With impressively clear prose, Lehrer explores the oft-overlooked places in literary history where novelists, poets and the occasional cookbook writer predicted scientific breakthroughs with their artistic insights. The 25-year-old Columbia graduate draws from his diverse background in lab work, science writing and fine cuisine to explain how Cézanne anticipated breakthroughs in the understanding of human sight, how Walt Whitman intuited the biological basis of thoughts and, in the title essay, how Proust penetrated the mysteries of memory by immersing himself in childhood recollections. Lehrer's writing peaks in the essay about Auguste Escoffier, the chef who essentially invented modern French cooking. The author's obvious zeal for the subject of food preparation leads him into enjoyable discussions of the creation of MSG and the decidedly unappetizing history of 18th- and 19th-century culinary arts. Occasionally, the science prose risks becoming exceedingly dry (as in the enthusiastic section detailing the work of Lehrer's former employer, neuroscientist Kausik Si), but the hard science is usually tempered by Lehrer's deft way with anecdote and example. Most importantly, this collection comes close to exemplifying Lehrer's stated goal of creating a unified third culture in which science and literature can co-exist as peaceful, complementary equals.
What does it mean to hear music in colors, to taste voices, to see each letter of the alphabet as a different color? These uncommon sensory experiences are examples of synesthesia, when two or more senses cooperate in perception. Once dismissed as imagination or delusion, metaphor or drug-induced hallucination, the experience of synesthesia has now been documented by scans of synesthetes' brains that show "crosstalk" between areas of the brain that do not normally communicate. In The Hidden Sense, Cretien van Campen explores synesthesia from both artistic and scientific perspectives, looking at accounts of individual experiences, examples of synesthesia in visual art, music, and literature, and recent neurological research.
Van Campen reports that some studies define synesthesia as a brain impairment, a short circuit between two different areas. But synesthetes cannot imagine perceiving in any other way; many claim that synesthesia helps them in daily life. Van Campen investigates just what the function of synesthesia might be and what it might tell us about our own sensory perceptions. He examines the experiences of individual synesthetes--from Patrick, who sees music as images and finds the most beautiful ones spring from the music of Prince, to the schoolgirl Sylvia, who is surprised to learn that not everyone sees the alphabet in colors as she does. And he finds suggestions of synesthesia in the work of Scriabin, Van Gogh, Kandinsky, Nabokov, Poe, and Baudelaire.
What is synesthesia? It is not, van Campen concludes, an audiovisual performance, a literary technique, an artistic trend, or a metaphor. It is, perhaps, our hidden sense--a way to think visually; a key to our own sensitivity.
Virginia Postrel talks with Gary Hustwit — director of Helvetica — about filmmaking, creativity, and the expressive implications of one of the world's most popular typefaces
See also, from the archives:
In 1995 Microsoft released the font Comic Sans originally designed for comic book style talk bubbles containing informational help text. Since that time the typeface has been used in countless contexts from restaurant signage to college exams to medical information. These widespread abuses of printed type threaten to erode the very foundations upon which centuries of typographic history are built.
While we recognize the font may be appropriate in a few specific instances, our position is that the only effective means of ending this epidemic of abuse is to completely ban Comic Sans.
Typography is not simply a frou-frou debate over aesthetics orchestrated by a hidden coterie of graphic-design nerds. You need only imagine a STOP sign that utilizes the heavy-metal typefaces favoured by bands Dokken or Krokus to realize that clear, clean and direct typography can save lives, or at the very least prevent drivers from prolonged bouts of confused squinting.
Why should you care?
Because everything you read, every sign, book and logo, is in a font.
And don't forget:
The reality is that, despite fears that our children are "pumped full of chemicals," everything is made of chemicals, including Helvetica, and even Comic Sans.
Most of the blame for the obesity epidemic in America rests squarely on the fat font face of Comic Sans.
Though it appears Kim Deal isn't keen on a new Pixies LP, fans of her melodious songcraft and cherubic rasp can rest assured; the Breeders' forthcoming LP, entitled Mountain Battles, will arrive stateside April 8 via 4AD. The record, the follow up to 2002's Title TK, was predominantly recorded with Steve Albini at Chicago's Electrical Audio studio with longtime members Mando Lopez (bass), Jose Medeles (drums), and sister Kelley Deal (guitar/vocals).
Discussing the record with VenusZine, Kim Deal said, "the songs are just songs. But for instance, one song Kelley and I did live. She played stand-up bass and I played acoustic guitar while we sang." She added: "Steve Albini taped it live like that. Yet another song has Kelley playing bass and Mando playing rhythm guitar. I'm playing the lead and Kelley and I are singing throughout. One song has Mando playing a lead guitar, which Albini then backward masked. One song has three, count 'em, three basses on it."
Since the release of "Title TK" back in 2002, Kim Deal has been part of one of the most highly successful and warmly received music reunions of all time, getting back together with the rest of The Pixies for a series of exhilarating live shows in 2004 and 2005. After that, Kim headed back to Dayton, Ohio to start writing a new record.
Mountain Battles is the result. It's an album which captures all the bittersweet electricity of classic Breeders records like Pod and Last Splash, and which breaks new ground at the same time; classic-sounding, yet as relevant and exciting as ever.
The Breeders will be playing live all over the world in 2008. Their schedule includes performances at Canadian Music Week and SxSW, plus full tours in the USA and in Europe. The Breeders are also set to play a UK tour in April to mark the release of the album.
These wonderful images were selected from the MRS "Science as Art" competition held at the 2005, 2006 and 2007 MRS Spring Meetings. You may download these, courtesy of MRS, to use as computer desktop images, or for a slide-show screen saver.
We selected fifteen entries to be in the exhibition, with seven alternates (in case print versions of the original selections could not be obtained). Many images were highly rated by the selection panel; we present the top forty-nine here. We invite you to view all the entries that were entered into the contest.
The subtitle for Marjane Satrapi's highly personal animated film "Persepolis" might as well be "Iranians: They're Just Like Us." They lose their keys, dance to "Eye of the Tiger," endure rocky relationships.
Satrapi, an Iranian who now lives in France, said her mission was to share with Westerners her stories of how life was lived during the Islamic revolution, and what went on just out of sight of the "guardians," police enforcers of religious principles.
The film, largely in black and white, is based on Satrapi's two graphic novels of the same name. Co-written and co-directed by Vincent Parronaud, it features Chiara Matroianni as the voice of Marjane, Catherine Deneuve as her mother, and Danielle Darrieux as her dynamic grandmother.
Satrapi, dressed in flowing black, stabbed her lit cigarette in the air to emphasize points as she talked about the movie in a recent interview with The Associated Press.
Bear in mind:
PARIS, FRANCE -- A ban on smoking in hotels, bars, restaurants and cafes went into effect at the start of the new year on Tuesday. Smoking was already banned in offices, schools, airports, hospitals, train stations and other public places. Health Minister Roselyn Bachelot has repeatedly warned that the cafe ban will be strictly enforced.
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's The LivesofOthers, now available on DVD, is the best feature film debut by a director since Orson Welles's Citizen Kane.
