Dear wonderers,
It’s been a while. The New Year passed. Even the Lunar New Year passed. So I can’t use any as a pretext anymore. We’re well into 2024, we don’t even accidentally write 2023 anymore (sic!).
Since we last wondered together, I gathered all these materials about Madrid I was going to tell you about (*as we had the opportunity to spend one month in the city) — and then life happened and I got laid off. Which first stopped me in my tracks. You can imagine a lot of scattered energy in the last weeks…
It’s the first time I have experienced this. So, after managing the emotional roller-coaster (which I’m still on), I decided it’s an *opportunity* for two things:
1. to pause and take a much-needed sabbatical (I’m calling it the one-month micro-sabbatical);
2. to reflect upon the places and spaces we inhabit, from the physical to the perceived. And, yes, that includes my professional identity, as it was shaped by my last company.
Don’t fret. I still have some tips for Madrid for this edition of the newsletter ;)
But I also want us to go down the rabbit hole together, in a philosophical attempt to scrutinise who we are in these spaces of the body and the mind — when we travel, when we eat, when we experience art, or when we are in the in-between, like I am now, grieving the loss & trying to imagine a possible future.
Before we jump into it, I need your help. In the spirit of reflecting, scrutinising, and understanding where we stand, I created a very short survey to hear from you. I know I said this newsletter is an ongoing experiment with no defined form or frequency, but I think it’s time for some predictability. I wonder what you think. Jump here and let me know. It takes 5 minutes tops.
Now, let’s begin!
#ToSee
What happens when meditation, public toilets, and Wim Wenders’ almost neutral gaze intertwine? Perfect Days. A film that highlights not only the intimate spaces we live in but also the ones we utilise without paying too much attention to - because we want to escape them as fast as possible. Of course, it’s not only about the physical:
“The more we wrote, the more we realised, our hero was somebody who lived very much in the present tense. Everything he did was like doing it for the first time. His routine was not a routine for him, it was structured to his life. And it was a pleasure because he liked what he was doing, he liked being of service.” Wim Wenders
Because I have this ongoing exploration with a good friend (👋
) on definitions of art, I rewatched “What is art?” from The Art Assignment — an oldie and goldie. Of course, there’s no one answer, which I love! But there is a deep undercurrent of making our imagined spaces, of past-present-future, known. Should art have meaning? Should art imitate nature? Should it expand on it? Should art have a purpose? Why do we feel compelled to create “art”? What are its limits?My favourite “definition” to answer the above, from the video essay:
“Art is not a thing, it is a way.” Elbert Hubbard
Have you ever “inhabited” the crazy, surreal, dreamy paintings of Victor Brauner? I just discovered him and I am hooked. I mean, he called it first:
I am the dream. I am the inspiration.
Indeed! What a way to experience the world of the seen and the unseen…
#ToListen
How to discover your own taste (thank you, Luna, for this amazing rec!) — this episode from The Ezra Klein Show sheds light on a very disturbing second-order effect of the so-called “late capitalism” with its digital platforms and algorithms: aesthetic homogeneity.
In a dialogue with Kyle Chayka, author of Filterworld: How algorithms flattened culture, this podcast episode questions our very real, but also imaginary spaces in connection with originality, individual taste, and the ability to articulate what one likes and why. When “global” taste bubbles which support sameness populate most of our waking hours, do we ever go beyond anymore? Do we even know how to discover new things that we like?
#ToRead
Three Apples Fell from the Sky by Narine Abgaryan. Perhaps, I’m late to the party. Perhaps this is a great moment to discover Armenian culture through Abgaryan’s sensorial writing. Not too dissimilar from the Romanian villages, the novel’s depiction of a remote Armenian village and its last inhabitants is a journey into forgotten cultural places.
My favourite part? Imagining each new recipe that the elders prepared like it was the most natural thing in the world.
#ToEat
Madrid, the city of food renaissance. If you’re there or ever plan to go there, don’t miss out on:
Lataz0, an unassuming vermuteria which has some of the best vermouths (here’s to you, Picofino!) and Canarian dishes I’ve ever tasted! Mojo, pulpa, grilled cheese and all the spices… It’s a simple feast that makes you “inhabit” a fresh culinary space like no other.
Chuka Ramen, not because I’m obsessed with the Japanese imaginary, but because they are really that good! A hidden gem? The pastrami bao bun (if they still have it).
What space/place did you explore recently?