Damus
Eshara
Recent notes
I wish I could sit under this skylight and read all day. ‘When our adventurous founder Arthur Lasenby Liberty laid plans for a London emporium laden with luxuries and fabrics from distant lands, his dream was to metaphorically dock a ship in the city streets. To this day, a voyage of discovery awaits on the good ship Liberty, with history hidden amongst six floors of cutting-edge design, unexpected edits and beautiful wares from the world's greatest craftspeople. In 1875, Arthur borrowed £2,000 from his future father-in-law and took a building on Regent Street, London with just three dedicated staff and plenty of ambition. "I was DETERMINED NOT to FOLLOW EXISTING FASHIONS but to CREATE NEW ONES" — Arthur Lasenby Liberty Liberty's collection of ornaments, fabric and objets d'art from around the world proved irresistible to a society intoxicated at the time by Japan and the East and Liberty effected social change in interior design and dress, so much so that the Art Nouveau period in Italy is called 'Liberty Style'. Within eighteen months the loan was repaid. "LIBERTY is the CHOSEN RESORT of the ARTISTIC SHOPPER" — Oscar Wilde A realisation of Arthur's original vision, our magnificent Great Marlborough Street shop followed in 1924. Our beautiful building was designed by Edwin T. Hall and his son Edwin S. Hall. In 1922, the builders Messrs Higgs & Hill were given a lump sum of £198,000 to construct it, which they did from the timbers of two ancient 'three-decker' battle ships. Records show more than 24,000 cubic feet of ships timbers were used including their decks now being the shop flooring: The HMS Impregnable - built from 3040 100-year-old oaks from the New Forest - and the HMS Hindustan, which measured the length and height of our Liberty building. The 1920s was a time of Tudor revival, considered the most crafted and English of architecture, so the shop was engineered around three atriums. Designed to feel like a home, each atrium was surrounded by smaller rooms, complete with fireplaces and furnishings. Ever the purveyor of craftsmanship, Arthur Liberty had a furniture workshop in Archway, London. Run by Lawrence Turner, the workshop produced Liberty Arts and Crafts furniture and the intricately carved panels and pillars found throughout the store. The craftsmen allowed his fantasy, ensuring every ornament was a one-off - paving the way for discovery’ https://i.nostr.build/UXmnmFriM0Nhftza.jpg https://i.nostr.build/GlZEnQEmF6OOjMp3.jpg https://i.nostr.build/27gqVT4KwNp4RxLW.jpg https://i.nostr.build/eOJfAtPGO3fHw2Jm.jpg https://i.nostr.build/T8hTnJxcVc2WQAgI.jpg https://i.nostr.build/zMSLD3tIWpQ5tI79.jpg https://i.nostr.build/NijqKQ93mdjm9Lti.jpg https://i.nostr.build/TCRIAIu2MRS3f4Xy.jpg https://i.nostr.build/8ny5tIXxlfq0ybLN.jpg https://i.nostr.build/k41umtB1ZXArBYSB.jpg https://i.nostr.build/YE0GOVw59yZtpwO0.jpg
My dad killed himself in front of me when I was about 3/4 years old. I held on to his leg and asked him not to leave me. I don’t remember what I had for dinner last week, but I’ll never forget this. His fear of living outweighed his fear of death, I suppose. David Foster Wallace said ‘the fear of falling remains a constant. The variable here is the other terror, the fire’s flames’. My dad loved me, I know that, but he did it anyway. Being a kid was so stressful. I rather like getting older. I didn’t feel the sadness of it until I started dating. I didn’t understand what was happening to me. Love is fucking painful sometimes. I smile when I think back cos when kids would ask me about my dad in the playground I would just tell them what happened like it was nothing. No sensor. Kids are honest creatures. One time my teacher told me off in front of the whole class cos I was late to school and when she asked me why, I told her the truth. My mum was drunk again. She got all awkward and changed the subject and I remember being so confused why she did that, cos I thought she would laugh. I felt like I did something wrong. ‘Was I meant to lie? But I don’t like to lie’ I’d think. The great thing about a diary is that you never have to lie to them. They are incredibly understanding. All this to say I think that’s why I’m so drawn to writers like David foster Wallace and Charles Bukowski. I love honesty. I like deep, authentic people. So curious. I want to understand. And I think maybe I do. It’s why I’m so curious about people’s parents, their childhoods and I love people watching. Why I can’t bear to see a child hurt. Why I sometimes can’t stand the sight of alcohol. It’s definitely shaped my views and tastes in art and literature. My moral compass. My dreams. My style of love. We’ve all got such interesting (sometimes a little dark) unique yet similar stories. From people watching I learnt that social interaction is the secret ingredient to longevity ❤️🔥 love people - not things - even if it hurts to love them. I know this is going to sound odd but I wouldn’t change anything about my past for many reasons but one is because It made me who I am and I like who I am - not perfect at all but deeply emotional with a need to understand. That’s not too bad, I think. I’m like slightly overcooked pasta. Still edible to someone who doesn’t mind the texture. That’s the secret to making real friends, too. If your friend doesn’t want to bite you, then they probably aren’t right for you. That’s just my feeling as a completely inexperienced 29 year old who has barely traveled and is still figuring life out. Just thinking out loud. Again. Alright, I’m going to get back to reading 🫂 I’m feeling awfully inspired lately ❤️🔥 Sorry for starting the note off so direct. I just find it so ridiculous that people use the word ‘unalive’ on YouTube. We created words to express ourselves and communicate. We should have power over the words we want to use, words shouldn’t have power over us - if that makes sense.
‘In his famous essay "A Mathematician's Apology," G.H. Hardy uses the phrase "they are so" to express a sentiment about the beauty and intrinsic nature of mathematical truths. Specifically, Hardy is discussing the "eternity" and "objectivity" of mathematics, and how mathematical results exist independently of human experience. In context, when Hardy says "they are so", he is affirming that certain mathematical truths (such as the properties of numbers or theorems) exist in a way that is absolute, self-evident, and unchangeable, regardless of human recognition or perception. For example, Hardy writes: "Great art is often said to be 'useless', and I believe that this is true. It is also true that mathematics is a form of art, and it is for its own sake that we pursue it. In this sense, they are so: these truths exist not because of any practical purpose but because they are simply true." In this sense, "they are so" refers to the timeless, objective, and undeniable nature of mathematical truths. "The mathematician’s patterns, like the painter’s or the poet’s, must be beautiful. The mathematician does not study anything but the pure mathematics. The fact that mathematicians have not made any discoveries of value to the human race is irrelevant. [...] They are not concerned with the practical application of mathematics, but with its beauty. They are so." Hardy sees mathematics as an art, pursued for its own beauty and intellectual elegance rather than any practical purpose. "They are so" is his way of stating that the truths of mathematics are self-evident and exist in their own right, irrespective of human utility or application.’