Welcome Blake Palmer

Zoe: I’m excited to have a writer and editor on board at in-tangible institute! Over my wee life I’ve often breathed with relief that I have a friend I can count on with my writing as a curator – helping to read over my texts and press releases, help me better understand whether my language is too abstract, or too ambiguous for the general public to understand. I’ve also come to really appreciate that writers who are also editors often have particular research interests that dovetail with my own, or the artist/s that I may be working with. 

You and I became friends over art and food and a love of all things questioning the ‘anthropological’! Quite a mix! How do you see these three interests supporting one another with your ‘work’ – and indeed how would you describe the relevance of this ‘work’ to us at in-tangible?

Blake: I’m also grateful for fellow writers in my life, especially those, like yourself, who understand the importance of community in what can often feel like a very solitary profession. We all need that extra set of eyes to help us understand our work from another perspective, but also a trusted mind who can push us to think beyond our personal blind spots and knowledge gaps.

I think the common thread that connects my, seemingly, disparate interests is a fascination with relationships or “relationality” – to borrow from the social science vernacular. How we go about connecting with one another, who we think of as being a part of our communities, and how we organize ourselves, in a way that allows us to cultivate diversity for mutual flourishing – these are all questions that I love exploring. Food, art, and anthropology have all provided me with different avenues for thinking and writing about relationality and, increasingly, I see their interconnectedness more clearly than I see their distinctions.

When we met, shortly after you moved to Chiang Mai, and I heard (and read) about the central role that community and connection play in your work, it quickly became clear that I’d met someone whose interests and values intersected meaningfully with my own. I’ve been so excited that we finally have the opportunity to work together, as I’ve found that the most exciting and generative work emerges from relationships based on shared values and diverse knowledge. I’ve already learned so much working with the in-tangible team, and I know it’s just beginning.

Zoe: I had a similar connection when I first met you too! Relationality is so important to study in these calamitous contemporary times, where we all too readily fear difference. We need to better understand how we ‘intersect’ as you say. For we do indeed intersect as cultural communities with artistic purpose and techniques that uniquely dovetail – particularly in this incredibly rich region of Southeast Asia. Speaking of which, what brought you to Chiang Mai? Since meeting you I’ve taken note how much Thailand means to you. 

Blake: My initial move to Thailand was motivated by a need for a change. I was living in Portland, Oregon and had found myself successfully climbing a corporate ladder I had no interest in. I moved to Chiang Mai, site unseen, as it represented an opportunity to focus on building my portfolio as a writer, because I thought if no one knew me I could dedicate my full attention to my work. Ironically, it was the welcoming community I found here that ended up not only making me want to stay, but helping me most in building a career as a writer. More quickly than I expected, I found myself collaborating with chefs, academics, and artists, working on projects that continue to teach me and are wonderfully fulfilling. 

I could have never guessed how important Thailand would become to me, but now I’ve lived here longer than I’ve lived almost anywhere else and I’ve never felt more at home.

Zoe: Building community, knowing who our work matters most for, is so important. How do you see your work, with in-tangible, offering opportunities to assist your dreams? What do you most hope to learn from the programs currently underway / envisaged for the future?

Blake: I think there are two core answers to this question, and the first one leads to the second.

The older I get, the more importance I place on intentionality when choosing the work I take on. I prioritize work that allows me to continue my core creative/intellectual passion, which is writing critically on topics I care deeply about. The Editorial and Research side of my work at in-tangible gives me the opportunity to express this side of myself in new and exciting ways. Working as an editor means that I can play the dual roles of student/teacher with writers whose work I admire. Their styles, references, and analytical insights are all creative fuel for my own writing practice. In return, I’m able to offer suggestions and insights that, I hope, help their ideas shine with greater clarity and resonance. I believe that this kind of mutual exchange between peers is absolutely essential for any creative ecology.

This leads me to my second answer. I feel our world is in desperate need of places to learn and develop critical, analytical thinking and artistic practices, while also building strong, accessible community networks. My role as Program Manager allows me to be an active part of building such community spaces. Our program ‘Writing with Friends’, which brings arts writers from the region together to learn and collaborate, is especially close to my heart. in-tangible’s ‘Talking and Listening’ sessions, in which artists, writers, and curators from our community open themselves up to constructive critique from supportive peers, provide a much needed space for mutual mentorship and development. I could go on, but I’ll keep it brief by saying how much I’m inspired by the work being done with POLLINATION, and how much generative, transformative capacity I see in CULTIVATE.

To give a short ending to a long answer, my work at in-tangible has given me a space to do the kind of work that I already cared deeply about, but with the added benefit of a supportive team with shared values, established programming that is already positively impacting the local and regional arts ecology, and, critically, mentorship that helps me build on my strengths while developing new skills.