@scanpaths / scanpaths.com
8.25.25
spinoza says that 'to make use of what comes in our way, and to enjoy it as much as possible (not to the point of satiety, for that would not be enjoyment) is the part of a wise man. I say it is the part of a wise man to refresh and recreate himself with moderate and pleasant food and drink, and also with perfumes, with the soft beauty of growing plants, with dress, with music, with many sports, with theatres, and the like, such as every man may make use of without injury to his neighbour. For the human body is composed of very numerous parts, of diverse nature, which continually stand in need of fresh and varied nourishment, so that the whole body may be equally capable of performing all the actions, which follow from the necessity of its own nature; and, consequently, so that the mind may also be equally capable of understanding many things simultaneously. This way of life, then, agrees best with our principles, and also with general practice; therefore, if there be any question of another plan, the plan we have mentioned is the best, and in every way to be commended.'
i'm fearful that i fail to follow this
on an unrelated note, pleased to find my 12.5.24 echoed in steve rendall's introduction to jean-marie schaeffer's "Art of the Modern Age"
"it is often advanced as a criticism of the analytical philosophy of art that it has allowed no room for what Marcel Duchamp described as 'aesthetic delectation.' Whatever happened to beauty? is heard today with increasing frequency, and it is perhaps of some value to be able to say that the great German philosophers of art did not themselves deal with that kind of question either — that it was their view indeed that art is of greater consequence than allowing aesthetic gratification."
8.18.25
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIplWMqGG2c
8.17.25
it's good for me to write I need to do it, I hope it's good for you too
spending a lot of time stressed by how stupid I am and stupided by how stressed I am. but fuck it we ball.
lots of good stuff lots I'm grateful for too of course. visited an old friend in Indianapolis. being a nurse seems nice. went home. DJed a porch party and got caught in the rain. got a call out of the blue from a childhood friend. kept on keeping on. still trying to make up my mind on Spinoza. I would also like to make spiders fight though. was reading about Patrice pastor. the latest instance of Carmelite intrigue. I'll write on another occasion about my visit to the walker house.
Letter to the Financial Times from Bruno Noble, London SW19, UK: "In your review of the Jean-François Millet exhibition at the National Gallery (August 9), you omit the most interesting fact about L’Angelus. Salvador Dalí, viewing the painting for the first time, saw immediately, from the postures of the man and the woman, that the couple aren’t praying but grieving. He had the Louvre X-ray the painting and, sure enough, the basket of potatoes had been painted over a child’s coffin."
Letter to the Financial Times From Patrick M Dransfield, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: "I was reminded of the late art historian John Richardson’s anecdote about the time he and Pablo Picasso sat down to sort out authentic and fake Picasso drawings. As Picasso put a particular drawing on the “fake” pile, Sir John reminded him that he had witnessed Picasso drawing that one himself, to which the artist replied: “I, too, can fake a Picasso!”
7.30.25
""If I stacked up all the hours I wasted, I could climb straight to heaven."
in some sort of way but working on it.
I read that synthetic diamonds were first used not for jewelry but for drill bits. THAT is something that will make sense later.
polar (ha!) opposite is what I read about a military satellite company that got its start tracking arctic ice floes for shipping routes ...
read about Chappe telegrams. read about naxalites. read about seaweed farming.. reread 'like a velvet globe cast in iron.' someone once said I looked like clay ... I sure felt like him when I read it for the first time!
I got too high the other night and watched 'smiley face.' really liked it and think you all would too.
miss you all a ton. I need to write here more.
1.29.25
carnuba wax, *oilcloth histories*, ciguatera poisoning, ram temple fascimile in NYC parade, sony ericsson + ISIS, Monster Wolf
1.TWENTYTHREE.25
really interested in the trax network re: mail art
proximate to some interesting things but feeling mute and stupid as ever. working on songs again.
now listening
12.13.24
Revolutionary Pekinese Opera Ver. 1.28
12.5.24 a strong but poorly articulated instinct *against* the focus on 'the experience' in art criticism – any possibilities reduced to gratification for the viewer
12.4.24 want to read more about: portugal + empire in the 20th century. PiS pegasus spyware probe, peter ivers, cinderella stamps, UNITA / FLEC, scarf, EUR in Rome, fred c koch constructing nazi refinery, RAND viet cong motivation studies, the engine (Gulliver's Travels )... was also reading about terpenes on wikipedia. didn't know it was another kekulé coinage (or derived from turpentine). if you keep reading you can learn about how termites of the nasutitermitinae subfamily shoot terpenes at their enemies .. the 'fontanellar gun.' exited about cragale, studio 12, m squared ... listening schaflose nächte, height/dismay, RNA organism, nexda, stephen mallinder. walking around the city and hearing strange sounds from unseen creatures in strollers. no one got their 15 minutes of fame but we all got to be the bromley contingent. untitled (gold knot) - sherrie levine
historically mail art bored me, but it seems worth understanding better bc it's one of the only precedents for a viable art
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