“I’d rather die deceived by dreams than give
My heart to home and trade and never live.”
What does it mean to die deceived by dreams? Isn’t a dreamer something every child is encouraged to be? When does the shift occur, when do we go from wide-eyed, enchanted babes to hardened, routinized adults afraid to give in to our whims no matter how happy they make us? Perhaps, in our post-modern society, filled with uncertainty and disconnect, unhappiness and obligation – perhaps now is the time to give over to the lure of being a dreamer. The question we must ask, I suppose, is what we are more willing to lose. The time we have left to the have-to or the imagined security we glean from setting aside our dreams.
Charlotte Edey spoke to us about her work recently on view at 1969 Gallery in NYC. The two pieces, Cutting Ties and Finger Coils, were made in tandem for Eternal Reverie. Each piece plays with the idea of separation. Cutting Ties was made first, inspiring Edey to explore the themes further in Finger Coils. To learn more about these pieces and the meaning behind them, listen to the complete interview.
Charles Atlas chatted about his recent show at Lurhing Augustine, A Prune Twin, which ran from January 28 to March 11. Atlas began his career as assistant stage manager to Merce Cunningham. At the time, he was already making Super 8 films, and Cunningham invited him to collaborate. Over the course of a decade as filmmaker in residence, he and Cunningham collaborated on ten films in which Cunningham was responsible for the dance and Atlast for the video. To hear more about his fascinating career and how his lifelong collaborative work play into this most recent exhibition, listen to the complete interview.
A few words to keep in your pocket
What dreams deceive you?
Interviews are available on iTunes as podcasts, and for Android, please click here. All weekly essay pieces in a shareable format are here. The full archive of interviews is here.
Books to Read
What are you reading? Add your titles to our reading list here. Praxis user Hal recommends The Community Cure: Transforming Health Outcomes Together by James Maskell, while Praxis user Bill tells us to pick up The Tennants of Moonbloom by Edgar Lewis Wallant.
Deadlines:
The Cleveland Arts Prize (CAP) invites visual artists, along with those involved in other art forms, to apply for discipline awards. These unrestricted $10,000 prizes are awarded to those in Music, Visual Arts, Literature, Theatre/Dance, and Design. For more information and to apply, visit the website. Deadline for applications is May 1.
Brainard Carey is an author, artist and educator. He is the director of Praxis for Aesthetics. He has written six books for artists, most recently Making it in the Art World.