we are all in this together again

John Berger thinks clearly.

At 10PM, Daniel Kitson Will Be Drinking Tea and Blowing Minds

This video features the rather wonderful, very lovely, Daniel Kitson, insightfully rambling teller of self-contained stories that seem to touch everything without any reference to the wider world.

DARREN HANLON - FINGERTIPS AND MOUNTAINTOPS (Starring DANIEL KITSON) from Natalie van den Dungen on Vimeo.

We saw him at St. Ann's.

somewhere between what you need and what you know

Charlotte Gainsbourg - Heaven Can Wait from Charlotte Gainsbourg on Vimeo.

The other day, this made me feel good, in a Gallic California sort of way.

conversation and observation

I can not start the day without a proper cup of black tea, made in a pot. Visiting the delightful and inspiring Tea Appreciation Society yesterday I came across this fantastic site.

Nick Hand has been cycling around the coast of Britain since June in order to raise money for Parkinson's Disease Society. On the way he has been making these amazing short documentaries about artisans and craftspeople he meets: everyone from Billy Bragg and my own favourites, the Fence Collective, to a group of potters in Cley, Norfolk. These wee films are moving and marvelous and I plan to watch them all.

I only heard about Paul Smith 2 days ago, when I found out about him here. I like what he had to say about making things. Nick Hand made a soundslide with him as well: 'conversation and observation and the love of life is far more important than any of the other stuff.'

'and no one exists alone'

My next post was going to be on David Dark's book. That one is coming, I hope. He has a short section on Auden that I wanted to reference. This morning, though, Andrew Sullivan quoted from Auden's poem, September 1, 1939 and it hit me right between the eyes. Thinking about what has been happening in Iran and quoting the last two stanzas of the poem here articulates more about at least one of David Dark's theses (this poem is the news) than I could say in a whole raft of posts.

All I have is a voice
To undo the folded lie,
The romantic lie in the brain
Of the sensual man-in-the-street
And the lie of Authority
Whose buildings grope the sky:
There is no such thing as the State
And no one exists alone;
Hunger allows no choice
To the citizen or the police;
We must love one another or die.

Defenseless under the night
Our world in stupor lies;
Yet, dotted everywhere,
Ironic points of light
Flash out wherever the Just
Exchange their messages:
May I, composed like them
Of Eros and of dust,
Beleaguered by the same
Negation and despair,
Show an affirming flame.

from SEPTEMBER 1, 1939 by W.H. Auden

on vali asr

When I drew this yesterday some immediate and positive change in Iran looked a lot more likely than it does today. I am not saying that Mir Hossein Mousavi would necessarily bring the dramatic turnaround that one might hope for but that he, at least, embodies a widespread longing within the country. Now I am not sure what is going on. I think Andrew Sullivan, whose wonderful blog I go to for a lot of online news, sums up well where things likely stand. Yesterday most of the updates I was aware of came from the equally insightful Talking Points Memo and its various news sources.

The Slacktivist quote was not intended as a commentary on the state of affairs in Iran. I left it in because perhaps it functions as such. It was a comment instead on three songs called "Wanderlust": 'Each of those songs, one way or another, aspires to get at the unsettling refusal to settle for anything less [than telling what we want, what we really, really want]. Some people sleep, some people yearn.'

Greenbelt Art

Greenbelt: Visual Arts 08 from Nathan Jones on Vimeo.

It is many years since I went to Greenbelt (the reasons for my absence are all geographical - and financial I suppose - absence makes my heart grow fonder of all those I already love). I dearly miss it. In many ways it continues to be a touchstone. Time spent there and recent virtual reconnection inform what I read and listen to. How I think.
Over the past several years I have been able to listen to more and more of the talks and more recently some videos have been appearing. I like this one a lot.

Jonny Baker linked to the video at his blog. Is this what they call a hat tip?

make a face

Holy Tryptich, from French photographer JR



I love the scale of his work and the energy that goes into making it and the challenge that comes out in all the wonderful, beautiful human faces.

where would you like to wake up

Fifty People, One Question: Brooklyn from Crush + Lovely on Vimeo.

I love this - from Crush and Lovely - I assume that really they must both be lovely.

I have been wondering, How do you communicate to people that we are all in this together? Their answer to the question is genius.