#cultural collision in fantasy

[joncronshawauthor]

How Egypt Inspired the World of "The Fall of Wolfsbane"

As a fantasy author, inspiration can strike in the most unexpected places. For me, the seed that would grow into “The Fall of Wolfsbane” was planted not in some misty forest or atop a craggy mountain, but in the arid heat of Egypt. This happened somewhere between the ancient cities of Cairo and Luxor. A Flight of Fancy It was on a domestic flight, soaring over the timeless landscape of Egypt,…

[hiveworks]

MORE #QueerComicsNow 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ Last week, we shared a spotlight on just a few of our comics with LGBTQ+ characters, creators, and themes. That's just the tip of the iceberg. We're back with another round of recommendations below!⁠

Little Tiny Things by @cloverscomics

What are the little things that move us? The simple joys that warm our bodies and our hearts? The micro life of insects that influence our world more than we think? The tiny steps we make everyday to have a happier tomorrow? It's the Little, Tiny, Things.⁠

Fairmeadow by @hagofbolding

Goma, a wayward Orcish soldier, finds herself in Fairmeadow, a commune of pacifists deep in the Cascadian wilderness. Isolation has allowed the commune to thrive in the shadow of a century-long war, but Goma’s arrival brings troubling reminders of the world outside to those who have settled there in search of respite.  Fairmeadow’s enigmatic leader, Sanctuary, finds his utopian vision challenged as he struggles to keep the peace. Their self-sufficiency exists on thin margins - margins that threaten to break if Goma cannot learn to live alongside those who she has sworn to fight. Fairmeadow is a post-epic fantasy drama inspired by the counter-cultural movements of the late 60’s, the landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, and tabletop RPG’s. It’s about the collision of idealism against pragmatism, reckoning with the consequences of dropping out, and trying to make its readers want to go on a hike.

Magical How? by @eyugho

Gabe and Booker were just regular guys until a golf ball appears, offering them magical abilities. Booker does not want to get into this at all, but Gabe takes the bracelet and transforms into a Magical... complete with uniform!

Gzhel Guardian by Atla Hrafney & Anya⁠

Deep underground, in a place far away from our world, exists the Railway System. A complex, mysterious network of trains, towns and mechanical monsters, these communities are open and known only to a few on Earth. Central to these communities are Guardians, people chosen at random and adorned with power. Leo is one such Guardian, and even though their burn-out and depression has taken hold of them, they have one last job to finish. Gzhel Guardian is a Russian fantasy LGBT+ webcomic inspired by folklore and illustrated in gorgeous watercolor pages.

[hagofbolding]

Fairmeadow update!

It's the last page of chapter 5, which makes it a pretty good time to read & catch up wink wink

Read here

Start from beginning

Goma, a wayward Orcish soldier, finds herself in Fairmeadow, a commune of pacifists deep in the Cascadian wilderness. Isolation has allowed the commune to thrive in the shadow of a century-long war, but Goma’s arrival brings troubling reminders of the world outside to those who have settled there in search of respite.  Fairmeadow’s enigmatic leader, Sanctuary, finds his utopian vision challenged as he struggles to keep the peace. Their self-sufficiency exists on thin margins - margins that threaten to break if Goma cannot learn to live alongside those who she has sworn to fight.  Fairmeadow is a post-epic fantasy drama inspired by the counter-cultural movements of the late 60’s, the landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, and tabletop RPGs. It’s about the collision of idealism against pragmatism, reckoning with the consequences of dropping out, and trying to make its readers want to go on a hike.

[communistkenobi]

There’s this post going around about convincing conservatives to support trains by painting cars as “an attack on traditional transport” (I don’t remember it exactly, but they specifically used the words attack on traditional something)

Mostly people were taking it as a joke, or pointing out how this could be also be used to convince people of conservative goals and to read carefully when it comes to inclusive or sustainable language (like pinkwashing or certain ideologies related to overpopulation)

But I saw one argument that it was useful because “if your politics can only convince people who already agree with you it’s not useful” and while I agree you should tailor your arguments to tie audience, using “attack on tradition” specifically feels odd. (This argument was in response to someone mentioning the issues a rail system organized by people with that mindset would have)

I guess I’d like to know what you think about it, since I’m not very knowledgeable when it comes to politics.

I believe you’re talking about this post:

If you wanted to take this screenshot seriously I think it’s a pretty bad way to convince people of your own political beliefs and goals, because you’re not actually convincing them of anything lol. There is a difference between tailoring your arguments to your audience or meeting people where they are versus adopting the framework of your political enemies to make your own goals appear to align with their own. You have not actually convinced conservatives that public transit is good for the reasons it is actually good (the reasons public transit is good is diametrically opposed to their beliefs), you have only convinced them that public transit can fit under a conservative policy framework. Well conservative policies are disgusting! They are hostile to human life, they make the world a worse place to live in. The crux of the argument being made here is that ‘traditional society’ is something worth protecting, and public transit is an avenue through which this protection can be done. I think if you are conceding this much rhetorical and political ground to your enemy to make them ‘agree’ with you, you’re not being savvy or politically strategic, you are just making conservative arguments. The problem is that traditional society is a vile concept and no policy should rest on that kind of foundation. The way you frame a problem determines the potential solution outcomes; the solution being championed here is not that more public transit solves a host of pressing social problems (increased accessibility and mobility for disabled people, the elderly, children, and the poor, reducing/resolving congestion and traffic issues that plague every urban centre, vastly reducing the amount of deaths related to vehicle collisions for both pedestrians and drivers, reducing carbon emissions produced by vehicles, the list is effectively endless), but that ‘traditional society’ can be saved using public transit - this traditional society being built by white supremacist and cishetero-patriarchal politics, a system of explicit racial and gendered hierarchy and inequality, conservative cultural ideas about struggle, rugged individualism, the strong dominating the weak, and so on. You’re just making a conservative argument!

The whole liberal fantasy surrounding debates is that politics is primarily a game of rhetoric where ideas clash for dominance and the best ideas win. If you can’t even convince someone of your own political goals on your own terms using your own ideas - or worse, your political goals are so modular and vague that you believe using fascist concepts like ‘protecting traditional society’ is a productive vehicle for getting what you want - you are at best useless and at worst part of the problem. In either case I don’t think it’s effective or worth your time, you’re literally just increasing the amount of conservative arguments that exist in the world, and if you believe otherwise you’re either an idiot or you’re dangerous 

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hello,

I apologize in advance if you've already answered something like this but my cursory look didn't show anything. I am looking for a game system that has an emphasis on the feeling of a wild west movie while still retaining general fantasy elements from DND. The wild spaces are slowly becoming tamed, increasing technological/magical advancement are pushing disparate communities together, and of course cocky assholes with guns (or a magical equivalent).

Thanks in advance

Theme: Wild West Fantasy

Hello friend, you might want to check out my Fantasy Westerns rec post, to see if anything there fits what you’re looking for. I especially recommend checking out the rec for We Deal In Lead and Clink. For the rest of this post, I try to span a very broad range, so I don't expect everything to stick - but perhaps one or two do!

Inevitable, by Soul Muppet Publishing.

Knights and wizards have defended the Kingdom of Myth for centuries. These lands have known peace and prosperity, but soon the kingdom shall be destroyed. The Prophets have declared that your city shall burn and Myth will fall. All those who follow your King shall die. It is INEVITABLE.

But you shall defy fate. Myth will not end while you bear arms. You will fail, but as long as there are still stories, they will sing of you!

Inevitable is a Arthurian Western roleplaying game for 2-6 players and a GM, where your party of disastrously sad cowboy knights fail to stop the apocalypse. This 284 page book contains all the rules, character creation and the setting for your campaign, thoroughly and evocatively detailing The Barren, the lands surrounding the Kingdom of Myth.

This game might be way you’re looking for: it describes itself as a fantasy kingdom, with western aesthetics. There are wizards, prophets, and rune-carved revolvers. Your reputation in the kingdom is important; it determines how well you can face challenges, and roll pools of d6 on a table of staggered success. If you want a taste before you buy, there’s a Quickstart with some evocative set pieces, a quick overview of the rules, and a quick adventure to run through with a list of pre-generated characters.

Far West, by Adamant Entertainment.

Imagine a fantasy setting that shatters the tropes of Medieval Europe. Imagine a collision of Spaghetti Westerns and Chinese Wuxia by way of Steampunk. Imagine a world where gunslingers and kung fu masters face off against Steam Barons and the August Throne. Imagine fantastic machines powered by the furies comprising the fabric of the universe. Imagine an endless frontier where wandering heroes fight for righteous causes while secret societies engage in shadow wars. Imagine…

This game is a combination of Wild Western tropes and Wuxia fantasy. Your characters are wandering heroes, defending the small and helpless against the strong and powerful. I look at this game and I think of movies like The Magnificent Seven. Mechanically, it’s its own system, but it draws heavily from Fate, using positive and negative aspects to boost rolls and spark complications.This game relies on some tropes that require entire table buy-in: I’m not sure how many assumptions the game makes about the cultures it takes inspiration from.

Holler: An Appalachian Apocalypse (Savage Worlds), by Pinnacle Entertainment.

In Holler, the mysterious “Big Boys” own the mines, mills, and logging operations. They rule over every aspect of their workers’ lives—subjecting them to extraordinary dangers on the job and crushing oppression outside of it. The Big Boys have transformed the land of the Holler—rivers bubble with strange chemicals, strip-mined mountains crumble into valleys, and the air is choked with a toxic fog known as the Blight. The flora and fauna of the Holler grow more monstrous by the day. Demons of every description lurk in the forests. Mutant cryptids haunt villages with their strange cries and appetites. Vengeful haints leer from abandoned shacks and lonely cliffs. No one is coming to save the people of Holler.

The goal of the resistance is to build a coalition, to bring together diverse factions—humble workers, roustabouts, mountain men, dirt track racers, cultists, and even strange creatures of myth and legend to raze the works of the Big Boys and drive them from the Holler forever. Holler draws deeply on Appalachian history, mythic folklore, and culture to create a dark fantasy world of apocalypse and vengeance.

This sounds a little more grim and gritty, with cryptids, toxic fog and demons lurking in the forest. It uses the Savage Worlds system, so you’ll have to pick up the codebook to play with it, but the setting is very very fleshed out. This is a little less Wild West and a little more Appalachia, and the setting is a bit more on the horror side than most of the other games on this list, but there’s certainly a lot of wildness out there for you to fight!

TROUPE, by TheOriginalCockatrice.

A game about travel, discovery, and outsiderness, a combination of the best of Old-School and Story Games. Complete with 6 Jobs, including the Ghelf, the Hedge, and the Ogra, and includes a system for holistically coming up with a character from scratch.

The designer describes this game as an exploration of the road; the odd and unknown of the wild, what it means to belong, and what it means to be on the outside. You’re not heroes - you’re entertainers, jokers, healers and bards. There isn’t exactly magic, but there is myth and legend. This is a great game for folks who want plenty of challenges that exist outside of combat. Each character playbook comes with a balance of mechanical elements and descriptive options, and you’ll be rolling 2d6 plus your stat in order to determine success.

I’m not sure how much of a Western this is, but the designer actually hacked this game for BXLLET, a game about gunslingers in the apocalypse, in the zine Bxllet Clip, so it might be worth checking out!

Shotguns & Sorcery, by Full Moon Enterprises.

Welcome to Dragon City, a grim, gritty metropolis ruled over by the Dragon Emperor, with legions of zombies scratching at the city walls by night.

Whether in the streets of Goblintown or the prestigious halls of the Academy of Arcane Apprenticeship, people try to scrape by, make a living, and survive from one day to the next. You, however, are looking for something more than simple survival. And in this city, if you don’t make your own adventure, another adventure is sure to find you.

Shotguns & Sorcery is a fantasy noir game complete with Dragon City Intrigues, roving hoards of undead, and unexplored mountains rife with magical creatures. You’ll see magical staffs alongside light pistols, bows alongside submachine guns, and greatswords alongside canteens, playing cards and a camp stove. The game uses the Cypher System, with an additional character option alongside the three-part character sentence: your race. This includes the signature hafling, elf, dwarf etc.

Games I’ve Recommended in the Past

Knights of the Road, by bordercholly.

[overthinkinglotr]

oh wow, great to find someone else enjoying Fairmeadow!! amazing art, and I've loved the worldbuilding/designs for Goma and the orcs.

Yay another Fairmeadow fan! A friend recently recommended it to me and I now recommend it to anyone else looking for good thoughtful fantasy webcomics that play with the genre's conventions. :3 Here's the pitch for the other people reading this post who haven't read Fairmeadow yet: "An orcish warrior joins an isolated pacifist commune-- can she learn to live alongside those she swore to fight?"

Goma, a wayward Orcish soldier, finds herself in Fairmeadow, a commune of pacifists deep in the Cascadian wilderness. Isolation has allowed the commune to thrive in the shadow of a century-long war, but Goma’s arrival brings troubling reminders of the world outside to those who have settled there in search of respite.  Fairmeadow’s enigmatic leader, Sanctuary, finds his utopian vision challenged as he struggles to keep the peace. Their self-sufficiency exists on thin margins - margins that threaten to break if Goma cannot learn to live alongside those who she has sworn to fight.  Fairmeadow is a post-epic fantasy drama inspired by the counter-cultural movements of the late 60’s, the landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, and tabletop RPG’s. It’s about the collision of idealism against pragmatism, reckoning with the consequences of dropping out, and trying to make its readers want to go on a hike.

It also has gorgeous art, especially the landscapes/backgrounds! I've noticed a lot of webcomic artists are either good at drawing expressive characters or expressive backgrounds, but this artist is great at both. The worldbuilding is conveyed pretty subtly/naturally through dialogue, and the good writing in combination with the beautiful detailed background illustrations really helps sell the story's fantasy world as a 'real' place. It's also pretty queer, though it's far more focused on 'the emotional and societal consequences of war' than on romance. tl;dr: I know half of all fantasy webcomics try to do a 'what if the monsters/orcs were Sympathetic" storyline, but this is genuinely one of the best-written examples of that!

[grandhotelabyss]

Which books influenced the way you think about politics the most?

The worth of this question can be measured by how difficult I'm finding it to answer. On the one hand, far too many books come to mind, reputable and disreputable and in-between, fiction and philosophy, journalism and polemic, comic book and conspiracy theory, plus 20+ years on the internet. On the other hand, there's no one book, or even several books, I could recommend to demonstrate the way I think about politics; I learned most about politics from watching politics, in the ages first of cable television and then of the internet not primarily a bookish enterprise. And because politics is famously the art of the possible, and because what's possible changes year by year, neither politics in general nor my politics in particular can stand still. I learn something every year, though not always from books. I don't mean by this to be cynical; one has one's values, but they vary in their expression with the affordances of the moment. For me, the deepest hope—not belief, but hope; not yet a reality but an aspiration—is in the potential of human freedom against all totalizing systems. I doubt I got that from a book, though. More likely it came from somewhere else, in early experience, and prepared me to recognize the theme whenever I did encounter it in books. Nor have I been wholly dead to the genuine sublimity of those totalizing systems, given what I have jokingly called my protracted education at the hands of Catholics and Marxists.

Anyway, the spirit of the question calls for a list, so I'll provide one. It's a narrative list arranged chronologically by my age when I read the book in question with a little summary of what it taught me. I've avoided the temptation of pretending that canonical political philosophy has taught me more than it did: with respect to Plato, Hobbes, Marx, Mill, Foucault, and the like, mostly I read that material in too abstract a mood for it to matter or too late for it do more than confirm what I'd already learned elsewhere.

Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Watchmen (read age 12) - The world is comprised of systems in dynamic interaction with individuals and ideologies; art may replicate this in significant form; the proper attitude of the artist is an implied sardonic skepticism, albeit open to apolitical spiritual rapture and cosmic consciousness.

William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar (read age 14) - The political winds can shift like that, between the acts; when power is at stake, you can't depend on personal loyalties; a smooth speech is better than a good cause; the crowd will always kill the poet; those who plead their freedom often have, beneath their own awareness, an envious resentment of power; the artist can manipulate the audience's political sympathies for pedagogical purposes.

George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four, and John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath (both read age 15) - The modern problem is the reconciliation of individual and collective such that neither is enslaved to the other, the populace starved by the rich, the citizen trampled by state and society; the novel (unlike nonfiction forms) is almost unlimited in its ability to examine this theme, encompassing fantasy and naturalism, sermon and treatise, journalism and prophecy.

Camille Paglia, Sexual Personae (read age 18) - We are ruled by darker forces than we know, especially if we refuse to know it; the whole complex problem of sex and sexuality is primordial, infinitely more fundamental than the comparative superficies of race and class that political philosophers and pundits prefer to discuss; art and politics both are contra naturam—sex, by contrast, is the tragic collision of art and nature—and therefore under the sign of beauty; the critic's sensibility should be cosmic and unyielding, itself a mark carved hopelessly into nature's loam.

Edward W. Said, Culture and Imperialism (read age 21) - Empire is the primary political fact, inescapable even for artists and angels; the most powerful move a critic can make is to ally art to empire, the more improbably or counterintuitively the better, this to establish the critic's own cultural empire; the critic may rhetorically take the side of the oppressed in a suave rhetoric the oppressed could never master, and charisma will dispel (almost) the consequent air of fraud.

Max Horkheimer and Theodor W. Adorno, Dialectic of Enlightenment (read age 27) - Our genius is our tragedy: the laws we codified to escape and then to master nature have enslaved us precisely because we identify them with nature; we have strangled everything spontaneous and tender in ourselves—and have projected out of ourselves and "other" and slaughtered that, too—in the name of this conquest, necessary to progress as in fact it was, with consequences even including the modern reduction of culture to the machinic product of industries consecrated to entertainment propaganda.

Fyodor Dostoevsky, Demons (read age 32) - Liberalism is not innocent; in destroying every metaphysic but freedom and utility it has cleared the path of psychotic anarchy and brutal tyranny; the artist must understand every inch of this dilemma from the inside.

Albert Camus, The Rebel (read age 35) - The urge to rebel against tyranny and its dialectical concomitant in the urge to become a tyrant in turn are structures of human consciousness traceable through the whole of human culture from ancient myth to modern art, with political philosophy in between; the artist's abundant vision may teach the moderation that preserves the impulse to freedom and holds in abeyance the drive toward tyranny.

Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism (read age 39) - The enemy is the reduction of the human to a calculus, any calculus, with whatever alibi (liberal, fascist, communist; race, class, nation); the solution is collective creativity.

Finally, for a wild card:

Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter (read and reread between ages 15 and 40) and Sacvan Bercovitch, The Office of the Scarlet Letter (read age 25) - This is how American politics in particular works: it doesn't; it is sublimated as a cultural conflict about the limits of freedom and necessity waged over open-ended and contested symbols, including Hawthorne's own text; the proper ambition of the American writer is to write a text of such permanently productive ambiguity.

[pantelisvitaliotismagneto]

Pantelis Vitaliotis: "Wake me from sleep, open the gate"

All my past and all my treasure All my tastes against nature My attacks of aphasia I look back and see the future Wake me from sleep, open the gate*

Curated by: Panos Giannikopoulos

Space 52 presents the second solo exhibition by Pantelis Vitaliotis, Wake Me from Sleep, open the Gate, featuring a compelling showcase of paintings, ceramic sculptures, and sound that span the culmination of the artist's silent practice over the last few years.

This body of work invites visitors to explore another world, rich with symbols and secrets, where organic forms undergo a metamorphosis, blurring the lines between representation and abstraction. The artistic choices made by the painter serve as a reflection of the intricate interplay between his psychological state and the unique circumstances in which he finds himself. The brush stroke, colour selection, and compositional arrangement manifest the artist's inner world, capturing the nuances of his emotions, moods, and personal experiences. This intricate dance between the external and internal worlds results in a visual tapestry that resonates sincerely and offers a glimpse into the artist's soul. The canvas, then, is transformed into a visual diary that evolves with every layer of paint applied.

Vitaliotis skillfully disassembles and reassembles his painting objects, allowing parts of his imagery to reappear, moving fluidly through the canvases. This process introduces new formal elements while others are lost or transformed, echoing the historical roots of surrealism and modernism. Additionally, his exploration of religious iconography, both Byzantine and Western, converges with a contemporary narrative around sleep and dream, creating a dialogue with surrounding landscapes that embrace archetypal monuments, rock formations, and domestic intimacy.

The arrangement of works at the gallery entrance immerses viewers in a spatial interplay between the painterly and the sculptural. In Wake Me from Sleep, open the Gate, Vitaliotis uproots religious iconography from cultural metaphors, creating a flatness of perspective that inverts and dimensionally takes shape with ceramics, providing a tangible depth connected with a sense of spirituality.

Vitaliotis opts to capture the essence of objects and scenes in his landscapes. Colours and patterns take precedence, creating a collision of sharp and round shapes that establish a rhythmic sense. Each artwork contains a hidden escape, a keyhole or door, inviting viewers to glimpse a dream world not yet here or one left behind. It is a door towards an inner world of utopian possibilities of queer world-making and also an escape. The artist's interest in constructing narratives leads to the representation of symbolic or metaphoric confined spaces. Vitaliotis often incorporates getaways where elements break down or fall apart.

In Wake Me from Sleep, Open the Gate the paint becomes principal, integral to the narrative and subject itself, with light strokes and almost invisible painterly gestures, while everything blends in total harmony and balance. Including sound in his art practice adds a musical dimension to the works, offering a multisensory experience for the audience. The eye, repeatedly depicted in the paintings, serves as a central element that symbolizes seeing and being watched, visually exploring the world and sharing optical perspectives. Ultimately, brightly coloured and painted with care and affection, the paintings act as a stage, challenging the viewer's perception and encouraging a reading based on dream, memory, fantasy and myth. Vitaliotis explores displacement, disarticulation, and reiteration, inviting visitors to participate actively in decoding the message conveyed by his artworks.

* Joege Socarras, Contre Nature, San Francisco, 1980 (Indoor Life)

[satoshi-mochida]

Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains launches July 26 for PC, later in 2023 for Switch

Gematsu Source(from July 12th)

Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains will launch for PC via Steam on July 26, followed by Switch later in 2023, publishers Eastasiasoft and Gamera Games, and developer Softstar Entertainment announced.

Here is an overview of the game, via its Steam page:

The Journey of a Frankish Knight in the Tang Empire

Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains is a classic turn-based RPG. Under the orders of Pepin III, the Frankish Knight Septem has embarked on a long journey to seek the Invincible Arts of War. Starting from the canals of beautiful Venice, the great knight’s path has spanned the Middle East, Western Regions on his way to the mystical orient. In his adventures, Septem has drawn into the intricate power disputes between local powers, along with the decade-spanning ambitions of the dark lord, Satan.

China enjoys peace and prosperity under the rule of the Tang Empire, Europe finds itself embroiled in the Dark Ages, the Arabian Empire is ascendant, and all the while, the march of progress brings these disparate cultures together. From ancient times, Chinese legends have spoken of the Xuan-Yuan Sword and Spirit Fusion Pot, along with the rise of great legends in the new era…

A Symphony of Western and Eastern Culture

The scope of Xuan-Yuan Sword: Mists Beyond the Mountains covers a wide range, spanning all of Eurasia and covering the Arab World, Francia, and China. From the canals of Venice, Damascus to the beautiful Chang’an, the story introduces unique architectural styles, clothing, food, and customs.

A Fusion of History and Fantasy

The story of Xuan-Yuan Sword III takes place in an era of collision between East and West, covering a range of historical events that include the Battle of Talas, the Arabian Civil War, and An Lushan Rebellion interspersed through character dramas. Xuan-Yuan Sword III perfectly integrates history with Chinese and Western mythology. Players will encounter unique historical enemies such as Merovingian soldiers, the Venetian navy, the Abbasid Caliphate, Tang soldiers, and Taoists along with unique mythical creatures such as centaurs, Medusa, the Black and White Reapers, and the Xuannü of the Nine Heavens.

Unique Spirit Fusion Pot System

Players can use the Spirit Fusion Pot to capture enemies in battle. Items and monsters can be used to craft a new item or monster from the codex. Users can craft items and monsters from the Eastern or Western altars, which the resulting item differing based on the selected altar.

Unique Ink Painting Art Style

The game features a beautiful traditional Chinese style, with the game map, battle backgrounds, and characters all painted in unique oriental ink.

Improvements and Changes

16:9 high-resolution graphic.

User interface rework.

High-resolution item texture.

Controller support.

China Episode, originally added in mobile version.

[alefarben]

Iran-e Man

Naghmeh Pour directs a visual poem woven from the richness of Iran, collaborating with Iranian artists to support the women’s revolution.

While a women-led revolution preludes a new era of change in Iran, the political unrest that hangs heavy over the fight tells just one side of the story. Among the horrors and means of control opposed through protest, the situation spotlights women united by a passionate connection to their country and their culture – and the possibility of an independent future for the women and girls still to come.

Identifying the beauty found in collectivity as an alternate form of defiance against modes of suppression, Copenhagen-based Iranian director Naghmeh Pour envisions short film, Iran-e Man – a collaboration between Scandinavian production company new–land and The Women’s Life Freedom project. Initiated by emerging Iranian/Italian brand PAIRI DAEZA, the project invited twelve Iranian artists from across the globe to imprint messages capturing the spirit of revolution, materialized as the trailing scarves that punctuate the film.

"The scarves intend to turn a symbol of suppression into a symbol of empowerment and independence."

Shot in rural Morocco to evoke the rolling Iandscape of Iran, Iran-e Man takes a meditative journey through classic Iranian cinema, emulating its distinct visual quality in a collision of past and present, fantasy and realism. A celebration of the rich cultural history of Iran, and the inherent beauty found outside of the media reports, Pour offers a message of empowerment to future generations, in the hope that the world they inhabit stands as a positive imprint of today’s fight for freedom.

[joemuggs]

Brained

I wrote these sleeve notes. It's funny because this world was a fantasy for me at the time, I was 15 or 16 when the album was recorded, listening to John Peel and crackly reception of Kiss FM, but this music meant everything to me... Sorry it seems like a load of what I'm posting is super retro lately, and that's making me feel old, but that's just the nature of the stuff I'm digging up.

👇🏻

Back in 1991 everything flowed. There were still no boundaries between the subgenres of dance music, everything was up for grabs, parties and raves were still a total meltdown of class, race and sexuality. And old schoolfriends “Mixmaster” Morris Gould (aka The Irresistible Force) and Paul “Ramjac” Chivers had a live set that flowed together out of necessity: so limited were their samplers that they had to take turns jamming out a track while the other reloaded their sounds from floppy disc to prevent pauses in the set. But as with everything in that brave new musical world, they made a strength of limitations and produced a groove as futuristic as it was primitive. And, as the recording of their set at London’s notorious Brain club – promoted and introduced on this recording by the equally notorious Sean McCluskey – shows, they perfectly captured the sweat-drenched interzone of the dancefloor in their sounds.

Gould and Chivers had known each other since the age of eight, and both gravitated to the postpunk scene in London as teenagers. The collisions of punk attitude with world music, dub, electronics, jazz and more with the freedom afforded by squatter culture would set them both on exploratory musical paths and extremely catholic tastes. Chivers would gravitate to “real” instruments, learning Afro-Cuban percussion among other instruments, while Gould – always a technology fanatic, and working with computers in his day job – was experimenting with synths and tape edits from the start and got his first sampler around 1985. He took to DJing too, playing at gigs and private parties, soaking up lessons from the likes of Colin Faver and Coldcut in the warehouse party and alternative gay club scenes of London, and went to his first all night rave in Berlin in 1984 – so of course he was primed and ready when acid house hit big time in 1988.

For Chivers acid was a bit more of a surprise. He’d been immersed in On-U Sound style experimental dub, and was working on a live project with his Aniruddha “Dr.” Das – who would later found Asian Dub Foundation. They were using a drum machine, a TB-303 to make basslines, “and lots and lots of percussion”. One day, Chivers was tinkering with the gear in the studios of the Brent Black Music Cooperative in Dollis Hill, when a face peered round the door and said “I like what you’re doing, I’m having a party here later, if I give you £100 will you play a set?” This was acid maven Finbar O’Brien, and the party – full of 500 people, with the renowned Nick MindScape atop a ladder changing coloured gels over a spotlight by hand – and Chivers was an instant convert. More than anything it was the “fluidity” he loved, and the fact the DJ (and him) were hidden away and the crowd were reacting purely to sound, not to a performance as such.

Acid house kept Gould busy as a DJ – his own club The Madhouse was one of the first regular acid nights in London, and he manned the chillout room in Heaven among other places. He expressly set the Heaven ambient space up as a democratised counterpoint to The Orb & KLF’s “White Room” in the same space another night of the week: “Actually, it was better because their room was only for VIPs, for the elite, but I’d been reading about Prometheus, and I wanted to bring fire to the people!” Chivers was also out and about being booked as a percussionist to jam over DJ sets. And both were in demand for live sets; often playing to tens of thousands at the foundational orbital raves outside London, and really honing their skills when the Shamen set up their endlessly mutating Synergy tour, bringing on Ramjac and The Irresistible Force as residents, as well as hard industrialists turned rave converts Meat Beat Manifesto and newcomers Orbital.

It was this latter environment more than any – where DJ and live sets were all part of a continual stream of sound, and sounds, visuals and crowd were all part of the same experience – that brought together the set you hear from the Brain. You can hear Chicago and New York house in it (as well as acid trax, the pair were both devotees of the likes of Mr Fingers and Pal Joey), you can hear Yorkshire bleep and clonk, you can hear the breakbeats and big riffs that were beginning to be known as “hardcore”, you can hear Chivers’s Afro-Latin percussion training, you can hear Gould’s confidence with beatless sections, you can hear elements that would soon become integral to trance, progressive house and other subgenres but in 1991 were still part of the same flow. And most of all, you can hear that direct connection to the dancefloor that Chivers first experienced in that studio party: the sense that this isn’t a performance to a watching crowd, but the music is part of a single system with the people hearing and reacting to it.

There was a literal truth to that: the upstairs room of the Brain where live music happened on a Thursday night had no stage and held less than 50 people. The sounds that you hear flowing through this record are a document of that intimacy: you can almost feel the sweat evaporating off them, and you can hear in McLuskey’s declaration of “FUCKING BRILLIANT” at the end, not just praise of the music, but the enthusiasm of someone who’s just been through the full dance ritual. This kind of live set – genuinely created on the fly with no technological or musical rules beyond the steady beat, made to flow like a DJ set and react to the dancing crowd – would continue to have important offspring. 

The kind of studio and warehouse parties that Gould and Chivers would play at, as well as Synergy and the Brain, directly gave rise to live experiences like The Drum Club & Club Dog’s Midi Circus tour (which would feature Aphex Twin, Orbital and many more), and Underworld’s Experimental Sound Field at Glastonbury 1992 with its weekend-long stream of all-live music. But it would not be long before these scenes would also generate star acts playing on stages in concert halls, and DJ culture itself would generate new idols for the audiences to face and focus their attention on too. In 1991, though, everything still flowed, and everything was still new. It’s been hard for writers and other documentarians to capture that, given that the understanding of it is dependent on duration and immersion – but impressively, amazingly, this recording manages it. Forget what you think you know about the era and its signifiers, try and absorb this as sound created in the moment, and you’re there.

[heroesofprovidenceeternal]

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[ainews]

Creating a fantasy scenario where mermen use gaskets in their planes involves a bit of creative storytelling and a blend of engineering principles adapted to an underwater context. Here are some imaginative reasons why gaskets are crucial for these underwater aircraft:

Watertight Seals: Mermen planes need to resist water ingress at high pressures. Gaskets provide the necessary seal to keep the plane's interior dry and its occupants safe.

Pressure Equalization: At varying underwater depths, the difference in pressure between the inside and outside of the plane is significant. Gaskets help maintain structural integrity by providing a flexible seal that can adapt to pressure changes.

Corrosion Resistance: Merman technology likely uses materials that are less prone to corrosion. Specialized underwater gaskets made from non-corrosive materials extend the life of the planes and their components.

Noise Reduction: Traveling underwater can generate significant noise due to water turbulence and machinery operation. Gaskets help dampen vibrations and reduce noise, ensuring stealthier and more comfortable travel.

Energy Efficiency: Gaskets in joints and connections minimize energy loss, which is critical when converting marine energy sources into propulsion power for the planes. This helps ensure efficient energy use over long journeys.

Flexibility: Underwater environments can be unpredictable, with currents and obstacles requiring sudden maneuvers. Gaskets provide flexibility in joints and connections, allowing mermen planes to adapt to rapid changes without compromising the structural integrity.

Bio-compatibility: Mermen might use gaskets made from materials that are safe and non-toxic to marine life. This means their planes can operate without harming their underwater ecosystem.

Thermal Insulation: Deep-sea environments can be cold, and mermen pilots need protection against extreme temperatures. Gaskets serve as insulators, helping to maintain a stable internal temperature within the plane.

Hydrodynamic Efficiency: Gaskets ensure smooth contours and seamless joints, reducing drag and improving the hydrodynamic efficiency of the planes. This allows for faster and more agile movement through water.

Easy Maintenance: In an underwater setting, repairing components can be challenging. Gaskets make maintenance easier by providing a quick and reliable way to reseal after parts have been inspected or replaced.

Shock Absorption: Underwater terrains can be rugged, and impacts are sometimes unavoidable. Gaskets help absorb shocks from collisions with underwater obstacles, protecting the delicate machinery inside the planes.

Multi-functional Usage: In an advanced merman society, gaskets might have additional functionalities, such as detecting leaks or incorporating bioluminescent materials to light up important components in low-visibility conditions.

Preventing Contamination: Underwater planes might carry sensitive equipment or materials that must be kept separate from seawater. Gaskets ensure these items remain uncontaminated by providing a robust barrier.

Enhanced Reliability: Consistent use of high-quality gaskets increases the reliability and safety of mermen planes, essential for long-distance underwater travel and exploration missions.

Cultural Significance: In mermen engineering tradition, gaskets could hold cultural value, symbolizing resilience and adaptability, mirroring the mermen’s ability to thrive under pressure in their submerged world.

These reasons blend practical engineering principles with creative elements unique to a fantastical merman society, enriching the narrative of how and why gaskets would be critical in their underwater planes.

[hagofbolding]

Fairmeadow update!

Fairmeadow is a post-epic fantasy drama inspired by the counter-cultural movements of the late 60’s, the landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, and tabletop RPG’s. It’s about the collision of idealism against pragmatism, reckoning with the consequences of dropping out, and trying to make its readers want to go on a hike.

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[duxiaomin-blog]

The Cross-Cultural Aesthetics of Chinoiserie and the Artistic Echoes of the Contemporary ChuCui Palace

— — Crossing Cultures and Regions, Profound Cultural Influence

In the 17th century, influenced by imported oriental products, especially porcelain, lacquerware and other artworks, Chinoiserie (Chinese style art) began to rise in Europe, and gradually reached its peak in the late 17th century and the middle of the 18th century. This period is called the “Baroque” period of Chinese craze, and gradually had an important stimulating influence on the Rococo style after the Baroque. Europe’s interest in Oriental art inspired the imitation and innovation of Chinese porcelain and lacquerware, and promoted the development of local European crafts. This artistic style is not only a copy of original oriental works, but also includes unique works created by European artists based on oriental design elements.

The trend swept across Europe, particularly influencing the aesthetic tastes of the European upper class. Its impact was widespread, marking the first large-scale collision between Eastern and Western cultures and aesthetics, and representing the pinnacle of global aesthetics of its time. Chinoiserie, with its exotic allure, was not merely a form of decorative art but also a challenge to and reevaluation of traditional European values. The popularity of this aesthetic style not only signaled the fading of ancient and sacred ideas but also reflected changes in social structure and perceptions of status.

The mixed charm of European native Chinoiserie art

A Chinoiserie luxury clock made by James Cox in England

In the Metropolitan Museum, there is a Chinoiserie clock by James Cox, a renowned 18th-century English clockmaker and jeweler, and a significant representative of 18th-century English Chinoiserie art. Many of Cox’s works incorporate Chinese elements, such as clocks and automata inlaid with Chinoiserie patterns and decorations. These pieces reflect 18th-century Europe’s deep interest in and romanticized imagination of Chinese culture. Some of these works were given as gifts to the Qianlong Emperor (who reigned from 1736 to 1795), a clock enthusiast, and are still housed in the Forbidden City in Beijing.

This piece, created in 1766, depicts a Chinese attendant wearing a hat and pushing a tricycle equipped with a clock. The work is embellished with gold inlaid with diamonds or imitation gemstones set in silver, with pearls and gemstone flowers adorning the three-tiered umbrella above. It is both a clock and a luxury item, often collected by nobles and wealthy merchants as a symbol of wealth and taste.

The work features the classic asymmetrical composition of Chinoiserie, emphasizing naturalism within Chinoiserie. It is complex and delicate in design, continuing the gilded decorative features of Rococo that originated from the Baroque style. Although the British public had a limited understanding of the culture behind Chinoiserie, this style profoundly influenced the rise of Romanticism through its fusion with Rococo and Gothic styles. Romanticism also emphasized individuality and nature, and the “irregularity” in Chinoiserie embodies this spirit.

Brighton Pavilion Banqueting Hall

The Brighton Pavilion is an extreme example of Chinoiserie style applied in Europe. Its design and decoration not only showcase Europe’s admiration and imitation of Chinese art but also create a unique art form by integrating different cultural elements. This reflects the depth and breadth of cultural exchange in Europe from the late 18th to the early 19th century. Its exterior is highly exotic, inspired by Indian Mughal architecture, featuring onion-shaped domes and spires, presenting a captivating Oriental fantasy. Although the overall design is influenced by Indian architecture, the interior decoration clearly embodies Chinese style. This fusion makes the Brighton Pavilion stand out in European architectural history.

The Banqueting Hall is one of the most luxurious rooms in the Brighton Pavilion. Its lavish decoration captures the essence of Chinese style. The ceiling features large dragon-shaped and lotus-shaped chandeliers made of stained glass and metal, using the classic mix of Chinese themes and Western materials characteristic of Chinoiserie, creating a mysterious and splendid atmosphere. The walls are adorned with large murals of Chinese figures and landscapes, displaying bright, rich colors and vivid expressions. The details of the Chinese figures are depicted with Western-style shading, illustrating an imagined Chinese court life. The furniture and decorations in the room also incorporate Chinese elements, such as lacquer cabinets, silk screens, and gemstone-inlaid furniture.

Chinoiserie leather screens painted at Charlecote Park.

The leather screens painted at Charlecote Park clearly demonstrate how images from Chinese “kuancai” lacquer screens permeated British decorative arts. Beginning in the 18th century, leather screens made in Britain were often decorated to imitate Asian luxury goods, such as Indian chintz, Chinese lacquerware, and later Chinese wallpapers. The Charlecote screens remain relatively faithful to their Chinese lacquerware models. The work features a six-panel screen painted in the Chinese engraved (“kuancai”) lacquer style, depicting garden and lifestyle scenes of palaces and figures, with illustrations of flowering plants added along the edges.

The work is vivid and richly narrative. On one of the screen panels, there is a scene of a woman looking out from a veranda, while several men nearby, armed with bows, crossbows, and tridents, are hunting a tiger. Another panel shows a pond, horses, and children and women playing. The artist evidently studied genuine Chinese fine-line paintings, as they attempt to convey the “deep perspective” or bird’s-eye view found in Chinese painting. The work is influenced by the Eastern method of scattered perspective, and the artist understands how to use different “lines” to depict dense foliage like pine trees, banana leaves, the folds of rocks, the base of walls, and the tiles on the palace. The exterior facade of the palace is decorated with “paintings within paintings,” showing a level of attention to detail comparable to genuine Song dynasty fine-line paintings.

The work features a black lacquer background with layers of vermilion as the main color, harmonized with neutral gray, gray-green, and gray-white. This combination expresses both the tension of the colors and a sense of visual balance and comfort. As the viewer’s gaze follows the vertical unfolding of the screen, the figures and storyline are clear and vivid, as if observing from a height with the garden landscape in full view.

Chinoiserie lacquer cabinet, housed in the V&A Museum

Starting in the 1670s, an increasing amount of lacquerware was imported from Asia to Europe. Merchants of the British East India Company worked hard to ensure that Chinese lacquer furniture could meet the demand of the domestic market. During this time, the Baroque style dominated the mainstream art scene in Europe. Artists and craftsmen, inspired by Chinese lacquerware, created classic masterpieces that blended native Baroque style with Chinoiserie. Among the Chinoiserie furniture collected by the Victoria and Albert Museum is a cabinet made in 1688, featuring a Chinoiserie lacquer cabinet body and Baroque-style gilded table legs. The piece is richly decorated with Eastern opulence and mystique, while also reflecting the solidity and dynamic sense of Baroque. The Chinese-style patterns on the hinges, depicting flowers, birds, landscapes, and figures, collide with Western acanthus leaves and angels, creating a tension of beauty between East and West, restraint and exuberance, flatness and three-dimensionality.

Chinoiserie in the Eastern Native Context

Copperplate Engraving of the Great Fountain in the Old Summer Palace

This artistic style was influenced by the complex interaction of Eastern and Western cultures and arts. In the “Garden of Gardens” — the Old Summer Palace — Chinoiserie was also vividly displayed. A famous example of Chinoiserie architecture in the garden is the Great Fountain, located south of the platform in front of the Yuanyingguan. The landscape mainly consists of Baroque-style stone niche buildings and a series of fountains. The architectural design features strong symmetry, with Western-style domes and columns that are robust, yet combined with Chinese roof decorations and brick carving details, showcasing cross-cultural visual and structural beauty. Although it is Western architecture, it also reflects the Chinese garden design concept of “borrowed scenery,” integrating with the surrounding landscape of plants, lakes, and other structures to create a harmonious and unified overall beauty. The surrounding sculptures and architectural decorations are equally exquisite, featuring figures from Western mythology as well as cleverly incorporating Chinese motifs, embodying the perfect blend of Eastern and Western artistic styles.

Pioneers of Modern Chinoiserie

The early workshop of the Chucui Palace family in Rome

Chucui Palace, as a pioneer of Chinoiserie-style jewelry, is committed to reviving the status of Eastern aesthetics in the global art world, focusing on the creation of elegant Eastern-style art jewelry. Chucui Palace originated in a family workshop in Rome, Italy, in the mid-20th century, specializing in the creation of Eastern-style jewelry. Its first art jewelry piece, “Hidden Dragon,” themed around the Eastern totem of the “dragon,” caused quite a sensation in the European jewelry circle upon its debut. Since the 1980s, the brand has begun creating custom Eastern-style jewelry for European and Middle Eastern royalty.

The precious manuscripts of the Chucui Palace family workshop

From the earliest surviving manuscripts of the family, it is evident that the predecessor of Chucui Palace was pioneering in actively exploring the possibilities of combining Western inlay techniques, traditional European jewelry, and Chinese fine-line art in its early days. The artists and craftsmen continuously drew inspiration from the colors, contours, and Eastern natural structures of Chinese fine-line paintings. Throughout the 70-year history of the family workshop and brand, this exploration has persisted to the present day.

The precious manuscripts of the Chucui Palace family workshop

Eastern landscapes, ink washes, branches, and flowers became sources of inspiration for re-creation. The manuscripts intricately depict the strength and beauty of trees and flowers within the framework of Chinese fine-line painting, capturing nature’s essence with rich variety and vitality. The lines are dynamic, emphasizing variations in pauses, thickness, and restraint, adding a touch of Eastern artistry to the jewelry, reminiscent of a vivid brushstroke from an Oriental painting.

The precious manuscripts of the Chucui Palace family workshop

Asymmetrical Eastern branches and flowers intertwine with Italy’s symmetrical traditional classic jewelry. The manuscripts are exquisite, showcasing the characteristics of Eastern art and fine-line techniques. Naturalism in Chinoiserie is extended, with lines and contours, negative space, and inlay methods being repeatedly discussed. The juxtaposition of symmetry and asymmetry, exotic and traditional, natural and rational, is explored. Through the fusion of different cultural elements, a unique art form is created.

In summary, Chinoiserie is not only the crystallization of the collision between Eastern and Western art and culture but also an aesthetic dialogue that transcends time and space. It showcases Europe’s yearning for the mystery and intricacy of the East and reflects European artists’ respect and innovation towards exotic cultures. Whether during the 17th and 18th-century Baroque and Rococo enthusiasm for Chinoiserie or in the designs of contemporary jewelry by Chucui Palace, Chinoiserie has left an indelible mark on the river of history with its unique artistic charm and profound cultural influence. Its existence is more than just a decorative style; it is an important symbol of cultural exchange and integration between East and West. Through Chinoiserie, we witness the power of art without borders, transcending geographical and cultural boundaries, and becoming a glorious chapter in the global history of art.

[sciencestyled]

Cosmic Capers: When the Universe Gets a Makeover from the Madcap Maestros of Art

Hold onto your space helmets, dear interstellar internet wanderers, as we begin a ride that's part starship journey, part mad hatter's tea party. Imagine, if you will, a universe where the constellations don't just twinkle; they snicker, guffaw, and occasionally belt out Broadway show tunes. Welcome to the world of Space Art, where artists, inspired not by the quiet majesty of the night sky but by the rollicking, meme-filled expanse of the internet, create works that capture not just the beauty but the sheer, unadulterated silliness of the cosmos.

First off, let's talk about those visionaries who look at a black canvas and think, "You know what this needs? A cat. In a spacesuit. Riding a unicorn." These are the pioneers who understand that the universe is not just a cold, vast void but a potential backdrop for the ultimate cosmic comedy. Their paintings and sculptures don't just aim to inspire awe; they aspire to elicit a spit-take. Imagine walking into a gallery and seeing a depiction of the Big Bang as a literal bang – a giant cosmic drum set being played by an octopus with Neil deGrasse Tyson's face. It's not just art; it's a revelation, a meme in marble and oil paint.

But why stop at traditional mediums? The true avant-garde of space art are those who create digital installations that simulate extraterrestrial experiences. Picture this: a VR experience that doesn't just simulate walking on the moon but turns it into a disco dance-off against alien life forms, all set to the tune of "Staying Alive." It's not just a step for mankind; it's a moonwalk Michael Jackson would envy.

Then there are the performances. Ah, to be a spectator at an event where artists, decked out in LED-lit spacesuits, perform interpretive dances that tell the story of the universe's creation – if the universe were created in a blender with episodes of "Rick and Morty," snippets of TikTok dances, and a dash of quantum mechanics for flavor. It's like watching the birth of the cosmos, but with more glitter and less existential dread.

Let's not forget the sculptors, the unsung heroes who take "playing with mud" to interstellar levels. Imagine stumbling upon a sculpture that looks like a black hole but is actually a portal to a dimension where every atom in your body is replaced with a tiny rubber duck. It's not just a sculpture; it's a physical manifestation of a physics joke that got way out of hand.

As we navigate through this galaxy of giggles, it's essential to remember the cosmic collision at the heart of it all: art and science, two fields that, when combined, have the power to not just explain the universe but to turn it into an endless source of amusement and wonder. It's in this space where artists and scientists, armed with paintbrushes, telescopes, and an unhealthy obsession with internet culture, collaborate to create a universe where curiosity and creativity are the stars that guide us.

In conclusion, space art is not just about capturing the beauty of the cosmos. It's about reimagining the universe as a playground for our wildest, most hilarious fantasies. It's where the mysteries of the universe meet the unpredictability of human creativity, resulting in a genre of art that's as boundless as space itself. So next time you look up at the night sky, remember: somewhere out there, there's probably an artist dreaming up a way to make that galaxy look like a giant, cosmic pizza. And honestly? We wouldn't have it any other way.