15 Sep Bombastic ramblings from the concocter of Datapocalypse…

I’ve put a lot of thought into what it means to take pictures of things. Sometimes photographs are artistic, other times they’re hackneyed; most are probably somewhere in between. Pictures’ significance are in the eye of the beholder, I suppose. Whatever it is, I hope it’s for art’s sake! Otherwise everything is logical, and logical can result in, well, boring.

That’s right, I said that.

Logic is static but art takes the normal and creates the abnormal. Art takes the paradigms conditioned in society’s collective mind and brings it to the brink of shift. Art lets us see through the every day menial nature of things and adds flare and vitality to normality.

I’ve heard about art therapy, and wonder if it’s for pre-ordained artists, or newbie artists, or both. There is a valid point to it, though. It reminds me of a quote from the great dark poet, Leonard Cohen, who said:

“… one of the things that art does, is that it heals. A man who makes those choices in his own life is often more beautiful than his works. Any artist who remains true to himself becomes a work of art himself, because that is one of the most difficult things to do. If someone does have that vocation, and diligently applies himself to the exigencies that arise, he will lose a great deal but he will have created his own character.”

With that in mind, here’s a little artistic rambling that spewed out of my head, allowing me to finally fall asleep last night:

Are all modern artists—perhaps writers like myself—who’ve studied the geniuses of the past simply plagiarists or hacks, stealing what preceded them? I don’t think so. I am merely a messenger conveying thoughts and ideas that are my own along with those of others that’ve crept into my subconscious and conveying them to those who may not have heard them yet. Of all the brilliant minds that have existed throughout time, we will surely forget much of what they said. Restating them here as you read them helps to keep these messages alive—at least for a little while longer.

Is that too deep for you? Well, thankfully Datapocalypse’s tongue-in-cheek style is a facetious enough take on an otherwise dystopian story and brightens the nature of the message. Take for example the following GIF: too many pictures taken of the Eiffel Tower render it of lesser value to the beholder, to the extent that it disappears out of thin air. Or perhaps it was the carousel that the photographer intended to memorialize (not sure why, but it’s a funny thought)? This is part and parcel the theme behind Datapocalypse, with a healthy dose of artistic liberty of course.

(Tip: play the video on loop for better effect!)

You see it, take a pic, and then it’s gone.

Thoughts? Comments? Smart remarks? Would love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading. Creating art thankfully let’s me sleep at night. I promise that the stories of the Datapocalypse are not as rambling.

Peace, love, Datapocalypse!