kcang (11. 461)

From midnight on—and no Aprilscherz—having cleared the huddles of passage by the Bundesrat and Bundestag and committee mediation in mid-March, persuaded by cautious agreements that former drugs policies and prohibitions have failed to curb abused, overburdened authorities and the legal system and created a black market, Germany has enacted a national decriminalisation plan for marijuana (Gesetzes zum Umgang mit Konsumcannabis, Abkürzung oben), allowing for adults to be in possession of up to twenty-five grams for their own consumption in public as well as fifty additional grams on their premises and up to three plants for cultivation, as well as permits for cannabis clubs with limited membership from 1 July.

 

synchronoptica

one year ago: assorted links to revisit plus a park of deplorable political figures

two years ago: more links to enjoy, re-sending the Arecibo Message plus the postcodes of London

three years ago: hellebore, The Abominable Dr Phibes, same-sex marriage in the Netherlands (2001), San Serrife, a space-plane prototype plus Uruguayan graphic design

four years ago: more concatenation, Soviet era animation, house-arrest plus an action play-set

five years ago: Substance, a post-Brexit healing czar plus Canterbury Tales

retrospective

We enjoyed considering this analysis of the origins of the maligned and escapingly nostalgic aesthetic known as vaporware as informed by the Surrealist art of Yves Tanguy (*1900 – †1955), that interbellum movement which perhaps with the remove of time does turns toxic undertones tragic and naïve. 

Having grown more nuanced than the longing for salad days that never were, there is across the century a sort of correspondence in both movements and those who limned them embrace a complicated relationship towards retro and reprise when we began again cognizant of (up)sampling and its necessarily selective-nature in recalling a future pledged that only exists in the past, delivering instead of the parallel, low-poly alternate reality that we were seeking all along rather an augmented and ersatz one that didn’t have to be. See more exemplars of both aesthetics at Hyperallergic at the link up top.

sacrorum antistitum

Rescinded in 1967, Pope Pius X instituted the requirement, motu proprio, on this day in 1910 that all clergy, pastors, confessors, preachers, religious superiors and professors in philosophical-theological seminaries of the Catholic church take his oath against modernism—that is the attempt to reconcile church doctrine with contemporary culture and norms.
An earlier encyclical by Pius, Pascendi Dominic gregis (Feeding the Lord’s Flock) brought the term to prominence and made it a matter of debate, especially vexed by scholars that insisted that the church could no longer ignore scientific evidence that ran counter to a literal interpretation of the Bible. To be sworn by all parties above, the clauses include rejecting “that method of judging and interpreting Sacred Scripture which, departing from the tradition of the Church, the analogy of faith, and the norms of the Apostolic See, embraces the misrepresentations of the rationalists…” While overturned by the curia and no longer mandatory, some organisations offer this pledge on a voluntary basis.

truly, madly, deeply

Via Things Magazine, we very much enjoyed this bit of lockdown spelunking into the fantasy worlds that people are creating in their basements and for what it lacks for in photographs of the interlocutors’ sub-levels and rumpus-rooms, I consider it more than making amends by recalling us to the fact that Barbara Streisand has a whole town in her cellar with boutique stores to display her wardrobe. Do you have a little nook of your own to escape to or project on? Much more to explore at the links above.

omnia omnibus ubique

Having first encountered the massive catalogue on Things Magazine (with more on the theme mail-order shopping), we were quite intrigued and a bit frustrated that Project Gutenberg where the 1912 tome in its entirety is archive (an undertaking it took thirteen years to scan) is unironically blocked in Deutschland, and so appreciated the curation by Open Culture of some of the limitless wares on offer by ringing up “Western One” (true to the motto above) for anything at any time day or night.
Some of the particularly Victorian goods and services available included an on-call taxidermist, engage a band of musicians for an occasion, cocaine infused throat lozenges all shipped anywhere in the Empire. The flagship store of course still exists though now under the ownership of the state of Qatar. Much more to explore at the links above.

7x7

reaction faces: a cavalcade of overly dramatic cats—via Miss Cellania’s Links

split infinitives: learning wild to verb

what the dormouse said: a virtual creation of Disneyland’s1958 “Alice in Wonderland” attraction

clandestine laboratory enforcement team: an assortment of rare US Drug Enforcement Agency mission patches

apparel appeal: a series of interventions to make fashion greener

outhouse: inclusive public facilities in Tokyo reference ancient, ambiguous spaces

supermarket sweep: an investigation into one of the more memorable duo’s of the game show—via Super Punch

scientific method: a feline physics experiment

6x6

morning edition: artist paints sunrises on newspapers as a dawning juxtaposition to the headlines of the day

free parking: aerial views of grounded planes at the Frankfurter Flughafen—see previously

b&b: designs for a horizontal hive with human sleeping compartment

👁️👄👁️:the ubiquitous string of emoji signals a tautology

if it ain’t baroque: another in a growing chain of art restoration failures, via Miss Cellania’s Links

2020: a spa odyssey: a day retreat in Caracas inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s aesthetic

this is my happening and it freaks me out!

Co-written by film critic Roger Ebert (*1942 – †2013) and director Russ Meyer (*1922 – †2004) and originally intended as a sequel to the 1967 cinematic adaptation of Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls, the property’s earlier rejection lead the project to be revived as a satirical pastiche of the commercially successful though critically panned first instalment, the X-rated Beyond the Valley of the Dolls had its premiere in Los Angeles on this day in 1970.
Applying the same formula as the original screenplay, telling the heroes’ journey of three young women coming to Hollywood to seek fortune and fame—either finding redemption or not, its parody and exploits extend beyond the protagonists’ dreams and aspirations to lampoon conventions of show business and the creative industry in general. The musical melodrama was unflinching with the first screenings continuing even with the recent murder of Sharon Tate by the Manson Family who had starred in the original film, whose unwillingness to reprise her role—along with that of co-star Patty Duke—caused the development to shift direction in the first place. Lynn Carry, was led signer for the fictitious group the Carrie Nations and wrote some of the songs but no band members actually performed on screen. Below is the opening sequence, Come with the Gentle People, with the full movie plus supplemental material available at this link.

the mitigation of world tension through the exercise of humour

With its act of secession from Key West tolerated as a boost for tourism and the above motto, the Conch Republic declared its independence on this day, St. George’s Day, in 1982. While motivated out of genuine displeasure on the part of residence regarding inconvenience incurred with federal authorities combating the narcotics trade, the movement’s organisers, a “Sovereign State of Mind” have portrayed the micronation as a prevailing attitude and way of life exclusive to the Keys and have subsequently staged and invasion and surrender ceremony with a brokered peace. Though unimpeachably a nice place to live, the Conch Republic’s break-away status has only made its relationship and allegiance to Florida closer.

touched by an angle

Our gratitude to Things Magazine once again for catching this fantastic update we overlooked from our friends over at McMansion Hell (see previously here and here) with this vintage 1973 edition and this garrulous real estate listing that hits all the resounding features and elements: lawyer foyer, Olive Garden bar, trypophobic wine rack, etc. Check out both Kate Wagner’s blog for a tour of the entire property and the source link up top for much, much more.

6x6

paracosm: Things Magazine digs through its rough drafts to bring together a montage of private homes that represent the complete, the self-contained

your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should: researchers isolate a sample of possibly viable dinosaur DNA, via Slashdot

ursine alignment chart: lockdown coping levels gauged by cartoon bears

вечеринка на балконе: solo techno raves are the latest challenge in Russia under social distancing rules

covid corridor: absent leadership on a national level, new names proposed for regional alliances forming in the disunited states

domus: Sony World Photography Awards winners and runners-up announced in the category of architecture—via Coudal Partners’ Fresh Signals

7x7

610 wagon: Salvador Dalí was once commissioned to paint an advertising campaign (see also) for Datsun Motors

dénouement: the Hero’s Journey during lockdown—see also

location scout: exploring how tax regimes and local ordinances limn the imagination in film and television adaptations

coade stone: the weather proof wonder material that’s the stuff of statuary and architectural embellishments

home office: not free to go out, Banksy gives the guest bathroom a makeover

now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational battle station: NASA under Trump struggles to deliver even the solace of science with exploration becoming exploitation

the ever-changing motor car: 1965 animated short for Ford of Britain by the same collaboration behind Yellow Submarine

house proud

From the always excellent Things Magazine that’s been performing real yeoman’s service over the best week to keep us entertained and engaged comes this interesting study and reflection on the British practise of naming houses—sort of parallel to the American conceit of naming cabins and beach homes which I still think continues apace, how it fell out of fashion and what that says about class and aspiration.
Though the christenings of their original builders are upheld for the most part by later residents, Elsinore, Sans Souci, Rosemont or even whole resort towns to give them place in history, the custom is sneered at as a bit naff (I term I first learned applied to Cats, perhaps not justifiably) and one common appellation (considered the worst offender) Sunnyside turned out to have a surprisingly ancient pedigree. Much more to explore at the links above.

skirting the issue

Fast Company has a brief but circumspect survey of how fashion has informed and enforced social distancing through the ages with hoop skirts and hijabs and masquerades and mukena as interventions to communicability. What other dress do you think keeps diseases and unwanted suitors at bay? I wonder what sorts of accessories might come out of this latest push for separation.

rumpus room

We really enjoyed perusing this inviting gallery of conservation pits, an architectural feature incorporating plush seating in a sunken and often shagged subfloor within a larger living area.
The design was a popular mainstay from the 1950s through the 1970s showcased and much copied in the 1958 Miller House (pictured) of Columbus, Indiana from Eero Saarinen—also centrepieces of influential homes by Alexander Girard and Bruce Goff. Do take a look at the extensive collection of images at Messy Nessy Chic at the link up top and let us know which is your favourite adult pillow-fort and how you would design your own.

7x7

a healed fracture: anthropologist Margaret Mead fields a student’s question about the earliest hallmarks of civilisation

money tree: the 1964 New York World’s Fair American Express Pavilion

pivot point: watch the ministry for Propaganda and Public Enlightenment shift their rhetoric on COVID-19

byob: a virtual bar in Saint Petersburg lets people socialise while eliminating the possibility of contagion

dragula: an 80’s jazzercise video synchronised to the Rob Zombie song (in turn the namesake of Grandpa Munster’s race car)—via Memo of the Air

chaotic good: a social-distancing alignment chart

delightful creatures: with the city under lockdown and the waters waning cleaner, dolphins are returning to the canals of Venice after sixty years

7x7

en nat på bloksbjerg: the incredible art work of Dutch illustrator Kay Nielsen—see previously, whom contributed to Fantasia but Disney let go

band camp: an overlooked and not unlistenable resource: Can This Even Be Called Music?—via Kicks Condor

theire soe admirable herbe: English colonist discover what the natives have been smoking in seventeenth century India

winter stations: interactive installations of Toronto’s beach to encourage outdoor play in the cold months

cabin-crew: the JFK retro TWA terminal hotel (previously) turns the body of a vintage jet into a bar and museum space

salon d’automne: a neural network trained on cubist art produces an infinite stream of paintings, via Waxy 

a parade of earthly delights: scenes from recent annual aquatic celebrations of Jheronimus Bosch (previously) held on the waters of ‘s-Herogenbosch—the next event begins in mid-June

brothers and sisters, welcome to the temple of the gnostic sonics

BLDGBlog has a nice memory and appreciation of recently and very much prematurely departed DJ, reporter, zine publisher, remix artist and record producer Andrew Weatherall (*1963). The pioneering Weatherall whose eclectic tastes and experimentation helped forward the rave and acid house scene bore at least two famous tattoos on opposite forearms: Fail We May but Sail We Must. Sample some of his sets below and more at the link above.

automatonophilia

Here photographed by the eminent Alfred Eisenstaedt for LIFE magazine at the Stork Club in 1937, via the always excellent Everlasting Blört, we are graced with the presence of New York socialite Cynthia the Mannequin, created by sculptor and window-dressing professional Lester Gaba (*1907 - †1987).
Cynthia retained many of the realistic imperfection found in the individual that she was modelled off of as did all of the many Gaba Girls displays to follow. Although fully aware of the ludicrous nature of his performance art and the attention it was receiving, Gaba’s contribution were pioneering and had influence on other artist including Andy Warhol and Roy Liechtenstein and killing off Cynthia with his conscription into the war effort, Gaba was willing to once again humour fans in 1953 television interview before retiring her for good while continuing work in fashion and marketing.

mantra-rock dance

Organised by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness as a fund-raising event for a local temple and as a promotional event for the movement’s founder and chief evangelist, Bhaktivedānta Swāmi, the titular concert and service was hosted on this day in 1967 in San Francisco's Avalon Ballroom (a familiar venue). The evening included performances by Moby Grape, Big Brother and theHolding Company with Janis Joplin, and the Grateful Dead with speakers Owsley "Bear" Stanley, Timothy Leary and Allen Ginsburg, leading the audience in the Maha Mantra chant.