Unfinished Ode to Mud


Book Description




The Viscous


Book Description

Slime, goo, gunge, gloop, gels, sols, globules, jellies, emulsions, greases, soaps, syrups, glues, lubricants, liquid crystals, moulds, plasmas, and protoplasms - the viscous is not one thing, but rather a quality of resistance and flow, of stickiness and slipperiness. It is a state of matter that oozes into the gaps of our everyday existence, across age groups, between cultures and disciplines.Since the large-scale extraction of petroleum in the 19th century, the viscous has witnessed a proliferation in the variety of its forms. Mechanized industry required lubricants and oil distillation produced waste products that were refined to form Vaseline. From this age, new viscous forms and technologies emerged: products from plastic (and plastic explosives) to cosmetics, glycerine, asphalt, sexual lubrication, hydro- and aero-gels, and even anti-climb paint.Based on unique and wide-ranging research, The Viscous is the first major investigation of encounters with and possibilities of the viscous over the course of the last century, not simply as a material state, but also as an imaginative event. We enter into a story of matter at its most wayward, deviant, hesitant, and resistant.From asphalt lakes to industrial molasses tanks, from liquid crystals squirming in our screens to milk fetishes, The Viscous discloses gooeyness as a peculiarly modern phase of matter. "Everything oozes," as Beckett's Estragon famously proclaims in Waiting for Godot. Viscous dynamics are exposed as not only hugely various in a post-industrial age, but particularly useful ways of thinking, feeling, writing, and making in a time of ecological anxiety. Freddie Mason is a writer, researcher, and filmmaker living in London. He received his doctorate from the Royal College of art in 2019, on the history and futures of semi-states. Before The Viscous, he published Ada Kaleh (Little Island Press, 2016).




By Way of Obstacles


Book Description

In By Way of Obstacles, Emmanuel Falque revisits the major themes of his work—finitude, the body, and the call for philosophers and theologians to “cross the Rubicon” by entering into dialogue—in light of objections that have been offered. In so doing, he offers a pathway through a work that will offer valuable insights both to newcomers to his thought and to those who are already familiar with it. For it is only after one has carved out one’s pathway that one may see more clearly where one has been and where one might be going. Here readers will discover the profound relation between Falque’s emphasis on the human experience of the world and his desire for philosophy and Christian theology to enter into conversation. For only by speaking within the human horizon of finitude can Christianity be credible for human beings, and it is because Christian theology teaches that God entered into our finitude that it can also teach us something of what it is to be human. Contemporary phenomenology, Falque warns, over-privileges an encounter with the infinite that cannot be originary. Calling us back to finitude, he calls us to a deeper understanding of our humanity.




The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories


Book Description

Welcome to the thought-provoking realm of H. G. Wells' *The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories*, where imagination meets incisive social commentary and the boundaries of reality blur with fantasy. As you embark on this literary journey, prepare to be captivated by the visionary narratives that have defined the genre of science fiction. Delve into the titular story, *The Country of the Blind*, where a sighted man finds himself in a secluded valley inhabited by the blind. Explore the profound themes of perception, adaptation, and the often arbitrary nature of normalcy as Wells challenges our understanding of reality. Witness how this tale weaves the threads of human experience into a tapestry that invites reflection on the essence of humanity. Wells’ masterful storytelling traverses a range of captivating themes, including societal evolution, the interplay of science and morality, and the consequences of technological advancement. Through rich character development and vivid imagery, he presents a compelling critique of contemporary society that resonates with readers across generations. The overall tone of the collection is both contemplative and speculative, skillfully balancing the eerie with the enlightening. Wells’ pioneering approach has garnered critical acclaim, establishing him as a titan of science fiction whose insights remain relevant today. This collection appeals to a broad audience, from ardent science fiction fans to casual readers intrigued by moral dilemmas and the human condition. Wells' ability to intertwine fantastical elements with relatable human emotions ensures that each story leaves an indelible mark. As you immerse yourself in *The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories*, you'll discover not just engaging tales, but a profound exploration of our world and the choices we face. Wells’ unique perspective and narrative style make this collection an essential addition to the library of any literature enthusiast. In conclusion, *The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories* is more than just a collection of tales; it is a thought-provoking examination of the human experience that continues to resonate with readers today. Whether you're revisiting Wells' genius or experiencing it for the first time, prepare to be challenged and inspired by the depth and breadth of his imagination. Don't miss your chance to explore the fascinating world of H. G. Wells. Let *The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories* transport you to a landscape of thought-provoking narratives and timeless themes. Grab your copy now and join the ranks of readers captivated by Wells’ enduring literary brilliance.




Bleak Joys


Book Description

A philosophical and cultural distillation of the bleak joys in today’s ambivalent ecologies and patterns of life Bleak Joys develops an understanding of complex entities and processes—from plant roots to forests to ecological damage and its calculation—as aesthetic. It is also a book about “bad” things, such as anguish and devastation, which relate to the ecological and technical but are also constitutive of politics, the ethical, and the formation of subjects. Avidly interdisciplinary, Bleak Joys draws on scientific work in plant sciences, computing, and cybernetics, as well as mathematics, literature, and art in ways that are not merely illustrative of but foundational to our understanding of ecological aesthetics and the condition in which the posthumanities are being forged. It places the sensory world of plants next to the generalized and nonlinear infrastructure of irresolvability—the economics of indifference up against the question of how to make a home on Planet Earth in a condition of damaged ecologies. Crosscutting chapters on devastation, anguish, irresolvability, luck, plant, and home create a vivid and multifaceted approach that is as remarkable for its humor as for its scholarly complexity. Engaging with Deleuze, Guattari, and Bakhtin, among others, Bleak Joys captures the modes of crises that constitute our present ecological and political condition, and reckons with the means by which they are not simply aesthetically known but aesthetically manifest.




Shakespeare and Queer Representation


Book Description

In this engaging and accessible guidebook, Stephen Guy-Bray uses queer theory to argue that in many of Shakespeare’s works representation itself becomes queer. Shakespeare often uses representation, not just as a lens through which to tell a story, but as a textual tool in itself. Shakespeare and Queer Representation includes a thorough introduction that discusses how we can define queer representation, with each chapter developing these theories to examine works that span the entire career of Shakespeare, including his sonnets, Venus and Adonis, The Rape of Lucrece, King John, Macbeth, and Cymbeline. The book highlights the extent to which Shakespeare’s works can be seen to anticipate, and even to extend, many of the insights of the latest developments in queer theory. This thought-provoking and evocative book is an essential guide for students studying Shakespeare and Renaissance literature, gender studies, and queer literary theory.




Candeğer Furtun


Book Description

From the 1960s onwards, Candeğer Furtun has produced ceramic works informed by problematics relating to life, philosophy, history, society and politics, featuring an original approach in terms of both form and material. Published on the occasion of the artist’s first retrospective exhibition (16/09/2021–17/04/2022) held at Arter, this book provides a visual and conceptual record of Furtun’s production throughout the years, while granting visibility to the pioneering contributions she made to the art of ceramics as well as the multiple facets of her artistic practice, sustained by an unmediated relationship with the earth. Opening with a curatorial introductory text whereby Selen Ansen broaches the artist’s work under the aegis of the three-year-long preparation process of the exhibition along the concept of “bark”, the book features, in addition to an extensive conversation with the artist by Hanife Ölmez, which sheds light on the experiences that shaped both Furtun’s life and her artistic journey, a text written by Füreya Koral for Furtun in 1994, which is presented to the reader for the very first time in this publication. While a text written by author Latife Tekin specifically for this occasion is followed by an art historical exploration by Deniz Artun, ceramic artists Christie Brown, Phoebe Cummings, Sakine Çil and Yasemin Özcan also provide a written account of their “encounters” with Furtun’s work. Poet Francis Ponge’s “Unfinished Ode to Mud”, texts by Melike Abasıyanık Kurtiç, Ayda Arel, Gottfried Borrmann and Seyhun Topuz focusing on various periods and layers of Furtun’s production as well as archival photographs reflecting the artist’s educational experiences seminal in her ceramic journey, past exhibitions and production processes in her studio help further broaden the scope of this monography. Designed by Emre Çıkınoğlu, the book also features exhibition and reproduction photographs by Hadiye Cangökçe and flufoto (Barış Aras and Elif Çakırlar).




Poems on the Underground


Book Description

This wonderful new edition of Poems on the Underground is published to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Underground in 2013. Here 230 poems old and new, romantic, comic and sublime explore such diverse topics as love, London, exile, families, dreams, war, music and the seasons, and feature poets from Sappho to Carol Ann Duffy and Wendy Cope, including Chaucer and Shakespeare, Milton, Blake and Shelley, Whitman and Dickinson, Yeats and Auden, Seamus Heaney and Derek Walcott and a host of younger poets. It includes a new foreword and over two dozen poems not included in previous anthologies.




Salvinia Molesta


Book Description

Victoria Chang's collection takes its title from what many call "the worst weed in the world," a plant so rapidly and uncontrollably invasive that it is illegal to sell or possess in the United States. Chang explores this image of vitality and evil in three thematically grouped sections focusing on corporate greed, infidelity and desire, and historical atrocities, including the excesses of the Cultural Revolution in China and the massacre of Chinese people in Nanking by Japanese troops in World War II. This edgy, fierce subject matter becomes engaging and fresh as Chang applies her powers of imagination to the extraordinary lives of Madame Mao, investment banker Frank P. Quattrone, and others living at extraordinary historical moments. In "Seven Stages of Genocide," for example, the poem's speaker is herded into a death camp along with a neighbor that he strongly dislikes: "The barbed wire around us forces me / to catch his breath that smells like goose." Chang focuses her attention to occurrences in the world that many poets find too violent or disturbing to write about, thereby making her own distinctive aesthetic from that which is, like Salvinia molesta, both creepy and beautiful.




New Grounds for Dutch Landscape


Book Description

Lytle Shaw New Grounds for Dutch Landscape.