Blindshot

 A picture should exercise an experience of some sort, a stimulant or a trigger to begin with. How many times do we notice such triggers? People do look out only for provocative, shocking, surprising, out of the box stimulants to be honest. What about the art which doest shout loud enough but possess a captivating and humbling quality? Are temples carved out of stone, a mere craft?  What about the power of imagination and the presence  in those sculptures? Are they just objects, objects of worship alone? 

Art is what we want to believe? How many pictures will have the power to behold our eyes and mind?  Not many. The truth about a picture, is born out of itself and artists are the instruments. We artists can proudly say we have done a masterpiece but is that the reality? If so whatever you touch should’ve been gold? The same recipe tried and tested over and over but still a masterpiece remains so unique. Many people say it was the lead to a masterpiece- what about the art works that are to follow the masterpiece?  

I have been forcing myself towards incorporating newness in my work. I haven’t been able to successfully achieve the change that I am after. A sense of disbelief is hovering around every time I disappoint myself with repetition. What is this repetition all about? 

I have realised that there are images of the mind, that needs a proper channel to be expelled out irrespective of artistic skills. People still are not able to put it out in a lifetime. We do see artists working on something over a lifetime and still can’t digest the urge to pluck it out of themselves, an obsession. Is this, just an attached memory over a period of time? All skills do become a part of muscle memory and not an intellectual exercise? like driving, cycling, walking and so on… if so what makes an intellectual exercise different? To keep us conscious every time we perform? Can we even perform at all being conscious about what we are doing? Can we engineer everything we do? Is it possible that a human life filled with complexities and actions be documented as and when performed leaving nothing behind?  

We do tend to push things towards the known end of our experience arena and conclude every time with bare minimum success. When we are free from our preconceptions, our mind allows the momentary everyday experiences to take over our judgement and enhance the quality of life.  But how do we control this, is it even necessary to control? An introspection, a self-infused exile from all the comforts of having been done this and that may lead again back to the same question, whether it is necessary to make sense of everything? 

I tried working without this comfort zone through various drawings, more often than not it ended somewhere close to where I left the last time. Coming out of your socket is not easy by any means. Now how to open up to the unfamiliar? How to come up with ideas that do not exist around you? 

Unfortunately, every artist that you come across is much concerned about creating an identity, a style or what they call ‘a language’ in today’s art world. Repetition creates familiarity and familiarity is nothing but a recognisable entity- a ‘language’. That ‘language’ appears to be the code of acceptance and recognition of an artist by the established to the younger ones. The ‘unique language’ is expected to be discovered by every individual artist on their own and once successful, paradoxically they are destined and obliged to follow the time tested path, with the same set of limited audience and similar patterns to sustain as an artist! 

Moving away from the known to the unknown in search of a journey alone seems like an understatement of a fool to many. In such a situation, one who craves for this journey is left alone banished as a lost soul. People try to convince and console through as many ways one can think of and to be one among them is the right way to live!

Never bother what people are up-to but as an individual shooting in the dark to search something that is not visible enough, takes a lot of courage and belief in the very existence of the unknown. Even though as many artists across the globe spoke vivaciously about this unknown being the factor to crave for, very little interest or aspiration have been shown by majority.

Is there a method to explore this phenomena of discovering the unknown and keep exploring them constantly not feeding the ‘language’ enough? I wonder if such a thing exists! when things are left to grow on their own, they evolve shooting from all directions and a chance may occur for it to shoot in the darkness only to find the new unknown and move on to the next. There’s another way to look at it as well; when there’s a need there will be a direction. 

When one wants to live fully to his experiences- his act may not be the act of an expert. Majority of the artists with well-furnished skillsets are much disappointed with their outcome of art as compared to an amateur artist who is making art only for momentary validation. The mastery hurts and plays around the ego of an artist.  But the humbleness and lack of recognition may actually serve as a powerful tool to remain relevant in the hunt for discovering the new.  

 

Beyond the template

Should art become an intellectual exercise without involving any emotional traces to it? What is the significance of emotional value in art today? is form and feeling no longer subject of validity and considered outdated today? Why trends in art become so important that individuals graduate from art schools start observing and follow trends sooner or later? What is the role of an individual in this dictation of few controllers of the so called trends? What do people identify as contemporary art? Why even call it by such names? is material alone validates as contemporary art today? Is technology alone make music? Have we started to look down upon the spirit or the content beneath material appearances? 

Even today, Re-presenting ‘likeness’ of the outside world through art, excites and entertains everyone inspite of changing trends throughout the global history. The other worldly becomes absurd and disoriented. The absurdity infused in a limited context is still welcomed but not as a concrete entity. Other worldly visions are not created everyday by everyone. Their identity, apprehensions and validation becomes extremely subjective and difficult however ‘naturalistic’ is palpable and convenient for the common. 

There are ideas such as the traditional mediums are archaic and bound to create only eye pleasing or decorative art with limitations of dextrous skill, inappropriate representation of time due to lack of material knowledge and implementation or awareness about growing technology (in the context of today), so on so forth. The stance here, is not necessarily based on aesthetic, emotional nor subjective value of art but only of the shift from the conventional with respect to time.

This tosses up another question as to what makes this trend valid; that anyone can make art with whatever material or non material used as a medium of art? How does one define art experience up against the movement of the masses to produce art as an industry to cater innumerable spaces and people within the conformity of the so called art system?  Is art experience less important today that the material alone takes the centre stage? Or the sensual or visual experience of witnessing art is perceived existent, only at the face of an unconventional or non traditional medium? 

Insinuate a different material out of its actual functional purposes, modify its material value and present in a cube or out in the public as ‘liberating from the outdated cube’ consider the longevity of material and craft as high value artistic product, makes majority of the art today. 

Let's consider adapting new material as the primary eligibility for a high value art, the initial stage for this would be to find an alternative material against learnt and practiced traditional ones like Acrylic colours or oil paints. (Now, for majority of self taught artists, it is almost near to impossible to sustain in the art system albeit few opportunities and acceptance (this indirectly reinforces the need for artistic skills acquired through art education). A struggle to cope with material limitations and knowledge, A constant tussle to find new material consistently and adapt in a short time (it is to be observed here that even with great exposure to traditional art mediums today, like pencil or water colour, an individual needs enough time to absorb and execute technicalities related to any medium). 

Is it possible to keep finding new materials and switch consistently as well as create artistic projects efficiently? Even if you are able to do that successfully over a period of time, one arrives at a format/ a template, what we popularly and inappropriately label as ‘process’. The template that works for an individual becomes his/her mode of expression. At this point, introduction of any new material becomes only a surface, a mere appearance. Everything else fits into an identifiable, accepted, anticipated and valid convenient pattern- with this pattern developed, there’s hardly any difference remains between the usage of conventional and non conventional art medium. The very idea of using non conventional material remains valid only as ‘new object’ than adding up any artistic value.  If everything has to be expressed in a certain predictable way, the material makes no great difference until unless shock of the new settles in. Surprise factor still holds the mighty power than the actual artistic experience. 

   

Today creating a piece of music or art is much easier than before. But in reality art is difficult because it takes a lot of effort and time. Art is about reflecting and representing the self in a specific time, at least for an individual. Our technological advancements should have taken us toward progress inwards than external appearances. Perhaps art is the scale to gauge our progress in future. 

   

Time Fragment

 What makes a thought contemporary? is it an awareness about today's world? if so what makes this any different than people of the past in their times? 

A significant difference in comparison is created with introduction of  the Internet. Today, a tap on the screen is enough to know about remote corner of the world in seconds, however authenticity of the information remains unquestioned but access is evident. What information we chose to believe is subject to individual choices. 

Drawing connections between these scattered informations is a personalised process. when we make an effort to fill the gaps between what has been said and what it appears to be through other means of observation and reading, collectively fused together forms our version of the story. Our emotions and cultural conditioning plays a powerful mechanism to process these informations. 

We have learnt concerns of the past, the wars, suppression, slavery, inequality, discrimination of the individual as well as certain community. we are well aware of the history, however these issues are pertinent and exist between us even today. Ironically we haven't been able to find a resolve inspite of several years of study and modifications in administrative policies. Rest assured that these issues are not present today in the same old form but with a new complexity.   

The complexity of the age old problems is so much intricate today,  making it excruciating to separate ourselves from the existence of these disturbances, making us both retort and at the same time be an integral part of it than take up the responsibility finding a wholistic resolve. We are struggling to separate ourselves from the problems even as an observer or a spectator. our lives are intertwined if not dissolved more than ever with these complexities. 

In today's world, our correspondences, lifestyle, art, culture, administration so on so forth have taken up this complexity reflecting the time and its characteristics. one is dissolved in the other. the question arises as to how is it possible to comprehend and negotiate this complexity? 

We have gained more attention and sought demand for research more than ever. There are growing number of researchers and relentlessly blooming universities exist today than before. Have we managed to keep up the pace to understand our time inspite of our technological resources and knowledge? As an individual, the pause and reflect may be one of the many solutions to address this learning, but do we have the luxury to do so in this unstoppable force of constant rapid movement? 

We are driven by a system, more mightier than ever. you chose to call it capitalist or fascist or anything else but the existence of a mighty force is felt every moment if carefully observed. We reveal and record our lives every moment, and we are stipulated to function this way may be temporarily, tweaked through a strong evolutionary byproduct of communal living inherent to us.  

When we are inevitably intertwined in this fast paced power frenzy current, how are we supposed to make creative or intellectual interpretations of our time? at least as an expression, let alone be defined in future. The current is so brisk and rapid that before we manifest a stance, there’s a new appealing yet modified version presented before us further intensifying what was already complex.  so in short this agenda driven manipulative movement (however you may want to identify) has caused a tentative time which doesn't allow us to think and reflect but only to direct endlessly until we reach a predesigned destination, like time loop. 

This ever changing manifestation of movement is tangible not as concrete anymore because of complexity but fleeting and momentary. The amalgamation of time, culture and lives have been shifting too rapidly to trace the trajectory of change at least at present. however today, we have acquired the capacity to behold and scrutinise specific tangible fleeting experiences which are the essential parts of what makes this movement challenging to comprehend. It is these fleeting momentary experiences that remain as fragments of time that guide us to understand the movement within complex structures. These scattered and gathered pieces of invaluable fragmented cognitive experiences when translated as an artistic expression reflects our time effectively. 

The explosion of information whether necessary or not, the consumer driven directions to keep the restless and anxious movement alive, the superficial need, weaved through inevitable participation, exclusion of the absent and promised validation of the presence makes it impossible to hold anything concrete as a subjective interpretation. The little trails left by the change encapsulates the time more effectively and efficiently making the thought fleeting, fragmented and disoriented but truthful to time.  

RE-GENERATED VISION

I remember reading Carl Jung's Man and his symbols, he mentions about human perception and its inability to understand any concept fully and perceive everything slightly in modified degree than others based on its psychical significance to the respective individual. This led me to think that if no concept is fully understood or perceived, how can we communicate them with conviction? and how can we make a case in defence that the concept communicated is nothing beyond itself,  not contradicted and unbiased flow of knowledge if any?

My conception of creative art based on a specific theme or constructed around a particular concept started to differ. Later, I observed that people want to know what an art piece was  meant to be even before they invest the time needed for a visual experience. Very few have time enough to absorb the art and understand the experience, not everyone comfortable doing that- unknown brings a lot of discomfort to many. 

Artists generally force themselves out of social conditioning or mental block to follow the trend, mostly it remains a transaction of consumer and vendor than artistic expressions. The artist, becomes important and visible when he says what people want to hear or even worse what they don't want to hear. everything that exceeds or doesn't fit in this apparatus goes unwanted and invisible. 

Someone who communicates and responds through visual art for the obligation of time and trends become an artist of present and the one who has his own ways and concerns, become the artist of tomorrow (if only he can generate public interest out of controversy, sympathy or struggle however indirectly relevant to his art). 

Our lives are documented to micro level today, tracing through social media, even to an extent of everyday financial transactions or through pictures that people capture randomly and restlessly to share  a story. Everything we draw, we write, we speak are documented and perhaps will be manipulated to serve the interests of whoever concerned at any given point of time. 

Most of the information that our senses capture are well defined and documented apart from those which have bypassed out of complexity. Even though the content of our sensory source object is same, we decode that information and pass through our mind to process further ,only achieving something different than what others have perceived unless we consider only a few popular perspectives as important.

The efficiency, navigating through multiple sensory data seamlessly is a talent. How a few remarkable ones connect and represent this information is also a genius of the individual. The structure created out of this repeated exercise is what makes an artist. The artist identifies himself as a representative of a structure made of this repeated exercise. 

These structures become popular because of time and space, a few don't because of their similarity to other structures or not significant enough to be distinguishable. Some structures go unnoticed due to its complexity or discomfort of content or because of non relatable experiences. 

As an artist we try to tweak this structure in its early age according to time and trends. Some can and some may not; because the fundamental ingredients that make their structure may collapse if forced to follow unnatural path. Some structures may be rigid or too fragile to tweak. Some artist tweak enough and settle down on their unique combination inspite of its disapproval of time due to conviction or exhaustion. 

The ability to frame this structure in a certain order and churn out a well carried out process may be relatable to an individual so much so that he continues despite its non approval by time, which remains only as a new vision limited to time. 

A vision that captures beyond modern day cameras, social media creativity along with authoritarian watchful eyes and all kind of possible documentations. This vision is truly creative, human and alive, a visual knowledge that can not be translated into a piece of information or even simplified like an emoji. A visual knowledge that can be passed on as pure experience alone. 

Very rarely we witness such excellence, difficult to believe and differentiate between everything and nothing at the same time; although this vision, generated out of worldly illusion stands as a newly created form of truth which unravelled many facets of unknown. This vision challenges history and registers a new time in a new space with respect to our evolution as species. 

These visions are possibly a new road map for future due to their complexity in nature, a new code to navigate rather than a mere historical fact of human excellence and accomplishment. 

Our reception of concepts may not be complete or competent enough but our processing capacities bring out new possibilities than a concrete notion, a flux which gives rise to many directions. 

Olive green

 Without my luggage, I was travelling along with a few unknown people. It was warm  and windy evening, blowing yellow ochre sand dust in the air. 

On my left, I could still see my country, green grass blown left and right by soft breeze going away from me. I realised that I am getting into a new territory of dry grass and dust rose from the sands. 

We were watching the check post from a distance, sitting inside a Mexican? or American nah! Indian ambassador car, driving towards the new country.

The gate opened at the entrance while regret of leaving my home country started to haunt me in front of my vision, going away from me. 

Men who wore a huge Mexican hat and cowboy outfit were waiting to attend us. I suppose they are cops; their sarcastic smile, casted spell on remains of my confidence. A male voice next to me instructed me to be aware of these boundary riders. For reasons unknown, I was hesitant and uncomfortable. 

I was the first target of these cops who giggled at my skin. A cop who wore a olive jacket asked me to come forward to show my identity proof. I felt the warmth of the olive denim jacket in the dusk and suddenly felt that the cop could be feeling the piercing sun under his jacket. Even though I have necessary identity proof, I was scared enough to believe it myself. I was afraid that my driver’s license could be verified and I will be suspected. 

 'You stay here till we verify your documents' said the cop- again with a sarcastic smile, fellow cops started to follow him to make me more nervous. He turned to his left reaching to a wooden piece- a sculpture! I thought the piece is replica of Christ but with stiff stance. He gave the doll to me saying that it could save me, other cops started laughing.

 I was wondering about the wooden piece and turned its head gently with a click sound. The moment I turned I was manifested into a giant male looked similar to moses of Michael Angelo. My fellow traveller was nude and carrying a bride in his arms, walked away from me into a green landscape. I was walking toward a red sharp edged car in the dark night……….

                    II

I entered a busy market but not crowded enough to entertain large number of customers. This market had lot of corners and small streets or passage to create enormous directions to get lost. 

I bent down to get out of the silky green curtain hanging above, reminded me of any islamic domain. By the time I started to look around, a deep resonating voice replaced a dark, strong, short male who was very much to himself. perhaps he was my co traveller?  

I turned next to the big brown table on my right hand side. I saw a coffee shop and its display board which reads “coffee beku”. The logo of this shop was very similar to 'cothas' coffee powder! The green and red struck me to stop for a bit to know more about this place. The guy who makes coffee said something in kannada. I was amazed to have heard kannada in a foreign land. We both enjoyed the moment in awe and moved on to another street.

People were selling provisions and strangely I could recognise them. These vendors were busy and talking over the mobile phone in telugu. The smell of oil and dry coconut brought me back to shetty angadi for a while.

I asked “ are there colonies here of migrants?” an old man rubbing his hand came out of his house and said yes with a cordial smile.  I noticed my co traveller disappeared, but I was barely concerned. 

I started to figure out the directions from narrow, white distempered walls of an old Indian house of pillars and red oxide painted floor. I met another old man, lying and chewing his pan in the verandah said “you have to rest”; affirmation followed from inside one of the rooms by an old married lady. Even before I asked him the old man said “do you see the white building next to the other? “Without waiting for my reply he continued “you have to climb that white wall with small windows to the roof and join the guys who are resting there”. The roof which he mentioned was made of iron sheets cut into long strips weaved together and left unfinished toward the posterior end. 

I followed the old man without any acknowledgement. 

I was carefully holding the iron strips to hang on to powdered distemper wall. I looked into the groove to see a few young men like the one who travelled with me earlier was lying down and enjoying the music. 

I didn’t wish to disturb them but I was hanging on one foot to hold the iron strip at my fingertips slithering away by seconds.   

                III

Quite a busy warm evening, exhausted by afternoon  heat. I was waiting in the uniform for the carton box to be passed from my fellow worker, to arrange and keep them tidy in the place next to me. something significant caught my attention. 

   

Think !

 Thinking is an integral part of our lives. We always associate thinking with intellectual capacities. Thinking in general, is making a judgement about something. It can further refer to exploring concepts, situations, discovering a solution or even trying to analyse a different perspective on a research material and so on. Often, thinking is reflecting on a problem and finding a suitable solution, this makes all of us believe that thinking is nothing but intellectual capacity. We even extend this notion and conclude that a skill of some sort does not refer intellectual domain but a craft! Is analysing and articulating a concept not a mere skill? Do we consider marketing personnel as highly intellectual people?

If someone is thinking a lot, it means he or she is stressed and finding a way out! it also means on a positive side that someone has the ability to analyse the situation further and is smart. Funny that, why would anyone have to keep thinking deep enough when there's no grave problem to address! We never question the necessity of thinking more than we need. We believe the necessity to use our brains as much! even if we need not have to.  The need to use our brains for unnecessary things go unquestioned. Overthinking is generally considered precautionary. 

Some may argue that finding the right combination to unlock a favourable solution needs a lot of analysing and thinking, thence one thinks more than necessary, but these solutions are not available to unlock as and when we need them.  

Generally people make big and bold decisions very few times in life and continue to hold onto them for life. Thankfully no one has to make path breaking decisions everyday throughout lifetime. Yet, we believe, in order to find the perfect solution, there isn't enough thinking! 

How often we miss opportunities in life? we always do. we blame ourselves for missing them. We do not need millions of opportunities for our lives, not that we get them, we are aware about that as well. 

Thinking relentlessly is a contemporary addiction. Not always out of necessity but an obsession. Moreover why should everyone become intellectual? Why can't we become a labour who follows just instructions for a mechanical operation? 

Are we obsessed with creative solutions and thinking abilities? Is the idea to think abnormally  is driven out of financial greed? mostly deceiving capacities? A cunning person is celebrated as a hero, just because he was able to deceive others. Have we wondered why deceptive qualities are considered intelligence? as in game of Chess? isn't that absurd? 

Our celebrated thinkers who thought about everything in micro detail, became leaders or heroes not because they sat and thought of them but they read and wrote extensively more than they analysed and established their thought. It is their action of reading, writing and working towards establishing their observation that made them great but not the thinking alone.  

 

A friend of mine, is believed to be a very good thinker because of his ability to analyse and articulate. More often you notice such people analyse everything to micro details even if they seem excruciating and unnecessary. People around him appreciate and reinforce him to keep thinking furthermore, but again for no good reason. It's been 20 years I have known him, since then his thinking hasn't materialised into any form and worse, he knows it. 

So what's the point when you can't materialise your so called thinking? A romantic may argue that it's a way of life and is beautiful. A democrat may argue that everything need not be productive and complain a capitalistic ideology.

I am concerned more about the mental health here than being productive for society. However thinking relentlessly over a subject is nothing short of destroying one's capacity to see things as they are. It is not healthy if one just thinks but doesn't act upon his thought. I believe, it piles up endless frustration and excess which makes unhealthy mind leading to speculating conspiracy everywhere, distrust in everything even to the extent of severe self criticism. 

How often we have criticised ourselves after getting cheated by someone? Every time we get cheated, we blame our trust on situations and people. Should there be a generalised idea that trust and deception are inseparable? However that sounds obvious, trust is not the only imperative for deception. A lottery is a trust or a chance? Deception or luck? and obviously we  don't get cheated always for trusting alone. 

Similarly the greatest idea is not necessarily churning from years of overthinking but a happenstance or a quick improvisation. Who would agree, when asked to rest our brains at needless hours? who would protest excess thinking? How do we know if it is excess? Subjective?

The answer would probably be, beyond situational limits? Beyond our capacities? beyond expectations? or beyond our capacity to imagine and speculate?