Author. Thinker. Other things.
When Juan Ponce de León traveled from Spain to the New World in 1513, he was looking for immortality. Legend has it that he was looking for the fabled fountain of youth. During his journey he named the state of Florida and his quest catalyzed the name of the Florida town of Ponce de León,... Continue Reading →
I have the very good fortune to have a wall in my office that is ideal to hang large artworks. It was very recently painted an deep forest green and, even more recently, was installed a magnificent painting of the Whanganui River, by Thomas William (T.W.) Downes in 1896. Earlier this year the work was... Continue Reading →
I recently gave a talk to students graduating in Computer Graphic Design at the Universal College of Learning (UCOL) in Whanganui. Here's the talk I gave. Tēnā koutou katoa. Ka nui te mihi atu. Mayor Annette Main, Deputy Mayor Hamish McDouall, Councillors, Trevor Goodwin, distinguished guests and especially graduands, I’m very pleased to be asked... Continue Reading →
Having just posted a book announcement on Art and Ethics on the website of ICOM NATHIST Ethics Working Group (click here for that) has given me pause to think about how the ethics of art touches on natural history. There are many facets to this. For instance, wildlife photography. When we sit down to our television... Continue Reading →
One of the things I've long found interesting is the importance of context in determining our perceptions of what we see. In the context of heritage, the difference between science, art, music and even rubbish, can be determined by the value conferred on it by its context. Last night I had the pleasure of attending the... Continue Reading →
"Modding", for the noncognicenti (of which I count myself one), is making everyday objects into works of art that fit into some genre. Steampunk is where I've come across this at, in my opinion, its most inventive. As an example at random, here's an X-Box unit cleverly modded to reflect a 19th Century steam-powered contraption,... Continue Reading →
A few years ago I was fortunate enough to be asked to give a talk at the 95th birthday of Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer. Anybody who isn't a science geek could be forgiven for not knowing who she was. Let's say it would be like a budding fashion designer being asked to give the keynote speech at... Continue Reading →
ERIC DORFMAN 