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Note the rather bizarre existential advert for, of all the things, the AA Driving School.
Ashton, Wellington Road, 04/03/1995.
Rovingian Council - Existential Dynamics - The Anthropocentric -Theocentric Conflict - The Animistic View as a Connector by Daniel Arrhakis (2026)
Rovingian Council - The Existential Dynamics
1. The Anthropocentric-Theocentric Conflict
The anthropocentric-theocentric theory does not see man and God as mutually exclusive, but as forces in a permanent existential "tug-of-war":
The Dilemma: If man is the center (anthropocentrism), he claims agency and knowledge, but suffers from finitude and emptiness. If God is the center (theocentrism), there is order and purpose, but man becomes a mere plaything of fate or divine will.
The Tragedy: Tragedy emerges when these spheres collide. Man seeks divinity (Prometheus complex), but ends up punished by his biological and moral limitations.
2. The Animistic View as a Connector
Animism proposes that the distinction between "man," "nature," and "gods" It is fluid:
Everything is alive: Plants, animals, rivers, stones, and storms possess anima (soul). There is no distant God, but a spiritual presence in everything.
The Disenchantment of the World can be reversed: Modern man, by separating himself from the immanent universal sacred (animism) and focusing only on reason or a transcendent and distant God, has lost his vital connection with nature and the cosmos.
For many modern thinkers and ecologists, reversing this process to a Ecocentric View is not just a spiritual desire, but a necessity for survival.
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Conselho Rovingiano - A Dinâmica Existencial
1. O Conflito Antropo-Teocêntrico
A teoria antropo-teocêntrica não vê homem e Deus como excludentes, mas como forças em permanente "cabo de guerra" existencial:
O Dilema: Se o homem é o centro (antropocentrismo), ele reivindica agência e ciência, mas sofre com a finitude e o vazio. Se Deus é o centro (teocentrismo), há ordem e propósito, mas o homem torna-se mero joguete do destino ou da vontade divina.
A Tragédia: A tragédia emerge quando essas esferas colidem. O homem busca a divindade (complexo de Prometeu), mas acaba punido por suas limitações biológicas e morais.
2. A Visão Animista como Conector
O animismo propõe que a distinção entre "homem", "natureza" e "deuses" é fluida:
Tudo é Vivo: Plantas, animais, rios, pedras e tempestades possuem anima (alma). Não há um Deus distante, mas uma presença espiritual em tudo.
O Desencantamento Do Mundo pode ser revertido : O Homem moderno ao separar o homem do sagrado imanente universal (animismo) e focar apenas na razão ou num Deus transcendente e distante, o ser humano perdeu a sua conexão vital com a natureza e o cosmos.
Para muitos pensadores e ecologistas modernos, a reversão desse processo para uma Visão Ecocêntrica não é apenas um desejo espiritual, mas uma necessidade de sobrevivência.
No sooner had I made the trap for fruit flies, they started visiting. Little did they know.
Heh heh.
If you take enough pictures of the same thing, pretty soon looking at them leads to a brooding sense of existential despair and a level of energy that is equivalent to watching paint dry.....slowly dry. The only hope then is to fiddle faddle around with them. Actually, "fiddle faddle" is my Flickr friend Lynne's description of photo processing and I love it. This seashot image was arrived at after a little fiddling and faddling around. When I throw in "fun," I have a trifecta of pretty cool f-words and it is fun to fiddle faddle around.
Maybe Lynne will provide the "Urban Dictionary" definition for fiddle faddle. I think that this could be important. Honestly, I fiddle faddle with every image I post here. You know how it is--a little here and a little there, and pretty soon Marg's calling me to dinner--that's how they roll.
Have a great Saturday everyone.
Pebble Beach, San Mateo County, CA
I have some pens and pencils.
A sketchbook.
And a head full of quotes, lyrics and the like.
Come and see them at www.Quoteskine.co.uk
Rovingian Council - Nomad Monks - Transitory Paths by Daniel Arrhakis (2026)
Rovingian Council: Nomadic Monks and Transitional Paths
The Meaning of Transitional Paths
There are no real failures in life, only different paths. Often, the paths we tread do not correspond to what we idealize, but each route is part of our development. Life is, by its very nature, transitory, and decisions, thoughts, and choices accompany us until the end of our existence. Like everything that exists, we are guided by free will.
The Philosophy of Rovingian Nomadic Monks
Rovingian nomadic monks are free to choose their missions, personal quests, and the duration of each stage. Nomadism, combined with the rejection of a traditional monastic life, offers them a unique freedom that would not be possible otherwise. This approach is a powerful metaphor for the human condition: more important than the destination is the journey itself.
By stepping outside the confines of the monastery, these monks transform the entire world into a temple, demonstrating that spirituality transcends physical boundaries or dogmas. There are no mistakes, only stages and lessons.
Central Pillars of Rovingian Philosophy
- Transience as Truth: If everything is fleeting, the concept of failure loses its meaning. Each detour reveals a new landscape or lesson, becoming an essential part of the journey.
- Free Will in Motion: The freedom to choose mission and path places the responsibility for happiness and purpose in the hands of the traveler, not an institution.
- Spiritual Ecumenism: The Rovingian monk honors both the silent forest and the ancient cathedral, recognizing that the energy of devotion transcends any specific religion.
- Spiritual Multiplicity and Diversity: Just as nature is diverse, manifestations of the sacred also take on multiple forms and rituals, deserving respect in their differences.
- The Freedom of the Nomad: The absence of physical roots allows the spiritual root to expand, making each encounter and each road opportunities for prayer and lived experience.
The Path as an Existential Itinerary
This perspective invites us to look at unforeseen events not as obstacles, but as the true itinerary of existence - "We are, at the same time, the traveler, the path, and the goal".
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Conselho Rovingiano: Monges Nómadas e Caminhos Transitórios
O Significado dos Percursos Transitórios
Não existem verdadeiros falhanços na vida, apenas diferentes percursos. Frequentemente, os caminhos que trilhamos não correspondem ao que idealizámos, mas cada rota faz parte do nosso desenvolvimento. A vida é, por sua própria natureza, transitória, e as decisões, pensamentos e escolhas acompanham-nos até ao final da nossa existência. Tal como tudo o que existe, somos guiados pelo livre-arbítrio.
A Filosofia dos Monges Nómadas Rovingianos
Os monges nómadas rovingianos são livres para escolherem as suas missões, buscas pessoais e a duração de cada etapa.
O nomadismo, aliado à rejeição de uma vida monástica tradicional, oferece-lhes uma liberdade única que não seria possível de outra forma. Esta abordagem é uma metáfora poderosa para a condição humana: mais importante que o destino é a própria caminhada.
Ao afastarem-se das restrições do mosteiro, estes monges transformam o mundo inteiro num templo, mostrando que a espiritualidade ultrapassa fronteiras físicas ou dogmas. Não existem erros, apenas etapas e aprendizagens.
Pilares Centrais da Filosofia Rovingiana
- A Transitoriedade como Verdade: Se tudo é passageiro, o conceito de falhanço perde o sentido. Cada desvio revela uma nova paisagem ou lição, tornando-se parte essencial da jornada.
- O Livre-Arbítrio em Movimento: A liberdade de escolher missão e percurso coloca a responsabilidade da felicidade e do propósito nas mãos do próprio caminhante, não de uma instituição.
- Ecumenismo Espiritual: O monge rovingiano honra tanto a floresta silenciosa como a catedral milenar, reconhecendo que a energia da devoção transcende qualquer religião específica.
- Multiplicidade e Diversidade Espiritual: Assim como a natureza é diversa, também as manifestações do sagrado assumem múltiplas formas e rituais, merecendo respeito nas suas diferenças.
- A Liberdade do Nómada: A ausência de raízes físicas permite que a raiz espiritual se expanda, tornando cada encontro e cada estrada oportunidades de oração e experiência viva.
O Caminho como Itinerário Existencial
Esta perspetiva convida-nos a olhar para os imprevistos não como obstáculos, mas como o verdadeiro itinerário da existência - "Somos, ao mesmo tempo, o caminhante, o caminho e a meta. "
Rovingian Council - Isolation on social media as a commercial and political strategy by Daniel Arrhakis (2026)
Isolation on Social Media as a Commercial and Political Strategy
Introduction
Isolation as universal death is the ultimate point of convergence between quantum physics, biology, philosophy, and digital society. In all these areas, life and existence depend on relationships. When a system is completely isolated, it ceases to exchange information with the outside world and collapses.
When citizens are isolated from the perspective of others, empathy disappears. Society ceases to be a living organism and becomes an aggregate of enraged digital atoms incapable of dialogue. It is the death of culture, of shared truth, and of public space. Without bridges to the outside world, individual minds close in on themselves, generating an existential death where the individual is surrounded by screens, but profoundly alone.
To exist is to relate: Be it an atom, a cell, an animal, a tree, a human being, or a galaxy, the rule of the universe is unanimous: total isolation is synonymous with extinction. Life only manifests itself in the relational space that exists between things. Isolation as a Business Model and Thought Modeling
Isolation on social media is not a technological accident, but rather a business model and a highly lucrative tool for ideological control. By isolating users in personalized information bubbles, platforms and political actors transform social fragmentation into revenue and power.
This dynamic works through two complementary strategic fronts.
1. The Commercial Strategy: Monetizing Loneliness and Polarization
Social networks operate under the Attention Economy. The commercial objective is to keep the user glued to the screen for as long as possible to display advertisements. Isolation is the ideal tool for this:
Architecture of Addiction: Social isolation in the real world generates boredom and anxiety. Platforms exploit this vulnerability by offering "dopamine rewards" through likes, digital validation, and notifications.
Creation of Epistemic Bubbles: Algorithms filter content to show only what validates the user's beliefs. Intellectual isolation creates an artificially comfortable environment that users don't want to leave.
Micro-segmentation in Advertising: A user isolated in their bubble becomes predictable. Their fears, desires, and prejudices are precisely mapped, allowing companies to sell specific products to that exact profile.
Engagement through Hate: Content that generates outrage and division spreads faster. Isolating groups into opposing tribes maximizes virtual conflict, generating traffic and click spikes.
2. The Political Strategy: Divide and Conquer
For governments, parties, and political strategists, the digital isolation of the population facilitates mass manipulation through psychological warfare techniques:
Destruction of the Common Public Space: By isolating citizens in parallel realities, factual consensus is destroyed. Two people on the same street can live in completely different information ecosystems, making rational public debate impossible.
Factories of Radicalization: Social and digital isolation leaves individuals vulnerable to the search for belonging. Extremist political groups exploit this to offer a tribal identity and a "common enemy" to be fought.
Target Disinformation Dissemination: Defamation campaigns and fake news are injected directly into isolated bubbles. Because members of this bubble do not consume external information channels, the lie is never challenged.
Collective Demobilization: Isolated citizens, distrustful of each other, lose the capacity for community organization and real protest. Activism is channeled into clicks and shares that do not threaten power structures.
The Parallel with Quantum Isolation
If at the physical level isolation preserves the purity of the particle, at the social level isolation destroys the cohesion of the human fabric. The user becomes an isolated unit, highly reactive to external stimuli (advertisements or propaganda), whose ability to connect with the real ecosystem has been deliberately sabotaged to generate profit and control.
Schrödinger's Cat in Social Media
In Quantum Physics: The cat in the box is both alive and dead at the same time until the box is opened.
On Social Networks, the user lives in a constant duality. The digital profile shows a perfect, happy, and ultra-social life. Real life, behind the screen, faces loneliness, anxiety, and boredom. The person is digitally "alive" and socially "dead" simultaneously.
Quantum isolation occurs because nature tries to protect pure information from the noise of the world. Digital isolation occurs because the noise of the virtual world distances us from our pure nature. In both cases, hyperconnectivity destroys the original state.
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O Isolamento nas redes sociais como estratégia comercial e política
Introdução
O isolamento como morte universal é o ponto de convergência definitivo entre a física quântica, a biologia, a filosofia e a sociedade digital. Em todas estas áreas, a vida e a existência dependem da relação. Quando um sistema é completamente isolado, ele deixa de trocar informação com o exterior e colapsa.
Quando o cidadão é isolado da perspetiva do outro, a empatia desaparece. A sociedade deixa de ser um organismo vivo e passa a ser um agregado de átomos digitais enfurecidos e incapazes de diálogo. É a morte da cultura, da verdade partilhada e do espaço público. Sem pontes com o exterior, as mentes individuais fecham-se em si mesmas, gerando uma morte existencial onde o indivíduo está rodeado de ecrãs, mas profundamente só.
Existir é Relacionar-se: Seja um átomo, uma célula, um animal, uma árvore, um ser humano, ou uma galáxia, a regra do universo é unânime: o isolamento total é sinónimo de extinção. A vida só se manifesta no espaço relacional que existe entre as coisas.
O Isolamento Como Modelo de Negócio e Modelação de Pensamento
O isolamento nas redes sociais não é um acidente tecnológico, mas sim um modelo de negócio e uma ferramenta de controlo ideológico altamente lucrativa. Ao isolar os utilizadores em bolhas de informação personalizadas, as plataformas e os atores políticos transformam a fragmentação social em receita e poder.
Esta dinâmica funciona através de duas frentes estratégicas complementares.
1. A Estratégia Comercial: Monetizar a Solidão e a Polarização
As redes sociais operam sob a Economia da Atenção. O objetivo comercial é manter o utilizador colado ao ecrã o maior tempo possível para exibir anúncios. O isolamento é a ferramenta ideal para isso:
Arquitetura do Vício: O isolamento social no mundo real gera tédio e ansiedade. As plataformas exploram esta vulnerabilidade oferecendo "recompensas de dopamina" através de gostos, validação digital e notificações.
Criação de Bolhas Epistémicas: Os algoritmos filtram o conteúdo para mostrar apenas o que valida as crenças do utilizador. Este isolamento intelectual cria um ambiente artificialmente confortável de onde o utilizador não quer sair.
Micro-segmentação Publicitária: Um utilizador isolado na sua bolha torna-se previsível. Os seus medos, desejos e preconceitos são mapeados com precisão, permitindo que as empresas vendam produtos específicos para aquele perfil exato.
Engajamento pelo Ódio: Conteúdos que geram indignação e divisão espalham-se mais rápido. Isolar grupos em tribos opostas maximiza o conflito virtual, gerando picos de tráfego e cliques.
2. A Estratégia Política: Dividir para Governar
Para governos, partidos e estrategas políticos, o isolamento digital da população facilita a manipulação de massas através de técnicas de guerra psicológica:
Destruição do Espaço Público Comum: Ao isolar os cidadãos em realidades paralelas, destrói-se o consenso factual. Duas pessoas na mesma rua podem viver em ecossistemas de informação completamente diferentes, tornando o debate público racional impossível.
Fábricas de Radicalização: O isolamento social e digital deixa indivíduos vulneráveis à procura de pertença. Grupos políticos extremistas aproveitam-se disso para oferecer uma identidade tribal e um "inimigo comum" a ser combatido.
Disseminação de Desinformação Alvo: Campanhas de difamação e notícias falsas são injetadas diretamente nas bolhas isoladas. Como os membros dessa bolha não consomem canais de informação externos, a mentira nunca é contestada.
Desmobilização Coletiva: Cidadãos isolados e desconfiados uns dos outros perdem a capacidade de organização comunitária e protesto real. O ativismo é canalizado para cliques e partilhas que não ameaçam as estruturas de poder.
O Paralelo com o Isolamento Quântico
Se no nível físico o isolamento preserva a pureza da partícula, no nível social o isolamento destrói a coesão do tecido humano. O utilizador torna-se uma unidade isolada, altamente reativa a estímulos externos (anúncios ou propaganda), cuja capacidade de ligação com o ecossistema real foi deliberadamente sabotada para gerar lucro e controlo.
O Gato de Schrödinger Social
Na Física Quântica: O gato na caixa está vivo e morto ao mesmo tempo até que a caixa seja aberta.
Nas Redes Sociais o utilizador vive numa dualidade constante. O perfil digital mostra uma vida perfeita, feliz e ultra-social. A vida real, atrás do ecrã, enfrenta solidão, ansiedade e tédio. A pessoa está digitalmente "viva" e socialmente "morta" em simultâneo.
O isolamento quântico ocorre porque a natureza tenta proteger a informação pura do ruído do mundo. O isolamento digital ocorre porque o ruído do mundo virtual nos afasta da nossa natureza pura. Em ambos os casos, a hiperconexão destrói o estado original.
In the view of the existentialist, the individual's starting point is characterized by what has been called "the existential attitude", or a sense of disorientation, confusion, or dread in the face of an apparently meaningless or absurd world
Hannah-Arendt square (Aspern), 2012 named after the political theorist and journalist Hannah Arendt (1906-1975); among other things, she worked as a journalist and university lecturer and published important contributions on political philosophy. Because of her independent thinking, The Origins of Totalitarianism, her existential philosophical works and her demand for free political discussions, she plays an important role in contemporary debates. The Hannah-Arendt Park was also named after her. The square is a projected traffic route in the future Seaside Town of Aspern and was already named before it was built.
Hannah-Arendt-Platz (Aspern), 2012 benannt nach der politischen Theoretikerin und Publizistin Hannah Arendt (1906–1975); sie war unter anderem als Journalistin und Hochschullehrerin tätig und veröffentlichte wichtige Beiträge zur politischen Philosophie. Wegen ihres eigenständigen Denkens, der Theorie der totalen Herrschaft, ihrer existenzphilosophischen Arbeiten und ihrer Forderung nach freien politischen Diskussionen nimmt sie in den Debatten der Gegenwart eine bedeutende Rolle ein. Der Hannah-Arendt-Park wurde ebenfalls nach ihr benannt. Der Platz ist ein projektierter Verkehrsweg in der zukünftigen Seestadt Aspern und wurde bereits vor seiner Errichtung benannt.
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French postcard by Editions du Globe, Paris, no. 776. Photo: Studio Vauclair.
French actor and stage director Laurent Terzieff (1935-2010) starred during the 1960s and 1970s in many films by famous French and Italian directors. The magnetic and politically engaged actor began his film career as one of the existential youth in Les Tricheurs (1958) and later often portrayed cynical bohemians or political activists.
Laurent Terzieff was born Laurent Didier Alex Laurent Tchemerzine in 1935 in Toulouse, France. He was the son of a French visual artist and a Russian sculptor who had emigrated to France during the First World War. The spectacle of the bombardments during WW II had a dramatic effect on nine-year-old Laurent. As an adolescent, he was fascinated with philosophy and poetry. He assisted director Roger Blin with the production of the play La Sonate des spectres (The Ghost Sonata) by August Strindberg. Then and there, he decided to become an actor. Terzieff made his debut in 1953 with the Theatre of Babylon in Tous contre Adamov (All Against Adamov) by Jean-Marie Serreau. His film début was opposite Yves Montand in Premier mai/The First of May (Luis Saslavsky, 1958). A year earlier he had gained some notoriety playing a role as an assassin in L'affaire Weidmann/The Weidmann case (Jean Prat, 1957), an episode of the TV series En votre âme et conscience/In your conscience (1954-1969). Legendary director Marcel Carné spotted him and offered him a leading role opposite Pascale Petit, Jacques Charrier and Jean-Paul Belmondo in Les Tricheurs/The Cheats (Marcel Carné, 1958), a portrait of the existentialist youth in the late 1950s. At AllMovie, Hal Erickson writes: “Carné's youthful characters are not so much people as symbols of the postwar relaxation of worldwide manners and mores. In anticipation of the hippie flicks of the 1960s, the main characters indulge in a great deal of sex, but abstain from true love and commitment, citing these things as irrelevant in a world full of instant gratification.“ Les Tricheurs was Terzieff’s breakthrough in the cinema. For a long time, the public would identify him with the bohemian and cynical student.
Laurent Terzieff played roles in films by such famous directors as Gillo Pontecorvo in Kapò (1959) about a young Jewish girl (Susan Strasberg) who leads an escape attempt from a concentration camp, Claude Autant-Lara in Tu ne tueras point/Thou Shalt Not Kill (1961), a portrait of a conscientious objector, and Jacques Demy in the portmanteau (omnibus film) Les Sept Péchés/The Seven Deadly Sins (1962). He appeared in a segment about the lusty conversation between two young men, one of whom has x-ray eyes that enable him to see through women's clothing. Terzieff starred with Rosanna Schiaffino and Elsa Martinelli in the Italian film La Notte Brava/Bad Girls Don't Cry (Mauro Bolognini, 1959). Pier Paolo Pasolini wrote this social drama about three young Roman criminals and three beautiful prostitutes without any perspective in life but having some money to spend during a night of illusions and adventures. More famous Italian film directors would ask him for their films. Terzieff appeared as a revolutionary on the run from government troops in Vanina Vanini/The Betrayer (Roberto Rossellini, 1961), as the centaur in Medea (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1969) opposite Maria Callas, as an anarchistic petty thief in Ostia (Sergio Citti, Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1970), and as a military in Il deserto dei Tartari/Desert of the Tartars (Valerio Zurlini, 1976) opposite Vittorio Gassman and Jacques Perrin. In France, he played in A cœur joie/Two Weeks in September (Serge Bourguignon, 1967) with Brigitte Bardot, and La Prisonnière/Woman in Chains (Henri Georges Clouzot, 1968), in which he interpreted a disturbed modern art gallery owner who manipulates Elisabeth Wiener. He made four films with director Philippe Garrel. Le Révélateur/The developper (Philippe Garrel, 1968) was shot in May 1968 during the student revolution, and Les hautes solitudes (Philippe Garrel, 1974), a biographical film about actress Jean Seberg. Terzieff worked with more great auteurs. Famous Spanish director Luis Buñuel took him and Paul Frankeur on a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in La Voie lactée/The Milky Way (Luis Buñuel, 1969). He was once directed by Jean-Luc Godard in Détective/Detective (Jean-Luc Godard, 1985). On television, he appeared in the American-Italian Mini-Series Moses the Lawgiver/Moses (Gianfranco De Bosio, 1974) starring Burt Lancaster.
Since the 1980s, Laurent Terzieff was seen less in the cinemas and mostly acted on stage. In the theatre, he often worked as a director, writer and actor with his own troupe, co-founded in 1961 with his companion Pascale de Boysson. He also ran the theatre Lucernaire in Paris. His later film roles include a Trotskyist in Rouge Baiser/Red Kiss (Véra Belmont, 1985), an anarchist in Germinal (Claude Berri, 1993) starring Gérard Depardieu, and the painter Hérigault in Le radeau de la Méduse/The Raft of the Medusa (Iradj Azimi, 1994), inspired by a tragic maritime event that happened in 1816. Politically engaged, Terzieff signed in 1960 La Déclaration sur le droit à l'insoumission dans la Guerre d'Algérie (Declaration on the Right of Insubordination in the War of Algeria), and in 2002, the petition Pas en notre nom (Not in our name) against the Iraq War. In his seventies, the gaunt-faced actor had not lost his magnetism, as was proved by his appearance in the Agatha Christie adaptation Mon petit doigt m'a dit.../A Little Bird Told Me... (Pascal Thomas, 2005) with Catherine Frot and André Dussollier. Terzieff also stayed active in the theatre. In 2009 he played an acclaimed Philoctetes in the play by Sophocles. His last films were the comedy J'ai toujours rêvé d'être un gangster/I always dreamed of being a gangster (Samuel Benchetrit, 2008) with Jean Rochefort, and the Italian production Le ombre rosse/The Red Shadow (Francesco Maselli, 2009). Posthumously he was seen opposite Sharon Stone in the thriller Largo Winch 2/The Burma Conspiracy (Jérôme Salle, 2011). During his long career, Laurent Terzieff was hailed with many awards (Prix Gérard Philippe, Molière for Best Director and Best Show for Temps contre temps (Time against time) in 1993), and he was also an Officier de l'Ordre du Mérite (Officer of the Order of Merit) and Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres (Commander of Arts and Letters). Laurent Terzieff died in 2010 in Paris from a lung ailment. He was 75. He was the widower of actress Pascale de Boysson.
Sources: Hans Beerekamp (Het Schimmenrijk) (Dutch), Hal Erickson (AllMovie), Evene.fr (French), Ciné-Ressources (Cinémathèque française) (French), Wikipedia (French and English), and IMDb.
And, please check out our blog European Film Star Postcards.
I was shy and already having existential questions! Lol! ;-)
Tagged by Celena/Pinkachan and Miriana.
Would you like to play?
“We’re existentially alone on the planet. I can’t know what you’re thinking and feeling and you can’t know what I’m thinking and feeling. And the very best works construct a bridge across that abyss of human loneliness.”
- David Foster Wallace -
Walking on foot brings you down to the very stark, naked core of existence. We travel too much in airplanes and cars. It’s an existential quality that we are losing. It’s almost like a credo of religion that we should walk.
There is, of course, something inherently romantic—if not heroic—about the extreme solitary explorer enveloped by nature. The very image of Herzog on foot recalls the iconic 19th-century paintings of Caspar David Friedrich, especially his Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, with its lone figure staring out at the wide vista above the clouds.
'Truth itself wanders through the forests,' Herzog writes near the end. Yet here he embroiders his memories for effect: The vast swath of geography between Munich and Paris is littered with industrial towns and cities.
Once he comes out on the other end, traversing the deforested Champs-Élysées (“We were close to what they call the breath of danger”), Herzog emerges victorious.
― Of Walking in Ice: (Munich-Paris, 23 November–14 December 1974)
by Werner Herzog
a diagram showing nietzsche's idea that what we do is "beyond good and evil"
for a book arts project with charts of existential explanations.
Dr. Stern was testing his own management system focusing the mind on variety of other things. Staying at the new lab late at night he decided not to take a long ride to his home. He spent evening hours at the conference room meditating, looking at art.
Earlier the artworks attracted attention of handy men doing repairs at the lab. Stern saw a curious scene when the workers engaged into vigorous discussion arguing about meaning of the artworks.
A younger black guy said the artist was deprived of sex he fantasized about a woman, whose body parts he painted in his picture.
A Latin, middle-aged man said that sexual images in his culture symbolize fertility and existential predicament of life and death.
Stern especially liked these remarks.
A white supervisor said the artwork was spontaneous and had no particular meaning.
It triggered Stern’s interest in the communicative abilities of art to stir up the usually idle minds of people who work physically with their sole life principle to keep it simple and real to have fun after day of hard work forgetting the troubles.
For hours Stern was sitting in the conference room looking at the paintings not fully aware that he tried to interpret the meaning of the picture in a manner the black guy did and analyze character of the artist. He questioned what kind of man creates the artwork that fills the space with unavoidable presence. If by accident Stern came across the great new therapy, as the artwork impressed him to a point of admiration and desire to understand the artist the man. The longer he looked at the painting, the better he felt and his heart wasn’t poked by the steel arrows of Amour.
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Phrases from “The Good News - Frasi da “La Buona Novella” –
In the pity that does not give in to rancor, mother, I learned love.
Nella pietà che non cede al rancore, madre, ho imparato l’amore.
(il testamento di Tito);
I don't want to think of you as the son of God, but as the son of man, my brother too.
Non voglio pensarti figlio di Dio, ma figlio dell’uomo, fratello anche mio.
(Laudate Hominem);
If you had not been the son of God, I would still have you as my son.
Non fossi stato figlio di Dio, t’avrei ancora per figlio mio.
(Tre Madri);
……………………..
Alda Merini:
“The Cross is not a Roman pole, but the wood on which God wrote his gospel”.
“La Croce non è un palo dei romani, ma il legno su cui Dio ha scritto il suo vangelo.
----------------------------------------------------------
click to activate the small icon of slideshow: the small triangle inscribed in the small rectangle, at the top right, in the photostream (it means the monitor);
or…. Press the “L” button to zoom in the image;
clicca sulla piccola icona per attivare lo slideshow: sulla facciata principale del photostream, in alto a destra c'è un piccolo rettangolo (rappresenta il monitor) con dentro un piccolo triangolo nero;
oppure…. premi il tasto “L” per ingrandire l'immagine;
www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/winners-...
www.fotografidigitali.it/gallery/2726/opere-italiane-segn...
………………………………………………………
Good Friday is an anniversary which in Sicily acquires a cathartic meaning for those who are searching, not only photographically, for popular traditions (we find them widespread throughout Sicily), which are nothing other than a social, cultural event, which merge into a single past and present; from the web "popular traditions are a historical memory linked to customs and rituals that have given shape to the values and beliefs of that culture". Easter in Sicily can be a source of research, it can appear not without contradictions, citing the thoughts of that great Sicilian thinker Leonardo Sciascia, for him Sicily cannot be called Christian referring to the Sicilian festivals, at most it is only in appearance, in those properly pagan explosions tolerated by the Church; Sciascia addresses the topic as an introductory essay in the book "Religious celebrations in Sicily", illustrated with photographs of a young and still unknown Ferdinando Scianna, a book that did not fail to raise some controversy due to the Sicilian thinker's introductory note, thus being in open controversy with the sacredness of that popular Sicilian devotion (the book was criticized by the Holy See newspaper, the Osservatore Romano), Sciascia writes: “what is a religious festival in Sicily? It would be easy to answer that it is anything but a religious holiday. It is, first of all, an existential explosion; the explosion of the collective id, where the collectivity exists only at the level of the id. Since it is only during the celebration that the Sicilian emerges from his condition of a single man, which is the condition of his vigilant and painful superego, to find himself part of a class, of a class, of a city". Another Sicilian thinker, writer and poet, Gesualdo Bufalino, provides interesting indications on the meaning that Sicilians give to these traditional popular events, he says "during Easter every Sicilian feels not only a spectator, but an actor, first sorrowful and then exultant , for a Mystery that is its very existence. The time of the event is that of Spring, the season of metamorphosis, just as the very nature of the rite is metamorphic in which, as in a story from the Puppet Opera, the battle of Good against Evil is fought. Deception, Pain and Triumph, Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ are present."
In short, Easter in Sicily is a deeply felt anniversary throughout the island since ancient times, it has always had as its fulcrum the emotional participation of the people, with representations and processions which have become rites and traditions which unequivocally characterize numerous Sicilian centres, which they recall the most salient moments narrated in the Gospels and which recall the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, with processions formed by the various brotherhoods (sometimes with theatrical re-enactments) which have within them contents and symbols often coming from the Spanish domination, which took place in Sicily between the 16th and 17th centuries
This year, for Good Friday, I was looking for traditions that were "outside the most well-known circuits", in the past I have alternated traditional religious processions known, with lesser-known ones; I considered various possibilities, then I decided to go to a town that is described as being located in a remote and isolated location in the province of Messina, the town is Capizzi. Good Friday in Capizzi takes place in two phases, there is the daytime procession in which three floats are carried on the shoulders, that of the Ecce Homo, that of the Sorrowful Virgin, and that of the Pietà (with the Virgin Mary holding her Dead Son in her arms), then there is the afternoon procession, which continues until late in the evening, in this evening procession the float carrying the Ecce Homo is missing, while two others are added, there is the one with the Urn carrying the Dead Christ (this figure, that of the Dead Christ, in Capizzi, is called "Father of Divine Providence"), and there is the float carrying the "Holy Cross", on it, during the route along the streets of the town, you can see the villagers placing long linen sheets, who often lean out directly from the balconies or windows of their houses to place them over it. The procession is made up of devotees and local personalities, the police and Capizzi's musical band, and two brotherhoods, that of the SS. Sacrament (the brothers are recognizable by a light yellow cloak), and that of the Good Death (whose followers wear a black cloak); the procession advances along the route in absolute silence, silence is Sacred, the bells stop ringing, the procession walks slowly, an exception to the silence comes from the sad, mournful music played by the band and the drumbeats played in mourning; the route includes steep descents, and equally steep (and tiring) climbs. The afternoon-evening procession reaches the locality of "Tre Croci", here the Archpriest, Don Antonio, delivered his panegyric, using profound words, full of Hope, Charity, Love, remembering that Christ always forgives everyone. In the afternoon, in the Mother Church, the celebration of the Passion of Christ takes place; we witness the rite of the Adoration of the Holy Cross, and the veneration of the "Father of Divine Providence", subsequently there is the rite in which the Archpriest sprinkles the body of the Dead Christ with rose petals, and anoints it with perfumed oils (to recall what is written in the Gospel of John (19:38-42), Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate for permission to take the body of Jesus, Pilate agreed, but Nicodemus also joined Joseph, carrying about thirty kilos of a mixture of myrrh and aloe, sprinkling it on the body: they took the body of Jesus, wrapped it in bandages together with the aromas, according to the funeral custom of the Jews). During the rite of the Adoration of the Cross, in the Mother Church (and also in the Tre Croci area), there is a song sung by the young people of the village, who in chorus sing the “song of the improperia”, which would be in sung form the reproaches that Jesus Christ addresses to his people, because they were responsible for His crucifixion: it is therefore a plaintive dialogue between the crucified Christ and his people; this song dates back to the sixth century, having arrived in the West from the Church of Jerusalem.
…………………………………………………
Il Venerdì Santo è una ricorrenza che in Sicilia acquista un significato catartico per chi è alla ricerca, non solo fotografica, delle tradizioni popolari (le troviamo diffuse in tutta la Sicilia), che altro non sono che un evento sociale, culturale, che fondono in un tutt’uno passato e presente; dal web “le tradizioni popolari sono una memoria storica legata ad usanze e ritualità che hanno dato forma ai valori e alle credenze di quella cultura”. La Pasqua in Sicilia può essere fonte di ricerca, essa può apparire non priva di contraddizioni, citando il pensiero di quel grande pensatore Siciliano che fu Leonardo Sciascia, per lui la Sicilia non può dirsi cristiana riferendosi alle feste Siciliane, al massimo lo è solo in apparenza, in quelle esplosioni propriamente pagane, tollerate dalla Chiesa; Sciascia affronta l’argomento come saggio introduttivo nel libro “Feste religiose in Sicilia”, illustrato con fotografie di un giovane ed ancora sconosciuto Ferdinando Scianna, libro che non mancò di sollevare qualche polemica per la nota introduttiva del pensatore Siciliano, essendo così in aperta polemica con la sacralità di quella devozione popolare Siciliana (il libro fu oggetto di una stroncatura da parte del quotidiano della Santa Sede, l’Osservatore Romano), Sciascia scrive: “che cos’ è una festa religiosa in Sicilia? Sarebbe facile rispondere che è tutto, tranne che una festa religiosa. E’, innanzi tutto, un’esplosione esistenziale; l’esplosione dell’es collettivo, dove la collettività esiste soltanto a livello dell’es. Poiché e soltanto nella festa che il siciliano esce dalla sua condizione di uomo solo, che è poi la condizione del suo vigile e doloroso super io, per ritrovarsi parte di un ceto, di una classe, di una città ”. Altro pensatore, scrittore e poeta Siciliano, Gesualdo Bufalino, fornisce indicazioni interessanti sul senso che i Siciliani danno a questi eventi popolari tradizionali, egli dice “durante la Pasqua ogni siciliano si sente non solo uno spettatore, ma un attore, prima dolente e poi esultante, per un Mistero che è la sua stessa esistenza. Il tempo dell’evento è quello della Primavera, la stagione della metamorfosi, così come metamorfica è la natura stessa del rito nel quale, come in un racconto dell’Opera dei Pupi, si combatte la lotta del Bene contro il Male. Sono presenti l’Inganno, il Dolore e il Trionfo, la Passione, la Morte e la Resurrezione di Cristo”.
In breve, la Pasqua in Sicilia è una ricorrenza profondamente sentita in tutta l’isola fin dall’antichità, essa ha sempre avuto come fulcro la commossa partecipazione del popolo, con rappresentazioni e processioni divenuti riti e tradizioni che caratterizzano inequivocabilmente numerosissimi centri Siciliani, che rievocano i momenti più salienti narrati nei Vangeli e che ricordano la Passione, la Morte e la Resurrezione di Gesù Cristo, con cortei formati dalle varie confraternite (a volte con rievocazioni teatrali) che hanno in se contenuti e simbologie spesso provenienti dalla dominazione Spagnola, avvenuta in Sicilia tra il XVI ed il XVII secolo.
Quest’anno, per il Venerdì Santo, ero alla ricerca di tradizioni che fossero “al di fuori dei circuiti più noti”, in passato ho alternato processioni tradizionali religiose note, a quelle meno note; ho preso in considerazione diverse possibilità, poi ho deciso di recarmi in un paese che viene descritto essere situato in una località remota ed isolata della provincia di Messina, il paese è Capizzi. Il Venerdì Santo a Capizzi, si svolge in due fasi, c’è la processione diurna nella quale vengono portate in spalla tre vare, quella dell’Ecce Homo, quella della Vergine Addolorata, e quella della Pietà (con la Vergine Maria che tiene in braccio suo Figlio Morto), poi c’è la processione del pomeriggio, che prosegue fino a sera inoltrata, in questa processione serale manca la vara che reca l’Ecce Homo, mentre se ne aggiungono altre due, c’è quella con l’Urna che reca il Cristo Morto ( questa figura, quella del Cristo Morto, a Capizzi, viene chiamata “Padre della Divina Provvidenza”), e c’è la vara che reca la “Santa Croce”, su di essa, durante il percorso lungo le vie del paese, si assiste al poggiare di lunghe lenzuola di lino da parte dei paesani, che spesso si sporgono direttamente dai balconi o dalle finestre delle loro case per deporle a scavalco su di essa. La processione è formate, oltre che dai devoti e dalle personalità del paese, dalle forze dell’ordine e dalla banda musicale di Capizzi, da due confraternite, quella del SS. Sacramento (i confratelli sono riconoscibili da un mantello giallo chiaro), e quella della Buona Morte (i cui adepti recano un mantello nero); la processione avanza lungo il percorso in assoluto silenzio, il silenzio è Sacro, le campane smettono di suonare, la processione cammina lenta, una eccezione al silenzio proviene dalla musica mesta, triste, suonata dalla banda e dai colpi di tamburo suonati a lutto; il percorso prevede ripide discese, ed altrettanto ripide (e faticose) salite. La processione pomeridiana-serale giunge fino alla località “Tre Croci”, qui l’Arciprete, Don Antonio, ha proferito il suo panegirico, usando parole profonde, colme di Speranza, Carità, Amore, ricordando che Cristo perdona sempre, tutti. Il pomeriggio, in Chiesa Madre, si assiste alla celebrazione della Passione di Cristo; si assiste al rito dell’Adorazione della Santa Croce, ed alla venerazione del “Padre della Divina Provvidenza”, successivamente c’è il rito nel quale l’Arciprete cosparge il corpo del Cristo Morto con petali di rosa, e lo unge con olii profumati (a rievocare quante scritto nel Vangelo di Giovanni (19:38-42), Giuseppe di Arimatea, discepolo di Gesù, in segreto per timore dei Giudei, chiese a Pilato il permesso di prendere il corpo di Gesù, Pilato acconsentì, ma anche Nicodemo, si unì a Giuseppe, portando circa trenta chili di una mistura di mirra e di aloe, cospargendone il corpo: essi presero il corpo di Gesù, lo avvolsero in bende insieme con gli aromi, secondo l'usanza funebre dei Giudei). Durante il rito dell’Adorazione della Croce, in Chiesa Madre (ed anche in località Tre Croci), c’è il canto intonato dai giovani del paese, che in coro cantano il “canto degli improperia”, che sarebbe in forma cantata i rimproveri che Gesù Cristo rivolge al suo popolo, poiché si è reso responsabile della Sua crocifissione: esso è quindi un dialogo lamentoso tra Cristo crocifisso e il suo popolo; questo canto risalirebbero al VI secolo, giunto in occidente proveniente dalla Chiesa di Gerusalemme.
………………………………………….
POSTER - LOCANDINA -
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Phrases from “The Good News - Frasi da “La Buona Novella” –
In the pity that does not give in to rancor, mother, I learned love.
Nella pietà che non cede al rancore, madre, ho imparato l’amore.
(il testamento di Tito);
I don't want to think of you as the son of God, but as the son of man, my brother too.
Non voglio pensarti figlio di Dio, ma figlio dell’uomo, fratello anche mio.
(Laudate Hominem);
If you had not been the son of God, I would still have you as my son.
Non fossi stato figlio di Dio, t’avrei ancora per figlio mio.
(Tre Madri);
……………………..
Alda Merini:
“The Cross is not a Roman pole, but the wood on which God wrote his gospel”.
“La Croce non è un palo dei romani, ma il legno su cui Dio ha scritto il suo vangelo.
----------------------------------------------------------
click to activate the small icon of slideshow: the small triangle inscribed in the small rectangle, at the top right, in the photostream (it means the monitor);
or…. Press the “L” button to zoom in the image;
clicca sulla piccola icona per attivare lo slideshow: sulla facciata principale del photostream, in alto a destra c'è un piccolo rettangolo (rappresenta il monitor) con dentro un piccolo triangolo nero;
oppure…. premi il tasto “L” per ingrandire l'immagine;
www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/winners-...
www.fotografidigitali.it/gallery/2726/opere-italiane-segn...
………………………………………………………
Good Friday is an anniversary which in Sicily acquires a cathartic meaning for those who are searching, not only photographically, for popular traditions (we find them widespread throughout Sicily), which are nothing other than a social, cultural event, which merge into a single past and present; from the web "popular traditions are a historical memory linked to customs and rituals that have given shape to the values and beliefs of that culture". Easter in Sicily can be a source of research, it can appear not without contradictions, citing the thoughts of that great Sicilian thinker Leonardo Sciascia, for him Sicily cannot be called Christian referring to the Sicilian festivals, at most it is only in appearance, in those properly pagan explosions tolerated by the Church; Sciascia addresses the topic as an introductory essay in the book "Religious celebrations in Sicily", illustrated with photographs of a young and still unknown Ferdinando Scianna, a book that did not fail to raise some controversy due to the Sicilian thinker's introductory note, thus being in open controversy with the sacredness of that popular Sicilian devotion (the book was criticized by the Holy See newspaper, the Osservatore Romano), Sciascia writes: “what is a religious festival in Sicily? It would be easy to answer that it is anything but a religious holiday. It is, first of all, an existential explosion; the explosion of the collective id, where the collectivity exists only at the level of the id. Since it is only during the celebration that the Sicilian emerges from his condition of a single man, which is the condition of his vigilant and painful superego, to find himself part of a class, of a class, of a city". Another Sicilian thinker, writer and poet, Gesualdo Bufalino, provides interesting indications on the meaning that Sicilians give to these traditional popular events, he says "during Easter every Sicilian feels not only a spectator, but an actor, first sorrowful and then exultant , for a Mystery that is its very existence. The time of the event is that of Spring, the season of metamorphosis, just as the very nature of the rite is metamorphic in which, as in a story from the Puppet Opera, the battle of Good against Evil is fought. Deception, Pain and Triumph, Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ are present."
In short, Easter in Sicily is a deeply felt anniversary throughout the island since ancient times, it has always had as its fulcrum the emotional participation of the people, with representations and processions which have become rites and traditions which unequivocally characterize numerous Sicilian centres, which they recall the most salient moments narrated in the Gospels and which recall the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, with processions formed by the various brotherhoods (sometimes with theatrical re-enactments) which have within them contents and symbols often coming from the Spanish domination, which took place in Sicily between the 16th and 17th centuries
This year, for Good Friday, I was looking for traditions that were "outside the most well-known circuits", in the past I have alternated traditional religious processions known, with lesser-known ones; I considered various possibilities, then I decided to go to a town that is described as being located in a remote and isolated location in the province of Messina, the town is Capizzi. Good Friday in Capizzi takes place in two phases, there is the daytime procession in which three floats are carried on the shoulders, that of the Ecce Homo, that of the Sorrowful Virgin, and that of the Pietà (with the Virgin Mary holding her Dead Son in her arms), then there is the afternoon procession, which continues until late in the evening, in this evening procession the float carrying the Ecce Homo is missing, while two others are added, there is the one with the Urn carrying the Dead Christ (this figure, that of the Dead Christ, in Capizzi, is called "Father of Divine Providence"), and there is the float carrying the "Holy Cross", on it, during the route along the streets of the town, you can see the villagers placing long linen sheets, who often lean out directly from the balconies or windows of their houses to place them over it. The procession is made up of devotees and local personalities, the police and Capizzi's musical band, and two brotherhoods, that of the SS. Sacrament (the brothers are recognizable by a light yellow cloak), and that of the Good Death (whose followers wear a black cloak); the procession advances along the route in absolute silence, silence is Sacred, the bells stop ringing, the procession walks slowly, an exception to the silence comes from the sad, mournful music played by the band and the drumbeats played in mourning; the route includes steep descents, and equally steep (and tiring) climbs. The afternoon-evening procession reaches the locality of "Tre Croci", here the Archpriest, Don Antonio, delivered his panegyric, using profound words, full of Hope, Charity, Love, remembering that Christ always forgives everyone. In the afternoon, in the Mother Church, the celebration of the Passion of Christ takes place; we witness the rite of the Adoration of the Holy Cross, and the veneration of the "Father of Divine Providence", subsequently there is the rite in which the Archpriest sprinkles the body of the Dead Christ with rose petals, and anoints it with perfumed oils (to recall what is written in the Gospel of John (19:38-42), Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate for permission to take the body of Jesus, Pilate agreed, but Nicodemus also joined Joseph, carrying about thirty kilos of a mixture of myrrh and aloe, sprinkling it on the body: they took the body of Jesus, wrapped it in bandages together with the aromas, according to the funeral custom of the Jews). During the rite of the Adoration of the Cross, in the Mother Church (and also in the Tre Croci area), there is a song sung by the young people of the village, who in chorus sing the “song of the improperia”, which would be in sung form the reproaches that Jesus Christ addresses to his people, because they were responsible for His crucifixion: it is therefore a plaintive dialogue between the crucified Christ and his people; this song dates back to the sixth century, having arrived in the West from the Church of Jerusalem.
…………………………………………………
Il Venerdì Santo è una ricorrenza che in Sicilia acquista un significato catartico per chi è alla ricerca, non solo fotografica, delle tradizioni popolari (le troviamo diffuse in tutta la Sicilia), che altro non sono che un evento sociale, culturale, che fondono in un tutt’uno passato e presente; dal web “le tradizioni popolari sono una memoria storica legata ad usanze e ritualità che hanno dato forma ai valori e alle credenze di quella cultura”. La Pasqua in Sicilia può essere fonte di ricerca, essa può apparire non priva di contraddizioni, citando il pensiero di quel grande pensatore Siciliano che fu Leonardo Sciascia, per lui la Sicilia non può dirsi cristiana riferendosi alle feste Siciliane, al massimo lo è solo in apparenza, in quelle esplosioni propriamente pagane, tollerate dalla Chiesa; Sciascia affronta l’argomento come saggio introduttivo nel libro “Feste religiose in Sicilia”, illustrato con fotografie di un giovane ed ancora sconosciuto Ferdinando Scianna, libro che non mancò di sollevare qualche polemica per la nota introduttiva del pensatore Siciliano, essendo così in aperta polemica con la sacralità di quella devozione popolare Siciliana (il libro fu oggetto di una stroncatura da parte del quotidiano della Santa Sede, l’Osservatore Romano), Sciascia scrive: “che cos’ è una festa religiosa in Sicilia? Sarebbe facile rispondere che è tutto, tranne che una festa religiosa. E’, innanzi tutto, un’esplosione esistenziale; l’esplosione dell’es collettivo, dove la collettività esiste soltanto a livello dell’es. Poiché e soltanto nella festa che il siciliano esce dalla sua condizione di uomo solo, che è poi la condizione del suo vigile e doloroso super io, per ritrovarsi parte di un ceto, di una classe, di una città ”. Altro pensatore, scrittore e poeta Siciliano, Gesualdo Bufalino, fornisce indicazioni interessanti sul senso che i Siciliani danno a questi eventi popolari tradizionali, egli dice “durante la Pasqua ogni siciliano si sente non solo uno spettatore, ma un attore, prima dolente e poi esultante, per un Mistero che è la sua stessa esistenza. Il tempo dell’evento è quello della Primavera, la stagione della metamorfosi, così come metamorfica è la natura stessa del rito nel quale, come in un racconto dell’Opera dei Pupi, si combatte la lotta del Bene contro il Male. Sono presenti l’Inganno, il Dolore e il Trionfo, la Passione, la Morte e la Resurrezione di Cristo”.
In breve, la Pasqua in Sicilia è una ricorrenza profondamente sentita in tutta l’isola fin dall’antichità, essa ha sempre avuto come fulcro la commossa partecipazione del popolo, con rappresentazioni e processioni divenuti riti e tradizioni che caratterizzano inequivocabilmente numerosissimi centri Siciliani, che rievocano i momenti più salienti narrati nei Vangeli e che ricordano la Passione, la Morte e la Resurrezione di Gesù Cristo, con cortei formati dalle varie confraternite (a volte con rievocazioni teatrali) che hanno in se contenuti e simbologie spesso provenienti dalla dominazione Spagnola, avvenuta in Sicilia tra il XVI ed il XVII secolo.
Quest’anno, per il Venerdì Santo, ero alla ricerca di tradizioni che fossero “al di fuori dei circuiti più noti”, in passato ho alternato processioni tradizionali religiose note, a quelle meno note; ho preso in considerazione diverse possibilità, poi ho deciso di recarmi in un paese che viene descritto essere situato in una località remota ed isolata della provincia di Messina, il paese è Capizzi. Il Venerdì Santo a Capizzi, si svolge in due fasi, c’è la processione diurna nella quale vengono portate in spalla tre vare, quella dell’Ecce Homo, quella della Vergine Addolorata, e quella della Pietà (con la Vergine Maria che tiene in braccio suo Figlio Morto), poi c’è la processione del pomeriggio, che prosegue fino a sera inoltrata, in questa processione serale manca la vara che reca l’Ecce Homo, mentre se ne aggiungono altre due, c’è quella con l’Urna che reca il Cristo Morto ( questa figura, quella del Cristo Morto, a Capizzi, viene chiamata “Padre della Divina Provvidenza”), e c’è la vara che reca la “Santa Croce”, su di essa, durante il percorso lungo le vie del paese, si assiste al poggiare di lunghe lenzuola di lino da parte dei paesani, che spesso si sporgono direttamente dai balconi o dalle finestre delle loro case per deporle a scavalco su di essa. La processione è formate, oltre che dai devoti e dalle personalità del paese, dalle forze dell’ordine e dalla banda musicale di Capizzi, da due confraternite, quella del SS. Sacramento (i confratelli sono riconoscibili da un mantello giallo chiaro), e quella della Buona Morte (i cui adepti recano un mantello nero); la processione avanza lungo il percorso in assoluto silenzio, il silenzio è Sacro, le campane smettono di suonare, la processione cammina lenta, una eccezione al silenzio proviene dalla musica mesta, triste, suonata dalla banda e dai colpi di tamburo suonati a lutto; il percorso prevede ripide discese, ed altrettanto ripide (e faticose) salite. La processione pomeridiana-serale giunge fino alla località “Tre Croci”, qui l’Arciprete, Don Antonio, ha proferito il suo panegirico, usando parole profonde, colme di Speranza, Carità, Amore, ricordando che Cristo perdona sempre, tutti. Il pomeriggio, in Chiesa Madre, si assiste alla celebrazione della Passione di Cristo; si assiste al rito dell’Adorazione della Santa Croce, ed alla venerazione del “Padre della Divina Provvidenza”, successivamente c’è il rito nel quale l’Arciprete cosparge il corpo del Cristo Morto con petali di rosa, e lo unge con olii profumati (a rievocare quante scritto nel Vangelo di Giovanni (19:38-42), Giuseppe di Arimatea, discepolo di Gesù, in segreto per timore dei Giudei, chiese a Pilato il permesso di prendere il corpo di Gesù, Pilato acconsentì, ma anche Nicodemo, si unì a Giuseppe, portando circa trenta chili di una mistura di mirra e di aloe, cospargendone il corpo: essi presero il corpo di Gesù, lo avvolsero in bende insieme con gli aromi, secondo l'usanza funebre dei Giudei). Durante il rito dell’Adorazione della Croce, in Chiesa Madre (ed anche in località Tre Croci), c’è il canto intonato dai giovani del paese, che in coro cantano il “canto degli improperia”, che sarebbe in forma cantata i rimproveri che Gesù Cristo rivolge al suo popolo, poiché si è reso responsabile della Sua crocifissione: esso è quindi un dialogo lamentoso tra Cristo crocifisso e il suo popolo; questo canto risalirebbero al VI secolo, giunto in occidente proveniente dalla Chiesa di Gerusalemme.
………………………………………….
"Your" Body & "The End" by the Chinese artist Xiang Jing.
Xiang Jing is a profoundly introspective and innovative Chinese sculptor whose work explores the complexities of human nature, identity and existential truth.
Rather than aligning with a strictly feminist stance, she approaches her art from a woman's perspective, using the female form as both subject and statement. Her sculptures, though realistic in appearance, carry a deep emotional and psychological weight, challenging conventions of beauty, self-awareness and gendered experience.
Her artistic process is meticulous and deeply personal. Working primarily with fiberglass, Xiang Jing layers hand-painted details onto each piece, ensuring every sculpture possesses an individual presence and emotional depth. Her practice is problem-oriented, engaging with themes such as the relationship between observer and observed, internal desire and the shifting boundaries between realism and abstraction. She is a fiercely independent thinker, constantly pushing the limits of contemporary sculpture while maintaining an introspective approach.
Xiang Jing's work often reflects her own life experiences, forming a first-person narrative of self-exploration. "Your Body" part of her Keep in Silence series, marks a critical shift in her artistic journey, moving away from the Mirror Image series and solidifying her distinctive voice. The work encapsulates her drive
to express vulnerability, desire and transformation.
Day Seventeen:
You've no idea how hard it is to get a shirt to fit over these things. I've just given up now. It's togas all the way now. Unfortunately black ones at night do make it appear that you're unmentionables have vanished into the night leaving you nothing but a torso missing all the good bits. Don't worry thought it's all still there doing what ever it does under there. I respect it's privacy and don't like to pry.
Oh but the view from up here. You can see all the way down to that toasty place with the barbecue and pointy sticks. Oh looks like someone is trying to escape. Looks a bit demony too. Those black eyes and protruding horns do scream otherworldly minion of the beast. They're not subtle in their appearance....says the person with the great big wings and glowing hands. Just making sure I've got them loading for hurling great big balls of light. Sometimes I even juggle them.
Oh dear he's getting closer. Looks kind of familiar too. Like I've seen that face somewhere before. Somewhere close. Somewhere....in the mirror. That bugger's got my face. His face. Dammit I always wondered where the clones when after our little....*ahem*...incidents. Wait does that mean I'm the real one of just from the batch that didn't go bad? Such an existential quandary that could be. I must ponder it.
Dr. Stern was testing his own management system focusing the mind on variety of other things. Staying at the new lab late at night he decided not to take a long ride to his home. He spent evening hours at the conference room meditating, looking at art.
Earlier the artworks attracted attention of handy men doing repairs at the lab. Stern saw a curious scene when the workers engaged into vigorous discussion arguing about meaning of the artworks.
A younger black guy said the artist was deprived of sex he fantasized about a woman, whose body parts he painted in his picture.
A Latin, middle-aged man said that sexual images in his culture symbolize fertility and existential predicament of life and death.
Stern especially liked these remarks.
A white supervisor said the artwork was spontaneous and had no particular meaning.
It triggered Stern’s interest in the communicative abilities of art to stir up the usually idle minds of people who work physically with their sole life principle to keep it simple and real to have fun after day of hard work forgetting the troubles.
For hours Stern was sitting in the conference room looking at the paintings not fully aware that he tried to interpret the meaning of the picture in a manner the black guy did and analyze character of the artist. He questioned what kind of man creates the artwork that fills the space with unavoidable presence. If by accident Stern came across the great new therapy, as the artwork impressed him to a point of admiration and desire to understand the artist the man. The longer he looked at the painting, the better he felt and his heart wasn’t poked by the steel arrows of Amour.
"I have an existential map. It has 'You are here' written all over it."
~ Steven Wright
✂ poésie trouvée ✂, N353, Heerenveenseweg, Oldeberkoop, Friesland
aka: Lethal Neglect
One of the methods suggested to get rid of "inferior" populations was euthanasia. A
1911 Carnegie Institute report mentioned euthanasia as one of its recommended
"solutions" to the problem of cleansing society of unfit genetic attributes. The most
commonly suggested method was to set up local gas chambers. However, many in the
eugenics movement did not believe that Americans were ready to implement a large-scale
euthanasia program, so many doctors had to find clever ways of subtly implementing
eugenic euthanasia in various medical institutions. For example, a mental institution in
Lincoln, Illinois fed its incoming patients milk infected with tuberculosis (reasoning that
genetically fit individuals would be resistant), resulting in 30-40% annual death rates.
Other doctors practiced euthanasia through various forms of lethal neglect...
Walking on foot brings you down to the very stark, naked core of existence. We travel too much in airplanes and cars. It’s an existential quality that we are losing. It’s almost like a credo of religion that we should walk.
There is, of course, something inherently romantic—if not heroic—about the extreme solitary explorer enveloped by nature. The very image of Herzog on foot recalls the iconic 19th-century paintings of Caspar David Friedrich, especially his Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, with its lone figure staring out at the wide vista above the clouds.
'Truth itself wanders through the forests,' Herzog writes near the end. Yet here he embroiders his memories for effect: The vast swath of geography between Munich and Paris is littered with industrial towns and cities.
Once he comes out on the other end, traversing the deforested Champs-Élysées (“We were close to what they call the breath of danger”), Herzog emerges victorious.
― Of Walking in Ice: (Munich-Paris, 23 November–14 December 1974)
by Werner Herzog
This is the local correctional facility in Oliver. Driving by it, made me reflect on a couple of existential considerations. The first, that I value freedom above most other things in life. The second one was about the prisons of our making, in our minds. We are freer than we think.
This celebration/ outing was staged by a small rural community in conjunction with the owner of the retirement home.
About 30 to 40 cars drove around, in front of both buildings, several times honking their horns, playing music and cheering the elderly survivors of COVID-19.
Photograph published in News Junkie Post on 5/30/2020
newsjunkiepost.com/2020/05/30/climate-crisispandemics-and...
Photograph also published in The Duran on 5/31/2020
theduran.com/climate-crisis-pandemics-and-bad-governance-...
Photograph also featured in the Library of Congress archive (link below)
Тhis sculpture has been created 2013 to be placed in the center of the closter of the national of San Matteo in Pisa, on the occasion of an exhibition of Giovanni Frangi's works. The typical shapes of the artist's sculptural imagery arereworked under a new material aspect: Iron. The chromatic intensity, the creation by color that have marked for a long time Frangi's works, approach the unprecendented metallic coldness of this strukture, which could also bringt to mind a spaceship or a strange UFO, however capable of exspressing a primigenial and a little disquieting existential energy from within its armor.
Эта скульптура была создана в 2013 году для размещения в национальном музее Сан-Маттео в Пизе, по случаю выставки работ Джованни Франджи. Типичные формы скульптурных образов художника созданы в новом аспекте использования материалов: железо. Интенсивность цвета, использование цвета, которые отмечены в течение длительного времени работы Франги, приближены к беспрецедентной металлической холодности этой структуры, что также может вызвать в памяти странный НЛО, однако способный выразить изначальную и немного тревожную экзистенциальную энергию исходящую от брони..
I hope some of you find this photo to be distinctively Louie (though without the typical saturated green): a tree trunk or two and the rest of the scene clustered with leaves, moss, and other greeneries. You get the idea.
Like many subjects I have shot over the years, this photo is also rather mundane, if not existential. Indeed, those fallen logs are not driftwoods in Siesta Lake, the tree lying on its back to the right is not exactly Jeffrey Pine, and Black Rock Falls is definitely not Bridalveil Falls in Yosemite. Nothing here is larger than life.
You know..., I was just thinking a lot of time nature is like a Zen garden (or is the garden an imitation of nature?), and the landscape photographer is the monk who dilligently arranges (and then rearranges) the stones and rocks.
Perhaps it is a romantic notion that there is a balance in the cluster, doubly ironic because we live in a world that is facing issues. But such notion keeps my eyes open, so I can continue on in search for the minute beauty in life.
Digital infrared B&W photo.
Stacks of three photos for extended depth of field.