Bookaholics Unite!
We all need books. Many books. Many, many more books. Here are some great ones I’ve come across recently, and I suspect you will like them too. Enjoy!
Gustaf Broms: Anima Mundi – Requiem for a Vanishing
Gustaf Broms is one my favorite artists ever, and I’m extra proud to have written a text for this exquisite and brand new book. It contains a lot of images (of course) from the Anima Mundi project, which focuses on Broms himself allowing nature to shift his own shape. He builds a world entirely his own, and invites us to take a peek. It’s dark, sometimes scary but always supremely beautiful. Get a copy by writing to: Contactcos AT orgchaosmik DOT org (If you’re in Stockholm, the book can be bought at Konst-ig)
Here’s a snippet from my intro:
In ”Anima Mundi” the energies pass through Broms in all directions. Using the tools he has so eloquently refined over the decades (photography, sound design/music, filmmaking, performance/ritual, etc) Broms’ cosmic creation of a timeless space and a spaceless time is nothing but religious (in the best and most non-denominational sense of the word): it connects us with the totality of existence on all levels, allowing for an epiphanic flow of Chi and insight to fill us with/in awe.
What is the denim-clad performer actually ”doing”? It makes no sense, right? Moving slowly on a stage of sorts, interacting with tree branches, sand, animal horns, and other items. We are in a dream, it seems. Is it his dream or our dream? Tiny mirrors on strings set in motion by poetic breathing and slow dancing present occasional flashes of ourselves watching this magnificent theater of the soul – the very Soul of the World.
If you need an introduction to the magical life and work of Gustaf Broms, please watch my documentary about him here:
My friend Björn Stridh is a great photographer, and he recently released two photo books:
Björn Stridh: Johnny Thunders – 3 Concerts in Sweden
As the title indicates, the great Johnny T played live quite a bit when he was living in Sweden. This book features images from Södertälje Folkets Park (1983), Södertälje Jacob Oscar (1984), and Hultsfred Folkets Park (1984). Concert shots, backstage snaps, and lovely portraits. I was actually at the 1983 concert, so this book me right back to some great music and an unusually energetic Mr T.
Björn Stridh: Bröderna i Bruna Huset
A wonderful portrait of two old brothers who used to live in the house almost across from ours in Vimmerby. Björn knew them and documented them for almost twenty years, and it’s a great and endearing photo-journalistic experience. (Text in Swedish)
While in Prague recently, Vanessa and I went to the Alphonse Mucha museum. I’m a big fan of his lovely paintings and decorative illustrations. But I was also very happy to discover what a great photographer he was, and to what a great extent he used photography as a sketch tool for his paintings. Whether it’s actual poses for planned art, or portraits, or playing around in the studio our outside, his photographic images really strike me as powerful. Someone with a great eye has a great eye no matter what the tool happens to be. I bought a book with his photos specifically, but it seems hard to find online. I therefore recommend this book instead, which has a bit of everything and is a great introduction.
Another interesting discovery during the Prague trip was the Czech photographer Frantisek Drtikol. I got two out of print books, and I really feel inspired by them. In some ways, his work reminds me of that of William Mortensen, in that his elaborate and elegant darkroom work creates something more than “mere” photography. A more recent volume of his work can be found HERE.
More Prague: Two amazing books from the local publisher Twisted Spoon Press caught my eye, and I’m currently reading Urzidil.
Johannes Urzidil: House of the Nine Devils
Paul Leppin: Severin’s Journey Into the Dark
And even more Prague… We had the good fortune to hang out with the great French scholar Nicolas Ballet, author of the excellent Shock Factory. His book is a great exploration of Industrial Culture, and should be of great interest to many of our friends. This is in French, but fear not: an English language translation is under way, scheduled for publishing in 2025. Get the French edition HERE.
On my reading list right now:
Dyck & Elcock (Eds): Expanding Mindscapes – A Global History of Psychedelics
Thomas Hatsis: The Witches’ Ointment – The Secret History of Psychedelic Magic
Oh, and let’s not forget upcoming Trapart events... Vanessa will host evenings in Miami and New York in May to promote her excellent novel Things Happen:
The Quimby’s evening is a real Trapart feast. as authors Ad Vat and Jason Haaf will also be there to promote their books Spiral of Objects and Can I See Your Niche?
That’s enough of books, now… It’s time to actually go read them.
In Librido,
Vade Ultra!
Carl