The Octet [Digest]: Alone Time
Recent wants, needs, and reads.
A microdose of what’s been in my sights over the past week or two.
—Hamish
It only took till 2026 to reimagine cassette tape packaging but my favorite print shop, COPY CORNER in Tokyo’s Shibuya, has riso-printed a series of exquisite packages for “Ordinary Audio,” a music series commissioned to interpret “sound that accompanies you in your alone time” →
“Unpredictable, poetic, and absurd”—three words I’d be happy to have in my eulogy—are the apt descriptors for LA MACHINE, a delightful device of “joyful resistance.” →
Sundance just wrapped and I’m very excited to watch THE BEST SUMMER, Tamra Davis’s documentary assembled from her recently-discovered Hi-8 tapes chronicling the inaugural Summersault festival in Australia, featuring interviews with and performances by Sonic Youth, Bikini Kill, Beastie Boys, Pavement, Foo Fighters, Beck, and more. →
Imaginative, tactile, and genuinely fun: Szilveszter Makó’s Who What Wear shoot with Elle Fanning is a refreshing departure from the sterility of modern fashion photography. It’s a welcome reminder of what happens when whimsy and craft collide. →
At the intersection of acid house and traffic: the Haçienda license plate frame →
Despite the glare of Hollywood’s awards season, a cinematic breakthrough can still go unnoticed. Writing on Kristen Stewart’s The Chronology of Water, Andi Teran posits that the year’s most arresting film isn’t on the red carpet radar—but it should be. →
Copenhagen’s MOEBE may have perfected the adjustable shelving system, offering modular, configurable options that use minimal parts and ancient techniques. And it can go around corners. →
This last one is for personal updates: my recent work has included directing and editing Los Angeles’ launch video for Super Bowl LXI in 2027, the reveal trailer for the 2026 World Cup Fan Zones operating throughout LA County this summer, and a series of portraits of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II—star of Marvel’s Wonder Man series. Drop me a line if you want to work together. →