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Thanks, Doug. Ann Hamilton's Tower is fantastic. She is also a great reader and her works radiate other than purely material dimensions of interpretation. Several years she did a piece in the Venice Biennale which made use of lines from a Charles Reznikoff poem. Not unexpectedly, hardly anyone in the art world had ever heard of Reznikoff, but that lack of art world literacy about poetry does not interfere with what she 'imagines' into her work. In fact, a number of her close friends are poets (Susan Stewart, Ann Lautrebach) who are often, on some level or other, in conversation with the making of her installations. (Maybe or maybe not you might have read my blog piece, "Becoming An Eraser" about my involvement in erasing words in a book during the installation of "Indigo Blue" at the San Francisco Museum of Art last summer?) Ah,yes, my almost 92 year old mom still - in one way or other continues to let her words cut through veils of her darkness! For most of her life she was a very active civic politician - serving in various organisations and City Commissions. (She founded the local chapter of The League of Women Voters, for example.) A while back, my brother took her to the annual meeting of "Save the Plunge", a group long dedicated to preserving the local and ancient Natatorium - where she and my dad used to swim a mile a day up into their early 80's. During the introductions around a circle - most of the people still knew her - my brother said a few words on her behalf, assuming she would not speak. In the silence that followed, she looked up and said to the gathered, "He does not think I have anything to say. Well, I do." No words followed. In the silence, everyone clapped in applause. On some very real level, inside she has not and will not shut up or be shut up! Ah, aging, what we poets have to look forward to! Stephen http://stephenvincent.net/blog/ Douglas Barbour <[log in to unmask]> wrote: About the tower, Stephen, all I can say is Wow. About your travels in poetry with your mom, that is so fine, & finely observed. Thanks for both, & for your photos throughout.... Doug On 6-Feb-08, at 5:12 PM, Stephen Vincent wrote: > http://stephenvincent.net/blog/ > > A couple of new pieces > > Ann Hamilton: her new Tower at the Stephen & Nancy Oliver Ranch > Last spring, Ann Hamilton, the artist, completed a tower. 86 feet > tall, maybe 30 feet in diameter, composed of 250 tons of concrete > (the structure is anchored by a 65 concrete pier into the earth, the > last 10 or 15 feet(?) is pierced into solid rock). Inside, at the > base, is a reflective pool.... > (with photos and hapics!) > > Mother, Joanne Kyger, and the Practice of Radiance > As my mom lay in bed late last evening - about to go to sleep - I > read her Joanne Kyger's poem, September > > As always, appreciate our comments > > > Douglas Barbour [log in to unmask] http://www.ualberta.ca/~dbarbour/ Latest book: Continuations (with Sheila E Murphy) http://www.uap.ualberta.ca/UAP.asp?LID=41&bookID=664 & luckily people don't love us for our virtue or we'd be in a bad way. Graham Greene