Fennesz is known for his work in glitch ambient music, combining live guitar with layers of synthesizers. His sound balances analog warmth with digital clarity, producing textured, intricate atmospheres. At FIBER, his performance revealed a quiet tension, where subtle electronic noises met organic strings, creating moments of delicate intensity without excess.
FIBER Festival reminded us why we do what we do. It gave space to artists whose work comes from urgency, belief, and presence. The atmosphere was caring, the thinking sharp, the performances unforgettable. It felt like stepping into a dream designed with precision and openness. We left feeling seen, inspired, and grateful.
Locations:
de Brakke Grond | Nes 45, 1012KD Muziekgebouw | Piet Heinkade 3, 1019BR BIMHUIS | Herengracht 470, 1017CA Orgelpark | Gerard Brandtstraat 28, 1054JK Bar San Francisco | Zeedijk 40, 1012AZ Goethe Instituut | Herengracht 470, 1017CA Garage Noord Bar40 Clubnight | Gedempt Hamerkanaal 40, 1021KM de Sering | Rhoneweg 6, 1043AH
“The model railroader is the truest creator: engineer, architect, and master of his own timetable,” reads a statement about Josh Dihle’s feverish exhibition, Basement Arrangement.
Armed with hundreds of minuscule objects from coral to LEGO, Dihle concocts dreamlike worlds in which figures become topographies and every cavity houses a surprising detail. Peek inside the cheek of “Moreau/Detrick Reliquary,” and find a wooly mammoth with lustrous stones embedded in its wooden tusks. “Confluence” is similar as carved fish jut out of the foam-and-plaster ground alongside trees and palms with widespread fingers.
Detail of “Confluence” (2025), oil, acrylic, colored pencil, resin, fossils, rocks, LEGO, marbles, beach glass, plastic toys, coral, paper pulp, plaster gauze, foam, cherry, and carved walnut on panel, 57 x 45 x 19 inches
Evoking model railroads and dollhouses, Dihle’s sculptural paintings incorporate recognizable objects but with an uncanny, if not skewed, perspective. Stretching nearly five feet tall, the large-scale works hang on the wall and draw a contrast between the overall composition, viewed straight on, and the miniature vignettes best taken in at a 90-degree angle. Step back and see an aerial landscape with hills shaped like lips or a sunken nose, while close-up inspection becomes a dizzying hunt for unlikely items tucked into every crevice.
The exhibition title originates with hermit hobbyists, who seem to come alive when cloistered in worlds of their own making. What appears to outsiders as an escape from reality is, for them, an attempt to organize the chaos and take control, even if in the form of toys and make-believe.
If you’re in Chicago, see Basement Arrangement at Andrew Rafacz through July 18. Find more from Dihle on his website.
Detail of “Confluence” (2025), oil, acrylic, colored pencil, resin, fossils, rocks, LEGO, marbles, beach glass, plastic toys, coral, paper pulp, plaster gauze, foam, cherry, and carved walnut on panel, 57 x 45 x 19 inches“Moreau/Detrick Reliquary” (2024), walnut, paper pulp, plaster, foam, faux fur, found objects, acrylic, and oil on panel, 40.25 x 31 x 13 inchesDetail of “Moreau/Detrick Reliquary” (2024), walnut, paper pulp, plaster, foam, faux fur, found objects, acrylic, and oil on panel, 40.25 x 31 x 13 inches“Brittle Star” (2025), oil, acrylic, casein, colored pencil, Legos, fossils, rocks, plastic toys, marbles, mosaic tile, buttons, carved walnut, paper pulp, plaster gauze, foam, and plywood on panel, 47 x 21 inches“Confluence” (2025), oil, acrylic, colored pencil, resin, fossils, rocks, LEGO, marbles, beach glass, plastic toys, coral, paper pulp, plaster gauze, foam, cherry, and carved walnut on panel, 57 x 45 x 19 inches“Sighting” (2025), casein, colored pencil, rocks, fossils, eyeball agate, agate, amber, found objects, plastic toys, mosaic tile, marbles, LEGO, beads, thumb tacks, and beach glass on carved basswood, 18 x 14 x 1.5 inches“Falls” (2025), acrylic, turquoise, meteorite, fossil, marble, rocks, plastic toy, paper pulp, plaster gauze, twine, maple, and foam on panel, 42 x 32.5 x 11 inches“Radon” (2025), casein, acrylic, resin, turquoise, rocks, LEGO, found jewelry, plastic Micro Machine, fossil, beach glass, and walnut on panel, 13.25 x 10.25 x 1.25 inchesDetail of “Radon” (2025), casein, acrylic, resin, turquoise, rocks, LEGO, found jewelry, plastic Micro Machine, fossil, beach glass, and walnut on panel, 13.25 x 10.25 x 1.25 inchesInstallation view of ‘Basement Arrangement’
There’s plenty to see and do in Chicago without breaking the bank, with an abundance of free museum days, free sightseeing tours, and even discounted food options.
To get the lay of the land or learn more about the city, start with a free greeter tour led by a local volunteer. It’s a great way to orient yourself and take in the clean, wide, and flower-filled streets that the city is known for. Next, instead of a $50 boat tour of Chicago’s architectural marvels (which is awesome by the way), you can get equally close to them with a $10 day-pass on water taxis, or stroll the Riverwalk on foot.
Other highlights include Millennium Park and its reflective “Bean,” the classic Buckingham Fountain of Married, With Children fame, the Magnificent Mile, and free museum days for Illinois residents. While you’re in town, don’t miss Art Institute of Chicago, which many critics, visitors, and yours truly consider the greatest art museum in America.
To get high for less, head for the 360 Chicago Observation Deck, which is $15 cheaper than Skydeck Chicago. And don’t sleep on the Lakefront Trail, Navy Pier, the city’s sprawling, ocean-like beaches, and Green City Market for some inspiring vibes, amazing views of the lake and skyline, plus inexpensive pizza, pickles, and pastas.
What’s on your summer checklist? Here are 10 low-key things I’m thinking of doing (and I’d love to hear yours)…
1. Lean into drinks o’clock. When visiting our relatives in England, we always gather for ‘drinks o’clock’ at 6 p.m. with friends, neighbors, and anyone else walking by. Back in Brooklyn, my kids and I often head to our stoop at that time, as a way to transition from workday to chill summer evening. These days, we like sipping Sprite and lingonberry, but even sparkling water does the trick.
2. Lie on the sofa and read magazines with the fan on. Especially New Yorker short stories, which are funny, moving, and spoooooky.
3. Play cards outside. Our beloved CoJ contributor Alex Ronan has played the card game Spite & Malice with her girlfriend infinity times, she told me. “I cannot express how many rounds we’ve played on trips, at bars, or on Sunday mornings with coffee, but I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it. The cadence of every game feels different. It’s the perfect two-player game.” Tonight Freddie and I are actually meeting Alex and Grace to learn the game — we’ll report back.
4. Take photos of your friends with their kids. Above is my friend Claire with her daughter at Toby’s baseball game. Moms in the pictures, always and forever 🙂
5. Watch a ’90s movie. We love watching ’90s movies on trips. They’re fun and familiar so you can chat and eat snacks while watching. A few to get you started: The Talented Mr. Ripley, Clueless, Fargo, Boyz n the Hood, The Firm, The Fugitive and Goodfellas.
6. Eat potato chips from a mug. This is my brother’s brilliant idea, so people around you won’t steal your chips. Otherwise sneaky hands come in from all directions.
7. Write an acrostic poem for a loved one. Okay, this might sound random, but hear me out, haha. My friend Liz once wrote acrostics for us when we went over for dinner, and I have never forgotten how beautiful it felt. Such a simple and personal gesture. I wrote one this year for Freddie’s birthday, and it was also fun to include inside jokes and nicknames. They’re not supposed to be perfect, just heartfelt 🙂
9. Treat yourself to some soft serve, like vanilla-chocolate twist.
10. Stay inside and don’t feel bad about it. As an anxious person who can’t always turn her brain off, this one is my favorite. My friend Sharon uses the term “catch-up days,” where everyone in the family needs a break, so you stay inside and do nothing at all. Maybe eat a bowl of cereal? Take a cold shower and see how many seconds you last? Just don’t do anything productive because that’s against the rules.
It’s customary for a Marvel project to move with a fair amount of secrecy at the outset, but Marvel’s Vision series feels more obscure than most. The show will spin off from WandaVision, one of the studio’s first projects to premiere on Disney+. It’s been nearly three years since it was first announced — and though we’ve gotten a few updates in the form of casting, there’s still so little information about the series. No one even knows if it’ll go by its working title, Vision Quest, or something more straightforward like Vision.
However opaque this production feels at present, the puzzle pieces are starting to form within the Vision series. Here’s everything we know about the upcoming Marvel show, from its potential release window to its confirmed cast.
The new Vision seeks elaboration in Vision Quest.
Marvel Studios
What is the Vision Quest release date?
Marvel hasn’t yet announced a sure-fire release date for its Vision series, but with production ramping up, it should premiere sometime in 2026.
Who is directing Vision Quest?
Marvel boss Kevin Feige tapped Terry Matalas, the showrunner behind Picard Season 3 SyFy’s 12 Monkeys, to helm Vision Quest. In an exclusive interview with Inverse, Feige confirmed that he sought out Matalas because he was such a big fan of his Star Trek series. “That’s how I got to know him,” Feige said. “It was from his amazing [work] on Picard Season 3. I said: This is incredible. I don’t know how this exists. Let me find the person who made this.”
Picard ended its three-season run with a reunion for the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation — but nostalgia wasn’t the only thing Matalas brought to the series. Season 3 also examined the legacy of the characters who have become so beloved to Star Trek fans, critiquing their mistakes and their flaws as much as it celebrated their quirks. A compelling character study lived alongside a sci-fi adventure where the stakes couldn’t be higher — and it’s the hope that Matalas will do the same with Vision and other members of the MCU.
What is the plot of Vision Quest?
The Vision series will bring a forgotten villain back from the brink.
Marvel Studios
Specific plot details for the Vision series are being kept under wraps, but with casting well underway and a few suggestions from reliable leakers, the story of the series is beginning to take shape.
As Vision Quest spins off directly from WandaVision, we know that our story will focus on “the White Vision,” a reincarnation of the original synthezoid (Paul Bettany) without any of his memories, emotions, or relationships. At the very end of WandaVision he set off in search of a purpose — and insiders suggest that his quest will lead him to one of the two figures who had a hand in his creation. According to Daniel Richtman, Vision’s search for his memories will lead him to Madripoor, a former pirate haven built on a dragon’s skeleton. From there, he’ll encounter Ultron, the sentient android who tried to use the first Vision to destroy the world. James Spader’s return to the MCU has been an open secret for months, but his role in Vision Quest may come with a twist: he’ll be playing a human version of Ultron.
Richtman’s scoop aligns with other casting announcements for the Vision series, which suggests that a handful of programs — created either by the late Tony Stark or by Ultron himself — will somehow manifest humanoid forms. Vision was created with help from the Mind Stone, one of six powerful singularities appropriated by Thanos, so there’s no telling how Ultron will follow suit. That could be a large part of Vision Quest’s plot, but we won’t know for sure until Marvel confirms the official synopsis.
Who is in the cast of Vision Quest?
The Haunting of Bly Manor’s T’Nia Miller is joining the MCU.
Rob Latour/Shutterstock
After years portraying J.A.R.V.I.S. and later Vision, Paul Bettany is finally leading his own Marvel project. He’s reportedly joined by James Spader, reprising his role as Ultron. Marvel has added two other actors to the series: T’Nia Miller will play Jocasta, a Bride of Frankenstein-like creation of Ultron’s, while Emily Hampshire has been cast as E.D.I.T.H., a noncorporeal program first introduced in Spider-Man: Far From Home.
Is there a trailer for Vision Quest?
Marvel hasn’t dropped a trailer for its Vision show yet. As the series is currently in production, we may not get a first look for a while longer.
How many seasons of Vision Quest will there be?
Vision Quest was originally announced as a miniseries. If Marvel sticks to that brief, then it’ll probably run for around six episodes only — like the studio’s initial crop of Disney+ shows. Of course, there’s also a chance it could continue with another season, so long as demand is strong and Matalas’ team has a story in mind.
