[-empyre-] the unknowable, technology and Aquarius

[Kathleen McDermott]

Thanks Renate, reading what've you said, "Aquarius gives us cause to
embrace lore, legend, myth, the unknowable inspired by logic, science and
invention," I'm made aware of the potential contradictions in this
position. In some ways it sounds like a tightrope walk for artists to have
a foot in both spaces (technology, science, new media), as well as this
other space of the unknowable, but then again liminal spaces, between
binaries, are often productive spaces for artists; and I agree with you
that it's also the byproduct of a western framework to imagine a hard line
between the ideologies that governs these practices. I'd also be curious to
hear Arshiya's thoughts on how astrology fits into intersections of
science, future thinking, and liminal spaces. I just had a look at the lovely
show <https://www.lakeeren.com/the-dawn-of-aquarius> you've curated and
there are so many works that speak to complexity of positionality––like the
gouache and ink drawings by Rithika Merchant
<https://www.lakeeren.com/rithika-merchant>.

Take care, Kat

On Thu, Mar 11, 2021 at 1:32 PM Renate Ferro <rferro at cornell.edu> wrote:

> ----------empyre- soft-skinned space----------------------
> Dear Kat and all,
> What a wonderful story, "The Fog Horn," by Ray Bradbury.
> Here is a link that I found online.
> http://www.grammarpunk.com/lit/gp/THE_FOG_HORN.pdf
>
> Kat you wrote:
> <snip> Looking backward, it's easy to feel patronizing toward the
> mysteries of past generations, assuming we've chased away the shrouds of
> myth and lore with logic, science and invention. But I'm happy to be
> reminded of what's unknowable. In my recent work, I've been making
> solar-powered messages to be worn on the body. It's the beginning of a
> series of pieces that will be self-sufficient in their power needs, and an
> opportunity to think about making technologies/traces/signs that might be
> received by an unknowable audience.<snip>
>
> Astrology for me opens up cultural questions that I am assuming might be
> misinformed. Would love to hear what Arshiya or others think about this and
> perhaps there is a researcher out there that would chime in?   Could there
> be a significant difference between the understanding of the astrology and
> the signs of the zodiac in the western part of the hemisphere where the
> horoscopes and the like are posted in popular culture sources that always
> emphasize the individual? In India and eastern cultures astrology appears
> to me to lend itself for a pathway to sense the world in a more global
> sense, less individualistic.
>
> Kat perhaps Aquarius gives us cause to embrace lore, legend, myth, the
> unknowable inspired by logic, science and invention.  Your incredible piece
> uses technology to make the link between.  Technology becomes like Aquarius
> a way to make connections. Would love to know your thoughts? 
> Weary today after a very long few days of teaching.
> Best. Renate
>
> _______________________________________________
> empyre forum
> empyre at lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au
> http://empyre.library.cornell.edu
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au/pipermail/empyre/attachments/20210314/bda0d9e7/attachment.html>