Away from Your Desk
Tips for your off-duty hours
DIGITAL SPECTACLE
In the words of the Irish poet Oscar Wilde, “Connemara is a savage beauty”. Located in Galway, in the West of Ireland, it’s an area of rugged coastal mountains. Savage Beauty is also the name of a spectacular art installation across five kilometres of Connemara’s steepest landscape, next to Lough Nafooey. Designed by Finnish light artist Kari Kola, it was initially planned as a massive public event as part of the Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture programme. However, after all events were cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the futuristic show took place without an audience. It’s now available online. https://galway2020.ie/en/news/specialdigital-edition-of-savage-beauty
BOOKS
If you’d like to know what triggered Brexit and still have a laugh, read Middle England by Jonathan Coe. Set during the run-up to the EU referendum in 2016 and the madness of its aftermath, the novel is a tragicomic account of the whole affair. As the book continues the story of Benjamin Trotter, the main character in Coe’s The Rotters’ Club and The Closed Circle, it’s a good idea to read those books first. Both are enjoyable reads. Middle England won the 2019 Costa Novel Award, notably for its balanced perspective of difficult times. Published by Penguin.
MUSIC
The Dixie Chicks, a Texan pop-country band, are back and they are mad. Their new single, Gaslighter, has earworm melodies and a catchy chorus, but it’s clearly an angry attack on a manipulating ex-partner. (“Gaslighting” is when someone manipulates you into questioning everything that you believe to be true.) Their new album will be out in May 2020, and Natalie Maines, the lead singer, has promised that all the songs will be as personal as this one. Why the long break? Their career almost ended in 2003, after they criticized George W. Bush, the US president at the time. Many US radio stations stopped playing their music overnight. It’s good they’re back. www.dixiechicks.com
APP
Falling asleep to the soothing tones of US actor Matthew Mcconaughey’s voice may not be everyone’s dream, but now anyone can. Mcconaughey reads bedtime stories on Calm, a popular app that helps promote restful sleep, breathing exercises and guided meditation. If you’d prefer a pep talk, you can get motivated with basketball superstar Lebron James, who gives ten-minute “Train Your Mind” inspirational talks that are designed to help you manage your emotions and improve your self-esteem. You can try it for free for seven days. www.calm.com
FILMS
If you’re passionate about films and own a Blu-ray player, take a look at the movies in the Criterion Collection (www.criterion.com). Since 1984, Criterion has been expertly restoring and beautifully packaging classic and cult masterpieces. Each one comes with additional features, which usually include behind-the-scenes footage and exclusive interviews with the stars and director. A recent release is The Before
Trilogy, a boxed set of three of Richard Linklater’s films — Before Sunrise (1995), Before Sunset (2004) and Before Midnight (2013) — starring Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke. You can order the Blu-ray discs that play in Europe via Amazon.