Category: uses of art
window moment
a window moment Jane Hirshfield: Many good poems have a kind of window-moment in them–a point at which they change their direction of gaze or thought in a way that suddenly opens a broadened landscape of meaning and feeling. Encountering such a moment, the reader breathes in some new infusion, as steeply perceptible as any…
Existence itself is nothing if not an amazement
I’m reading Ten Windows by Jane Hirshfield. It’s a great book, a book to read slowly, to partake in. And it is a text very relevant to my ongoing investigation in the uses of art – listen to this: Poïesis as making A work of art is not a piece of fruit lifted from a branch:…
enchantment
This post made me want to take a closer look at Rita Felski’s book Uses of Literature (2008). Felski’s intention is to bridge the gap between literary theory and common-sense beliefs about why we read literature. Uses of Literature deals with four key elements of the reading experience: recognition, enchantment, knowledge, and shock. These four recall, as she…
In situ
It is impossible to give a precise recollection of Richard Mosse’s work The Enclave, it is a 6 channel video installation with a brilliant sound track by Ben Frost. Here are just some quick snapshots to give you an impression: Such a strange universe; due to his choice of film & filter the chlorophyll green gets…
ART CRITICISM: “A TERM I KIND OF LIKE”
from Gilda Williams: How to Write About Contemporary Art See also Slow Muse for a short note on Williams’ book
perfectly useful concentration
What one seems to want in art, in experiencing it, is the same thing that is necessary for its creation, a self-forgetful, perfectly useless concentration. – Elizabeth Bishop, letter to Anne Stevenson, Jan. 1964 In the same boat: It’s very interesting to see how Bishop, in this short and powerful statement, parallels experiencing & creating…
finding words, creating subjectivity
From a bold perspective; would it be possible to claim an affinity between the ideas of the neuroscientist Antonio Damasio and the poet Lyn Hejinian? Comparing how they both present making art as a way of making subjectivity makes me think they might approach a similar conclusion from different points of view. Here is Lyn Hejinian: The desire that is stirred by…
Explaining Emotions
A great post by Ann Michael made me curious about the work of Antonio Damasio: Here is Damasio in a recent interview: Q: What made you so interested in emotions as an area of study? A: There was something that appealed to me because of my interest in literature and music. It was a way of combining what…
At the end of the day, writing has very little to do with writing, and much to do with life
I first became aware of the work of Sarah Ruhl, award winning playwright, in a great post by Deborah Barlow. Barlow’s text made it clear that Ruhl was someone I would need to read. 100 Essays I Don’t Have Time to Write is a book for writers & artists, for feminists, for women, for parents and for those dreaming of…
sub rosa 