“SCULPTOR PHILIP GRAUSMAN”: Photographer Ricardo Barros will present a slide talk on his work, including the photo above, on December 14 at 7 p.m. at The Watershed Institute in Pennington. The event is hosted by the Princeton Photography Club.

Photographer Ricardo Barros will present “Growing a Unicorn Habitat” at The Watershed Institute in Pennington on December 14 at 7 p.m., hosted by the Princeton Photography Club. Barros is an internationally recognized photographer with works in 11 museums, including Smithsonian American Art Museum and Museu de arte de São Paulo. The occasion of this talk is Barros’ current show at Princeton University, “An Entanglement of Time and Space,” but this presentation takes a larger view. Barros advocates centering oneself in the present moment, especially when undertaking creative work.

“We all know that unicorns do not exist,” Barros said. “They reside in a world of imagination, so we don’t bother looking for them. But consider the possibility that our vision is narrowed by what we think we know. It is as if we are wearing blinders. There are real things out there, just waiting to be imagined. When we discover one, it seems so special as to be magical. I call these things unicorns. I think it important that we make room in our work so unicorns can wander in.”

For many of us, this is a learned perspective, if not a perspective that we must re-learn as adults. Barros illustrates this approach with work and writing from various stages in his experience as a professional artist.

The Watershed Institute is located at 31 Titus Mill Road, Pennington. For more information, email ppcnews@icloud.com or rb@ricardobarros.com.