You can always see the sun

I will be out at ACRE this August; I can't wait to get to finally go see the place in action!
While I'm there I will be doing a lecture/discussion type event which is not something I get the chance to do that often...

Here is the description/concept.

I will be leading a discussion that presents the idea that in order to be available to new ways of thinking/seeing the world one must let things contextually and functionally define themselves as they are. Rather than placing isolated abstract notions of perspectives upon that which is being worked, investigating an idea involves freeing oneself from an assumed reality or end-game scenario. This conversation will be about the problem of defining essential characteristics of any brand of thought - Marx’s humanity as an ‘essence’, the blunt Christian idea of ‘sin’, art approaching the ‘objective’; when definitions begin serving as proof-texts, a system’s failure is highlighted. A restrictive conception (ie. idealization) is a dangerous stance.

The discussion will serve as a beginning point to opening up ways of understanding the ignorance of the ‘other’ (prejudice, fundamentalism, naiveté, etc.) as a shortcoming of oneself as well. A self-critical look will likely reveal an undesired underbelly of one’s own beliefs: a reality where the inverse, and not the intended, is most likely plausible. What distance lies between the theoretical and the practical? Where does the individual separate from the community? The tactic involved will be to subject one’s own stance to the scrutiny placed on others: how does my own ideology perpetuate the generic trend of ignorance?

The purpose of this dialogue is not to deconstruct a value, rather, it is to illustrate the overlooked obvious – my values are supported by your values. Drawing upon ideas of Fyodor Dostoevsky, Karl Marx, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Slavoj Zizek, and others, the session will be looking at how addressing this interrelationship functions, both positively and negatively, and how the ‘problems’ created rarely deviate from the build-up of lived experience. The focus will be on the problematic nature of getting comfortable with the way something is defined or when limits are delineated systematically. The topics will be addressed from both a theological and cultural-critical standpoint.

I haven't been updating lately because of how busy school has been keeping me out here (in LA).
I'll start uploading some more but with probably less photography than I used to. I have been taking tons of photos but haven't seemed to get the time to spend with them that I'd like -

Anyways, if you'll be at ACRE I'd love to get some feedback.

If you don't know what ACRE is, here is the website: http://www.acreresidency.org/

The painting at the top is Hans Holbein and plays an interesting role in The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

Happy 4th of July!