Isn’t September one of the best months of the year? Making resolutions on New Year’s Eve is so outdated. September is the right time for all of that. You decide you’re going to sleep earlier everyday, that you’ll read more books, you’ll go more often to the movies, you’ll eat your greens, and you’ll help others. Most of them don’t stick too long, but that’s the magic of life resolutions. Nevertheless, we have some suggestions for you. Happy New Rentrée!
To See 👀
Picks of visual content we find exciting, whether there are events in another part of the world, or a video you can watch while lying down on your couch.
“Scales.” by Solange
Reflecting and exploring black identity is on the basis of Solange Knowles’ art. She has done that with 2016 A Seat at the Table, and the journey to her own identity has been complemented with visual performances, where she explores movement, scenography, images, creating her very own visual language. Following her interdisciplinary performance “An Ode To” at New York City’s Guggenheim museum, she’ll take her performance art piece “Scales” to Chinati Foundation (Marfa, Texas), in October. It will be an outdoor performance, in a dialogue with Donald Judd’s “15 untitled works in concrete”, which she said to have had “a profound influence on the way I view the world”.
“Incerteza Viva” in Serralves
Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art (Porto, Portugal) is presenting an exhibition after the 32nd Bienal de São Paulo. The most exciting thing about it is that the park will be the space used to showcase the selected artworks, inside temporary structures designed by local studios — depA, Diogo Aguiar Studio, Fahr 0213, fala atelier and Ottotto. Incerteza Viva (Live Uncertainty) is meant to reflect on current life events and on how contemporary art can appropriate uncertainty, featuring works by Gabriel Abrantes, Jonathas de Andrade, Sonia Andrade, Cecilia Bengolea / Jeremy Deller, Alicia Barney, Lourdes Castro, Öyvind Fahlström, Priscila Fernandes, Carla Filipe, Leon Hirszman, Grada Kilomba, Lais Myrrha, Vídeo nas Aldeias, Bárbara Wagner / Benjamin de Búrca.
NegativeFeedback
Photographer George Muncey bought an incredibly cheap camera on eBay and realised no matter how much he knew about digital photography that wasn’t totally replicable on film. As he was learning a lot with youtube videos and friends, the idea of creating a network to share knowledge about film photography soon was born. NegativeFeedback is a helpful platform, sharing knowledge, tricks, and inspiration regarding film photography.
Ozark
Drug trafficking and murders are common TV series’ premises. It startled us to realise that Ozark, although based on both, is incredibly surprising. It mixes moral dilemmas, suspense, and black humour from beginning to end. Stephen King even pointed it out as one of the best TV series he has ever seen, so it isn’t just us saying! Available on Netflix.
Visages Villages
It’s the first time documentary maker Agnès Varda works with a co-director — french artist JR was the first choice. Both travel to French small towns in a van disguised as a gigantic camera, taking pictures and pasting portraits on public space walls. A film about a dialogue between two artists who are focused on finding their subject on people.
To Read 📚
Our picks of what to read, in between magazines and blogs. Art, music and love are some of the hot topics.
Romance Journal
We got aware of the existence of Romance Journal in a visit to Manifesto (a magazine shop in Matosinhos), and what a finding! Every issue, there’s a theme catalysing reflection on human experiences through interviews to creative women.
Although it has a huge size, you kind of feel like carrying it under your arm, because it’s really worth reading. Emotion is the theme ruling first issue, so it got us straight into our hearts with all its delicate words and visual. We’re anxious for further editions!
Sampler
Sampler is a truthful curator of interesting publications. Ordering any or not, it’s interesting to receive their weekly suggestions in your inbox anyway.
Discwoman
Discwoman is a platform, collective, and booking agency, aiming to change electronic music events’ line-ups. Besides showcasing and representing electronic music artists, they regularly present on their website cool playlists made by DJ’s and producers.
Memo Akten’s Medium
After meeting the computational artist Memo Akten at Sónar and having a glimpse on his work motivations, we find it very stimulating to dig further into it in his medium page.
Modern Love, on New York Times
The conceptions on love and relationships have evolved, that’s for sure. With so much happening around us, inevitably all the stimulus end up making our lives more vulnerable, and love is not an exception. In this NYT’s column, with texts submitted by readers, you can reflect on the ups and downs of this feeling-we-all-feel-everyday, based on the experiences and thoughts of other human beings.
To Go 🏃
A handful of places where we would really love to go (and see you at) this year
What Else Europe
Thomas Mandl joined this year’s edition of 180 Creative Camp, where he made a presentation about his heart project — What Else Europe. He was born in Germany, lived in Sweden for a long time, and has friends from all over the world. European situation regarding politics means much to him, and the idea of creating What Else Europe popped up. A simple meeting of young people from different creative fields in a European city gets a all new meaning against physical and social borders. You can apply for this year’s edition, which will take place in Antwerp!
Semibreve
Semibreve’s programme on electronic music and digital arts gets better every year. It’s a good excuse to visit Braga, in the North of Portugal, and get into three days packed with experimental electronic music performances and art installations. The festival also promotes pioneering experimentation and scientific production by renown institutions. Semibreve is a notable event in a flourishing environment for arts, like Braga is proving to be.
Today’s Art Festival
As a platform dedicated to the thinking and development of arts, culture, and society, Today’s Art (The Hague, Netherlands) hosts events and projects in that direction. 13th edition of Today’s Art Festival gathers pioneer artists in digital arts, electronic music, or audiovisual performance, in a collective forward-thinking environment.
Le Guess Who
Utrecht, in the Netherlands, is the stage for Le Guess Who, a music festival that stands for “exploration, collaboration, and musical boundary-crossing”. Part of the line-up is curated by musicians, from different generations and musical backgrounds, which makes it a very diverse event. Artists like Perfume Genius, Shabazz Palaces or Grouper are some of this year’s curators.
The Lovelace
They call it “an hotel happening”, because it’s a place where you have a programme for everyday of the week. Culture, arts, design, politics, and business meet together in this hotel in Munich, Germany, where guests are invited to inhabit it. Far from being a place where you merely stay when you’re on holidays, it’s somewhere you can think along with people from all over the world and perhaps make significant connections. A mosaic of different cultures working together for a better future.
To Listen 👂
What we’ve been carefully listening or are eager to listen to this year
Listentothis
We came across Listen to This through Caroline Polachek (from Chairlift). Actually the website is curated by her sister, Jen Monroe, in which she reviews non-contemporary music, her main focus being ambient, Japanese pop, and new age. It’s an encyclopedia of the most recondite albums, written by someone who seems to know them all ever since they were released.
Grizzly Bear — Painted Ruins
We weren’t expecting a classic setup band such as Grizzly Bear to surprise as this much. With Painted Ruins, they made us regret saying “hmm, not bad, but these guys won’t caught much of my attention anymore” while listening to the previous album. Synths and beats are more present, which makes us fly away from that sometimes folk numbness.
Song Exploder
You can read about how a song has been put together, but to actually hear it being built sound upon sound it’s only possible with this amazing podcast Song Exploder.
Kelela — Take Me Apart
Kelela’s Take Me Apart will be playing non-stop in our headphones, and we don’t even need to listen to the album to be sure of that already.
Ol’ Burger Beats — Mind Games
Pure chill. Jazz meets hip hop in a very smooth, unlikely, and very pleasant way.
