Blog — Page 102 of 278

After the Red Army Faction: Gender, Culture, and Militancy

The impact the Red Army Faction (RAF) and the implications of its reign of terror have left a lasting imprint not only on Western Germany at the time but also on the development of Germany ever since. This impact does not exhaust itself within the realm of politics but also reaches far into the realms of philosophical thought and art.

After the Red Army Faction: Gender, Culture, and Militancy explores why specifically women were to prominent not only within the ranks of the RAF, but what can be derived from it to explain the prevalence of gender issues and violence in this day and age. Having read many books on the subject of the Rote Armee Fraktion, Charity Scribner’s angle offers refreshingly new insights and takes on what lay beneath the radical potential of the group, especially when it comes to post-militant aspects pertaining to sexual and gender politics.

Backed by analytical references to the emissions of philosophers of the Frankfurter Schule, and core texts of the main protagonists, Scribner goes on to investigate contemporary art forms, literature, cinema and mass media.

Having been a tad sceptical upon approach, the book manages to make clear connections in an objective manner between the tenets of the female dominated RAF, the interaction with the political and societal status quo of the 1970s and 1980s and how it connects to where we are now – long after it ceased to exist.

Nostalgia for the Future: Modernism and Heterogeneity in the Visual Arts of Nazi Germany

Anyone who has delved a bit into German history from 1933-1945 would know how far the regime’s propaganda machine reached into all facets of life to further its political agenda. Specifically in the world of the arts, modernism was demonized and portrayed to be actively contributing to the dilution of German art. Where it gets interesting is when one discovers inconsistencies in the regime’s trope and narrative.

Unwanted art was declared as “Entartete Kunst”, i.e. “degenerate art”, however, upon closer inspection it becomes apparent that even after the forceful purges of museums and advocacy for the ideals of Aryan perfection, author Maertz proves that within the upper echelons of the Nazi party, some sorts of modernist artists and their oeuvre were actively supported, which enabled their continuation until the collapse of the regime.

The aforementioned is not Gregory Maertz’s only angle, as he also carefully sheds light on the denazification and the way the new world coined the post-war world by the way they rehabilitated some artists and shunned others.

History of Art in Japan

Now, where does one even start?

Declaring that Japan’s history of art is not only rich but unrivalled in terms of eccentricity and decorum and idiosyncratic, would be an understatement par excellence.

In essence, History of Art in Japan is a masterful account not only in that art history Tsuji Nobuo not only chronicles historical facts, but expertly manages to highlight and shed light on the distinctive shades and nuance that have formed the DNA of the country’s cultural heritage, the influence of which continues to reverberate throughout the world.

Opulently illustrated, with his imaginative takes and accurate viewpoints, Nobuo draws connections from antic times to the ever-multiplying fascinating modern subcultures and how they are connected yet still characteristically different.

A fantastic encyclopaedic resource not merely for the dedicated Japan aficionado but anyone remotely interested in art history as the tome never fails to maintain an internationally relevant frame of reference.

The Formative Years – Classical Music

The fact that the strict principles classical music from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries adhered to became the foundation of pretty much any musical genre that was going to emerge after the heydays of its original composers should not be surprising to anyone remotely into music.

Listen to how Beethoven epically channelled his inner turmoil, Handel’s oratorios,  the complexity of Bach’s compositions, Mozart’s focus on three to four chords and specifically Schubert’s arrangements, and it becomes obvious that their reoccurring themes served as the blueprint not only for what was going to become the chorus of modern music but the DNA of rock and punk.

Specifically the Baroque period and its richly ornamented emissions, timbre and extensive use of contrast as a dramatic element, has provided the framework for what blue and rock was going to evolve to.

My first exposure to classical music was in elementary school where we were taken to concerts and made to choose an instrument to learn. While I thoroughly enjoyed it, it did not really resonate with my inner core.

That was about to change when in my pre-teens when I was exposed to Anthony Burgess’ Clockwork Orange, where the main protagonist’s conditioning against classical music and specifically references to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and the resulting events not only sparked a deeper connection but also the urge to watch and listen how Stanley Kubrick transitioned the book into the realm of cinema.

The way the soundtrack of A Clockwork Orange combined classical music and electronic music and the impression it made on me not only changed my outlook on music and what it could serve as a catalyst for, but also instantaneously explained where quite a few of the more successful synth pop bands of the eighties got their inspiration from.

Under the aegis of an ambitious music teacher, my early teens not only saw a departure into punk rock and juvenile delinquency but into the Beatles’ rich catalogue and the complex compositions of Richard Wager. The latter of which has had a lasting impact on how I interpret musical phrases to be associated with characters and plot element and who made me look at music as a means of story telling and the impact it can have  far beyond composition reaching into all facets of life. I cannot neither recall the times I have witness the Nibelungenring incarnate in over twenty countries not the times I was humbled by meeting fellow enthusiasts and the knowledge they were kind enough to share on the intricacies of creative viewpoints and cultivated sensitivities.

Growing older, listening to classical music has become more and more a therapeutic exercise during turbulent times, especially when craving balance, recalibration and symmetry.

David Sedaris – “Holidays on Ice” and “Calypso”

Hachette Australia

David Sedaris is many things – accomplished author, radio host and humourist but first and foremost a master when it comes to observation of the human condition and the often comical side-effects and faux-pas, which he sheds light on in his own idiosyncratic cheerful yet oftentimes subtly dark and misanthropic ways. Needless to say that Sedaris has entered the canon of mainstream literary culture a long time ago and subsequently draws large crowds wherever he holds court.

Since it has been a while since I read Sedaris’ excellent first emissions, it was time to check in to see how his approach has evolved with his recent books.

With a telling title, “Holidays on Ice”  has its foci firmly set on the Christmas season and the mindless consumption and blind indulging it comes with along with the emotional baggage that sooner or later is bound to find its way to the surface during family gatherings.

While Sedaris Christmassy explorations do not necessarily unearth anything groundshakingly new, but his strength has always been that he realistically positions himself smack bang in the middle of the action as not merely a critic but a participant – in for a penny, in for a pound.

“Holidays on Ice” is infused by Sedaris’ dry wit and smart observations, which specifically works when he sets his aim at anything American. Having relocated to France quite a while ago, his writings about European customs and occurrences, however, are more that of an amused travel reporter dispatching snapshots back home – in so far my impression of “Holidays on Ice” was very much in line with what I derived from his early publications.

“Calypso” constitutes Sedaris’ tenth collection of essays centred around his family and close circle and I found it an interesting departure from his usual style as there seems to be an added layer of empathy that elevates his musings and makes them rawer, realer and at times a bid sadder than what he scripted in its predecessors.

“Calypso” shows how Sedaris has mastered his craft and that he can expertly pull the strings and levers with very minimal effort to elicit reactions when he exposes foibles with surgical precision, which in many instances must resonate with the recipient, especially if they belong to the target group of being middle-aged.

Things get raw when Sedaris examines the impact of his sister’s suicide and its impact on his identity both as a person and a writer, which is where growth shows that goes beyond the realm of mere comedic impact – Sedaris is transcending the persona he has established for himself and not only plays with emotions but does so in a manner that feels more real and truthful than before.

Thus Let Us Drink Beer – Holgate Hopinator + Yarra Valley Big Cat Beer Co’s Fable IPA

Despite still having potential to gain more visibility, Holgate Brewing has established itself as a veritable heavyweight in the Australian craft beer landscape and after its initial success and a fulminant reception by connoisseurs, 2020 sees their old school exercise par excellence in hoppiness, i.e. the American DIPA Hopinator re-merge.

While the original incarnation was heavy on the malts and with a nice bitterness derived from Vienna and Crystal malts, the 2020 variant sees those features being married with an added flair of citrussy, piney notes and a light zestyness.

Not unlike with peat and smoke in the realm of whisky, dank and spicy notes get me going when it comes to IPAs and in that regard Holgate’s 2020 Hopinator delivers in spades, as the aromas of Chinook and Columbus hops are further enhanced by the addition of Amarillo and Ahtanum hop blends, which help to dial up the juicy fruit notes to eleven, before culminating in a delicate bitter and moreish finish.

The result is a nice riffing on the classic American Double IPA that beats the already exquisite Millennium Falcon in terms of hoppy and resinous deliciousness.

Talking of exquisite breweries that produce outstanding IPAs, let’s have a look at a new one entity from Victoria that goes under a fulminant and full-bodied moniker, i.e. The Yarra Valley Big Cat Beer Co.

Passionate about channelling their alchemy in the creation of a premium craft beer range, the common denominator of YVBCBC’s emissions is that taste-wise, things are dialled up to eleven.

Case in point: Their Yarra Valley Big Cat Beer Co’s Fabled IPA.

Clocking in at 6.6% ABV and thereby only being moderately alcoholic, bold flavours reign supreme which are crowned by delicate citrussy highlights.

Yarra Valley Big Cat’s Fable IPA is an expertly calibrated exercise in showing how hops can work in symmetry without running danger of overpowering each other, with the result being a wonderful IPA that makes one curious about the brewery’s future emissions.

---

images from company websites

Italian Film Festival 2020

Palace Cinemas

Sydney, Australia

Founded two decades ago by Cav. Antonio Zeccola, who also started with his brothers the Palace Cinema franchise, and being de facto the biggest celebration of Italian movie making outside the confines of “Bel Paese”, the Australian incarnation of the Italian Film Festival has firmly established itself not merely on the cinematic but the cultural calendar on terra australis.

Due to the implications of the current COVID-19 malaise, i.e. social distancing, the opening night, which is usually a grandiose affair of epic proportions, was as expected much more subdued yet still all class with the live-action adaptation of Pinocchio having been chosen to start proceedings with.

Directed by Matteo Garrone, Life is Beautiful lead Roberto Benigni stars in this slightly darker and borderline nightmarish take on Carlo Collodi’s source material, which puts emphasis on the more grotesque parts of the tale counterpointed by Benigni’s idiosyncratic warm and whimsical performance that in this instance is rooted in melancholia.

Garron’s take on Pinocchio made me curious and revisit the original book, only to discover that it is much more aligned than the less cruel depictions that were the children friendly versions over the years. Special effects-wise the 2020 adaption is quite something with its finely calibrated melange of CGI and real-life action, seamlessly going back and forth.

Highlights of this year’s festival not only include the Marco Bellocchio’s handsomely shot investigation of Tommaso Buscetta, the man who brought down the Cosa Nostra, i.e. Il Traditore (The Traitor), but also a segment dedicated to new Italian cinema showcasing emerging talents both in front and behind the camera as well as a segment focussing on family friendly films.

Not unlike with previous incarnations of the Italian Film Fest, no matter what your cinematic preferences are, you would be hard pressed to not find something charmingly classic or refreshingly new.