It was never the book. It was always the experience.
In the exploration of space related to human experience we are best set on a path guided by questions where experience is understood in relationship. The perfect setting for teaching and exploration exist in between all things. This is where process is revealed and each of us discovers ourselves as “the designer”. I look for writing that encourages my own questions and leaves me seeing more of myself. It’s all remembering when you really investigate it.
Books that show the thing, object or space you desire only solidify the separation of you and a future that never arrives. Books that reveal where your mental depth touches physical existence leave you open, leaning you into potential new observations and expressions.
A good book should offer a directed inhale so you may exhale deeper into yourself as a creative.
Each of us has our three or more good reads. I’ve settled on these four and directed them toward those beginning the search for themselves in creative practice. They are reflective of my own personal experiences over the past 25 years as an academic and creative. I’m sure they will change over time.
The Poetics of Space - a wonderful resource for new vocabulary. Read and reread. I’ve found many treasures for explaining the unexplainable within the pages. Admittedly it took years to settle into the vernacular of language and simply sit with a page. This book will grow with you.
Donald Judd Spaces - Every creative deep enough in their practice could offer a view of what has inspired them and why they were able to receive it. This book captures what most excites me about humans and the creative endeavor. Shortly after Donal Judds’ death in the late 90s I visited Marfa TX to see a friend who was working with the Chinati Foundation. The experience was the first as a young creative to leave me with more questions than answers. It wasn’t Judd’s work, art or spaces that pulled me out of my body. It was everything in between. A spoon left on a crafted and simple kitchen table spoke more about humans in the landscape of West Texas than any poet could summon words for. Space was primary to all experience in this place.
You will find a collection of images depicting the spaces Judd lived and worked in.
Donald Judd Spaces | Judd Foundation
or (out of print)
Invisible Cities - This is what the imagination is supposed to do when not bound in fear and anxiety. I swear I forget to breathe trying to swallow ten sentences at at a time. Italo Calvino reminds us of our purpose. We are exposed to reality as it is and in this offered a chance to speak of it as high as we wish. The world becomes beautiful when we listen for it. Calvino’s ability to listen offers the writing.