The Keeper’s Work | 09.28.23

BID

Up for auction this week at Sotheby’s Design Edit, glass artist Flavio Poli’s 1940s murano glass and goldleaf chandelier. The shape is beguiling and I bet the light diffusion is unbeatable; I ithink this would look amazing in an NYC galley kitchen with uber-modern, teal cabinetry ;)

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SUPPORT

If you can’t spring for editioned art photography, the next best thing is a well-crafted photography book (a way to support artists and physical books all at once!). Austin/Marfa-based independent art book publisher Trespasser is new to me, and their publications are pretty incredible. I missed out on Bryan Schutmaat’s County Road but I just received Paraíso by Emiliano Zúñiga Hernández in the mail and damn... I have a hard time describing photographs, because words don’t do the things the photograph does.

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SEE

Ed Ruscha’s retrospective NOW THEN at the MoMA, presented in collaboration with LACMA, traces his career from early cross country road trips to the Venice Biennale - the first show of it’s kind in 40 years. What struck me the most was my inherent comfort with his works, there’s a familiarity with the sights he chooses as he consumes the American landscape, notably the buildings and advertising, and applies his twist.

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LISTEN

Aside from being one of few radio stations (or experiences left) that doesn’t have commercials, WFMU is an absolute haven for us weirdos. Probably because it’s freeform, as in, DJs play and say whatever they want, no corporate strings attached. Their shows are wide-ranging and full of music you’ve probably never heard of. On the dial if you’re local, or stream.

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SHAKE AND STIR

With fall winds coming in, so do my cravings for all things apple. Laird’s Applejack is a heritage American alcohol dating back to 1698. With notes of baked apples, caramel, and wood, there are seventeen pounds of fresh tree-ripened apples in each bottle. It’s such an easy swap for whiskey to make any cocktail feel more festive; but it really shines in The Pink Lady.

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STUDY

We’ve all seen these Oxford guides on a black wire-frame carousel near the check-out at bookstores, but Beauty: A Very Short Introduction by Roger Scruton was the first one I’ve bought. Read w/pencil because it’s thick with insights like this:

“You want the table, the room or the website to look right, and looking right matters in the way that beauty generally matters—not by pleasing the eye only, but by conveying meanings and values which have weight for you and which you are consciously putting on display.”

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