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  • Summer Reading

    Summer Reading

    One of the few things that I have avoided for a long period of time is directing my own reading. For years now, a book or a writer falls into my line of vision because I am incapable of shaking off an impression it has made upon me. Hence, summer reading lists have seemed an artificial thing that people put upon themselves. It is only as I prepare to move between apartments, write a dissertation, and enter the last year of my dissertation that the artificial constructed nature of this reading list seems like a beautiful refuge of kind. It also serves another purpose, I cannot have every single book with me as I move apartments and to have a kind of direction is, in fact, the kind of construct that I need. And without further ado, here is my reading list:

    The books that I have chosen here are all books that I have been meaning to read for a while. What I hope is that this summer I manage to write/think about them as I make my way through this pile. The list includes:

    The Penguin Book of the Prose Poem, edited by Jeremy Noel-Tod
    The Museum of Unconditional Surrender by Dubravka Ugrešić
    The Anomaly     by Hervé Le Tellier
    Doppelgänger     by Daša Drndić
    The New Moscow Philosophy     by Vyacheslav Pyetsukh
    The Undercurrents     by Kirsty Bell
    Berlin, September 20     by Boaz Levin
    Free Jazz Communism     from Rab-Rab Press
    The Copenhagen Trilogy     by Tove Ditlevsen
    The Illogic of Kassel     by Enrique Vila-Matas

  • Visceral Gestures: Writing Susumu Kamijo’s Art

    Some months ago, in a haze of art talk and chats about Samuel Beckett and Kobo Abe, I told Susumu Kamijo that I would love to write about his art. It was an impulsive thing to say, considering that I have never written about any art that I have loved or hated. Usually the marginalia of my notebooks, littered with thoughts about Ivan Kožarić’s (radical) ideas regarding public space and how Francis Bacon lights upon a dark background, is just that—thoughts that remain somewhere unwritten in sentences. They are reduced to ideas I want to pursue but do not. They are my private consumption habits about art and the artists. My strange forays into rabbit holes that make me look up strange art movements and its off-shoots.

    With Susumu Kamijo’s art, the thing that attracted me is the apparent lightness of it. It still seems to me like it is an elaborate and large-scale trick where everyone is only pretending that his poodle paintings are fluffy and cute, when it seems so much clearer that there is something sinister that is revealed to a lay consumer of art when the poodle forms starts becoming something else.

    Most of my writing came down to decoding the “something else” part of that. And after quite a few drafts and a few chats with the artist, the press release was published online when they announced the solo show for Perrotin’s Seoul gallery.

  • las setas

    I was in Sevilla in January and found a disposable camera that I used to capture some of the splendour that is the Las Setas. Like any place that is open and is skate-able, a community of skaters make that space their own. Taking their photos, especially on film (polaroid or otherwise), is always a happy experience. Here are some of the better attempts

    in flight, las setas
    landing, las setas
    las setas, with skyline
  • academic essentials list

    academic essentials list

    I am always mildly annoyed by the fact that while GQ would have a bunch of smart rappers, actors, and even artists for their 10 essentials but a writer has never really been invited to talk about their essentials. More so than ever, academics—poor souls who live most their lives stuck to their computers these days—really need listicles that do some amount of infotainment for them. So, here we are, unprompted by GQ, about the 10 essentials I (PhD candidate and caffeine lark) swear by:

    Computer
    I know this as someone who, until recently, had a computer that barely lasted a few hours, had odd quirks like not sleeping but shutting down etc., that a good computer will really change your work life. And yes, that may mean offloading your computer of all the bloatware (Reset that work PC!), using your university discounts to buy a new computer, or simply lighter apps (Foxit Reader over Adobe Reader DC!). But yes, get yourself a computer that works.

    The Stationery
    This is an easy one. But have a note-taking system. I have a friend who buys A5 paper in bulk and has a binder system that helps them stay organised, while I have become a full-on Leuchtturm1917 Notebook hoarder who notes everything down in those things because they have page numbers and I like to have that kind of order in my life. Point is, you will need a note-system that works for you. It ought to be simple and not something that you tweak with every two months. Get a reliable pen as well (a Pilot G2 can be refilled and has a great grip; or get a Kaweco Perkeo if you like fountain pens) and you are good to go.

    Hoodie + the “good” shirt
    Depending on what your pandemic work situation is, you will need a comfortable working clothes situation since you will be spending ages in front of a computer or in person. Get a comfortable hoodie. Definitely get the “good” shirt (Muji linen shirts go well) for the occasional meeting that needs a decent presentation.

    Tech Gear
    At the moment, having a computer does not mean that you have all that you need. So you need more tech gear to make sure that you have all that you need for the semester ahead. Get a second screen (a monitor if you need a big one; a tablet if you are like me and read a lot of PDFs). Some people will also go for the laptop stand and the docking station. Basically, get everything that you need for your workflow. I make do with an older tablet and a computer.

    Drinkables
    Stay hydrated. No matter what you are working on, the academic lifestyle seems to promote an unhealthy lifestyle to go with your imposter syndrome. Fight that urge, drink your water, tea, and coffee. Find the best tea that you like. On some days, the tea and your favourite blanket is all that you will have that will bring you comfort.

    Cheap Pleasures
    Have cheap pleasures. Mine is buying myself flowers before I start working on a chapter. It does not always have to be the most beautiful flowers but I like the ritual of it. Some days the rituals of things will be the nicest thing that you will do all day as you work on something difficult.

    The Right Software
    As important as getting the right computer. Use the university licenses and get Endnote or Citavi for references. Use a note-taking sofware (I wrote a whole thing about it once). I still use Standard Notes but they have raised their prices now. Bear Notes is a good alternative if you are using MacOS, if you are on Windows, Simplenote seems to be nice.
    I have also gone back to using Todoist for their better free features recently. You will be juggling quite a few things. So use something that helps you track things well.

    The Library Card
    This sounds stupid but, yes, use the library. From the city library that will scan, print, and do inter-library loans for cheap to the national library that will always have a good rate for students, libraries are great. They will sometimes also have free streaming services like Kanopy and audiobooks for free like Libby. Don’t hand all your money to Audible or Netflix. Save your monies.

    The Reads
    Read the right things. Which is basically code for, don’t stop reading. Academia is a lot of reading but reading is also a nice way to unwind and find inspiration. So make sure to get the reads in. That is also code for, always read for pleasure 🙂

    Totem
    This will sound a little esoteric but this is where I am at the moment, have a totem. Basically, have a way of doing a small thing that makes your space your own. That may include: drinking from the same coffee mug, or burning the same candle (my choice), or something small. But have a signal that tells your brain, now I am doing X, and not Y. Helps keeping me in check.

    So there it is. My grand listicle.

  • archive day 1

    archive day 1

    lessons from day one at the Marbach archive

    – The thing that you are looking for may not actually be there but it is more important to understand why is it that it is not there. What do you do with the things you find there?
    – The archive is a curated experience. What are the relations between the things you find and the thing you don’t?
    – trace the archival networks and understand why some gaps remain. Think of the incommensurable. Think from the gaps.