Escaping DESIRE as ENTRAPMENT

Getting out of your own way; Letting others find things for you; A f*cked homesphere election post, in our humble opinion

TODAY:

→ GETTING OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY (brief summary)

→ letting others FIND THINGS FOR YOU (an approach)

→ and, A PROBLEM WITH THE FLAMINGO ESTATE (a f*cked up election post)

BUT TO START THINGS OFF: A MUCH-NEEDED HUG. care of “FOR SCALE” pals FORMAS

Dear Snoops,

We were recently at a screening of 1936’s DODSWORTH in Los Feliz, Los Angeles — an exceptionally modern film, and winner of the Acad*my Award for (at the time) “ART DIRECTION”. See SEXY OFFICE:

In it, FRAN DODSWORTH (early cinematic floozy), in describing her ambitions beyond the Dodsworth’s tacky-huge mansion in shit-industrial Zenith says, of her day-to-day routine: “WELL, I CAN’T GO ON LIKING THE SAME THINGS FOREVER”. A charmed life, still not enough for her.

That line f*cked us up a bit, actually.

They set about on a European tour, wherein two approaches to life are in stark contrast (ABSTRACT-ISH SPOILER):

1. FRAN D. → hungrily-obsessed with a different life, goes it for, is totally ruined by it

2. SAM D. (her husband) → knows he wants something new, i.e. self-discovery, but isn’t overly prescriptive, is totally and positively transformed by it

It’s very JENNY HOLZER “SURVIVAL SERIES” (1983-4), i.e.:

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ON THE AGENDA TODAY:

In brief: desire as a form of entrapment (homescape edition).

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IN THREE PARTS.

PART 1: AN APPROACH TO GETTING OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY

When you try to develop personality thru décor:

We at “FOR SCALE” are exhausted by homescapes that are designed to “TELL A STORY”, so self-consciously trying to communicate personality and interests. No! Stop! Reverse! → Instead, invest in developing a personality, and learn to let that personality infiltrate your décor.

When you try to use homescape as a means of personality ablution:

Equally, we are exhausted by homescapes that attempt to ERASE personality and interests. i.e.: It has always been the case that some take advertising and commercial display as GOSPEL, e.g. they will see a Des*gn Within Reach catalog and be like “OH F*CK YEAH! WHAT A CLEAN, SLEEK ROOM”. But those rooms are fragile as all f*ck: one “out of place object” and they are nails on a chalkboard.

The point is:

Get out of your own f*cking way. The challenge of homescapery is the fine balance of paying attention and caring with not letting your caring about the thing take you over.

Desire can cause u to lose touch with meaning.

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PART 2: VERY GOOD THINGS COME TO YOU (AN AUCTION IN LOS ANGELES)

You needn’t f*cking bend over f*cking backwards, honestly, to find very interesting and not absolutely utter-mainstream things – because, frankly, there very many who will do this for you.

For example 1:

A handful of very good vintage dealers, within some proximity to you. (A “FOR SCALE” global list: here.)

For example 2:

“FOR SCALE” pal and former Twinksphere correspondent Dung Ngo has curated an EXCEPTIONAL AUCTION of décorbits (HERE ! VERY GOOD ! Many “FOR SCALE” pals involved here !)

Most particularly, we are interested in this excellent table by L.A.’s own CHRISTOPHER N. (top left, bottom center):

Dunno. We’re in the mood for the SHOCK RESISTANT, kind of ex-urban woodsy, OFF-GRID aesthetic.

(The auction is also A BENEFIT. There is exactly 1 UNESCO heritage site in Los Angeles (remember the U.N.?!) and that is Frank L.W.’s HOLLYHOCK HOUSE.)

👏🏻 Dung N.

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PART 3: OTHER PEOPLE ALSO NEED TO CONTROL THEMSELVES (i.e. the Flamingo Estate on U.S. Election Day)

A very short point for those in the homesphere seeking to capitalize on the tumult of this extremely divisive, rap*st/rac*st-electing election. Using a desire for comfort against us. We use the example of Flamingo Est*te, no doubt there were and will be others.

“FOR SCALE” stands for nothing if not a belief that a Best Humanity is one of self-expression, i.e. an active exploration of self. Self expression is the ultimate Comfort: to care about and be and act as who you feel you are. Best when paired with joy, of course. (And décor, we posit, is a part of this package.)

The very short point we want to make is, of course, not our Society’s greatest concern. Yet, for us, it is an emblem of how warped and misguided the homescape has become, where domesticity cannot escape Consumption and faux-Virtue. Those are both toxic things: consumption in so far as one should not need to spend to feel comforted and Ok; faux-Virtue as in a laundered capitalism that isn’t just quick-and-easy (Amaz*n) or even just self-proclaimed as hierarchically superior (as is the case “design”), it pretends to be holy. That, Snoops, is the ultimate f*cking grift.

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DEMOCRACY ENDS, OLIVE OIL WILL SAVE YOU: A F*CKED UP GRIFT

The domestic, we believe, is sacred.

We don’t talk about cooking, for example, but it is our religion: the preparation of food is ritualistic, nourishing, smells super good, et cetera. Restaurants are cute, but to cook – as an act – truly is culture. We just watched that f*cking brilliant 1980 Les Blank documentary on garlic, and it was utterly captivating.

We have an easier time talking about décor, because frankly it’s less serious.

And today’s short point is more from the world of cooking (and, in fact, garlic), and “Lifestyle Guru”-ship. And it hails from L.A.’s Flamingo Est*te.

If Los Angeles was once a leader in producing “New Age Cult”, it is now a leader in “Product is the Key to Happiness”, and F.E. is niche-master. Much to say about them in general, but for now: an election day post of theirs.

Effectively, F.E. says:

“Please find comfort, link in bio to purchase.”

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As democracy as we know it (however flawed) very possibly ends here in the United States, why is it that those who feel they are guides to “becoming alive” (their words) are so quick to Capitalize? To become alive is not something one buys; everything about F.E. all of a sudden smells too strongly of their ulterior motives.

Cults were lifestyle (even if exploitative); these are the cults now – lifestyle DTC.

Must “community” be Memberships?

Must care be only by Subscription?

Must this message to Buy come as people, rightfully, are scared for their f*cking lives?

This reeks of “but it won’t effect me, really”. It reeks because it’s so poorly timed, and this timing was so intentional.

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FINALE

True comfort repairs you.

Truly comforting décor is rarely simply about Achieved Desire (the Hedonic Treadmill effect!!!)

That’s all for now.

Love and good luck,