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Yanai Toister

Yanai Toister (Ph.D.) is an artist, writer and educator. Having studied and worked in 4 continents he now serves as Director of the Unit for History and Philosophy at the Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art in Israel. Toister’s artworks have been shown in numerous solo and group exhibitions (including Sandroni.Rey, Los Angeles; Dvir Gallery, Tel Aviv; Kunstahalle Luzern, Switzerland; Bolsky Gallery, Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles; Maison Europèenne de la Photographie, Paris; the 11th International Architecture Exhibition at the Venice Biennale; Kunstmuseen Krefeld, Haus Lange, Krefeld, Germany; Israel Museum). Toister’s writing has been published in various books and journals (including: Philosophy of Photography; Journal of Science and Technology of the Arts; Mafte’akh Lexical Review of political Thought; Ubiquity; Photographies; Journal of Visual Art Practice). Toister’s book Photography from the Turin Shroud to the Turing Machine has recently been published in by Intellect/University of Chicago Press. 

Articles of Yanai Toister

Slouching Towards the Abyss

Design theory is a somewhat new sub-discipline in which Flusser’s legacy remains largely unnoticed or perhaps overlooked. This is especially disappointing since his theoretical musings on design and applied theory are of extreme relevance to design scholars and practitioners alike. Flusser’s ability to perceive theoretical vistas of our material surroundings add an interesting layer to his overall perception of the human condition. What’s more, his tendency to navigate between etymology, socio-cultural aspects and everyday phenomena represents an almost exact definition of contemporary design. In this paper we tackle two major issues. Firstly, Flusser’s ability to cut back and forth between languages as a means to discuss various types of subject-matter, which we term the “linguistic chameleon” ability. Secondly the unique trait of sleep - its inability to “be designed”, leaving each of us to fend for ourselves, navigating the night’s terrors. The two issues are bound together, or perhaps navigated through, in discussion on Hebrew which, despite its frugality, is arguably the most suitable language to tackle the physiological (and psychological) process of sleep.

Abyss (PDF 639.32 KB)

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