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“Every book is a quotation; and every house is a quotation out of all forests, and mines, and stone quarries; and every man is a quotation from all his ancestors.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

This site is a living manuscript—a space where observation, pattern recognition, and contemplative inquiry converge. It takes its name from Swift’s amendment to Aristotle: we are not rational animals but animals capable of rationality. This distinction shapes everything here.

About David

I am a violist, teacher, and writer living in Barcelona. My days are shaped by music—playing viola with Jordi Savall and Le Concert des Nations, teaching through presence rather than prescription, seeking patterns that connect Bach to breath, Monteverdi to morning light.

This site is where those patterns find words.

→ Full professional biography: Biography

About This Site

The pages branch and fork, each path offering a different quality of attention:

Colophon

The philosophical heart. Why this site exists, who guides the work—Alexander, Bachelard, Berger, and Sennett. Contains both manifesto and version history.

AldineXXI Framework

The architectural foundation. A design language that honors Aldus Manutius’ proportional principles while serving contemplative reading on screens. The typographic substrate that makes all interface technologies work as a unified system.

Typography

How letterforms shape thought. The conversation between EB Garamond and IBM Plex, between manuscript tradition and screen precision. Technical details for those who care about such things.

How interface responds to attention. A translucent header on mobile, a floating avatar on desktop—each viewport receives its own inevitable solution. Not mere responsive design but responsive presence, honoring how we hold devices and how they hold us.

Contemplative Sigils

Contemplative technology that creates sacred space for textual encounter. Living symbolic forms generated from semantic analysis—not decoration but spiritual technology that prepares consciousness for deep reading.

The Chamber

Where certain texts undergo transformation through dialogue with voices across time, discipline, and reality. Work that emerges from this process bears the mark ⟐—the journey ornament opened through examination.

What Kind of Attention Does This Require?

The semantic post types that organize this site. Not categories but qualities of looking—observation, fragment, pattern, essay, meditation, and more. Each type is a room with its own quality of light.

Tools & Process

The practice of digital craft. How a touring musician maintains a writing practice. Morning rituals, plain text philosophy, the democracy of pencils. What survives when everything else breaks.

Influences

A living constellation of teachers. From Fritz Lang’s architectural poetry to Annie Dillard’s fierce attention. Those who’ve shaped how I see, work, and listen. Growing always.

Now

The present tense. Current tours, reading, teaching, thinking. What occupies attention this particular season. Updated when something essential shifts.

Patterns

The pedagogical framework that shapes my thinking. How pattern recognition becomes a practice of presence.

This site uses the Reading Compass—a 9-point semantic navigation system that appears in the footer, organizing content by the quality of attention each type requires:

Additionally, two qualifying marks appear after titles to modify content meaning: - ✦ Encounter marks — When ordinary observation opened into direct experience - ⟐ Chamber seals — Texts transformed through collective review

The symbols operate without explanatory text—visitors learn meaning through exploration, not instruction. The principle is festina lente—make haste slowly. The site resists urgency in favor of presence.

Technical Notes

The only speed is yours.

Contact

Email: d@davidglidden.eu
Curriculum Vitae: Professional background Instagram: @quaerendoinvenietis
I don’t use Zoom.

Begin exploring from home or dive into the archive.