So far, XLE.LIFE has been interviews, editorials, site visits and live discussions. It's going further into videos, podcasts and live events. Some of you also know I used to moderate a community called Starwave with over 5000 women in the arts. I've recently revived this as Global Women Artists, and both groups now have Whatsapp communities and Zoom meetups.

On April 16th I'll be hosting the first online meeting that merges the two groups!. I've invited Curator Valentina Peri to discuss her current exhibition, Artificial Intimacies, and her ongoing work with the gamification of dating and romance scams. Valentina is also part of the Paris branch of Saloon, a women's discussion and meetup group with chapters throughout Europe and beyond. I've seen Valentina's projects floating around online and have been curious to find out more, so I'm bringing her to the XLE (& GWA?) concept island to splash.

Next on XLE.LIFE's New Terms 2024 list is the very broad arena of Futurisms. I've posted this in two sections so far:

XLE.LIFE: New Terms 2024: Futurisms--Part I: Intro >>

A very brief and loose introduction to futurisms with a similarly loose timeline, in case you've never heard this term in your life!

XLE.LIFE: New Terms 2024: Futurisms--Part II: A List of Emergent Futurisms >>

The more exciting part of the futurisms research--a sprawling, wild list of 235 (and counting) genres of futurisms, including several I've named or predicted. Looking at this list, especially in an array, really makes me feel some type of way. I hope it makes you feel a way also. What a time to be alive.

"Mahboula" by MANAL aka Manal Benchlikha, an artist from Morocco who is a mainstay in the NEW WORLD MUSIC playlist and genre. "Mahboula" is in the style of raï, an Algerian folk music that originated in the city of Oran in the 1920s, at a time when Oran was called "Little Paris" due to its mix of cultures and rowdy nightlife. Raï was a reaction against classical Algerian music, with improvised lyrics describing the reality of street life over simplified beats and melodies. The word raï, Algerian for "advice/opinion", comes through in the lyrics, which were often opinionated and controversial. Manal's "Mahboula" is a throwback to one of the golden eras of raï music, the 1980s-1990s, though this era was not without its controversies as well. After years of different kinds of colonization, many Algerian raï performers emigrated to France as raï was banned in their home country.

The lyrics warn other women to stay away from her man in an extreme and playful way, while the video shows it to all be a daydream Manal has, a game she plays with herself while seeing an enchanting stranger. "Mahboula" is the third single off her upcoming album, Arabian Heartbreak.

Karima Gouit just dropped "Ihwawin", where the Marrakech native celebrates Amazigh heritage and folk music with a contemporary twist.

So far no properly translated lyrics but here is Google's best guess:

Oh melodies Where are your lovers? The people of Imi Ntanout They love art All the Amazighs Art lovers My father told me he got married I told him leave me alone He told me what happened to you I told him times have changed And it is no longer the same The owner of the beautiful hair stole from me You know that life does not love those who are useless In the name of God I begin my words And I begin my experience In all fields Beauty is planted, roses and ghanaz (velvet) and tea and then henna are planted So welcome to the beauties Whoever wants to put henna is welcome You just have to adhere to its conditions so that it does not go to waste

Kalki 2898 AD, India's first major blockbuster #Indofuturist Sci-Fi release? (In Telugu and Hindi, directed by Nag Ashwin).

XLE.LIFE’s editor Kai (Kari) Altmann is a fanatic for Indofuturism(s) and Desifuturism(s), so when she saw Prateek Arora’s AI-assisted concept images on Instagram she was instantly hooked.

She managed to grab Prateek for a meetup and eventually 5 Questions on the record back in 2023 in Mumbai. Here is the interview over a year later, on the occasion of the release of KALKI 2898 AD, India’s most ambitious Indofuturist movie so far, coming in the afterglow of Dune 2, Furiosa, Dev Patel’s Monkey Man and others. It’s been quite a year for cinema, for Desi cinema, and for Indofuturism/Desifuturism too...

XLE.LIFE's New Terms 2024 List is now dripping on the platforms...starting with Indofuturism(s) and Desifuturism(s).

"2023 was extreme. And I’m here writing about it on XLE.LIFE which is still mostly my own little side platform (with occasional guests). I need to turn this into a video, right? I did a lot of art and music event attendance in 2023, after emerging from the CoVid doldrums. I also had to do two visa exits from India which found me in UAE, Egypt, Turkey and Greece.

It probably isn’t shocking that my top ten is mostly female/gender queer with a focus on South x Southwest Asia and North Africa."

-Kai Lion XLE (Hxya)

Artists and places included: Hajra Waheed, Ali Sethi, Rema, Ana Sting, Wegz, Myriam Fares, Manu and Madvi Parekh, Dior, Camille Henrot, Rajni Perera, Diljit Dosanjh, Elyanna, Ghali, Manal, Rosalía, Mumbai, Goa, Jaipur, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Zurich/St. Gallen

Chiara Baldini is currently running a gorgeous, image-saturated course for ADVAYA.LIFE on Dionysus: Rave, Ritual and Revolution.

She delves into the mythological, historical and anthropological dimensions of the Dionysian cult, a cultural lineage that accompanied Western history since primordial times. One that defines our identity in deep resonance with other non-Western cultures and can support us in rediscovering meaningful aspects of European and, more specifically, Mediterranean indigeneity.

This is part of her PhD work at the California Institute for Integral Studies and a longtime fascination of hers.

XLE.LIFE's Kai Altmann is enrolled and enthralled in the course as a guest.

ADVAYA.LIFE offers regular free webinars, paid courses and meetup events, with a primary hub in London. Focusing on ideas around spirituality, culture, history and theory, they present comparative lectures and exploratory discussions on pressing de-colonial and holistic issues, featuring some of the world's leading thinkers on the topics. Vandana Shiva and Timothy Morton have been recent presenters!

(Bursaries are available for the courses, apply at their site.)

XLE.LIFE presents

XLE.LIVE: #Indofuturism? #Desifuturism?

Tuesday, May 30th, 2023 at 6pm IST (Indian Standard Time) on Zoom

What is Indofuturism or Desifuturism??

We’ve had Afrofuturism, Sinofuturism, and Gulf Futurism recently catch fire in the futurist conversation--one that encompasses culture, concepts and aesthetics, and things are only spreading from there. Post Western Futurisms, Ecofuturisms, Holistic Futurisms, Tropical Futurisms...Whether you love or hate these kinds of buzzwords, they do put something on the map.

Where is Indofuturism or Desifuturism in all this?

As an emerging set of terms, these words grapple with the subcontinent’s erupting potency on the world stage, in global flows of soft power and hard power alike, and its role in developing new possibilities.

XLE.LIFE invites a group of creative and cultural producers to take these terms into the arena with their own understandings, critiques and visions. The audience will be invited to submit questions.

Facilitated by Kai (Kari) Altmann and Naveen Shamsudhin for XLE.LIFE Language: English

Zoom Link Meeting ID: 662 0509 9121Passcode: 734332

Speakers:

Prateek Arora (Mumbai) AI and Fiction Creator, VP of Development at BangBang Media (Films), Indofuturist, Horror Fan and promoter of Indian Sci-Fi. Recently featured by India Art Fair, National Gallery of Modern Art, XLE.LIFE, Homegrown.in and WePresent. Based in Mumbai.

Naveen Shamsudhin (Zurich) PhD in Robotics, Systems Thinker, Multi-Cultural Community Builder, Hacker, Lecturer at ETH Zurich. Somatics Facilitator. From India, UAE and Switzerland. Based in Zurich. Co-founder and Curator of Kaleido, Humane Warriors, The Origin AG.