to drown a rose

dunque, siccome che sto sempre su instagram

(è un periodo così), ricordo che anche chi non lo usa può passare a vedere sul sito web statigr.am, dove si può persino commentare usando un account di facebook. chi vuole, eh.

ci sono anche  feed più agili (sembrano quasi... blog :o) per esempio webstagram.

the heart and the book

More than ten years ago, at the National Gallery in London, I purchased a mouse mat depicting a fascinating detail from a Flemish painting (I've never seen the actual painting though).

It is still my mouse mat at work, but only today I discovered there is a whole (regularly shaped) book devoted to this subject:

«The notion of the heart as a "book" containing a person's thoughts, feelings, or memories is one of most prominent forms of heart symbolism in the Middle Ages. In romances, lovers' hearts were inscribed with the name or image of their beloved, while saints' legends celebrated martyrs whose hearts received marks of special divine favor. Clergy were instructed to let their inner scribe copy God's commands onto the pages of their hearts, and ordinary believers prayed for Christ to write the memory of his Passion in their "heart books." Artists portrayed authors holding a heart and a pen, and some late-medieval paintings depicted the sitter as a scribe or reader holding a heart-shaped manuscript codex. Medieval artisans even produced actual heart-shaped manuscript books, some of which still survive.»
Eric Jaeger

the Master of the View of Sainte Gudule:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

The National Gallery, London

 

un viaggio a klagenfurt

di uwe johnson, a cura di luigi reitani, SE, milano 1988:  un libro raro? (una ventina di copie in altrettante biblioteche, neanche una copia su ebay, neanche una su maremagnum.)

se lo vedete in giro, fatemi un fischio.

c'est qu'alors

l'eau de mon regard n'était pas encore obscurcie; depuis, chacun des jours y a jeté sa pincée de cendres.

(michel butor, l'emploi du temps)

dick stone, illustratore

con tutto quello che si può preconizzare di meraviglioso nel regno (per lo più ancora immaginario) del libro elettronico, mi trovo sempre di più ad amare gli esiti felici di un uso dell'immagine stampata fortemente influenzato dai limiti tecnici – insomma i vecchi disegni riprodotti a due colori di cui ormai abbiamo una discreta collezione.

questo è uno dei primi volumi di selezione del libro pubblicati dal reader's digest italiano; riproduce una scelta di condensed books della casa madre con relative illustrazioni, fra cui queste di dick stone (il libro italiano è del 1956, ma le illustrazioni non saranno di molto precedenti, poiché l'edizione integrale del romanzo è del 1955).

 

 altre notizie su dick stone sul blog di illustrazioni degli anni 40 e 50 today's inspiration: puntate 1, 2, 3.

where have I been: a survey on recent online life 3

...tutto ciò non significa che non si dia ogni giorno un'occhiata al google reader che annovera vicini di rete antichi e recenti sotto forma di blog.

a questo proposito, devo ancora ringraziare giulia di giardinaggio sentimentale che mi ha attribuito il badge

i destinatari del premio devono:

ringraziare e linkare chi ha assegnato il premio
pubblicare il logo del premio
elencare 5 blog con meno di duecento iscritti
informare i nuovi vincitori con un commento nei loro blog (se non siete pigri come me, cioè)

ora, questa cosa degli iscritti immagino sia una diavoleria di blogspot, ma siccome i miei preferiti per fortuna non sono mai diventati delle star, credo di non sbagliare citando alcuni preferiti che non sono i soliti (voisapetechisiete) con cui chiacchiero spesso online e magari anche dal vivo, ma frequentazioni più occasionali cui peraltro non rinuncio:

filo (filoglotta) vive e lotta non proprio insieme a noi ma al momento in germania, dove insegna eroicamente l'italico idioma. e ce lo racconta con tragica arguzia.

cassandra (la nuova fortezza) vive e lavora a firenze. fa la traduttrice di notte. ho appena scoperto che ha un blog dal 2005.

michelangelo (uova fatali) scrive recensioni di dischi. come dovrebbero essere. con un occhio di riguardo per la new wave (come sempre dovrebbe essere).

susner (la zona) si occupa di (forse anche fa?) arte contemporanea. scatta foto enigmatiche. emana essenziale autorevolezza.

luca (totentanz) polemizza con calda razionalità napoletana da francoforte, e fa foto favolose.

no, così, per chi si chiede che scopo abbia ancora tenere un blog nell'epoca dei social network: resta l'unica formula di sito personale agile e sensata allo stesso tempo.
(e suscettibile di complicità tale da rendere plausibile scambiarsi marchietti con un cuoricino sopra... alla mia età... invece di ambire a record di followers da qualche parte!)
se i suddetti ancora leggono blog, oltre a farne uno, piglino pure il testimone e ce ne dicano almeno 5 che magari abbiamo trascurato.

were have I been: a survey of recent online life 2

I'm actually talking about places I haven't been, this time: I don't have a tumblr account, and while I have a pinterest account, I haven't got round to use it yet.
my problem is that images collections lacking contest and source always feel shallow to me, unless the choice is very strongly edited. I'd say that my only comfort zone for collections of this kind is the marvellous if charlie parker was a gunslinger, there'd be a lot of dead copycats, which is not a tumblr, hasn't even got a cool layout, and yet is as fine a choice of culture-related pictures (photos, screenshots and ephemera) as one can imagine: a pronounced taste (for the witty, the popular, the oblique, and the artistically relevant) and a structure based on ongoing series keep it all together, so that the lack of sources is not a lack at all, but a main feature.
as for me, while I may be prone to spin out endless turns of unrelated and unrelevant photo shots of my own making, I'm not prepared to give out a flow of documental/inspirational images... yet (but the occasional squatting of my instagram account by record covers may be a worrying signal).

[notice: normal blogging in correct italian will be resumed as soon as possible.]

were have I been: a survey of recent online life

well, it seems that instagram really sucked up what little free time I had recently: I completed not one, not two but three self-imposed monthly challenges (of course I have to set goals and take things seriously, but that's just how I am).
so, what did I found out about it: it's satisfying not only because it's crazily easy to access from a smartphone (I mean, like twitter, but most of the time you don't even have to read), but because, while sharing things – moods, daily wanderings, meals, favourite objects etc. – you end up with a nice collection of details in your image folder, whose staying power is far superior to your twitterings', for example (if you happen to be keen on that--I am).
on twitter you edit news and links, and your thoughts and words, to the very bone, if you're so inclined. on instagram you edit your gaze, and and the effort of fitting that square cut is rewarded by the merciful influence of the app's filters on your photographs. I'm a bit ashamed to say I had not really understood what the iphone pictures' hi-res was about, up until now: but it's for enlarging and cutting, of course.
I still have to tidy up that folder and see what's really for keeps, if anything, but the ease of use and the networking motivation combined make instagram so often accessed that a nice photo app like hipstamatic, for example, feels cumbersome like using a reflex in comparison. and, while I'm all for slowness in general, I welcome quickness if it allows me to do something I wouldn't do at all otherwise.
the networking on instagram is very quick and apparently shallower than exchanging words through blogs and twitter, but it's more continuous (it depends on how many people you follow, of course, but keeping up to date seems doable) and therefore pervasive. exchanging pictures is so immediate that following people from the other side of the world on instagram instantly make a lot more sense than following them on twitter (and that's even if you share a common language).

(to be continued-probably)

 

this is england track listing

copincollando da wikipedia e channel4 si ottiene:

this is england (the movie)

ost:

1. "54-46 Was My Number" - Toots & The Maytals
2. "Come On Eileen" - Dexys Midnight Runners
3. "Tainted Love" - Soft Cell
4. "Underpass/Flares" - Movie Dialogue From This Is England
5. "Nicole (Instrumental)" - Gravenhurst
6. "Cynth / Dad" - Movie Dialogue From This Is England
7. "Morning Sun" - Al Barry & The Cimarons
8. "Shoe Shop" - Movie Dialogue From This Is England
9. "Louie Louie" - Toots & The Maytals
10. "Pressure Drop" - Toots & The Maytals
11. "Hair In Cafe" - Movie Dialogue From This Is England
12. "Do The Dog" - The Specials
13. "Ritornare" - Ludovico Einaudi
14. "This Is England" - Movie Dialogue From This Is England
15. "Return Of DJango" - Lee "Scratch" Perry, The Upsetters
16. "Warhead" - UK Subs
17. "Fuori Dal Mondo" - Ludovico Einaudi
18. "Since Yesterday" - Strawberry Switchblade
19. "Tits" - Movie Dialogue From This Is England
20. "The Dark End Of The Street" - Percy Sledge
21. "Oltremare" - Ludovico Einaudi
22. "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" (The Smiths cover) - Clayhill
23. "Dietro Casa" - Ludovico Einaudi
24. "Never Seen The Sea" - Gavin Clark (of Clayhill)

Additional music from the film includes:

1. "Pomp And Circumstance March No 1 in D. OP 39/1" - Edward Elgar Performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
2. "Maggie Gave A Thistle" - Wayne Shrapnel and The Oi Stars
3. "Let's Dance" - Jimmy Cliff

this is england 86

ost:

1. "Happy Hour" – The Housemartins
2. "Wonderful World, Beautiful People" – Jimmy Cliff
3. "Gadget And Harvey In Garden " – Andrew Ellis,Michael Socha
4. "My Girl" – Madness
5. "The Bitterest Pill" – The Jam
6. "Solo" – Ludovico Einaudi
7. "Fast Cars" – Buzzcocks
8. "Flip Before Fight" – Perry Fitzpatrick
9. "All Through The City" – Dr Feelgood
10. "99 Red Ballons" – Nena
11. "Woody & Squire" – Joe Gilgun
12. "We've Got The World At Our Feet" – 1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico England Squad
13. "Rainmaker" – Spear Of Destiny
14. "Walls Come Tumbling Down" – The Style Council
15. "Berlin Song" – Ludovico Einaudi
16. "Red Red Wine" – UB40
17. "Greeting To The New Brunette" – Billy Bragg
18. "Ying And Yang"
19. "Guava Jelly" – Johnny Nash
20. "Ancora" – Ancora
21. "Give It Up" – Lee Dorsey
22. "It Miek" – Desmond Dekker
23. "Woody & Milk In Bathroom " – Joe Gilgun, Andrew Shim
24. "Ruler Of My Heart" – Irma Thomas
25. "English Rose" – The Jam
26. "Berlin Song" – Ludovico Einaudi

Additional music from the series:

1. "Man Of The World" – Fleetwood Mac
2. "What difference does it make?" – The Smiths
3. "This Charming Man" – The Smiths
4. "Asleep" – The Smiths
5. "This Is The Day" – The The
6. "Frozen Dub" – Augustus Pablo
7. "There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)" – Eurythmics
8. "My Own True Love" – Margaret Whiting
9. "Ballblazer" – Peter Langston
10. "Night Train" – The Rudies
11. "Ritornare" – Ludovico Einaudi
12. "Dna" – Ludovico Einaudi
13. "In Vola" – Ludovico Einaudi
14. "The Crane Dance" – Ludovico Einaudi
15. "Nuvole Bianche" – Ludovico Einaudi

From the Channel 4 TV advert:

1. "Under Me Sleng Teng" – Wayne Smith

this is england 88

1. "What Difference Does It Make" - The Smiths
2. "Mistletoe And Wine" - Cliff Richard
3. "Fuori Dalla Notte" - Ludovico Einaudi
4. "Fairytale of New York" - The Pogues
5. "O Crux" - Norwegian Soloists Choir
6. "Reggae Got Soul" - Toots And The Maytals
7. "Touch Me (I Want Your Body)" - Samantha Fox
8. "Driving Home For Christmas" - Chris Rea
9. "Fast Car" - Tracy Chapman
10. "Never Gonna Give You Up" - Rick Astley
11. "After Laughter Comes Tears" - Wendy Rene
12. "Miserere Mei Deus" - Stephen Cleobury & Kings College Cambridge Choir
13. "Pie Jesu" - Angelis
14. "Solo" - Ludovico Einaudi
15. "School Play Waltz" - Peter Francis
16. "O Little Town Of Bethlehem" - Frank Sinatra
17. "Stikhi Pokayanniye (Penitential Psalms): III That Is Why I Live in Poverty" - The Danish National Radio Choir
18. "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" - Frank Sinatra
19. "Who Be Who Be Who Be" - Shane Meadows
20. "Merry Christmas Everyone" - Shakin' Stevens
21. "I Say I Say I Say" - Alexander Faris
22. "School Play Interludes" - Peter Francis
23. "Berlin Song" - Ludovico Einaudi
24. "Close To Me" - The Cure
25. "This Charming Man" - The Smiths
26. "Winter Wonderland" - Tony Bennett
27. "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day" - Wizzard
28. "Asleep" - The Smiths
29. "Hymn To The Virgin" - Choir Of John's College Cambridge
30. "Distacco" - Ludovico Einaudi
31. "The Holly And The Ivy" - Westminster Cathedral Choir
32. "In The Bleak Mid-Winter "- Gustav Holst Performed by Choir of St John's College
33. "Dogwood Blossom" - Fionn Regan
34. "Everything I Own" - Ken Boothe

marzo, mese della storia delle donne

dal 1987 è un'iniziativa ufficiale del congresso degli stati uniti per promuovere gli studi in materia.
nonostante la mia usuale allergia per quote rosa e separatismi vari, mi è piaciuta la proposta lanciata su instagram da herbie:

 visto che ciò è una costante storica indiscutibile.

anche senza avere un account instagram ci potete seguire (lui più underground, io più generalista) via statigram.
contribuite pubblicando (anche non tutti i giorni!) contributi in tema via instagram o twitter (con il tag) o su un blog (con trackback a questo post).

my apple «cards» experience

so I decided to send myself one of the custom cards you can make with this new app: it is indeed a lovely printed cream cardboard, and my melancholy lake sunset turned out quite good.
I put no text inside because I wanted to be able to use it afterwards, so I don't know about that, but there is a nicely embossed border.

the only thing is: if you forget the crazy price and plan to use this service to send cards from your vacation, do keep in mind they might get to destination bearing a stamp from the czech republic.