Leaflet no. 3
This week's leaflet tea tastes like... sound collage, sisal fibers, polymer clay, soybeans, and Utopia
Hello, everyone.
Tea Leaf Tech is a process in which I brew a cup of the Beobab.tree’s blend (its bark, leaves, its fruit, and a dapple of honey—of course!), which is a way to introduce settling and warmth into the day’s spiral of events. During this time of sipping and slowness, ideas and images collect at the bottom of the cup. The readings of the tea leaves laid to rest on ceramic glaze will be the basis of Wednesday’s leaflets. From here, I invite you to sit with your own cuppa and peruse what media this week’s tea blend has to offer.
Recommended Media n’ things:
Sudan Archives’ Natural Brown Prom Queen (experimental, electronic)
I LOVE how Sudan Archives produces her music. How it interrupts itself to take you to something more wildly fun and masterful. This NPR article puts it well, “Sudan Archives' music celebrates digging. With infectious curiosity, her oddball collages of hip-hop, electronic and globally sourced folk bridge worlds and tramp through them, encouraging you to forge your own routes as well.”. I am really impressed with all the samples she used and how she manipulated them. I listened to the album twice in one day.
Naomi Akimoto’s One Night Stand (jazz, funk, experimental, Japanese & English)
Airy, dreamy, and forlorn thought not in an overindulgent way. One Night Stand is full of good good sounds and chords. One of those experiences you’d like to have on vinyl and warm-toned lighting. Like the idea of December nights that lean on the holiday. “Tennessee Waltz”, the penultimate track, sounds like it features a Pokémon solo (circa Heart Gold era). I imagine a Lola Bunny-type Pokémon trainer on the jazz club’s stage with her Swablu swooping in to scat some bars:
Poo-tee-weet?
I’ve been using a sisal brush to brush my entire body in the morning. It’s an electric feeling. It feels like my cells are singing. Sisal is a flowering plant native to Southern Mexico often used for rope. The idea is that you “irritate” the skin so that blood flows to the places you brush, promoting circulation, in addition to exfoliation. I got mine somewhere for cheaper; I just didn’t want to put a link for Amaz*n.
Wendell & Wild!! A stop-motion movie directed by the same person who brought out Coraline. It’s streaming on Netflix. I want to write an essay(ette) on why this movie is so great, so I’ll just slip it in here for now.)
Images in the tree bark:
Here is some sweetness:
tofu, mushroom, and squash soup made by someone from the Buddhist Temple, eaten with fresh lettuce and onion. Very nourishing.
the baby cow (deep black brown with white speckles) jutting its head to keep track of me cruising on bike — could I be the first biker they’ve ever seen?
spotted a chestnut horse with painted white knee high socks
attending Anacostia Community Museum’s opening of “Utopia” and seeing all the children, families, and young people writing in provided Dream Notebooks, tinkering with Legos and craft paper, writing on gigantic notebooks full of desires for abolition and equitable public space. Later on there was Ben’s Chili Bowl dogs and music from DJ Mello. I stand soft with how much intention the curators put into the project, put into the community. I don’t think any other Smithsonian is doing it like Anacostia is, and it really shows.
eating a burrito by myself at 3pm and finding the place full of construction workers and random pairings. Not to mention they were playing house music on the speakers (it was surprising to me!). It’s so simple to eat a meal alone in public and enjoy it (especially when it’s so yummy), that it’s funny I used to psych myself out about, or take things to-go.
I hope your day is kind to you and you are kind to you.
Warmed,
Isabel