Experiment in subtraction
The importance of just be.
The ethics of care and maintenance.
The practice of doing nothing.
The design of nothing.
In his novella "Bartleby, the Scrivener", widely considered one of the finest works of American literature, Herman Melville tells a story of a lawyer who hires the "incurably forlorn" Bartleby as a clerk in his small firm. Silent and enigmatic, Bartleby performs well at first. One day, however, when requested by his employer to assist with some routine proofreading, he declines, using his famous phrase...
"I would prefer not to."
I would prefer to be left alone here," said Bartleby, as if offended at being mobbed in his privacy.
"That’s the word, Turkey," said I—"that’s it."
"Oh, prefer? oh yes—queer word. I never use it myself. But, sir, as I was saying, if he would but prefer—"
"Turkey,” interrupted I, “you will please withdraw."
"Oh, certainly, sir, if you prefer that I should."
Perplexed and oddly intrigued, the lawyer attempts to get to the bottom of Bartleby's refusals as the clerk more and more often states his preference "not to," ultimately doing little work and much staring out the window. While the other clerks are contemptuous, the lawyer cannot bring himself to fire this strange, listless man, or to abandon his efforts to reason with him.
In the 160 years since this story first appeared, attempts to decode its meanings have never ceased; Bartleby, and the events that follow defy precise interpretation.
Your personal space dignified
We would like to hold open a contemplative space against destruction that constantly threatens to close it. When your attention is no longer commercially exploited for somebody's benefit . A space that demands nothing of you to enter, nor for you to stay.
"It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation."
Herman Melville