Essays
Millenial Existentialism
"Millennial existentialism" refers to the distinct existential challenges faced by individuals belonging to the millennial generation who have been shaped by the internet, globalization, and the unique impact of factors such as rapid technological advancements, economic uncertainties, climate change, and profound societal transformations.
chlorine pools & plastic grass
The girls in the pink rosette gowns
Far beyond the reach of the city's bustling lights, there dwells a revolutionary narrative. It’s not just about fashion; it’s a manifesto woven with the threads of fashion culture, a dialogue between a girl and the world. Here, in the embrace of a peaceful forest, the girl in the pink rosette gown is a testament to the symbiosis of art and nature.
She not merely wears. She inhabits.
Imagine her. Her presence as much a part of the landscape as the rocks and the trees. The protagonist of her own story, leisurely moving through the underbrush. In this secluded realm, her attire is a medium, the delicate pink and intricate rosettes a dialogue between her and the world. It’s a piece that demands contemplation, urging onlookers (should there be any) to reconsider their relationship with their habitat.
She’s a curator of experiences, selecting pieces that are as much about adornment as they are about narrative. Perhaps it is a bracelet of blooms, or a crown of wildflowers that speak of her allegiance not to fleeting fads but to the timelessness of the natural world.
The pink rosette gown clings and flows with the breeze, a cascade of flowers gushing from her side, each petal a whisper of rebellion against the ephemeral trends of fast fashion. Her choice of wearing the 1999 Thierry Mugler pink rosette gown in the secluded forest is her declaration and bold reimagining of what fashion can signify. It is a move away from the relentless cycle of consumption towards a deeper, more introspective relationship with what we choose to wear. This dress, a couture riot of painstaking craftsmanship and vision, is her beacon of sustainability, challenging the very notion of what it means to dress in an era oversaturated with disposability.
As they confidently walk the land upon which they stands, the girls in the pink rosette gowns embody a movement, a revolutionary whisper… They invite us to question, to explore the boundaries of our own style narratives within the context of our world. To find harmony in the balance of beauty and responsibility, to craft our identities in ways that honor both our creativity and our planet.
In essence, the pink rosette gown isn’t just a narrative about fashion; it’s about a profound recalibration, where what we wear and what we stand for are inextricably intertwined. It’s about finding alignment in our choices. It’s about making a statement that resonates with the quiet power of a forest undisturbed. The pink rosette gown, in its splendor and spirit, is not just an item of clothing but a manifesto for the future, echoing in the woods long after the girls with the courage to wear it have passed through.
Inspired by the magnificent piece “Fashion Funghi” by L’Oeuvre
Extase et Fragrance
La Gravure sur bois de Flammarion est une gravure sur bois anonyme, ainsi nommée car on retrouve pour la première fois sa trace dans le livre de Camille Flammarion publié en 1888, L'Atmosphère : météorologie populaire, au chapitre « La forme du ciel ». Elle est également appelée Gravure au pélerin en référence au personnage représenté.
Le trait est une rencontre.
Le pélerin voyageur intoxiqué,
à genoux s’est enivré d’une fleur.
La rose comme une flèche le traverse.
Transpercé au coeur,
tranché par le plan céleste,
pris d’un rapt d’extase,
il voit la machine superbe
et entend les anges.
Les fleurs ne sont-elles pas
Les étoiles de la terre?
ASTRUM*
Fleur inventée, imaginaire,
Suspendue dans ton huile précieuse.
Sécrétion secrète,
Voluptueuse,
Magique,
Qui ensorcelle et envoûte,
Comme une pluie d’étoiles et de baisers.
*Astrum est l’huile précieuse et magnifique créée par Reålea Skincare qui a inspirée cette page. Elle mélange magistralement jasmin égyptien, rose turque, bois de santal de Nouvelle-Calédonie, myrrhe somalienne, fleur d'hélichryse croate, fleur de champaca indienne, romarin, géranium égyptien, cèdre de l'Atlas marocain, huile d'ambre fossilisé de l'Himalaya et huile d'or.
L’Autre. Une fragrance. Un trait. Une rencontre, qui nous révèle à nous-même ces dimensions que l’on ne soupçonne pas.
Bridget Riley, Study for Kiss, (1961)
Le trait de l’olfaction.
La rose émet des molécules volatiles odorantes. À l'intérieur du nez, elles se lient aux récepteurs olfactifs. Lorsqu'une molécule odorante se lie à son récepteur correspondant, une cascade de signaux chimiques ouvre des canaux ioniques et génère un potentiel d'action. Les signaux sont envoyés au cerveau, qui les associe à des souvenirs et des émotions puis, après, les identifie.
Cupid Shooting Arrows at the World Globe
Attributed to Otto van Veen
Netherlandish, 1608 or shortly before
Poetic Capitalism
ENGLISH
Poetic capitalism harnesses the power of capitalism to enrich culture and the human experience. It encourages creativity, artistic expression, and innovation while preserving and celebrating the cultural and aesthetic aspects that make our world diverse and rich.
Poetic capitalism aims to go beyond a traditional view of the economy centered on the mere accumulation of wealth. It seeks to ensure that economic activities make positive contributions to culture and society by integrating artistic and cultural values. This may include supporting the arts, preserving cultural heritage, creating enriching cultural experiences, and promoting cultural diversity.
Poetic capitalism is a vision that seeks to elevate culture and nurture the human experience while prospering economically.
FRANCAIS
Le capitalisme poétique utilise le pouvoir du capitalisme au service de l’enrichissement de la culture et de l'expérience humaine. Il encourage la création, l'expression artistique, et l'innovation, tout en préservant et en célébrant les aspects culturels et esthétiques qui rendent notre monde riche et diversifié.
Le capitalisme poétique vise à aller au-delà d’une vision traditionnelle de l'économie centrée sur la simple accumulation de richesse. Il cherche à faire en sorte que les activités économiques contribuent positivement à la culture et à la société en y intégrant des valeurs artistiques et culturelles. Cela peut inclure le soutien aux arts, la préservation du patrimoine culturel, la création d'expériences culturelles enrichissantes, et l'encouragement à la diversité culturelle.
Le capitalisme poétique est une vision qui vise à élever la culture et à nourrir l’expérience humaine tout en prospérant économiquement.
“On the Wings of Hermès”
Le Capitalisme Poétique d’Hermès
FREE ENTRANCE – OPEN TO THE PUBLIC – ALL AGES WELCOME
Open July 15th – 23rd | Closed on July 18th
Shows begin promptly at 1:30pm, 3:30pm, and 6:00pm
Doors open 30 minutes before showtimes
Hermès invites you to travel to an imaginary universe created for the house by Belgian duo, director Jaco van Dormael and choreographer Michèle Anne de Mey together with the Astragales dance company. The performance is an invitation to let your imagination take flight; an ode to daydreaming.
“This work metaphorically illustrates the lightness that is omnipresent at Hermès: in the delicate hands of our craftsmen sewing with two needle at once; in the elegance of materials, and in the subtle notes of a perfume. It is an experience which sparks the imagination, designed by artisans of dreams,” says Pierre-Alexis Dumas, Hermès Artistic Director.
Step into an exhilarating and emotive world of live spectacle, filled with expressive dance performances, intricate hand choreography and breath-taking cinema, designed by artisans of dreams.
Bliss, B-Corps, & Reishi Cappuccinos
Yesterday, I felt so alone and here I am now, sitting at Erewhon alone again and I’m in bliss. Why is every sip of this “reishi cappuccino” so pleasurable? I think it’s because it is sweet. Profoundly sweet. Like a hug from my best friend. And that could make me cry right now. It’s 6:30 pm and I’m having a mystical experience. I feel like I’m out of my body, turning into a cloud, floating high, around myself. A profound sense of peace. Warm, euphoric. Like falling in love, but it’s just me. It’s just me and everything else. Everything else to be fallen in love with — sound, shape, movement.
It’s funny how everyone looks familiar when you feel like this. The girl in front of me is eating a raw carrot (with skin on), dipping it in a fresh raw omega-3 dairy and gluten-free no soy, no canola dip. California women are the hottest babes under the sun. This woman is beautiful. She’s opening a box of Simple Mills Almond Flour Rosemary & Sea Salt crackers. The box reads, “Feel what good food can do. Food has the power to transform how you feel. To help you live your fullest life.” Is that what’s happening to me?
The girl has a bite of Honey Mama’s Oregon Mint raw cacao. She’s glowing. There’s an olive tree behind her. I wonder what her name is. She’s on her phone. Watching her is so pleasurable. She radiates health. She nibbles on another bite of chocolate and pulls out a kombucha — GT’s Alive Ancient Mushroom Elixir.
Somehow, over the course of 14+ billions of years of evolution, this woman and I are sitting across from each other, both drinking ancient mushrooms. I drink the last sip of my faux-cappuccino from my disposable cup, gazing up at the outdoor heaters. It’s June and it’s cold in Venice. So we heat the outside. Is this right? Is this wrong? Should we have ever left Africa? What took us? Boredom? Folly? The call of the unknown. Maybe that’s what it is — the mystical, the unknown. Maybe life is more than survival? Maybe life is more than surviving? Maybe life is sitting under a heater outside in June in Venice, California. Maybe evolution is pleasure? Why not? Someone had to decide to put clothes on and go north. And here I am, with my empty cup under the warmth of the heater. Me, her, and this little bird eating her gluten-free crumbs.
I love Erewhon. The name comes from the word nowhere. It’s an establishment. LA iconic. The founders Michio and Aveline Kushi started selling macrobiotic and organic foods out of a 10’ x 20’ stall below street-level in Boston back in 1966. They moved to Los Angeles in 1968. Erewhon was the first store of its kind in America. It was built upon the core idea that “if we fill our bodies with the very best that Earth has to offer, we can become our best selves.”
Their paper bags read, “We are proud to be a Certified B-Corp, using business as a force for good.” This reminds me of Angelina Jolie’s post on Instagram about her Atelier Jolie x Chloé collaboration. “It was important to me to work with Chloé, one of the first luxury brands to be a B Corp.” Ange cares so whenever she shares, I care to listen.
I look around and realize I am surrounded with the hottest babes in LA. A total of seven women are sitting around the patio. It feels so good to be around women. No need to talk or make eye contact. Just being in each other’s presence. Women are the salt of the earth. Maybe this is another key ingredient to my blissful cup. The girl two tables down has a sweater that reads, “A little slice of heaven” on the back. Feels like a great title for whatever I’m writing — “Erewhon Venice: A Little Slice of Heaven.”
Indeed, I feel bliss. I haven’t moved an inch. I sincerely wonder what is causing it. The reishi mushrooom? The cacao? A deeply satisfying day of work? The shower I took this morning? My hair? Maybe it’s being 32? Or the last 4.54 billion years? From the Big Bang to the reishi cappuccino, to think this moment is the culmination of 13.8 billion years is dizzying. I am here, sitting under the heater, writing in my notebook ordered on amazon.com. I love Amazon. Imagine if it became a B Corp. Imagine if every time we buy something there, we regenerate a piece of the Amazon. I wonder if some of our land is forever lost. Maybe lost land lives elsewhere. Somewhere in stories and songs? Somewhere in me?
The B Corporation might be one of the greatest economic revolutions of the 21st century. “B Lab Certification is a third-party standard requiring companies to meet social, sustainability, and environmental performance standards.” Accountability and transparency. Angelina Jolie shared a link to Chloé’s official page explaining what it means to them. I love when brands have a manifesto. “Women Forward. For a fairer future.” “To bring positive impact to people and the planet. This is our purpose guiding all we do…” “Women as change agents.” You bet. “We are proud to be part of this community of leaders, driving a global movement of people doing business as a force for good.”
I wonder what’s next for us — Homo sapiens. Sustainable capitalism and reishi cappuccinos. I feel the warmth of the heater on my cheeks. This is millennial existentialism — fast lives in ancient bodies. Absurdly beautiful.
Yosemite
AFTER 1851 — Upon visiting Yosemite Valley for the first time, I realized the impact of naming the land on the way we perceive the environment. The symbols created through language become a civilizational lens through which to see and read the landscape. El Capitán, Bridalveil Fall, Three Brothers, Sentinel Rock, Cathedral Rocks, Half Dome... were the names given by Lafayette Bunnell, a pioneer and member of the Mariposa Battalion — the first non-indigenous group to enter the valley.
BEFORE 1851 — Before Yosemite, the Miwok people called the valley Ahwahnee, meaning “large mouth,” a reference to the gaping mouth of a bear. El Capitán was called too-tok-ah-noo-lah, “measuring-worm stone” from the legend of the measuring worm that saved two children who were stranded when the rock grew. Bridalveil Fall was pohono, “huckleberry patch.” Sentinel Rock was loya, “long water basket.” Cathedral Rocks was poo-see-na-chuck-ka, “large acorn cache.”
NOW —
the name of the land
a reflection
a relationship
mountains
words are not your name
what is your name?
are you nameless?
speak the unspeakable
We are listening…
We hear something…
a silence that tells everything.
Names tell stories.
Silence speaks the truth.
“Dieu n’est atteint que dans la mesure où on l’a depouillé de tout ses noms.”
Yosemite Valley has a geological story, a natural story, an indigenous story, a colonial story, and a contemporary story — all unfolding at same time. There is an immense opportunity with AR (Augmented Reality) to create layers over the landscape to honor these many stories.
Originally published on 10/23/2023 We are environmentalists
As above, so below.
As within, so without.
Environmentalism begins and ends with our selves.
Environmentalism is realizing that separation is an illusion.
What is going on outside of ourselves
is a perfect, total, and complete reflection
of what is going on inside ourselves.
Being an environmentalist
is realizing the inter-connectedness
of our inner and outer lives.
And taking full responsibility.
As environmentalists, we know clearing the inside clears the outside.
As environmentalists, we know clearing the outside clears the inside.
So could the fear of clearing our outside,
simply reflect our fear to clear our inside?
Originally published on 9/21/22