Charles White

John Mack

A Very Amusing Sketch

Weston, the Walkist

Exploring E Health Ethics

The New Frontier

A survey of the historical, social, symbolic and aesthetic significance of masks from all cultures and periods, based mainly on examples held in the various collections of the British Museum.

The Art of Expression

Masks

When an up and coming Austin band wants the dance crew to perform for their music video, it's a dream come true... until they realize it's a swing band, and almost no one on the crew knows anything about swing. Ethan comes to the rescue to make sure all his friends get their fifteen minutes of fame, in spite of the fact that he's having horrible nightmares that just may be the product of Twist's deranged imagination. The band wants to make the videos an homage to slasher films, so they rent a campground that's the perfect setting for every slasher film every made. Can you say, "Kill, kill, kill. Die, die, die?" And whatever happened to Twist? Is he out there causing trouble? How do you finish filming a music video if you're dead? Praise for "Tango with a Twist," Step One in the "Tango Triptych." "Great characters, non-stop snappy dialogue, ever- escalating drama and loads of heart. Dancing! Boxing! Small-town desperation, big city dreams. A demented stalker who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. But it's also about having to face a huge setback in order to figure out what's really important in life: in other words, Tango with a Twist is a story for everyone." Alma Katsu, Author of The Taker trilogy "Tango with a Twist is a fast-paced, thrilling mystery with an emphasis on dancing. I love Mr. Mack's cheeky characters and his introduction to fascinating worlds most people wouldn't get to experience otherwise." C. L. Bevill, Author of the Bubba mysteries "The characters are great. . . Reminds me of Hope Floats meets Glee (and I say this as a compliment.)" Kevin Maurer, New York Times best-selling author of No Easy Day: The Autobiography of a Navy Seal "John captures the art of dancing in such a wonderful way in this book. Every page leads to a new turn that keeps you on your toes. What a fantastic read!" Emily Drinkall, 2012 UCWDC Masters and three-time Superstar Line Dance World Champion "John accurately describes the struggles of partnership dancers. It's an interesting read for dancers and non-dancers alike. Well done." Debbie Figueroa, National West Coast Swing, 2-Step, Showcase and Hustle Champion "John takes us on a joyful romp. . . and really captures the flavor of the life of a dancer. Join Ethan and his new friends as he discovers a life he'd dreamed of but never knew existed, you'll have a bunch of fun along the way." Sherry Reynolds, UCWDC World Champion, Master Dancer and Judge

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

In A Land Between Worlds, poet and photographer John Mack shares his vision on that part of the human condition which brings about our disconnection from nature, its further disconnection through smart devices, and provides clues that might lead us back to our natural unity with it. Covering nearly fifty of the most iconic U.S. National Parks, Mack uses poetry, landscape photography, and an interactive augmented reality app to invite us into a deep conversation about the encroaching digital landscape, our attachments to it, and the uncertain fate of our nature. After a four-year journey–flying more than 300,000 air-miles aboard over 200 flights, driving over 15,000 miles with the aid of over 25 car rentals, including hiking over 220 miles, 7 helicopter charters, 6 seaplane charters, 8 grizzly sightings, and 1 husky sled–poet and photographer John Mack returns with evidence of some of America's most iconic, natural sites and their current state of deterioration vis a vis the proliferation of smart devices and the encroaching virtual environment. In an attempt to shed light on the current state of our nature, Mack completes what he calls a "reconaissance mission," having crisscrossed the entire United States of America. Covering a land with length from Maine to Hawaii, a depth from the southern bend of Texas to the far reaches of Alaska's arctic circle, A Land Between Worlds shares Mack's vision of who we are in relation to our environment and looks for clues as to whether or not a balance between nature and today's increasingly seductive technology can be attained. Writes Mack, Today's world finds the human caught in a balancing act between technology and nature unlike ever seen before. With the invention of the smartphone, human beings across the planet are increasingly experiencing life through their screens. With the simple click of the on button, what was once intended to serve as a mere tool now serves as our reality. Caught in this maneuver is the fate of the human soul. As artificial as modern technology may seem, history has shown technology to be a natural and essential part of the human journey. Are we reaching a point, however, where this part of the journey might be taking over the journey's entirety? In these modern times of increasing dependence on digital devices, it behooves us to ask ourselves what, exactly, would allow such an overtaking to occur. Are the programmed lenses of the app-environment–gaming, social networking, news, lifestyle–so mesmerizingly colorful as to take precedent over the vibrant colors of life itself? Or, rather, is there a program already running inside our heads–one that first disconnects us from life's vibrance and only then finds us reaching for our screens to restore the vibrance for us? Comprised of gatherings from nearly fifty iconic U.S. National Parks, Mack uses poetry, landscape photography, and an interactive augmented reality app to invite us into a deep introspection about what it means to be human: What, if anything, can our National Parks teach us about the nature within us? A Land Between Worlds is evidence of hope in a world where nature, freedom, love, democracy, and reality itself are under attack. It's interactive juxtaposition of natural sanctuaries and their digital versions reveals the encroaching digital landscape, our attachments to it, and the uncertain fate of our nature. Available in signed, limited collector's editions and standard editions, A Land Between Worlds includes a "making of" video, reminding us of the art of human craft in an ever more digitized world. A Land Between Worlds is the official book of A Species Between Worlds: Our Nature, Our Screens, the exhibition showcased in New York City in January of 2022. The month-long exhibition attracted some of the most influential voices at the forefront of the battle to defend human awareness from the threats that unchecked use of computer-based technologies pose to our humanity. Available in signed, limited collector's editions and standard editions, the poetry book includes not only all of the exhibition's U.S. National Park images but also the project's entire collection of poems, many of which were not on display to the public.

The Shifting Poetry of the Great American Landscape

A Land Between Worlds

British Museum

This thought-provoking book draws on the worldwide collections of the British Museum for its inspiration. Published to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the founding of that institution, its theme is appropriate to the event. The book addresses the questions of how and why we remember, drawing its evidence from across world cultures, and from antiquity through to contemporary times.

Art and Memory in World Cultures

The Museum of the Mind

J. Picton

"In recent years there has been a growing interest in the traditional textiles of non-Western societies and in these societies themselves. Ten years ago, when the first edition of this book was published, it was virtually the only general survey of textile production and use in Africa, but since then a growing number of local studies have been published. This new edition takes account of these, and of the authors' subsequent fieldwork in Nigeria and Madagascar, to produce an up-dated survey of the production process from the preparation of the raw materials to the embellishment of the woven cloth by dyeing, appliqué, embroidery, etc. The text is illustrated with a new selection of photographs drawing both on the superb collections of the British museum and on field photographs showing details of how the cloth is made and worn. In Africa textiles are used not only as everyday clothing but for special events, sometimes with ritual meanings, and to decorate houses and shrines as well as people. This book looks beyond the design and making of African cloth to its social, political, and religious significance." -- Cover page 4.

African Textiles

“There is nothing more enticing, disenchanting, and enslaving than the life at sea,” wrote Joseph Conrad. And there is certainly nothing more integral to the development of the modern world. In The Sea: A Cultural History, John Mack considers those great expanses that both unite and divide us, and the ways in which human beings interact because of the sea, from navigation to colonization to trade. Much of the world’s population lives on or near the cost, and as Mack explains, in a variety of ways, people actually inhabit the sea. The Sea looks at the characteristics of different seas and oceans and investigates how the sea is conceptualized in various cultures. Mack explores the diversity of maritime technologies, especially the practice of navigation and the creation of a society of the sea, which in many cultures is all-male, often cosmopolitan, and always hierarchical. He describes the cultures and the social and technical practices characteristic of seafarers, as well as their distinctive language and customs. As he shows, the separation of sea and land is evident in the use of different vocabularies on land and on sea for the same things, the change in a mariner’s behavior when on land, and in the liminal status of points uniting the two realms, like beaches and ports. Mack also explains how ships are deployed in symbolic contexts on land in ecclesiastical and public architecture. Yet despite their differences, the two realms are always in dialogue in symbolic and economic terms. Casting a wide net, The Sea uses histories, maritime archaeology, biography, art history, and literature to provide an innovative and experiential account of the waters that define our worldly existence.

A Cultural History

The Sea

Masks are objects that demonstrate creative skills of many different periods and cultures. Masks are a nearly universal phenomenon, but their uses and meanings are strikingly different across cultures. In this book, eight leading experts explore the stories of masks across ancient and modern civilizations in a survey of their meaning and power.

This richly illustrated book celebrates the art of the miniature, but also looks beyond it at the many aspects of "small worlds"--in particular, their capacity to evoke responses that far exceed their physical dimensions. Mack explores the talismanic, religious, or magical properties with which miniatures are often imbued. Considering a wide range of objects, he examines the use of the miniature form in various cultural contexts.

The Art of Small Things

An American in Marseille. The internationally-renowned French port comes alive in John Mack's five year's worth of wanderings amongst its streets. As legend has it several Greek galleys arriving from Phocaea (Asia Minor) in search of trade opportunities made landfall in 600BC upon the shores of Lacydon Creek. That very day, the King of the native tribe inhabiting the area was to marry off his daughter, Gyptis, to a native suitor. It just so happens that Gyptis, upon their encounter, falls for Protis, leader of the Greek expedition, and their marriage marks the founding of Massilia, present-day Marseille. Some 2,600 years later photographer John Mack takes to the streets of Lacydon Creek, -- now famously known as Marseille's Vieux Port -- a vibrant, rugged, port whose evolution over the course of time has stayed true to its founding legend of foreign immigrants posed with the task of confronting native identities. Though a latent, explosive energy runs through these streets, the famous "Marseillais" identity provides a fragile yet strong, common ground which simultaneously both fortifies and merges one identity and another: distant friends; close enemies. Before being European, or French for that matter, Marseille is first Marseillais, and any visitor is indeed in "their house." Comprised of 100 black and white street photographs taken between 2011 and 2016, Mack's imagery challenges us to reflect upon our own identities and any inherent impediments they may pose in the merging with our native selves. "Who," asks Mack, "are YOU chez eux?"

John Mack

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