October Gloom
Highlighting art, music, literature, poetry, and film for the month of October in the year 2024.
Art
Erica Conti
Painting, (b. 1991, province of Bologna, Italy)
In 2016 her most tormented soul resurfaces, which brings her back to the original path, that of art.
Since she was a child she showed a great propensity for the visual arts. Subsequently, driven by these qualities, she attended the art high school in the city of Ravenna for a few years. Instead of immersing herself in the world of art, a sense of uneasiness is created in her, a detachment that distances her from her artistic path for more than ten years. During this time she works and continues her humanistic studies. In 2016 her most tormented soul resurfaces, which brings her back to the original path, that of art.
Some people are able to paint in a way that resembles the thoughts and visions I have in my head. It’s not often that I find an artist that I can relate to solely based upon imagery. Erica Conti is one of those artists. If I were able to truly represent myself using paint as a medium, her artworks are similar to what I’d create. With inspiration from surrealists, as well as the old masters, Conti’s works are bold enough to make you squirm and soft enough to make you blush. The intriguing warm tonality to many of her tortured pieces is inviting, a welcome mat to her home and mind. I will gladly walk through that threshold and into her mind, exploring each and every one of her characteristics that bring her artworks to life.
She then began attending a drawing and painting course in Cesena, and in a short time this passion also became a profession. Today the painter lives in Longiano, on the hills of Cesena. She exhibits nationally and actively collaborates with various galleries.
Visit artist website
Visit artist Instagram
Literature
“The Yellow Wallpaper” a short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
First published in 1892
Several years ago I started to realize the bubble I grew up in, a white suburban Republican stronghold that didn’t suggest good literature, or any kind of literature that truly pushed boundaries. “The Grapes of Wrath” was considered top notch, and while it may be a great story, it also fit in with the typical American aesthetic the school systems ate up, and in many parts of this country still do. It’s a shame to find out, older, how much great literature is out there, completely unknown to many because it was considered “too much of this” or “not enough of that.” I don’t remember a single feminist book given to us in all of my K-12 education. Perhaps there was one, or two, that snuck their way in but I do not recall. It was all Lord of the Flies, The Great Gatsby, and many, many male authors.
Too bad most people under the age of 20 have to wait until college/university to be directed towards good reading. And even then they still aren’t— it largely depends on the school. A piece of literature that should be taught starting in High School is “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Riddled with patriarchal references and subtleties, this short story was, as cliche as it sounds, “ahead of it’s time.” In 1892 when it was published I’d imagine it caused quite the stir. If you read it now you may not think it’s a big deal, because it isn’t. But in Gilman’s time, much like photographer Anne Brigman who made nude self portraits around the same time, this kind of writing would have been met with a high amount of anger. Pissed off, small dick energy men, who can’t handle a woman having a say in anything, let alone having the ability to simply speak their mind and write.
It’s sad we are still dealing with this type of person in 2024 all around the world. Perhaps we wouldn’t be if they were all forced to read this story in school…
Other notable reads this month:
Lisa Tuttle— “My Death”
Another one, however I’m saving it to recommend in the next Gloom newsletter!
Music
“Only Hinting” — Clinic Stars
Released in September, 2024 — collected on vinyl and digital
Recommended if you like shoegaze, ambient, alternative.
The full-length debut by Detroit duo Giovanna Lenski and Christian Molik aka Clinic Stars both refines and redefines their pitch-perfect fusion of downer-pop balladry and featherweight shoegaze: Only Hinting. Recorded and produced at the band’s home studio, the album was crafted across 2022 and 2023, patiently layering FX and spatial depths to give each song a swirling, subconscious undertow. From the strummed whirlpool of “I Am The Dancer” to the gated reverb of “Remain” to the greyscale guitar reverie of “Isn’t It,” the record aches as much as moves, daydreaming of escape and transcendence.
I’m trying to stick with recommending newer albums each month and this is now the 2nd month in a row I’ve found something I felt was good enough to tell people about, and released very recently! Perfect for a gloomy Saturday morning sipping on a coffee on the couch or scanning film or paging through a new, or favorite, art book this album feels like a comfortable journey, a car ride on rain soaked side streets along the pacific coast amongst the towering evergreens. It flows effortlessly, guiding you along a path, never allowing you to stray or veer off. The difference is this path is in the clouds and you are simply floating along.
I’ve included one of my favorite songs from the album— “Remain”
Other albums that have been on repeat this past month, both old and new:
Skullcrusher— “Quiet the Room”
Grouper— “Grid of Points”
NONE— “Inevitable”
Christine Ott— “Eclats (Piano Music)”
And a ton of jazz and classical
Vinyl Score/s of the Month
Joy Division— 1981 Italian Pressing of their first album, “Unknown Pleasures.”
Wet— “Don’t You” original 2016 pressing
Poetry
“The Evening Party” by Hannah Cao
Published in 2024
Well, this is a first. I found this book of poetry via Substack and now it seems fitting I’m recommending it via the same platform! The Substack algorithm works!
The Evening Party is a series of prose and poems, unveiling hidden stories of strangers brought together for the same rooftop party in London. They are each riddled with the anxieties of modern age, the complexities of love, the challenges of dysfunctional families and other intricate relationships, and a pervasive sense of being trapped in their own existence.
This collection reveals a poignant tapestry of human connection and isolation. The Evening Party unveils the extraordinary in the mundane, breathing life into the passage of time and the memories that define us. The Evening Party is a mirror, an usher, and a reminder to savour moments that otherwise slip through our fingers unnoticed.
Here are a few favorite excerpts of mine:
“You think you need someone until you realise you only need them because to yourself you are a stranger.”
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“You spread yourself open right in front of me, like you don’t see disaster staring back at you like a warning sign.”
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“What is contentment is a gift more precious than happiness?”
I believe you can only get this book direct from the author, or Amazon.
Film
“Evil Does Not Exist” directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
Released in 2023
In a secluded, snowy mountain village, widower and single father Takumi (Hitoshi Omika) leads a modest life gathering water, wood, and wild wasabi for a friend’s udon shop. Yet this peaceful existence is threatened when a pair of corporate reps (Ryuji Kosaka and Ayaka Shibutani) arrive to launch a glamping site, sparking resistance from community members who fear the project’s potentially pernicious impact on the environment. When Takumi—a respected local figure—is offered the conciliatory role of site caretaker, it becomes unclear where his loyalties lie. Evil Does Not Exist, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s much-anticipated follow-up to his Academy Award–winning Drive My Car, is a haunting, suspenseful meditation on humankind’s thorny relationship with nature, consumerism, and itself. Inspired by a collaboration with composer Eiko Ishibashi, the director showcases his masterful command of pacing and atmosphere to uncover the destructive forces lurking beneath the thin veneer of civilization.
—
As I get older, I find myself thoroughly excited about the prospect of a film that is slow paced, focusing on character development and dialogue. The chance to slow down, and truly see what is happening in front of me. Like my love for making coffee each morning, it’s a slowed down process where I’m able to digest the information being presented to me and actually have a chance to enjoy it— as it’s happening.
From the same director as Drive My Car, Evil Does Not Exist feels almost like an extension of Drive My Car. A masterpiece of the slow, the monotonous landscape of life, but it all somehow comes together nicely at the end. And the ending to this film, it’s one that definitely causes debate. If you enjoy the works of Murakami, piano jazz, a respect of nature, and wonderful dialogue between characters that don’t feel like their acting, this film is a solid watch for you.
Other films I’ve seen recently that bear mentioning:
“Grave of the Fireflies”
”The Beast”
”Portrait of a Lady on Fire” (rewatch)
”The Boy and the Heron”
”Lost in Translation” (rewatch)
Do you have any suggestions for future Gloom newsletters? Care to comment on this one? Send me an email or leave a comment below.
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Ahhhh thank you so much for recommending TEP <3 It's so lovely reading your fav quotes from it and I feel so honoured. You are a star!