Independently interdependent ♡
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For all our love of culture, we at Metalabel must confess to also be followers of astrology, and can report this week’s move into Mercury Retrograde isn’t joking around. Plans changing, friends ailing, everything wobbly.
The one thing we do when things get shaky is turn to friends we really trust. The ones where even if wires get crossed it’s no big deal. You both know how deep things really go.
This week’s slice of cultural pie represents those kinds of relationships. The non-performative kinds. The ones with truth-stakes not high-stakes. Nobody here’s trying to pretend. We’re over that. This week it’s just about how things are.
LINKS
A food vlogger breaks down the costs of running a popular Youtube show. You know we’re a sucker for a great budgeting deep dive.
A shift from “Article World” to “Post World” as a way of understanding culture today.
Harmony Holiday’s tender, deep listening of a lost Nina Simone recording and her feel for capturing everything said and unsaid.
EDITOR’S PICKS
Powerhouse x Jlin, B12 – Sampling the Collection
Part behind the scenes snapshot, part deep dive into one composer’s process, this exceptional new media package from electronic musician and composer Jlin captures the artist at work building pieces from samples discovered during a trip to the Powerhouse Museum in Australia. The digital-only release collects eight distinct videos and pieces of media that show Jlin’s process as she breaks down a sample and turns it into a new piece. An exceptional look into the creative process, and one of the best-packaged releases we’ve seen on Metalabel. Not to be missed. Just $1.
Maya Man, I ♡ HEART T-Shirt
Maya Man’s HEART has been a gem of egalitarian creative goodness in Lower Manhattan since opening its doors last year, with talks and performances by living legends like Cory Arcangel, Mindy Seu, Rafael Rozendaal, and other members of the NYC creative community. All along the project has been led by Maya Man, the multidimensional artist whose book Fake It Til You Make It was released on Metalabel last year. To sadly commemorate the end of the space’s lease, Maya is offering a special I ♡ Heart shirt. Available only until April 1. We’re getting one. $35.
Aaron Bergunder, yyj.jpg 2024
It’s one thing to lose yourself in a craft, but it’s another thing to trust and love the bias of your own lens on things. That’s what’s got us loving Aaron Bergunder’s new handbound photo zine of the changing landscapes in Victoria, Canada. The beautiful collection of images are not just a trace of time, but of Aaron’s trust in what his eye would capture naturally in the span of a year. Ships to Canadian collectors only. $8.
Liz Barr, Body Images: Photography, Technology, and Beauty Culture
There are so many takes on visual culture these days but Liz Barr’s latest is one we know will alter how we look at images for the better. For her latest print she dissects the history of photo editing—not just from web 1.0 onwards, but going back to 19th century photo-making practices to trace roots of our contemporary anxieties. “Do un-manipulated photos exist?” $12.
BEHIND THE RELEASE: How an artist collective successfully works together
In the latest New Creative Era episode, we explored how creative people can release work together through collectives and labels.
Network Archives stands out as a compelling example — a collaborative effort bringing together dozens of musicians, producers, writers, and designers to collectively reflect on the creative process in a sold-out Metalabel release from last year, that’s just been reissued in a second digital edition.
"Technology acted as a catalyst for us to step outside the norm," explains Jamie Reddington (Sound of Fractures), who curated the collection. "Our paths crossed through online communities. We were all starting to ask similar questions through our work."
The project unites 29 creative experiments, which isn't simple. "The biggest challenge of releasing collectively is coordination,” contributor and rapper Black Dave says. “But the biggest benefit is taking advantage of the energy generated by other people. When releasing alone, it's easy to burn out."
Rather than showcasing polished work, contributors share processes, dead ends, and honest reflections. The piece suggests new possibilities for creative collaboration.
"Too often, our ideas are reframed by platforms as their own," reflects Reddington. "My hope is that Network Archives becomes a home for artist-led knowledge, positioning creators where they belong."
Go deeper into our conversation with Network Archives.
IN REVIEW: LORE by Future Commerce
“Do you write the story or is the story already written?” opens LORE, the new annual by the media project/podcast Future Commerce, which tells a story of culture through its commercial expression.
As an object, the first two things you notice about LORE are its cover — a beautiful woven red — and its weight. More than two pounds! Inside, essays from writers we follow — Kyle Chayka, Nick Susi, Amanda Claypool, Ruby Justice Thelot, Reggie James, Andrew McLuhan, among others — and clever inserts that tumble out as you turn the page.
The overall topic is “LORE,” a term reintroduced to culture by sharp-eyed cultural researchers Other Internet in their instant classic pieces from 2021 and 2022 that reframed “lore” as the deeper history that’s less what brands say and more what culture, people, and their myths say about them.
LORE puts this concept into practice on both macro and micro levels, from features on the distinct eyeglass designers of London and how they reflect the micro-neighborhoods they come from to an insert celebrating the origins of Wal-Mart’s official font and this lovely visualization of culture:
But the star of the book is a deeply researched piece into — unexpectedly — the history of cobalt (yes, cobalt) by Janelle Carlson that starts with the German fairy tale from which the element takes its name, then weaves its way to the lithium batteries we rely on for much of our world. The story is deep, rich, and genuinely excellent.
If you’re interested in internet-based commerce and culture, LORE is a recommended pick up. Both as a coffee table book that’s never dull, and as a time capsule of the assumptions and beliefs of a moment in time. $75
We leave you with a link to this week’s episode of New Creative Era: a dive into the history and future of labels as a structure for collaborative creative work.
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