⌾Curio #43 - Maria Svarbova, 536 AD & Poolside FM
Welcome back, dear readers, to another edition of Curio, the newsletter for curious minds seeking an escape from the noise of the news cycle. If doomscrolling the news and social media is making you feel gloomy, then Curio aims to be a brief antidote, like a refreshing dip at the beach on a sultry summer day.
Claude Monet - Sainte-Adresse (1873)
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I hope you’re staying well!
Until next time,
- Oli
Maria Svarbova
Maria Svarbova is a Slovakian photographer who creates gorgeous, dream-like images of characters that appear frozen in time.
Svarbova was born in 1988 and is heavily influenced by the Soviet-era aesthetic in Czechoslovakia
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Plastic World
In her 2015 series, Plastic World, Svarbova creates a unique atmosphere relying on pastel tones, hauntingly still figures, a Soviet-era aesthetic and emotional detachment. Through elegant, harmonious and balanced compositions, she explores loneliness, isolation, normality and social expectations.
The following quotes are from Svarbova’s website:
“Through blank stares, stiff poses and total absence of emotion, the series challenges the viewer to question the ingrained roles people play in society.”
“The atmosphere that’s depicted through a palette of pastel colors and overexposed tones transports the viewer into a sterilized world in which the characters have chosen to give up any kind of emotional extravagance that might unmask them.”
In 2018, Svarbova was interview by Plastik Magazine:
“I am a completely self-taught. I used to listen and ask technical questions to other photographers. But apart from that, I just took pictures and worked on them. I enjoyed taking pictures and playing with the editor program. I've never read any photo book. It has all just been practice.”
“I want people to think. I don’t want to give away the whole story because I like the idea of seduction. It’s like film stills that make you want to see the whole movie. You want to know more.”
You can check out more of Svarbova’s shots here.
536AD - The Worst Year In History
According to Michael McCormick, historian and archaeologist at Harvard University, there are a few contenders for the worst year to be alive. In 1918, with the First World War and Russian Civil War still raging, the Spanish Flu killed between fifty and one hundred million people, most of whom were young adults. In 1349, on top of various devastating earthquakes and Jewish pogroms, the Black Death — the worst pandemic ever recorded — wiped out half of Europe’s population. However, Professor McCormick, who chairs the Harvard University Initiative for the Science of the Human Past, believes 536 ought to be considered the most awful of them all: “It was the beginning of one of the worst periods to be alive, if not the worst year."
Thomas Cole - The Course of Empire: Destruction (1836)
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In 536, a massive volcano in Iceland erupted, spewing ash into the sky. This led to a thick, black fog that plunged Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia and Africa into darkness, day and night — for eighteen months. Global temperatures dropped, initiating the coldest decade in the past 2300 years. Around the world, from Scandinavia to Mesopotamia, crops failed and people starved. In China, snow fell in the middle of summer and in Ireland, records describe "a failure of bread from the years 536–539."
Byzantine historian Procopius wrote in 536 that “the sun gave forth its light without brightness, like the moon, during this whole year.” He also noted that during this time, “men were free neither from war nor pestilence nor any other thing leading to death.” Cassiodorus, a Roman politician, described the sun as having a “bluish” color, causing people to “see no shadows of our bodies at noon.”
Josse Lieferinxe - Saint Sebastian pleads with Jesus for the life of a gravedigger afflicted by plague during the Plague of Justinian (1497–1499)
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To make the shocking weather conditions even worse, two further enormous volcanic eruptions followed in 540 and 547. In addition to this, in 541 a horrific bout of bubonic plague swept throughout Europe, killing up to half the population. This brutal sequence of events starting in 536 plunged Europe into deep economic stagnation that lasted until the middle of the seventh century.
After reading this, 2020 didn’t seem so bad after all.
Poolside FM
Poolside FM might be one of the most laid-back places on the web. It’s an online radio station designed like a late 1980s/early 1990s desktop in your browser window. It has a fantastic retro-infused soundtrack paired with nostalgic low-fi visuals (often care-free ads from the 80s and 90s). The intro copy of the website says it all: “The sunniest spot on the internet. Poolside FM is an online radio station, playing an infinity pool of summer sounds. Swimwear optional.”
According to the creator, Marty Bell, Poolside FM achieved one million listens last year with zero marketing.
You can check out Poolside FM here. If you do, the summer mixtapes are great.
“He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions.”
- Confucius
Curio is a newsletter for curious minds seeking an escape from the noise of the news cycle. It is put together by Oli Duchesne. If you’re enjoying it, you can show your support by ‘liking’ it by clicking the heart under my name or by sharing it with friends