About

What on earth is the Translinguistic Other?

The Translinguistic Other is the ineffable and mysterious source of experience itself.  It is that which notoriously eludes our ability to codify it in language, yet reveals itself unceasingly in all sorts of places, depending on who we are and how we look for it.

This blog is written by Emily Pothast, who makes no claims at being an expert on the ineffable but is nonetheless a huge fan.  Topics center on the overlapping domains of creativity, philosophy, science, mysticism, spiritual practice, and the history of culture, with an emphasis on documenting, discussing and promoting art that addresses these issues.

Emily is a multimedia visual artist, musician, curator, art educator, essayist and lecturer based in Seattle, WA.  She was born in Iowa, spent her formative years in Texas, where she studied psychology and philosophy before receiving a Master of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in Printmaking from the University of Washington in 2005.  As a vocalist, songwriter and improviser, she fronts the band Midday Veil and is half of the experimental installation/performance duo Hair and Space Museum.  In November 2009, she cofounded the record label Translinguistic Other Records with her partner and frequent collaborator David Golightly.

Emily worked as the Director of the Antique Print Department at Davidson Galleries from 2005 to 2010 and is currently the curator of art exhibitions at Cairo in Seattle. She has delivered lectures about art and the practice of visual mysticism at Seattle University, Portland State University and the Esoteric Book Conference in Seattle.

As a writer, Emily has contributed content to Decoder Magazine, City Arts, The Stranger,  La Especial Norte and Rivet Magazine.  She has exhibited artwork and/or performed at a variety of local and national venues including The Henry Art Gallery, Bumbershoot Festival, Seattle University’s Hedreen Gallery, and Family Business Gallery in New York.

Website:  www.emilypothast.com

Twitter:  twitter.com/emilypothast

Freelance inquiries/death threats/financial scams: translinguisticother (at) gmail (dot) com.

Press for Translinguistic Other:

I love Emily Pothast’s new art blog, titled Translinguistic Other and subtitled, “harmonies. hierophanies. beatific visions.” … Verbally polyglot and thriving at the margins, she’s impossible to sum up but a pleasure to read.

— Seattle P-I art critic Regina Hackett, on her blog Art to Go.

strikingly intelligent … Bookmark this woman!

— The Stranger art critic Jen Graves, on the Slog.

a really bizarre blog…

— Julie Sadler, Collage Clearinghouse.