Challenge

I dare you

To take me on

I dare you

To show me your palms

What’s so scary?

Not a threat in sight!

You just can’t handle

You can’t handle love.

Words by Björk.

Images from selected sources.

I’ll be yours

I will weave for you

A marvelous web

Glow-in-the-dark threads

All Neon Like

Love stories that are intertwined like woolen threads inspire me.

All paintings by John Squire (The Celebrity Series).

Words by Björk.

To and fro the Heart

One day I found a big book buried deep in the ground. I opened it, but all the pages were blank. Then, to my surprise, it started writing itself:

I am a tree that grows hearts
One for each that you take
You’re the intruder’s hand
I’m the branch that you break

Manual

Look no further.

One of the key factors for musical act to win my liking is his or her ability to write lyrics that speak to me.

Even though I haven’t been very keen on Björk latest albums, I still resort to her when looking for solace and/or inspiration.

We’re cruelest almost always to ourselves.

The live performance is so nicely upbeat as well:

Aren’t we trying too hard?

Hearts

The circumstances surrounding my life at the moment made me recall a scene from this video:

I can’t get it off of my mind.

Let it speak to you as well.

Oneiric

This semester has been a very good one when it comes to long weekends in Brazil. Next Monday we’ll have another holiday, which means 3 days off in a row. So, in preparation for the weekend here are some inspiring images of all kinds:

Let us all hopefully have a weekend full of hopes and accomplished dreams.

Lucky us

This is one of those weeks when I feel I need an extra push to get through to the weekend (yet another busy one, I can foresee).

So expectations play an important part in my selection of musical solace for today. What I mean is, my real favorite artists – the ones who speak right to my heart – are supposed to release new records in the near future. The list:

1. PJ Harvey. Her new album will be released sometime in 2011 along with fresh new concerts in European capitals.

2. Fiona Apple. Some of the new material has leaked onto Youtube and the like, along with rumors that a new record will see the light of day in the next Spring.

3. Ladyhawke. The Kiwi singer with the smartest keyboards on the planet is working on new material to be released very very soon.

4. Björk. The long hiatus will see an end as her much worked on new music is put out hopefully sometime next year. It hurts me to say it, but I do hope it will leave up to my expectations after the mostly disappointing Volta.

5. Lykke Li. Her sweet voice and heartfelt songs will fill our dreams as she releases her new album in the near future. Meanwhile, she has come out with a single that is both mischievous and down-to-the-bones honest, Get Some:

How redundant is it to say that I cannot wait to get all of these?

PS: Yes, I love female singers.

Disclosure

One can never deny one’s past. No matter how we feel about our personal histories, they are an unforgiving and constant presence in one’s present life.

Even when we feel the need to break with events, memories, feelings and embarrassments from the past, they are nonetheless a part of who we are. In order to reject something, one has to know it first.

Acknowledging something is a very healthy attitude towards accepting oneself.

So why am I talking about this?

After yesterday’s post, I got to thinking about all the things that have influenced my tastes and perceptions of the world. Of course, I think too much and I never know how to stop my brain from making considerations about everything but I’m very inclined to believe that my past experiences shaped my tastes and who I am today.

Thus my admiration for the Nordic countries may come from another source rather than pure appreciation of the undeniable talent fostered in that area. It may come from my heart.

My first encounter with the true pleasures of the flesh (euphemisms are in again) took place in Iceland, with an Icelandic boy. He was my first boyfriend and it was also the first time I could truly feel what love was.

Then, not surprisingly, Icelandic music was there from the beginning (although I already loved Björk when I first went to Iceland). For sentimental reasons, here’s the latest video by Jónsi:

So now you know.

Into the city

One day I found a big book buried deep in the ground. I opened it, but all the pages were blank. Then to my surprise, it started writing itself: One day I found a big book…

PS: Gratulerer med dagen, alle nordmenn!

Mar 04

Today is my birthday and I shall celebrate it with friends and family. A lovely luncheon, a delightful happy-hour and joyous phone calls are all part of this day that I like so much.

To share my celebrations with you, I’m posting this great song by Björk‘s former band, the Sugarcubes:

Happy birthday to me! =)

How I found myself this morning

I just love FFFFound!, it’s the best image databank on the whole of the internet I know.

I took this picture, which represents me and my mood this morning, from their collection. I hope it’s not illegal:

 

Me in my own world

As Björk once put it: This time, I’m gonna keep me all to myself.

 

Endless creations

Ever since I came across Björk‘s second album Post back in 1995 (I was practically a baby), I’ve been most intrigued and fascinated about artists who go to great lengths to achieve something in their work. I have always loved intricate pieces of music, thought-of photography and eye-catching sculputure, but when I think about it, my favorite of all is words.

I say words and not literature because I think the concept of literature may be too narrow to encapsule all the possibilities art can be put into words.

My new wordmaster du jour is Canadian writer Christian Bök. I’ve been reading some of his books and just the thought of the work through which he went to write his poems makes me want to write endless lists of suitable words.

I have got to sweep the floor now.

Diamonds, sugar and bells

I never run out of feelings of admiration for artists who put a lot of effort into their work.

a sugar child by Vik Muniz

I’ve just come home from a breath-taking retrospective of Vik Muniz‘s wonderful works at the Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP). For those who aren’t familiar with his creation process, he creates 2D sculptures using unlikely materials, such as chocolate, ketchup, caviar and diamonds, then photographs the result which thus becomes portraits and pictures of different sorts.

My heart actually started pounding when I saw the Sugar Children series, a series of portraits of Caribbean children made with sugar grains. As with all his projects, Vik Muniz chose this specific material because of its connection to his subjects. These children are the sons and daughters of sugar cane plantation workers who had a lot of hope despite their probably abject future.

I admire so much artists who will spend hours, days or weeks on one piece of work just so it fits perfectly with the idea they had for it.

Music-wise, I’ve been listening quite often to an older Björk album and, more specifically, to my favorite song on the album, Who Is It:

What most strikes me about this version of the song is how Björk recreated this rather electronic song for the video using almost nothing but bells, in all shapes and sizes. It is masterpiece.

Make her words mine

Some people love to be around others all the time, especially when they travel. They like to share bills, meals, opinions and different kinds of thrills. These people usually don’t enjoy visiting places and looking at interesting sites on their own as much as they do when they’re accompanied. I am not one of them.

I am capable of having a wonderful time all by myself. I visit the places I like at my pace (which isn’t necessarily fast, for I enjoy greatly spending a little extra time in a place I like), I go into stores only when I am going to buy something – or if they’re of interest themselves, I listen to my music, stop to read and sometimes just spend a whole afternoon in a café with a nice atmosphere.

Having what is commonly referred to as a ‘strong personality’, I sometimes suffer when I’m around some kinds of people (I was going to say they probably suffer  too, but I refuse to believe it can be true). Today I was forced to listen that I am “possessive and bossy”. How unpleasant.

Couples and friends traveling together, do bear in mind that a little time apart from each other, even if it’s just a couple of hours, greatly increases the chances of a happy tour ending. That’s my advice for you. Well, actually many people have said it too, but somehow – and to my shock – it isn’t yet common sense.

When asked about the secret to her long-lasting marriage, the lovely Meryl Streep once said:

[the secret is] “not spending so much time together. And separate bathrooms.”

 True true true.

Not that I don’t enjoy company, I do and very often, I just need my space. To that effect, here’s some Björk wisdom:

My favorite sentence: “As much as I definitely enjoy solitude, I wouldn’ mind, perhaps, spending little time with you“. Make mine her words.