Hello friends,
In this letter of news, first a letter (about the artist John Baldessari, a cascading circle of moments, portals of entry and exit and how this is seemingly summarized by burning and then eating your art) and then some news, upcoming events and groups to join, followed by some older blog stuff and a final exit opportunity through a Greek portal.
First then, the letter:
Some say we enter this strange world through a portal (take that however literal you want to take it), and that we leave this mysterious place through the same portal (preferably, you’ll take that a bit less literal).
Others say: life just begins and keeps going, until it doesn’t, but until that moment, it does. A cascading waterfall, an unending moment of moments…
that,
then that,
and then,
that!
and
I would
propose:
why not both?
a circular cascading of ‘THAT’
,
a cascading circle
...
. .
.. ..
… …
.
.
.
Which somehow reminds me of the artist John Baldessari, who, in talking about his art and creation process, echoes these ideas:
i think what drives me is some allusive quality of getting something right, whatever that means
and you never quite get it right
so you keep going and you keep going
So you just keep going, until you never get it right ( - at the (absolute) end-beginning, you do, maybe (?) )
In 1970 he burnt everything he ever made: it was in a crematorium so the proper term would be cremated I suppose
After cremating his art, Baldessari made some cookies out of the ashes.
seems reasonable!
only one person that i knew ever ate one.
that also seems reasonable.
then, an interesting slip of his tongue:
The idea there was that there would be some sort of returnal, uhm, return, the pigment comes out of the earth, and it is made into the painting, and the painting is burned, goes back into the earth again by shitting it out, and so (the) painting is just one point of the circle. I, I was truly sick :) !
RETURNAL!
That’s great. In this way ‘return’ is also part of the eternal, the everlasting and never ending circle of being, understanding that return is not the end, just one part of it all, just like (his) art.*
(*i’ve never realized up until now that ‘urn’ is in return. so ‘returnal’ is also urnal. ha, that strangely makes sense )
(or)
.no beginning
no ending.
everything part of everything
…back to Baldessari
what to do?
no ending, no beginning, only that and that and that and, well, then…
where to begin?
‘you just gotta get to your studio every day, and do nothing but sweep up, and eventually you’ll get bored, and you’ll try not to be bored and then that’s the beginning of creativity’
What
happens when there is nothing to do, is what wants to happen
(even when there is something to do)
.
..
…
…an eternal circle full of unending moments : start from stillness, and keep going….
…
More Baldessari please (I find his easy being irresistible)
here it is:
great video!
i will not make any more boring art.
i will try.
i will fail.
i will not make any more boring art!
time to start sweeping.
—
…
..
.
i swept and swept and wept, wept some more and swept -
below,
the sweeping results of the past few months
…
but first, a box with news,
join or perish, friends!
Box unpacked/ deciphered:
a silent day retreat is coming up: join me on 18 december in a winter forest for some wholesome returnal to fire and stillness, poetry, stories and good company, or
join my online meditation group {listen to some previous meditations and story times in the link }, or
join a season group (just 5 seats left in the theater), or
join something else, and
it seems i’ve co-founded a company! Stroll through all that the oikos collective has to offer and see if you can spot the returnal-inspired poem, of
neem deel aan de rituelen reeks die ik met Matthijs Schouten begin op 2 december, and
that was it.
Below, the result of the sweeping
(follow the links for it to make some sense or just scroll through and bewilder thyself):
…
Ducking! I have observed ducks for quite some time. There were ducks at the Olympics. Thankfully, John Lennon showed up.
Cats aren’t ducks. Less fleeing. More flea-ing. Equal amount of Being.
Donkeys aren’t cats. Sometimes? Never. Ok sometimes.
i think what drives me is some allusive quality of getting something right, whatever that means. and you never quite get it right. so you keep going and you keep going
That’s what the artist Baldessari said. More on him previously. We must end where we started, this being a returnal post and all.
Below then, pictured, one last THAT
i made something. i like it and now i don’t know what to do with it. so i’ll just leave it here.
That’s me not knowing if the work is finished; did i get it right?
What’s that?
Ah yes, keep going.
Love,
from,
Louis
