Exquisite Mindscape is a live experiment virtually inspired by the 21st century and art, featuring the correspondence of two artists: Stephen Gibb and Sabina Nore.
Transcript of Exquisite Mindscape - An Art Experiment
1. Exquisite Mindscape Exquisite Mindscape was a live
experiment virtually inspired by the 21st century and art,
featuring the correspondence of two artists: Stephen Gibb and
Sabina Nore. The Exquisite Mindscape project took place between
February and March 2013. This PDF file was created on June 16 2014
and serves as a backup of the original project.
2. February 13, 2012 Stephen GibbUnheimlich Maneuver Stuck in
the throat like something that cant be spoken. Stuck in the spot
where the Heimlich maneuver becomes the unheimlich maneuver,
lodging the words deeper in the throat causing translations to
interbreed and create their unique chaos, a circus spectacle. Stuck
where the hands of time rust in place and the madness unfolds in an
endless stream of consciousness, until the ringmaster becomes self-
aware, stumbling on his rehearsed delivery, rendering the audience
unconscious, catatonic, vibrating in harmonic resonance with their
DNA February 13, 2012 Sabina Nore The Imaginarium My thoughts have
traveled from (exquisite) mindscape to Imaginarium, to something
grotesque or uncanny, to the circus and my fascination with its
visuals and the symbolism. However, when I say circus I am stuck at
the older version of the same, maybe up to the 1930s. I am as
unfamiliar with the modern circus as I wish to be with the
symbolical circle of existence. Speaking of grotesque and uncanny,
the German equivalent to uncanny is unheimlich which, if translated
literally, would mean unhomely. Theres a picture in there
somewhere. The unhomely circus of existence. Bringing German into
the mix reminds me of Freud who said that the uncanny derives its
terror not from something externally alien or unknown but, on the
contrary, from something strangely familiar which defeats our
efforts to separate ourselves from it. Stuck in the unhomely circus
of existence
3. build around that notion. Circuses are travelling shows,
entertainment brought to your town, usually for enjoyment,
frivolous yet thrilling. What if this circus has another agenda,
deeper, more profound? Now Im reminded of Robert Pirsig mention of
the chautauqua in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chautauqua Lets dive into this a
little more February 15, 2012 Stephen GibbThe Midnight Circus I was
always fascinated by the idea of a Dark Carnival (actually a band
from Detroit), or a Midnight Circus (Cries from the Midnight Circus
is a song from The Pretty Things) or the idea behind the story
Something Wicked This Way Comes (Bradbury) where the conventional
circus is upended with something off kilter, uncanny. I think of
freaks, side shows, acrobats, exotic animalI like the circus idea.
Maybe we can February 14, 2012 Sabina NoreCircus Spectacles Lets
construct the visual. A person wearing circus spectacles stares at
the audience in the mirror What else?
4. February 15, 2012 Stephen Gibb The other way to see it is
through the aspect of performance. Nothing is real, nothing is
genuine. It is all fake and merely a colorful illusion, put in
place for spectators and for the money, to then be torn to pieces,
stacked into cages and boxes and carried elsewhere. So you see, one
view is, for me, extremely positive, the other extremely negative.
Which do you want to go with? Or do you propose a third or forth
approach? trompe loeil of Olay Its all deception. Nothing is real.
Nothings surreal (say that 5 times fast). Art is the oldest
illusion of all. Weve conned ourselves into thinking of art as some
lofty ambition, some noble discipline that brings us closer to the
gods. It is fakery. It mimics life, it strives for verisimilitude,
it tries to attain some intangible level of sublimity, but its just
art and a form of entertainment when you strip it right down. I
think thats why I love it so much its my facade, created and
controlled by me no one else uses it like the next person since we
all create our own art facades. It may resonate with deep feelings,
emotions and personal investment but its essentially paint
organized on a panel (organized being the key word). February 15,
2012 Sabina NoreCircus Freaks For me there are two ways to approach
a circus. One, as a place full of natural mutants or freaks
whereas, when I say that, there is no negative connotation
whatsoever. One of the nicest things I can call a friend is freak
and I always chose to surround myself with such people, because
they are the interesting ones. In that sense the circus is a
stronghold of the unusual, the different and the refreshing.
5. February 16, 2012 Stephen Gibb February 16, 2012 Sabina Nore
OK Sabina I totally missed your post on Circus Spectacles. We could
start therea sort of interspection by looking at ones self from a
circus-themed perspective. We are the freaks An image is taking
shape in my head. I picture someone looking into a gilded mirror,
only its just a plywood cutout of a person and we can see this
because we are viewing the cutout from behind as if it is us,
almost as if we were about to peek through the cutout eyes. The
reflection is also visible to us, and I sort of imagine a Victorian
woman, maybe even a sideshow freak like the bearded lady. Beyond
the mirror is the the dark depths of a circus tent with the
raggle-taggle crew and performers strewn about. I see a gorilla
disguised as the Ringmaster directing the audiences attention to
something in the centre ring, something profound Something Profound
I dont know Stephen I dont think its all fakery. Maybe Im fooling
myself, but I would rather be a fool with noble ideals than a
bitter cynic, at least at this point of my life. I dont mean to
imply that you are a cynic, I hope thats a given, nor a fool. This
is simply me getting warmed up. Being a cynic is like being a
joker. The cynic is a nihilist of sorts, and so is the joker. Could
fear be at the source of both their attitudes? Fear of rejection
perhaps? If paint is organized on a panel it doesnt make it any
less profound. The universe itself is organized. Chaos is
organized. Just because there is no obvious pattern or order,
visible to us, doesnt mean that something is any less profound, any
less sublime. The circus is definitely not So I guess what Im
saying is your dual view of the circus is valid from either
perspective. I think Id like the circus to be a stage or setting
for presenting the main event in the centre ring. Use the circus
metaphor to house the central theme. Its funny but people often use
circus synonomously with chaos, but could a circus ever really be
chaos?
6. February 16, 2012 Stephen Gibb chaos, I agree, unless we say
it is organized chaos. Like preparing a scene in a play, and the
scene is meant to depict chaos. If all goes well, and if the actors
do their part, then the audience will perceive it as chaos, however
that impression is intended and what is behind it is studious work
and organization. Something profound in the center ring. I like
that, but lets not address that yet. I would like the center ring
to remain a mystery for now. What if, instead of the plywood
cutout, there are glasses or spectacles of some sort in the center
(same position and view as you described for the cutout), and the
image in the mirror that is visible through these glasses in not
the same as the image in the mirror outside and around that area?
So the viewer of the picture is the one looking through the
glasses. There is no mediator between the viewer and the mirror,
except for the glasses? Could the aforementioned center ring be
visible through the spectacles? Beyond the mirror, the dark depths
of a circus tent fading into a starry night sky. The whole
background would be darkish, the mirror somewhat brighter, and the
area visible through the glasses the brightest, the clearest. Would
a court jester have a place in this picture? Not a clown but a
court jester. Marquis de Facade I think you are fixed on the
spectacles, with their clear allusion to illusion and vision. Thats
OK, but I have a sort of affinity to the facade component of
performance. The clowns and acrobats and magicians are there for
our entertainment, a contract between the audience and performer. I
paid you entertain. Entertainment is a facade put on by the
performer, an interface. It usually has nothing to do with what is
going on in their private life so it is not a genuine extension of
themselves hence the facade connection. I like the stars, the
darkness, the mystery. I also like the jester, I see him as a
surprise element, maybe a little unsettling in appearance, kind of
popping into view
7. February 19, 2012 Sabina Nore February 20, 2012 Stephen Gibb
Masque de Charade I may have been fixed on the spectacles as I saw
them very clearly, and they looked really good too, but I can
easily shed that vision in lieu of a new one. A facade or a
charade. Charade goes better with the jester. A Venetian carnival
mixed in with the circus. Everyone wearing a Venetian mask, even
the animals. I am not really trying to make any sense at the
moment, rather going with the flow. Not sure that any of this is
worth keeping. The music from the Tomb Raider game comes to aural
mind, the Venice theme which adds an element of chase The music is
playful as well though. Children playing hide-and-seek, angry
adults handing out Venetian masks to the kids, angry because its
not proper to go outside and play unless you are wearing yours.
Masks are a pretty obvious symbol. Too obvious for a main feature
but may work as an added goodie. What do you think? Masque of
Amontillado Now Im veering off into Poe-land A jester, an Italian
city (Venice, Venetian masks), Carnival (or circus) and the
deception (being bricked into your own tomb) OK lets start to build
an image. I like the mask idea. Lets somehow use this as a central
image, perhaps the masked figure engaged in the mirror??? The
circus or carnival becomes a reference to what is going on inside
the masked characters mind, the reflection in the mirror being
the
8. February 20, 2012 Sabina Nore February 20, 2012 Stephen Gibb
February 20, 2012 Sabina Nore reality. If you agree that this could
be a foundation to build outward from, we can proceed to flesh out
the secondary details. It all depends on how far we want to
fine-tune the consensus. Do we have to scrupulously describe every
detail down to colour and position or do we rough- out the scene
with ambiguous latitude for interpretation? Solidifying the Cast
Yes, its time to start solidifying our ideas. Masked figure engaged
in a mirror. Yes! Being that the circus is an outward spectacle and
all about performance and audience, it makes more sense to me as a
reference to reality, even if its a distorted view of reality
(though it doesnt have to be distorted!). By the same token, the
mirror is reflective, introspective; the character gazes into the
mirror to find the true self, unaffected by the surrounding circus.
It works either way though, and maybe thats an added charm of the
dual outcome. As for fine-tuning the consensus, and how far to go,
Id say that we should agree on some must- have elements, general
meaning, but details like color, position, etc. should remain a
surprise. How about we each name a few things that must be included
as part of the general image? The general setup we have pretty much
already described, havent we? Its a wrap Masked figure (central
figure), mirror (central prop), circus (setting). Those are the
three elements that HAVE to be included in the image. Is that too
general? I dont think so. If we start splitting hairs as to what
circus elements be included it could take months to arrive at an
agreement. Im sure with this as the launch point it conjures an
image in the readers mind just as it does in ours, but the results
will inevitably be vastly different or not Creation Launch I didnt
mean to split hairs but simply each of us to list a few (three or
so) must-have elements (details), but we can do it this way as
well. The image started conjuring up a long time ago, and shifted
and changed a few times too, so yes, I am fine with wrapping it up
and getting down with the fun part! Any time frame? Shall we wait
until each of us has completed the painting and then present it on
the same day, or how?
9. February 20, 2012 Stephen Gibb February 21, 2012 Sabina Nore
February 21, 2012 Stephen Gibb Strap on your pressure suit Im ready
to go. I just wonder about the value of any kind of exchange during
the actual art making period, or would that cause interference and
influence the other in an adverse way? Kind of like no peeking But
I think peeking would be cool too because it would continue the
process of a long-distance collaboration. Should it be hidden, both
in description or in actual posted images? Maybe we could aim for a
target date. How about the 15th of March? That has some
significance doesnt it? Inspirational Peeks It could be interesting
to share the progress half way through, or so, and risk an
accidental additional inspiration. March 15th is a Thursday so we
could present what we have on March 1st and then again on the 8th?
Lets go! Sounds good!
10. March 1, 2012 Stephen Gibbthe rough edges This is where Im
at so far Just some simple sketches to build around. I wanted to
make the mirror a character in the painting so it has become
anthropomorphised into a face with cloven hooves for feet. The
masked figure is ambiguous as to its logical position relative to
the mirror and as to its identity (is it the viewer?). The circus
tent will be dark and foreboding and the ringmaster will have a
sort of perplexed look of not quite understanding his role in these
bizarre events. Just like the expression I wear every day
11. As you can see I am painting in black and white at the
moment. Color and additional details come at a later point. March
1, 2012 Sabina NoreSubjective vs. Objective Cool! I really like how
the mirror looks, as well as the abyss in front of it. As for me, I
got into my painting big time, but I accept the suggested format,
so Im not going to reveal the whole picture yet either. Instead,
here are two details, each containing numerous details
12. In the second picture is one of the scenes that shows
something that is happening in the ring, a boy infatuated with it
all, and right at the entrance of the circus tent, a rabbit thats
coming out of a top hat. The magic is spilled right at the
entrance, so to speak, but that doesnt make a bit of difference.
The child is outside the ring, but it cant wait to join the circus.
What it doesnt know is that it is already chained to it, and doesnt
have a choice but to eventually become part of the spectacle. The
nail is stuck into the ground inside the ring (not visible in the
above picture, obviously) and would pull the child in to face the
same direction as everyone else who is playing along. Direction,
and who is facing which, is important in my painting, but that will
be more clear when a bigger part of the picture is visible. For
instance, the main character in front of the mirror will probably
be much more fleshy and muscular.
13. March 9, 2012 Sabina NoreProgress Well, I didnt get as far
as I had planned for this showing, but here is what I have so
far.
14. March 9, 2012 Stephen Gibb Heres where Im at so far about a
day behind schedule and some interesting details still to be added
stay tuned.
15. March 16, 2012 Stephen GibbSecret agenda of the Midnight
Circus Heres the final hope you like it!
16. The End March 16, 2012 Sabina NoreThe Unhomely Circus Of
Existence I am not 100% sure if my painting is completed, but this
is what I have at the moment. I need some distance from it to see
how Ill feel about it being finished then. I hope you like it!