Reference Library 003
A compilation of curiosities that inform the world of apartamento 710
Reference Library is a quarterly compilation of all the different curiosities that inform the world of apartamento 710. All the books, films, and music that I am loving, the art that inspires me, and the practices or mediums I’m experimenting with. Sharing it all with you for your leisure. Read other editions of RL here.
Art musings
The work of artist Aya Takano. I accidentally came across Aya’s work scrolling on my old Tumblr account the other night. She is a painter, Superflat artist, manga artist, and science fiction essayist. The characters in her work remind me of growing up with my sister in the early 2000’s, playing with fantasy makeup and putting way too much fuchsia blush and blue eyeshadows, filling our hair with blobby hair accessories, and then jumping into the inflatable pool in the garden, pretending we were fish for hours. One of her comic books, Cosmic Juice is at the top of my wishlist. Have you come across her work before?
The work of David Chapelle. I’ve seen this photo of Gael at least a dozen times online, but I never got curious to dig in about the artist behind the lens of this iconic photoshoot.
It turns out I’ve been living under a rock, because it’s none other than David LaChapelle who has captured my Mexican super crush, Gael García, as well as some of the most iconic personalities around the world, including Björk, David Bowie, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, and manyyyyy others. From what I’ve gathered so far, I feel like he really has a gift for bringing out the essence of his subjects through immersive worlds full of color, texture, and imperfection.
Videos, movies, documentaries
National Film Board of Canada: OK, you are going to love me for this one, especially if you live in Canada. The NFB is a publicly funded organization created by the Canadian government that offers an extensive catalog of independent films, animated movies, documentaries, and more than 6,000 titles free for streaming. Goodbye, Netflix!
Here are a few documentaries I’m going to devour this weekend:
Waterwalker, 1984
Indigenous Plant Diva, 2008
The Intertidal Zone, 1985
HOT TIP
If you are looking for alternatives to the major streaming services, I highly recommend Tubi (I watched What About Bob last night, starring Bill Murray, last night and loved it. A very light, funny, and heart-warming film) and Kanopy, which you can access for free with a library card!
The world of the incredible Petra Collins: If you are a chronically online person, you’ve probably seen the newest Olivia Rodrigo music video for Drop Dead, which was directed by Petra Collins. The scene of Olivia playing the guitar at the Palace of Versailles reminds me of the early Shakira music videos in her rock era.
ok, I need to speak with the designer behind the art because wow
Miscellaneous
It’s springtime here in Vancouver and that means lots of time outside watching birds. My partner is an oceanologist and has worked in the conservation of marine birds throughout his career. I truly owe all my knowledge about birds to him! Something very cool that we enjoy doing this time of year is walking to a blue heron colony near our apartment. Right now, all the eggs are hatching, and it is fascinating to go and observe closely the eggs that fall out of the nest. A fun fact that Alanh shared with me the other day is that Blue Herons share their responsibilities very equitably in building the nest, incubating the eggs, and feeding the chicks. Humans could learn a lot from birds!
Systems, systems, systems: One of my top priorities this year has been building a stronger body. I signed up for the cheapest gym I could find to lower my resistance and continue going, and I’m proud to share that I have been lifting weights since January!!! I’ve been tracking my consistency using a notebook and dot stickers. It’s much more satisfying to add a sticker to the page than to go to an app or even post about my progress online. I can lift 15 lb on each arm now! This is the notebook I currently use.
My current wallpaper! A vision of myself at 70 rockc-limbing because I’m sooo strong and fun and cool
A few other fixations:
Thanks so much for making it all the way to the end! Follow along on Instagram or email me at florenciaornelas.f@gmail.com if you are interested in collaborating or hosting an event together!
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Other offerings:
My website is up! Or at least a very first version that I feel comfortable with. I’ll be adding new offerings there, including merch, new zines, and other surprises. Making it a bit easier for those of you who want to support my work but can’t do a monthly sub <3
My upcoming event in Vancouver is almost sold out! So excited to be collaborating with some of my favorite creatives to bring this event to life. If you are based here, you can still snag a ticket!
