Monday, April 1, 2024

I am the Walrus!

Lewis Carroll, "The Walrus and the Carpenter"
"The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright —
And this was odd, because it was
The middle of the night.

The moon was shining sulkily,
Because she thought the sun
Had got no business to be there
After the day was done —
"It's very rude of him," she said,
"To come and spoil the fun."

The sea was wet as wet could be,
The sands were dry as dry.
You could not see a cloud, because
No cloud was in the sky:
No birds were flying overhead —
There were no birds to fly.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
If this were only cleared away,'
They said, it would be grand!'

If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year,
Do you suppose,' the Walrus said,
That they could get it clear?'
I doubt it,' said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.

O Oysters, come and walk with us!'
The Walrus did beseech.
A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,
Along the briny beach:
We cannot do with more than four,
To give a hand to each.'

The eldest Oyster looked at him,
But never a word he said:
The eldest Oyster winked his eye,
And shook his heavy head —
Meaning to say he did not choose
To leave the oyster-bed.

But four young Oysters hurried up,
All eager for the treat:
Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,
Their shoes were clean and neat —
And this was odd, because, you know,
They hadn't any feet.

Four other Oysters followed them,
And yet another four;
And thick and fast they came at last,
And more, and more, and more —
All hopping through the frothy waves,
And scrambling to the shore.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Walked on a mile or so,
And then they rested on a rock
Conveniently low:
And all the little Oysters stood
And waited in a row.

The time has come,' the Walrus said,
To talk of many things:

Of shoes — and ships — and sealing-wax —
Of cabbages — and kings —
And why the sea is boiling hot —
And whether pigs have wings.'

But wait a bit,' the Oysters cried,
Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath,
And all of us are fat!'
No hurry!' said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that.

A loaf of bread,' the Walrus said,
Is what we chiefly need:
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed —
Now if you're ready, Oysters dear,
We can begin to feed.'

But not on us!' the Oysters cried,
Turning a little blue.
After such kindness, that would be
A dismal thing to do!'
The night is fine,' the Walrus said.
Do you admire the view?

It was so kind of you to come!
And you are very nice!'
The Carpenter said nothing but
Cut us another slice:
I wish you were not quite so deaf —
I've had to ask you twice!'

It seems a shame,' the Walrus said,
To play them such a trick,
After we've brought them out so far,
And made them trot so quick!'
The Carpenter said nothing but
The butter's spread too thick!'

I weep for you,' the Walrus said:
I deeply sympathize.'
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.

O Oysters,' said the Carpenter,
You've had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?'
But answer came there none —
And this was scarcely odd, because
They'd eaten every one."

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Aura Photography....

Back in 1970, Guy Coggins built a camera that could capture people’s auras, otherwise known as the electromagnetic field surrounding the body. There are supposedly about 100 of these cameras in existence, and one now belongs to Christina Lonsdale of Radiant Human, who goes on tour with her mini geodesic dome, photographing people’s radiant energy on Polaroid film. The portraits are stunning, strange, and so cool—thanks to a double exposure that first takes a portrait and then the aura—and they happen thanks to silver-laced hand sensors that sit in your lap, sending a charge through the body. While Lonsdale has a permanent studio in Portland, Oregon, she lives a lot of her life on the road, popping up at events all over the country. “I grew up in a commune, and my parents were huge hippies,” she explains. “My mom actually paints auras. So I spent most of my life rebelling against it and working for a big corporation.” But last year, Lonsdale was laid off. “I’m so grateful that I was kicked out of the nest, because now I feel like I’ve come home.” We had to hear more about all of it, so we lured Lonsdale to goop HQ to show us how it works—and have her read our energy.
THE RADIANT HUMAN TAKE ON COLOR THEORY

RED

Strength, Will Power, New Beginnings, Leadership, Action, Practicality, Passion.

Reds are encouraged to get plenty of exercise and get into nature to achieve balance.

Heavy and dark typically indicates low energy.

ORANGE

Creative, Confident, Independent, Collaborative, Excellent People Skills, Loves Challenge.

Can be emotionally aloof, so to revive orange energy get into water, or visit a river or ocean.

Orange is usually found in entrepreneurs, successful sales people, or those who work with many people.

TAN

Detail Oriented, Cautious, Logical, Strategic, To-Do Lists, Highly Intelligent.

Tans make great planners and work well with structure. It is recommended that tans visit natural wonders or watch/read inspirational biographies to avoid getting stuck in a limited train of thought.

YELLOW

Optimistic, Enthusiastic, Open-Minded, Loves Variety and Freedom, Generous, Playful, Whimsical.

Yellows provide an atmosphere where people are comfortable being themselves.

GREEN

Growth, Goal-Oriented, Determined, Focused, Ambitious, Competitive, Perfectionist.

Greens worst enemy are themselves, often holding themselves back. They are encouraged to identify and be accountable for what they want: They should write it down, and go for it.

BLUE

Depth of Feeling, Trust, Devotion, Loyalty, Nurturing, Personal Relationships, Supportive, Intuitive, Sensitive.

Singing in a choir (one voice of many), attending or taking part in theater, or any water activity like sailing, paddle boarding, etc., will help this color feel more connected.

PURPLE

Visionary, Unconventional, Non-Judgmental, Playful, Loves to be Inspired and Delight Others.

To avoid feeling overwhelmed, purples must trust in their vision and share it with others. Keep a journal.

WHITE

Higher Consciousness, THE SOURCE, Destiny, Intense Energy, Cosmic Wisdom.

Congratulations you’ve made it! Now do it all over again.

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

JG Ballard's Paul Delvaux Reproductions by Brigid Marlin




J. G. Ballard in front of his two reproductions of Paul Delvaux’s “The Violation” and “The Mirror”, both of the originals were destroyed during WW2


I've always been a great admirer of the Belgium surrealist Paul Delvaux, and about six or seven years ago, thanks to Empire of the Sun [the film of Ballard's novel], I had a little spare cash. My first thought was to buy a Delvaux, but I discovered, sadly, that his prices had moved into the stratosphere. Anything up to a million pounds each.

So it then occurred to me that, rather than try to buy an existing Delvaux, what I would do was to pay an artist to reconstruct two Delvaux paintings which were destroyed during the Second World War, from the black-and-white photographs that exist of them. And that I did.

I heard of an American artist, Brigid Marlin, and I asked her, "Would you be prepared to accept a commission to paint these, to reconstruct these lost paintings?" She agreed, and they're now my proudest possession.

The originals of the two paintings were destroyed in London during the Blitz in 1940. Both were painted in 1936, and had obviously been brought to London by a British collector. Brigid, with a little interference from myself, had to choose the right colours for the paintings. Fortunately, Delvaux uses a limited palette - for instance, his buxom women tend to wear burgundy dresses - and we picked colours consonant with the colours in existing Delvaux paintings. So I think we've got it just about right.

One of the paintings is called The Violation and the other is called The Mirror. The Violation, I think, is my favourite. Its sort of a dream landscape populated by naked, or half-naked, women, who are beckoning towards the viewer, inviting him into their magical domain. Sitting in front of this painting, I feel that I am about to accept their invitation. I think that, in a way, I've already entered the painting and gone to live with these magnificent women.

Brigid Marlin was a very religious woman, and I think she thoroughly disapproved of the Surrealists and disapproved of my interest in them. I think she thought it was bad for my soul. So she offered to paint for me an exact copy of Leonardo da Vinci's Annunciation, which exists, of course, in the Uffizi art gallery in Florence. And Brigid said to me, "You could put it in your bedroom, Jim. You know, the first thing you see in the morning when you wake up."

I was tempted. Then, a few years ago, I visited Florence and went to see the Annunciation. I found that the painting is about nine feet long by four feet deep. I thought, well, it might be a bit intimidating.

I've thought of having one or two more Delvauxs - lost Delvauxs - because I think it's a nice idea to bring back to life paintings that have been destroyed. I would never sell my two Delvauxs, they're much too precious. They're probably more precious to me than a real Delvaux would be. In fact, I'm the sort of secondary creator of them. I mean, I almost feel that I painted them.