LOCAL Houston | The City Guide February 2018 | Page 62

ART

SHAPE SHIFT

HOUSTONIAN LOIS STARK HAS A STORY TO TELL
Houstonian LOIS FARFEL STARK is many things : an Emmy Award-winning producer , documentary filmmaker , civic leader ( Alley Theatre , Texas Children ’ s Hospital , St . John ’ s School , etc .), philanthropist and author . During her distinguished career , she has produced and written more than 40 documentaries on architecture , medical research , wilderness protection , artists and social issues . With NBC News , she covered Abu Dhabi ’ s catapult to the 20th century , the British withdrawal from the Persian Gulf , Cuba ten years after their revolution , the Israeli Air Force in the Six Day War , Northern Ireland during its time of religious conflict and Liberia ’ s social split .
And now , in her new book “ The Telling Image : Shapes of Changing Times ,” she takes us on a global journey to discern how humans make sense of the world – a complex enough subject that she breaks down elegantly . She travels from tribal ceremonies in Liberia and the pyramids in Egypt , to the gravity-defying architecture of modern China . Drawing on her experience as a global explorer , Stark unveils a crucial , hidden key to understanding the universe : shape itself .
“ The Telling Image ” is a synthesis of civilization ’ s changing mindsets , a brilliantly original perspective urging the reader to re-envision history not as a story of kings and wars but through the lens of shape . In this sweeping tour through time , Stark takes us from migratory humans , who imitated a web in round-thatched huts and stone circles , to the urban ladder of pyramids and skyscrapers , organized by hierarchy and measurements , to today ’ s world of interconnected networks .
In " The Telling Image ," Stark reveals how buildings , behaviors and beliefs reflect humans ’ search for pattern and meaning . We can read the past and glimpse the future by watching when shapes shift . Stark ’ s beautifully illustrated book asks of all its readers : See what you think .
On February 8 , you can get the story straight from Stark herself . She ’ s giving a talk ( oh , and she also gives TED talks , too ) and signing books at Duncan Concert Hall at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University at 6:30pm . For more information , visit www . loisstark . com / booklaunch .
Photo courtesy of the Laboratory of Neuro Imaging and Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging , Consortium of the Human Connections Project . www . humanconnectomeproject . org .
32 LOCAL | 2 . 2018