Setting out...

"Setting off to see another country, I set off to see what is more grandly other—whole cultures, geographies, languages. Who am I in the new place? And who are they who live there?"
--Frances Mayes

"Wherever you go, go with all your heart."
--Confucius

"A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find that after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us."
--John Steinbeck

Photos by JEF

BEAUTY: Architecture--The Mirage House

Created by Kois Associated Architects on the Greek island of Tinos, the Mirage House is nestled into the rocky hillside, overlooking the Aegean Sea. The house itself is hidden in rock with only the entry porch and roof visible. And the roof happens to be an infinity pool...

http://www.koisarchitecture.com/

"The Golden Age" by Woodkid featuring Max Richter's "Embers"

"The Golden Age" by Woodkid featuring Max Richter.

From Woodkid (Yoann Lemaire):
“The Golden Age is the last single and video for my first album.

Throughout the process of directing videos for this story, I slowly removed all digital and post-production layers of my work to finally create this piece. It is somehow a postcard from my childhood, with memories and emotions from the countryside assembled together in a long, free, mellow piece. It’s about the child trapped inside, the haunting memories, the beautiful and the dark ones.

I wanted the camera work and acting direction to be very organic and carnal, in opposition to the digital, rigid and super-composed aspects of the previous videos. That’s why we decided to shoot everything handheld, without any mechanical movement and with no post-production. In that way, I would say this video is very different from the other ones.

It all started when I bought an original print by my favorite photographer, William Gedney, friend and contemporary of Lee and Maria Friedlander, who shot families in rural America in the sixties. I decided that this piece would pay tribute to the beauty of his work and the way he shoots boys and men in their environment, to the sensuality of his eye, which describes so well what I felt for other boys when I was younger.

In order to extend the song and create the right mood for this piece, I collaborated with composer Max Richter. He extended and re-recorded his piece ‘Embers’ to adapt it to the pace and tonality of ‘The Golden Age.’ Together, we created this very free ‘hybrid’ edit of the track, which tells so much about the pace of never ending childhood summers.
In a way, this piece is a final goodbye to four years of work and tour for this album.“

Wow. It reminds me of the work of Terrence Malick...

http://www.woodkid.com/

Sun Cycles

I have been coming across more and more psychedelic folk music and have been a little hypnotized with it all...
Here is the amazing Sun Cycles with the mesmerizing hillbilly drone of "Cat Litmus" and "Black Dogs."

http://suncycles.bandcamp.com/album/woods-creek-demos

BEAUTY: Photography--Sean Mundy

With ambiguous, spooky narratives, Sean Mundy photographs what must start out as daydreams. Or night dreams: his enigmatic work feels full of the kind of personal symbolism that informs all of our inner lives.

Top to bottom: Idolatry; Elude; Origins; Sigil; Structures; untitled

http://seanmundy.tumblr.com/

How odd...

Welcome, Ian!

Stellar Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe has come out. During his professional career, Thorpe won nine Olympic medals, 11 world titles, and set 13 long course world records. If that is not success, then what is? But he has been open about his struggles with depression, alcohol, and suicidal thoughts which, as we now know, plague gay men and women exponentially more than their heterosexual counterparts. Gay men and women have increased risk of depression, alcohol and drug abuse, and suicide specifically because of the hostile climate the world directs at us; it is an understandable reaction and a way to numb, cope, or self-medicate. Thorpe, after years of speculation from the public and denial from him, has decided to take the huge leap and present his authentic self. This is an act of bravery, especially given his emotional history and the fact that he has been in the public eye since the too-young age of 14.

Much continued success to you, Ian.
May you find the peace of mind and heart, and ease of living you deserve.

The Magic of Minerals

Smoky Quartz and Spessartine

Opal veins in stone matrix

Smoky quartz on pyrite

Emerald

Malachite with Chrysocolla

Rutilated Quartz with hematite

Elbaite tourmaline

Rhodocrosite

Smoky Amethyst with Hematite inclusions

Manganotantalite

Fluorite

Dioptase and Calcite

"Like Lust" by Movement

Electronic, ambient, R&B. Wow.
"Like Lust" by Movement from their new eponymous EP. All the songs are great, but this one stands out for me.

http://movementsounds.com/

BEAUTY: Interior--Kevin Dakan

Architect and interior designer Kevin Dakan manages to make this townhouse in the  middle of New York City feel like a cozy country house... I love the sense of the traditional sharing space with a more modern feeling.

http://kevindakanarchitect.com/

"Where To Go" by Chris Morphitis

Purity.

"Where To Go" by Chris Morphitis with visuals directed by Alice Dunseath & Annlin Chao.

http://www.chrismorphitis.com/
http://alicedunseath.com/

The Pool