A R T
Embracing Fear and Failure
The NOWNESS series Photographers in Focus highlighted Alec Soth’s work for February. In the short film by Joppe Rog, Soth speaks about his career, his intent, and the subject of failure. Soth previously had a conversation with Aaron Schuman featured on Magnum Photo’s Theory and Practice where he explained, “A common mistake I make while shooting with sheet film is accidentally double-exposing the film. I did this last year while shooting in Warsaw and ended up loving the result.“
D E S I G N
Louis Armstrong’s Home
Although Louis Armstrong’s preserved apartment has been standing untouched since his passing in 1971, The New York Times published an article this month titled, Louis Armstrong, The King of Queens which showcases images of and histories about his home. Thanks to the article, I learned that $12 will get you into a house tour.
Chris Mottalini captured the home’s images above for an article published by Curbed in 2018, Visiting Louis Armstrong’s ‘Wonderful World’. The author, Rebecca Bengal conveys a story of Armstrong’s neighborhood concerning Jazz and identity.
F I L M
Berlin Film Festival
I’ll preface that AnOther’s article, Ten Films You’ll Want to Watch from the 2020 Berlin Film Festival, are in fact films I intend to watch. This year marks the festival’s 70th edition. Narrowed from Another’s breakdown I’ve selected three most interesting to me.
Berlin Alexanderplatz was originally a story conceived by Alfred Döblin in 1929 and I’m curious how the 2020 film references our current political climate. The contemporary narrative follows the story of an African immigrant’s promise to be a good person if his life is spared but the circumstances don’t make it all that easy.
Uppercase Print references duality and censorship. It’s a split story of one part anti-regime teenager circa 1981 in Romania and one part the government’s portrayal of him.
Zero is a documentary about Dr. Masatomo Yamamoto, a renowned and prolific Japanese psychiatrist. At age 82, he has decided to retire to care for his wife full-time which leaves his patents wondering what will happen to them now.
L O C A L
Censorship at Our Galleries
To me, the closing of 500x Gallery marks an end of a Dallas art era. Although, we as artists and art admirers hope for sufficient relocation, 500 Exposition Avenue was home to the gallery for 41 years. As censorship plays a role in the landlord’s decision to abruptly dislocate the gallery, I wonder if Dallas will ever actually let itself be more than the high-brow art hub it values so much.
M U S I C
Valentine’s Day happened and I published a playlist of songs about love that mostly makes you want to groooove.
P E O P L E
If you haven’t been already, I’d like to introduce you to Christina Koch & Christine Sun Kim. These two women were sources of establishing monumental moments in history this February.
Christina Koch returned to Earth after orbiting space for 328 days, breaking the record for the longest spaceflight completed by a woman and second-longest spaceflight in U.S history. Space freaks me out, and with that being said, documentation of her travels on through Instagram accompanied by her existential descriptions make me feel some type of way. In her last photo from the perspective of space the view of our blue planet shows with a caption that reads; “What will I miss? The exquisite beauty of both the planet Earth and this marvel that its amazing people create.” I encourage you to read up on her accomplishments during her mission here.
Christine Sun Kim is a multi-media artist who became the first Asian American deaf woman to sign the anthem at the Super Bowl. I’m particularly interested in this story because often conceptual artists and sporting events do not go hand in hand. I have strong concerns about what our society decides to glorify and invest in. Kim expressed disappointment that she was only featured for a couple of seconds of air time yet, her work is prolific and her performance was a breakthrough.
T H I N G S
Aromas
I discovered Mondo Mondo’s fragrance High Lonesome while researching product packaging. After investigating, I learned the aroma was inspired by the desert and the remainder of their collection proved just as intriguing. I opted to trial their package of seven permanent fragrance samples. While I enjoyed each of them, my favorites were The Center of The World, Doll, and Cowboy. Center of The World is the most subtle option in comparison but I enjoy how the fresh and earthy aroma lays on my skin. I am often disappointed with rose interpretations but Doll is spot on for credentials, it’s comforting and real. Cowboy is my favorite because it smells like Texas. Specifically, a freshly cut and watered lawn that had been warmed by the sun all day while hints of honeysuckle nectar flow through the air.