Customer Reviews

Attention's Loop

5 star:		(3)
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A crystalline romp reflecting tension and reverie involved in the creation of that which is in our image. King's prose is elegant, pithy, never prolix, illuminating topics from the Golem to ETA Hoffman's Olympia while passing on the way thorough Jacquard's loom and Vaucanson's creations.

Throughout this shimmering work are dispersed aching photographs of King's Pupil, a jointed movable sculpture; her Galetea, who seems, at any moment, about to spring to life.

I without reservation recommend this work to anyone interested in the creation of works in the image of "Man," from sculptors to professors of AI.

Ms. King is not only a great artist but an original thinker. Her sculptures, mechanical self-portraits fashioned from wood and metal, are amazingly realistic and beautiful yet at the same time a step beyond reality. As a craftsman, she is truly gifted with her hands. As a writer, she is able to examine the fields of history, philosophy, and science through the lens of her art and make us rethink the meaning of the human brain and senses. Especially fascinating was her research into the history of the homunculus.

As an added bonus, the book is beautifully designed (even won an award for book design).

I was fortunate to hear the author speak the other night at an exhibition and she is charming and articulate. Her sculpture and her thoughts are wrapped in layers of subtlety. This book is very much like the author.