sukritidubey

[sukritidubey]

Olafur Arnalds - improvisations

Saw the picture while listening to the song and I think it fits beautifully. 

[sukritidubey]

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.”

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Nowness’ film for Leonard Cohen. 

Def Video of the Week! 

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"Will I ever see my conscious pure, naked without a taint of the world?"

Marcus Aurelius

[sukritidubey]

A Gentleman in Moscow

I read Amor Towel’s too-elegant-to-be-put-into-words book a few weeks ago. A riveting read, it was eloquent and thoughtful like very few books I have had the opportunity to read. It’s got everything -- romance, philosophy, art, and politics. The story revolves around Count Alexander Rostov who’s under house arrest in Moscow’s Metropol hotel. Here are some snippets from it: 

“And when that celestial chime sounds, perhaps a mirror will suddenly serve its truer purpose—revealing to a man not who he imagines himself to be, but who he has become.”

“Ever since its opening in 1905, the hotel’s suites and restaurants had been a gathering spot for the glamorous, influential, and erudite; but the effortless elegance on display would not have existed without the services of the lower floor.”

“Our churches, known the world over for their idiosyncratic beauty, for their brightly colored spires and improbable cupolas, we raze one by one. We topple the statues of old heroes and strip their names from the streets, as if they had been figments of our imagination. Our poets we either silence, or wait patiently for them to silence themselves.”

“The pace of evolution was not something to be frightened by. For while nature doesn't have a stake in whether the wings of a peppered moth are black or white, it genuinely hopes that the peppered moth will persist.”

“In the end, a parent’s responsibility could not be more simple: To bring a child safely into adulthood so that she could have a chance to experience a life of purpose and, God willing, contentment.” 

“The principle here is that a new generation owes a measure of thanks to every member of the previous generation. Our elders planted fields and fought in wars; they advanced the arts and sciences, and generally made sacrifices on our behalf. So by their efforts, however humble, they have earned a measure of our gratitude and respect.” 

“For if a room that exists under the governance, authority, and intent of others seems smaller than it is, then a room that exists in secret can, regardless of its dimensions, seem as vast as one cares to imagine.” 

″A king fortifies himself with a castle,’ observed the Count, ��a gentleman with a desk.”

“For what matters in life is not whether we receive a round of applause; what matters is whether we have the courage to venture forth despite the uncertainty of acclaim.” 

“No matter how much time passes, those we have loved never slip away from us entirely.”

[sukritidubey]

Video of the Week

Seriously, any video by Sevdaliza is hard shit. Get on it. 

About this video: 

"With Sevdaliza’s music and energy in the film, Ghanaian director Emmanuel Adjei tells the story of the black man, who continues life in a cycle of oppression. The modern chains on black men today are the aspirations of decadence, power and success that create a false sense of autonomy and freedom. This leaves them victim of addictions to power and materialism, unable to venture outside what is 'expected' of their behaviour. The film serves to show two very different marginalized individuals (Sevdaliza & Adjei) supporting one another, whilst respecting each other’s space and voice. The visual element came to fruition after Adjei and Sevdaliza came to a symbiotic understanding that ‘Shahmaran’ was her music to his story. Director, Emmanuel Adjei, comments: “Carrying the burden of their ancestors, most black men today are still born into an environment that limits their freedom. Lost in a hazardous place from which they can’t seem to escape, their survival mechanisms have become their guide when making decisions. Whilst growing up, they have learned to fixate on the place where they know they need to be. Drawn to the dream of having power and success, they hold on to a false idea of autonomy. Yet, it is  this house of freedom that has enslaved these men again. Chained to a fantasy, often of a materialistic nature, they remain upright throughout survival.” Film director and visual artist, Emmanuel Adjei, has collaborated with musician, Sevdaliza on several projects. In ‘Shahmaran’ his creative vision challenged them both to deconstruct characters and the very format of their artistic expression."

While you’re at it, check out FKA Twigs too.

[sukritidubey]

YouTube is my daily source of trash and treasure content. And there are some YouTubers that I trust to give me great content to have dinner to. Here’s a list of the YTbers I’m jammin’ to rn.

Nerdwriter1

Exurb1a

Fandor

Wireless Philosophy

Sean Tucker

John Oliver

The Art Assignment 

Cercle 

[sukritidubey]

It took me a week to watch this movie and it wasn’t because it’s a 3-hour long commitment. One of the first Terrence Malick movies that I’ve seen, A Hidden Life is like a beautiful book, a journey so poetic that you have to stop after every page to take it all in. 

I do not wish to waste my words on the whats and whos of the film because the essence of this story was not the events but the intention behind them. 

It prompted a question that one must ask oneself: what is a man without his values? 

This story is about a man who sacrifices everything to stand up for what he believes in, it’s an act of resistance against the evil (up for debate, sure) side of man.

Almost every dialogue required further philosophical meditations and told stories that went beyond the apparent. As I was watching the movie, I paused after every minute to write.  And I cannot stress enough how beautifully this movie has been shot. Wide-angles in natural light, it is all-encompassing, moving, breathtaking, honest, and intentionally uneasy sometimes.  Looking forward to watching this again after a few years.