How do we measure time? How do we measure moments and memories and a life lived? I keep a counter, a visual one. It is a mental list of all the apartments I have visited in my life. From my grandma’s house with the dark green oven tiles and the hidden sweets in the pantry,… Continue reading The Apartments We Visit
Tag: society
2026 is the new 2016
Written by Maria Francesca Ficarra In a world that increasingly feels (or rather is) one breath away from disaster, we are instinctively driven towards the idea of certainty, searching for means of escapism, and what better comfort there is than the rose-tinted memories of 2016? At the beginning of the year we witnessed a surge… Continue reading 2026 is the new 2016
The Beauty of Gore
Why Are We So Attracted to Murder Mysteries? Written by Nastassia Tsialpuk Why are we as humans so fascinated with blood-curdling stories of serial killers, and why do we derive a sort of guilty pleasure from indulging in consuming them? What kind of masochistic tendencies make us want to flip through the gruelling details of… Continue reading The Beauty of Gore
On Gen Z, Crises, and Politics in Art
Written by Filipp Beldushkin I am not really well-versed in the pop culture that is popular among Gen Z, even though I am part of it, so please take my analysis with a grain of salt. I believe the Western civilization is undergoing a major institutional and value crisis. The values of Gen Z and… Continue reading On Gen Z, Crises, and Politics in Art
The Quiet Resistance to Acceleration
Written by Ceylin Dogan I wake most mornings with the sense that time has already escaped me, as though the day has moved several steps ahead before I even open my eyes. The restless drum of my mind, still soft with sleep, begins listing the lectures to attend, deadlines to complete, messages to reply to,… Continue reading The Quiet Resistance to Acceleration
Why are Korean women such good writers?
Written by Livy Li After the phenomenal success of the film Kim Ji-young: Born 1982, I went to read the novel. On Japanese Goodreads, many people gave it four stars. One highly upvoted review said: “A thin book, just over a hundred pages, sparsely printed and written like a diary without any literary flair. Hardly… Continue reading Why are Korean women such good writers?
Gatekeeping, or the art of being tasteful
Written by Maria Francesca Ficarra “We need gatekeepers again – new, more diverse ones. Editors, experts. Taste isn’t a democracy, nor should it be populist. It comes from experience and exposure… Just because you eat doesn’t make you a restaurant critic.” This extract from a Substack post written by Emily Sandberg sparked a lot of… Continue reading Gatekeeping, or the art of being tasteful
The (dead) art of music criticism
Written by Bouchra Haddani In the time of vinyl and cassettes, a music critic was someone an artist would fear. Musicians, especially in pop music, sought their approval because they knew that by winning them over to his side, listeners would follow. Fans tended to feel as though their opinion was inferior to the one… Continue reading The (dead) art of music criticism
The category is ethical billionaires
And no, your favorite pop star is not on the list. Written by Elif Idil Uluçay The Wall Street Journal recently named Billie Eilish as the winner of the Music Innovator of the Year award. During her acceptance speech the singer urged others in the room to donate more, pointing the finger specifically at the… Continue reading The category is ethical billionaires
Crossing over to nowhere
On modern musical imperialism and the West’s problem with labeling non-white music Written by Stambekova Aida Perhaps you remember the hot statement Tyler, The Creator made at the 2020 Grammy Awards right after winning the Best Rap Album for his debut record, IGOR. “It sucks that whenever we — and I mean guys that look… Continue reading Crossing over to nowhere