Even today, the Paris of the popular imagination is, for the most part, the Paris envisioned by Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann and made a reality in the eighteen-fifties and sixties. Not that he could order the city built whole: as explained by Manuel Bravo in the new video
Image by Jules Jacot Guillarmod, via Wikimedia Commons In 2016, we brought you a rather strange story about the rivalry between poet William Butler Yeats and magician Aleister Crowley. Theirs was a feud over the practices of occult society the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn;
The Northern Lights Put on a Show . “A powerful geomagnetic storm brought spectacular light displays to night skies across the Northern Hemisphere, with sightings of pink, red, and green lights as far south as Florida and Oklahoma.” 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Put wings on your car . “We call it a private jet for tax reasons really. Private jets don’t pay duty on fuel, so by adding wings to the vehicle, we should qualify for the same exemption.”
Recently discovered 55-million-year-old crocodile eggshells perhaps belong to “drop crocs” , a species that “perhaps [hunted] like leopards — dropping out of trees on any unsuspecting thing they fancied for dinner”. Drop crocs! 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Two-thirds of affected institutions have not been able to find alternative sources of funding, says a survey by the American Alliance of Museums.
This week, we honor a pillar of Soviet pop, the man behind Mario, a founder of an art commune, and more.
Artist Elias Marrow said he wanted to draw attention to rising hunger and poverty in the country.
More women are riding the streets of Tehran on motorbikes , in violation of the law & social restrictions. “There is not any political manifesto or social agenda here. It’s just that since my workplace is downtown and I had to commute every day…” 💬 Join the discussion on
…Literally. An exhibition about bodily freedom features photos from the inside of a vagina, sculptures based on abortion stories, and more.
Our relationship as artist and critic deepened in a profoundly unexpected way as we faced darkness together.
The co-directors of “It’s Just a Fucking Opening,” a new short film, spoke to Hyperallergic about toxic sociality and the line between criticism and gossip in the art world.
For his Yakuza project, photographer Anton Kusters spent two years documenting some members of the Japanese mafia . A limited edition of a book containing the photos is available . Steward Mag recently did an interview with Kusters: The values were almost comparable to
"During annual pilgrimages to my hometown carnival, I never fail to find meaning among the doughnut burgers, feather boas, and iridescent dragons."
A group of archaeologists has proposed “applying a model of how humans expanded to the different islands across the Pacific Ocean during their early migration to glean insights into how humanity should manage our colonization of space ”. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
"What began as a childhood wonder with masked men who looked like they could fly around the ring, evolved into a focus on Eddie. During a time when I lived in what felt like different worlds, he reminded me of home."
The three-year program provides a rigorous environment for new modes of critical thinking and art making in the context of media and technology.
"A single face can represent one person, but it can also stand for a community, a generation, or a shared emotional landscape." Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month.
“The reason there are no weird blogs anymore is that it’s more fruitful to drive them out of business .” Private equity is ripping media into shreds. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
22 Thanksgiving Main Dishes That Are Better Than Turkey . I’ve been trying to get the fam to pivot from turkey to chicken (with all the usual sides in place), but no dice. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
Just as You Feared — Life in Zohran Mamdani’s New York . “Breakfast is sugar-free pea fibre from the state-run ZohranMart. I wish that I could give my son something better — it’s his birthday. But he doesn’t mind. School has turned him very woke.”
"This was a story of culinary disguise, of meat concealed in dough and murder masquerading as lunch."
Operation Space Station is a two-part PBS documentary series on the International Space Station. Here’s a very short teaser trailer: A synopsis: The size of a football field, the International Space Station hurtles around Earth at 17,000 mph, shielding its astronauts from
Fertility and productivity are central themes of Ying Ang's new photobook. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Ying Ang Zeroes In on the Fleshy
Meet the 2025 National Book Award Finalists . “Literary Hub caught up with the finalists to ask them a bit about their books, their reading habits, and their writing lives.” Some great stuff in here. 💬 Join the discussion on kottke.org →
"My Signal exchange with the interim U.S. attorney about the Letitia James grand jury."
In Southwestern China, a filmmaker follows her father on a search for his childhood home, reshaped by history and time - by Aeon Video Watch on Aeon
Velliquette's current solo exhibition, 'The Light That Sees,' features 21 new works. Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article Michael Velliquette’s Metallic