Vania Schiff
@vaniaschiff.bsky.social
writes, deletes, writes again
A (literally) dark scene in The Secret Agent starts with a glimpse of sth that turns out to be a capybara. It’s the beginning of a brief fantastic/cheap-horror-film-like segment. Capybaras as harbingers of doom, playing against type — a few arresting seconds in a fab 2h40m film.
February 9, 2026 at 12:14 PM
A (literally) dark scene in The Secret Agent starts with a glimpse of sth that turns out to be a capybara. It’s the beginning of a brief fantastic/cheap-horror-film-like segment. Capybaras as harbingers of doom, playing against type — a few arresting seconds in a fab 2h40m film.
Mission accomplished! Found a preview (bus replacement service a small price to pay) 🍿
February 8, 2026 at 8:29 PM
Mission accomplished! Found a preview (bus replacement service a small price to pay) 🍿
Adam Phillips by candlelight — the “significant difference between a possessive, acquisitive individualism & a collective political project (the phrase ‘the life I want’ implies a stability & a degree of certainty in myself; the idea of the life I want fixes the flux of myself)”
February 7, 2026 at 7:13 PM
Adam Phillips by candlelight — the “significant difference between a possessive, acquisitive individualism & a collective political project (the phrase ‘the life I want’ implies a stability & a degree of certainty in myself; the idea of the life I want fixes the flux of myself)”
More Mamdanis, please
Child at the podium: “A woo woo woo.”
Mamdani: That’s how I felt when we came up with this plan. Together, we will expand the idea of what is possible in our city—and what sounds and noises we can make at a press conference.
Mamdani: That’s how I felt when we came up with this plan. Together, we will expand the idea of what is possible in our city—and what sounds and noises we can make at a press conference.
February 6, 2026 at 8:17 PM
More Mamdanis, please
a side of beef, a shoulder of mutton, a haunch of venison
February 3, 2026 at 8:27 PM
a side of beef, a shoulder of mutton, a haunch of venison
Very good insights by @eryk.bsky.social on the UK Skills Hub — especially on how the division of users between ‘AI workers’ and ‘AI leaders’ affects content 🧵
I joined the UK Skills Hub. A lack of criticality didn't surprise me, but I noted that its welcome language was distinct for self-selected categories of users: "AI workers" will learn to “identify opportunities AI provides," while "AI leaders" will "oversee responsible and safe introduction of AI."
January 29, 2026 at 11:21 AM
Very good insights by @eryk.bsky.social on the UK Skills Hub — especially on how the division of users between ‘AI workers’ and ‘AI leaders’ affects content 🧵
every cloud etc.
January 23, 2026 at 10:54 AM
every cloud etc.
Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, post the second sentence.
Page 42: <Egon Schiele’s Frau mit Spiegel>
Page 42: <Egon Schiele’s Frau mit Spiegel>
January 21, 2026 at 11:36 AM
Pick up the nearest book. Turn to page 42, post the second sentence.
Page 42: <Egon Schiele’s Frau mit Spiegel>
Page 42: <Egon Schiele’s Frau mit Spiegel>
Reposted by Vania Schiff
Thrilled that THE SECRET AGENT won the Critics Choice award for Best International Film but so disheartened and angry at how it happened. Mendonça Filho and producer Emilie Lesclaux were ambushed on the red carpet, no briefing, no chance of giving a speech, the whole thing an insulting disaster.
Gente? 😵💫 O Critics Choice Award de Melhor Filme Internacional de ‘O Agente Secreto’ foi entregue no carpet, sem qualquer aviso prévio, a Kleber Mendonça Filho e Emilie Lesclaux, produtora do longa.
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January 5, 2026 at 8:09 AM
Thrilled that THE SECRET AGENT won the Critics Choice award for Best International Film but so disheartened and angry at how it happened. Mendonça Filho and producer Emilie Lesclaux were ambushed on the red carpet, no briefing, no chance of giving a speech, the whole thing an insulting disaster.
Last oil barrel (Alessandro Balteo-Yazbeck, Caracas, 1972)
January 4, 2026 at 9:31 AM
Last oil barrel (Alessandro Balteo-Yazbeck, Caracas, 1972)
A Simple Maze, Suzanne Treister (a painting for today, occasional series) @modernartoxford.bsky.social
January 3, 2026 at 10:53 AM
A Simple Maze, Suzanne Treister (a painting for today, occasional series) @modernartoxford.bsky.social
Reposted by Vania Schiff
About 6 months ago, Helen de Cruz, one of my favorite philosophers, died from a bruising battle with cancer, which they faced with insight and courage.
This is a good time to note that the fund set up to support their children is within $2,000 of being fully funded.
This is a good time to note that the fund set up to support their children is within $2,000 of being fully funded.
Donate to Support Helen's Children After Her Passing, organized by Marcus Arvan
Help provide Helen De Cruz's children with a better start in life after her un… Marcus Arvan needs your support for Support Helen's Children After Her Passing
www.gofundme.com
January 2, 2026 at 11:39 PM
About 6 months ago, Helen de Cruz, one of my favorite philosophers, died from a bruising battle with cancer, which they faced with insight and courage.
This is a good time to note that the fund set up to support their children is within $2,000 of being fully funded.
This is a good time to note that the fund set up to support their children is within $2,000 of being fully funded.
Prep for 2026’s arrival (before and after)
December 31, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Prep for 2026’s arrival (before and after)
(In)organic [detail of Cathie Pilkington’s installation at the Freud Museum & sea slug that can cut its head off and regenerate its own body]
December 29, 2025 at 11:08 AM
(In)organic [detail of Cathie Pilkington’s installation at the Freud Museum & sea slug that can cut its head off and regenerate its own body]
Reposted by Vania Schiff
The Conversations was my introduction to Murch. Ways of seeing, hearing, creating — fascinating stuff, really generative. Hadn’t watched The Conversation 😳, but finally did after coming across a Radio 3 Sound of Cinema ep (still available) where Murch is interviewed.
December 26, 2025 at 4:02 PM
The Conversations was my introduction to Murch. Ways of seeing, hearing, creating — fascinating stuff, really generative. Hadn’t watched The Conversation 😳, but finally did after coming across a Radio 3 Sound of Cinema ep (still available) where Murch is interviewed.
Merry Giacometti Christmas! @barbican.bsky.social
December 25, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Merry Giacometti Christmas! @barbican.bsky.social
And the Christmas Eve Venison Stew (so good only one snapshot was taken) wishes everyone a Merry Christmas!
December 25, 2025 at 11:01 AM
And the Christmas Eve Venison Stew (so good only one snapshot was taken) wishes everyone a Merry Christmas!
Getting distracted/annoyed while watching a film set in the 1970s (The Mastermind) because the UK release of the film set in the 70s I want to watch (The Secret Agent) is END OF FEBRUARY
December 21, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Getting distracted/annoyed while watching a film set in the 1970s (The Mastermind) because the UK release of the film set in the 70s I want to watch (The Secret Agent) is END OF FEBRUARY
‘predictable winter pressures demand more than individual responsibility, they also require systemic measures … you won’t remember the flu waves of 2020/21 because there weren’t any’
www.bmj.com/content/391/...
www.bmj.com/content/391/...
Vaccinate, isolate, ventilate: will we finally learn the lessons from covid this flu season?
With flu surging again, Stephen Reicher and colleagues draw on the experience of covid-19 to argue that predictable winter pressures demand more than individual responsibility, they also require syste...
www.bmj.com
December 17, 2025 at 7:51 AM
‘predictable winter pressures demand more than individual responsibility, they also require systemic measures … you won’t remember the flu waves of 2020/21 because there weren’t any’
www.bmj.com/content/391/...
www.bmj.com/content/391/...
With Volodos is always a mix of hearing music as if it were the very first time (there were moments when I couldn’t tell where Schubert’s D959 was going despite knowing it well) and ‘oh, that’s how it’s supposed to be’ (Brahms’s Intermezzi, always mind blowing). A generous encore-giver too.
December 14, 2025 at 12:01 PM
With Volodos is always a mix of hearing music as if it were the very first time (there were moments when I couldn’t tell where Schubert’s D959 was going despite knowing it well) and ‘oh, that’s how it’s supposed to be’ (Brahms’s Intermezzi, always mind blowing). A generous encore-giver too.
Me and the moon arriving at our destination (best concert of 2025). Barbara Hannigan and Bertrand Chamayou going from intimacy to transcendence via Messiaen, Skryabin, and John Zorn @wigmore-hall.org.uk
December 7, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Me and the moon arriving at our destination (best concert of 2025). Barbara Hannigan and Bertrand Chamayou going from intimacy to transcendence via Messiaen, Skryabin, and John Zorn @wigmore-hall.org.uk
shame redistribution project
A massive problem today is the uneven distribution of shame. Some of us are running dedicated on-site shame servers 24/7 while others have no access to shame at all, even though they desperately need it. What we need to do is put shame in the cloud
December 7, 2025 at 4:22 PM
shame redistribution project