The Essential Paul Laffoley

Paul Laffoley is a Visionary artist who lives and works in a tiny space in Boston he calls "the Boston Visionary Cell." A trained architect, Laffoley produces brilliantly colored mandala paintings filled with symbols and texts. Each painting is accompanied by a tex called a "thought-form," which serves as commentary on the painting's content. The paintings--many of them large (73 x 73 inches)--have titles that range from the paranormal and arcane ("The Ectoplasmic Man," "The Sexuality of Robots") to the erudite: "De Rerum Natura," referring to the poet Lucretius. Laffoley is interested in "the mechanics of mysticism," time and space, dreams, magic, and consciousness. In addition to painting, he has also designed a time machine and a prayer gun. This book collects what Laffoley and his gallerist, Douglas Walla, see as "the essential works"--94 color plates w/91 attendant thought-forms. It also includes an introduction by Walla, a biography of Laffoley by artist Steven Moskowitz, and essays by two scholars. Linda Dalrymple Henderson (University of Texas at Austin, Art History) is a renowned expert on Henri Bergson, Duchamp, the art/science juncture, and "the fourth dimension." Arielle Saiber (associate professor of Italian, Bowdoin College) analyzes one Laffoley's major works: Dante's 'Divine Comedy' Triptych.

Since the mid-1960s, Paul Laffoley has grappled with complex theories on philosophy, anthroposophy and natural science themes in his paintings and works on paper.He distils the wisdom from such varied thinkers as Richard Buckminster Fuller, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, William Blake and C.G. Jung, developing visionary theories about time travel, black holes and mathematical questions on the fourth and fifth dimensions. He uses 'thoughtforms' to record his ideas about and intellectual influences on his works.Published to accompany the exhibition secret universe: Paul Laffoley at the Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, 4 November 2011 – 4 March 2012.English and German text.

Key features: Captures the historic context and recent developments in science and policy arenas that address the potential for coastal wetlands to be considered as significant contributors to carbon sequestration Links multiple levels of science (biogeochemistry, geomorphology, paleoclimate, etc.) with blue carbon concepts (science, policy, mapping, operationalization, economics) in a single compendium Concludes with a discussion of future directions which covers integrated scientific approaches, impending threats and specific gaps in current knowledge Includes 7 case studies from across the globe that demonstrate the benefits and challenges of blue carbon accounting Written by over 100 leading global blue carbon experts in science and policy. Blue Carbon has emerged as a term that represents the distinctive carbon stocks and fluxes into or out of coastal wetlands such as marshes, mangroves, and seagrasses. The Blue Carbon concept has rapidly developed in science literature and is highly relevant politically, as nations and markets are developing blue carbon monitoring and management tools and policies. This book is a comprehensive and current compendium of the state of the science, the state of maps and mapping protocols, and the state of policy incentives (including economic valuation of blue carbon), with additional sections on operationalizing blue carbon projects and 7 case studies with global relevance.

The world’s oceans cover about 70% of our planet. To safeguard the delicate ecological and environmental functions of the oceans and their remarkable biodiversity, networks of marine protected areas are being created. In some of these areas, human activity is restricted to non-exploitative activities and in others it is managed in a sustainable way. Australia is at the forefront of marine conservation, with one of the largest systems of marine protected areas in the world. Big, Bold and Blue: Lessons from Australia’s Marine Protected Areas captures Australia’s experience, sharing important lessons from the Great Barrier Reef and many other extraordinary marine protected areas. It presents real-world examples, leading academic research, perspectives on government policy, and information from indigenous sea country management, non-governmental organisations, and commercial and recreational fishing sectors. The lessons learnt during the rapid expansion of Australia’s marine protected areas, both positive and negative, will aid and advise other nations in their own marine conservation efforts.

For decades now, the story of art in America has been dominated by New York. It gets the majority of attention, the stories of its schools and movements and masterpieces the stuff of pop culture legend. Chicago, on the other hand . . . well, people here just get on with the work of making art. Now that art is getting its due. Art in Chicago is a magisterial account of the long history of Chicago art, from the rupture of the Great Fire in 1871 to the present, Manierre Dawson, László Moholy-Nagy, and Ivan Albright to Chris Ware, Anne Wilson, and Theaster Gates. The first single-volume history of art and artists in Chicago, the book—in recognition of the complexity of the story it tells—doesn’t follow a single continuous trajectory. Rather, it presents an overlapping sequence of interrelated narratives that together tell a full and nuanced, yet wholly accessible history of visual art in the city. From the temptingly blank canvas left by the Fire, we loop back to the 1830s and on up through the 1860s, tracing the beginnings of the city’s institutional and professional art world and community. From there, we travel in chronological order through the decades to the present. Familiar developments—such as the founding of the Art Institute, the Armory Show, and the arrival of the Bauhaus—are given a fresh look, while less well-known aspects of the story, like the contributions of African American artists dating back to the 1860s or the long history of activist art, finally get suitable recognition. The six chapters, each written by an expert in the period, brilliantly mix narrative and image, weaving in oral histories from artists and critics reflecting on their work in the city, and setting new movements and key works in historical context. The final chapter, comprised of interviews and conversations with contemporary artists, brings the story up to the present, offering a look at the vibrant art being created in the city now and addressing ongoing debates about what it means to identify as—or resist identifying as—a Chicago artist today. The result is an unprecedentedly inclusive and rich tapestry, one that reveals Chicago art in all its variety and vigor—and one that will surprise and enlighten even the most dedicated fan of the city’s artistic heritage. Part of the Terra Foundation for American Art’s year-long Art Design Chicago initiative, which will bring major arts events to venues throughout Chicago in 2018, Art in Chicago is a landmark publication, a book that will be the standard account of Chicago art for decades to come. No art fan—regardless of their city—will want to miss it.

Protected Area Governance and Management presents a compendium of original text, case studies and examples from across the world, by drawing on the literature, and on the knowledge and experience of those involved in protected areas. The book synthesises current knowledge and cutting-edge thinking from the diverse branches of practice and learning relevant to protected area governance and management. It is intended as an investment in the skills and competencies of people and consequently, the effective governance and management of protected areas for which they are responsible, now and into the future. The global success of the protected area concept lies in its shared vision to protect natural and cultural heritage for the long term, and organisations such as International Union for the Conservation of Nature are a unifying force in this regard. Nonetheless, protected areas are a socio-political phenomenon and the ways that nations understand, govern and manage them is always open to contest and debate. The book aims to enlighten, educate and above all to challenge readers to think deeply about protected areas—their future and their past, as well as their present. The book has been compiled by 169 authors and deals with all aspects of protected area governance and management. It provides information to support capacity development training of protected area field officers, managers in charge and executive level managers.