Today's inspiration is Robert Swain's exhibition at the Santa Monica Museum of Art in California title "Robert Swain: The Form of Color". The exhibition display's Swain's forty+ years of research into the phenomenology of color. The inspiration? The obvious answer is the interest in color and experience, but also the reminder that art and a career are not rushed. Full description on Minus Space's website here.

Words without Borders organizes a "Translator Relay" which is a series of interviews with translators about their work. The first translator is interviewed, chooses the next translator up for interview, and asks this person an additional question. Translator Esther Allen, chosen by translator Sean Cotter, has some insightful thoughts on the translation process that are completely worth sharing. My first encounter with this relay and I'm hooked.

"I would refuse to translate a fictional text I really didn't like or find relevant, and that's partly out of a kind of loyalty to the author, who deserves to have a translator who can bring some enthusiasm to bear... We seek the meaning of our own life in everything we do. How could we fail to seek it in the text we translate?" - Esther Allen

For Rachel Morgenstern-Clarren's full interview with Esther Allen click here.

Agnes Gund's "Fame, Fortune and the Female Artist" expresses the constant concern for female artists in the art world. What have they gone? Who are the great female artists? While times continue to change and women find a better foothold in the art world, female artists are still under represented.

"She [Linda Nochlin] examined theories about differences between women and men artists in themes, or materials, or ways of working; she determined that art-making was not notably characterized by gender. Nochlin proposed a far more revolutionary theory: that "...our institutions and our educations...," our very expectations, keep women's creativity down. Women fail, very simply, if they have no guidance and friendships in art, if they are not perceived as, or permitted to be, artists, and if they have no institutional access. That judgment led to new ways of thinking about the art world and the roles within it for women."

Read the full article by Agnes Gund here.

"Great culture—philosophy, theater, music—gave us some of the most remarkable first entries into the human mind...The idea that by just doing neuroscience or advanced cognitive science, one can understand everything about the human mind is ridiculous. We need to bring past efforts in the arts and the humanities into the mix and also use the current contributions of artists and philosophers to understand this most complicated process that is the human mind." Interview with Damasio here.

A view of ancient history, old world technology / materials, and water as conservation. How has our oceanscape preserved these cities almost perfectly for thousands of years? What are archaeologists and anthropologists discovering about the interaction of earthly materials on human systems (technology)? Water is an essential aspect to survival, but also a huge threat. We could learn a lot from these underwater cities to flood proof our current cities. Article of 5 underwater cities here.

"There is a huge wave of happiness among researchers, everyone would like to make people happier..." Daniel Kahneman on the "experiencing self" versus the "remembering self" affecting our perception of happiness. What we can learn about this talk in self-awareness? Reminds me of Francois Lelord's Hector and the Search for Happiness, another good read.

Pretty creative and promising solution to the Gowanus Canal problem in Brooklyn, NY. Interested to see how well it would be accepted by surrounding neighborhoods, in particular Gowanus residents.

First encountered a Spencer Finch light installation at the Hort family's home in Manhattan in 2010. I fell in love with his work then; interplay of color, light and environment. He has been an inspiration ever since. Finch's work can be seen this summer at Turner Contemporary, 9/11 Memorial Museum, Morgan Library and many other locations.

"The sense of self, strengthened by art and architecture, also permits us to engage fully in the mental dimensions of dream, imagination and desire. Buildings and cities provide the horizon for the understanding and confronting of the human existential condition. Instead of creating mere objects of visual seduction, architecture relates, mediates and projects meanings. The ultimate meaning of any building is beyond architecture; it directs our consciousness back to the world and towards our own sense of self and being..." (13)  I am truly going to enjoy this book.

SELF (noun):
1) the person that someone normally or truly is
2) a particular part of your personality or character that is shown in a particular situation
3) the personality or character that makes a person different from other people: the combination of emotions, thoughts, feelings, etc., that make a person different from others
[First known use 13th century]

One of my colleagues recommended this read by Robert Irwin today at work. He met Mr. Irwin while installing his exhibition at the Whitney some time ago. His experience working with Mr. Irwin was so wonderful that he picked up this book to learn about his work. Excited to get my hands on a copy.

CONDITIONAL (adjective):
1) showing or used to show that something is true or happens only if something else is true or happens
[First known use in 14th century]

LIGHT (noun):
1a) something that makes vision possible
1b) the sensation aroused by stimulation of the visual receptors
1c) electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength that travels in a vacuum with a speed of about 186,281 miles (300,000 kilometers) per second; specifically, such radiation that is visible to the eye.
[ORIGIN: Middle English, from Old English lēoht; akin to Old High German lioht light, Latin luc-, lux light, lucēre to shine, Greek leukos white, first known use before 12th century]