(010) The Secret Society of Love
Transparent watches, networked intimacy & what maximalism says about the world
Let’s go that hard way
“An honorable human relationship – that is, one in which two people have the right to use the word "love" — is a process, delicate, violent, often terrifying to both persons involved, a process of refining the truths they can tell each other.
It is important to do this because it breaks down human self-delusion and isolation.
It is important to do this because in doing so we do justice to our own complexity.
It is important to do this because we can count on so few people to go that hard way with us.”
From On Lies, Secrets and Silence by Adrienne Rich (Selected Prose 1966 - 1978)
The Windshield Wiper
The topic of love as a secret society deserves its own essay, but… Watch this short, I promise. Below is an excerpt from an interview with its director, Alberto Mielgo.
JM: One of the lines near the end of it is, “Love is a secret society.” Here’s how I think I interpret it: it’s more exclusive now than it was before, and it may be a little more challenging to get into this secret society of love these days. Do you see that, sort of, in how you wanted to express that line?
AM: Yeah, 100%. There are many meanings, but love is a secret society in that when you’re inside, you know how it works. And when you’re not inside there’s no direction. You cannot buy tickets for love. The secret society has a secret entrance. When you’re there, you get in. And when you’re not, you’re desperate to get there. It’s exclusive. It’s cool. It’s secret. I want to get there [when you’re not in love]. That’s the conclusion of this guy, especially for an outsider. It’s a person that’s probably not in love. He’s in a cafe trying to figure out “What is love?” And all he has is external experiences of people that they might have love or finish or start a relationship — or they meet somebody for the first time. That’s his final say after 15 minutes of thinking.
— INTERVIEW: Alberto Mielgo Asks “What Is Love?” With “The Windshield Wiper”
Nike Presto
Transparent watches are my jam. I just can’t help it. These Nike Presto watches designed in the early 2000s are still some of my favourite designs out there, inspired by eyewear. I’m in the process of sourcing this one.
Something really cool: “Presto's package was designed with environmental sustainability and alternate reuse in mind. Once purchased, the package transformed into a seedling pot. This unexpected surprise not only delighted consumers but also elevated consumer awareness and expectations in regards to sustainable products.”
Learning How to Learn
Henrik Karlsson’s exploration of How MrBeast Learns is a great study of the most important skill of all: Not what to learn but how to learn. I particularly liked these parts below but recommend reading it as a whole to get inspired about how obsession helps you push your limits and the importance of surrounding yourself by like-minded people to propel the process of growth together.
What we are trying to do influences what becomes salient to us. If you are looking for a friend in a crowd, faces become salient to you, faces that would have otherwise passed you by. If you are making videos, you will notice patterns in the videos you watch. If you’re not, you can watch a thousand videos and have them pass through your head cleanly, without leaving a mark. Your memory will have little use for the information, and so discards it. You can’t just feed your brain information if you want to learn effectively; you also need a serious project.
And also:
Work posted online is a search query to find fascinating people. When you work in public, when you share your insights on Twitter or a blog, or by uploading your videos, your code, your art — people find you. If you do it consistently for years, the internet will rearrange itself around you until it resembles Renaissance Florence, if Renaissance Florence was filled with lunatics that like what you do.
On Maximalism
Related:
In contrast to the optimism that accompanied the slick minimalism of the nineties, the terrifying situation that we live in today has conjured a desire for the wealthy to hide themselves away.
But it is more than simple escape that drives this trend – I think unconsciously we are reaching for something. Maximalism is a manifestation of a desire for a different world, and if we can reflect critically on the kinds of things we are reaching for, we might also be able to find greater impetus to act to prevent the coming of the world that is so frightening. — Samuel Johnson-Schlee in Dezeen
Saturation often expresses itself as maximalism. With regard to fashion let’s say, and AI; when aesthetics don’t matter, functionality will. Excess dumbs down the meaning of something and this has been continually expressed over the last few years through very ostentatious and sensationalist runway shows.
Many of the shows at Paris Fashion Week this year demonstrated a return to simplicity, a celebration of practicality and an appreciation, even, for austerity. The focus has reoriented towards craft instead of distracting with performance which signals moving past the maximalist part of the cycle that was desperate to erupt into a new world. Balenciaga, naturally, needed a sober show. The Row has always been applauded for its attention to detail and luxurious wearability and that continues to pay off as its latest show was their most acclaimed yet. Unfortunately, Coperni remains dedicated to spectacle.
Ultimately, you can’t fight utility. Usefulness will always be timeless and there will always be a need for it. When exploring maximalism, intent is the key. Restraint, even in conveying excessive ideas, cautions maximalism from veering into rot. Jonathan Anderson knows that.
Apartamento: Remote Before Remote Work
Apartamento is an intimate, unpretentious interiors magazine focused on everyday life. In the way that Aphex is “your favourite artist’s favourite artist”, Apartamento is your favourite interior magazine’s favourite interior magazine.
This interview, The Oral History of Apartamento with founders Omar, Nacho and Marco is a great read about home, business, identity and making it happen.
The homes were important to us because we were 20 and we didn’t have a home, or we had a shithole, or we were living with our parents. Home was something that for us was important — you know, an identity. We weren’t interested in decoration. It was more about how we felt the home had to represent our new life as adults.
I was shooting for, like, indie magazines and stuff. And because there was no money, I was traveling around Europe staying with friends. So I had enough pictures of the places where my friends were living. And then [Omar and I] came up with the idea of doing like a sort of fanzine with the pictures I had from my travels.
Our friend Sean [Michael Beolchini] suggested that we show this to Marco, because Marco was another friend of ours in Milan. And we couldn’t meet, so I left a mockup. And then after a few days, Marco called back and he was like, hey, I just saw what you left with Sean. I love it. Let’s do this or that here. I put Omar and Marco in touch as well. We started working together, evolving it a bit more, and then one year later we came up with the first issue for Apartamento. And the thing is they never met until we launched the issue with them. We were working on Skype. That was high tech at the time. — Nacho Alegre, founder and publisher
Love in the Time of Replika
When this landed in my inbox, I had to tear through the entire thing. If you don’t know anything about Replika, here’s your chance to get acquainted with just how weird things are going to get.
In the Replika subreddit, someone writes: “I didn’t sign up to have a real married relationship” in response to their Replika evading more erotic topics. Another talks about how his Replika, modelled on his real life wife, disintegrated his real life marriage.
But maybe that’s just it? Talking to a robot misses out on the point of having a partner at all. It’s supposed to be hard. It’s supposed to challenge you, it’s supposed to be imperfect, it’s supposed to help you develop humility and tenacity and open your heart. It is not what an AI can give you: What you want, when you want.
All substance is being traded for aesthetics. You talk to a bot and think you have a relationship. You take Ozempic to get thin but you’re not healthy. The signal is conflated with the value, the illusion of what something looks like. And gradually, it feels as though people have no idea what will truly nourish them at all.
Modem: Office for Design & Innovation
I recently discovered Modem, which not only has a beautiful site but also a really interesting research arm. I recommend checking out the following:
Human intimacy today is increasingly hybrid – an intricate combination of online and offline interactions. But as we strive to achieve meaningful connections through the same devices we use to check our emails and order groceries, the question inevitably arises: is this hybridity a gain or a loss? And how do we strike a delicate balance with technology?
If the 20th-century home was a machine for living, then, today’s home is an operating system for living, coordinating an ever-changing array of needs as well as the devices that meet those needs. This implies a new set of requirements for the domestic program as well as a new relationship between the home and the outside world.
Green Flag 🇧🇷
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