🌍 Culture Making

• 🎭The trouble with interesting

  Reflecting on Walker Percy's exploration of modern emotions, particularly the shift from genuine feelings to mere interest and boredom.

• 🗺️Beehives, cones, hips, and domes

  Exploring diverse architectural styles across Africa through historical cartography reveals intriguing patterns and cultural nuances.

• 🕊️Some dim dazzling trick of grace

  Reflecting on the poignant moments in Walker Percy’s _The Moviegoer_, particularly regarding faith and presence.

• 🎗️Steeling their courage

  Ironworkers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Center honor young cancer patients with a heartfelt tradition of painting their names on structural girders.

• 📜The Lucca Choirbook

  An astonishing tale of cultural recycling and musical rediscovery, all thanks to musicologists like Reinhard Strohm.

• 🤡Holy fools

  A whimsical celebration of vocation unfolds in a church sanctuary, where clowns honor the laughter and legacy of their craft.

• 🌍Just foreign enough

  Exploring the vital role of translation amidst cultural exchange and linguistic nuances.

• 🎶“The Boy in the Bubble,” live from Zimbabwe, by Paul Simon

  An exploration of Paul Simon's "The Boy in the Bubble" and its reflections on technology and politics.

• 🎨Giorgio de Chirico exhibit, Paris

  This photograph beautifully captures the interplay between viewers and art, showcasing the conversation sparked by de Chirico's "La Comedie et la Tragedie."

• 🎨Your failures are essential

  A reflection on the essential lessons learned from artistic failures and the journey towards creating impactful art.

• 🛒If I Made a Commercial for Trader Joe’s, by Carl Willat

  A whimsical tribute to a beloved supermarket, blending nostalgia and humor through music and creativity.

• ✍️Speechless and renewed

  A reflection on the dual nature of poetry's impact, highlighting both its limitations and its profound significance.

• 🪞Choosing interesting enemies

  Bono reflects on the idea of enemies and internal struggles in the context of U2's music and philosophy.

• 🌌To be united with the beauty that we see

  In reflecting on the essence of beauty and our connection to it, C. S. Lewis beautifully articulates a profound longing within the human spirit.

• 🧑Tony Hairdressing for Men

  Here's a glimpse into a stylish establishment in Westminster

• 🌌Largely a matter of distance

  A reflection on the dark journeys we undertake, as illustrated through history and myth.

• 📼Nuovo cinema Paradiso

  A tale of culture preservation as an Italian town intervenes to save a beloved New York video rental store from closure.

• 📚On the Map, by Stefanie Posavec

  Stefanie Posavec beautifully translates Jack Kerouac's _On the Road_ into a visual journey of patterns and themes.

• 🤔Peopling Pixar

  Exploring Pixar's hiring philosophy, where curiosity trumps charisma.

• ⛪Cathedral, by David LaChapelle

  Reflecting on LaChapelle's art, where churches become ships with complex narratives.

• 🎭Containing multitudes

  Zadie Smith reflects on the contrasting expectations for artists and politicians in her essay "Speaking in Tongues."

• 🍿The pause that refreshes

  A study reveals that commercial interruptions can enhance enjoyment of TV shows by providing refreshing breaks from the narrative flow.

• 🎈The Red Balloon

  A reflection on the iconic short film "The Red Balloon," its themes, and cultural impact.

• 😂Tolstoy on world-changing

  I've been enjoying a quite funny article about Tolstoy in the latest Harper's.

• 📚Accomplices in creation

  Virginia Woolf explores the intricate relationship between readers and texts, urging us to engage as co-creators rather than mere critics.

• 🎨Obey

  An exploration of cultural irony through Shepard Fairey's work and a celebration of Nigerian music from Ebenezer Obey.

• 🕌Untitled, by Manuel Guerzoni

  An exploration of beauty in architecture, contrasting the elegance of the Taj Mahal with the simplicity of utilitarian design.

• 🗽Hallelujah for the Walt Whitman Rest Stop, by Maria Kalman

  A glimpse into the cultural reflections captured by Maira Kalman during an inauguration-day trip down to Washington, inspired by Whitman's spirit.

• 📺No more than an hour

  A reflective observation from 1939 about the limitations of television and its impact on family life.

• 🏞️The noisy, crowded past

  Reflecting on the contrasts of solitude and noise throughout human history, Alan Jacobs looks into the complexities of personal space.

• 🌍Global Street Food installation, by Mike Meiré

  A glimpse into the diverse world of street food vendor setups captured by Mike Meiré, highlighting their cultural significance and the absence of the vendors themselves. Geolocation coordinates

• 📚Suggesting unsuggestions

  An exploration of the value of seeking out diverse reading experiences rather than sticking to familiar genres and preferences.

• 📉You might be in a recession if …

  A look at how economic downturns can shift pop culture trends, as people prioritize savings over celebrity interests.

• ✏️Pencil fence

  I love the playful yet secure design of this fence that resembles a pencil.

• ✍️Inklings into thoughts and thoughts into words

  John Updike reflects on the creative process of transforming thoughts into words and printed form.

• 🗺️Six degrees of urbanization

  Exploring how interconnected human networks can help in finding loved ones, even in unfamiliar cities.

• 🎬Fascinating virtues

  As a fan of Whit Stillman's films, I appreciate how they explore convention and virtue with a unique perspective.

• 🏆Cape Canaveral, by Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band

  Reflecting on the sweetness of victory, even from the sidelines.

• 🏞️Crematory, by Jake Longstreth

  This painting captures a striking and somber landscape, reminiscent of a gingham tablecloth.

• 📹¿Por qué ser Carmelita Descalza?

  A unique strategy by a historic convent in Spain to attract new novices through social media. The Barefoot Carmelite nuns of Ecija have turned to YouTube to share their way of life in a modern way.

• 🚂Shipping the fridge

  A reflection on the once-thriving railroads and their efficient transport of goods in America.

• 🛍️Use, storage, and sale

  A significant move in Delhi as officials take a strong stance against plastic bags, following the footsteps of other countries like Rwanda and Bhutan. "Carry a plastic bag in Delhi and you could be imprisoned for five years..."

• 💌Love plus boredom

  A reflection on connection and creativity sparked during mundane moments in life.

• 👑Every man a king

  Wu Tingfang shares a compelling perspective on the title of the American president, advocating for a change to "Emperor" to elevate the position and reflect its true significance.

• 🥒The one and only celery soda

  Exploring the unique and somewhat obscure world of Cel-Ray soda, a celery-flavored drink with a rich, albeit foggy, history.

• ⚖️The perils of measurement

  A reflection on the implications of measurement in various contexts, invoking the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.

• 📚We speak volumes

  From Penelope Lively's _Moon Tiger_, a reflection on the nature of language and memory.

• 🎨Getting back to making

  Reflecting on the challenges of balancing creation and curation, Gina Trapani shares her journey with Lifehacker and the motivations behind her desire to return to making.

• 🎨Poverty Is Not Economics, by John Kofi Ayree

  This artwork by John Kofi Aryee offers a powerful commentary on the misconceptions about poverty and economics.

• 🎨Monroe Street NW, Washington, D.C

  I love the color choices on these two row houses in the capital's Columbia Heights neighborhood.