something good today

by Anastasia Petrenko

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Cyberpunk 277 release date was scheduled on April 16th 2020, however there were already hundreds of game play videos showing the various characters, the cars and in general the whole universe of this futuristic society. 

The vision of the city in 2077 is one of being its own individual; a separate yet conjoined entity. The gaming world is a prime example of this mutation that sets an alternative life within another life for the player. It is a way to escape society by mimicking society itself where the gamer is able to interact and meet other gamers while altering his or her choices. 

The gaming  experience comes closer to real life experience through the detailed life like graphics. From the first shots, glass buildings and skyscrapers the architecture is similar to big metropolises and suggests an urban, modern, futuristic dynamic. This fictional city also echoes the consumerism through brand displays in neon lights which subjects the player to be aware that this build society also plays with capitalist rules.

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Marcel Janco Black Sea, lithograph, 52×70, numbered 32 from 115

Historical avant garde marks a period of  artistic revolution that mirrors the way in which society has been changing throughout the last decades. The role of art is repurposed, reused and recollected from its original use. 

Autonomy and independence incorporate the artistic world, a detachment from classical rules and artistic excellence. The artwork begins a new world of its own where its status becomes unclear and unstable. Its relation to autonomy rises as it no longer belongs to anyone or anything and can only be labelled within particular frames. Arts and politics have raised the question: can an artwork be committed or is it always autonomous? The answer for me is there is none, art is objective and subjective depending on who experiences it and what they know about it.

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The Ivory quadrant signed by Abu Tahir, an iranian warlord and ruler of Qarmatian state in Bahrain is conserved at the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art. Dating from 741 in Syria it is described as a rare specimen, serving two geographic latitudes; Cairo and Damascus. The quadrant is an earlier variation of the astrolabe, an elaborate inclinometer operating through astronomical calculations. At the time, celestial knowledge was necessary to position Man within the universe and ground truths about the world surrounding him. Replaced by watches, clocks and phones nowadays, the importance of astrology doesn’t seem as relevant in measuring time. This object is particularly interesting to discuss as it reminds us of the resourcefulness of our ancestors and the lost connection we now have with the sky. This two dimensional map is a vital insight into Greek and Muslim cultures and art correlating religion, science and astrology.

Invented by the Greeks in the 2nd century BC, knowledge of the astrolabe was transmitted to Muslims through translations of Hellenistic and Byzantine texts into Arabic language. This scientific translation was done in Baghdad in the Abbasid era with earliest traces dating to the 9th century. Much like the astrolabe this time telling device replicates the model of the universe in your hand’s disposition but it doesn’t serve a unique purpose for time measuring, it could also be used in measuring angular heights of a star, building or mountain. Moreover it could determine the direction of Mecca which is faced during prayer.

The quadrant is a measuring device with a graduated arc of 90°, it’s one-fourth of a full circle. As it’s smaller and lighter than the original astrolabe, it was easily transportable therefore it could have been used by not only astronomers determining an eclipse but also by merchant travellers to navigate through the night sky. Celestial navigation allowed sailors to learn that the Pole Star could be used as a navigational landmark which opened new possibilities for exploration and trade routes.

The concept of stereographic projection originated in 330 BC, coming in various shapes, sizes and forms for portability or display. Evolving throughout history, earlier astrolabes were particularly simple and primitive as this very quadrant. However, the most recognisable and common trait to all is the magnificent art accompanying astrolabes representing precision and craftsmanship. Even on this quadrant there are meticulously drawn arabic inscriptions and perfectly drawn symmetrical patterns reflecting the asymmetrical sky. With time the patterns and assemblage became more complex reflecting unique artisanal skills and power of knowledge. Mediating between the divine heavenly imagery of astrology and mathematics, the quadrant represents a system of thought marking a turning point in navigation which ensured a culturally emblematic position of the astrolabe in society.

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Why is Bartleby - a classic ?

Not every classic  story uses a precise formula that captivates the reader. It makes a person discover a new perspective, a new thought that implements itself like a grain in the soil. It is a way to understand, expand and receive knowledge.

Classics are like a handbook of principles that shape our world. Nowadays fundamental morals are rooted from older times, they are ingrained in our life through religions, books,  televisions and any other means of available knowledge agreed by the majority. The impact of classical works is immense on the way society has evolved as it allows freedom of expression that is now a mean of capitalization and profit. 

To get back to Bartleby, the very freedom of the formula makes it an act of liberation. The act of passive resistance is a social attitude that implies a certain maintenance and reflection behind a person’s action. It is another way to react to conditions that make people react differently as there is no direct confrontation. By putting this non-action into words by the formula ‘I would prefer not to’ impacts the structure of human relationships itself. 

Bartleby’s formula is original in a structural sense however the initial story isn’t as it just refers to an unusual personage in the workplace which can or could have already occurred. If the story was written in another way the impact may not have been the same. Passive resistance exists in nature on its own and many people have come across it, so it is not an original phenomenon out the blue. However, the way in which this phenomenon was written about is.

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The movie Red Dessert by Michelangelo Antonioni considers the impact of industrial development. The disorienting environment introduced by on the one hand the social and on the other, the natural. 

Both are being shaped by a vestibule of change and progress ascribed by a capitalist machine. What can we consider traded then? Nature for industry?

The process of trading; landscapes, material perhaps even humanity comes to play. It is the ultimate drive for this transition. Creating inhuman bodies consuming the very ins and outs, smelling and devouring the product which is themselves. 

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Day in the Life of Cyberspace (MIT’s 1010 project) and 24 Hours in Cyberspace were two competing ‘time capsule’ projects in 1995-1996.

MIT Media lab built a 10 day countdown to their anniversary launch providing different themes each day to keep users interested. On the 10th day there would be a gala celebration with a collection from contributors which enabled a crowd-sourced oriented vision. People felt more connected to the project as they were also individually addressed and were in fact the creator of a digital time capsule. 

‘’Unlike 1010, real-time in 24 Hours occurs not in response to user feedback on the “live web,” but is instead an artefact of the production process—a content management system that linked templates, a database, and a user- friendly graphical interface. ‘’ MS Ankerson, Social Media and the ‘Read Only’ Web. 

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@ushliebe on instagram :) 

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‘’ chaotic soup bowl ‘’ entry

You’ve changed. You’re changing. No matter who you are, no matter where you come from. Don’t forget that the state you are in is temporal and the one way to escape it, is letting yourself free from yourself. Easier said than done? Maybe. Or you might just need a little wake up call. This body that you own is capable of anything you put your mind to. 

19′

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18'

Acting upon your ideas is essential in order to achieve what you want. If you do not let that out of your head it will never become matter, it will dare I say, not exist. We are the only species in my knowledge who can think of what is not; imagination. Surely you’ve heard it all before. Preparing yourself for decluttering is much on the lines of preparing a satellite launching into space. You’re stacking yourself up for months, mentally torturing yourself with a blurry countdown. To the day you realise, you need to start acting.

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good news forever

Have you heard some good news today? I sure have. I have feet to walk and arms to give out hugs. 

Back in august I got hit by a car and couldn’t walk for a month and a half. I couldn’t look at my broken foot without feeling this absolute heaviness on my chest. The injustice ! The trauma ! The absurdity !  The pity I had for myself grew each and every day. Brick by brick. 

Unsurmountable. It was at the time a catastrophe to see people walk because it reminded me that I couldn’t. Oh the negative witch I became. Oh the potions I crafted in my cave. 

It all was just one moment in time and I failed to realise it. 

All the good happening to me and I closed my eyes to it. 

My caring people helping me and I complained to them. 

There’s always good. There’s always something to rejoice about no matter how stuck in a situation you think you are. There’s good news forever. 

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There is a stuck in the box feeling at the moment. A physical inadequacy. Maybe even a quick sand in slow motion event to which we all got invited. 

The mountains are standing stiller though.

The pandemic like a wave, suddenly became a sea on the once green spot of earth. It really did drastically change how we think about our movements. 

To move or not to move - we don’t have a say. 

Still like the mountains. 

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Honestly should you be honest? a brainstorming

The motivation to lie and tell a tale of magnificent stories might conclude in the same way. 

Does honesty even exist? 

A piece of information you have cradled in your head could possibly hurt someone. Is it your responsibility? Is it the responsibility of others?

What if lying doesn’t exist. Really, lying could even be a personal will to twist  reality - which actually becomes tangible - into a completely different scenario. 

A superpower. Great big lie to save the day ! 

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14-06-20

Seeing people, with their morning rituals whether waiting for the same tram or biking to the same places felt so monotonous, so repetitive and so exotic because it was out of my habit. I didn’t form a habit to wake up at that time, I share nothing but the outer experience of being there, surrounded by people with whom I had nothing in common but the morning sunlight.

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Trying to stay under the radar is nonsense and if I could just go back and tell myself how foolish it is to follow and disregard anything different, I probably would. But we learn from life. Sometimes we completely ignore people who surround us and live in our own designed bubble, whether it was blown by your parents, your friends or yourself you must burst it to find what you’re looking for.

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Expectations? No. Yes. No.

It’s hard to live your life without expectations. Certain situations arise, and we feel compelled to imagine fictive narratives in our heads that has a possibility to happen but most probably wouldn’t. It helps me cope with myself as the act of expecting revolves around planning and thinking about the person or people you’re with as well as the events or place you’re in.

This isn’t a particularly bad thing as curiosity leads to unknown roads, but I don’t have enough tools to defend myself against the unwilling monsters that appear on my way. It happens because I haven’t experienced it, so you throw yourself, vulnerable and naïve to the world thinking one thing but end up getting another. It’s like some mystical force was doing it on purpose, making you not achieve something you’ve been working for, or falling for someone that doesn’t feel the same way.

You’re stuck in your shoes and they shrink more and more each day making you feel uncomfortable.

So let's all just enjoy unreliability, smile to the unknown and stop expecting the worst. Make use of this great time we have and cultivate our imagination in alignment with ourselves and the universe.