Updates, movie rec's and a Soul/R&B playlist

What I am currently up to, what I have watched and am listening to ~

Jun 15, 2024

Hey everyone, first off: I can’t believe that I have a little over 100 subscribers now, thank you so much! Writing just really helps me to organise my messy mind and emotions. Publishing on Substack is both strange and intriguing. On one hand, you write about topics that may or may not resonate with anyone, and on the other hand, how, if, and to whom it resonates adds another layer to writing. I am not writing for academic purposes, for a job or for anyone else’s demand here. I am writing because I do it anyways and all the time, if I have an idea, a thought pops up or an urge to research something. So I thought, why not share, then I’ll be in conversation with other people and also give my life more structure throughout the week, as it is something I need.

Some of my friends said to me that it would be nice if I could write about what I currently do, have been doing and I am planning – so here is a tiny note on that.

I. “PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP” Workshop at the University of Art and Design Offenbach am Main

workshop poster of my workshop next week at the university of arts and design Offenbach am Main

PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP is a workshop where we explore together elements of music, film, (pop) culture, theory, fiction, and history in search of the Self and the Other. Where does the/my Self lie within the Other? Where does the Other lie within the/my Self? When do I not narrate anything about my Self? When do I narrate about the Other? What are the boundaries and limits of my narrative? Where are the free spaces in my narrative? PERFORMANCE WORKSHOP shifts the focus to the form of storytelling rather than the content – how we tell stories as reflections of who we are.

I am really excited for this, because in arts, as I have written in a previous post about objectivity in creative practices, it is really common to appropriate the Other, with being completely unaware of it. And when you are aware, it is directly bound to the artist’s freedom but how is this freedom constituted and instituted? This workshops aims to put one’s attention to one’s Self. The ways, how and what we visually narrate, especially if it involves historical, political and social subjects, should be intentionally transparent and clear. Why? Assuming that most artists want to find their place within the art industry (to make money out of their practice) and when that is your desire, you will have to make strategic choices. These strategic choices are often controlled by galleries, museums, sponsors or short: the ones who buy, store and loan art. At some point, the way you “successfully” make art, is not free anymore. It is bound to what is expected of you and how good you are able to allow yourself to be determined by industry and also cultural demands. At the end of the day, just like any other job, you have to do what your “boss” tells you to do – the “boss” in arts industry is not so clear though. The most detrimental part of the art industry is that even when you strategise, your chances are absolutely written in the stars (I am all for demythologising and deromanticising art, so we can have it for ourselves). Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying all art is like this, I am specifically talking from a perspective of where one’s desire to make art is coupled with one’s career choice.

II. Current Exhibition “An Obscuring of Self - A Veil Between Yours and Theirs” at Buondoora Homestead, Melbourne, Australia.

Exhibition view of “An obscuring of self – a veil between yours and theirs” at Bundoora Homestead Arts Centre

An obscuring of self - a veil between yours and theirs explores how our bodies relate tothe world around us. Factors such as the environment, institutions and social connectionsinform who we are, sometimes obscuring our true selves. This exhibition explores andquestions human experiences that are affected by the contemporary world, which separatesour mind from our body.
Curated by Jemima Lucas.
Artists: Yvette James, Iann An, Arootin, Erin Hallyburton, Tom Denize, Chloe Nolan, ZaneEdwards, Kurt Menenbach, Jemima Lucas and Steven Bellosguardo.

My contribution is a sound installation called “to ascend is to step on” around a very old grand colonial staircase connecting two floors. Once I have the documentation, I’ll be able to upload it online. This weekend is the last weekend you can visit the show in Melbourne, so If you live in Melbourne or you are there right now, don’t hesitate to visit it!

III. Recording two songs for a Performance in July in Frankfurt

Currently working on two songs with Raka, a friend of mine, for a performance in July, Frankfurt. When it’s official, I will let you know. The song’s will be available via Soundcloud!

A current portrait of myself from my birthday in march:

These are the most concrete things right now, that I can share.
Some other things are brewing, but not set yet,

mwuahhh xx

RECOMMENDATIONS TO WATCH IMMEDIATELY

SAINT OMER

“In 2016, the accomplished documentary filmmaker Alive Diop, sat in the courtroom in the town of Saint-Omer, listening to the chilling testimony of Fabienne Kabou, a French-Senegalese woman accused of killing her infant daughter. Kabou breast-fed the baby before placing her on the sand of the Berck-sur-Mer beach, leaving her to drown in the rising tide. Why did Kabou do such a thing? Kabou's answers ("It was simpler that way") were ambiguous and ultimately unsatisfying, at least in terms of determining motive. Kabou was examined by psychiatrists and was declared paranoid but well enough to stand trial. Kabou spoke of evil forces threatening her baby. Diop, born to Senegalese parents, and pregnant at the time, was drawn to attend the trial almost like a magnetic force. Kabou's testimony made Diop reflect upon her own life, her mother, her impending motherhood, as well as the experience of being "othered" in the land of her birth. "Saint Omer," Diop's first narrative feature, is the result of this powerful personal experience. And what a powerful film it is.”1

I am still thinking about this movie, because it has left me thinking about faith and science in a way I have not felt it before. How reality forms itself when you believe in something, that might be outrageous or incomprehensible for others. But for yourself it is the absolut truth and you mirror it in your behaviour and the way you understand the world. I think I will write about this movie, with some previous artwork I have seen about psychology and faith.

ANATOMY OF A FALL

Anatomy of a Fall is a legal drama that revolves around the death of Samuel Maleski, an aspiring writer and occasional professor. His son finds him on the ground after he’s fallen from a window several stories up, but inconsistencies in the autopsy tells the authorities that this was no tragic accident. With Samuel’s wife, Sandra, the only one at home during the fateful event, she becomes the prime suspect and the center of a massive, sensationalized trial. To prove her innocence, Sandra must insist not that the fall was an accident, but that it was her husband’s intention to kill himself, fracturing her family in the process.2

This movie was so long, yet it seemed to pass by in just an hour. The story itself is simple, but the way the actors came together and delivered their performance was out of this world. It is as if you were watching a documentary with real life recordings but just that it wasn’t. This dynamic plays a huge role in the movie. Part of that is also Sandra Hüller’s (one of the main actors) acting practice:

“Sandra is a well-known writer who often mixes details from her own personal life into her fictional stories. As a result, her work often blends the line between reality and fiction.”3

The dialogues are written in such an uncomplicated way, that is very easy to follow. It is as if you are literarily in the movie. If you have time and you like slow pace but high intensity movies, this one is for you.

CHAKA KHAN AT TINY DESK

Everyone has to watch this and listen to her. It does not matter if you like her music or not, the energy and her whole demeanour is exuding elan. When I watched this I felt so much. If I am 71 and have an ounce of her resonance, I will be the happiest person on this planet.

I also had some time yesterday to put a playlist together with some of my current Soul and R&B songs I’ve been listening to:

APPLE MUSIC PLAYLIST

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST