🏢✨The Nexialist #0144

the cult of the occult | black eye | my animal | the devil of your story | eudaimonia machine | consultancy horror story | chemical colonization | the city will kill me | tokyo calling

welcome to yet another week of cyberwandering and hyperlinking, the nexialist

hey, you! i hope this message finds you well (and that the gif above keeps you interested until the end of this newsletter). it’s halloween week, i guess (they already put christmas decorations on my street, btw). i don’t have much to say. or i do, but i lack the right words. beyond the wars on the news, in rio 36 buses were torched by paramilitary gangs. such a feeling of generalized chaos and powerlessness, which are more apparent than ever… so this week i bring some darker themes in halloween/pop culture, but also other real-world horror stories. so, yes, you can scroll now…

—Rodrigo Turra

1 year ago » 🗳️✨The Nexialist #0092 : Lula, explained | honest gov ad | the state of democracy 2022 | imillaskate | the queer code | success isn’t linear | hot mess | i drink wine

2 years ago » i was taking a break

😈the cult of the occult

deathtostock

A post shared by @deathtostock

i love agus panzoni’s work at death to stock, i mean, “deciphering the visual chaos and supplying your brand’s visuals” has to be the coolest definition of a project. i got their newsletter at the beginning of the month, and it’s worth subscribing to see what they do.

The aesthetics of occultism are rising once again, as hedonistic nihilism has the zeitgeist gravitating towards freedom and irreverence. 

In beauty, individuals are rejecting pre-established standards, morphing their faces and hair to appease their own gaze. In music, artists are using supernatural imagery as symbols of liberation and rebellion, whether against politicians or their disapproving fans. In film, empathetic depictions of vampires and monsters have become perfect reflections of times in which different can mean demonized.  

As we delve deeper into this transformative era of self-expression and unconventional ideologies, the resurgence of occult aesthetics evokes a sense of enchantment, leading to a profound rediscovery of our inner selves.

brainsparks: montero (tn#13), playboy/positions (tn#115), the age of re-enchantment (tn#123)

👁️black eye

allie x seems to always know what she is doing, and this new track is just perfect. the new order-esque sound adapted to her own universe just does it for me. i was wondering why we don’t get more things like these (actually i’m ok without the saturation that this would bring). added to my favorite playlist: 👨‍🎤you upload yourself to San Junipero and go party at The Quagmire🤘

brainsparks: mistress violet (tn#31)

🫀my animal

last year i saw boy harsher live and i was utterly impressed at their concert (if you’re in south america, they will be touring there soon, don’t miss it). now, augustus muller (boy harsher) released the original score to the “my animal” movie, which is now on my watchlist.

brainsparks: boy harsher, electronic body music, post-punk, ____punk (tn#84) , hassdalen lights (tn#103), fade to grey (tn#66)

👠the devil of your story

kali uchis is a habitué of the nexialist. i thought this song wouldn’t fit in this edition, but her first sentence is “Yo que soy la diabla de tu historia” or “I, who is the devil of your story,” matching the devilish/occultist trend. i’m always impressed by her fidelity to her aesthetics and her sound, kitschy, latin and refined. i can’t wait for her new album, orquidea.

brainsparks: moonlight (tn#119), telepatía (tn#14)

🏢eudaimonia machine

this post shared by patrick tanguay from sentiers is about the “field” of eudaimonia machine, “basically, it's building an office with actual separations, not one big giant space, and each section is built to match a certain level of focus or collaboration.”

it made me remember the times working in the “giant spaces,” and how distractive it was for me. also, as i work from home, it made me think how i could adapt it. i do have a desk where i like to do deep work, and other spaces where i’m more open to interact (the sofa/shared table).

patrick also mentions other similr formats like the dynamic workplace or the flipped office with all the links and credits.

brainsparks: eudemonic vs. hedonic (tn#123), asynchronous work (tn#49), remote culture canvas (tn#9), EDGY: collaborative enterprise design, irregular report: work (tn#133)

🏙️consultancy horror story

thank you, gust, for sharing this. it is worth your play, to understand the extent of the rottenness of mckinsey (and other huge consultancies). i mean, i knew it was bad, but this just ties it all together very nicely horribly. from clients in the tobacco industry, to purdue pharma, it’s hard to believe this is allowed and people are making a lot of money. no accountability. the cherry on the cake is the ad they create in the end.

But if their work, as they claim, really does impact the lives of millions of people, they shouldn't get to be invisible, and they should expect much more accountability for their mistakes.

brainsparks: humor as a tool (tn#9)

🌎chemical colonization

this week i was listening to the brazilian podcast ilustríssima conversa. the interview with larissa bombardi shared another horror story: pesticides and the chemical colonialism. larissa’s work revolves around pesticides and agriculture, and her publication even led at least one european country to cut ties with Brazil (which made it dangerous for her to stay in brazil.)

she exposes the fact that, while strict laws about pesticides are put in place in europe, european pesticides are still exported to south america, where those harmful chemicals are permitted, for the produce to be exported back to europe. and the most harmed, of course, are the indigenous people, field workers and women, left with health problems and polluted surroundings. it’s not exactly a new way of colonialism, but her work ties the data together to show how pesticides create colonialism that reaches the cells

🇧🇷the city will kill me

jaloo just released his new album MAU after a 4-year hiatus (i thought he had quit, so i’m super happy she’s back). as a queer musician from the amazon area, this title/song was like a punch: the truth is that the city will kill me. the album is quite nice (and the cover, again, demoniac.)

🇯🇵tokyo calling

now… this came up while finalizing this issue and i’m in love. how amazing are these aesthetics? their characters? turn on the subtitles to get the lyrics:

we're on the edge, almost falling,

Like a nightmare, a dystopian story is looming.

Tokyo Calling

city's pulse, almost falling,

forever enthralling, beyond reach, hope's distant glory

see you next week, demons 😈✨

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I truly believe innovation comes from bringing improbable areas together, and that’s why I called this project The Nexialist. Some sectors are known to be self-referencing and hermetic. Sometimes teams are on autopilot mode, focused on the daily grind, which hinders innovation. As a Nexialist, I like to burst these bubbles, bringing references from different areas, and maintaining teams inspired and connected to the Zeitgeist. 

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