Insides: Irradiation
Hello, how are you?
A nonlinear function on a daily basis – depending on my focus, on my daily perspective, on my activity. When I am able to consciously ignore politics, social & enviromental situation and concentrate on my tasks in the moment and the people close to me, I am more or less calm, even content.
With every year passing, the virus situation “on top“ I find it harder and harder to accept living in a world, which is sooooo fucking wrong. The overall socio/political/environmental situation makes me angry. I am growing more and more impatient with how things “are”.
If “getting back to normal” means: going on with “usual business”, I do not want to “get back to normal”. Fuck neoliberalism! I want to live in a more empathetic, socially just (!) and sustainable world!
Where are you right now?
In my flat in Hernals, Vienna, with my significant half Michi and our four cats.
Which sounds surround you?
Ambience (cars, people) from Ottakringer Strasse, rain, some birds, cats.
Have you been productive so far? What are you working on?
Since autumn 2019 I am studying at IEM (Graz), due to lockdown I have more (home)work than during “normality”. On the other hand, I spend less time travelling to Graz, but on the third hand participating in online-lectures and discussions is really very exhausting.
After my initial ”freeze” (processing the situation, processing my personal grief, my existential fears) I jumped into something new: learning to handle current web-technologies (web audio, javascript, APIs etc,) to finally realize some projects I have in mind. Currently I am quite happy with my learning curve and the first small project.
What inspires you right now?
The same as usual: my anger (neoliberalism!), love, my hopes, my fears, nature, the night sky, cloud-scapes, stories, „the world”, technologies, utopian ideas, dystopian reality…
“empathetic conflict-solution and interspecies cooperation”
Reading material you can recommend?
I read a lot, lately even more SciFi than ever.
These three have a common denominator: empathetic conflict-solution and interspecies cooperation.
Adrian Tchaikovsky – “Children of Time”, “Children of Ruin”
Sue Burke – “Semiosis”, “Interference”
Becky Chambers – “Wayfarers Trilogy”
Ted Chiang’s short stories (eg. the collection “Exhalation”)
Robert Pfaller – „Erwachsenensprache. Über ihr Verschwinden aus Politik und Kultur.“
To listen?
on repeat:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLYJWFQbNKo
https://chraemego.bandcamp.com/album/on-a-fateful-morning
https://semanticarecords.bandcamp.com/album/fluidum-iii-semantica-120
To watch?
I am into facts & science (documentaries, talks) as well as I love stories.
Currently I am more into stories (I guess because I am having difficulties with “reality” perspectives).
The retro futuristic design by Simon Stålenhag is stunning!
Some science, “time” is one of my favorite topics
http://www.preposterousuniverse.com/blog/2020/04/21/the-biggest-ideas-in-the-universe-5-time/
What’s your opinion on live-streams? You see any alternative ways to support the music community?
After my initial enthusiasm about initiatives like echoraueme, I soon realized I miss real (physical) social spaces a lot! Staring into a computer-screen, without real laughter, gestures, faces, smells, personalities, akwardness… I do not like this experience if it is the ONLY option.
Plus I personally think this kind of disembodiment does not suit us well as “social animals”.
Alternative ways: honestly, I do not have a good answer right now. We can support each other, we can help promoting each others work.
About the necessary financial support politics has to act! (Sub)culture is an important part of society.
What are you missing most? What are you afraid of?
I miss hugging friends, laughing with friends, gestures, smells, rambling discussions, getting drunk together, feeling akward!
What will change you think?
I am afraid this current crisis will lead to an even more restrictive society, xenophobia, etc. Society has been too tolerant with intolerance. Can we start working together… on a revolution?!
What is the gig or occasion you were most looking for, that was cancelled in this period?
The Klangmanifeste Festival in March, I was really looking forward to this one!
The shows of Chra and Electric Indigo in March.
I was not able to buy plants and soil for a long time, gardening calms my mind.
Are you still able to pay your rent?
No, I am having serious existential difficulties, since the lockdown I have almost no paid work. My situation is precarious in general and a complicated construct: “Freier DienstnehmerInnen” contract + self employed (graphic design usually pays my rent, but it fails to now) + music.
Irradiation