Arts & Literature, Books, Newspapers, Previews, Reviews

The New York Times Book Review – April 16, 2023

April 14, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

The New York Times Book Review – April 16, 2023:

She Taught Us to Do Nothing. Now Jenny Odell Wants to Save Time.

This image shows the hands of a clock set into a circle of melting ice, suggesting time is fluid and ephemeral. — Credit…Ricardo Tomás

The author’s new book, “Saving Time: Discovering a Life Beyond the Clock,” urges readers to revise their conceptions of time and the world to nurture hope and action for a better future.

In Russia’s War in Ukraine, ‘Nature Has Also Suffered.’

This is a black-and-white photo of a series of manmade wooden columns sticking out of a tranquil body of water. — Early-1900s wooden poles used for salt mining on the Kuialnyk Estuary, on the northwest coast of the Black Sea.Credit…Yevhen Samuchenko

A book of photographs taken before February 2022 reveals formerly breathtaking landscapes that may never be the same.

A Time-Travel Novel Whose Thrills Go Beyond the Speculative

In this abstract illustration, three figures in an astral plain try to hold onto the flow of time, which is artistically rendered as a colorful, flowing stream. — Credit…Changyu Zou

In Jinwoo Chong’s debut novel, “Flux,” a time-warping discovery impacts the lives of three people coping with personal and systemic traumas.

Arts & Literature, Books, Culture, Magazines, Previews, Reviews

Arts & Culture: The New Criterion — May 2023

April 14, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

The New Criterion – May 2023 issue:

Silicon Valley’s moral bankruptcy by Victor Davis Hanson
The Russian way of literature by Daniel J. Mahoney
China apologetics by Gordon G. Chang
Gillray: national lampooner by Myron Magnet

Cities, Travel, Videos, Views

Aerial Views: Copenhagen – Capital Of Denmark (4K)

Video April 14, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

Uploaded April 14, 2023: Copenhagen, Danish København, capital and largest city of Denmark. It is located on the islands of Zealand (Sjælland) and Amager, at the southern end of The Sound (Øresund).

A small village existed on the site of the present city by the early 10th century. In 1167 Bishop Absalon of Roskilde built a castle on an islet off the coast and fortified the town with ramparts and a moat. In 1445 Copenhagen was made the capital of Denmark and the residence of the royal family. In the civil and religious conflicts of the Protestant Reformation, the town was often sacked.

During the late 16th century Copenhagen’s trade began to flourish, and the city itself expanded. Among the new buildings erected were the Børsen (Exchange), the Holmens Church, Trinitatis Church, with the adjacent famous Round Tower, and the castle of Rosenborg (now the museum of the royal family). During the wars with Sweden (1658–60) Copenhagen was besieged for two years.

Fires in 1728 and 1795 destroyed many houses and buildings, and in 1807 the city was bombarded by the British. The ramparts were pulled down in 1856. Since then the city has expanded still further and incorporated many of the adjacent districts.

Filmed and edited by: Drone Snap

Architecture, Home Design, Homes, Tours, Videos, Views

Architecture: ‘Round House’ In San Francisco

Video April 14, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

The Local Project – (April 14, 2023) – Working within the existing footprint of a round home, Feldman Architecture reimagines a disjointed circular structure into an innovative futuristic house. By connecting the residence to its lush surroundings and opening up spaces, the possibilities of an ocular form are realised.

Video timeline: 00:00 – Introduction to the Innovative Futuristic House 00:23 – The Original Home and the Vision 01:07 – A Walkthrough of the Home 01:36 – Blurring the Lines between Inside and Outside 01:58 – The Original Story of the Home 02:21 – Functioning like a Sun Dial 02:42 – Curves All Around 03:00 – Creating the Curves with a Compass 03:31 – The Materials and the Shape 04:29 – A Unique Experience for the Client and the Architects

Nestled within the picturesque San Francisco hills, Feldman Architecture renovates an introverted round structure into an innovative futuristic house that thrives in its distinctive shape, location and views. Integral to the building’s remodelling is reworking the internal spaces to make them more functional and connected to the outdoors. The edge of the house wings out towards views of the landscape and it is also anchored to the land on the west side.

To make the most of its unique position, the garage was expanded to act as a base for the house and the stairwell was moved so that it takes you directly to the upper level. Upon entering, you see a framed view of the kitchen and then immediately turn into the open plan living. Here, there is a living and dining with tall ceilings, which open out to cascading views. Suddenly, there is a blurring of the indoors and outdoors, typical of Californian architecture. The rooms within the home follow an organic theme reminiscent of the structure’s circular shape.

The rigid flow of the old house has been transformed – the innovative futuristic house welcomes a nice sense of symmetry in the redesign of the kitchen and skylight as an oculus hub in the centre of the home. This skylight functions like a sundial and moves about at different points in time, reflecting a constant interplay with light. A thoughtful selection of materials are chosen to soften the powerful geometry of the home. In terms of finishes and materiality, the residence is very minimalist.

Cities, Travel, Videos, Views

Cinematic Travel Films: ‘Frames Of Belgium’ (2023)

April 14, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

(Uploaded April 12, 2023) – Brussels, Flemish Brussel, French Bruxelles, city, capital of Belgium. It is located in the valley of the Senne (Flemish: Zenne) River, a small tributary of the Schelde (French: Escaut). Greater Brussels is the country’s largest urban agglomeration. It consists of 19 communes, or municipalities, each with a large measure of administrative autonomy. The largest commune—which, like the greater metropolitan area, is named Brussels—contains the historic core of the city and the so-called “European Quarter,” where the institutions of the European Union (EU) are located.

Greater Brussels officially became the Brussels-Capital Region in 1989, during the federalization of Belgium. Along with the much larger regions of Flanders and Wallonia, the Brussels-Capital Region constitutes one of the country’s three main political divisions. As the seat of the EU, Brussels is known as the “capital of Europe,” and its significance as a centre of international governance and business makes Brussels a true global city—a status shared with such metropolises as New York, London, Paris, and Tokyo.

Filmed and Edited by: César Hernandez

Culture, Magazines, Opinion, Politics, Previews, Reviews, Society

Preview: New York Times Magazine – April 16, 2023

April 14, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

The New York Times Magazine – April 16, 2023:

The R.T.O. Whisperers Have a Plan

A photo illustration of an empty chair surround by confetti. — Credit…Photo illustration by Derek Brahney

A niche group of consultants is trying to get you back to the office. It’s not going too well.

Being the boss doesn’t mean you get exactly what you wish for. That’s what Craig Knoblock discovered when he tried to get his employees to come back to the office in the fall of 2021.

You Call This ‘Flexible Work’?

Labor fought for a long time to draw a bright line between work and home. It took almost no time at all to erase it.

When Your Boss Is an App

A color illustration of a person working under an overhead lamp that is shaped like a large phone screen. — Credit…Illustration by Derek Abella

Gig work has been silently taking over new industries, but not in the way many expected.

For most Americans, the concept of “gig work” has been synonymous with a handful of Silicon Valley giants — companies like Uber and DoorDash, Instacart and TaskRabbit. There was a moment in the 2010s when pundits told us to expect the “Uberization of everything”: a future in which the typical worker would move from job to job or task to task, finding either independence and flexibility in freelancing or, more realistically, the precarity of working for platforms that may be light on benefits and aggressively exploitative of labor.

News, Podcasts, Politics, Stories

News: German FM Visits China Amid Taiwan Stress, North Korea Defectors

Audio April 14, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

The Globalist, April 14, 2023: Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, visits China amid tensions over Taiwan. Meanwhile, South Korea announces that it will test North Korean defectors for radiation exposure and the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, heads to Vietnam. Plus: we’re joined by Sony’s Photographer of the Year.

Art, Arts & Literature, Exhibitions, Museums, Podcasts, Reviews

Reviews: ‘The Week In Art’

Audio April 14, 2023 She Seeks Serene Leave a comment

April 13, 2023: This week: Expo Chicago and the art scene in the Windy City. Ben Sutton, The Art Newspaper’s editor, Americas, and Carlie Porterfield, associate editor, art market, Americas, discuss the fair, and the wider market and gallery scene in Chicago.

As the US president Joe Biden visits Northern Ireland to honour the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday or Belfast agreement, we talk to Hannah Crowdy, head of curatorial at National Museums Northern Ireland, a group of four museums. She tells us about how the museums are addressing the anniversary, representing Northern Ireland’s recent history and looking to the future.

And this episode’s Work of the Week is Georges Clairin’s 1876 portrait of the celebrated French actor Sarah Bernhardt, who died 100 years ago. The work is part of a huge new exhibition about Bernhardt opening this week at the Petit Palais in Paris. The museum’s director, Annick Lemoine, tells us about the painting and the extraordinary fame of the woman it depicts.

Principled and Revolutionary: Northern Ireland’s Peace Women by Hannah Starkey, Ulster Museum, Belfast, until 10 September; Array Collective: The Druthaib’s Ball, Ulster Museum, until 3 September.Sarah Bernhardt: and the woman created the star, Petit Palais, Paris, until 27 August.