Undoubtedly, one has to agree with composers of relational music in at least one assertion. A concert that generates no moment-specific, living, situational social game that develops a network of semantic intrigues between all the participants is simply obsolete. It is not sufficiently efficient in enriching anyone these days. It is an evident waste of time and means. The material perceived in isolation from any circumstances, external and/or internal factors is at most an idea lying in language/philosophical domain, it is not available to us in any way. Denying this claim is as justified as believing that Earth is flat. A concert hall, a stage in a theatre, gallery or any other space reserved for arts must become a kind of an arena if it is to affect anyone effectively. I want to stress at this moment that I still think that absolute music exists and there is a purpose for it; I will come back to this paradox and my understanding of this term later.
A CONCERT THAT GENERATES NO MOMENT-SPECIFIC, SITUATIONAL SOCIAL GAME THAT DEVELOPS A NETWORK OF SEMANTIC INTRIGUES BETWEEN ALL THE PARTICIPANTS IS AN EVIDENT WASTE OF TIME.
(Composed) contextuality of art which mentioned above is actually nothing really new nor groundbreaking. It was always the case since the very beginning of art, but –with different level of awareness of the authors and audiences- only recently we began treating these categories as autonomous (though of course linked) parameters during the process of composing/performing. However, there still is a problem. Even with more and freer rules in expanding the boundaries of art, context-creation, wider references, polyperspectivity in hermeneutics (the trends I’m talking about right now have nothing to do with symbolism, although by some are misclassified as such) we are still missing something that would help us in reaching a deeper experience of reality. Not only as a counterpoint of cultural change, but in the form of constructive interference in physical/virtual reality itself.
Unfortunately, many of the socially engaged creation of the early 21st century actually reflected the current reality of fatal, post-agonal stage of postmodernism – the disaster of imagination, in the face of witch which artistic intelligence can only function publicly taking form of sarcasm or irony. Thus, the criticism it brings still remains a high-calorie mockery. Facts, assumptions, and even the glorified content of the work blurs in the jungle of endless, notoriously common references similar to pop-up windows in the web browser. I’m am not against extending the concepts, of course – this is truly necessary. I am just saying it should expand cognitive abilities of the being of emergent ontological nature and not get involved in creation of informational noise. Well-planned provocation is an effective method of inspiration and stimulation, but constant recalling something else and multiplying negative (those that do not contribute to general development acceleration) models and designs, very often taken from lower popular culture is simply misguided.
I am quite convinced that in not a very long time it will be regarded as such. In brief: there is a difference between a game and entertainment. If we want to raise the cultural standards, we need something in our art that will introduce a tangible link to reality, not limited only to the socio-political or moral aspects. Everyday life culture can also be significantly improved – make majority of the people aware of the depths of tantric sex and I bet that the porn industry will encounter a serious crisis; make nootropics available everywhere and legalize most of or even all psychoactive substances, and it turns out that drug abuse would be drastically reduced and social productivity would be increased (look at the case of Portugal in recent years for instance). Everything can be a weapon exactly the same way as everything can be of benefit. It is always about making people aware and caring.
SHORT DOCUMENTARY ON PORTUGAL’S DRUG POLICY:
EXTENDING THE CONCEPTS IS TRULY NECESSARY TO EXPAND COGNITIVE ABILITIES OF A BEING OF EMERGENTIVE ONTOLOGICAL NATURE, BUT DEFINITELY NOT IN CREATION OF INFORMATIONAL NOISE. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GAME AND ENTERTAINMENT
Acceptance – sentience – sensation – cognizance – consciousness – action – another transgression. After first posthumanistic ideas emerged in modern civilization, we cannot remain indifferent to the wider context of creativity they brought – biological, technological, environmental and of course – existential. Today’s art lacks something that would cause a global overview effect. To accomplish this, the art -at least to some extent- has to modify its almost only one, current role: reflection and expanding reality only in cultural and social fields. Today any artist has to expand its role as a commentator, expressing an opinion or simply a creative intellectual reacting to his surroundings. This is simply not enough.
The overview effect – is a cognitive shift in awareness reported by some astronauts and cosmonauts during spaceflight, often while viewing the Earth from orbit or from the lunar surface. It refers to the experience of seeing firsthand the reality of the Earth in space, which is immediately understood to be a tiny, fragile ball of life, “hanging in the void”, shielded and nourished by a paper-thin atmosphere. From space, national boundaries vanish, the conflicts that divide people become less important, and the need to create a planetary society with the united will to protect this “pale blue dot” becomes both obvious and imperative. The overview effect is considered to be one of the main factors which led to Gaia hypothesis which proposes that organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings on Earth to form a synergistic self-regulating, complex system that helps to maintain and perpetuate the conditions for life on the planet.
SHORT DOCUMENTARY ON THE OVERVIEW EFFECT:
The work of art has to become a stimulant, a reason, an inspiration to act not only in fields of language and social structures. It should be like a sperm inseminating the ovum – the fertile ground of minds and bodies of recipients, impregnating them not only with ideas but in addition providing enriching and necessary stimuli (deprived of symbolic meaning) in order to create new forms of material which would then become an another stimulant. Art should even initiate real-life physical changes resulting in extension of awareness, sentience and the overall efficiency of the work. In autumn 2014, my composer-colleague Piotr Roemer said to me: “(…) your actions and ideas will lead to a situation in which the music will be injected with syringes!” – I have to admit that I really liked this phrase, so in response I laughed with an authentic satisfaction. Yes – a stimulant, something concrete, methods that work effectively, boosting the efficiency of perception in order to bring communication and awareness to a new level – a syringe filled with music is something we need today very much.
