FORM Arcosanti
FORM is, for me,
a lot.
a lot alot.
a lot to process, among other things
It generally takes a few months for me to consider its weight:
Its dimensions and its fathoms
its length and its breadth,
the yield of its labor—
This one came quicker though.
Julie Byrne
FORM 2015
I was twenty-two, tumblr-addled, and browsing the internet for any news about How To Dress Well’s What is This Heart.
In my search, I came across an article on Pitchfork, presenting the opportunity to see Mr. Krell live for the first time, 90 miles north of Chandler.
Naturally, I hopped in my detrital 2000 Nissan Altima The Whore of Babylon, and headed north.
peace and love to the Wayback Machine
I still remember my first indication of FORM
What I found over the course of those three days, was in many ways, an edifice.
A fortification by which I have always held fast and known— but not previously stood before.
an affront to interests served at the behest of capital, or ghostly adulation.
an all-consuming levity by which communal interest is cultivated, considered, and honed.
What I found, I have since sought without end.
Tokimosta
FORM 2015
FORM has meant many things to me over the years
In its infancy, an absurdity:
a series of moments so deeply aligned with my inner-proddings that it felt beyond the realm of conception.
it then felt and continunes to now feel like an infinite field of tall grasses, kissed by summer winds.
Like some sacral, towering monolith: an altar for alms
it felt unfettered, and without end
It felt like, In a word, community.
80 or so of us, in collective attention,
That notion persists within me.
There are so many things I warmly recall, even now.
I’ll never forget the generosity of the Arcosanti residents, especially on Sunday—gathering beneath the vaults to set up grills and folding tables to create a station for hotdogs, hamburgers (vegan and otherwise), buns, and condiments: freely availlabe to all, solely on the basis of charity.
We sat and we ate, we danced and were filled, all the while enjoying similarly-freely-distributed moonshine mixed with sprite.
My wife and I still enjoy Sprite and Blackberry Ole Smoky every once in a while.
I’ll never forget that.
Of similar merit,
How to Dress Well’s inability to light the candles encircling the ampitheatre before his performance, and the hum of togethered-laughter at the wind’s jest and his honeyed surrender.
That, and his a capella finish of Suicide Dream 2
To the same extent,
Majical Cloudz’ (rip) set and the truly experimental nature of their offering, amplified by Mr. Welsh’s stage presence—the full-body exorcism each lyric, and the pure joy of his between-song commentary.
Remarkable too, was the hushed reverence—interrupted only by Pink Floyd’s Time ringing out of the speakers, as we all convened—both artist and antendee without barricade, beneath an impossibly beautiful apse to witness the bell-casting ceremony.
I’ll never forget how deeply within me the entirety of Julie Bynre’s performance bore.
I’ll never forget the infinities to be found in Nicole Miglis’ voice, and the reach of Trayer’s syntheses.
I’ll never forget witnessing Suno Deko’s live songcraft.
I’ll never forget being so overwhelmed by the caliber of the artists, most of which I had never before heard of.
I’ll never forget it.
All thess things live within me now.
and really, that’s what I found:
a plane, upon which all constructs give way at expression’s seek
an exchange on the basis of enrichment over prosperity
a valuation wherein the whole takes precedence over the one
art for the sake thereof,
the death of avarice,
so I went again
I can still remember breathlessly submitting my application for FORM 2015.
It felt so special to be acknowledged, and accepted on the basis of my principles, and ideologies.
I am almost certain I put “the sound of bees in a tree above you” as the answer to the question “What’s your favorite sound?”
pretty sure that’s what got ‘em.
Bing & Ruth
Form 2015
I also started using my grandmother’s Nikon F3 and shooting film this year.
Being such a small gathering, it felt like a safe incubate for output.
Devon Welsh
FORM 2015
Maybe that’s one of the reasons for community—creating the suitable temperature, warming to the proper degree. Maybe that’s what FORM seeks to accomplish:
the giving.
i remember writing an oafish email to Julie, sending her a copy of this, and a few other images from her set.
she responded with grace and kindness.
to this day I remain agog.
Julie Byrne
FORM 2015
didn’t make the cut FORM 2016 rip
:(
the heat was a cauldron, but sort of became the challenge of preserving its magic against such an impending notion of all things being capitalized, the sun scorched any remaining half-truth and left standing the beauty of what once was.
