Book Description
Now in paperback comes Jim Steinmeyer’s astonishing chronicle of half a century of illusionary innovation, backstage chicanery, and keen competition within the world of magicians. Lauded by today’s finest magicians and critics, Hiding the Elephant is a cultural history of the efforts among legendary conjurers to make things materialize, levitate, and disappear. Steinmeyer unveils the secrets and life stories of the fascinating personalities behind optical marvels such as floating ghosts interacting with live actors, disembodied heads, and vanishing ladies. He demystifies Pepper’s Ghost, Harry Kellar’s Levitation of Princess Karnak, Charles Morritt’s Disappearing Donkey, and Houdini’s landmark vanishing of Jennie the elephant in 1918. The dramatic mix of science and history, with revealing diagrams, photographs and magicians' portraits by William Stout, provides a glimpse behind the curtain at the backstage story of magic.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting, If Interested In Magic.......2007-10-04
Fortunately I am as this is no laymen's book. I quite enjoyed it and found it full of the fragmented tidbits of information I am so fond of. A little technical at times - I was far more interested in some of the stories then in precise line drawings or sketches, though Steinmeyer is skilled at taking complex principles and breaking them down into simple line drawings. I wish it had been a bit more chatty but am glad i read it.
Good History, Easy Reading.......2007-10-04
This is a fun and easy read. Probably nothing new for serious fans of the history of magic but it is a good summary of the lives of some very special people in an interesting sub-culture.
For those buying the book to discover magical secrets, they will learn little other than the truth of the cliche that magic is all smoke and mirrors.
Not your average magic book.......2007-02-19
If you're looking for a book to teach you magic tricks, this is not the book for you. Granted, it describes how some grand illusions work (mostly those that aren't in use any longer), but the book is more about the history of magic. But don't let that turn you off. It's not the dry, boring history you'd find in a textbook. There are anecdotes, personal recollections, and much more. It's a very easy read, and it's absolutely fascinating.
An Instant Classic.......2007-01-11
This book is a classic. It is not only one of the best books on the history of magic ever written, but is also a rich portrait of both Victorian and Edwardian England. The magicians become full characters in Steinmeyer's hands. He shows us some of their secrets, yes, but in a full-bodied manner that keeps us mezmerized, even after we know how the trick was done. As a magician myself I fully agree that a trick is never the secret or sleight itself, but is how this sleight is used in an act of fantasy. Learning the "trick," as Steinmeyer says, IS like turning to the last page of a mystery novel. You may know the ending, but you will not appreciate the fullness of the story. This is easily one of my favorite books. I loved it so much I immediately ordered his other books. I started reading Art & Artifice next, and was greatly dismayed to learn that the entire book, word for word (except for a some rearranging and a few brief passages), appears in Hiding the Elephant! Unless you're a completist do not buy both Hiding the Elephant and Art & Artifice. Steinmeyer has plagiarized himself quite dramatically, as Hiding the Elephant is really just an expanded version of Art & Artifice.
Author loves his subject.......2007-01-10
This is a very enjoyable book on the history of magic and how the great illusions were achieved. The author has an obvious love for his subject and has put a great deal of thought into recostructing the secrets of lost illusions e.g. The disappearing donkey.
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The Glorious Impossible (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers)
Madeleine L'Engle
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ASIN: 0671686909 |
Book Description
The birth of Jesus was a Glorious Impossible. Like love, it cannot be explained, it can only be rejoiced in. And that is what master storyteller Madeleine L'Engle does in this compellingly written narrative, inspired by Giotto's glorious frescoes from the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. With a simple clarity that illuminates the life of Christ, Madeleine L'Engle gives eloquent voice to the miracle of God's love.
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This collection of 35 essays written by the Czech playwright and human rights dissident who became the president of his country in 1989, focuses on the challenges facing an East learning democracy from scratch and a West unused to the multicultural complexities this process involves. Their organizing principle is that what is necessary now in politics and statecraft is the reaffirmation of values. "It will certainly not be easy," Havel writes, "to awaken in people a new sense of responsibility for the world, or to convince them to conduct themselves as if they were to live on this earth forever and be answerable for its condition one day. Who knows how many cataclysms humanity may have to experience before such a sense of responsibility is generally accepted? But this does not mean that those who wish to work for it cannot begin at once." The best vehicle for pulling this off, Havel says, are "those organisms that lie somewhere between nation-states and a world community." What he has in mind are "regional communities" like NATO, world organizations like the U.N., and another force that he thinks might be the best suited of all for this task--the mass media.
Book Description
There is no shortage of politicians who make a habit of shooting from the hip, but it is much rarer to find one who speaks from the heart. Václav Havel knows no other way to speak, or to write. Both as a dissident and as a playwright it was his sworn purpose for many years to combat evil with nothing but truth. As president of Czechoslovakia, and now of the Czech Republic, he has clung to that habit, refusing to turn over either his conscience or his voice to political handlers and professional speechwriters. Instead he assumes the additional burden--for him, it is a distinct pleasure--of composing all of his oratory. Audiences from New York to New Delhi, Oslo to Tokyo, have been the luckier for his decision.
This volume consists of thirty-five of these essays, written between the years 1990 and 1996, that manage to be both profoundly personal and profoundly political. Havel writes of totalitarianism, its miseries and the nonetheless difficult emergence from it.
He describes how his country and the other postcommunist countries are learning democracy from scratch and are encountering obstacles from inside and out. He marvels at the single technology-driven civilization that envelops the globe, and the challenges this presents to multicultural realities. He invokes the duty of every person alive to prevent hatred and fear from derailing history ever again. He acknowledges "the advantage it is for doing a good job as president to know that I do not belong in the position and that I can at any moment, and justifiably, be removed from it." And he reminds us that--contrary to all appearances--common sense, moderation, responsibility, good taste, feeling, instinct, and conscience are not alien to politics, but are the very key to its long-term success.
Customer Reviews:
Several excerpts from this illuminating and inspiring book.......2002-08-25
I hope Havel's own words (he is one of the few presidents who writes his own speeches, consistently with his life motto "living in the truth") will inspire you to buy and read "The Art of Impossible" and other books written by this humble and couragoues man. From Havel's writings one can learn much about history, politics, philosophy,psychology and art/theatre. Moreover, everyone reading Havel's works with an open mind and heart will be challenged to reflect on his/her own place in this world.
"For forty years on this day you heard, from my predecessors, variations on the same theme: how our country flourished, how many million tons of steel we produced, how happy we all were,
how we trusted our government, and what bright perspectives were unfolding before us. I assume you did not propose me for this office so that I, too, would lie to you. (New Year's Address to the Nation, Prague, January 1, 1990)
"But this is still not the main problem. The worst thing is that we live in a contaminated moral environment. We fell morally ill because we got used to saying something different from what we thought. We learned not to believe in anything, to ignore each other, to care only for ourselves. Concepts such as love, friendship, compassion, humility and forgiveness lost their
depth and dimension, and for many of us they came to represent only psychological pecularities, or to resemble long-lost greetings from the ancient times, a little ridiculous in the era of commuters and spaceships. ...When I talk about contaminated moral atmosphere, I am not talking just about the gentlemen who eat organic vegetables and do not look out of the planes windows, I am talking about all of us. We had all become used to the totalitarian system and accepted it as an unalterable fact of life, and thus we helped to perpetuate it. In other words, we are all-though naturally to differing extents-responsible for the operation of the totalitarian machinery. None of us is just its victim: we are all also its cocreators. (New Year's Address to the Nation, Prague, January 1, 1990)
"...we must accept this legacy as a sin we committed against ourselves. If we accept it as such, we will understand that it is up to us all, and up to us alone, to do something about it. We must not blame the previous rulers for everything, not only because it would be untrue but also because it could blunt the duty each of us faces today, that is, the obligation to act independently, freely,reasonably, and quickly. ...Freedom and democracy require participation and therefore responsible action from us all. (New Year's Address to the Nation, Prague, January 1, 1990)
"We agree that the basic prerequisite for a genuine friendship between our nations is truth, a truth that is always expressed, no matter how hard." (The Visit of German President Richard von
Weizacker, Prague)
"Interests of all kinds-personal, selfish, state, national, group, and if you like, company interests-still considerably outweigh genuinely common and global interests. We are still under the sway of the destructive and thoroughly vain belief that man is the pinnacle of creation, and not just a part of it, and that therefore everything is permitted to him. There are still many who say they are concerned not for themselves but for the cause, while they act demonstrably in their own interests
and not for the cause at all. We are destroying the planet that was entrusted to us. We still close our eyes to the growing social, ethnic, and cultural conflicts in the world. From time to time we say that the anonymous megamachinery we have created for ourselves no longer serves us but,rather, has enslaved us, yet we fail to do anything about it. In other words, we still don't know how to put morality ahead of politics, science and economics. We are still incapable of understanding that the only genuine core of all our actions-if they are to be moral-is responsibility. Responsibility to something higher than my family, my country, my firm, my success. Responsibility to the order of Being, where all our actions are indelibly recorded and where, and only where, they will be properly judged. The
interpreter or mediator between us and this higher authority is what is traditionally referred to as human conscience. If I subordinate my political behavior to this imperative, I can't go far wrong. If on the contrary, I am not guided by this voice, not even ten presidential schools with two thousand of the best political scientists in the world could help me. (A Joint Session of the U.S. Congress, Washington, D.C., February 21, 1990)
After reading "The Art of Impossible" I would also recommend the following writings:
Havel, Vaclav. Open Letters: Selected Writings 1965-1990. Translated by Paul Wilson. New York:Alfred A. Knopf, 1991.
Sire, James W. Václav Havel: the intellectual conscience of international politics: an introduction, appreciation, and critique. Downers Grove: IVP, 2001.
Inspirational.......2000-10-11
The Art of the Impossible is, indeed, a very good introduction to the political philosophy of a great leader. Every lecture and article contained in this volume holds fabulous, almost poetic passages, and offers insights into the difficulties of leading a nation away from the physical and psychological devastation of communism. On some occasions Mr. Havel looks at his own position from a critical point of view, something we don't see very often in this kind of work.
This is a rather optimistic book, and every person who aspires to making our world a better - and safer - place for everyone, should definitely read it. It does not, however, provide us with solutions, but this is not what this work was intended for in the first place. What it does is identify the areas of politics we ought to concentrate on. The passages in which he argues for an increased participation of "intellectuals" in politics is particularly enlightening.
A commendable collection of lectures and essays, beautifully translated, which offers us a glimpse of a truly admirable man.
Excellent introduction to Havel.......1999-12-15
The essays and speeches contained in this book provide an excellent introduction to Vaclav Havel, one of the most intelligent and conscientious political figures of this century. His discussions about democracy, forgiveness, the future of the former Soviet Union, the future of the Czech Republic and other themes are thoughtfully composed and eloquently expressed. No review that I can write can do justice to this man's incredible vision for his country, our world, and our future.
Customer Reviews:
Inside Information On The Greatest Television Series Of All.......2007-03-06
In my humble opinion, Mission: Impossible is the most imaginative television series of all time. This book is the perfect companion, giving
much information on the gestation of the series, the creator, Bruce Geller, the actors, directors, writers, producers and a list of every episode made, including the 1980's revival of the series. What is not apparent to the viewer but comes out in this history of the series, is that the series underwent a number of major crises, any one of which could have finished it off, yet it survived to last for seven seasons, while generally maintaining its quality. For example, not many know that creator Geller actually only wrote one episode, the pilot (the story of the nuclear bombs stored in the vault of a hotel in a Latin American country). Although he rode herd on the show for several seasons, he was finally forcibly ejected from the studio. Original star of the series, Steven Hill was forced to leave the show due to matters of concience.
During season three, when the finest episodes of the series were being
produced, the top writers got into a fiery dispute with Geller and quit in the middle of the season leaving no scripts ready to be filmed. Fortunately, Paul Playdon, possibly the best writer of all to work on the series was recruited at this crucial moment and saved the show. At the end of this same third season, stars Martin Landau and Barbara Bain both quit the show. In spite of all this, the show survived and more or less maintained its quality.
One of the best things in the book is that it lists the stuntmen-doubles who appeared in the show. In the first-season episode called "The Confession", there is one of the most amazing stunts I have ever seen on television....Rollin Hand (played by Martin Landau) and bad-guy Andreas Soloweichek (David Sheiner) are hand-cuffed together and jump out of a moving vehicle. According to this book, the stunt was performed by Buzz Henry and Chuck Wilcox. It is about time these two heroes got credit for doing one of the most dangerous stunts I have ever seen...as you see them rolling around on the road, it is amazing that they didn't break every bone in their bodies and have their arms dislocated. And for all this, they weren't even mentioned in the credits! Kudos to Mr White for giving them and their colleagues their due.
Now that Mission: Impossible is being brought out in DVD, it might be time
to bring this book out as a reprint.
Mission: Impossible Review.......2002-06-19
This book is a perfect companion for any MI fan. Includes plot details and breakdowns and actor bio's and series reviews. Everything is here. Definetly worth buying and now all i want is for Paramount to release series on DVD. Life would be perfect then.
A very thorough, detailed, entertaining book!.......1999-02-10
This book is outstanding! I own 4 copies myself. If you like entertainment, or research, this is the book for you. It's full of pictures, details, information, and synopsises. I love it! A classy, intelligent book, for a classy, intelligent show!
Excellent reference book for the popular TV series.......1997-03-30
The book delivers as promised. Filled with interesting facts about the actors, plots, creators and devices of the series. Comments critically on each show. I wish there was a multimedia CD ROM available
Book Description
Todd McGowan launches a provocative exploration of weirdness and fantasy in David Lynch's groundbreaking oeuvre. He studies Lynch's talent for blending the bizarre and the normal to emphasize the odd nature of normality itself. Hollywood is often criticized for distorting reality and providing escapist fantasies, but in Lynch's movies, fantasy becomes a means through which the viewer is encouraged to build a revolutionary relationship with the world.
Considering the filmmaker's entire career, McGowan examines Lynch's play with fantasy and traces the political, cultural, and existential impact of his unique style. Each chapter discusses the idea of impossibility in one of Lynch's films, including the critically acclaimed Blue Velvet and The Elephant Man; the densely plotted Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive; the cult favorite Eraserhead; and the commercially unsuccessful Dune. McGowan engages with theorists from the "golden age" of film studies (Christian Metz, Laura Mulvey, and Jean-Louis Baudry) and with the thought of Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan, and Hegel. By using Lynch's weirdness as a point of departure, McGowan adds a new dimension to the field of auteur studies and reveals Lynch to be the source of a new and radical conception of fantasy.
Customer Reviews:
An outstanding example of Lacanian analysis.......2007-09-26
I'd like to offer a different perspective on McGowan's book from the previous reviews. I can completely understand seeing this book as difficult and obscure without the necessary background in Lacan. In that sense, it's not really something I'd recommend for Lynch fan wanting some analysis. Lacan's thought is notoriously complex and a reader unfamiliar with the discourse cannot be expected to comprehend the intricacies of McGowan's psychoanalytic analyses. Additionally, the terminology used will be a major stumbling block.
However, for those who are familiar with Lacanian film theory, this book is a dramatic step forward in remarkable cogency and clarity. I've read a number of essays and studies on Lynch using Lacanian theory such as Slavoj Zizek's "Art of the Ridiculous Sublime" - a much more difficult and unrewarding book. While Zizek presents some great ideas, his style can be difficult and less direct that one would hope.
Fortunately, McGowan is a very clear writer seeking to communicate difficult concepts in language that is as simple as possible without sacrificing specificity. I've been studying Lacan and psychoanalytic film theory for about a year now (not all that long) and I was able to read through this without too much trouble. A basic orientation in Lacanian discourse and a review of some secondary sources should be sufficient for understanding and enjoying "The Impossible David Lynch".
I'd also like to recommend two other secondary sources on Lacan for those wanting an inroad to his concepts and terminology. First, Bruce Fink's excellent "The Lacanian Subject" is a great place to start. You'll find excellent explanations that develop over the course of the book leaving you with a solid foundation. Second, "An Introductory Dictionary Of Lacanian Psychoanalysis" is a handy, well written resource for both discovering new terms and for reminding oneself of familiar terms.
Overall, I found McGowan extremely knowledgeable about both Lynch and Lacan. His analyses are illuminating and fresh. If you're a casual reader, this will be a difficult book to start with and I would recommend Michel Chion's "David Lynch" instead. However, if you're comfortable in the field of psychoanalytic film theory, I highly recommend this book as an outstanding example of what Lacanian analysis can do.
Excellent.......2007-09-08
As Farscape1477 points out, the book is not easily accessible and makes liberal use of the terminology of psychoanalysis. It practically presupposes a knowledge of the vocabulary of Lacan and Freud. But I stuck with it because I enjoy reading someone else's descriptions of Lynch's films. Eventually I felt more comfortable with the terminology. My eyes still glaze over from time to time as I read (I'm on the last chapter now), but I've still found it to be a very satisfying book. Plus, now I'm interested in this Lacan guy and learning more about his philosophy.
Another thing I'd point out is that it's hard to decide if Lynch meant his films to be the way they are for the reason the author describes, or if they're just that way because Lynch is subconsciously guided by this psychology, or what. Because sometimes the book makes so much sense I almost feel like Lynch might have been thinking these things when he wrote the film. Other times I swing the other way and think it must be coincidental, or the author is stretching. In the end it gives you a lot to think about, and that's what's so good about Lynch films in the first place.
I recommend this book to any Lynch fan. It's a shame Inland Empire isn't covered in the book. I'd love to see McGowan break that one down. Maybe he'll release an updated edition.
A Different Take on Lynch.......2007-04-29
I'm only half way through this book, but so far I have mixed feelings.
The author's stance is to look at Lynch's films as a blend of fantasy and desire. However, he never expresses what his definitions of these terms is. The words fantasy and desire take on new meaning in the context of this book.
As a result, I've found this book to be a very difficult read. Much of the psychoanalysis is in terms of Lacanian Theory, which I know absolutely nothing about. And the author's writing style is not particularly accessible.
However, I still recommend this book for true Lynch fans. Once I attain a better grasp of the author's point of view, I imagine that I will enjoy the book even more.
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Impossible to Forget: The Nazi Camps Fifty Years After (Art Catalogue)
Pierre Borhan , and
Clement Cheroux
Manufacturer: Nazraeli Pr
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Machining Impossible Shapes (IFIP International Federation for Information Processing)
Manufacturer: Springer
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ASIN: 0412846802 |
Book Description
This book provides a comprehensive treatment of the subject of sculptured surface machining in terms of user needs, CAM software solutions and theoretical research results and issues. State-of-the-art capabilities of the best commercial CAM systems are compared to user needs, and advanced academic research is presented.
Among the topics covered are the following:
- Generative NC for dies and molds;
- 5-axis machining of impellers;
- Cutting simulation and NC verification;
- Virtual machining;
- CAPP for die and mold machining;
- NURBS-based CNC interpolators
.
It contains the proceedings of the International Conference on Sculptured Surface Machining: Machining Impossible Shapes (SMM'98), sponsored by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) and held at the Chrysler Technology Center, Michigan, USA, in November 1998. This book is essential reading for researchers and practitioners in computer science, technical managers and software specialists.
Product Description
A new, authoritative monograph on a never before covered subject: Atelier Fauré is the last Art Deco studio of note to receive the attention it deserves.This new book by Cork Marcheschi is notable for a number of reasons: The author s refreshing style of writing which reveals his own passion for the subject. A narrative and personal style which will involve the reader in the fascinating story of a studio which has been parked on the sidelines for too long. Beautiful, in depth photographic coverage of the stars of the piece: the bold and fearless enamel vases which were the most important output of the studio. Facts and figures which are of great value to the history of 20th century art and to the collector. Details of enameling techniques which have been buried along with the masters who developed and practiced them.
Customer Reviews:
Camille Faure.......2007-10-07
What a fantastic resource and a pure delight in its designs, colours and techniques. One could prattle on forever.
Keeping it short & sweet, the book is fabulous. The author & photographer did the ultimate honour to Camille Faure, the known members of the studio and all the unknown artists. Obviously this art does truely honour the French saying "Be original & be different". Fantastic!
Book Description
They defy the rules of space, but captivate the mind. Most of these visions can't exist in the real world--only here, where artists play with perspective in the most remarkable ways. "An Impossible Staircase" goes up and down endlessly, with no highest or lowest step. How is that possible? And take a look at a very unique elephant: would it have trouble walking on its unusually-constructed legs? From the strangely three twisted rings in "Cosmic Wheels" to a meandering Celtic knit that you can try to untie, all the images are mind-boggling.
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- wonderful, passionately and intelligently compiled collection
- This book honestly deserves way more than 5 stars!!!
- Indeed, "Realizing The Impossible" is a particularly important and timely addition
- From avant-garde to artistic insurrection
|
Realizing the Impossible: Art Against Authority
Manufacturer: AK Press
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Anarchy and Art: From the Paris Commune to the Fall of the Berlin Wall
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Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex
ASIN: 1904859321 |
Book Description
Protestors, rows of riot cops, tear gas lobbed into crowds-these are the images that easily flood into the mind when one thinks about a gathering to protest the IMF, the WTO, a meeting of the G8, or the war on Iraq. The movement against corporate globalization has brought anti-authoritarian politics into the forefront of world consciousness, but what do we know-and what have we seen, really-of the cultural and aesthetic sides of these and other rebellions against the status quo? To date, precious little has been written by anarchists and anti-authoritarians about the role of art and culture in society, and in revolutionary movements like these.
Realizing the Impossible is an inclusive and sprawling collection of art and writings that addresses this gap in our understanding of revolutionary movements. Do-it--yourself printmaking, Zapatista video, street art in Argentina's popular uprisings, radical puppetry, the monuments to Haymarket martyrs, turn-of-the-century Australian Industrial Workers of the World printmakers, illustrator Clifford Harper, and wobbly poet Carlos Cortez are just a few themes in this collection that bridges time and geographical and cultural boundaries.
Customer Reviews:
wonderful, passionately and intelligently compiled collection.......2007-08-02
Realizing the Impossible is a wonderful, passionately and intelligently compiled collection of art and writing with strong political messages. An anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist persuasion carries from cover to cover and is expressed throughout. Through their work, the featured artists reveal messages and statements and resistance to globalization, state authority and oppression. Interwoven into their social critiques is a common belief that a new world is necessary.
The collection contains three sections: "In Print," "Moving Images and Interventions" and "Theories." Within each of these sections are essays, interviews and art that focus on specific events and people ranging from the Haymarket Riot, radical puppetry, queer art and the politics of space and land reclamation.
The reader is taken all over the world and to generations past as Realizing the Impossible brilliantly educates about global resistance to the rise of corporate power. After reading this book, it's obvious that movements of resistance cross boundaries, cultures, time, and are expressed in many ingenious ways. Prints, photographs, street art, paintings and more go hand in the hand with the text and together they provide powerful statements. The art is beautiful, the writings are poignant and the reader is left with a perfect opportunity to reconsider and evaluate the world context in which we live, and the history behind the radical movements against traditionally dominant world powers.
This book honestly deserves way more than 5 stars!!!.......2007-06-18
Beautifully illustrated, "Realizing the Impossible" is a fascinating collection of interviews, essays, and artwork celebrating the politics and aesthetics of anti-authoritarian visual arts. From stencil art in Argentina to The Bread and Puppet Theater in Vermont to radical video collectives in the US and Mexico, "Realizing the Impossible" documents the creative genius of a broad range of cultural workers utilizing art as an instrument of social change. Among the numerous interviews, I especially enjoyed the ones with the illustrator Clifford Harper and the painter Gee Vaucher, a member of the legendary British anarcho-punk band Crass. Reading this incredible anthology is truly inspirational. It will challenge the way you perceive public space and encourage you to incorporate beauty into your everyday activism. It will also remind you of the enormous power of art to transform human consciousness in a way that political slogans seldom can. By liberating our imaginations and providing visions of a better world, anti-authoritarian artists play a vital role in our movements for peace and social justice. Thank you AK Press for what might easily be your best book yet!
Indeed, "Realizing The Impossible" is a particularly important and timely addition .......2007-06-09
Compiled, organized, and co-edited by artist, writer, curator, and activist Josh MacPhee in cooperation with Erik Reuland (sometime editor of the radical political and art zine 'Trouble in Mind'), "Realizing The Impossible: Art Against Authority" is an anthology of commentaries on the relationship of aesthetics and politics in anti-authoritarian social movements which today are principle focused on opposing corporate globalization and its authoritarian governmental enablers. Profusely illustrated throughout with black-and-white images, "Realizing The Impossible" is arranged into the major sectional themes of 'Print'; 'Moving Images and Interventions'; and 'Theories'. This compendium of articles, essays, and writings is especially recommended reading for anarchists, political activists, political science students, and counter-culture enthusiasts. Indeed, "Realizing The Impossible" is a particularly important and timely addition to academic and community library Political Science reference collections.
From avant-garde to artistic insurrection.......2007-03-12
On receiving Realizing the Impossible, I was immediately reminded of Walter Benjamin's 'The Author as Producer'. Taking consideration of art, literature and print newspaper, Benjamin contends that a revolution occurs in such mediums only when there is a reformulation in both form and content. This reformulation Realizing the Impossible accomplishes to an outstanding degree. The eye looking over its pages is confronted not only with a distinctly anarchist analysis of art-something not achieved in a systematic way since Herbert Read's work on poetry and children's drawings-but also with a wholly 'anarchic' design. Text and image merge and collide with the promise of insurrectionary potentialities. Footnotes jut from left and right; things are not where they are 'expected' to be. Chapters blur and speak to each other. Headings slope, text moves vertically. Realizing the Impossible is indeed a wonderfully designed book, fully practicing the ideals of anarchy.
Apart from an excellent design, Realizing the Impossible undoubtedly provides a challenging, inspiring, and well-needed account of art's relationship to anarchism. The long history of this relationship is one of the most interesting aspects of the book. This is so, for much of this history is unknown or even forgotten. For those who seek an understanding of the history of anarchist art, Realizing the Impossible provides an excellent overview, with more specific discussions of indivdual artists: Clifford Harper, Flavio Constantini.
Contemporary anarchist art movements are a feature of the second section of the book, covering topics such as anarchist film interventions in Scandinavia, print art in Indonesia, and puppet-making across Europe and North America. These sections prove illuminating because of the countless interviews with people actually involved in these art movements. Indeed, all of the books published by AK Press demonstrate a willingness to let actual people speak, as opposed to academics cloistered away in the realm of 'pure' theory.
Theory is though not lacking from Realising the Impossible, but it is accessible without being condescending. David Graeber's article on the 'twilight of Vanguardism' is a definite highlight. These chapters do indeed proffer the lineaments of new theories of anarchist art.
In all, Realizing the Impossible is a marvellous work that opens up the possibility of conceiving of an art that both opposes authority but also the elitist authority of art as a distinct sphere. This text contributes to realizing the potential that had always been contained, but is so often repressed, within art: the perception of a different world opened onto the promise of a total revaluation of existence.
Books:
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- Hope Rising: Stories from the Ranch of Rescued Dreams
- Hotel Paradise (Random House Large Print)
- It's not fair, Jeremy Spencer's parents let him stay up all night!: A Guide to the Tougher Parts of Parenting
Books Index
Books Home
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