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Those of you with video streaming subscriptions may have, like us, scrolled past the unassuming short film El Hueco last year while perusing the movie lists for something to watch. Should you not speak Spanish, you may have been turned off by the idea of exhausting subtitles or, perhaps, the graveyard thumbnail suggested a plot that was unappealingly grim. You are not alone if you dismissed the possibility that El Hueco would be something you’d enjoy, we initially felt the same way, but—we cannot emphasize this enough—El Hueco is a masterpiece that should not be missed! This award-winning Peruvian work, written and directed by Daniel Martín and Germán Tejada, is a brief 14 minutes. While the plot is dense and outstandingly rich, the film is flawlessly terse on script. Rather than rely on narration, the plot is communicated largely by evocative protagonist, Robert, portrayed by Emilram Cossío. Here is the summary of the story: Robert is saving his money in an effort to buy the cemetery plot alongside that of his long-time love, Yenni, but when he goes to claim it, he finds that it has been sold to someone else. Robert's megalomania and jealousy lead him to hallucinatory and emotional extremes in an effort to spend eternity alongside the object of his affection. (1) An expression of grief, frustration, and aptly described megalomania, the film is an abundantly funny and refreshingly creative adaptation of what is too often a cliched tale of coping with the loss of a partner. Cossío is a boldly expressive actor, and his ability to project his blistering emotion through often petulant body language stunningly elevates the comedy captured by Tejada and Martin. Just watch this brief excerpt from the piece. While following Cossío walking with contorted tension through the cemetery, his back to us, we can feel the explosiveness of his anger and the questionable, fragile sanity of the character. It leaves us awe-struck each time we watch it! The cinematography, constructed by Andrés Mazzon, creates an air of graphic and somber futility while Robert is tested by the characters around him whom challenge his ability to fulfill his sole goal of spending eternity beside his love. It’s a stunning presentation of grief and, at a satisfyingly concentrated 14 minutes, it is well worth a watch. We shared this film with several peers, all of whom were initially reluctant to indulge us, but, ultimately, the short was met with bursts of authentic laughter, resounding appreciation, and unwavering approval from now devout fans. In less than fifteen minutes, El Hueco deeply imprinted on our psyches and, to this day, those in the aforementioned reluctant audience frequently quote and reference the film with astonishing regularity and undeniable reverence. We implore you to watch this magnificent piece of work! We promise you won't be disappointed.

On the off chance you haven't heard of him, James Taylor is a musical icon. A well deserved Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Taylor has sold an astonishing number of records (more than 100 million!). His songs lulled us and our children to sleep and became the sound track for some of the best times in our lives, including unforgettable 4th of Julys. For almost 30 years, James Taylor has graced the stage at Tanglewood in Lenox, MA presenting the Berkshires crowds with soulful lyrics and unforgettable melodies. Taylor feels like an old friend so it comes as no surprise that thousands choose to celebrate the 4th of July in his company (and the company of likeminded patrons!) at this summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. To make the tradition more meaningful, Taylor himself is a Berkshire native, and those with a keen ear may can hear him reference his gorgeous Massachusetts hometown in hits like "Sweet Baby James", Now the first of December was covered with snow So was the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston The Berkshires seemed dream-like on account of that frosting With ten miles behind me and ten thousand more to go One can take in Taylor's musical genius from within the covered pavilion, affectionately referred to as "the Shed", or out on the sprawling 10 acres of lawn. While there are no installed seats and the stages is hardly visible, the lawn is a favorite spot as it becomes a glorified picnic with parties setting up often elaborate arrangements of blankets, chairs, lanterns, and makeshift coffee tables adorned with free flowing wine and impossibly elegant finger food. Although the stage is difficult if not impossible to see amidst the mass of picnickers, Taylor's performance is projected on a massive screens in front of and aside the Shed so there isn't a bad seat to be had. The crowd and the band interact with a magical familiarity. Taylor performs with ease and comfort, creating the illusion that the 15,000 fans are sitting in his yard while he casually serenades them with his warm voice and humble guitar. Cheers erupt every year when Taylor sings Stockbridge to Boston in "Sweet Baby James", the crowd exuding a pride of place and a shared love of home. The music is indescribably beautiful, the crowd joyful, and Taylor confidently genius. If you are looking for a night to remember free of Independence Day cliches, look to Tanglewood.

An annual event that is a treasured favorite amongst our team, Doors Open literally opens the doors of buildings—forgotten and sometimes abandoned—in towns across the world for us to explore, awe-over, and respectfully cherish. With the purpose of sharing the beauty and mystery of overlooked architecture and the power of heritage, these days are hosted by swarms of knowledgeable volunteers eager to narrate the history and magic of their surrounding spaces. During a time when our lives are far too often consumed by work and responsibilities and our eyes ever looking down to our phones and computers, an opportunity to look up and look deeper into our surroundings can be heartwarmingly grounding. Engaging with and connecting to the charm of where you are and discovering the colorful history of surrounding spaces can—beyond sparking curiosity— instill a much needed sense of place and peace. Sometimes referred to as Heritage Days, or Open House Days, or simply Open Days, these international events make it possible to expand your knowledge of the world around you. London alone opens doors to over 800 buildings each year and the US city don't disappoint, with participation from cities from New York and Chicago to Pittsburg and Pawtucket. Regardless of whether you take advantage of the opportunity to explore within your own community or adventure to a new place to scope out novelty, you will find plenty of spaces to spark inspiration. And the event is not limited to buildings. We once, during a Doors Open tour, had the privilege of walking through a neglected overgrown park in a town that slipped into disarray and learned the park has a hopelessly beautiful origin story dating back to 1890. Designed as an aesthetic romantic park, the space featured elevated hills and specimen trees in addition to fountains, statues, pagodas covered with sculptural steel umbrellas, and an impressive 70ft tall tower. The park also boasts a Native American history that further solidified our new-found love for this overlooked city gem. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the park is a space we have driven past without a second thought until Doors Open opened our eyes to its magic. Spending a day exploring whats around you is an experience we hope you come to make tradition!

Tucked away down a quiet residential street on the eastern edge of Cambridge, UK is a small bakery initially established in 1868. Reopened in 2012, the aptly named Norfolk Street Bakery offers a brilliant and delicious display of baked goods from breads to pastries, all prepared fresh daily and in house. While the bread is lovely, it’s the tradition Portuguese offerings that drew us in and kept us coming to the Bakery. From rissois to broa de milho, the savory offerings are outstandingly authentic. And the sweet treats don't disappoint: custard filled pasteis de nata have the blackened surface and crisped pastry we demand from these iconic Portuguese pastries and quejadas de leite offer sticky, bouncy, milky sweetness that’s downright addictive. The Portuguese treats at The Norfolk Street Bakery reminded us of home as we settled into the drizzling landscape of eastern England. While the effect on our waistlines was less than ideal, our psyches were all the better for savoring their perfect pastries on an arguably too regular basis! The interior of the Bakery is effortlessly simple and it’s the untainted sincerity that makes the shop feel like a home away from home. Walking in you are met with long butcher block counters, framed by elegant white walls. The menu boards are set atop the mantle of a dark original fireplace which adds to the intimacy, making us feel like we are being served tea and sweets in someones loving living room rather than commercial cafe. A single table offers a place to rest but the space is a bit too small to comfortably settle into a longer stay. The second location closer to Cambridge Station lacks a bit of the charm so we highly recommend finding your way to the original white painted brick building on Norfolk Street. We do want to share a quick story about our experience at the Bakery. Several members of our team are Portuguese and, not surprisingly, were the first to discover this Cambridge gem and eagerly raved about the phenomenal food and welcoming staff. However, when they brought a non-Portuguese coworker with them to explore the offerings further, the staff at The Norfolk Street Bakery was as gregarious as on previous days towards our Portuguese team but completely ignored the new addition to the group. We are confident no malice was intended and no offense was taken; we actually found it really endearing and oddly on par with our Portuguese experiences in other parts of the world! No one has every been anything short of kind so consider this occasional difference in treatment as added authenticity!

We have a deep love of dance here at ARCANISA, especially contemporary dance. On a warm Wednesday in June, we sat on temporary bleachers at the 92nd Street Y on the Upper East Side of Manhattan to watch the opening of the Wave Rising Series, a program dedicated to introducing emerging dance-makers. The success of the performances varied, but the piece by Mei Yamanaka, accompanied by Misuzu Hara, took our breath away. Choreographed by Yamanaka, the dance, entitled Now Now, depicted a fluid but athletic conversation between the dancers. Their bodies tangled between one another’s before engaging in a series of marionette movements where one dancer manipulated the body of the other in a powerfully intimate yet somber physical discussion. We felt their relationship, we felt how they felt, and it was simply moving. After the performances concluded, we looked eagerly for Yamanaka during the reception but we were unsuccessful until, upon leaving the venue, we found her leaning alone against the stones of the building, taking in the city night away from the party. She had performed for us with vulnerability, sincerity, and force and that was the extent to which she wanted to engage with her audience. It was perfection. Continuing with this elusiveness of sharing from afar, Yamanaka regularly takes to Instagram to post improvisational dances, performed with spontaneity and disregard for surrounding, in public and private spaces around the world. Her generously fluid movements trace the space in front of parks, storage facilities, busy streets and intimate bedrooms alike. The noise of traffic, rain, and her mother’s piano practice narrate her body as she transforms mundane and overlooked sites into stages. Free from any introduction or description, her captions simply catalog the date of the piece in generic month/day form. Yamanaka writes “there are so many layers [to dance]. Body, Brain, Connection, Disconnection, Allowed, Resist, Space, Inside, Outside” and how better to exemplify that complexity than by highlighting it through unassuming and unperturbed environment. "I often gather inspiration from my daily life and I am always on the lookout to catch interesting scenes. I am exploring how to use space, how to pause, how to use the body, the direction of focus... I believe that even if I can't solve any major problems of the world directly, as I dance and make dance, it helps the world to heal and be better. I believe I can create and send good energy to the earth as a dancer and a choreographer." - Yamanaka Passersby look on with confusion and captivation as she unapologetically expresses with powerful range and undeniable emotion. We love how her shoes sound against the ground as she turns, how her extensions burst with intention and fearlessness and how she graces the world and our social media feeds with art. We feel utterly invested in her travels now, as we eagerly wait to see where she next choses to host her impromptu performances!

Miami is home to an epic food community. The city's unique location caters to a diverse and ever-transforming food culture. A relatively new addition to this food scene is Chef Almudena Gudiel, the founder and creative mind behind Gables Delight jams. At a farmers market outside of Miami we discovered Chef Gudiel's table with dozens of jams. Not to anyone's surprise, we began by tasting the more obscure flavors: pear truffle, pineapple Serrano, and blood orange Aperol. All of which were noteworthily epic, but the Strawberry Jasmine Jam changed our lives. You may be thinking that jams, like honeys, are a dime a dozen; local grocery stores offer everything from Smucker's to 'luxury' brands, each with enough flavor variations to exhaust any palette. We too thought strawberry jams were ubiquitous and often disappointingly mundane, until we tried the Gables Delight Strawberry Jasmine Jam. Some secret magic happens when strawberries, jasmine, cane sugar, and lemon juice are combined in Chef Gudiel's kitchen. The result is a thick jam, softly sweet and infused with the subtle scent of jasmine in such a way that the strawberries seem to taste fresher and the experience of eating jam is elevated effortlessly to pure paradise. Believe us when we say all jams will pale in comparison to this masterpiece. The combination of high quality ingredients, artfully composed by Chef Gudiel, create a symphony of sweet delight. A key characteristic of the Strawberry Jasmine Jam is it's day-to-day versatility. The simplicity of its ingredients and the delicate flavor profile ensure it can comfortably replace the standard jar of jam residing in your fridge, performing all the duties we expect of our boring jams but with the subtle twist of its unique and transformative jasmine fragrance. Added to a cheeseboard or charcuterie arrangement, the jam's aromatic floral notes and sweetly succulent essence of fresh strawberries add a sophisticated and unexpectedly compatible pairing to savory cheeses and meats alike. Pair with Devonshire cream atop a Beth Bakes Cracker for a glorious snack or start your morning with a quick glaze of jam on warm toast to begin your day with a sense of quiet luxury. The Gables Delight Strawberry Jasmine Jam is a honored staple in our kitchen and we cannot understate how transformative it has been to swap out a standard strawberry jam for a fragrant jar from Chef Gudiel!

This cake is nothing short of decadent. Created by Claudia at Mon Petit Bistrot and adapted by Chiara at La Pancia Del Lupo, this recipe produces a molten cheese-cake like confection that is conveniently gluten free, making it one of our go-to chocolate desserts to serve at any gathering. Supple, smooth, and ferociously chocolatey there really is nothing more we could want in a chocolate cake. The richness of the dark chocolate and ricotta subdues the sweetness while a speckling of chocolate chips offer moments of soft melted goodness resulting in a sophisticated treat that captures the flawlessly simplicity of Italian cuisine. It's sinfully delicious. (the recipe below has been translated from the original Italian) MARTEDÌ 17 MARZO 2015 A dessert that comes directly from the kitchen of mon petit bistrot , Claudia, a blogger that I adore for her refinement and elegance that can be seen in her photos. An all chocolate cake without butter and flour, but with my beloved ricotta ...... With a few steps you will get pure pleasure. Ingredients for a 20 cm cake 200gr. of ricotta cheese 30gr. of rice starch 75gr. of sugar 40gr. of chocolate chips 160gr. of eggs 150gr. 70% dark chocolate with Maldon salt butter and cocoa powder for dusting the pan Preparation Preheat the oven to 180ºC and grease a 20cm pan. Dust the pan with cocoa and tap out excess. Separate the egg yolks from the whites, whip the egg yolks with the sugar with an electric whisk until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the ricotta, the melted and cooled chocolate, the previously sifted rice starch and the chocolate chips. Mix everything well and lastly add the whipped egg whites, stirring gently from the bottom up to avoid disturbing the batter. Pour everything into the pan and bake at 180 °  static oven mode and cook for 35/40 minutes. Turn the oven off and let the cake cool in the oven. Serve with a very light sprinkle of Maldon salt.

We love traditional recipes here at ARCANISA, but we also appreciate some cultural experimentation and this congee recipe by Sandy Ho is a successful rendition of the latter. A comforting bowl of congee is transformed by the warmth of ginger and black pepper while fish sauce, miso, and tamari offer mouth watering umami flavor. Quarters of summer tomatoes, lime leaves, and cilantro add refreshing bites of brightness that round out this beautiful recipe. Sandy Ho is an Australian professional chef and she graciously shared this recipe with CAP Beauty for their Behind Closed Doors series. SUMMER TOMATO CONGEE I love making this in the Summer because - TOMATOES! But also I really love rice all the time and this is filling but light and refreshing. You can use whatever is in season, add greens or mushrooms or change up the sauce if you don’t like fish sauce! Congee is great as a base for any bowl! INGREDIENTS Congee 1/2 cup sticky rice or whatever starchy rice you prefer 2.5 cups water 1 T salt 1-2 inches ginger, smashed 4-5 turns fresh cracked pepper to finish Tomato salad 2 tsp dark red miso 2 T tamari 1 T water 1/2 T fish sauce 1 clove garlic finely sliced 1 tsp sugar or honey Juice of 1/4 lemon, I used fresh finger lime pearls from the farmer's market instead! 2-3 ripe summer tomatoes, I used a mixture of heirloom and cherry - cut into bite sized pieces 4-5 sprigs cilantro leaves or any soft herb you love 1 makrut lime leaf finely sliced 1. Add all ingredients for congee except the pepper into a saucepan and bring to a boil. 2. Turn down to simmer for 30-40 minutes, covered, until the grains start to burst open but are still intact. Stir occasionally. 3. Add all ingredients for tomato salad except for tomatoes, cilantro and lime leaf into a small bowl and mix well to combine. 4. Toss the remaining ingredients for the salad into the miso soy sauce and sprinkle with a little salt. 5. Check on your congee, discard ginger and add cracked pepper. You can add a little more water if it is too thick. You are looking for a loose rice soup consistency with the grains cooked through. 6. Plate up! A couple of ladles of congee on the bottom of your bowl. Spoon over the tomato salad and the sauce. Enjoy!

We swoon just thinking of Henrique Oliveira’s work. The Brazilian native is known for massive sculptural installations of tangled roots, bursting forth from and wrapping through rigid non-organic spaces. Sharp gallery walls and beams erupt into gripping tendrils of wood to provoke transformative interactions with the surrounding architecture. What is so successful about Oliveira’s installations is their ability to create fundamentally surreal spaces. There is no post-apocalyptic feeling of overgrowth through abandoned industrialism— which is a common product of incorporating root-like webs in structured man-made environments. Rather, it’s as if the room itself is growing and reaching. It’s the opposite of industrial violation by nature, it’s a world in which the stark manufactured coldness of modern architecture is alive with new found organicness. We first experienced Oliveira’s genius at the Van de Weghe gallery on Madison Avenue. Accessible only by a door tucked away, the gallery is easy to miss even to those who are actively looking for it. Walking into a typical commercial space, we found our way to a tiny and seemingly ancient elevator and pressed the button to take us up to the floor that housed the Gallery. When the door opens, we were met with a completely transformed space. Every visible surface had been covered with mangled uneven wood that framed a strongly unapologetic vein of roots, which branched horizontally though the gallery room. The smell was incredible. In the heat of NYC summer, the wood was rich and spicy and transported us somewhere rustic and unfamiliar. We were allowed to move through the root system, ducking below and climbing around outstretched arms of wood (careful to not trip on the uneven floor boards that seemingly ruptured to accommodate the roots) to find our way behind the structure and felt slightly pinned by this organic invasion. It was truly incredible. The moment the door of the elevator opened we completely forget that we were in the heart of bustling and scorching Manhattan. Oliveira’s ability to transform in both a powerful yet comforting way captures everything we love about Mother Nature. We feel simultaneously unsettled and captivated. Further more, experience aside, the installations are breathtaking for their scale and flawless construction alone. Individual boards become effortlessly fluid curves that tower over us and that contrast of rigidity and motion is fantastic. Oliveira presents us with a surrealist hybridized landscape of industrial architecture and explosive nature and we hope you find an opportunity to adventure, even briefly, into his world!

Based in Marrakesh, Artsi Ifrach is a visionary. Creating pieces for his brand, Maison ARTC, that are heavy with textile and history, Ifrach has generated a body of work that leaves us feeling sculptural, empowered, luxurious, and pining for more. In case the fashion itself wasn't staggeringly artistic enough (which we assure you, it is!) the looks are captured masterfully as Mous Lamrabat—with an undeniable eye for space—photographs model and muse Tilila Oulhaj wearing each piece with so much beauty and power it leaves us weak at the knees. Believe us when we say it was nearly impossibly to narrow down which pieces we wanted to include as they are all hypnotically ingenious! Ifrach never received any form fashion education but his talent is overwhelming. We will let Ifrach himself introduce his work: “I create my pieces with a total freedom, from the state of mind I have at that moment. The point is to be respectful of the past, of the culture and bringing something warmer. In my pieces I want to create a memory that moves me emotionally. Vintage fabrics can match past and present together. Colours, patterns and prints are my landscape. Napoleon said once 'there is a thin line between the ridiculous and the sublime', I am searching this line every time in every piece." (1) There is an undeniable exploration of whimsy that can be seen in many of the Maison ARTC pieces; this exploration sometimes results in questionable wearability but always produces addictive visual compositions. These avant garde pieces are a playful but somehow somber opus that nods to the Middle Eastern environment they emerge from. There is seemingly no boundary or filter in the construction of the garments which alludes to the freedom Ifrach embraces during his creative process. All the while, the pieces remain shockingly refined. While the designs are deeply complex, even vertiginous, no thread seems extraneous nor do any pieces in his collection feel cluttered or overworked. There is thoughtful balance and intentionality in each look. What we love most about Maison ARTC pieces is the commitment to and clear appreciation for textile; rich with dense diverse texture and vintage color palettes that offer a whisper of antiquity are effortlessly woven into contemporary shapes. The forms are boldly sculptural and refreshingly androgynous with oversized billows of fabric that surround, without drowning, those lucky enough to wear them. This dramatic incorporation of shape extends along floor length coats and skirts straight up to intricate headpieces that, while not always wearable, leave us swooning over their ravishing plumes and manes. And no conversation on Maison ARTC would be complete without an acknowledgment of Tilila Oulhaj—arguably the most gorgeous model we have seen in recent years. In a flourished speckling, stamped beauty marks are scattered across her mesmerizingly symmetric features, framing her eyes, which are full of both melancholy and inspiration. Her ability to transform wearable art to a fantastical cinematic mirage is nothing short of striking, especially when the pieces are as independently valorous as those created by Ifrach.