Jordan Swartz-The Rad Times #11

Most years for Christmas someone in my family will get lottery scratch offs as stocking stuffers for every one else, this year it was my turn. I honestly had forgotten about them until I saw the self service machine in Wawa. Not to go full old man this early in a newsletter but my first shock was how expensive they had gotten, there were only a few for $1 or $2 with most being $10-20 and some as high as $50. I chose the cheap ones, swiped my card, and watched as a little sheet of paper slid out from the bottom of the vending machine. With each single paper that slid out my joy diminished a little more. I grabbed the group of them and flipped through them quick, these weren’t scratchers at all, they were on thermal paper, just black ink on smooth white paper and lots of legalese. As I fanned through them that’s when the thermal paper injustice really hit me, these weren’t scratchers at all, all of the numbers were there clear as day and you just had to match them to the ones above. Scratch offs are Schrodinger's riches, every ticket is a winner, until it’s not, the joy of a scratcher is the thrill you get as each number is revealed from the aggression of a penny, money begets money. When you buy a lotto ticket you’re buying a few brief seconds of fun and potential, but with these new print outs, the excitement of hope is immediately taken away, with this I then wondered, what’s the point? Little bouts of wonder and joy like this are being taken by technology regularly, hold on to them and remember the little wins.

Thanks for hanging!
Be good to each other.

The tv show Say Nothing was my favorite show of the year for a number of reasons. I’m an inherently curious person and love history so I had an elementary level understanding of The Troubles and this show gave me so much more insight as well as led me to watching a lengthy PBS documentary on the subject as well. Based on the 2018 historical non fiction book by Patrick Radden Keefe, it mainly follows the two Price sisters and their associates, coming from an Irish Republican family to joining the IRA themselves. It’s a great story of youthful idealism and how that does or does not transform in the face of oppression and aging; how do you live the rest of your days when you planned on being a martyr?

I’ve always been partial to smaller living quarters (my dad lived on a sailboat for a number of years) and an everything has it’s place mentality. Never Too Small highlights well designed spaces that are mostly 600sqft or less. This is some of my favorite type of design, multiple uses and functions while also being aesthetically pleasing and/or easy to use and access. Part of why I love design so much is that it just means it has been considered in some way. The above video is a particular favorite but you can take something from everyone of these spaces.

Every time I visit my friend Sara Winston I end up buying a photography book before I even leave, this time was no different. She has great taste and is well read, she also knows my taste in photography and especially my interest in books that push the boundaries of the form. Published by Overlapse (one of my favorite publishers and who published a book I previously featured in this newsletter,) Gabriele Chiapparini and Camilla Marreses “Thinking like an Island” is rewarding emotionally and physically from the first touch. A visual puzzle meets choose your own adventure; it’s a mix of studio, found, and documentary photography that is constantly asking two questions for everyone it answers.

In some internet rabbit hole recently, I ended up learning about Yakutsk, with an average annual temperature of 18°, it’s the coldest large city in the world. While reading about daily life in Yakutsk I stumbled upon a couple articles about a punk scene and my heart swelled. I love regional music scenes and find them endlessly fascinating, especially ones from the pre-internet days or like Yakutsk’s, ones that don’t have easy access to outside influences. Extremely remote and difficult to leave, they don’t get many outside touring bands, and it’s even harder for younger bands to leave and tour. Fueled by the label Yunost Severa (Youth of the North) they’re documenting their own scene and sending it out into the world. It reminds me of the mixed bill shows I saw as a teenager that don’t seem to happen as much anymore; crust bands playing with emo worship, hardcore kids opening for a synth rock band, there’s a huge catalog to dive through and it’s rad to see it coming from a place so remote.

In 2004 over the span of 31 days, Jill Magid used the CCTV system in Liverpool, often with the assistance of the police, to document herself as she moved through the city in a red jacket. In order to obtain the footage she had to submit a formal request and wrote the requests as love letters, expressing her thoughts and feelings. There’s a video component to this called Trust that I’ve yet to locate but I love this work and how it flips the system on its head. The surveillance state has only intensified over the last 20 years, how do we use that against them? This reminds me and I often think about the Banksy security camera image.

I have freelanced for years but this was my first year full time and I had a great year. This gif barely scratches the surface of the projects I got to do this year & am so thankful for those that trusted me.

There are a few candles left in my store now! Featuring Devil’s Kiss, a mix of bergamot, amber, and tobacco and Heaven Scent which is sea salt, fresh grass, and lemon. Available individually or in a pair. Grab some now!