“The aesthetic experience is a simple beholding of the object . . . you experience a radiance. You are held in aesthetic arrest.” - Joseph Campbell
Aesthetic Arrest: Mid-Week Libation
Wildstar’s Wednesday Libation: Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc, IGP Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert Cite d'Aniane (Languedoc, France)
“Respect — If our philosophy had to be summarized in one word, then this would have to be it. We are motivated by the desire to produce authentic wines, that are a genuine reflection of our sublime, complex terroir. On this basis, we think of ourselves more as go-betweens than alchemists, with a desire to express the soul and flavours of the terroir in our wines. This is a huge task, of which we humbly try to be worthy every day that we spend in the vineyard and the winery; above all, our goal is to respect the wild splendour of the upper Gassac Valley. For this reason, we chose to create small areas of vines, that stand as clearings in the immense garrigue forest that dominates the landscape.” [Source]
Reading: The Verso Book of Dissent: Revolutionary Words from Three Millennia of Rebellion and Resistance (edited by Andrew Hsiao & Audrea Lim, preface by Tariq Ali)
“Throughout the ages and across every continent, people have struggled against those in power and raised their voices in protest—rallying others around them or, sometimes, inspiring uprisings many years later. This anthology, global in scope, presents voices of dissent from every era of human history: speeches and pamphlets, poems and songs, plays and manifestos. … The Verso Book of Dissent should be in the arsenal of every rebel who understands that words and ideas are the ultimate weapons.” [Source]
“The Verso Book of Dissent shows the many ways in which the constant struggle to create a better world has broken through the walls of apathy and acquiescence.” — Noam Chomsky
Reading List: Imagining Radical Futures - How do we maintain hope in the face of despair and collective political burnout? (via Verso)
Listening: Anoushka Shankar’s Trilogy of Mini-Albums! Chapter I: Forever, For Now, Chapter II: How Dark it Is Before Dawn & Chapter III: We Return to Light
“Three chapters. Three geographies. Three different producers.” Sitting in a Goan cafe on New Year’s Day 2023, Anoushka Shankar scribbled out the key tenets of her latest project—a trilogy of ‘mini-albums,’ each anchored in one of the places the sitarist and composer has called home. There was just one other ground rule. She promised herself that she would enter the studio without a roadmap in place, fully open to all possibilities.” [Source]
Purchase or Stream (multiple platforms) here:
Chapter I: Forever, For Now (2023)
Looking: The Art of Chico da Silva (1910 – 1985)
“Chico da Silva (b. circa 1910, d. 1985) grew up in the state of Acre, Brazil in the Amazon rainforest … Chico developed a distinct visual vocabulary which included graphic representations of mythological or enchanted creatures and Brazilian flora, made surreal through the use of bold colors, intricate line work, and vivid patterning. … His commitment to art and his community was further strengthened in the early 1960s when Chico founded the Pirambu School, an informal artist workshop that helped develop sustainable artistic practices for local community members. Chico’s legacy, belatedly reappraised, reveals him to be not only a painter of remarkable skill and breadth, but also a practitioner for whom working alongside one’s neighbors was the intuitive outcome of a long-established way of life that was centered on communal gathering and the necessary sharing of resources.” [Source]
Check out the current exhibition, Chico da Silva: Amazônian Legend — A Celebration of Indigenous Art and Cultural Heritage at KMAC Contemporary Art Museum in Louisville, KY (on view until May 18, 2025!)
Chico da Silva’s Mystical Paintings Are Enchanting the Art World Once Again (via Artsy)
Viewing #1: Athena (2022) — directed by Romain Gavras (Netflix)
“After the death of his youngest brother following an alleged police altercation, Abdel (Dali Benssalah) is called back from the frontline to find his family torn apart. Caught between his younger brother Karim's (Sami Slimane) desire for revenge and the criminal dealings of his older brother Moktar (Ouassini Embarek), he struggles to calm the rising tensions. As the situation escalates, their community ATHENA is transformed into a fortress under siege, becoming a scene of tragedy for both the family and beyond.” [Source]
‘Athena’ Review: Director Romain Gavras Ignites the Paris Projects with Technical Virtuosity (via The Hollywood Reporter)
Romain Gavras’ Stylized ‘Athena’ Tackles Modern Tragedy (via Variety)
Viewing #2: Anne with an E (Seasons 1-3) — created by Moira Walley-Beckett, based on Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables (Netflix & CBC)
“[Anne with an E] is a coming-of-age story about an outsider who, against all odds and many challenges, fights for love and acceptance and her place in the world. Set in Prince Edward Island in the late 1890s, the series centers on Anne Shirley (Amybeth McNulty), a young orphaned girl who, after an abusive childhood spent in orphanages and the homes of strangers, is mistakenly sent to live with an aging sister and brother. Over time, 13-year-old Anne will transform the lives of Marilla (Geraldine James) and Matthew Cuthbert (R.H. Thomson) and eventually the entire small town in which they live with her unique spirit, fierce intellect and brilliant imagination. Anne’s adventures will reflect timeless and topical issues including themes of identity, feminism, bullying and prejudice.” [Source]
Lush, sad and perfect: at last, TV gives us an Anne of Green Gables for our times (via The Guardian)
Why the adaptation ‘Anne with an E’ speaks to queers and misfits of all kinds (via Xtra)
Tasting: Chef's Table: Legends (Netflix) — created by David Gelb, featuring Jamie Oliver, José Andrés, Thomas Keller & Alice Waters
“Ten years ago, Netflix’s critically acclaimed culinary series Chef’s Table became a breakout hit—telling chefs’ and restaurateurs’ stories one dish at a time. Premiering on April 28, the new season celebrates a decade with Chef’s Table: Legends, a four-part limited series focusing on the influential chefs and culinary figures who shaped the way we eat today: José Andrés, the Spaniard who can never stop; Thomas Keller, the chef who set a new standard for American fine dining; Alice Waters, who brought a new focus to the fresh ingredients behind fine dining; and Jamie Oliver, who taught a new generation in Britain to love food.” [Source: Wine Spectator]
‘Chef’s Table: Legends’: How José Andrés, Alice Waters, Thomas Keller, and Jamie Oliver are changing the world through food (via Gold Derby)
The Cinematography of ‘Chef’s Table’ Is Now Its Own Legend (via IndieWire)
So that’s it for this week! But we’d like to end with this week’s words of wisdom, a quotation from the 18th-century feminist pioneer and author of the Declaration of the Rights of Woman, Olympe de Gouges, who was born today in 1748:
This Week’s Words of Wisdom: Olympe de Gouges (May 7, 1748 – November 3, 1793)
Thank you for joining us for Season 3 of Aesthetic Arrest!
Cheers to that!
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