On the quieter side of the bay, hides Golden Gates’ sweeter mistress, the city of Sausalito. I often escape to her when the buzz and noise of the city no longer holds me near. Taking shelter at CIBO CAFÉ, persuaded by her food and drink, I linger toward the light hum of shared excitement as the building transforms into the UNTITLED GALLERY, housing the evening’s exhibition, “AWAKEN THE DREAMER”.

“ Awaken the Dreamer’ is the manifestation of curators Christine Bily, Mikaela South, and Lizzie Tilles, compiling several artists’ works “that investigates humanity’s relationship to nature by challenging us to examine the roles and identities we have adopted within society. The exhibition is comprised of artists who, through painting, installation, and mixed media, deal with the shape our planet has taken in the face of society’s dictations of “truth” and “reality”. By taking into account the artists’ re-appropriated materials, as well as their innovative re-imagination of humanity’s co-existence with nature, viewers are invited to ask themselves: How am I awakening the dreamer within?”

Between sips and light chatter, I am introduced to a tall fresh-faced young man referred to as “The one with the books.” John Emison, a featured artist at Untitled Gallery, perks up,“Yeah, the books on the ground…it’s actually pretty annoying,” he jokes. His humor is perfectly conveyed by his fitted grey suit accompanied with red satin bowtie.

Approaching the massive pile of books, I am forced to step over the shorter side of the wall in order to enter the gallery. John Emison’s Corbel Arch Wall is made up of discarded books strategically placed to form a structure resembling that of Mayan Architecture.

As my wine glass empties and my curiosity persists, I allow Emison to weave together the stories that comprise his installation. With great focus he explains that the corbel arch is an architectural style of ancient Mayan constructions and that the ruins are often littered with this distinctive feature.

The moment Emison’s eyes light up when I ask: “WHY BOOKS instead of stones?”, it is suddenly clear that Emison doesn’t just read books, Emison loves books. He opens up the woven hardback book forming the top of his art piece to reveal an inscription dedicated to a previous reader as we both share the thrill knowing that an unknown person of some past life held this exact object; experiencing these exact words.

Emison explains his fondness for the growing library that has taken refuge in his home. As he begins to paint a description of each spine that looks back at him on the shelf, he lets out a light laugh as his mind shifts to a story of his father. He describes to me that his father is caught in a dilemma in which he must choose between downsizing and purchasing Amazon’s Kindle (electronic book) or remaining a nostalgic pack rat and hording numerous books. Coincidentally, his father’s favorite book is Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, a story that describes the aftermath of a world without books. Emison shakes his head in disapproval. He places his hand on the arch and brings an open book to his nose. He breathes in. “The essence is lost.”

As our current social and global dilemmas urge us to downsize, we approach the days in which minimization is embraced and nostalgia has no value. As I sip my last bit of wine, and exit through the doors, I turn back to view the gallery with its corbelled wall. In my altered state, I pull together the sentiments and intricacies of John Emison’s wall: an essence in ruin.

* “The design of the Mayan architects is expressed in its fullness. Due to the stone resonators, the voice of a person at the top of one pyramid, speaking at a normal volume, can be heard by another person standing at the top of another pyramid some astonishing distance away.”
-www.authenticmaya.com/