I Am Not A Sunny Individual
Plato, almanacs, and moths…
Hello! It’s been a while again, I’m sorry. At least I’m consistent in my inconsistency, I guess. This last 18 months have meant so many compromises and delayed plans for everyone, I’m hoping that this time next year (because my years still start in September) at least one of mine will finally come to fruition. I’m so close, and it has been agonisingly slow progress since I had the seed of this idea last Christmas. If the stars align then it will be out in the world in time for this one.
In the meantime, this is what’s been filling up my logbook:
For someone who doesn’t wear a watch, the passage of time is one of my more surprising obsessions. I’m eagerly awaiting the paperback release (don’t even try and convince me to use an e-reader/audiobook) of Oliver Burkeman’s Four Thousand Weeks: Time and How To Use It (the hardback comes out today). This article on the mathematical construct of clock time, The Tyranny Of Time, will equally blow your mind and remind you of something you’ve always known.
Far more comfortable with ecological time, I love an almanac - The Quiet Mysticism Of Almanacs - but what do you do with your years gone by? Is it weird that I keep mine?
And linked to my fascination with time, is my desire to document it. I long for the days of summer afternoons scrapbooking after seaside adventures, like The Aymonino Family’s Travel Albums.
Back in my March round-up I shared the work of Paula Zuccotti, here is her wonderful pandemic curation, Lockdown Essentials.
It’s reassuring to know that older generations bemoaning new technologies is not a new thing - see Plato’s opinion on that new-fangled fad of writing - and I’m certainly not opposed to technology (despite my e-reader/audiobook aversion) but I know deep down that my own use of tech seriously impacts my creativity. Research Suggests We’re All Getting Less Creative is a cautionary read.
This installation by Penelope Umbrico, that explores the ‘shift in meaning and value that occurs when the individual subjective experience of witnessing and photographing is revealed as a collective practice’. Contrary to the intention, I actually prefer the collective images, especially when she arranges them by colour.
I love teenagers. I feel a great solidarity with them (although I’m certainly not cool, probably evidenced by my use of the term cool). Dan often teases me for my teenage tastes - I absolutely adore young adult movies, tv and books. At the time of writing I’m using all my willpower to resist the temptation of the newly released episodes of Gossip Girl 2.0 until I’ve finished working. This article on Who Owns the Teen Girl Aesthetic? gives me such nostalgia.
Another flashback to my early teens, when I’d spend many an hour drawing imaginary floorplans of dream houses, was brought right back when I saw Nikneuk’s floorplans of fictional buildings. A delightful rabbit hole to fall down - or maybe just for those of us with unusual hobbies.
These beautiful mezzotints of moths.
The sad passing of amazing collage artists Lois Ehlert and Eric Carle led me to this joyful film of Mr Rogers visiting Eric Carle’s studio, and prompted my own exploration of painted tissue paper.
Not long now until my toes are in the North Sea. Personally, I could do without the sand, but these mega close up pictures remind me that it’s beautiful.
And then I’m ready for autumn. An autumnaphile to the core, and like Jay Rayner, right down to my stomach. Dan sent me this article because it reminded him so much of me, it was probably the opening line to be honest ‘In matters of lunch, I am not a sunny individual’ - couldn’t be anymore true of me, in matters of lunch or otherwise.
Watch: Sound of Metal, P!nk: All I Know So Far, Vivo. See: Jess Collins’ paste-ups, Corita Kent’s rules, Josef Peleček.
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xoxo,
Cat