The Object Stares Back: On the Nature of Seeing – #CCF

June 18, 2015Leave a comment

Looking. We do it all the time, often without considering the fact that we are indeed looking. Just looking. Aside from the obvious inclusion of an adverb, what is the difference, if any? Implicit in both is the idea that the eyes are observing people and objects, and the brain is processing information (however trivial) about these things. James Elkins in his book titled The Object Stares Back posits that there is no substantial difference between looking and just looking. The same action is involved and the intention is often the same in both cases. We look because our interest has been piqued. But perhaps the addition of the word “just” is an indication that our interest has been piqued for a shorter time because the person or object being looked at has not kindled enough interest.

The above description is from Dominique Hunter’s guest review of The Object Stares Back: On the Nature of Seeing by James Elkins, this week’s addition to the Fresh Milk Books Tumblr – the online space inviting interaction with our collection in the Colleen Lewis Reading Room.

For new Critical. Creative. Fresh reviews, look out for our #CCF responses and see the great material we have available at Fresh Milk!

The Wretched of the Earth – #CCF

May 27, 2015June 2, 2020Leave a comment

This week Ronald Williams has written a review about Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth; a book that addresses the complex role violence plays in decolonisation. He describes Fanon’s stance on colonisation as being reversible only through extreme force. For him, it feels particularly personal given the recent surge in police brutality aimed at Black youths in the United States of America.

Read this latest addition to the Fresh Milk Books Tumblr – the online space inviting interaction with our collection in the Colleen Lewis Reading Room.

For new Critical. Creative. Fresh reviews, look out for our #CCF responses and see the great material we have available at Fresh Milk!

Walking / Writing for Rebirth – #CCF

May 18, 2015Leave a comment

This week I chose to review A Philosophy of Walking by Frederic Gros; a book drawing attention to how walking has been an integral factor in the lives of many great thinkers, and the role it plays in the creativeness of the mind. I specifically concentrated on Chapter 14: Regeneration and Presence. It focuses on the pilgrim’s long journey as he encounters various landscapes and ‘holy places’, shedding his old self and creating anew. My response to this chapter was to write it out multiple times, all the while stripping it of words each time I rewrote it. The last re-write is representative of the rebirth of the pilgrim.

The above description is from Versia Harris’ response to A Philosophy of Walking by Frederic Gros, this week’s addition to the Fresh Milk Books Tumblr – the online space inviting interaction with our collection in the Colleen Lewis Reading Room.

For new Critical. Creative. Fresh reviews, look out for our #CCF responses and see the great material we have available at Fresh Milk!

Guest #CCF Review: Purple Hibiscus

April 29, 2015May 21, 2015Leave a comment

Purple Hibiscus (2003) by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie follows the story of Kambili, a young girl growing up in a strict household dominated by her father, a wealthy Catholic in post-independent Nigeria. Kambili’s father has created an isolated environment in which she, her brother Jaja, and their mother, Mama, are to live. Controlling by fear and punishment, Papa uses the severe interpretation of the Bible and Catholicism that he received in colonial Nigeria as a way to maintain order in the compound. The novel takes place during a time in Nigeria when the country is falling into civil disorder.

The above excerpt is from our recent resident artist Jordan Clarke’s guest review of Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, this week’s addition to the Fresh Milk Books Tumblr – the online space inviting interaction with our collection in the Colleen Lewis Reading Room.

For new Critical. Creative. Fresh reviews, look out for our #CCF responses and see the great material we have available at Fresh Milk!

Wide Sargasso Sea: Can you be insane if you are alone? – #CCF

April 21, 2015May 21, 2015Leave a comment

…Antoinette’s childhood directly informed her troubles later in life, whether it was the rejection by her cold-hearted mother who was only attached to her brother, the constant abandonment by her close friends and family (most of whom used her for personal gain) or the anger of the local people and her status as a pariah. This exclusion only led to further isolation in her mind.

In many ways, Rhys has shaped loneliness within these characters as a ‘getaway’ from reality, so much so that Antoinette would ignore the surrounding world and became intolerant towards people. This alienation, compounded by acts of betrayal, causes Antoinette’s personality to twist. Her issues followed her to her stay at the convent, continuing to chip away at her sanity…

The above excerpt is from Tristan Alleyne’s review of Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, this week’s addition to the Fresh Milk Books Tumblr – the online space inviting interaction with our collection in the Colleen Lewis Reading Room.

Fresh Milk is also currently hosting Australian resident artists of Caribbean extraction Willoh S. Weiland and Halcyon Macleod. They will be with us between April 20 – May 23, 2015 working on their collaborative project ‘Crawl Me Blood’, a sound installation inspired by Wide Sargasso Sea. For more information about their project, click here.

For new Critical. Creative. Fresh reviews, look out for our #CCF responses and see the great material we have available at Fresh Milk!