“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: Rebuli Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG Extra Brut, “Zerogrammi"
Ryan Wildstar’s Recommendations:
Reading: The Palace of Dreams by Ismail Kadare
Listening: Filthy Underneath by Nadine Shah
Looking: The Art of Osman Hamdi Bey (1842 - 1910)
Viewing: Season 3 of Hacks (HBO Max) — created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs & Jen Statsky, starring Jean Smart & Hannah Einbinder
Tasting: Lunch at Fish Time in the Don Bosco Neighborhood of Tirana, Albania
Ryan Elston’s Recommendations:
Reading: Minor Notes, Volume 1 (edited by Jesse McCarthy & Joshua Bennett, foreword by Tracy K. Smith)
Listening: Brian Wilson Presents Smile by Brian Wilson (20th anniversary!)
Also, check out The Beach Boys official documentary (Disney+):
Looking: The Art of Emily Cheng
Viewing: Season 5 of Star Trek: Discovery (Paramount+) — showrunners Alex Kurtzman & Michelle Paradise, starring Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, David Ajala, Anthony Rapp, Wilson Cruz, Blu del Barrio, Callum Keith Rennie, Mary Wiseman & Tig Notaro
Tasting: Lunch at Fish Time in Tirana, Albania
So that’s it for this week! But we want the dinner party to continue! And next week we will be celebrating the 100th episode of our podcast! So tune in next week for a very special 100TH EPISODE EXTRAVAGANZA!
All of our reading, listening, looking, viewing and tasting recommendations next week are inspired by a great dinner party question we encountered recently: Who are some of the artists you cannot live without? What are some examples from the world of art and culture that regularly bring you the beauty, wisdom, inspiration and joy we all need to survive in these troubled times?
Next week we're each going to pick five of our most cherished examples from among the many artists and artworks, books and writers, musicians and albums, directors and films and TV series, recipes and meals that we cannot live without. But we want to hear your voices as well!
So here is this week's question for the table:
What are some of YOUR choices? Who are some of the artists YOU cannot live without? Reading, listening, looking, viewing and/or tasting picks are all welcome!
Tell us your choices in the comments and we’ll share some of your responses on next week's podcast!
And, as always, thank you for listening and for all of your continued support over these past 99 episodes and counting!
Cheers to that!
Aesthetic Arrest Podcast: The Palace of Dreams, Hacks, Star Trek: Discovery, Nadine Shah & Fish Time!