The Best Books of 2019
The best books I read this year in various categories, from best aesthetics and philosophy of art to best science fiction, best poetry and most disappointing.
Further Reading
Martin Scorsese on why Marvel movies aren’t cinema. Deep sleep. An interview with Nabokov. Who needs literature? The world in a song. Aesthetic judgment is autocorrelated. Insect decline. Religion and global psychological variation. AI. Generating new ideas. Moles. Dogs. Fairies. And more.
Rembrandt-Velázquez: Dutch and Spanish Masters at the Rijksmuseum
The exhibition Rembrandt-Velázquez: Dutch & Spanish Masters at the Rijksmuseum is a real joy, pairing up paintings by Dutch and Spanish masters of the 17th century.
Rijksmuseum
When visiting a large museum like the Rijksmuseum it is good to have a strategy so as not to drown in the abundance of works on display. On this visit I skipped the ground floor and the top floor and the 18th century wing. I also decided to pay special attention to Still Lifes and Landscapes.
Further Reading
Cormac McCarthy’s tips on how to write a great scientific paper. Photos of mathematicians’ blackboards. Category Theory. Footnotes to Plato. Curation as creation. Language, AI and the brain. Natural Selection. An octopus changing colour while sleeping. The tragedy of Kashmir. And more.
Thierry Mugler Couturissime
Couturissime is a long overdue tribute to the work of fashion designer Thierry Mugler. It was a joy to see many of his most famous creations.
Joost Swarte Overal/Everywhere
The exhibition Joost Swarte Overal/Everywhere at the Kunsthal Rotterdam presents a selection from the work Swarte has produced over the past fifty years: from his first ventures into comics to his recent work for The New Yorker and an album celebrating the artists of De Stijl.
Exploding Head Syndrome
For as long as I can remember I've heard a loud noise just before falling asleep, not every night, but every few days. The noise is typically accompanied by a dream image.
Highlights from the Spring 2020 Ready-to-Wear Collections
Just a few inspiring outfits that caught my eye and touched my imagination.
Further Reading
Bloomberg special issue on the periodic table and the elements. Machine behaviour. A day in the life of a tree. Excerpt from The Understory. The insect apocalypse is driven by a 50x increase in toxic pesticides. If Sapiens were a blog post. J.M Coetzee on Australia’s shame. Mosquitoes. And more.
Exploring Levels of Musical Complexity
In this video, starting with a simple melody, Happy Birthday, Nahre Sol leads the viewer through 16 techniques to create increasingly complex variations on a theme.
Het HEM
Het HEM is a spectacular new exhibition space located in a former munition factory overlooking the Noordzeekanaal near Amsterdam.