I always voted to add my voice, however small, to those caring to preserve the values of the country that saved my life even before I was born, as stated in the first sentence of my recently published memoir (The Speed of Dark ): One of the most important and life-saving events of my existence [...]
The other day a friend of mine said that Daniel Dennet, a philosopher, considered language the primary difference between humans and animals. Although I had not read anything by Dennet, I strongly objected to this simplified view. My problem was that lots of animals have their own language: birds sing, whales make diverse sounds, bees [...]
Imagine, the World Bank is exhibiting my collection of Inuit sculptures for a month! What a great satisfaction to see my hobby – collecting Inuit art, a labor of love – become a worthy contribution. I’m confident that those witnessing the exhibit will appreciate the skill of the artists and sheer beauty of the sculptures as well as learn about the fascinating Inuit culture in the Arctic. I hope that this exhibit helps these important Inuit artists, virtually unknown to most scholars and lovers of art, become more widely recognized, as they deserve to be, and that the artists (often known by a single name) represented in the exhibit – Osuitok, Tiktak, Davidialuk, Pangnark, Ruben, Nasogaluak, Anghik, Iksitaaryuk, Ennutsiak, Qiyuk, Equalla, Isaaci, Kellipalik, Kiawak, Qiatsuq, Talirunili, Ugyuk, Judas, Sallualu, Latcholassie and Oviloo – become familiar and join the ranks of other famous artists throughout the world.
No matter how well researched, a movie or book is a story with an autonomous existence and cannot resurrect the layered complexities and conflicts of a human being. The private, inner life makes me wonder to what extent our personal identity reflects our ultimate legacy: who or what determines who we are?
I started writing my memoir, The Speed of Dark, as a series or personal essays in the literary journal Lived Experience published in British Columbia. Over nine years it crystallized into a book released this week by Adelaide Books. With the writing behind me, I reflect on the journey that became my memoir. After 50 [...]
Michael Hall, PhD, Curator of Ceramics, the Capelain Collection, and Curator of the Rothschild family collections, Exbury Estate, Hampshire, Great Britain “The psychology of collecting is a difficult subject for any author, but for one who tries to understand the problems of inheriting a collection, watching collections being formed and creating a collection of one’s [...]
