Aesthetic Arrest Podcast: Anselm, Elbow, Gossip, Medea & The Blue Caftan!

“The aesthetic experience is a simple beholding of the object . . . you experience a radiance. You are held in aesthetic arrest.” - Joseph Campbell

Aesthetic Arrest is our weekly dip into the Epicurean pleasures we’ve been enjoying lately. Cheers to that!

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This Week’s Digestif: Mastika from Kosteas Distillery

Kosteas Distillery Mastika [Photo by Ryan Wildstar]

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Ryan Wildstar’s Recommendations:

Reading: Medea by Euripides (translated by Charles Martin with an introduction by A.E. Stallings)

Purchase here.

• Read an excerpt of Charles Martin’s translation of Euripides’ Medea at University of California Press

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Listening: Audio Vertigo by Elbow

Purchase or Stream (multiple platforms)

• Official Site of Elbow / Upcoming Tour Dates!

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Looking: NoHMATA Exhibition (‘Meanings’. Personifications and Allegories from Antiquity to Today) at the Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece (on view until April 14, 2024!)

1) Nyx [Night] (1864) by Ioannis Kossos; 2) Metal sheet depicting the River Acheloos (early 5th Century BCE); 3) Attic red-figured krater with Talos's death and the personification of the Island of Crete (425 - 400 BCE); 4) Eros and Psyche (1589) by Jacopo Zucchi; 5) Ceremony. Votive relief with enthroned female figure (2nd Century CE); 6) Eros with Scaly Wings (1938) by Yannis Tsarouchis; 7) Asia. Persia. Greece. Apulian red-figured krater by the Darius Painter (330 - 300 BCE); 8) Allegory of Happiness (1567) by Bronzino; 9) Mosaic with the allegory of Death: Memento Mori (first half of 1st century CE)

theacropolismuseum

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Viewing: The Blue Caftan (2022) directed by Maryam Touzani, co-written by Touzani & Nabil Ayouch, starring Lubna Azabal, Saleh Bakri & Ayoub Missioui (available on The Criterion Channel)

• For more critically acclaimed films by women directors from The Criterion Channel and The Criterion Channel, check out Ryan Elston’s recent two-part article on the subject: Criterion Deep-Dive: 31 Films Celebrating Women's History Month! (Click here for Part One & click here for Part Two!)

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Tasting: Lunch at Opos Palia (“Like Old Times”) in Athens, Greece

1) Octopus Salad; 2) Half Liter of Malagouzia; 3) Horta with Lemon; 4) Deep-Fried Anchovies [Photos by Ryan Wildstar]

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Ryan Elston’s Recommendations:

Reading: This Afterlife: Selected Poems by A. E. Stallings

Purchase here.

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Listening: Real Power by Gossip

Purchase or Stream (multiple platforms)

• Official Site of Beth Ditto & Gossip / Upcoming Tour Dates!

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Looking: What If Women Ruled the World? - Exhibitions by Women Artists at the National Museum of Contemporary Art Athens (ΕΜΣΤ) in Athens, Greece (featuring artwork by Lola Flash, Claudia Comte, Hadassah Emmerich, Chryssa Romanos, Malvina Panagiotidi, Danai Anesiadou, Yael Bartana & many more!)

What If Women Ruled the World? [numerous exhibitions by women artists currently on view - see the museum’s website for exact dates]

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All four images above from the ΕΜΣΤ Press Kit:

1. Claudia Comte, The Origin of the Shockwave Ripple Effect (yellow and turquoise), 2024. New commission at ΕΜΣΤ| National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens. Photo by Paris Tavitian. Courtesy of EMΣΤ.

2. Malvina Panagiotidi, Repetitions of half-meanings, 2024. Blown glass, paraffin wax, pigment, steel, car paint, 210 x 80 x 95cm (detail). Photograph: Ilias Madouros.

3. Chryssa Romanos, Serigraphy from the folio Some Pages from a Diary, 1973. 65 x 50 cm.

4. Danai Anesiadou, Woman, 2023 (detail). Personal belongings, epoxy resin, metal shavings, quartz crystals and shungite, 194 x 58 x 14 cm. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: we document art.

Photography by Lola Flash, from the SALT series: “SALT (2011–ongoing) is a series of portraits that feature iconic women aged over seventy, who have had a quiet impact on their respective worlds and are still passionately engaged in their life’s work.” [Source]

All four images above from the ΕΜΣΤ Press Kit:

1. Lola Flash, Ruth, 2014. Hopedale, MA, USA. Coloured photograph. Courtesy of the artist.

2. Lola Flash, Ilona, 2012. New York, NY, USA. Coloured photograph. Courtesy of the artist.

3. Lola Flash, Rudean, 2016. Bronx, NY. Coloured photograph. Courtesy of the artist.

4. Lola Flash, Toni, 2011. Torquay, UK. Coloured photograph. Courtesy of the artist.

• Official Site of Lola Flash / Instagram / Works for Sale (via Artsy)

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Viewing: Anselm (2023) directed by Wim Wenders (exclusive streaming premiere on The Criterion Channel)

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Tasting: Dinner at Il Capitano Atene in Athens, Greece

1) Gorgonzola Cream Tartelettes & Bacalhau on Toast; 2) Bottle of Ousyra (Ουσύρα) Serifiotiko (Dry White Wine from Syros); 3) Calamari with Fresh Pesto & Fried Matchstick Potatoes; 4) Cretan-Style Orzo Pasta with Shrimp

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That’s it for this week! But we want the dinner party to continue! So each week we are asking a “dinner party” question for everyone joining us here at our table. Last week, we asked: “What's YOUR favorite breakfast?”

Here are some of the great responses from the comments:

• Ryan Wildstar chose a piping hot bowl of Phở!

• Ryan Elston chose tyropita - crispy, buttery cheese pie from Greece!

• Katie Kleinhesselink chose latkes with applesauce and sour cream!

• kde chose biscuits & gravy with a side dish of fruit and coffee!

• Sarah also chose biscuits & gravy!

Thank you everyone for your wonderful responses! That was last week . . . but we don't want this week's dinner party to end either!

So here is this week's question for the table:

This week, we talked about two great new albums from Elbow and Gossip, two bands we’ve been following for over two decades. So, our question for the table this week is:

What music, current OR classic, have YOU been listening to lately?

Tell us your choice in the comments and we’ll share some of your responses on next week’s podcast!

Also, don't forget to stop by The Epicurean Vagabonds Substack on Wednesdays, to check out our revamped Mid-Week Libations! Now with audio segments featuring Ryan & Ryan!

And, as always, thank you for joining us for Season Two of Aesthetic Arrest!

Cheers to that!