Rule of Three
Lynn Manning: Comet
by Riva Lehrer
Drawing
View an image of the artwork →
Sketched onto a page in charcoal, a shirtless man holds a cane up to his body. It travels up his torso and towers above his head, ending, split in two, on a separate panel above. A comet stretches this top section out into widescreen, its landscape orientation contrasting with the portrait below. At the comet’s tip is a bullet, representing the shot that blinded Lynn Manning at the age of twenty-three. He grasps the cane as if it is a weapon, while the dark contours of his muscular body stand out against the white paper. Riva Lehrer’s artwork speaks of optimism and strength, returning assuredly to a pivotal moment in her subject’s life.
Words by Sophia Martin-Pavlou
Self Portrait
by Roy Nachum
Interactive art, painting
View an image of the artwork →
Enveloped by darkness, a cluster of hands presses up against the canvas, pushing outwards as if touching glass. With the apparent desire to escape comes a feeling of frenzy, as if the bodies attached to limbs are climbing over each other to get out. But the hands belong only to the artist, who has painted them in repetition. Each is depicted in fine detail, every palm line shown in its own intricacy, comparable to the wrinkles of the face. Standing closer, we can see that they are not applying force, but reaching out to feel subtle markings etched across the work, replacing the initial impression of entrapment with discovery and sensation.
Words by Sophia Martin-Pavlou
All the Light We Cannot See
by Anthony Doerr
Novel
A sixteen-year-old girl kneels before a miniature-scale model city, tracing her fingers over its curves and edges. She can hear bombers from three miles, and ‘the hum inside a seashell’ sitting atop a ledge in the room. She detects an unfamiliar rattling sound as a sheet of paper creeps through the window, carrying with it the smell of gasoline. She interprets the sheet’s crispness as sign that it has not been outside for long. Caught in occupied France during World War Two, Marie-Laure LeBlanc’s life is dominated by the prospect of the unknown, light found only through her unlikely bond with a young German orphan.
Words by Sophia Martin-Pavlou
Today's connection
Riva Lehrer and Roy Nachum both incorporated braille into Lynn Manning: Comet and Self Portrait, respectively. Marie-Laure LeBlanc, the protagonist of All the Light We Cannot See, is a keen reader of braille novels.
More to discover
Lynn Manning: Comet: You can see Riva Lehrer's whole 'Totems and Familiars' series on her official website here, watch a TEDx Talk ('Valuable Bodies') by the artist here, and read an article about Lehrer by Kjerstin Johnson for Bitch Media.
Self Portrait: If you would like to find out more about Roy Nachum, a good place to start is the interview by Lauren Del Vecchio for Yatzer. Marielle Anas has written about Nachum's work on Rihanna's album Anti for Rolling Stone.
All the Light We Cannot See: You can read an excerpt from the novel here, and read an interview with Anthony Doerr by Julie Krug for The Writer Magazine.
Question of the day
Which braille-related artworks would you recommend?
Let us know on Facebook, Patreon, or Twitter.
'If They Let Us', a poem by Chloe Mitchell that was featured in braille in the booklet of Rihanna's album Anti. (→)
– John Wadsworth, Silent Frame's Editor-in-Chief (via Patreon →)
Also on Silent Frame
