Art + Inspiration
Heaven and Hell, and Flamenco
Hello dear readers. I hear there’s snow back east, which makes me long for fires in the fireplace and mugs of hot tea. I’m excited to be heading to New York in a couple of weeks, for a quickie work trip. In the meantime, I’m preparing for Thanksgiving—not the difficult side of the holiday, but by reviewing what I’m grateful for. Every thing on this week’s list is included. Enjoy!
Flamenco. Such an extraordinary and beautiful dance.
As a lover of patterns, I am officially swooning over these images by Alia Ali.
OK, this guy’s street art is seriously charming.
I have a vague recollection of hearing of these side-by-side Parisian cabarets. A visit to the afterlife could have been yours, all in the same night.
Façade of the cabarets Le Ciel (Heaven) and L'Enfer (Hell), 1909 This obit of Sir Lady Java, trans nightlife legend, and a founding member of LA’s drag underground in the 1960s, is moving tribute, succinct bio, and cri de coeur all in one.
Years ago when I lived in New York City, a sculpture by Jaume Plensa went up in my neighborhood park and it was so so special.
The Republic of North Macedonia’s National Opera and Ballet’s late-modern masterpiece in Skopje, Macedonia is sublime.
Behold, these magical paper sculptures by Christian V Davila.
Great Blue Heron, Christian Davila, 2022 This short video satisfies several of my things: it shows an artistic process (love), it features tile (duh) and it’s all about a water feature (hello?)
Just saw A Real Pain the other night, and it’s a perfectly constructed gem of a film—funny, heartbreaking, tender and deep.
Nature Manifesto, Bjork’s new sound installation at Paris’ Centre Pompidou features her voice mixing with extinct animal sounds, raising awarness about the collapse of biodiversity.
If the Zodiacs Bowling Team from New Orleans hadn’t existed, someone would have had to invent them. Please, please watch the video to learn more.
Thanks for spending part of your day with me. I hope you experience liesure this weekend, and maybe even some joy. I’ll be on the lookout for some myself. Until next time. — Chris