Being serious or not being serious

A volte basta sapersi prendere in giro per riuscire a trasformare qualcosa di assolutamente serio e astratto in una risata genuina, che in fin dei conti seppur di commedia trattasi, lascia comunque spazio ad una riflessione sull’importanza della filosofia.

ESTRATTO DAL FINALE

Philosopher 1: “This morning I walked into a shop and the shop assistant was having an argument with a customer. The shop assistant said ‘yes’. The customer said: ‘what do you mean yes?’. And the shop assistant said: ‘I mean yes’.”

Philosopher 2: “This is very exciting.”

(…)

Philosopher 1: “Now here we have a splendid example where two very ordinary people are asking  each other what are [innocence] and methapysical questions: What do you mean yes. I mean yes. (…) Where I as a philosopher could help them.”

Philosopher 2: “Did you?”

Philosopher 1: “Well no, they were rather in a hurry.”

Splendid.

earth-colored space

future is space 1

The future is space,

earth-colored space,

cloud-colored,

color of water, air,

black space with room for many dreams,

white space with room for all snow,

for all music.

 

Behind lies despairing love

with no room for a kiss.

There’s a place for everyone in forests,

in streets, in houses;

there’s an underground space, a submarine space,

but what joy to find in the end,

rising,

an empty planet,

great stars clear as vodka,

so uninhabited and so transparent,

and arrive there with the first telephone

so that many men can later discuss

all their infirmities.

 

The important thing is to be scarcely aware of oneself,

to scream from a rough mountain range

and see another peak

the feet of a woman newly arrived.

 

Come on, let’s leave

this suffocating river

in which we swim with other fish

from dawn to shifting night

and now in this discovered space

let’s fly to a pure solitude.

 

“The future is space”, by Pablo neruda

Adam Ansel il fotografo dei parchi nazionali americani

Riporto qui un interessante articolo pubblicato su Open Culture, che racconta la storia del fotografo Adam Ansel e dei parchi nazionali che ha fotografato, tra il 1933 e il 1941 come parte di un progetto artistico per la creazione di un Murales in Washington DC sul tema dei parchi nazionali. Nonostante avesse scattato numerose foto (di cui 226 disponibili ora online), il progetto fu interrotto a causa della guerra, e non fu mai ripreso. Un pezzo di storia in immagini in bianco e nero che mostrano una natura ancora selvaggia, così lontana nel tempo e nello spazio dalla civiltà e le devastazioni umane del nuovo millennio. Una delle mie preferite (vedi in fondo all’articolo) è la foto perfetta per tempismo, di una famiglia di indiani intenti nei preparativi di una cerimonia in New Mexico.

In fondo all’articolo, propongo una selezione delle foto di Adam Ansel che più mi sono piaciute. 

A snow-covered tree from an apple orchard in Half Dome, Yosemite, 1933.
A snow-covered tree from an apple orchard in Half Dome, Yosemite, 1933.

Continua a leggere Adam Ansel il fotografo dei parchi nazionali americani

The Shrink’s Cabinet in competition at Friscènes!

I take the opportunity to promote the upcoming performance of the play “The Shrink’s Cabinet: A Christmas Comedy” by the amazing actors of The Caretakers. I co-wrote the play with Jack R. Williams, and I invite all of you to be in Fribourg on Thursday 22nd of October (20h30) at the Nouveau Monde (close to the train station of Fribourg).

The play has been selected to compete at the International Theatre Festival of Fribourg (Friscènes) along with other five plays! Reservations are still possible here.

The play is about a young man, Jack, who has just finished his last exams and is home for Christmas. Far from feeling festive, he is crippled with self-doubt and exasperated by the prying questions of his extended family. As he slowly self-medicates himself to cope with the traditional Christmas dinner, his family begin to change around him taking on the appearance and characteristics of ever more intriguing personas.

Authors: Marco Battaglia and Jack R. Williams

Language: English, with French subtitles

Length: 1h45 minutes approximately

More information: http://www.friscenes.ch/spectacles/the-shrinks-cabinet/  OR  http://www.thecaretakers.ch/.

For those who cannot attend the performance on the 22nd of October, the play will be on stage at the Theater am Käfigturm in Bern the 20th and 21st of November (here you find more information about tickets and reservations).

I leave you with the trailer of the play.