Spell of the Sensuous Chapter 1

Water: Laser print, akua ink, black pigment ink

To be sure, the shaman's ecological function, his or her role as intermediary between human society and the land, is not always obvious at first blush, even to a sensitive observer. We see the sorcerer being called upon to cure an ailing tribesman of his sleeplessness, or perhaps simply to locate some missing goods; we witness him entering into trance and sending his awareness into other dimensions in search of insight and aid. Page 10.

This piece is a formal adaptation of the quote from the text. The piece came to life by pivoting text from the chapter off of a found image from a shamanic village, and adding accompanying text from the original image. The idea of water is important to the piece as it is corresponds to the image and references the quote: "the shaman swims in the same water the psychotic drowns in."

Spell of the Senuous Chapter 4

Ideogram: Laser print on encyclopedia pages

An ideogram is often a pictorial character that refers not to the visible entity that it explicits pictures but to some quality or other phenomenon readily associated with that entity. Page 97.

This piece is inspired by the non-verbal language of corporations and the implications of this language. The coca cola swoosh mark is printed across 8 encyclopedia pages, as a way of referencing how color and shape can create their own language with the intent of selling product.

Spell of the Sensuous Reading 8

Membrane Sketch: paper, retina screen

We may better comprehend this curious development-the withdrawal of mind from sensible nature and its progressive incarceration in the human skull-by considering that every human language secretes a kind of perceptual boundary that hovers, like a translucent veil , between those who speak that language and the sensuous terrain that they inhabit. As we grow into a particular culture or language, we implicitly begin to structure our sensory contact with the earth around us in a particular manner, paying attention to certain phenomena while ignoring others, differentiating textures, tastes, and tones in accordance with the verbal contrasts contained in the language. Page 255.

This piece is a sketch to represent how an image can be obstructed but still widely recognized. A key idea in this sketch comes from the text, referencing a "veil" creating a sensuous language.