"Man is most nearly himself when he achieves the seriousness of a child at play." - Heraclitus
Foretold in an essay titled “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”, by Walter Benjamin in 1936, the idea of singular-static imagery was well on its way to becoming irrelevant in the guise of Art well before mid-century. His article, among other concerns, supposed a trajectory where cinema would soon overshadow visual art and would become ever more adopted into the day-to-day routines of every breathing consciousness – even in their own homes. We know it true today even that less than a century has past; in fact, his paper could well have anticipated much more if that was the sole agenda.
We have bought deep into our ever evolving technologies; our present state was never imagined back then; the implications and ramifications of what we live were never openly forecast. Had we more discretion we would have tried long ago to balance such display of spectacle with a sense of mediation and intimacy – perhaps our singular-static expressions might yet prompt a recovery with their quiet and lingering personalities.
As we well are familiar with the characteristics of cinema I will not belabor them only to mention briefly that they are noisy and distracting; as well they forge the moments in time rather than the viewer actively participating by directing the circumstance – such a loss of sovereignty is tragic beyond words. The circumstance demotivates the necessity for active imagination, rather than stimulating an endless stream of potential resolutions tailored to the sui generis mind of the viewer. Add that the constant editing of scenes with multiple subjects, the ramble of dialogue, voice-overs, extraneous sound effects and musical accessory drain any chance of contemplating one single incident of the duration - in and of itself. And that statement is being presented by someone who very much enjoys movies and the medium of sequential imagery - but cannot deny the necessity for balance in what is absorbed during the day-to-day of our paradigm.
Singular-static imagery on the other hand can be engaged, focused on by the viewer; and the viewer alone orchestrates every facet of the event, leaving the presumption of spectator for the authenticity of a participant – all while exercising the ability to imagine the circumstance in mind, where it is ‘played-out’ with the fullest of competence, in accord to the viewer’s associations and expertise. In the quiet and intimacy of such moments, I suggest that the image might even whisper a next porthole - for the curious viewer.
That others might find these ideas relevant to their own search is, in part, reason for arranging these articles; the other side of that coin is that these exercises nurture my own cravings into the noetics of life’s adventure.
Note: This is an open subject and will be updated from time to time with relevant articles.
