Yesterday we did a day trip to SOBO (South Bombay) to select books for SEA Library. We browsed about 500 books to select relevant stuff for the library. Amongst these were authors that we know, dont know, have met, despise, abhor. What caught my attention was two of them - one, a book by my advisor, Eeva Liisa Pelkonen - "Achtung Architecture" which she wrote as a part of her MED Thesis in 1994 at Yale. I never imagined it would be easy to find her book, like many others, in India, more specifically in a book store in Mumbai! The appearance of people whom you know in unforeseen places brings unique pleasure, memories and delight.
Another one was an essay by Keller Easterling, one of my professors again, at Yale in a book completely unimagined! While Keller is quite famous, and notable, I always find her writing intriguing, for she has the capacity to comment on any subject so cleverly. Sometimes I feel I must write to them, for we were so closely interacting with them at Yale all the time. I don't think I necessarily valued these academics as much when we were there. Perhaps personhood is much less glamorous than ideas. Ideas are larger than life, they live longer, and have a greater impact. When these ideas are emitted by their creators themselves in person, they somehow don't sound as fantastic! I am not beginning to thing if it is the human agency that grounds these ideas? These ideas - referring us to the "ideal" perhaps become human in the words of their creators. It's interesting to think of our impressions about ideas and people through each other! The producers of ideas seem larger than themselves when seen through their ideas (ofcourse those whom we eulogize). Ideas seem so small when them come from their own producers.
In either case, ideas seem to lie outside the human, just using people as an agency to formulate themselves.
After browsing so many books, I was almost fatigued. There was a point after which my brain couldn't process anything! Yet, it is wonderful to be surrounded by books. I enjoy the way in which they are put together, and interact with the human body in their physicality.
Another one was an essay by Keller Easterling, one of my professors again, at Yale in a book completely unimagined! While Keller is quite famous, and notable, I always find her writing intriguing, for she has the capacity to comment on any subject so cleverly. Sometimes I feel I must write to them, for we were so closely interacting with them at Yale all the time. I don't think I necessarily valued these academics as much when we were there. Perhaps personhood is much less glamorous than ideas. Ideas are larger than life, they live longer, and have a greater impact. When these ideas are emitted by their creators themselves in person, they somehow don't sound as fantastic! I am not beginning to thing if it is the human agency that grounds these ideas? These ideas - referring us to the "ideal" perhaps become human in the words of their creators. It's interesting to think of our impressions about ideas and people through each other! The producers of ideas seem larger than themselves when seen through their ideas (ofcourse those whom we eulogize). Ideas seem so small when them come from their own producers.
In either case, ideas seem to lie outside the human, just using people as an agency to formulate themselves.
After browsing so many books, I was almost fatigued. There was a point after which my brain couldn't process anything! Yet, it is wonderful to be surrounded by books. I enjoy the way in which they are put together, and interact with the human body in their physicality.
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