by Colin Marshall In 1973, Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird’s The Secret Life of Plants became a bestseller. Drawing from the results of scientific studies about whose replicability we may now feel certain doubts, the book suggested that emotion, and indeed sentience, belong not just to humans and animals, but also to, say, the
My Penguin Classics copy of Mark Twain’s Life on the Mississippi sits alone atop an overfull shelf. There is a bookmark on page 204, exactly halfway through, torn from an in-flight duty-free catalog—whiskey and fancy pens. It tells me “hey, you forgot to finish this, you [various obscenities].” And I shrug. What can I
by Colin Marshall When first we take an interest in movies, we must figure out our own method of deciding what to watch next. The central factor may be box office performance, the presence of a favorite performer, adherence to a favorite genre, or the use of a familiar story from other media. Such
by Colin Marshall Nearly 70 percent of Americans believe in angels, at least according to a statistic often cited in recent years. But what, exactly, comes to their minds — or those of any other believers around the world — when they imagine one? Personal conceptions may vary, of course, but we can be
Photographers in Focus: Abdulhamid Kircher Approaching his work as a living archive of place and people, Berlin-born, New York-raised artist Abdulhamid Kircher has sought to reconcile his personal history through photography, assembling intimate visual narratives through a documentary lens. Reading between the lines of generational trauma through the patriarchs of his family, Kircher chronicles
Satisfaction: Bite of Pizza On a deep dive into the pizza-making process, director Finn Waldherr lenses the skill and dedication that brings homegrown produce to the table in Berlin for short film Bite of Pizza. Finding a local favorite in Neukölln pizzeria Gazzo, centering ingredients sourced from the surrounding region, Waldherr connects with Australian
Just Dance: MOUNT Opening up how we build relationships with others, and the hidden layers that serve as their foundations, Manon Bouquet reflects on human connection through choreographic moments for short dance film MOUNT. A collage of fragments, communicated through movement, intersecting frames unfold in tandem, representing the buildup of memories we carry from relationships
Just Kidding: Two of Hearts Exploring the strange and unsettling realm of children’s imaginations, Canadian writer-director Mashie Alam constructs a surreal, stylized world around a mysterious rivalry between siblings for short film Two of Hearts. Casting Basia Wysyznski and Anaiah Lebreton in the juvenile roles of brother and sister, deadpan performance and uncomfortable moments
Portrait of a Place: Merci Dix An icon of Morocco as the Grand Taxis of its major cities, the Mercedes-Benz 240D has served as the primary vehicle for the nation’s taxi drivers for decades – a relic of the ‘70s and ‘80s, now a familiar fixture with a foothold in the past. With
Private View: Alice Channer Mutating nature’s forms in collaboration with machines, artist Alice Channer finds her practice between the sensual and social worlds – where industrial and natural processes meet. Working on the edges of London, she observes forms found in nature and production processes as the starting point for her sculptures, developing a
