Heliotropic List #1

Photographs, mum-core, a renaissance-era inspired meditation

Here it is in its first iteration. Heliotropic — likely to evolve, but in its early days manifests as a weekly roundup of thoughts, ideas, music, art, culture (and so on) curated for Heliotropic effect.

Here goes:

1. First, a 90s electronica playlist to unwind your mind

2. Mum-core in Phoebe Philo’s latest drop - looking like a ‘mum’ or being ‘mumsy’ is often used as a slur — one I’ve personally been guilty of. So when I saw these mum necklaces from the latest Phoebe Philo collection, all it took was one glance for the message to drop and for my brain to rearrange its long-held habit of using the word ‘mum’ as shorthand for drab and un-chic. I love the fact that with something as simple as a gold chain, you can make a statement with such squeaky clarity that has potential to derail a stubbornly held view or a lazy slur almost instantly — or at least in my case.

3. Shadowy visual inspiration by Constantine Manos - a photographer active between the 50’s and 70’s, he said:

“Try not to take pictures which simply show what something looks like. By the way you put the elements of an image together in a frame show us something we have never seen before and will never see again.”

3. Crochet as meditation

A newly acquired evening pursuit that I’ve realised is an amazing replacement for my phone before bed. For me it’s a form of meditation. I lay in bed doing it before I go to sleep or do it while drinking my morning coffee. It’s mindless and doesn’t tax your brain which I love. There’s also something so satisfying about the repetition and motion of weaving countless tiny loops. The final product is one of the most rewarding feelings because of it takes so bloody long! Strangely, you feel almost bonded to what you created because you’ve spent so much time with it.

The very first project:

End product:

I took it travelling this year. Here I was making a bikini in Milos:

4. The ethereal paintings of Agnes Pelton - born in Germany in 1881, her work was inspired by a branch of yoga called ‘Agni Yoga.’ In 1932 she moved to Cathedral City in California, of which she commented

   “The vibration of this light, the spaciousness of these skies enthralled me. I knew there was a spirit in nature as in everything else, but here in the desert it was an especially bright spirit.”

5. This life-changing pantry-pasta by Marianne’s Kitchen - I keep making this over and over again because the combo of oyster sauce, butter and garlic is so out-of-this-world-good it surprised me that it’s not a common thing.

6. This month’s thrift find - A Max Mara coat for $40.

7. This poem called “Everything is Waiting for You” by David Whyte

Keep the list going

Add to the list in the comments and link us a recent podcast you loved, a book, song/playlist, recipe or whatever is lighting you up below.