Qualities and behaviors that inhibit entropy These retired coin-operated newspaper boxes call to mind two fundamental principals in the science of whole systems. The first is “entropy,” a term borrowed from the second law of thermodynamics in physics. It describes the process whereby matter gradually dissipates or declines into a state of disorder. Throughout the […]
A form of expression that unites persons, community, culture and cosmos Maya “Long Nose” dance. Dressed as the long-nosed Ek Chuah, God of merchants and patron of cacao, the dancer acts out the impregnation of Lady Xquic, daughter of a Xibalba (underworld) lord. The man on the left beats a drum. Ek Chuah has a […]
Aesthetically considered, unity is the arrangement or blending of visual elements in a way that’s pleasing. When it works, there’s a feeling of completeness, order, and wholeness. Not one element is out of place or distracting the eye from the central message, feeling or theme. I’m reminded of Italian filmmaker Federico Fellini’s comment to an […]
Our reality is shaped by how we spend it Fundamentally, the job of the film and television director is “attention management,” capturing and holding the viewer’s attention and moving it from place to place within and between scenes. In ancient cultures, chiefs, rulers and landlords played that role, sending out “criers” who went around shouting […]
Between here and the volcano, in the middle of Lake Atitlan, there is a submerged Maya ruin the size of a small city. One of the many docking areas in Lake Atitlan. Hand-made conoes lining the bank at Lake Atitlan. Laundry day at Lake Atitlan—probably every day for many women. This farmer terraced his hill in order […]
Contemplative Photography 