Cafe Hitch-hike

2023-12-10

Art Basel and Top 10+ Tips

I guess I do miss some elements of living in Miami, like its vibrant nature, creativity, and— diversity in all its forms: age, looks, ethnicity, interests. Linnea and I went to Art Basel last night, and while we didn’t paint the town red, we definitely sipped the place like a very fine whiskey or wine.

Art Basel definitely had the themes it promised: there were many elements of a counter-protest to what’s been going on. Yes, its curators selected works by artists that gave strong whispers knowing they would affect the winds on the wings of a butterfly and then the winds that lead to a storm across the ocean. Oh boy, I think a counter-wave to the fuckery occurring now is to come in 2024 and whatever its results may be.

I silently looked at the works one more time as L. and I left (the last exhibit was a coin-operated prize machine with a claw, like at an arcade or carnival where you could win toys or assorted prizes). Hah, I guess it was Art Basel’s way of toning down the message using the primacy-recency effect…

Ok, we’re talking about representation, acceptance of women and LGBTQ+, ethnic minorities, and concerns about the blurred lines between technology and humanity. We’re talking about the ways people clutch onto temporary happiness through the characters we create like manga and pop culture. We’re showing how real people look rather than idealized versions (hah, and we were in Miami) and the very real ways they live, grieve, love, and express themselves and their histories. We’ll give you a little trinket and fun to wash it down before you walk by the UBS VIP lounge, overpriced signed trinkets, and featured Taschen picture books about big penises, big boobs, and Arnold Schwarzenegger (I swear I’m not kidding and keep in mind it was Miami after all, one of the American Babylons) among other topics.

Linnea hadn’t been out much since the end of her relationship, a serious car accident, and Covid. I hope she enjoyed the night out with was a mash-up of arts, culture, and girl talk. We wandered to Calle Ocho just southwest of its downtown, going over the Venetian toll bridge were I took pictures of the lights of the city while the drawbridge was up. Gawd, there were some things I missed so much about Miami!

It was so odd to drive from this electric city that just keeps growing with more skyscrapers every time I go, and as we got closer to my community where there were far fewer street lights. It was quiet. The sky didn’t have the haze from the lights. You could actually hear cicadas.

Then, due to the cafe con leche I had on Saturday night, I woke up early and decided to walk on the land around my friend’s nursery. At once point, I walked by a wetlands. I didn’t see any birds, but then white and black birds just emerged at the same time, it was like a yin and yang appearing in front of me. They flew in a counter-clockwise motion to another spot not far from them in the tall grass, and then they were just as invisible as they were before they took flight.

I watched Leave the world behind, another cheerful dystopian movie about the apocalypse. I didn’t know The 0bam@s were its executive producers until I saw the credits and apparently he advised them on some aspects of the disaster (and I shake my head with woe when I think about the competence of the previous administration here).

A while back, I made a joke about the time travel movies I was watching and my summaries of what not to do. This time, I’ll satirically list* some takes from the dozen or so apocalyptic works I’ve read or seen:
(*and I’ll pray they don’t actualize.)

1. If something fouls up, we’re not going to believe it for a while. The internet or electricity goes down, or our favorite brew of coffee suddenly becomes unavailable and we’re like, ‘huh?!’

2. Definitely stock up on food and water like a survivalist. If you know how to camp or were in the Boy or Girl Scouts, Army, or Marines, use everything they taught you about outdoor survival.

3. Some people pass away but not from violent or event-related means. It’s like their body just stops functioning when they see things unraveling. It happens to some by unspeakable means (and usually the ones who have the most to lose). However, there’s always a core of people who pull through.

4. Humans revert to tribalism even more so. Having an exchange of goods is heavily armed by both sides for protection (or, one size is minimally armed and hoping for the best).

5. The animals… I wouldn’t say they do ‘weird’ things but they may reclaim their land. They will freely appear where people used to be, or they start to appear more frequently.

6. There’s always a communications breakdown (see #1).

7. Some people manage to just so happen to get away at an opportune time. In Alas, Babylon, the female head of the US health, education, and welfare administration becomes acting president because everyone else in the cabinet and legislature are gone. She was away from DC for a convention when things started to happen. On that note, unexpected people like females or the marginalized becomes leaders when the initial leaders cannot lead.

8. Someone in the story just so happens to get insider information though not the whole story. They get enough information to know shit’s about to get real from their trusted source, and then they act and figure out the rest.

9. Someone just will get sick, and they will likely be someone vulnerable like a child.

10. The ability of a group of people to survive is highly, highly, highly dependent on their ability to get along, and gee, trust each other.

Now this one came up in Leave the world but not the other apocalyptic works:

11. The very wealthy really do make bunkers or go off to remote islands or locations. If you just so happen to be near one during a power / internet outage, then cool…. if the owner isn’t in there and it’s unprotected, then you can use it if you can figure out how to get inside of it.

And in my own experience:

12. Although this is more likely to happen in sci-fi (like space medical / biological themes), a seriously hot love romance will happen and naturally, the lovers can’t fully experience or actualize the relationship. I’m not so sure about pregnancies (although Children of Men had one and it was a central part of the story).

Sorry if I bummed you out if you’re still reading. This is where I’m digesting it and making sense of it. Maybe later, I can create something really beautiful about something that comes out of all of this (like the couple in #12 really are able to live happily ever after, in a beautiful place with their children and family and they’re seen doing something joyful like taking a picnic or boat ride). Maybe we can create something beautiful, yes?

It all connects back to Art Basel, with art being a voice of the human experience and the gentle nudge to think more about the foibles of our humaness. I dunno, and maybe give you a playful experience with a trinket that gives you a happy memory when you’re done reading?

downwind | upstream