[12 May 2024]: "Primitive Hypertext" — accretion; time capsules; snake with emoji-patterned skin; hypocognition; 70s spiritual jazz
accretion; time capsules; snake with emoji-patterned skin; hypocognition; 70s spiritual jazz
Bismillah. We begin everything with the name of Allah. We say Bismillah to initiate an act to acknowledge the intention and the ethics we carry with all that follows Bismillah.
This is part of the newsletter's “Primitive Hypertext” (Octavia Estelle Butler) strand.
An annotated list of five things I’ve read/seen/heard and want to share. [weekly: every Sunday] Read more about the changes in the newsletter rhythm here.
Hiya!
Back from Berlin — jetlagged but pushing! So much to update on which means I should send out a proper studio newsletter. I made so much new work this year. I am fascinated by the thrill of making work — the adrenaline rush of working against the clock; the pleasure of repeated failure and composting of ideas; the weight in my ankles as I await gifts from lucid dreams; the feel of my calloused fingertips tracing the same scar on my right thigh; and the very specific smell of sweat on my body. When it comes time to share the images from the work, I grow a bit sad — how can my documentation ever live up to what I experienced? Hell, even my memories pale compared to the haptic sensations of that specific moment in time. More on this soon!
I am hyped about a lot of upcoming things — more soon!
I am relearning Python!
On to the primitive hypertext!!!
An invitation for me: What is a word or phrase connecting all five links?
***Scroll to the end to see where I landed***An invitation for you: What is another word or phrase connecting all five links?
Another invitation for you: Which of these links do you want to share with a friend?
I am reading about accretion (“the gradual collection of something over time”) alongside Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction (1986).
For those of you likewise fascinated by attempts to create a planetary back up, check out the Arch Mission Foundation and MoM! There are so many future classes/reading groups that I want to facilitate, but so little time. Maybe, I will try in the fall to organize monthly thematic reading groups. Popular topics so far: back up universes, cults + hoaxes, ecoasemics…so much desire, so little time.
Giggs, Rebecca. The Snake With the Emoji-Patterned Skin. The New Yorker. February 19, 2024.
Designer snakes, yall! There is so much to say about this. I am still finishing up the essay, but I have one question: if released into the wild, how would their presence impact the ecosystem? — how could this absurd creature with unfamiliar skin patterns impact the experiences of other animals?
Wu, Kaidi. Hypocognition is a censorship tool that mutes what we can feel. Aeon. March 9, 2020.
Tracklist:
Catalyst - Salaam Ambiance - Camouflage Brother Ahh - Transcendental march (creation song) Don Cherry - Brown rice Phil Ranelin, Wendell Harrison - What we need Sarah Webster Fabio - Sweet songs Dick Griffin _- Now is the time Art Ensemble of Chicago - Thème de yoyo Joe Henderson - Black narcissus Masequa Myres - Black land of the nile
An invitation for me: What is a word or phrase connecting all five links?
subscript, below, underAn invitation for you: What is another word or phrase connecting all five links?
Another invitation for you: Which of these links do you want to share with a friend?
Thank you for reading,
Kameelah 👽
Finally, while I do not organize my finances around paid newsletter subscriptions, wouldn’t it be cool if this wee little newsletter could allow me to take quarterly self-imposed writing retreats? Consider getting a one-year membership at $70 USD :)
How to cite this newsletter: Rasheed, K. (Year, Month Day). Newsletter Title. I Will (?) Figure This All Out Later. URL
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