the weekly krat

Being away the last two weekends, one of the things I was looking forward to was receiving a crate from de krat Saturday morning. Once again, this week's offering didn't fail to delight with apple berry juice, fresh bread, an assortment of cherry tomatoes, fresh spinach, a head of lettuce, fava beans, chicory, peppers, red currant berries, Romanesco broccoli, flat-leaf parsley, a Thai chicken pot pie, and lamb sausage (I'm not a meat eater, so the last two items are for ze German).

Below is an afternoon snack that Marcus prepared of fava bean and pea puree with lemon, garlic, and olive oil in a chicory leaf. Yes, it was delicious.

Traumgedanken (thoughts on dreams)

A beautiful project by German designer Maria Fischer captures the mystery and intangibility of our dreams and their fleeting connections. Weaving thread throughout the pages, she links the words of literary, philosophical, psychological, and scientific texts on dream theory.

Her book Traumgedanken (Thoughts on Dreams) " is designed as a model of a dream about dreaming. Analogue to a dream, where pieces of reality are assembled to build a story, it brings different text excerpts together. They are connected by threads which tie in with certain key words. The threads visualise the confusion and fragileness of dreams."

A wonderful description of the project is here, via TOM.

summer moments

A few snapshots from the past weeks, days filled with breakfast on the balcony, walks in the park, a basket of local produce in week three of de Krat, and graffiti spotted on one of my many walks through the neighborhood. It's summer, are you enjoying it?

Weekend Links #31

Weekend Links is a collection of the interesting bits and pieces that I’ve come across on the streets and online. The weekly post is my chance to share with you a few things from the week, in a list compiled during the weekend. I hope you enjoy them as well.

A few things I enjoyed over the last week: 1. Browsing the imagery on Someplace : Something, a feast of contemporary photography (pictured above, photo by Jo Metson Scott, via another something) 2. Watching the amazing talk by Jim Gilliam about what can happen when humans are connected, entitled 'The internet is my religion'. Amen 3. Art bombs in Amsterdam and beyond, Dutch protesting cultural funding cuts (pictured below) 4. Drinks at my favorite Vesper, my favorite cocktail bar in Amsterdam

de krat: week two

The second week of fresh, locally produced food from de Krat (the crate) brought another loaf of bread, chanterelle mushrooms, two zucchinis, two yellow squash, two large tomatoes, two fish, a bottle of apple juice, a head of cauliflower, a bunch of fresh mint, a bag of spinach, fennel, mixed greens, and six potatoes.

First on the list to use is the zucchini for a loaf of zucchini bread. The mint will be tossed into a warm glass of water for fresh mint tea with honey. The cauliflower will go into a dish of spicy sauteed cauliflower with sesame. The rest of the items will be inspired by the recipes provided by de Krat along with the weekly crate.

Dutch solstice

In two days time comes the summer solstice. Amsterdam is chilled and rainy, making up for the spring drought with a summer flood. The weather may not be ideal, but we still have that lingering twilight that makes the evenings long. Before 23:00 (11:00pm) the sky takes on this look, dusky blue against the flared lights.

Photo of Esonstad, Friesland by Martinique (via).

Weekend Links #30

Weekend Links is a collection of the interesting bits and pieces that I’ve come across on the streets and online. The weekly post is my chance to share with you a few things from the week, in a list compiled during the weekend. I hope you enjoy them as well.

A few things I enjoyed last week: 1. Seeing a performance of Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises as part of the Holland Festival (pictured above, photo by Mark Barton) 2. Watching this impressive time-lapse video 3. Watching Conan O'Brien's commencement speech delivered at Dartmouth 4. Renewing my admiration for the canine species with this Fresh Air interview and these photos 5. Getting a glimpse at Platon's portraiture work, which has come together in the publication of his book Power. Browse the collection of photos on The New Yorker and watch him speak about the project here (pictured below)

de krat

On Saturday morning, we received the first box full of locally-produced, organic goods from De krat (The crate), which was stuffed full with leek, Chinese cabbage, paprika, chili peppers, tomatoes, squash, lettuce, beets, fresh baked bread, cherries, oregano- and chili-spiced sausage (not for me), and lemon-flavored mayonnaise from The Bio Bandits.

I had been thinking about signing up for a box from Odin, which has a pick up point around the corner from my apartment, but when I heard about de krat I was instantly sold. The boxes are filled with eight different types of fruits and vegetables (although I wish there had been more fruit in this one), as well as other products of the week like bread, milk, eggs, jam, nuts, or cheese. They also deliver free in Amsterdam and include recipes using the products of that week's crate.

interview: Callum Ross

There is an interesting tension in the photography of Callum Ross. At first glance, the scenes of nature in his images appear to be calm. But between the quietness, there is a sense of anticipation, waiting.

Ross left his homeland Australia to study photography in the UK in 2010. During that time, he produced the series West. Here, I speak with Ross about his imagery, inspiration for West, and the themes within it.

How did you get into photography? Callum Ross: I've always been very involved in photography. My first infatuation with taking pictures began when I was a child with a Kodak disposable, trying to capture whales from the headland.

Could you describe a bit of your photographic journey over the past year, being enrolled in a dedicated study and also undertaking this in another culture? Callum Ross: I spent the better part of 2010 furthering my photographic studies in Plymouth, UK. Moving to Plymouth was the most challenging and rewarding experience. My influences and inspirations broadened dramatically, and I really defined my photographic approach. I studied with the most beautiful people, who's photographic work I really admired and drew from. Pursuing what you love in another culture opens your mind to a whole new realm of ideas and possibilities.

What is the idea behind the series West? How is it related to your earlier series La nature d'être? Callum Ross: I'm interested in that initial moment of desire to search beyond the floor of consciousness for a broader awareness of being. 'West', I think subconsciously further refines these ideas. Being foreign to my surroundings, 'West' allowed for a deeper connection with the natural world, and portrayed a sense of journey within the landscape.

From what I have seen, your photography often captures scenes in nature. Why are you drawn to this? What themes are you exploring? Callum Ross: From a very young age I've spent a lot of time in nature, so I guess I've always been drawn to places where nobody else goes. Its almost like a longing for freedom, my own little escape. Different themes are always evolving and operating within the work. I definitely aim to explore transfiguration, and the way the human mind struggles to break from the external world into a sort of internal one.

a chaos of slippages and blunders

Currently reading and loving The Thousand Autums of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell.

If only, Shiroyama dreams, human beings were not masks behind masks behind masks. If only this world was a clean board of lines and intersections. If only time was a sequence of considered moves and not a chaos of slippages and blunders.

A Fresh Air interview with author David Mitchell.

Weekend Links #29

Weekend Links is a collection of the interesting bits and pieces that I’ve come across on the streets and online. The weekly post is my chance to share with you a few things from the week, in a list compiled during the weekend. I hope you enjoy them as well.

A few things I enjoyed last week: 1. Listening to Bon Iver's new album. A thousand times over. 2. Getting a peek at Kinfolk Magazine, a concept of community near to my heart, featuring many great artists (pictured above) 3. Watching a disturbing Frontline report on for-profit schools and the 'fast foodization of education in America" 4. Appreciating, yet again, the work of German photographer Michael Wolf 5. Watching this beautiful time lapse of the Greenland landscape (pictured below) 6. Saving this recipe for cold-brew coffee for when it's a few degrees warmer

constructing race

"It really is a tired old problem for children of immigrants and kids of mixed race, constantly trying to explain yourself. Eventually, you give up and say, 'Okay, what do you think I am?' When you're in the midst of it, you come to understand that 'race' is a loose social construct, a series of visual impressions, and that your identity can be whatever the hell crazy thing you want it to be, you just have to grow a sense of humor and cultivate selective deafness."

Appreciated this interview with author (and Portland resident) Diana Abu-Jaber in Guernica Magazine.