About this event
[[{"fid":"394597","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","alignment":"","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"link_text":null,"type":"media","field_deltas":{"2":{"format":"default","alignment":"","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"attributes":{"height":575,"width":378,"class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"2"}}]] Finding the Philosopher's Stone: A Celebration of the Alchemical Imagination What is the Philosopher’s Stone, and why has its pursuit endured for millennia? Join this special talk, celebrating the release of The Alchemical Imagination, a book that outlines the stages of creating the Philosopher’s Stone, as we explore this enduring mystery. Moving through the architecture of alchemy—its symbolic systems, material experiments, and metaphysical ambitions—this talk traces a lineage from the Hellenistic world to contemporary practice. Along the way, we’ll consider the many forms the Philosopher’s Stone has taken: a substance, a process, a state of consciousness, or an artistic and spiritual achievement. We’ll look closely at the methods alchemists devised in their attempts to realize the Stone. Seen together, these practices reveal alchemy as a hybrid field where experimentation, imagination, and devotion converge. The Philosopher’s Stone hovers at the edge of impossibility—and it is precisely this condition that opens a space for radical creativity. No prior knowledge of alchemy is needed—just curiosity and an openness to new ideas. About the Book The Alchemical Imagination reintroduces the ancient tradition of alchemy through the lens of contemporary creativity. Both practical guide and historical exploration, the book makes this often-misunderstood subject approachable and relevant for today’s readers. Swann brings together stories of influential alchemists — including often-overlooked women and queer figures — and traces alchemy’s impact on early science, healing practices, psychology, visual art, and literature. With thoughtful exercises and reflections, the book encourages readers to deepen their relationship to their own creative process and discover what medieval practitioners once called “The Great Art.” [[{"fid":"394598","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","alignment":"","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"link_text":null,"type":"media","field_deltas":{"3":{"format":"default","alignment":"","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"attributes":{"height":334,"width":400,"class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"3"}}]] About the Author Eliza Swann is an interdisciplinary artist, writer, and educator based in New York. They are the author of The Anatomy of the Aura, which bestselling author Yumi Sakugawa called “beautiful and life-affirming,” and the founder of the Golden Dome School, an alternative art school. The Alchemical Imagination draws on Eliza’s ten years of teaching alchemy in universities and cultural institutions, including a long-standing popular interdisciplinary art and alchemy course at the Pratt Institute. Eliza received a BA in painting from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA from Central St. Martins in London. Their writing has appeared in BOMB, Arthur, Contemporary Art Review LA, Momus, and Perfect Wave, as well as numerous anthologies. Their work has been supported by PEN America, the Foundation for Contemporary Art, the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Pratt Faculty Development Fund, the Feminist Center for Creative Work, and many other arts institutions.
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