“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. Now with TWO ways to enjoy our curated splash of inspiration and culture! Cheers to that!
Click above to listen to our Aesthetic Arrest Podcast, featuring R&R discussing our reading, listening, looking, viewing and tasting recommendations of the week!
Take a deep-dive into our Aesthetic Arrest: Mid-Week Libation! Below is a splash of interesting cultural gems to explore — videos, music, art, articles, recipes and more. Something different every week!
Aesthetic Arrest: Mid-Week Libation
Wildstar’s Wednesday Libation: Domaine Vernay, Les Chaillées de l’Enfer, Condrieu AOC (Rhône, France)
“An iconic Estate in the Rhône Valley, the Domaine Vernay is famous for its Côte-Rôtie and its Condrieu. In 1996, Christine Vernay, who has been responsible for the Estate and its wine making for over 20 years, took over from her father (Georges Vernay, famous for having saved the appellation and the viognier grape variety) and her grandfather (Francis Vernay) who created the Estate. Today, the Estate, with its steep hillsides, is certified fully as Organic Viticulture and is worked with passion and investment.” [Source]
Reading: An Elder Poet & Activist Whose Voice We Need Right Now — Love Belongs to Those Who Do the Feeling: New & Selected Poems (1966-2006) by Judy Grahn
“Judy's poetry is rangy and provocative. It has been written at the heart of so many of the important social movements of the last forty years that the proper word is foundational—Judy Grahn's poetry is foundational to the spirit of movement. People consistently report that Judy's poetry is also uplifting—an unexpected side effect of work that is aimed at the mind as well as the heart. Judy continues to insist that love goes beyond romance, to community, and that community goes beyond the everyday world, to the connective worlds of earth and spirit.” [Source]
Watch this great video of Judy Grahn reading “A Plainsong from an Older Woman to a Younger Woman” in 1974:
Listening #1: Son of a Broken Man by Fantastic Negrito
“Fantastic Negrito, the musical persona of Xavier Dphrepaulezz, has long captivated listeners with his personal lyrics and blend of blues, rock, and soul. On his sixth album, Son of a Broken Man, he dives even deeper into personal territory, tackling themes of betrayal, trauma, and ultimately, self-love.” [Source]
Listening #2: Beethoven Blues by Jon Batiste
“5x Grammy and Oscar winner Jon Batiste returns with a pure piano album, Beethoven Blues (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 1). Reimagining the transcendent works of Ludwig van Beethoven alongside original compositions inspired by Batiste’s youth competing in local piano competitions and gigging in the heart of New Orleans, the album extends timeless classics across the genre spectrum.” [Source]
Jon Batiste Blueses Up Beethoven: “It’s Been 250-Plus Years. It Was Due for an Update.” (via The Hollywood Reporter)
Viewing #1: She Danced for 110 Years! Celebrating the Life of Eileen Kramer (November 8th, 1914 - November 15th, 2024) — Supercentenarian Dancer, Artist & Choreographer
“Eileen Kramer, the trailblazing creative who was part of the company which ‘altered the face of modern dance’ in Australia, has died at the age of 110. Her peers say her eleventh decade was the most creative of her life. ... Kramer was the oldest person in New South Wales and fifth oldest in Australia when she died – ‘although age meant nothing to her … It was all about the spirit’. After joining the Bodenwieser Ballet, Australia’s first modern dance company, in the 1940s and touring with them for over a decade, Kramer continued to travel, dancing in the jazz bars of Paris, painting murals in Karachi and making films in New York, and mixing with performers such as Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and the Marx brothers.” [Source]
Trailblazing Dancer and Choreographer Eileen Kramer Dies Aged 110 (via The Guardian)
Looking: The Art of Rosaleen Norton (1917-1979) aka “The Witch of Kings Cross”
“[T]he most persecuted, prosecuted and daring female artist in Australian history – Rosaleen Norton … She practices trance art, painting the images of Gods she meets on the ‘astral plane’. She worships the God Pan, is an avid reader of Carl Jung and Aleister Crowley. … Her message to conservative Australia is simple: worship nature not the dollar. … At the vanguard of feminism and the counter-culture revolution, Rosaleen Norton was persecuted for her sexuality and refusal to conform to Christian values. Today there is a resurgence of interest in her art, particularly in Europe and the USA.” [Source]
Check out The Witch of Kings Cross, a fascinating and beautiful documentary about the life of Rosaleen Norton:
To see more of her work, have a look at Pan's Daughter: The Magical World of Rosaleen Norton by Nevill Drury:
Viewing #2: Beautiful New Film Adapation of a Beloved Play by August Wilson — The Piano Lesson (Netflix)
“A brewing battle over the fate of an heirloom piano threatens to tear a family apart in this drama based on August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play.” Directed by Malcolm Washington, adapted from the 1987 play by August Wilson, starring Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts & Erykah Badu!
Tasting: Cherokee Cuisine from Chef Nico Albert Williams, founder of Burning Cedar Sovereign Wellness
“Burning Cedar Sovereign Wellness is a 100% Indigenous women-led, community-driven nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing the knowledge of healthy traditional foodways and Indigenous wellness practices to Native families and individuals living in the urban Tulsa area.” [Source]
Nico Albert Williams’ Recipe for Modern Masa Cherokee Bean Bread! (via King Arthur Baking)
Nico Albert Williams’ Recipe for Stuffed Squash! (via Southern Kitchen)
Click here for more recipes from Burning Cedar Sovereign Wellness!
The Cherokee Chef Promoting the Benefits of an Indigenous Diet (via SBS)
A Cherokee Chef Works to Crack the Code of Her People's Food (via Southern Kitchen)
So that’s it for this week! But in the tradition of our Mid-Week Libations, we’d like to end with this week’s words of wisdom, a quotation from author William S. Burroughs:
This Week’s Words of Wisdom: William S. Burroughs
Thank you for joining us for Season 3 of Aesthetic Arrest!
Cheers to that!
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