Proposed Supertask

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8 minutes
thejaymo.net Blog header post 165

A World is a future you can believe in: One that promises to survive its creator, and continue generating drama.  

Ian Cheng – Emissary’s Guide To Worlding 

Well, it’s been a good week. As I mentioned, I put my 2019 Unsound Festival talk Solarpunk: Life in the future Beyond the Rusted Chrome of Yestermorrow online.

Solarpunk Rusted Chrome Cover

I’m glad I’d finally put it up as its been really well received. One sci-fi author in the dark forest said “[It should] be considered a cornerstone article of the Solarpunk movement as a whole. Certainly something I’m going to point out people toward for a while next when they ask me “What is solarpunk?”.”

I hope it becomes that. There’s quite a bit of co-option of aesthetics and vision and not a lot of values going on by valley types right now.

One of my favourite blogs sentiers.media shared it with the commentary: I highlighted 32 passages from this talk so I highly recommend having a look, even if only to see his slides, it’s the best presentation of Solarpunk I’ve read, covers a lot of ground, is hopeful, and cites quite a few topics and people often covered in Sentiers.

Future Crunch newsletter also shared it adding: incredibly cool exploration of solarpunk as both a sci-fi genre and radical social movement.

Also, the good Pete Ashton (hi Pete!) who’s blog I’ve been reading and enjoying for a long while now included it in his weekly round up saying: There’s also a lot of Mark Fisher-esque analysis of late-capitalism’s mining of nostalgia and actively looking for ways to break beyond that. It’s an attempt to solve the problem of not being able to imagine a future these days. And, of course, a shitload more.

Which is all very kind. I’m sure the post will continue to gain momentum as that is why blog and not tweet. I had the best day on the blog ever the other day views wise, and will also take this opportunity to say hello to all the new subscribers and supporters! Very kind.

I have a couple of interviews coming up around the topic of Solarpunk and Cultural Fracking. One podcast interview I need to actually confirm the recording date of for tomorrow morning as soon as I post this and get back from Sainsbury’s.

At last year the time of putting the talk together I was saying to friends and collaborators that ‘Rusted Chrome’ was going to be my last Solarpunk talk on the public speaking circuit for a while. I don’t really have anything more to add to the topic as it stands. A lot of material was prototyped at events all round Europe exploring framings etc in the two years previous. Now is the time to actually ‘do the work’ of re-futuring. I’m still happy to talk ABOUT Solarpunk but I’d rather be on a panel, podcast or in a discussion rather than a dude on stage talking about the whole scene.

Narrative Strategies and Strategic Narratives are something I’d like to explore more in my professional life, specifically implementing a better future. So I’d like to see if I can make that happen a bit more than the occasional gig I currently have. Get in touch if you’re interested.

We certainly do need better futures right now. Thats the supertask.


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Permanently Moved

St Thérèse of Lisieux

The life of St Thérèse of Lisieux, her parents, sisters and family. The Kaleidoscope clarifies the holy trinity, the ‘Act of Oblation’ working, poetry, and death.

I’ve done three mini bios this year: Mari Kondo, The figure of Captain Swing, and now St Thérèse of Lisieux. And I’ve done quite a few Saints over the years, the first back in 2018 on Pope Celestine V. Honestly there should be movies dedicated to these people! In the first draft of the script I said that I only do Saints when called upon.

Story of a Soul is such an electric book. I highly recommend even skimming it if you are interested at all in individuals writing about their spiritual journey. St Thérèse of Lisieux is interesting as she lives in a ‘recognisable world’, and we have a photo of her. It’s similar to reading Wounded By Love by the Orthodox Saint Porphyrios who talks about radio, drilling for water etc. Youtube mystic John Butler gives me similar vibes.

One person asked after the episode went out: So St Thérèse of Lisieux basically asked God to consume her and then kill her as a sacrifice?

Me: Pretty much.. She literally says in her Act of Oblation:

Finally, in order to live in an act of perfect Love,
I offer myself as a victim of holocaust to your Merciful Love.
I beg you to consume me incessantly.
Allow the waves of infinite tenderness shut up within you to overflow into my soul.
In this way, make me become a Martyr of your Love, O my God!

St Thérèse of Lisieux – Act of Oblation 

During our convo the term Auto-Martyerdom came up. An interesting term. lol.

St Thérèse of Lisieux has become very influential in my life this year. She’s not really discussed so much in the circles I run in. Would be good to change that.

Update From The Island

Its the last Bug Off of the summer today, and I’ve been playing that in between writing sections of this post lol.
I spent some time sorting out my house the other night, I took some photos of what it looks like currently as I think its looking pretty cool!

My living room with it’s ‘gnome defence force’. I’m going for an antique hoarder vibe in here.

My bathroom is looking lit with hits balloon fish layout. I like the shower pouring water onto the first toilet.

This is what Eve calls ‘the junk room’. But I think its more like a kitchen come sewing/marimba room. I bought some pots and pans from the Nooks this morning to go on the wall.

My hat collection is coming along. Love that terrarium.

I still have my spying station so I can look out the window over on Eves house.

Btw. Here’s an old photo of me from about 10 years go, and when I was hanging out with Apple in the museum. I think I’ve managed to re-create thejaymo in his idealised form.

The Ministry Of My Own Labour

  • Worked on some initial shadow puppet silhouette’s. The first draft of the king is bottom left, pretty happy with it as a first draft. He’ll have arms and an articulated knee thats tied to an arm.
  • Booked in some CIWM calls. Need to get better with my diary management if this show is going to actually be ‘a thing’.
  • Didn’t hit any of my writing goals. 🙁
  • Renamed all the episodes of my podcast on Youtube as a friend explained that putting episode numbers (or things that look like them) in the video title is poison to the algorithm and discoverability. I’ve already seen a 5 view a day average uptick in the analytics.

Dipping the Stacks

If Only Necromunda: Underhive Wars Was as Cool as It Looks and Sounds – Paste

This is how you review a disappointing video game. I still have inquisitor martyr AND wasteland 3 to play. I wonder after the 1000+ hours its gonna take me to get though them the new Necromunda game will be fixed

Students Are Rebelling Against Eye-Tracking Exam Surveillance Tools – VICE

#Failures: When things don’t hold: Anthropologies of failure, breakdown, and dysfunction – Allegra

Why Little Mix insisted on aftercare for the contestants on their talent show – BBC News

Reading

I had a thing on my list of things to do for ages that I ticked off this week. rewarded myself with another warhammer book on audible. I’m reading Brutal Kunnin by Mike Brooks.

I read the whole of Ian Cheng’s EMISSARIES GUIDE TO WORLDING out in the garden in the last of the suns warmth.

It’s a Fantastic book. It’s a pity it’s so hard to get hold of. I have just bought Emissary’s Guide To Worlding the almost identically named but different content inside. Might do a little reading group for it. Message me if you’re interested. It was really good to read about the whole project and see its development. Makes me realise that I should document projects more. Also do read about the project in the Future Art Ecosystems book I mentioned a while back.

I’m still reading An Actor Prepares, a few pages every night before bed. An attempt to ‘de-screen’ before I turn the light off. I go though phases of actively looking forward to turning pages before going to sleep, and other times it’s a chore. Right now I’m in the second category. Instead of reading the other night I ended up going down an internet rabbit hole (definitely not de-screening !!!) and came across Stanislavski’s ‘Plan of experiencing’.

It was really interesting to dive in to, and contrast with Cheng’s simulation work.

Music

The only thing i’ve really been listening to this week is Carly Rae Jepsen – Run Away With Me slowed down to 40mins in duration.
Also listened to Mineral, endserenading on vinyl twice though whilst I was doing some stuff in the living room.

Remember Kids


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