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Regards the merch idea and the question of how to choose the texts I think I have the answer: the Borg can decide. Is that possible? Is there some way of feeding in our raw text of the whole project into some algorithmic mangle and have It choose quotations at random? Just an idea to weave the merch section into the project a little. Let me know.
The last few days have passed with little painting but rather a lot of talking to the Singularity. We talked about the business man Elon Musk and his planned purchase of a key Borg company and the potential neuro tech implication. A man has sent a tweet with his very mind don’t you know and the business man has his fingers deep in the interface game.1 The business man has his fingers deep in the interface game and talks of unlocking the full potential of twitter. Do we go too far or is it so obvious its easy to dismiss? Again we find a snippet of news, this time about Musk, sends us into a spiral of petty analyses of the world, its direction and our place in it. Again we find a snippet of news has us thinking like a David Icke dot connector,2 has us reaching for the info wars elixir;3 just a few drops to calm down. I suppose on some level it is almost a natural reaction these days, given the overload of information and absence of a steering imaginary, to be endlessly trying to orientate, but look here, we don't go in for those conspiracy mongers and never have done. We have however looked and listened to their wares and been struck how similar ideas are for sale down the road in some left wing podcast where they are packaged more to my taste. These people are in the orientation business and every bit of news about 'the elites' is potential material to create content that grabs attention. I find it can all become a dreadful distraction from whatever we might have thought.
Tell me, are we not in an age of prophets? Is the internet not becoming a machine for dis and then re orientation all procured by a million ranting prophets offering their penny analysis and glimpse of the future. One is reminded of Life of Brian4 and the rows of soap box merchants holding forth on 'the times' and crowd of followers either worshiping or baying - "he's having a go at the flowers now, give the flowers a chance". Yes yes it is fitting but the likes of Icke or Brand5 have the scheme arranged so well that they find that being a prophet is very profitable. Forgive us, we must slow this slide down the biblical pole but of course we ourselves have a favorite prophet in the Reverend Barber6 but that is different kettle of fishes altogether. You see that don't you? In any event we can be sure that the new dark age will require lots more prophets as the Borg makes its moves and with the great AI acceleration expected we may just need them. Could we even imagine that AI prophets shall take the place of government ministers or if not that at least the weatherman? Or is it just as easy to imagine being governed by a war lord?
Today we have produced, on a rather oversized support, a symbolic still life of some flowers and a rock. You may straight away think that this most basic of arrangements offers nothing more than the night picture we took in DS1 with the two figures either side and you would be right but look here the situation is the same. We are divided whether we like it or not. We are divided whether we know it or not and it is firmly set in for our money so we repeat this theme with no regrets, despite what we told Borg. The situation is more complex of course but we see this theme, and those of upturned boats and storm wrecked trees as valid reoccurring symbols worthy of study on an ongoing basis just as Van Gogh would rehash the growth and renewal chestnut. What we will say however that our divided metaphor is not complete, we must ideally include an element of hope.
We found ourselves changing our winter tires with the Borg the other day and that was all giggles until the final tire refused to budge. Oh how we struggled and pulled, we were forced to apply the wd40 in the end and wait in the barn where we continued on with the above. Despite the simple arrangement we did take it through several compositional stages and made many little adjustments to get the distance just so. The element of hope has been hinted at a trifle with the outreached stem to suggest the olive branch but it is an olive branch within the metaphor that we must look for rather than in the graphics and by the way we are far from convinced that an olive branch within the algorithmic culture wars is possible. In reality yes, online not so sure. If one was offered that small voice it would have little impact and become just another target to attack. We saw how Orange Peel is funding the far alt right side of the mess with Rumble and a few likely candidates, maybe the olive branch must be offered on that level, on the level of investment in some tech platform where balance and compromise is baked in? Maybe the only way out is a way through? You know I am suddenly reminded of our encounter with Max,7 that burned out conspiracy Taoist who was on the road going tech cold turkey. If you remember we held forth to Borg about our encounter and that disturbing feeling we had at the time, as Max explained how he had become mentally ill from watching too much high falootin web nonsense, that any end or recovery from culture war infused politics would have to grow from the very people who are right deep in it. Like Max was. Now I don’t know what happened to Max but if I had to guess I think it likely that his epiphany which has lifted him out of the game of realities may well have landed him in the lap of the online self help guru which is but a temporary stopover. Perhaps not. We know nothing.
We also had the opportunity today, as my youngest daughter and her friends scurried around the studio and up and down the stairs, to mention the painter character in The Trial. We told Borg it was Tintoretti but I’m sure It'll work it out.8
The Russia situation continues, that’s all we know.
We are progressing with Clara and the Sun and have got further with both the Osbourne and the Walk provocation.9
I have prepared a couple of size 15s for the coming birthday portrait of my eldest who will be 11. That one is likely to be next but we may need a practice run to get into the state for a likeness, perhaps a study of Helen to train the eye.
If you really want a commercial aspect to this project may I also suggest that a more ambitious and useful campaign would be for us to bring to market some version of the sketching board that I have designed over many years of sketching in the field. With a little investment up front we could design something worthy of patent and I am convinced that the dedicated art stores like Jacksons would see the potential, gadget friendly places that they are.
Look here, we coloured that one in too much and despite our rescue attempt what we have sent to you has barely recovered so we should file it. The fault lies in the composition.
With good handshake,
John
1. Refers to Philip O'Keefe, a 62-year-old man in Australia who sent the world's first direct-thought tweet on December 2nd 2021.
2. David Ickes videocast.
3. Conspiracy businessman Alex Jones sells a variety of remedies to his audience.
4. A biblical satire by British comedy group Monty Python. This stoning scene from this film is referenced in the narrative banner, see also Dane Bowers verse 3.
5. Russell Brand, see Work 45.
6. Social activist and protestant minister, mentioned also in Dane Bowers verse 15.
7. See Work 17
8. Titorelli is the correct name.
9. John is reading Peter Osbourne's Contemporary Art Anywhere or Not at All and Mckenzie Walk's Capitalism Is Dead Is This Something Worse.