\u201cIt is possible to thwart the plans of mortal men, but never those of the gods.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013Medusa\u2019s Head<\/em> \u2013 retold by Olivia Coolidge<\/p>\n In reading Greek Mythology<\/a> of late, I\u2019m drawn to consider the human condition \u2013 as well as our hubris. According to the Greeks, both were inextricably linked to the gods. Our plans and happiness, our very existence, were completely at the mercy of the benevolence \u2013 or otherwise \u2013 of the deities who ruled. In turn, to fly in the face of those deities was to thwart your own chances, to ring down the curtain on your own story by purporting to be as elevated or even above the station of the gods. Although the Greek pantheon has diminished, these qualities remain ever present in our daily lives though the influences have new monikers.<\/p>\n Jonathan Casella<\/a> joined us to talk about his recent show,\u00a0Doublestar<\/em><\/a> at Harper\u2019s Gallery in Chelsea, NYC. To Casella, the title of the show sounds perhaps like an old sci-fi film, but it refers, quite literally, to the works, which depict images of double stars. As he developed the images for this show, they took on their own personalities as they became what almost resemble their own life forms. To hear more about the exhibition and other aspects of Casella\u2019s career, listen to the complete interview<\/a>.<\/p>\n Susan Dory discussed her recent exhibition,\u00a0Spontaneous Sights<\/em><\/a>, which ran until March 11 at Winston W\u00e4chter Fine Art. The title refers mostly to the way in which things come together in moments of clarity in the studio when an artist receives the knowledge they are going in the right direction \u2013 part of what keeps them going on the path they have chosen. Among other things, the idea of Indra\u2019s Net, which, in Eastern philosophy, is a way of describing the infinite universe. To hear more, listen to the complete interview.<\/p>\n A few words to keep in your pocket<\/p>\n It is not the gods but ourselves that stand in our way.<\/p>\n Consider your place and take care not to<\/p>\n 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Books to Read<\/p>\n What are you reading? Add your titles to our reading list here<\/a>. Susan Dory recently read\u00a0Foster<\/em><\/a> by Claire Keegan while Jonathan Casella recently began reading essays by Peter Halley<\/a>.<\/p>\n Deadlines:<\/p>\n Stochastic Labs<\/a>, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, in their own words, \u201cawards fully sponsored residencies to exceptional engineers, artists, scientists, and entrepreneurs from around the world. Residencies are of variable length and include a private apartment at the mansion, co-working and\/or dedicated work space, shop access (laser cutter, 3D printer etc), a $1k monthly stipend and a budget for materials.<\/em>\u201d For more information, visit the website<\/a>. Deadlines are rolling.<\/p>\n