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I Do Not Know What It Is I Am Like: The Art of Bill Viola

Yale University Press

Bill Viola has long been on my lists or artists to check out and this tome proved to be a formidable entry point to access his body of work because it is based on his survey show, “I Do Not Know What It Is I Am Like: The Art of Bill Viola”.

For the uninitiated, Bill Viola works with a range of media and one of his foci is the dance with video art and subtle sound elements that not only enhance the visual parts of his installations but often are separate pieces of art in themselves.

The book with its essays does a good job illumination Viola’s cluster of works, focusing on bigger pieces, immersive experiences and different ways of looking at the moving image.

Needless to say that the importance of sound is difficulty to catch in book form, however, it is expertly weaved into the portrayal of how Viola channels the alchemy of his early childhood memories into large screen, slow-motion works, gorgeous colours and mystical iconography.

Despite Viola’s often soft approach, there is something immensely powerful that pervades every facet of his art – a power that comes about organically in a non-forceful and non-doctrinaire way.

Be it silent mourning or ecstatic bliss, Viola’s art has been likened to religious experiences by his aficionados and this tome does an excellence job highlighting the recurring emphasis on slow motion and the awareness of being. Given that, it is not further wondrous that Viola prefers to exhibit his art in cathedrals and churches.

Viola’s art likes from the viewer’s interaction with it and this catalogue whets one’s appetite to move closer to the man and his emissions in their intended natural surroundings and original scenarios they were meant to be embedded in.

Water of Life – Whipper Snapper Distillery

Upshot

As part of our Water of Life series, we have covered whisky from terra australis in many variations, however, the focus so far has mainly been set on the east coast.

Looking at Western Australia, where the world’s remote city Perth is located, picking might be slimmer in terms of quantity but not quality.

Case in point - Whipper Snapper Distillery, an entity dedicated to hand crafting a range of premium, whiskeys with a conscience and a passion for provenance, i.e. an emphasis on sourcing ingredients locally and sustainability.

Whipper Snapper’s golden amber coloured Upshot has greeted me times over from the shelves of distinguished liquor merchants, yet it was not until recently that upon opening a bottle, an appealing melange of vanilla, toffee notes, spicy undertones, bit of acetone and cedar tickled my nostrils.

Texture-wise, the drop is an exercise par excellence in creaminess that is accentuated in the flavour department by caramelly, nutmeggy, touches of steamed milk, pepper and butterscotch highlights, which seamlessly transitions into an elongated finish that again is delightfully heavy on vanilla, pears toffee and underlying sweet maple syrup flavours.

Clocking in at 43% ABV, the hybrid of grains, corn, malt and wheat that comprises Upshot could be classified as a very Australian version of a well-calibrated, very accessible, smooth Bourbon that has something to offer both for the uninitiated, uneducated palate as well as the aficionado.

Upshot’s flavours are breathing out quite nicely, youthful but well-polished with a lovely progression and an ideal drop to transition into summertime.

Word around the campfire has that Whipper Snapper has recently brought forth a Quinoa Whiskey, which given how thoroughly impressed the staple of their line-up left me, sparked both my curiosity and imagination and I hope to be able to feature the drop soon as part of our series.

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photo from company website

Water of Life – Iniquity Distillery Batch 017

You are not mistaken if you claim that Iniquity and its artisanal expressions have been previously covered as part of our Water of Life series and it is never not a delight to indulge in their meticulously crafted batches, the constituents of which are locally sourced with focus being put on local grain,  peat and local Mallee stumps to smoke their whiskies.

Remnants of flocculation are testament to Iniquity Distillery’s focus being firmly places on flavour and both the packaging as well as the label designs show that their attention to detail does not stop with the whiskies, let alone the specifically coopered casks for which they source oak through their coopers based in the Southern part of Australia.

If you followed the recent coverage on Iniquity, you would know that the people behind it are an innovative bunch that always strives to push the boundaries – be it through technical explorations or when it comes to channelling their alchemy when it comes to the creation of their whiskies.

The Den’s Dram; Batch No. 017 is an example par excellence for that approach.

Word around the campfire has that two handful of teams comprised of whisky aficionados convened were tasked to design Batch 017. What sounds like a borderline scientific enterprise, turned out to be a fun evening at the end of which a new drop was created, that will be exclusively available to Iniquity’s club members, i.e. the “Den of Iniquity” Members.

Splitting the base of two base whiskies, the winning team spiced it up quite a bit but not in an overwhelmingly peppery and chili-esque manner. The vanilla creaminess finds itself amplified by the creamy mouthfeel and reminds me a bit of the sweet butteryness of some of the more exquisite Limeburners expressions but adds its own distinct flavours with the cashew and dark chocolate nuances that dominate the elongated finish.

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photo from company website

Sunn O))) with Caspar Brötzmann, 09/10/2019 Kaserne, Basel CH

On this cold, somewhat rainy evening in Basel, the expectations for what will come are high. Sunn O))) are riding the waves of Life Metal, released earlier this year to great acclaim and a partner to the still to come Pyroclasts, and this evening feels like a celebration of life, of being in the moment and losing yourself to sound and the wonders that can lie beyond the horizon. The biggest worry on many minds is "Just how loud will this be?" and considering the decibel limit in Switzerland is a fairly low 100dB, those fears lean more towards "will it actually be loud enough?" Before we can find out, Caspar Brötzmann takes us on a bass-led journey of sound. The solo artist conjures curious rhythms and off-kilter tones during his time on the stage and the weird twists and turns he takes the audience on confusing and slightly bizarre. Grooves are laid out and stop suddenly so the ability to grasp on to any one part of the music becomes harder and harder as the set moves on towards its end. That's not to say that Caspar Brötzmann is in any way "bad," rather that his style is so unique that it takes a moment of grounding yourself, of doing some work to seek out the key moments and then attaching yourself to the notes and it's within this that beauty is found. 

Soon after Caspar Brötzmann leaves the stage then the setting up of the Sunn O))) stage begins. While many of the amps are already in place, pedal boards and guitars need to be checked and cables fixed before the next performance can start. Once the band are happy then the the slow and deliberate build-up can begin. As the room fills with fog and your sight is obscured, flashes of light from the ceiling lamps pulse in time with a beat that is as fleeting as it is booming. The lights dim every so often and the anticipation that soon we will hear that first distorted note is felt throughout the hazy room, but not before the claustrophobic atmosphere has truly enclosed the audience and it seems as though relief will never come. The payoff is a long-time coming but that only adds to the fact that this performance already feels like an experience that will be talked about long after the final sustained guitar riffs fade out. Any concerns as to the decibel limit are allayed soon after the smoke begins to clear and the cloaked forms of Sunn O))) begin to make their presence known on stage. The previous ten minutes of waiting is soon forgotten and the following hour and forty-five minutes feels like a fever dream.

Lights are bright and rich with blues and magentas mixing in the middle of the stage while the hooded figures of core members Greg Anderson and Stephen O’Malley and their guitars appear through the curling fog, alongside long-term collaborators Tos Nieuwenhuizen (electronics) and Steve Moore (electronics and trombone), and later Tim Midyett on bass (he may have been on stage the entire time but smoke and amps muddied the view). Drones are structured and allowed to breathe in the space while the fog machines pump out smoke that loops its tendrils around the front row of the audience. Waves of guitar notes push ever harder against the air and move towards the back of the room and for many here the need to allow these notes to wash over them with eyes closed and arms raised is a sight to behold. 

The absolute dedication to sound is apparent throughout their performance and as the drones rumble on and bodies vibrate, a ladder, that is for some reason leaning against the wall at the side of the stage, makes a metallic racket in time with the discordant strikes on guitar strings. Soon its noise is incorporated into the magic that is happening on the stage itself. It is no longer a separate entity but a part of the instrumentation and while the floor seems to quake and structural integrity is rendered naught but dust, Sunn O))) bring the evening to a stunned standstill. Steve Moore’s incredible trombone solo is lit by eerie yellow/green light which feeds into the supernatural aspect of the evening quite sublimely. 

The transcendental aspect of Sunn O))) is brought to the fore towards the end of their performance when, after getting completely lost in the resonance of what is happening on stage, there comes a moment when Greg Anderson’s guitar seems to be floating in mid-air. He is no longer holding on to it and instead is worshipping his instrument from below. The guitar is hooked over the metal grid that forms the lighting rig by a machine head (or at least that’s how it seems from this viewpoint) and it’s honestly a second of wondering what in the world is going on but coming to the quick realisation that this is Sunn O))) at their most pure, most respectful of the equipment that got them to this place, on this day, and it is glorious to witness. When the final notes finally descend from the heavens and the band removes their hoods, the elation, relief and exhaustion on their faces is clear, but so is their reverence for the audience who profess their love with palms raised, supplicating themselves to the god of pure sound - the amplifier.

This last ninety minutes is not enough for the Basel crowd and so Sunn O))) come back for a fifteen minute encore that is wondrous in its radiance. Lights are rich and warm and envelope the stage and the band in tones of majestic blue and yellow. This is Life Metal in all its glory; a celebration of music and of giving yourself over to a higher power to guide your journey to the otherworld.

You can listen to this particular performance here.

The World’s Toughest Races

Ali Clarke

Affirm Press

People sometimes sneer at those who run every day, claiming they’ll go to any length to live longer. But I don’t think that’s the reason most people run. Most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest. If you’re going to while away the years, it’s far better to live them with clear goals and fully alive than in a fog, and I believe running helps you do that. Exerting yourself to the fullest within your individual limits: that’s the essence of running, and a metaphor for life—and for me, for writing as well. I believe many runners would agree.

– Haruki Murakami

I dig running.

No matter where, it is a fantastic and easy was to work out as well as a means to explore new territory while travelling.

Now, I have done my share of half-marathons, 10kms, and loads of fun and other runs in between and while I am always eager to explore new ways of exerting myself per pedes, there are races that I enjoy more reading about than necessarily participating in them.

Ali Clarke’s The World’s Toughest Races compiles those ones: No matter if it is ultra-distances, involving dangerous species interfering and territory that was never meant to be run on, the book sheds lights on all the details of those challenging races and unusual competitions with first-hand insights from those who experiences and participated in them.

Apart from factual details, the fact that most of the contributors have the ability to spin a yarn makes the anecdotes immensely enjoyable no matter if you are uninitiated or someone who pushes his limits on a regular basis.

The red thread of the book frames the book in the beautiful and inspiring context of a story of a woman and her endeavours to overcome childhood experiences and traumata.