la sutileza laberíntica con la que desgrana

14:09 Apr 9, 2016 

I'd like to convey the idea of something akin little pearls of mercury scattered across the artist's works, so 'thresh' is absolutely out of the question here.

13:25 Apr 9, 2016 

What I find is that "desgranar" here has a tactile connotation that so far has not been replicated in English. But the meaning, as I understand it, is that he finds his way through the archive, makes sure not to miss anything and can, at some point, make a connection.

12:58 Apr 9, 2016 

The point with "thresh" is that is it not a meticulous action, but an energetic one:
verb

To beat (plants) with a machine or by hand to separate the grain from the straw:
flail, thrash. See attack, strike

To hit heavily and repeatedly with violent blows:
assail, assault, baste, batter, beat, belabor, buffet, drub, hammer, pound, pummel, smash, thrash. (Informal) lambaste. (Slang) clobber. Idiom: rain blows on. See attack, strike

To swing about or strike at wildly:
flail, thrash, toss. Idiom: toss and turn. See attack, move, strike

Read more at http://thesaurus.yourdictionary.com/thresh#f5pCHlaH2B3UUq7o....

12:16 Apr 9, 2016 

not work here figuratively, as it does in Spanish? (for 'desgrana')

05:54 Apr 9, 2016 

You're absolutely right. I hadn't thought of it that way.

02:32 Apr 9, 2016 

With regard to 'curating archives' vs 'examining them meticulously', I agree. As for 'pore over', I'd say that to the extent desgranar refers to both research AND the artistic production, 'unpack' may be the best option, as its applicable meanings would appear to cover both parts.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/unpack

02:02 Apr 9, 2016 

How about "pore over"?

01:58 Apr 9, 2016 

Personally, I'd avoid using "curate" here, even though, in the sense that Muriel is using it, it might well be the best fit in terms of what is meant by "desgranar". If he is in fact a curator, this might create confusion about what the artist is doing, i.e. actually curating the archives or instead examining them meticulously for his own work.

01:54 Apr 9, 2016 

Sorry about the confusion! At least in the US, this word often implies an informal, casual or leisurely type of reading.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peruse

01:48 Apr 9, 2016 

The artist happens to be a curator!

01:14 Apr 9, 2016 

picky in a good sense, i.e., meticulous. Though I'm not so sure it would work well in this context.

00:37 Apr 9, 2016 

'Curate' glorifies being picky. It means that the highest museum standards are being used to sort and winnow the material.

00:27 Apr 9, 2016 

So 'curate' would have a negative connotation? Would this be consistent with the article's (seemingly favorable) tone?

00:20 Apr 9, 2016 

I would say 'with which he curates the material in the archive'. 'Curates' is a very popular word right now, at least in the US. When someone gets too picky about details, he/she is said to be 'curating' the material.

23:24 Apr 8, 2016 

That's my understanding as well. The bits and pieces (or layers) are meticulously unpacked, peeled away or unearthed to reveal what's beneath. 'Unpack' can have several applicable meanings here, from analyze to elucidate (see several defintions numbered 4 below).

unpack
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/unpack

21:44 Apr 8, 2016 

Ok, thanks, Mónica. So, something like "picks over", perhaps?

21:42 Apr 8, 2016 

Within this context, I understand 'desgranar' as taking bits and pieces from his archive, as though they were crumbs, and applying them to his various works of art.

21:32 Apr 8, 2016 

Hello Mónica, what exactly is giving you trouble here, is it "sutileza laberíntica" or "desgrana"? I think you can translate the former literally as "labyrinthine subtlety" without any issues. How do you understand "desgranar" in this context, I'm not really sure what the artist is doing with the material, so perhaps further context would be possible?