“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!
This Week’s Apéritif: Anastasia Fragou “Old Vines” Retsina (100% Savatiano), Attica, Greece
Ryan Wildstar’s Recommendations:
Reading: Giovanni’s Room (Deluxe Edition) by James Baldwin (introduction by Kevin Young)
Remembering Author James Baldwin on the 100-year Anniversary of His Birth (via NPR)
A Century of James Baldwin: Celebrating 100 Years of a Great American Mind (via Lit Hub)
Listening: Night Reign by Arooj Aftab
Looking: The Art of Alexandre Cabanel (1823 – 1889)
Viewing: Killer of Sheep (1978) — directed, filmed, edited, written and produced by Charles Burnett, starring Henry G. Sanders and
Kaycee Moore
Adventures in Moviegoing: Justin Simien discusses Charles Burnett with Janicza Bravo (via The Criterion Channel)
Finding Fact in Fiction: Charles Burnett’s LA Gamechanger ‘Killer of Sheep’ (via Far Out)
Tasting: Dinner at Ουζερί Ο Κάκιας (The Badass Ouzeria) on Salamina, Greece
Ryan Elston’s Recommendations:
Reading: The Known World by Edward P. Jones
Why is The Known World So Good? (via Lit Hub)
Visiting an Elusive Writer, and Revisiting His Masterpiece (via NY Times)
Listening: Rectangles & Circumstance by Caroline Shaw & Sō Percussion
Rectangles and Circumstance Album Review – Collaborative and Gleefully Eclectic Collection (via The Guardian)
Caroline Shaw and Sō Percussion Reunite for Genre-Defying LP (via Popmatters)
Looking: The Art of Tomokazu Matsuyama
Official Site of Tomokazu Matsuyama / Instagram / Works for Sale (via Artsy) / Tomokazu Matsuyama at Kavi Gupta Gallery
Check out the current exhibition, Tomokazu Matsuyama: Mythologiques, at the Contemporary Istanbul in Venice, Italy (on view until November 24, 2024!)
Check out the current exhibition, Tomokazu Matsuyama: Luminous Reflection, at Maison JE Taipei in Taipei City (on view until October 6, 2024!)
Remix Artist: Meet Street Artist-Turned-Gallery Superstar Tomokazu Matsuyama (via Brooklyn Mag)
Viewing: Hollywood Black - docuseries directed by Justin Simien, inspired by the book from film historian Donald Bogle, featuring interviews with Ava DuVernay, Ryan Coogler, Issa Rae, W. Kamau Bell, Cynthia Erivo, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Kasi Lemmons, Gabrielle Union, Lena Waithe, Forest Whitaker, Giancarlo Esposito & more! (MGM+)
Justin Simien’s ‘Hollywood Black’ Is a Fascinating Reexamination of Cinema History Through a Black Lens (via Variety)
Tasting: Dinner at Ουζερί Ο Κάκιας (Ouzeri The Bad Guy) on Salamina, Greece
So that’s it for this week! But we want the dinner party to continue!
So here is this week's question for the table:
For Season 3, we want to know which of our weekly recommendations resonate with YOU, our beloved listeners and readers!
Out of everything we talked about on this week's podcast, which of our recommendations are most interesting to YOU?
What piques your interest? What are you excited to check out? Or maybe we discussed something that you've already read (or seen or heard or tasted) and enjoyed as we much as we do?
Tell us about it in the comments!
And thank you for joining us for Season 3 of the Aesthetic Arrest Podcast!
Cheers to that!
Aesthetic Arrest Podcast: James Baldwin, Arooj Aftab, Caroline Shaw, Hollywood Black & The Badass Ouzeria!