smart home devices –I’m more in line with the sentiment of Internet of Shit, but this Google experiment called Little Signals shows some wonderful fresh and humane solutions for some rather common notification needs.
And the best thing of it all: There are free instructions available to rebuild the technological side of those unusual objects yourself with widely available, affordable parts.
If I already have a vision, my work is almost done. The rest is a technical problem.
© Polyphonic (via YouTube)
It’s absolutely mind-boggling to me that ‘Inside’ by Bo Burnham was released almost a year ago. But the dwindling of time asides;
After seeing the Special multiple times since its release and listening to the songs separately even more often, I still consider it to be one of the most notable pieces of art published in years. Not only is it an accurate reflection of the pandemic reality and the feelings probably most of us had or have to face as a consequence, but beyond that, I consider it to be one of the most spot-on dissections of (current) internet culture the entertainment industry has to offer.
As I have learned through the recently released video essay Bo Burnham, Arcade Fire, and the Infinite Dread of the Internet by Polyphonic, Arcade Fire –who have returned not long ago with a new single from their upcoming album WE, (tbr. in May)– have been criticizing the development plaguing the world wide web years ago, as well. Guess it’s time to give their albums ‘Reflector’ (2013) and ‘Everything Now’ (2017) a more considerate listening (again).
© Fame Focus (via YouTube)
Recently I received the beautiful behind-the-scenes book “The Art and Soul of Dune“, so I’ve been searching for and soaking in every making-of about Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi masterpiece I managed to get my hands on lately.
Besides the already mentioned amazing Sound of Dune, I particularly found this one about the practical effects and the huge challenges caused by filming in the desert quite interesting: Dune 2021’s “Sand Screen” Method VFX Breakdown
© A24 (via YouTube)
A beloved character gets his big-screen debut in this hilarious and heartwarming story about finding connection in the smallest corners.
Another wonderful Trailer from A24 —I’ve mentioned The Beach and Everything Everywhere All At Once not long ago, this time it seems to be more of a heartwarming –albeit still a bit weird– family film: Marcel The Shell With Shoes On.
A24 has a great track record lately: I’m still bummed I missed The Green Knight in the cinema, C’mon C’mon by Mike Mills is pretty high on my current watchlist, and the trailer for the new movie by Alex Garland, Men, looks –and sounds– great, as well.
If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed.
Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case.
Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is not made to be a crumb.