Slightly OT: The Mission of Art

This book may be of interest:

The Mission of Art

by Alex Grey, Ken Wilber

"In this Technicolor manifesto calling for a renewed spiritual content in modern art, Grey argues that contemporary artists have lost touch with the search for transcendence that infused the work of such masters as Michelangelo, van Gogh, Pollock and Kahlo. In a freewheeling narrative, Grey compares what he sees as the materialism and moral irresponsibility of most contemporary art to his own creative endeavors, which draw on meditation, visualization, shamanic drumming, Taoism, yoga and Tibetan Buddhism."

Publication date: March 13, 2001
Binding: Paperback
Subjects: Art; Art & Art Instruction; History - General
ISBN: 157062545X
More Info: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/157062545X/ref=s_e5

-- Dave Keenan
Brisbane, Australia
http://dkeenan.com

David!
Thanks for the drawing attention to this book. I assume that alex would sympathize with Micrea Eliade who referred to Western art degeneration into "the secularization of sacred objects". a better goal might be "the spiritualization of secular objects". More in the spirit of a Pablo Solari as opposed to clearance sale rituals as epiphanies :)

David C Keenan wrote:

> This book may be of interest:
>
> The Mission of Art
>
> by Alex Grey, Ken Wilber
>
> "In this Technicolor manifesto calling for a renewed spiritual content in modern art, Grey argues that contemporary artists have lost touch with the search for transcendence that infused the work of such masters as Michelangelo, van Gogh, Pollock and Kahlo. In a freewheeling narrative, Grey compares what he sees as the materialism and moral irresponsibility of most contemporary art to his own creative endeavors, which draw on meditation, visualization, shamanic drumming, Taoism, yoga and Tibetan Buddhism."
>
> Publication date: March 13, 2001
> Binding: Paperback
> Subjects: Art; Art & Art Instruction; History - General
> ISBN: 157062545X
> More Info: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/157062545X/ref=s_e5
>
> -- Dave Keenan
> Brisbane, Australia
> http://dkeenan.com
>

-- Kraig Grady
North American Embassy of Anaphoria island
http://www.anaphoria.com

The Wandering Medicine Show
Wed. 8-9 KXLU 88.9 fm

--- In tuning@y..., David C Keenan <D.KEENAN@U...> wrote:
> This book may be of interest:
>
> The Mission of Art
>
> by Alex Grey, Ken Wilber
>
> "In this Technicolor manifesto calling for a renewed spiritual
content in modern art, Grey argues that contemporary artists have
lost touch with the search for transcendence that infused the work of
such masters as Michelangelo, van Gogh, Pollock and Kahlo. In a
freewheeling narrative, Grey compares what he sees as the materialism
and moral irresponsibility of most contemporary art to his own
creative endeavors, which draw on meditation, visualization, shamanic
drumming, Taoism, yoga and Tibetan Buddhism."
>
> Publication date: March 13, 2001
> Binding: Paperback
> Subjects: Art; Art & Art Instruction; History - General
> ISBN: 157062545X
> More Info:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/157062545X/ref=s_e5
>
> -- Dave Keenan
> Brisbane, Australia
> http://dkeenan.com

Dave,

This sounds great! I'll try to track this. And I totally agree here -
especially in America we see the excesses of "materialism and moral
irresponsibility".

Everything is so content controlled - all the airwaves - even
Classical stations succumm to the madness. Everywhere we turn we are
bombarded by messages which tell us what is aesthetically correct to
buy, listen to and what haircut is hip today.

The sickening thing is "stereotypes" that people seem to pick up from
too much absorbtion of popular media forms.

The brilliance of the "Big Corpo" content controlling forces here, is
that they have taken just about anything sacred to human life, and
have subjugated, perverted and harnessed it to fuel the big money
making machinery. And they cater to many types of people. A
nauseating facet of this is the popularity of the morning "talk
radio" shows, where common folk call in to speak on the air - of
course this is all staged, and it has been shown that in my area just
one or two out of state companies own all the staions here, so the
idea about content controlled media, which is tailor-made for a given
socail set is not at all imagined. In desigining content this way, a
few money-hungry capatilists control the aesthetic content and are
only concerned with the bottom line.

In the face of these things, our mission with microtonality shines
like a light in the darkness of materialistic spirituality. Artists
who do not give into the impulses but forth by popular media, but
seek deeper archetypal essences of the spirit represent Pillars and
Threads holding together what is left of the most sublime part of the
human spirit. One must urgently wonder where the tides will carry us
all, on our way to the ultimate ends of "Progress". The evidence is
all around, but with the mechnisms of denial, which are perpetuated
by the mind-numbing and brain-washing, content controlling forces of
the Big Conglomo popular media; prevent us from seeing the greater
truths, while masses cultivate the IMMP (I, Me, My Philosohpy), and
are basically oblivious to our current realities. In a culture so
completely lobotomized from "true culture" by these things; we've got
a tough road ahead. Is it our strange destiny and ultimate end to
only live for the sense gradifications, and power-lusts of today,
without any forethought about what will come for humans and species
after our cups are filled?

I frequently think about what it will take to return to a path of
heart - if we've ever been on one anyway. The really troubling thing
to me, is to see these ways take root in other cultures, who may let
go of traditions to jump on the materialistic bandwagon. The tragedy
is great, and it's like cutting down old growth forests - they don't
grow back. To overlook these kinds of things is a part of the abject
process of denial that hobbles true progress of spirit, and keeps us
plunging toward the ultimate ends of material progress.

What will Mother Earth do when the population of Humans doubles in
the next 50 years? How will she bare the burden of so many
pratictioners of IMMP?

Let us Pray,

Jacky Ligon

P.S. Thanks for being OT!

--- In tuning@y..., Kraig Grady <kraiggrady@a...> wrote:
> David!
> Thanks for the drawing attention to this book. I assume that
alex would sympathize with Micrea Eliade who referred to Western art
degeneration into "the secularization of sacred objects". a better
goal might be "the spiritualization of secular objects". More in the
spirit of a Pablo Solari as opposed to clearance sale rituals as
epiphanies :)
>

AMEN! Brother Kraig!

Thanks for your wisdom,

Jacky Ligon

--- In tuning@y..., David C Keenan <D.KEENAN@U...> wrote:
> This book may be of interest:
>
> The Mission of Art
>
> by Alex Grey, Ken Wilber
>
> "In this Technicolor manifesto calling for a renewed spiritual
content in modern art, Grey argues that contemporary artists have
lost touch with the search for transcendence that infused the work of
such masters as Michelangelo, van Gogh, Pollock and Kahlo. In a
freewheeling narrative, Grey compares what he sees as the materialism
and moral irresponsibility of most contemporary art to his own
creative endeavors, which draw on meditation, visualization, shamanic
drumming, Taoism, yoga and Tibetan Buddhism."
>
> Publication date: March 13, 2001
> Binding: Paperback
> Subjects: Art; Art & Art Instruction; History - General
> ISBN: 157062545X
> More Info:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/157062545X/ref=s_e5
>
> -- Dave Keenan
> Brisbane, Australia
> http://dkeenan.com

Dave,

This sounds great! I'll try to track this. And I totally agree here -
especially in America we see the excesses of "materialism and moral
irresponsibility".

Everything is so content controlled - all the airwaves - even
Classical stations succumb to the madness. Everywhere we turn we are
bombarded by messages which tell us what is aesthetically correct to
buy, listen to and what haircut is hip today.

The sickening thing is "stereotypes" that people seem to pick up from
too much absorption of popular media forms.

The brilliance of the "Big Corpo" content controlling forces here, is
that they have taken just about anything sacred to human life, and
have subjugated, perverted and harnessed it to fuel the big money
making machinery. And they cater to many types of people. A
nauseating facet of this is the popularity of the morning "talk
radio" shows, where common folk call in to speak on the air - of
course this is all staged, and it has been shown that in my area just
one or two out of state companies own all the stations here, so the
idea about content controlled media, which is tailor-made for a given
social set, is not at all imagined. In "designing" content this way,
a few money-hungry capitalists control the aesthetic content of the
airwaves - and thereby the "popular" mind and opinions about musical
artforms - and are only concerned with the bottom line.

In the face of these things, our mission with microtonality shines
like a light in the darkness of materialistic spirituality. Artists
who do not give into the impulses but forth by popular media, but
seek deeper archetypal essences of the spirit, represent Pillars and
Threads holding together what is left of the most sublime part of the
human spirit. One must urgently wonder where the tides will carry us
all, on our way to the ultimate ends of "Progress". The evidence is
all around, but with the mechanisms of denial, which are perpetuated
by the mind-numbing and brain-washing, content controlling forces of
the Big Conglomo popular media; prevent us from seeing the greater
truths, while masses cultivate the IMMP (I, Me, My Philosophy), and
are basically oblivious to our current realities. In a culture so
completely lobotomized from "true culture" (I hold to the feeling
that our materialistic culture does not serve a Ritual Function like
that found in Non-Westen cultures, therefore does not bond us as a
people) by these things; we've got a tough road ahead. Is it our
strange destiny and ultimate end to only live for the sense
gratifications, and power-lusts of today, without any forethought
about what will come for humans and species after our cups are
filled? Clink your glasses and make a toast to the reality that you
won't have to live on this Earth after this generation gets through.

I frequently think about what it will take to return to a path of
heart - if we've ever been on one anyway. The really troubling thing
to me, is to see these ways take root in other cultures, who may let
go of traditions to jump on the materialistic bandwagon. The tragedy
is great, and it's like cutting down old growth forests - they don't
grow back. To overlook these kinds of things is a part of the abject
process of denial that hobbles true progress of spirit, and keeps us
plunging toward the ultimate ends of material progress.

What will Mother Earth do when the population of Humans doubles in
the next 50 years? How will she bear the burden of so many
practitioners of IMMP? The role of each Individual and especially
the Artist, is indeed important to any alternate outcomes. But
the "powers that be" are extremely efficient at keeping things "as
is" - so we've got our work cut out for us.

Let us Pray,

Jacky Ligon