films, books, articles and media for a dose of magic and surreality (volume one)
dear coven,
i hope the coming of spring has added some warmth and colour to your days! first off, i want to express my gratitude to you. i started posting a week ago and to wake up to 100 subscribers today was a wonderful feeling! it might not be much to some, but it means the world to me, thank you, thank you, thank you!
this is a series, inspired by one of my favourite people on substack -
. i adore caitlyn’s dedication to discovering and sharing media to consume that takes us out of the pit of mindless scrolling, so i felt inspired to add my own recommendations for a more thoughtful and mindful form of consumption.i always search for ways to make life feel more magical, if you wish to do the same, here are a few recommendations of what you can read, watch, and listen, to add that much-needed dose of magic and surreality to your life.
reading:
concerning the spiritual in art by wassily kandinsky
i am aware kandinsky is not a surrealist, but this list does not limit itself to an art movement, i have kept it open to all forms of art and literature that makes us think about the within and the beyond. as i said, spring comes with the feeling of awakening, it comes with colour. this book will not just help you see and understand kandinsky’s painting, it will make you ponder on the spirituality and tradition of painting as an art form. kandinsky talks about how art can resonate with the soul and how it can open our eyes to what lies beyond the limits of our world. his call for a spiritual and artistic revolution is especially alluring.
between lives: an artist and her world by dorothea tanning
i absolutely adore dorothea tanning and her words. this is not her first autobiographical written work, but it is a wonderful reflection on her life, on painting, and the act of creation. she wrote this book when she was 91, and she died ten years later, when she was 101. it will never cease to blow my mind that there is a very slim chance she might have listened to taylor swift in her lifetime.
fairies, pookas, and changelings: a complete guide to the wild and wicked enchanted realm by varla ventura
beautifully illustrated and enchanting, this book is a delightful introduction to faerie folklore. it includes tales and stories of the creatures and it is incredibly fitting to hold in your imagination this season.
the debutante and other stories by leonora carrington
i will always, always recommend leonora carrington’s writing. i recently wrote about the debutante, and the hearing trumpet by carrington, and i urge you to give this collection of stories a read. the strangeness of the tales is certainly going to quench your thirst for the surreal.
down to earth’s spring themed zine
we love a zine. we love spring. what else could we want? i adore
’s substack, it’s a gentle breath of fresh air and this downloadable spring themed zine is absolutely beautiful and will give you plenty of ideas on how to make this spring beneficial and inspiring.‘all artwork is a magical act’: an interview with susan aberth and stacy klein by jennifer johnson
an interview about working from magical traditions; ritual and ceremony invocations; and spiritualism in the work of female artists.
‘mad or bad? magritte’s artistic rebellion’ by abigail solomon-godeau
a reconsideration of magritte’s experimental and…less recognisable works.
three letters by remedios varo
three letters written by artist remedios varo, one of which addressed to gerald gardner. i recently wrote a little introduction to varo’s life and work, her letters remind me just why i love her, she’s so wonderfully bizarre.
watching:
the holy mountain by alejandro jodorowsky
a classic. a breathtaking search for enlightenment. just watch it, trust me.
a conservative, christian police offers arrives at a scottish village searching for a missing girl. he is confronted by the pagan locals and soon discovers there is much more to this disappearance than he thought. this is another classic. who doesn’t love a good folk-horror film?
meshes of the afternoon by maya deren and alexander hammid
maya deren was an experimental filmmaker who believed that the function of film was to create an experience. and this one certainly does the job. lose yourself in this circular, dream narrative.
the private life of a cat by maya deren and alexander hammid
can you tell i’m in a maya deren mood? this is in part because i’m writing about her, but also i wanted to recommend this one, because no one seems to be talking about it? like genuinely, i have read a number of academic articles on deren and there is not a single mention of this film - are cat movies too unserious for academics? don’t they know that the best way to get to the core of an avant-garde woman is to love her cat? this is a gentle, beautiful short film, which showcases that you can make even the most ordinary facts of life beautiful and magical.
the story of the cottingley fairies hoax by kaz rowe
kaz rowe is absolutely brilliant. i adore their video essays so i wanted to return to the subject of fairies for this one. their essay covers the story of the cottingley fairies and arthur conan doyle’s obsession with the iconic photos taken by frances and elsie wright.
dada and surrealism: europe after the rain by mick gold (1978)
a documentary covering the history of dada and surrealism, how they fed and devoured each other, and some key players. great introduction to the movements. i particularly enjoyed actors in the roles of the poets and artists.
marcel duchamp interview at the philadelphia museum of art
i absolutely adore marcel duchamp and how his brain works. i wish i could climb inside of it an examine every fold. or, to sound less weird, i’d love to play a game of chess with him (he would win).
interview with david lynch on his lifelong devotion to artmaking
i still miss him.
listening:
alyce mahon on leonor fini - the great women artists podcast
an interview led by
with cambridge professor and surrealist expert alyce mahon on leonor fini. from switching gender roles, to painting sphinxes and creating costumes, leonor fini was an artist everyone should be aware of - here’s your chance to learn a bit more about her life and work! additionally, i must say, i adore alyce mahon. i kind of want to be her.nabokov vs freud (with joshua ferris) on the history of literature podcast
i love a historical beef. so much. freud, instrumental to the surrealists, had his share of enemies - including myself in my thesis - but what if i told you one of them was another giant of modern literature? highly recommend if you’re in the mood for some intellectual drama.
mark norman is a folklore researcher and member of the folklore society. the folklore often hosts authors who, along with mark, explore traditions, culture, and belief systems from across the world. there’s a lot to discover in this podcast, so i don’t have a specific episode recommendation - have a browse and see what takes your fancy!
that is all for now! i hope you enjoy these recommendations and i will see you next month for some more.
Tip Jar ☕
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