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INSTITUTE UPDATE: 72 HOURS IN MILAN AND OTHER STORIES

Prada had been inviting me to their shows for ages, and always there was something in the way. If you know me, you know how I feel about Prada, how Miuccia’s work is one of my richest sources of inspiration and true crumpled handled treasured roadmaps to womanhood, along with Phoebe’s Celine, Tilda, Joni, my mother etc. They actually remade me my dream outfit from SS92 for the Solar Power video and it was STOLEN in transit in the pandemic, nothing more gutting for this 90s Prada hound!!! Anyway finally they asked and I had a tiny gap in the schedule so I was like fuck it, let’s make it work. I haven’t been to a fashion show since those two when I was literally 17, I remember having fun but i never needed to do it again really, always get shy thinking about putting myself in situations where all I’m offering is my physical self, not doing anything with my body but standing there, people taking pictures. Some people are really good at that as art form, I think of Rihanna for example, but it ain’t rly me. But I loveeeee Milan, still had fond memories of the Melo tour stop there, eating post-show oysters at midnight at Da Giacomo, and had one of those moments where I was like bitch you’ve worshipped Miuccia your entire god damn life go to Milano and pay your respects!!!!!!! Frivolous and extremely privileged to even be able to entertain doing that, I know, but my approach this year has been to steal the little moments of frivolity when it can be done. So I went to Milan, where we had about 72 of the most fabulous hours you can imagine. Prada is the real deal, my dudes. They put my friend Sriwhana and I up at the most beautiful hotel and we got these incredible massages and swam in the pool. I went to Latteria which a few people recommended and had the most amazing meal, I have so much respect for cooking that simple, just boiled zucchini with a little mustard sauce, eggs fried in butter with shaved bottarga on top, flan to finish, exquisite. Long walks through the streets after dinners. Visited the Fondazione, which is so amazing, fell totally in love with the uniforms the gallery staff wear and asked Prada for one and they came through so you’ll probably see me wearing this shirt at all times forever, it’s the new grey vest, the real ones know. The show was legitimately my favourite collection since Miuccia and Raf started working together, you can feel the partnership clicking into gear, finding its groove. The silk bed jackets. The greys. Cathy told me one of the garments was made of actual paper. Sat next to Hunter who I’m always so relieved and happy to see, she makes my nervous system completely relax — and Michaela Coel, who I was really gassed to meet in person, having her book next to my bed in NY. We went backstage and it was chaos, models and journalists, mashed into a corner with the very sweet Diana Silvers, admiring the world’s most gorgeous sandwiches, then being introduced to Miuccia, kissing her cheeks, feeling giddy. We left the show out into the bright sunshine, I changed in the back of the car and we zoomed to Villa Necchi (where I Am Love was shot), feeling giddy having seen so much beauty in one day and being delivered to yet more. Sat in the courtyard there for a spritz and a scoop of pistachio gelato (the thinking woman’s flavour) before wandering round the house and grounds and having mind dutifully blown. If you’re in Milan I can’t recommend a visit to this house enough. Then it was back to the hotel for a super quick rest before dinner. Sat with Hunter and Lashana Lynch and when I tell you we grilled Miuccia for an hour, we had her ON THE GRILL HEAT UP HIGH CHARRING IN PROGRESS. She is better than you could imagine, so young and sharp. Two diamond bicep cuffs peeking out from under her short sleeved shirt. Her eye on the future. Hunter got us espresso martinis and I had to laugh that we were sitting opposite the mother of modern style drinking e******o m******s. Really a dinner I’ll remember forever. Then it was back to the hotel to throw some things in a bag and not sleep, heading to the airport again.

Hotel pool

Marchesi cookies

Wandering

Latteria oh my god

The most …. perfect finger sandwiches still not over them

My uniform

2:30am

Show

Necchi magic

I snuck away to Greece for a week, my big holiday of the summer, phone turned off, the real deal. Sriwhana and I went swimming and ate octopus and local sardines and green salads with nuts and herbs. The house where we stayed had a terraced garden full of fig and pomegranate and citrus trees and we would wander through the garden and pick fruit and then sit down at our little kitchen table slicing it up and talking. We were passing Cusk’s Outline trilogy back and forth, I was talking one day about the ubiquitous Nutella waffle if the Euro holiday town, how I don’t need to buy it to taste it, how it’s such a memorably one note experience i can almost summon it mentally, which reminded Sri of this passage about a cheese sandwich at the end of one of the books. Reproducing it here:

Just Heaven

But yeah, Greece is now one of my favourite places I’ve ever been. Waking up early to hike to the Acropolis and look out over the bay, then walking down to the water to swim around the rocks with the lionfish, right into high-ceilinged caves. Fresh orange juice. Figs. Pears. Goats coming down from the mountain to drink from the rocks. Schools of tiny silver fish swimming through my legs. Talking. Thinking about the work, always. wherever I am. Feeling gifted. Taking deep breaths.

FELLOW INSTITUTE MEMBERS: APOLOGIES FOR THE EXTENDED TIME BETWEEN BULLETINS. SINCE OUR LAST EXCHANGED DISPATCHES, MY RESEARCH MISSION HAS TAKEN ME FROM THE STATES TO EUROPE, AND I WORK DAY TO NIGHT DELIVERING OUR MESSAGE AND RECORDING FIELD DATA. HERE, I AM PLEASED TO REPORT THAT THE PRESENCE OF SOLAR POWER IS ALIVE AND WELL. THE SUBJECTS' LIMBS ARE TANNED AND BARE, THEIR LIPS APPEARING JUICY AND WELL MOISTURIZED. THEIR PHYSICAL APPEARANCE HAS BEEN RECORDED AS "SUPER HOT" IN OUR LEDGERS. I AM PLEASED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT LYRIC RECALL AND LUNG CAPACITY BEING PROVEN AT OUR NIGHTLY INSTITUTE GATHERINGS ACROSS THE CONTINENT. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THE WORDS "BIG SLAY", "GAY RIGHTS" AND "BELLISSIMA" ARE OFTEN SPOKEN IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SPREADING OF OUR MESSAGE— I WOULD SUGGEST THE RESEARCH TEAM PREPARE A DOSSIER. I FEEL THE INSTITUTE'S MESSAGES ARE BEING COMMUNICATED EFFECTIVELY, SPECIFICALLY THOSE RELATING TO HELIOCENTRIC WORSHIP, APPRECIATION OF THE NATURAL WORLD, THE MANY BENEFITS OF NEVER SPENDING A BLUE DAY INSIDE, DIPPING INTO OCEANS FOR MEDICINAL PURPOSES, AND THE USE OF MARIJUANA AS TOOL FOR INTROSPECTION AND SENSORY 'ZING'. PLEASE FIND ATTACHED SOME PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF INSTITUTE GATHERINGS AND OTHER FIELD DATA COLLECTION TRIPS.
ON THIS DAY, SUMMER SOLSTICE OF THE YEAR 2022, IT IS MY WISH THAT YOU ARE TAKING A BREAK FROM YOUR EFFORTS TO OBSERVE OUR TEACHINGS. FEELING THE SUN ON YOUR SKIN FOR A MINIMUM OF ONE HOUR IS RECOMMENDED. SHARING YOUR EXPERT FINDINGS WITH THE INSTITUTE'S EMAIL TALK LINE IS ALSO RECOMMENDED. SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE MEMBERS MUST NOTE THE PRESENCE OF THE MATARIKI STAR CLUSTER APPEARING IN THE NIGHT SKY THIS WEEK— AN EARLY MORNING TRIP TO THE BEACH OR LOCAL MAUNGA TO OBSERVE THE CLUSTER IS MANDATORY.
PLEASE FIND ENCLOSED TWO NEW UNIFORM APPAREL PIECES, ONE SUITABLE FOR MEMBERS IN EACH HEMISPHERE. THESE PIECES DENOTE INSTITUTE MEMBERS WORLDWIDE, SO ACCESS MUST BE GRANTED ONLY TO OUR MEMBERS. IF A NEW BOO TRIES TO PUT ONE OF YOURS ON COMING BACK FROM THE BEACH BECAUSE THEY LIKE THE SICK DESIGN, YOU MUST POLITELY BUT FIRMLY ASK THEM TO REMOVE IT IMMEDIATELY.
SENDING "LOVE AND LIGHT" FROM THE FIELD. UNTIL WE ARE REUNITED LATER IN THE YEAR, REMEMBER TO BREATHE OUT, TUNE IN, GET LOST, BREAK A SWEAT, SWIM DEEP.

E

VARIOUS EVIDENCE OF SUN WORSHIP GATHERINGS ACROSS EUROPE. BRAINS SUFFICIENTLY MELTED AT EACH LOCATION

TEMPORARY INSTITUTE MEMBER MARLON WILLIAMS ADOPTING OUR TEACHINGS DURING SOUNDCHECK

VARIOUS PERSONAL HELIOCENTRIC DATA COLLECTION TRIPS IN MUNICH, ROME, LAKE GARDA AND ZURICH. GRANITA PROVING ESSENTIAL AS RATIONS TO COMBAT HEAT

collectible merchandise

Exclusive to solar institute members

GRTNGS, LVD 1S. THE CURRENT EVENTS ZONE IS OFFICIALLY ACTIVATED. THINK OF THIS AS A LITTLE SPOT FOR SNIPPETS, DEMOS, IMAGES, DOODLES AND OTHER PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN GEMS. THIS WEEK, SOME TOPICAL BITS [EDIT: WELL THEY WERE TOPICAL WHEN I FIRST WROTE THEM BUT THE WEB GOBLINS WORK IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS… YOU KNOW BY NOW THAT I'M ON MY OWN BROKEN CLOCK… MOVING ON]

TOOK MYSELF OUT FOR BDAY LUNCH. NOTHING BETTER THAN DINING ALONE.

SOUNDCHECK @ THE GUGG

GOTTA DO THE DRINK AT ROLF’S

ONSET FOR SOMETHING COOL

NEEDED THIS VIDEO OF ME EATING CHOCOLATE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN LIKE A MONTH TO SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY. (I WAS ON A PERFECT SKIN QUEST WHICH TOTALLY WORKED BUT WAS SOOO SNOOZE) HAVE YOU EVER SEEN SUCH DEEP FOCUS… SUCH CONTENTMENT… SUCH ONENESS WITH GAIA AND ALL HER CREATURES INCLUDING THE COWS WHO PROVIDED THE MILK FOR THIS EXQUISITE CHOCO?!!!!! THIS WAS ON LIKE HOUR 18 OF SHOOTING FALLEN FRUIT, WHICH OBVIOUSLY CONSISTED OF EXCLUSIVELY WALKING IN STRAIGHT LINES ON AN UNSEASONABLY CHILLY NIGHT. IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS.

DUG UP SOME INTERESTING VOICE MEMOS FROM THE SESSIONS FOR HNG / HOT.

HELEN OF TROY:

ME FIGURING OUT THE PRE MELODY

THIS IS HOW I WORK OUT A MELODY, JUST SORT OF THROWING OUT NOTES TO SEE WHICH COMBINATIONS ARE SATISFYING, IMPROVING THE PART SLIGHTLY EACH TIME TIL IT FEELS WATERTIGHT

THAT’S MORE LIKE IT.

JACK SINGING THE KEYBOARD PART

HOLD NO GRUDGE:

THIS IS ME MAKING A VOICE NOTE TO MALAY KIND OF EXPLAINING A DIFFERENT COLOUR OR SIDE I WANTED FOR THE SONG. WE HAD ONLY VERSES I THINK, IT WAS FAST AND DARK AND THIS WAS THE MORNING AFTER WHERE I REALISED THE CHORUS HAD TO BE ALL SUN. NOTE MY USE OF THE ‘TOXIC’ CHORUS LYRIC AS SCRATCH, HAHA. DIDN’T HAVE LYRICS YET BUT THIS MELODY STAYED EXACTLY THE SAME FROM FIRST SKETCH TO FINAL SONG.

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Sustainability and carbon experts thinkstep-anz have calculated the carbon footprint of the discless Solar Power music box, including the impact of the download, following international standards. The calculations were then reviewed by Ekos. The resulting carbon footprint of the Solar Power music box was then offset with certified carbon credits from Ekos’ supply chain. This is in line with Lorde's commitment to reduce her carbon footprint. 50% of these carbon credits were purchased from the Kānuka Hill Native Regeneration Project in Mohua Golden Bay, Aotearoa New Zealand and 50% were purchased from the Loru Rainforest Conservation Project in Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. These permanent, indigenous forest carbon projects help establish and protect indigenous forests in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific Islands whilst helping to deliver climate resilience, waterways protection, erosion control, biodiversity conservation and community economic development. Please find more information on these projects through the following links:

Through this measurement, offsetting and reduction process the Solar Power music box achieved Net Zero Carbon Product Certification with Ekos