Via Flickr:
From the same series as Capoeira 1.
www.flickr.com/photos/thecrescent/8519983626/in/photostream
I could have left this photo pretty much how it was, with little or no editing. Perhaps I should have cropped it? But the crowd seem to add to the energy of the Capoeira practioners, so I didn't want to exclude them. I couldn't resist adding some light - the energy and the light that was already present in the photo suggested it! :-)
Simon
19 Mar 2013
Capoeira 2
26 Feb 2013
Notes on "Cloud Atlas" by the Wachowski's/Tom Tykwer
I guess I could describe "Cloud Atlas" as Art House meets Sci-Fi for the Information Age. Ultimately this film is an attempt to bring numerous strands of sometimes, disparate stories together, culminating in a cohesive conclusion.
Despite some critical murmurings about over-complexity, "six films in one" and general incomprehensibility, the message of the film (and possibly the book it is based on) seems quite clear. I also heard an accusation of over ambitiousness, which is a little bit sad in times when the arts are suffering from the affliction of post modernity.
Essentially, "Cloud Atlas" endeavours to illustrate that human beings are all connected, despite race, time or our position in the "pecking order". Intrinsic to this idea are the notions of reincarnation, an after-life or heaven and heredity. It seems reasonable to claim that personality traits live on from one generation to another (Darwinism/heredity/genetics) however one assertion in the film, that traits and occurrences reiterate themselves throughout generations because of molecular or energy shifts in Space Time, seems a little whimsical. Nonetheless similar ideas and speculations are found in physics, which may lend some weight to the concept. Maybe not!
A similar idea is explored in the film "Avatar" where aliens and human visitors to their planet can access a "tree of ancestors".
Although somewhat tedious in its moralising, "Cloud Atlas" does elicit a potent sense of humanity, throughout each of the different stories. In a similar way to the Matrix trilogy, ideas of truth, morality, heroism and the ability of individuals working together to overcome adversity or corruption are common themes. In an artificial, constantly changing and disconnected reality, where objectivity and materiality continually question our sense of intrinsic humanness, this film offers the idea of a continuity of human and humanitarian values where ever the future takes us and throughout our histories. One could argue that the film champions a secular, positive spirituality or, perhaps a kind of humanism.
For me, the film is interesting and worthwhile because it has an artistic relevance in the sense that it attempts to move towards a global art-form, within the genre of cinema. Global art(s) describes art-forms and concepts that reflect the positive aspects of globalisation and multiculturalism. My belief is that Global art moves us towards a new avant-garde that moves beyond postmodernist narratives of the decline of the West as a leading cultural, economic and intellectual force. This avant-garde may comprise of the displacement of cultures and the merging of varying cultures to create new art-forms and styles.
Briefly, I wanted to mention a number of other salient aspects of "Cloud Atlas". It is worth noting that, from my point of view, this film is not as good as the Matrix Trilogy. However, there are times when the film screams "The Matrix" out at the viewer! Particularly during the futuristic story lines. Sydney Pollock's approach to cinema can quite clearly be seen as an influence, in both the theatricality of "Cloud Atlas" and the sci-fi elements. Peter Greenaway may also have influenced the directors with his boundless enthusiasm for theatre and often, multi-faceted meanings. The film allows the music to speak during emotional moments, often sounding like Glass or Reich, which conveys emotional potency. Although there are some beautiful visual moments, the cinematic style is not dissimilar from jumping from website to website on the Internet. Indeed, information overload seems to have influenced the cinematic style, however this does not detract from the ability of the film to cohese seemingly disparate story lines and bring them to an exciting climax.
Despite some critical murmurings about over-complexity, "six films in one" and general incomprehensibility, the message of the film (and possibly the book it is based on) seems quite clear. I also heard an accusation of over ambitiousness, which is a little bit sad in times when the arts are suffering from the affliction of post modernity.
Essentially, "Cloud Atlas" endeavours to illustrate that human beings are all connected, despite race, time or our position in the "pecking order". Intrinsic to this idea are the notions of reincarnation, an after-life or heaven and heredity. It seems reasonable to claim that personality traits live on from one generation to another (Darwinism/heredity/genetics) however one assertion in the film, that traits and occurrences reiterate themselves throughout generations because of molecular or energy shifts in Space Time, seems a little whimsical. Nonetheless similar ideas and speculations are found in physics, which may lend some weight to the concept. Maybe not!
A similar idea is explored in the film "Avatar" where aliens and human visitors to their planet can access a "tree of ancestors".
Although somewhat tedious in its moralising, "Cloud Atlas" does elicit a potent sense of humanity, throughout each of the different stories. In a similar way to the Matrix trilogy, ideas of truth, morality, heroism and the ability of individuals working together to overcome adversity or corruption are common themes. In an artificial, constantly changing and disconnected reality, where objectivity and materiality continually question our sense of intrinsic humanness, this film offers the idea of a continuity of human and humanitarian values where ever the future takes us and throughout our histories. One could argue that the film champions a secular, positive spirituality or, perhaps a kind of humanism.
For me, the film is interesting and worthwhile because it has an artistic relevance in the sense that it attempts to move towards a global art-form, within the genre of cinema. Global art(s) describes art-forms and concepts that reflect the positive aspects of globalisation and multiculturalism. My belief is that Global art moves us towards a new avant-garde that moves beyond postmodernist narratives of the decline of the West as a leading cultural, economic and intellectual force. This avant-garde may comprise of the displacement of cultures and the merging of varying cultures to create new art-forms and styles.
Briefly, I wanted to mention a number of other salient aspects of "Cloud Atlas". It is worth noting that, from my point of view, this film is not as good as the Matrix Trilogy. However, there are times when the film screams "The Matrix" out at the viewer! Particularly during the futuristic story lines. Sydney Pollock's approach to cinema can quite clearly be seen as an influence, in both the theatricality of "Cloud Atlas" and the sci-fi elements. Peter Greenaway may also have influenced the directors with his boundless enthusiasm for theatre and often, multi-faceted meanings. The film allows the music to speak during emotional moments, often sounding like Glass or Reich, which conveys emotional potency. Although there are some beautiful visual moments, the cinematic style is not dissimilar from jumping from website to website on the Internet. Indeed, information overload seems to have influenced the cinematic style, however this does not detract from the ability of the film to cohese seemingly disparate story lines and bring them to an exciting climax.
9 Feb 2013
10 Jan 2013
10/01/2013
This blank page worries me as if I'd
already said that,
that I am about to say and this would
incur meaninglessness
as if to say "start again"
If we are honest art isn't really
about art at all;
art is about politics and
the fact that you know that,
possibly before I finished
saying it, further implies
politics as if politics
were representations and echoed
a concept of human relationships.
As if we could engage in relating
yet find ourselves askew
from relationships, estranged
from reality. Facebook was created
to enable the world to keep in touch,
but we could already do that through
various simulations of relating.
Invariably strange, Facebook touches
the senses but keeps very few in touch,
to sense one another becomes
insoluble. Distance is the key
to fiscal simulacra, distance
if only a representation of something
that lies between things and is measurable
by representations that evoke and
represent emotions.
No longer a blank page
this page instills a feeling
of purposelessness; which is the
Internet its incredible
imbalance with
a much more productive
real life
despite economic malaise. Poetically
speaking, cliche and plain
language
are far more rewarding than
flowery prose that
evokes an impression of confidence
Entre nous
I've resisted lingua franca to
evoke clarity
so the reader can just "get it"
without tackling disparate metaphors
but I can't promise I won't
return to conventional poesy
to evoke optimism a la
histoire. Really, this
isn't a poem at all
as poetry is something
we used to do
so this is a collection
of ideas in written form
text art I s'ppose
other than literature
and connected Western connotations of
already said that,
that I am about to say and this would
incur meaninglessness
as if to say "start again"
If we are honest art isn't really
about art at all;
art is about politics and
the fact that you know that,
possibly before I finished
saying it, further implies
politics as if politics
were representations and echoed
a concept of human relationships.
As if we could engage in relating
yet find ourselves askew
from relationships, estranged
from reality. Facebook was created
to enable the world to keep in touch,
but we could already do that through
various simulations of relating.
Invariably strange, Facebook touches
the senses but keeps very few in touch,
to sense one another becomes
insoluble. Distance is the key
to fiscal simulacra, distance
if only a representation of something
that lies between things and is measurable
by representations that evoke and
represent emotions.
No longer a blank page
this page instills a feeling
of purposelessness; which is the
Internet its incredible
imbalance with
a much more productive
real life
despite economic malaise. Poetically
speaking, cliche and plain
language
are far more rewarding than
flowery prose that
evokes an impression of confidence
Entre nous
I've resisted lingua franca to
evoke clarity
so the reader can just "get it"
without tackling disparate metaphors
but I can't promise I won't
return to conventional poesy
to evoke optimism a la
histoire. Really, this
isn't a poem at all
as poetry is something
we used to do
so this is a collection
of ideas in written form
text art I s'ppose
other than literature
and connected Western connotations of
28 Dec 2012
Dark Ages 1
Via Flickr:
Abstract Digital Art influenced by art created during the Dark Ages. :-)
Simon
21 Dec 2012
crescentsi's photostream
crescentsi's photostream on Flickr.
Digital Art, Art and photography by Simon Harris (aka Crescent).
12 Dec 2012
Jejune....
A very apt word
starved of culture(s) perhaps?
Alien, distance du loin
a la mecredi (rouge et jaune)
money (Tuesday)
an entity, entirety
a misanthropic recluse par
an advertisement
hanging from a ceiling
as money changed hands 4
Excalibur (Friday)
(symmetry, arabesque attitude)
para (envision) re: leverage
in the great church to
high capitalism (Sunday)
A paean for (several meanings here)
a pastiche of simulacra
(referring to pathos)
you, an aloof creature.... (Dark Ages 4 lundi)
(Friday 28th December 2012)
Networking is symptomatic
of a lack of opportunity and
distance metaphorical and
/or actual entre nous (recherche encore)
faux faux-political correctness
compassion (fear of libel) ((money))
elicit illicit elicit illicit elicit illicit
The reason(s) le pourquoi et le
comment is everything must
be this way that is,
the rhyme the reason, the spirit,
the practicality and the materiality
of it
that is here to stay
but in
terminal flux.
Dogma one suspects
a filigree, Oriental influence a
bricolage of Eastern cultures
and with this, by
displacement
an avant-garde for the West
Trade for the East. The Cutty Sark
perched historical
at Greenwich (Samedi)
in a media frenzy we
are fucked by our lack
of proximity to
the real (i)
ty disposition
impermeable (instigate)
(ii) conscious of solipsism
(January 1st 2013)
A very apt word
starved of culture(s) perhaps?
Alien, distance du loin
a la mecredi (rouge et jaune)
money (Tuesday)
an entity, entirety
a misanthropic recluse par
an advertisement
hanging from a ceiling
as money changed hands 4
Excalibur (Friday)
(symmetry, arabesque attitude)
para (envision) re: leverage
in the great church to
high capitalism (Sunday)
A paean for (several meanings here)
a pastiche of simulacra
(referring to pathos)
you, an aloof creature.... (Dark Ages 4 lundi)
(Friday 28th December 2012)
Networking is symptomatic
of a lack of opportunity and
distance metaphorical and
/or actual entre nous (recherche encore)
faux faux-political correctness
compassion (fear of libel) ((money))
elicit illicit elicit illicit elicit illicit
The reason(s) le pourquoi et le
comment is everything must
be this way that is,
the rhyme the reason, the spirit,
the practicality and the materiality
of it
that is here to stay
but in
terminal flux.
Dogma one suspects
a filigree, Oriental influence a
bricolage of Eastern cultures
and with this, by
displacement
an avant-garde for the West
Trade for the East. The Cutty Sark
perched historical
at Greenwich (Samedi)
in a media frenzy we
are fucked by our lack
of proximity to
the real (i)
ty disposition
impermeable (instigate)
(ii) conscious of solipsism
(January 1st 2013)
9 Dec 2012
18 Nov 2012
Post (your) Memoir
Via Flickr:
September 2012, UK
This isn't just a landscape, it's an impression of a landscape. However, the line between subjective representation and "realism" is very fine. Essentially, an expression of topography as subjective experience, here I hope to reveal the potential of the land as a metaphor for mental comprehension. I use the word mental, rather than "psyche" or "psychological" as these words clutter perception with multifarious ideas.
I don't want to spew art-bollocks as this can be pretentious, derogatory to the audience/viewer and can inhibit the potency of an art work. Nevertheless, I wanted to point out the conceptual aspects of the work as they may not be immediately apprehendable, particularly when one considers the "random" nature of viewing art work on the Internet.
The title "Post (your) Memoir" is a nod to literary and philosophical conceptions of Postmodern culture(s). I spent approx. 3 years on Trace Online Writing Centre based at Leceister University, where I moved from literature to dance and photography/digital art. "Post Memoir" reflects both Baudrillard's theory of "the end of history" and the notion of the "death of the author", where the author (or other creative) becomes less important or redundant in the creation of literature/art. The land is also a vital component of cultural identity. Even in today's artificial times we experience the potency of the land in virtually every task that we undertake. The cultural (and mental) significance of the land is no accident! One can also "post their memoir" or other interpretation of this art-work, in a seemingly abitrary manner, that reveals the process of creating art at the helm of my motivations for photographing and editing a photogragh of a not unusual field, lying ploughed and fallow in central England.
Simon
27 Oct 2012
Phoenix Rising
Via Flickr:
This really was a labour of love! Julie's pose is great and can lend its self to many variations of photo editing. I used an old texture I had created 3 or 4 years ago and used depth maps and distortion to create flame-like effects. Press "L" to view on black - looks better! :-)
Thank you to Julie for letting me use her photo in this image :-)
Simon
xstockx.deviantart.com
8 Oct 2012
15 Sept 2012
Portent
Thank you to Julie Brocklehurst for letting me use her photo in this picture.
:-)
Simon
xstockx.deviantart.com
18 Aug 2012
Illicit Editing
Via Flickr:
Thanx to Julie for letting me use her photo in this picture!
:-)
Simon
xstockx.deviantart.com
12 Aug 2012
Disintegration Point
Via Flickr:
HDR editing and 3D effects on a photo by XstockX (Julie Brocklehurst).
:-)
Simon
xstockx.deviantart.com
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