No. 22: Yours Truly
On observing time, The Breakfast Show with Zakia, Caroline Zurmely, Leaving by Madeleine Cravens and Marie Veronique’s Pure + E.O. Free Oil Cleanser
Starting the day with two sunny-side-up GOOD eggs is a guarantee for a good day. I’ve had mine and now I’m off to LAX. Today’s archives from yours truly –
I. an essay
Lately, I’ve been having many conversations with friends about time and the internet – and being intentional with time on the internet. I came across On observing time, an essay by programmer & designer Jon Gacnik that I immediately PDFed.
At the top of Mount Wilson, a peak in the San Gabriel Valley, there’s a still image broadcast. He notes it only refreshes every two minutes, unlike other livestreams we’re used to these days:
Our internet, on the other hand, tends to be in quite the hurry. The pace and fervor found online like to keep anxiety company… I suppose this is why the Wilson cam particularly struck me as a contrast. Continually refreshing an image that simply reflects the natural landscape in the current moment won’t deliver anything new—at least nothing newer than the newness of time itself moving forward. In this way, the Wilson cam illuminates our faulty rewiring. Despite the abhorrent urgency our interfaces demand of us, the natural environment continues to move at the same unhurried pace.
I liked a story he tells later on in the essay about a 50-mile hike he went on with a friend.. and how it’s so clear where you are in space and time when you are on a walk versus when you are on the internet:
I suppose there’s an honesty in walking. Our bodies limit how far we can see and how quickly we can get there. We physically have to pace ourselves so we don’t just keel over. Conversely, when we “walk” the net, we’re moving through a boundless space devoid of touch points. Understanding scale in relation to a space like that becomes a lot trickier… We ought to be conscious of how far and how quickly we move through the internet. But without a physical way to observe our time spent online, we risk scrolling, skimming, and hyperlinking ourselves to oblivion.
I am a repeat offender of losing track of space and time while being on the internet, and wish with all my heart instagram only refreshed 1x per day.. it’s all I need.. at most! I know this is open-ended.. but curious how you’re feeling in this moment about being intentional with your scrolling, posting, liking, swipping, clicking etc. etc.? Reply to this email or leave a comment!
To end this feature on a beautiful note… Jon saves several stills from live cams he has taken from all over the world. Take a long, slow look at some of them!
II. a radio show
I recently started listening to the NTS Breakfast Show with Zakia per a rec from future affection archives guest, Ryan Eshel (my cool as hell brother). Seems like she’s on pause with the show while she writes a book that comes out in 2026, but there’s a treasure trove of past shows that are gooood.
Very important to note – most NTS shows have a playlist on Spotify with all of the songs they’ve played. I love Flo’s also (which resides in my girly Dev’s archives).
III. an artist
Caroline Zurmely paints glamorous, posh moments in nail polish. The nature of painting with nail polish almost creates the feel of a grainy film photo. It’s funny because I rarely have nail polish on my fingernails, but nail polish is nostalgic for me. Being barely a teen feeling like a woman just because my nails were painted.
IV. a poem
Dev dropped this poem in the New Yorker by Madeleine Cravens on the table along with a cappuccino (I am so grateful). The joys of the ups and downs of life.
The poem is from Cravens’ book Pleasure Principle.
V. a cleanser
Marie Veronique’s Pure + E.O. Free Oil Cleanser has changed my life (along with her Soothing Serum and Finishing Oil). I thought I liked when my skin just felt squeaky clean.. but this cleanser makes my skin feel clean and nourished, like I fed it a macrobiotic plate from Souen. Worth every penny in my book.
~ bulletin ~
los angeles
Open: Karyn Lyons’ The End of the Night at Anat Ebgi. Nicole Wittenberg’s show at Ferberger Gallery. Emily Ferguson’s show at Half Gallery. Sam Gilliam’s The Last Five Years at David Kordansky. Shota Nakamura’s Light Room at C L E A R I N G. Wanda Koop’s Objects of Interest at Night Gallery. Dining with the Sultan: The Fine Art of Feasting at LACMA. ABOVE THE SEA AND BELOW THE SKY group show at La Loma Projects. John Cage & Leah Ke Yi Zheng’s The Grasshopper Lies Heavy at CASTLE. Sergio Palacios’ Wall Painting at Shrine. Fashion still life photographer Sheila Metzner’s From Life at The Getty.
Saturday & Sunday: Maimoun warehouse sale.
new york
Open: Joan Snyder’s Come Close at Canada. No One Thing: David Smith, Late Sculptures at Hauser & Wirth. Eddie Martinez’s Wavelengths at Mitchell-Innes & Nash. Kyle Staver’s Truth Be Told at Half Gallery. Daniel Lum’s first solo show Lullaby at Turn Gallery. Cindy Sherman’s show at the new Hauser & Wirth on Wooster. Desert + Coast: Seven Elder Aboriginal Painters at Salon94. Friends of the Pod at Broadway Gallery curated by Nate Freeman and Benjamin Godsill closes Saturday. Group show The First Taste at Anat Ebgi including Soumya Netrabile, Rob Russell and more. Nathaniel Oliver’s My Journey Was Long So Yours Could Be Shorter at Karma. Blair Saxon Hill’s Even Then Flowers Bloom and Clintel Steed’s Portraits of the Indomitable at Shrine. Colleen Herman’s A longed-for bed at Olympia closes tomorrow. Women Dressing at The Met.
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