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Constantine (Dinos) Michaelides

@pluxquba

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file me under "other" [things i’ve done/do: graphic design, music, audiovisual art/installations, photography, fix apple macs, nutritionist, carer… ]

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[posting after midnight, so technically a day late] today (april 26) marks 9 years since my lovely mum died from a painful, rare endometrial cancer. each year i go through thiis small ritual updating the year on the modified design i made for her funeral. it always surprises me how quickly time passes — sometimes it barely feels like 9 years, and other times it feels like another lifetime. i think of who she was: compassionate, kind, creative, intelligent — always there for others and giving more than she received. it saddens me that so much of a person can evaporate: skills, knowledge, presence. some of it lives on in those who knew her, but that too will fade. often i wish we could backup our minds like computers, so at least a lifetime of learning could be preserved

losing the closest person in your life changes you; we each cope differently. the rawness has eased, but the void remains. my perception of life altered through the lens of grief; i’m constantly relearning how to “be” in this world. a small positive is having even greater sensitivity to others — i make myself available, and feel more deeply when people share their struggles

when it comes to these death anniversaries i repeat myself more than is probably necessary, as i have still not fully adjusted to the altered reality of it all. this and being affected by the ever increasing frequency of terrifyingly horrific world events on all fronts, rights being taken away from the most vulnerable as i type, the fear that comes with that, the hostility and violence being stoked by the insane unstable individuals in positions of power. every year we hope for a better world, but it certainly seems bleak right now. so much of our lives are filtered through personal experience, perceptions altered via health, our environment, culture and where or how we live on this planet. in a way, i’m glad mum never had to experience these negatives of recent times

all that’s left to say, is the simplest, and yet the most important of things — mum, i love you and i miss you 💔❤️‍🩹 by @pluxquba

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6 months ago

mani made the most wonderfully melodic and hooky bass lines. the first stone roses album is an absolute classic that marked a sea change in music, and his bass parts were often the central hooks that everything else revolved around. ‘fools gold’, ‘i wanna be adored’, ‘she bangs the drums’… and later when he left the stone roses to join primal scream, his mark on what i consider their best ever album XTRMNTR featured incredible bass parts: ‘kill all hippies’, ‘accelerator’, ‘swastika eyes’, ‘blood money’. i had only in the last few days started to listen to all these again because i saw he had just announced a huge tour, which makes his sudden death all the more saddening.

r.i.p. gary”mani” mournfield 1962 – 2025 💔 by @pluxquba

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a year ago

R.I.P Soo Catwoman 🖤💔🥀 1954—2025

I’m saddened to hear the news that punk and fashion icon Soo Catwoman (Susan Lucas) has died at the age of 70 after falling into a coma soon after a sudden illness. Soo Catwoman was a highly inspirational figure with a look that has influenced culture for decades. She was a central presence in the original wave of UK punk (1976-78) with her trademark cat like hair — reappropriated in the 90s by Keith Flint of The Prodigy. Her overall image influenced pop and alternative culture, including fashion designers Junya Watanabe, Chanel and many others. Soo was an utter original, an embodiment of the creative, defiant spirit of punk — helping to shape the look and attitude of a generation and beyond. Although she will be remembered primarily for her image, those that knew her and of her will also remember her humour, independence and refusal to be defined by the rules of others. Imagine how daring and brave you had to be as a female in those times to pull this off — one of the most iconic faces of a revolutionary era.

A quote from her webpage that summarises my thoughts: “She remains a huge inspiration in the worlds of music art and fashion, her image is timeless and as striking today as it was in 1976. It is difficult to express to a modern readership just how groundbreakingly creative and unique her image was when it first became known in the 1970s. Soo lived her private life in silent dignity. Soo’s image endures when others have fallen away, because it comes from the heart . A silent, visual statement of personal freedom and individual expression. As such, it continues to captivate, enchant and inspire new generations, for it is timeless.” soocatwoman.com by @pluxquba

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a year ago

a couple of days late as it took a while to process this one ~ i was so sad to hear brian wilson from the beach boys has died at 82 on june 11 ~ the visionary behind the classic ’pet sounds’ album (1966) ~ a significant moment in pop music history, has a special place for me, full of beautiful melodies vocal harmonies and sounds ~ r.i.p. brian wilson 😔 by @pluxquba

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a year ago

the resplendent “tony morris” @tonymorrisssss performing for the first time in london! i’ve loved his instagram video clips ever since i stumbled across them and became hypnotised 😵‍💫 this performance and feel of the setting had major “david lynch” vibes, like i was in a scene from ‘twin peaks’ — and in this video he is channeling “frank booth” from ‘blue velvet’ ✨ his music is an interesting mix of seemingly simple yet perfectly blended looped beats, electronics, samples and unusual sounds, all with a performative delivery, as much physical theatre as poetry ✨ his choice of wordplay conjures interesting situational imagery, mixing the everyday with an almost sci-fi parallel universe — the combination of it all speaks to you in a way only certain forms of art can — it’s not easy to encapsulate in words alone — thank you tony for making it to london 💫

#tonymorrisssss #glasgow #diymusic #poetry #spokenword #lofi #homegrown #performancetheatre #experimental #davidlynch #performanceart #thefall #captainbeefheart #johnpeel taken in EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney) by @pluxquba

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a year ago

today (april 26) marks 8 years since my lovely mum died from a very painful rare endometrial cancer. i have been going through this little ritual each year, updating the year on the modified concept/design i made for her funeral. it always hits me how quickly each year seems to pass. sometimes it hardly feels like 8 years that she’s been gone, while simultaneously feeling it was another lifetime. i think about all that she was — such a compassionate and kind person in combination with being very creative and intelligent — always being there for others, and giving more than she ever received. it saddens me that so much of someone just evaporates, all those skills and knowledge. i know some of it lives on within us that knew her, and by what she left behind, but in time, this will also fade. often i wish we could be more like computers sometimes, so we can backup our brains for others when we die, to save at least that lifetime of learning, a document of it

the way the death of the closest person in your life affects you, can cause a variety of significant changes — and we will all deal with this differently. the rawness may have eased, but the void of the loss will always remain. the perception of life fundamentally altered through the lens of grief. i too feel somehow altered compared with my past self when she was alive. navigating things since has been a constant relearning of how to “be” in this world. if there is a positive to note, then i would say i have become even more sensitive to other people and what they may be going through on a daily basis. i have always had that, but now i feel this even deeper, every time i think of someone or speak to them — and i make myself available to hear others troubles if they are in a place to want to share

all that’s left to say is the simplest, and yet the most important of things — mum, i love you and i miss you 💔❤️‍🩹 by @pluxquba

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a year ago

It has taken me over 48hrs to even attempt to post something about hearing the very sad news that David Lynch has died. It’s one of those rare moments when an artist who has had such an effect on you, who in this case I irrationally believed would be around forever, suddenly isn’t here anymore and it jolts you from your everyday. I’ve read so many much more eloquent words about him since the online floodgates opened, in the steady stream of comments, dedications, tributes, and celebrations to a unique man — a real one off and one of the very best artists the world has ever seen.

I will always remember when I first watched “Eraserhead” and feeling in awe of the masterpiece that it is. I felt this strange connection, as I’ve always been drawn to the uncanny, but also the dreamy (the dark and the light) opposites, juxtapositions and all the strangeness in between. It was one of those experiences that somehow validated my existence and my attraction to otherness and otherworldliness, in a world that has always felt like it’s not built or designed for me to quite fit into. It remains one of my earliest inspirations for filmmaking, due to its incredible use of imagery and sound on equal levels, and how the combination of the two can so viscerally create an atmosphere that you can actually feel beyond the screen. That was my first exposure to his art on a conscious level that I can remember, which had a lasting impact. I’ve loved him and his work ever since. I even wrote a dissertation on Eraserhead for my degree!

He’s probably most known for the TV series “Twin Peaks” (and I use the theme here like many, because it is so powerfully emotive, so it feels fitting). Yet apart from “Eraserhead” my favourite of all his films (and I love them all) is “Lost Highway”. I’ve not seen it in ages, but something about that one just hits me on levels I can’t fully explain (which is how I’m sure he’d like it). It’s an intuitive thing. Something he had in abundance. [my thoughts continued in comments below …] by @pluxquba

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2 years ago

I never thought I’d see a day the Aurora would be visible here in Colindale NW London. I am truly amazed I managed to capture anything at all with the light pollution!!! Didn’t expect to see anything at all — but looked out of my bedroom window to see a faint red glow across the sky with the naked eye. I took some iPhone shots, but managed to get a slightly better shot with a longer exposure on my small Panasonic mirrorless camera.

Also, to get to see the reds and purples as well as the usual greens is a rarity in of itself. Those colours are not always as common.

I’ve seen so many posts from around the country. It’s been really strong in some places! by @pluxquba

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2 years ago

It was 7 years ago that my lovely, smart and compassionate mum died from a rare form of cancer in a slow and painful way via a punishing chemo regime. 7 years sounds like a long time, yet to me it doesn’t feel any way near that long — and yet it’s like an eternity since she was here. In fact, time has become almost meaningless. The loss may be less raw, but it’s no less of a gaping void without her in this world. Every year it feels as if my language skills become less sophisticated in trying to convey the nebula of thoughts and feelings I have on these death anniversaries.

However, I will reaffirm that my mum was a beautiful intelligent woman, with a kind soul that helped so many people (more than anyone will collectively ever really know), even when some did not appreciate it, or let her down when she was in need. She deserved to still be alive on this planet, and treated with the same level of understanding, love and compassion she gave others. She had the ability to see the beauty in this world beyond the evils of the human race — filled every room with unconditional love, generosity, thoughtfulness, intelligent conversation and a silly sense of humour/fun. All these qualities were necessary to bring a true sense of meaning into this world for me, and also some kind of peace of mind. However, there still remains no escaping the sense of feeling rudderless without her grounding loving strength, presence and support.

I miss you terribly…
my dearest brave mum 💔❤️‍🩹

(The image is a modified part of a design / concept I created for her funeral) by @pluxquba

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2 years ago

R.I.P. Sawako Kato (1978-2024) 💔😔

I am deeply shocked and saddened to hear about the loss of one of the sweetest and most kind sound sculptors, Sawako Kato (May 27, 1978 – March 31, 2024).

She was a wonderful person and artist. Her 2008 album ‘Bitter Sweet’ on 12k is one of my all time favourite albums. So utterly beautifully serene, full of genuine warmth and life, with understated delicate electronic tones and organic textures breathing an airily relaxed feel, yet also otherworldly. I listen to it several times a year, especially in the summer. I’m glad I told her how wonderful that work is and how much it has meant to me.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVZ4KsKUkGexA9fdF6Onulr9RtC6bzunu&si=_e8lO4NNKqxCu3Yi

If you do not know her work, I highly recommend you explore her unique world. https://troncolon.com

Taylor Deupree has posted a memorial on the 12k site:
https://www.12k.com/news/sawako-kato/

My condolences to her family and friends. Sawako will be missed by so many.

…

These past few days have been very down for me. A relative of mine died not long ago (funeral delayed until May) — the birthday of a Uni friend who died last year — plus it’s 30 years since Kurt Cobain died too (a significant figure for many, who changed the musical landscape and had a major impact on those who’s souls he connected with). Coming up soon near the end of this month will also be 7 years since my mum died of a rare and painful form of endometrial cancer. That loss for me is still one I’m barely able to navigate around. by @pluxquba

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3 years ago

So apparently today has been World Goth Day. So here are couple of old photos of me looking a bit more goth. The last one is of me and a friend actually at a goth club quite a few years back, put on my Rhys Webb from the band The Horrors. by @pluxquba

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3 years ago

It was 6 years ago yesterday that my lovely mum died from a very painful and rare cancer. I wrote a lot in previous years, but this year I will just say I miss her. Life has been tough without her around. I’ve still not really adjusted to the altered reality of how I see life and existence in this world. This is compounded by the ever increasing frequency and density of terrifying and terrible world events including wars and pandemics. We all hope for a better world, but I fear the human race peaked just before Social Media was invented (which I feel has contributed much to the chaos we are increasingly experiencing). Yes I realise the irony of posting that thought here. It’s a layered and nuanced topic, but I felt like airing my feeling on that, as I also wonder if I’d have felt the same or differently if mum was still alive and we were all healthy and ok. So much is filtered through personal experience and perceptions altered via ill health, overwhelming stress and no breathing room to rest while working so hard on looking after the health of others (a very abridged summary of my current circumstances). Dear mum, wish you were here ❤️‍🩹 by @pluxquba

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3 years ago