BY JOSHUA MAX FELDMAN The act of naming is a primary human activity. In the first moments of Genesis, God creates, and Adam names: the beasts of the field and the birds of the air, “and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.” Even before the appearance of Eve, before humanity
On Thursday, February 25, LABAlive will present an evening of fiction, presentations, and subversive teachings exploring our relationship with beauty. The evening will feature teachings by Ruby Namdar and work by fellows Gon Ben Ari, Jessica Gross, and Gal Beckerman, who will present “Photographing Ugly,” an exploration of the New York Photo League’s work. Beckerman talks about his project and the inspiration he found in
On Thursday, February 25, LABAlive will present an evening of fiction, presentations, and subversive teachings exploring our relationship with beauty. The evening will feature teachings by Ruby Namdar and work by fellows Gal Beckerman, Gon Ben Ari, and Jessica Gross, who will read a new short story, “Black Box.” Gross talks about her new work and the inspiration she found in our house
BY JESSICA GROSS Looking for a new dose of beauty musings? You’ve come to the right place. Over at The New Republic’s Intersection podcast, hosted by Jamil Smith, a recent episode on body image features discussions with writer Lindy West, editor Isaac Fitzgerald, trainer Andia Winslow, and blogger Erika Nicole Kendall. In an On Being interview with artist Ann Hamilton,
BY REBECCA MARGOLICK AND MAXX BERKOWITZ We were moved by the text we discussed at our LABA session last week, which told the story of Rabbi Ishmael’s children, enslaved for their extraordinary beauty. The story paints a dark image of the deeply seeded extreme voyeurism ingrained in humanity. Beauty drives us to great evil, jealousy and
BY JESSICA GROSS This week’s links and quotes complicate the idealization and idolization of beauty. The writers below valorize not the power of beauty, but the power of putting it in its place. (Except for that last quote, which plays with beauty’s more dangerous powers.) In an essay on Flavorwire, writer (and LABA alum) Sarah Marian Seltzer
DRINK. DRINK. DRUNK. Kicking off the 2016 LABAlive season is DRUNK 2016: an evening filled with wine tastings and ancient Hebrew texts to match. On Thursday January 21st, artists, educators and the community will all join in at the Theater at the 14th Street Y. Throughout the night, the current roster of artist LABA Fellows will explore altered states, intoxication,
BY JESSICA GROSS Once again, I can’t escape beauty: it seems to be eyeing me from everything I read and see, peeking out from nooks and crannies or smacking me right in the face. (And thank God.) Below, some of the best quotes and links on beauty I’ve come across in the past few weeks, from works
BY JESSICA GROSS Short Fiction She wore her beauty like a shawl. It was not only protective, but extrinsic to her, inconstant. Certain days, she could feel its tight hug: she walked the streets powerfully, strutting as if she were in a music video. Other days, she was naked. To walk the streets in this
BY GAL BECKERMAN I don’t have a son and so I feel spared King David’s lament for Absalom, calling out the name of his dead child not only because of the loss — though this would be enough — but because, with Absalom’s death, the purest projection of himself has been erased from the world. This came