Glimpses of a Mind in Process
It’s not exactly true to say that I always envisioned the Corona Lectures as a method of two-way communication. I never expected a direct response to the work. What I hoped, instead, was that the Corona Lectures might inspire or encourage other people experiencing the disorientation and weirdness of life in the time of COVID-19 to reach out in their own way, to project across the chasms between us, chasms that were always there but which became more obvious under lockdown (whether externally- or self-imposed) something art-ish, art-like, that felt perhaps new, perhaps different, but most importantly appropriate to the situation in which we found ourselves. And that there would be enough people doing this for it to feel like a conversation.
Lecture 9: Humility Regarding Expectations - A Dream Ablaze
The ninth Corona Lecture has been released. Once again a new Machine evolves. See what happens when we set one of the Operator’s dreams ablaze.
Hunched Against the Wind
Maybe you can imagine what effect a view like this might have on a kid. And if you can, then maybe you can imagine how easily it pulls the adult who used to be that kid back into that same mood. A yearning, a sense of what’s up ahead, a weird modulation of perspective. That I caught this photo with just that one lone walker was serendipity. There was no plan to it, and if I remember correctly, I was annoyed that they were there when I shot the photo. But now I think the walker makes the photo.
That walker feels like me.
As a kid, looking ahead to my life, I thought I would’ve made it to the oasis by now. It turns out, I’m still not there, still hunched against the wind, hands in my pockets, putting one foot in front of the other.
Interesting Times Continue
The pandemic is worse than it’s ever been. The political situation is extremely volatile, even relative to an exceptionally volatile four years. If the days are getting longer, it’s hardly noticeable. I don’t have anything intelligent or interesting to report this week. So instead, I’ll post this photo, which my niece sent me. I think it’s beautiful, and the more I look, the more I think so.
Janus-Faced Haruspex
Midway between Christmas and New Years Eve, I took a walk at dusk and encountered some rather heavy-handed Halloween-esque imagery, and it has me thinking about augury and the interpretation of signs.
Lecture 8: A Machine for Escaping Doubt
The eighth Corona Lecture, and the third Wave Machine, has been released. As we stand on the threshold of the new year, we call on the Trickster to attend our crossing. When either/or has us stuck, perhaps the paradoxes of the wise fool can help us slip the trap.
The Equivalent of Littering
I don’t have anything original to say about the close of this difficult year. Plenty have already pointed out the symbolism related to the solstice and what we’re hoping for in the new year. And while it’s not necessarily the case that if one doesn’t have anything original to say, one oughtn’t say anything, saying the familiar thing is one of the ways clichés are created, and clichés should be avoided if only so that as much language may remain fresh as possible. To passionately employ a cliché is one thing, but to reiterate the already said when one doesn’t feel particularly strongly about it feels like the linguistic equivalent of littering.