Everything That Rises: A Book of Convergences by Lawrence Weschler
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Lawrence Weschler sees things. With exacting precision. With wild abandon.
Lawrence Weschler makes connections. Notices patterns. Notices similarities.
Lawrence Weschler observes and then shares those observations. We are all the better for it.
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This book is an art book that marries image with text, image with image, art with essay, "classic" art with "popular" culture. It is also easily accessible, with Weschler treating us as fellow pilgrims and witnesses. There is no condescension or superiority on his part, only the joy of sharing what he sees with you and me. Furthermore, his "readings" feel open-ended even as they feel authoritative. He pleads a case without acting as final arbiter, which is refreshing.
It allows for imaginative play and pushes the reader to make his or her own assessment.
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His examinations of genocide in Bosnia and the Solidarity movement in Poland and even the domestic tragedy of 9/11 and Ground Zero are smart. His ruminations on women and their bodies as portrayed in art and popular culture are thought-provoking. His juxtapositions of images to showcase their similarities are spot-on, even if novel.
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The greatest pleasure of the book is how it allows the reader to see similar patterns and make his or her own connections between the disparate images encountered in the swirl of information that surrounds us in everyday life.
Lawrence Weschler allows us to challenge. To dream. To see anew.
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