Reading The Cruel Radiance by Susie Linfield about how photographs are used in war, as documents of realities no one wishes to experience. Now I want the book she references by David King called Ordinary Citizens. Collection of mug shots taken by Stalin’s secret police, “the setting is Moscow’s Lubyanka Prison, each photograph is accompanied by a brief text, including the prisoner’s place and date of birth, address, occupation, and political affiliation; date of arrest, trial and death are also recorded. All of the prisoners had been convicted in sham trials; all would be shot, often on the same day of their trials and sometimes in groups. Their crimes included sabotage, spying, terrorism, “betrayal of the Motherland” ties to the Gestapo or to the Jewish Anti-Fascist committee, “political banditry”, praising fascism, and, of course, Trotsyite deviations. Each prisoner was forced to conjure and sign a confession – thus, in a final admission of defeat, approving her own death.

Songwriting or music making is my way of trying exorcism, ridding oneself from the residues of madness residue, is it even possible.