1) FILM / TELEVISION
빈방 THE EMPTY by JEONG DAHEE - (Animated Short Film, Vimeo)
“Time is what the room has the most.
Dust is what I have the most.”
2) MUSIC / PODCASTS
FATHER JOHN MISTY - (American Singer/Songwriter)
“Joshua Michael Tillman, better known by his stage name Father John Misty, is an American musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He has also performed and released studio albums under the name J. Tillman.” - Wikipedia
With a brand new album release, Father John Misty has once again captured an organic flowing braid of creativity that captures musical originality, and I’m all ears.
I’ve been a fan of Josh Tillman’s music for quite a while now. He is a storyteller, not just a songwriter. This is evident in pretty much all of his songs. He doesn’t usually succumb to the standard verse chorus verse chorus verse chorus chorus repetition that every song out there generally assimilates to. He tells stories in his songs, leading the listener along his musical journey. He absolutely makes the music his own. There is something fresh about that, and I’ll continue to listen to whatever this man puts out next.
Chloe and the Next 20th Century is the new album:
Here is an interesting interview with Josh from 2015:
3) ART
BARBARA HEPWORTH - (English Artist, Scupltor)
“Dame Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth DBE was an English artist and sculptor. Her work exemplifies Modernism and in particular modern sculpture. Along with artists such as Ben Nicholson and Naum Gabo, Hepworth was a leading figure in the colony of artists who resided in St Ives during the Second World War.” - Wikipedia
4) BOOKS / WRITING
WINTER IN SOKCHO by ELISA SHUA DUSAPIN, Translated by ANEESA ABBAS HIGGINS - (Winner, National Book Awards 2021 for Translated Literature)
“It’s winter in Sokcho, a tourist town on the border between South and North Korea. The cold slows everything down. Bodies are red and raw, the fish turn venomous, beyond the beach guns point out from the North’s watchtowers. A young French Korean woman works as a receptionist in a tired guesthouse. One evening, an unexpected guest arrives: a French cartoonist determined to find inspiration in this desolate landscape. The two form an uneasy relationship. When she agrees to accompany him on trips to discover an “authentic” Korea, they visit snowy mountaintops and dramatic waterfalls, and cross into North Korea. But he takes no interest in the Sokcho she knows—the gaudy neon lights, the scars of war, the fish market where her mother works. As she’s pulled into his vision and taken in by his drawings, she strikes upon a way to finally be seen. An exquisitely-crafted debut, which won the Prix Robert Walser, Winter in Sokcho is a novel about shared identities and divided selves, vision and blindness, intimacy and alienation. Elisa Shua Dusapin’s voice is distinctive and unmistakable.” - From the Publisher
PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE:
5) PHOTOGRAPHY / CINEMATOGRAPHY
ARI WEGNER - (Australian Cinematographer)
Ari Wegner, ACS, is an Australian cinematographer. Her work includes films such as Lady Macbeth (2016), True History of the Kelly Gang (2019), and Zola (2020). In 2021, she served as cinematographer on The Power of the Dog for which she received widespread critical acclaim including an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography, becoming only the second woman to do so in the award's 94-year history.” - Wikipedia
Although I did not love The Power of the Dog from a story construction standpoint, I had no choice but to respect the acting performances, and most certainly the cinematography by Ari Wegner. The frames were specific and beautiful, and I will let the following images describe my point:
Here is a short interview with Ari discussing some of her choices on The Power of the Dog:
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