I am exploring the possibilities of a pictorial interface: An oceanic view
You can rollover and click on the drawing to animate some of its elements. As I develop this, these elements will lead you to animations that reflect an Oceanic view of Antarctica, that conveys a sense that everything is connected with everything else.
This will show you Antarctic animations from a dream-like perspective. Links from this drawing will be made very loosely, associating forms and gestures.
In 2006 I traveled to Italy. I stayed in a small town called Malcinese on Lake Garda.
Italy had just won a world soccer match. The hot summer night was filled with the sound of celebrations.
In the morning I woke to make this drawing of a dream. It combines the feeling of noise and heat with some words I had read the night before, from Darwin’s Introduction to his Origin of Species:
Our ancestor was an animal which breathed water, had a swim bladder, a great swimming tail, an imperfect skull, and was undoubtedly a hermaphrodite.
I agree with Danielle Boutet, who writes:
Through art making, I experience an intensification of my consciousness and of the feeling that the world is meaningful. This way of being in the world and perceiving its underlying coherence—a coherence of which we are an integral component—brings about a sense of our presence and matter’s presence. We perceive matter as living and vibrating, as no longer inert. We experience matter as presence, anchored in significance. This is an ontological perspective for which there can be no proof; no argument or discourse can make someone else feel it too. It comes from experience, the encounter with embodied and materialized work. It arises from contemplation rather than from observation and measurement.
Spiritual Forms: notes for Thinking about Art and Spirituality, 2008
Collision: Collecting Paradox
Hey Lisa… I was going to update you on the event I went to on Friday in London. You may be familiar with it. A travelling symposium on changing our mindset to create a sustainable, socially just and environmentally balanced world. Essentially the message is do stuff sure, but do it with awareness of the impact on this planet. In fact, they advocate a change in consciousness, which they believe is already sweeping across the planet. And I have to say, I’ve been noticing this too, sort of like a renaissance of that time when you and I were kids, the 70s. And low and behold, 3x 12 year Chinese calendars laters, we’re going through a very similar cyclical time of disruption and change. A winter period in the cycle of our economies and wealth.
But the key message was I thought an interesting one. One you might relate to as well. It reminded me of the way the idigenous people of Australia see things. This group was formed when the indigenous people of Equador (I think) approached them and basically shared the vision of their ancestors. Which was that a new “dream” would come to the world and over take the old “dream”. It would be wholly destructive and bring the world to the edge of its very existance. However in addition to this, there would be a change, a shift near the end that would bring about a further shift in consciousness, or a new dream again. One that would unite all people and transform the world.
Now, let me just expand on this, before you start thinking I’m heading into cloud utopia. The explanation for this ties very closely with my own thinking about the psychology of human nature, and the research and experience I’ve had over the past few years. Especially as it applies to identity, branding and the subtle unconscious drivers that motivate people to do crazy thoughtless things, like hunt 90% of big fish out of the oceans, or force indigenous people into squalor without really “meaning” to.
The dream concept is what I would regard as the promise, which is based on the same principles of branding or the creation of identity. We all have stories that we define ourselves by. These are very powerful and important and provide the glue that cohers society and people together against the elements, against adversity and against each other. It’s like a promise in our heads taht if we do this, we get that. If we buy this we reach happiness. If we get that, we’ll protect ourselves from harm. If we align ourselves with this part of the dream, our society and culture will care for us. Our friends will love us. We’ll be safe in community. And as such, we’ve been living a dream that has been hugely successful for several hundred years. The western dream you might say. And the key values of this dream has been predicated on giving all our attention to the individual and his separateness from the world. Many of our stories support this. Man at the centre of the universe. Separate from the animal kingdom. Rights of the individual. Man separate from nature. Nature as a resource. Even people as resources. Disconnection between us and everything else in the universe.
And the idea that the Pachamaya people enlighted us to was that the people who are living and realising this dream are not of and in themselves evil or bad in their intention. It’s just that they have succumbed to a dream built on a bunch of assumptions that are unchecked. I need a car. I need a replacement TV. I need to travel. I need perfect potatoes. I need new furniture. If we really knew what the cost of these was, we’d probably be shocked into reviewing this reality we’ve come to assume to be normal.
In fact they demonstrated with facts and anecdotes that we’re currently on an overshoot of 30% taking of resources from the world what can’t be replaced, and that this could be a 300% overshoot by the end of this century. And so totally unequivically unstastainable.
So, the new dream is this. That we realise the interconnected nature of things. That we see that everythign we do as wholly connected to everything. That we recognise that … I’m thinking you probably already know this, so I’ll cut to the chase.
This is about a consciousness shift that might just be possible. within the next few years, I think we’re going to see a huge change in the way people see themselve, their relationship to the environment, their family and their spiritual outlook.
The spiritual part of this is interesting to me, as a non church a-religious person with however, a deep deep heart felt connection to the universe. I think we’re going to see some really interesting stuff coming over the horizon.
Now… why all these thoughts and you? I thought of you several times realising the passion with which you are working and the type of work you’re doing. Personally I think it totally mad to be watching the dance of microscopic krill and then animating them stick-like on a screen. But that’s me. What I love is your focus and attention to a tiny detail in a huge landscape. Your preparedness to zoom in on probably one of the most significance displays of the last rights of our natural world. There is something cruelly ironic in this beautiful death dance. Like watching grass grow. No one would notice. No one would care. And yet, with the eyes of a poet, with the reflection of a photographer and with the depth of observation of a scientist it’s your job to draw attention to this travesty at the edge of our dying world. Not a polar bear. Not a snow leopard or Panda Bear. No, Krill! They are, to the layman at least, the equivalent of grass in the ocean, or is that plankton, oh well. 🙂 Forgive my ignorance.
So… I guess this little essay is meant to spur you on. you are on an important mission dear Lisa. The discovery and exploration of new territory with new eyes. To bring the quixotic and poetry out of these gorgeous little creatures. Creatures that define us for what are and what we are doing to our planet. Creatures so simple so far away from us, yet so integral and part of us. One with us. Us, being one with them.
Arthur op den Brouw