Anti-mimesis is a philosophical position that holds the direct opposite of mimesis. Its most notable proponent is Oscar Wilde, who held in his 1889 essay The Decay of Lying that «Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life». In the essay, written as a Platonic dialogue, Wilde holds that such anti-mimesis «results not merely from Life’s imitative instinct, but from the fact that the self-conscious aim of Life is to find expression, and that Art offers it certain beautiful forms through which it may realise that energy». [ wikipedia ]
I play the street life
Because there’s no place I can go
Street life
It’s the only life I know
Street life
And there’s a thousand cards to play
Street life
Until you play your life away
Louise Bourgeois «Maman», Installation, Museo di Capodimonte, Naples 2009
You never people see
Just do you wanna be
And every night you shine
Just like a superstar
The type of life that’s played
A temptin’ masquerade
You dress you walk you talk
You’re who you think you are
Palm, Capodimonte, Naples 2009
Street life
You can run away from time
Street life
For a nickel, for a dime
Street life
But you better not get old
Street life
Or you’re gonna feel the cold
Portafortuna Napoletano, Pasticceria Scagliola, Naples 2009, «Se dopo la foto non mi comprerai tanta sfortuna tu avrai»
There’s always love for sale
A grown up fairy tale
Prince charming always smiles
Behind a silver spoon
And if you keep it young
Your song is always sung
Your love will pay your way beneath the silver moon
Street-ad, Naples 2009
Street life, street life, street life, oh street life
Hmm, Yeah, oh
In front of «Chiesa Purgatorio ad Arco», Naples 2009
I play the street life
Because there’s no place I can go
Street life
It’s the only life I know
Street life
There’s a thousand cards to play
Street life
Until you play your life away
Oh !
«Cold Days Hot Nights», Naples 2009
Street life, street life, street life, oh street life…
Street Life by John Thomson, 19th century photographer
John Thomson, The Crawlers, London, 1876 - 1877
In 1866 John Thomson renewed his acquaintance with Adolphe Smith, a radical journalist whom he had met at the Royal Geographic Society in London. Together they collaborated in producing the monthly magazine, Street Life in London, from 1876 to 1877. The project documented in photographs and text the lives of the street people of London, establishing social documentary photography as an early type of photojournalism. The series of photographs was later published in book form in 1878. [ Wikipedia ]
Street Life is a studio album by the American jazz band The Crusaders. It represents the peak of the band’s commercial popularity, as it was a Top 20 album on three Billboard charts. The title track was also a Top 40 pop single. It was also used on the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown. [ Wikipedia ]
Bonus track: Moti Special, Cold Days Hot Nights (1985)
Moti Special was a German New Wave band, formed in 1981 in Hamburg, by Danish guitar player Nils Tuxen, Romanian keyboard player Michael Cretu, bassist/vocalist Manfred “Thissy” Thiers and drummer Reinhard “Dickie” Tarrach. All of the members had previous experience as session musicians. Thiers decided on the name of the band after visiting an Indian restaurant in London, where he had the “special” (extra spicy) dish of the house. [ Wikipedia ]
Hello world, this is my first blog entry!
From now on and as [ dewil.ch ] I’ll try hard to report and to share with you some thoughts and news right ‘out of the flock’.
Flock coming home, close to the ancient acropolis of Tarquinia
It’s already midst of November. I think «Eros & Thanatos» might be a coherent theme, to give birth to a blog in the eleventh month of a closing year.
Looking back on 2008 and remembering September. When we visited and travelled through the mythical Etruscan landscape in the north of Rome.
Villanovian urn, Vulci
This archaic and self-conscious exponent of the Villanova culture rested in a shady corner in front of Vulci museum’s portal. It was more than obvious to me—and seemingly even more so by the appearance of two iron rings, that are holding tight and with strength this raw figure out of a beaten stone—, when I took the picture of this bulky thing: that it might be a fellow of a phallic faction!
Two days before we met them already for the very first time on the hill of Tarquinia necropolis. Grey and gathered together by a small group, suffering from its unspectacular aspect in front of the entrances to the famous mural painted tombs of Tarquinia’s underworld.
Looking like disarmed guarders, impotent and dismantled in front of the masses of the touristic tomb raiders. Who are attending here from all over the world. These visitors are curiously entering the steep steps towards the tombs and taking in the colorful abode of the dead.
Several carved stone cases, used as cinerary urns, Tarquinia
Later on I learned, that these funny and forgotten sculptural figures—spread over a small corner of Tarquinia necropolis—were used a long time ago as cinerary urns. Ten years ago, after all those times, they were discovered on the slope of the hill overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
As time went by this burial practices must have been given up. As far as an aristocratic elite—grace to their prosperity and increasing wealth—was able to spend some money for their personal luxury and lustful hereafter.
The Tomb of The Floggings, Tarquinia
The burial characteristics relate the Villanovan culture to the Central European Urnfield culture (c. 1300 -750 BC). Cremated remains were placed in cinerary urns and then buried. [ Wikipedia ]
Sketches of Etruscan Places and other Italian Essays, or Etruscan Places, is a collection of travel writings by D. H. Lawrence, first published posthumously in 1932. In this book Lawrence contrasted the life affirming world of the Etruscans with the shabbiness of Mussolini’s Italy during the late 1920s. [ Wikipedia ]
