Wednesday, August 22, 2007

an introduction...


Creating a blog can be an interesting exercise; you begin to learn a lot about yourself. After all it is your own personal vision (right?). I thought about the form I wanted this venue to take and what I hoped to achieve from it, and I realized that a series of abbreviated daily posts on my "thoughts of the day", or an analysis of trends was probably not the kind of contribution I was willing to make to the cultural landscape that is cyber-land.

Instead I wanted to take time to craft the sort of site that integrates all my interests and provides a venue for sharing information with like-minded individuals. Thus this blog’s objective will be to explore through writing and imagery, fusions between art, design, architecture, fashion and other creative disciplines that touch on economics, societal issues, history and culture. It reflects the idea that nothing exits within a bubble, but is a product of cross-cultural encounters that produce unique products, places and individuals.

In the upcoming months the posts on this blog will take the form of written pieces which explore people, places, and movements that touch on many of the above themes. As a complement to the text there will also be illustrations composed of collages taken from familiar and exotic imagery found on the web and in print. With environmental pollution being at the forefront of so many discussions, I began to think about visual pollution and all the images that we are confronted with on a daily basis. I also wondered about the glut of imagery littered throughout cyber space and how it could be recycled into something new. We attach so much meaning to the images we see, so what happens when someone repackages them and presents them in a different manor? This "visual recycling" would be in keeping with the site’s intent to present familiar topics from a different vantage point.

The first of the series will explore the confluence of Near Eastern (read Middle East) and Western cultures through art, music, architecture, fashion, and other design disciplines. Going off the beaten path can sometimes produce the most compelling stories and turn our attention to things we may not otherwise notice or knew existed. Thus I felt this was a topic worthy of exploration, when one considers the tensions mounting in the world over religious, cultural and political beliefs.

So what happens when these cultures come together out of necessity (or by chance encounter) and what do they produce when viewed through the prism of art and design? Hopefully those questions can be answered or at least generate some sort of discussion.

This site is ultimately a work in progress that will evolve in the coming months as it starts to take shape, and hopefully contribute in some small way towards the debate on cultural literacy.

All the Best,
The Polyglot
© THE POLYGLOT (all rights reserved) CHICAGO-PARIS

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am visiting you from On the Runway...since I too have a blog, www.trendbites.com, I wanted to visit yours and begin subscribing. I am sure it will be very interesting. Thanks for letting us know about it and I'm looking very forward to having you in my rss feed. Good luck

Regards,
Kim

Anonymous said...

I, too, am here from OTR where I have enjoyed your thoughtful and thought provoking posts. Best of luck to you. Laurel

Anonymous said...

Alex A,

I love the blog already,the banner alone promises so much of the things to come.Most enjoyable reading your comments OTR,you are probably one of the favorites who others respond to,I am glad you have taken up an own blog!Bon Chance!

An Admirer

Anonymous said...

It took a few people to figure it out.ALEX A. AND AUTRE ARE THE ONE AND SAME PERSON.HAHAHAHAHA!IT'S BEEN REVIELED,IT'S OUT!

Anonymous said...

Dear Alex,

I didn't know we were the same person (the anonymous person doesn't seem very smart). But all the best to your blog, Alex. I will definitely check it out on a regular basis.

Autre-Marko

The Spicers said...

Looking forward to reading this.

Anonymous said...

Alex! Will you be attending fashion week? Let me know, please.

Anonymous said...

Hi Autre,

I most likely will not be attending fashion week. I'm not in the fashion business, I'm an architect. But it will be interesting to hear your views if you are going.

All the Best, Alex A.

Anonymous said...

Hi Alex.!

I'm not attending either, so I was wondering. I too am an outsider. So we're in this together. By the way, thanks for your kind response. All the best, can't wait for a new entry. And it's true - you do find out a lot about yourself! For instance: I found out that I try too hard to establish dialogue with those who don't want to establish it with me.

Have you seen the Renzo Piano website? I bet you have. Do you have a favourite project of his? My dad (who's an engineer, steel structure designer) loves the New Caledonia center, I still have to decide (Sarajevo is close, so I wonder how the museum will turn out.)

Love ya,

Anonymous said...

Autre,

Piano is currently building the extension to the Art Institute Museum here in Chicago, and it should be amazing once it’s completed. I didn’t realize he has a project in Sarajevo. It’s a beautiful city with so many layers of history.

On a side note: Don’t take the comments on OTR too much to heart. You learn very quickly in architecture to approach criticism as an opportunity to learn and grow. I try to keep in mind that the internet is a strange place, where the nuances of language are some times lost within the typing. What we interpret as harsh may be a well-meaning attempt at advice. That’s how I take people’s comments. So don’t let that deter you from posting, I don’t think that was Ms. Horyn’s intent when she posted your piece.

All the Best,
Alex A.

Anonymous said...

Alex,

It didn't deter me. What really scared me was the emails I got (I did have a hard time sleeping due to one in particular) - now I just delete all of them. That's all. And, thank you, you were one of the few that really touched on the content, not how it is written. That was my sole intention. And that is true criticism.

Anyway, I'll post something on monday. You'll see.

Have a lovely weekend,

Marko

Anonymous said...

Thanks Autre,

Looking forward to your post!

Alex A.