chemical paradises

The Britt, Oliver Sacks felt that the brain was the "most incredible thing in the universe" and that it should be studied. So, imagine my surprise when I read his essay Altered States in the New Yorker, instead of a deep insight to the working human brain, he went on a drug rant on why we, as a species need drugs; not crave, or how we fall victim to chems. He did go into the social Perhaps the individual nature behind the use of drugs.

He explained that, every culture has found chemical means of transcendence, and at some point the use of such intoxicants becomes institutionalized at a magical or sacramental level. The sacramental use of psychoactive plant substances has a long history and continues to the present day in various shamanic and religious rites around the world. The way he romanticizes addiction makes it seem as if there is a need of something bigger than oneself, something beyond faith that should keep our train of thought on track.

He did digress on a humbler level that, drugs are used not so much to illuminate or expand or concentrate the mind but for the sense of pleasure and euphoria they can provide. Just as he is on the picture above on a bike, he can connect with a drug user since the biker is in search of a small burst of an adrenaline rush, which in itself is a type of drug with its own set of addiction.

Apparently in Sacks twisted mind he believes every culture has its own chemical dependence. 

Even thou, at some point in history all drugs reach a point that need to be evaluated for safety by big brother. Sacks kindly remind us about the pioneer Mormons, forbidden to use tea or coffee, on their long march to Utah found by the roadside a simple herb, Mormon tea, whose infusions refreshed and stimulated the weary pilgrims. This was ephedra, which contains ephedrine, chemically and pharmacologically akin to the amphetamines.

What culture can you associate the following drugs with?

• Peyote

• Hash

• Alcohol

• Coca

• Mescaline

In Sync

A person that has not traveled is unaware of the different religions that habit our planet and how culture affects religion just as much as their location does. cultures cling on drugs in a religious fashion and have as much variety from one to the next. your average person doesn't understand the concept of syncretization (links work) and simply assume that the level of showmanship in religions other than his/her own are not real when in reality all have their similarities and if one has a little knowledge can understand these variances. all across the world people worship the same deities with different names which are adjusted by location and specific beliefs. The subtext that needs to be taken from emotions of lower comprehension, such as when people are lonely, feel cheated or misunderstood, they balance in the thin line between drugs and religion, only one thing is stronger than all their insecurities combined: faith.

Blonk performs Ursonate with real-time typography

Art has a Special place in my heart for different reasons. It not only demonstrates superhuman ability when it comes to eye-motor skill coordination with the dexterity of a brain surgeon, but it allows me to look at the world through another set of eyes, with a wholly unique perspective on life than the one I might have on that specified day. I love the way art possesses a level of ambiguousness that it can represent what you wish to see, you become the art critic and you can and will send a colossus sized screw you to the biggest art critics the world has to offer.

   Normally, as a couple, my wife and myself have very distinct and individual tastes when it comes to art. We have traveled the world, visited museums in all continents and seen some insane sculptures in Europe. But what seemed interesting is that we were both equally perplexed at Mr. Blonk's artistic interpretation. Not because of the uniqueness of the piece, but because we were trying to understand it from our point of view along with each of our specific expertises which (we understand) neither of us was in his area: the sound choreography.

  Our date night, however, was a success. We spent the some free time enjoying art (even some weird one) in the Gallery and had plenty to talk about for the next few days. Nothing compares to the respite art can provide. Our audience experience built new knowledge on what to experience and perhaps how to confront it in the future.           

Vowels

Vowels

A Black, E white, I red, U green, O blue : vowels, I shall tell, one day, of your mysterious origins: A, black velvety jacket of brilliant flies Which buzz around cruel smells, Gulfs of shadow; E, whiteness of vapours and of tents, Lances of proud glaciers, white kings, shivers of cow-parsley; I, purples, spat blood, smile of beautiful lips In anger or in the raptures of penitence; U, waves, divine shudderings of viridian seas, The peace of pastures dotted with animals, the peace of the furrows Which alchemy prints on broad studious foreheads; O, sublime Trumpet full of strange piercing sounds, Silences crossed by Worlds and by Angels: O the Omega, the violet ray of Her Eyes!

                                                                                                            by Rimbaud

    In the opening line, which gives the sonnet its name, Rimbaud simply names the five vowels, linking each to a color: “A black, E white, I red, U green, O blue: vowels.” Why does he links certain vowels to certain colors? Why does he add a texture and a picture to each of his colorful vowel?

By assigning a color to each vowel along with a word, he is also assigning said color to said word. But he takes it a step forward by adding a texture, and finalized it with an element of life. If we break down the "A" line what would we find?
A = Vowel
Black = color
Velvety = Texture
Jacket = word/ item
Brilliant = Sight/ Visual
Flies = Life
Buzz = Action/ sound
Around = Location
Crude smells = odor

As we can see every word in the line is essential to the development of the poem. Each vowel has a synesthetic effect combining different elements for a desired effect. break down the other vowel what can you find?  

Travel + Writer = Travel writer

   “The Drunken Boat”

      hands on all available exploration literature. When a story touches you, dissect it and find out why.
     Arthur Rimbaud was a French national treasure, a fascinating poet that lived during the second half of the XIX century. Rimbaud lived an extraordinary life as a traveler. As a young man the French poet composed a most phenomenal prose poem by the name of “The Drunken Boat” a poem full of amazing color and intoxicating views. In it Rimbaud used his imagination to present landscapes in a mesmerizing fashion that enhances the way the reader perceives nature's godliness. However, Rimbaud created his grand voyage expositions before stepping a single foot in a boat. The poet had to find inspiration from somewhere, from exploration literature perhaps. The amazingly flowery descriptions Rimbaud provided do not just convert from light and morph into ripe emotion ready to tantalize tourist's taste buds without experiencing the world and forced to evolve. In a more simple phrase, he was inspired. However, the real question should be, where did his inspiration come from? Was it a muse, a man, or a woman?

Confessions

Contemporary readers, do not be afraid of this kind of book!

After avoiding this book for weeks, I must confess to whoever is reading, that today I was able to finish Thomas De Quincey's book Confessions of an English Opium-eater. I was intrigued as to what the book would contain. I expected an old school, British version of The Hangover. Instead, I received something slightly different. The book was a hard read, but appealing. There was an essence of debauchery I so craved but not explicit; it was mostly implicit. I kept asking myself: why would I continue to read this? And just when I was about to give up something beautiful happened. Karma smacked the annoyingly stiff main character in the face, and it was beautiful. The main character was completely dynamic; his shift was as if he was turned inside out and upside down at the same time.

 In this society, heavy drug use is normally shunned, but in the case of the main character in De Quincey's book it made him more human, more pleasant and a riot to be with. By toning down his stuffiness, he became a more reliable character with an easier to follow narrative. It is as if he kind of retold his story from a different perspective.

Confessions of an English Opium-eater

Drunk Art

Drunk Art



The Absinthe Drinker, Édouard Manet , 1859




     The image above was Manet's final interpretation of the absinthe drinker. But by no means was how this masterpiece started. For the sake of argument lets present the beginning stage along with Manet's supposed inspiration.





     Here we see stage one. Nothing but bare bones, there is barely a background and little to no detail. However, the has been special attention given to the Hat and the shoal. this stage of the picture shows a remarkable resemblance to one of Raphael's representations.




     Here we see Manet's stage one against Raphael in a Cloak, C.1520 (engraving) By Marcantonio Raimondi. We can see the similarities but also the differences in an all out war between engravers vs. painters.




     Manet's final adaptation kept the shoal and the hat. Also extended the the body of the character making him longer stronger, more dignified in every single way. both characters seem to have the same expression of content, but the war of engravers vs. painters take on a deeper meaning. The engraving has engraving plates and tools on the left, risen as if on a pedestal, while the painting has a cup in the same position, said cup has the very tricky resemblance  of a paint brush or spatula (a close up can be seen below) ready to be used by the character.  





   Manet seem to have a fixation with placing out of character things in his paintings. the placing mechanism he learned from his master Delacroix. here we can see a close up of one of Liberty Leading the People. Notice the top hat. in order to realize how out of place the Hat actually is we need to look at the whole work below.





Art is intoxicating!!!!

Hash

   Hash is not to be confused with anything related with coding or that delicious corned beef breakfast concoction.




     Hash or hashish is a drug, a heavy drug based on a potent form of cannabis (marijuana) produced by collecting and compressing trichomes, the most potent material from cannabis plants. these trichomes are nothing more than the fine growths (buds) on cannabis plants that produce a sticky resin.




  Artists, writers, and poets depend on mind alteration for their creations. their so called muses are nothing more than inspiration in a bottle, or in this case a pipe is used.






   Hashish and hash oil are stronger concentrated forms of marijuana.




     The effects of hashish use include problems with memory and learning; distorted perception (sights, sounds, time, touch); difficulty in thinking and problem solving; loss of coordination; and increased heart rate, anxiety, and panic attacks. but more importantly it will create a unique experience. it is up the user's state of mind if the experience will be a dream or a nightmare. regardless of the outcome, it seems a bunch of fun. Enjoy!

High Society

High Society

 Today, my book arrived. A book that took 192 hours to reach my hands from the click of the Amazon "buy" button. The book focuses on the use and spread of so-called recreational drugs. From the ancients to modern times, It is interesting to see how mind-altering drugs have been the target of public hate and shame throughout history, but the are the epicenter of art and great minds. Every great piece of art (pictures, paintings, and literature pieces) has in some way, shape or form been the grand scheme of drugs by display or influence. The book has a combination of paintings, statues, and pictures where homage is paid to different mind-altering drugs. The question that comes to mind is: in what way do these drugs really change perception. But it seems that the reality is based on the changes in the art community. This community grows into its own subculture where their behaviors and actions revolve around whichever drug their group favors. What I find interesting is how these groups vary from drug to drug and can be identified or associated with groups in different ways including the way they speak or dress, giving their subculture a real, concrete presence. A picture I found appealing is on page 47, A male enjoying a rave is exposed with plenty of flying colors and sounds, giving the scene an essence of synesthesia. The way it is depicted, ecstasy seems very appealing in this light.
 

Be Drunk

Be Drunk

You have to be always drunk. That's all there is to it--it's the 

only way. So as not to feel the horrible burden of time that breaks 

your back and bends you to the earth, you have to be continually 

drunk.

But on what?Wine, poetry or virtue, as you wish. But be 

drunk.

And if sometimes, on the steps of a palace or the green grass of 

a ditch, in the mournful solitude of your room, you wake again, 

drunkenness already diminishing or gone, ask the wind, the wave, 

the star, the bird, the clock, everything that is flying, everything 

that is groaning, everything that is rolling, everything that is 

singing, everything that is speaking. . .ask what time it is and 

wind, wave, star, bird, clock will answer you:"It is time to be 

drunk! So as not to be the martyred slaves of time, be drunk, be

continually drunk! On wine, on poetry or on virtue as you wish." 

Charles Baudelaire

       By enrolling in this literature of intoxication course, what do I  expect?  I expect nothing more than accounts that cross the borders of reality and imagination. I hope to read accounts of debauchery, loss of inhibitions and demented rage that blurs the line between the sacred and the mundane. I expect great things from some heavy hitters like Baudelaire, Rimbaud and one of my personal favorites Poe. The first two I have heard of but not had the pleasure to interact with their art. Poe, on the other hand, has been in and out of my life for over a decade and has become a staple to which I compare other writers. his darkness and ambiguity are unparalleled, and his ability to thrive on chaos is remarkable.

        Mr. Baudelaire is cool and all but I prefer to buy American. ALWAYS! Edgar Allan Poe is the perfect subject to explore in a course such as this one. Poe never met or even heard the name of Baudelaire, and Baudelaire, while he came to adopt Poe as a kind of divine inspiration, never met or corresponded with Poe. Any information Baudelaire might have left us about Poe, then, is merely his own interpretation or speculation.  I am unaware of another author with such wide differing public biographies and obituaries. after his death friend and enemies engaged in an all-out war to create/damage Poe's reputation/memory. Nevertheless, his drunken exploits whether real or not, are a staple of the life of this Virginia native. Poe was so into Mystery genre, he even made his death an unsolvable one. Considering that Poe is one of Americas national treasures, a museum was established in his name. Before the end of this year, I plan on going to the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Virginia, live as he lived, sit where he sat, crowd his former space, harass his habitat and hopefully understand one of my heroes. I expect we get involved in Poe's work for more than a simple glance, he is way to special to be looked over and discarded like a simple Hallmark greeting card. We need to explore his words, analyze his syntax and dwell on his greatness, anything less would be sacrilegious. Even if he would win a Nicolas Cage look a like contest.

“I have absolutely no pleasure in the stimulants in which I sometimes so madly indulge. It has not been in the pursuit of pleasure that I have periled life and reputation and reason. It has been the desperate attempt to escape from torturing memories, from a sense of insupportable loneliness and a dread of some strange impending doom.”

Edgar Allan Poe