Contributor Judith Schaechter responded to our desperate call for help in interpreting Shamim M. Momin's artspeak in the Whitney Biennial catalog (see our post below).
(Momin's artspeak: "Violette suggests the possibility of active participation in the majestic decay of the Burke-ian sublime, where imminent death [literally, or of that fugitive mement] imbues one with that consuming "astonishment...of the soul.")
Schaechter's explanation: Violette suggests the rush of a near death experience--like being on a roller coaster made by someone named Burke.