“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”
-John Steinbeck, Travels With Charley: In Search of America
Variety, as they say, is the spice of life. Seasons change, the sea ebbs and flows, natural rhythms do their endless dance. Here in the northeast U.S., the signs of summer are growing clearer and clearer, and yet this is just one slice of a much larger picture. Such is the case for every facet of life and the world around us. One small detail is relevant not just to itself, but to how it relates to all others. Summer feels gloriously well deserved after a cold, dark winter, just as success is all the more sweet when contrasted with the frustration of defeat. The highs are inevitably set against the backdrop of the lows, but this is what makes them so very welcome when they arrive.
Shawn Shafner joined us eight years ago. He is the founder of the P.O.O.P. Project (People’s Own Organic Power Project), about the surprisingly complex role that sanitation, waste, and toilet culture play in our lives. What began in 2010 as a personal exploration of his own experiences with “toilet shame” grew into a broader examination of sanitation access, public health, and the social taboos surrounding one of humanity’s most universal needs. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.
Phil Smith sat down with us six years ago. A performance-maker, writer, and academic researcher based in Plymouth, England, his work explores the creative possibilities of walking as both artistic practice and conscious action. For more than two decades, Smith has developed site-specific performances that invite participants to engage with places in unexpected ways. To learn more, listen to the complete interview.
A Few Words to Keep in Your Pocket.
What are the contrasts that mean the most to you?
Outings.
Join me at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery for Falling Water Given, an exhibition of work by Yuko Mohri
Interviews are available on iTunes as podcasts, and for Android, please click here. All weekly essay pieces are here in a shareable format. The full archive of interviews is here.
More Books to Read.
Ours is a community of readers. Tell us what books you’re reading now by adding your titles to our reading list here. Praxis user Garry R. McDougall is reading By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept, by Elizabeth Smart.
Opportunities.
The Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation’s Sight/Geist program supports emerging NYC-based film and performance artists creating socially engaged, experimental work, offering exhibition opportunities, artist fees, and professional support at The 8th Floor. Learn more at the website. Deadline is July 5.