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I consider that the natural biological manner of living is constitutively aesthetic and effortless, and that we have become culturally blind to this condition. In this blindness we have made of beauty a commodity, creating ugliness in all dimensions of our living, and through that ugliness, more blindness in the loss of our capacity to see, to hear, to smell, to touch, and to understand, the interconnectedness of the biosphere to which we belong. We have transformed aesthetics into art, health into medicine, science into technology, human beings into the public, ..., and in this way we have lost the poetic look that permitted us to live our daily life as an aesthetic experience. Finally, in that loss, wisdom is lost. What is the cure? The creation of the desire to live again, as a natural feature of our biosphere, the effortlessness of a multidimensional human living in a daily life of aesthetic experiences.
—
Humberto R. Maturana,
from The Biological Roots of Reality and Humanness:
An Invitation to Freedom
“Avec son “Appel pour une nouvelle Renaissance”, cet adepte de l’art total qu’est Gao Xingjian, prône une nouvelle pensée pour changer le monde et réveiller les consciences, grâce à la culture. Écrivain, peintre, dramaturge, metteur en scène, poète, Gao Xingjian en appelle à un retour à une création artistique sans frontières, pluridisciplinaire, non utilitariste et non “marchandisée”, explorant les complexités de l’âme humaine, avec pour finalité une communion parfaite des cœurs et des esprits.” Chantal Colleu-Dumond
C’est le travail graphique de l’artiste français d’origine chinoise Gao Xingjian, Prix Nobel de littérature en 2000, qui est présenté dans le cadre de l’exposition de Chaumont-sur-Loire. À l’encre de Chine, il sonde une troisième voie entre figuration et abstraction : l’univers de ses rêves. Il cherche à faire entrer le temps et l’espace dans la peinture. “Le ton créé par l’encre qui s’écoule est riche et raffiné, il ouvre de grandes possibilités plastiques, capables de provoquer de véritables révélations. La peinture permet en outre d’effectuer un voyage intérieur ; tous les lieux que l’imagination est en mesure d’explorer peuvent être exprimés par la peinture, et cette expression est illimitée […] Si, dans une peinture, les relations spatiales ont été modifiées, le vide devient plein, le noir se transforme en quelque chose ou en rien, les espaces vides en lumière brillante. C’est là une vision très difficile à appréhender dans l’observation directe de la nature, mais dans une peinture en noir et blanc il est possible de construire un espace qui surprenne, que l’on ne pourrait voir qu’en rêve : ne s’agit-il pas en fait d’une image intérieure ?” Gao Xingjian, Pour une autre esthétique, 2001.
“La peinture de Gao Xingjian a ouvert sans conteste une nouvelle voie pour la peinture à l’encre de Chine, et de plus, elle a dépassé les difficultés rencontrées par les arts contemporains occidentaux, elle a ouvert une voie en montrant de nouvelles perspectives pour l’art de la peinture. Entre le figuratif et l’abstrait apparaissent aussi des images mentales inépuisables, ouvrant dans l’histoire de l’art une page nouvelle.“ Liu Zaifu
Entre l’héritage culturel de son pays natal et l’esthétique occidentale, sa pratique laisse affleurer une grande sensibilité. Ses paysages imaginaires font écho à ses recherches littéraires, notamment pour le théâtre et l’opéra. En juin 2018, il publie en Italie un essai intitulé Per un nuovo rinascimento.
“Il est non seulement un artiste et un homme de lettres multidimensionnel, comme il en existe peu, mais aussi un penseur. Sa pensée ne se limite pas à se débarrasser de toutes les contraintes idéologiques, mais elle reste en plus totalement indépendante et, contrairement à la démarche des philosophes, il ne cherche pas à faire entrer à tout prix la création et la réflexion dans un cadre de construction théorique. Du début à la fin, sa pensée reste vivante, ouverte, elle ne recherche jamais ce que l’on appelle “la vérité ultime”. Comme il le dit lui-même, il s’agit seulement d’approfondir sans cesse la connaissance du monde et de la nature humaine pour pouvoir remplacer l’ontologie philosophique et tous les jugements de valeur.” Liu Zaifu
"With his" Call for a New Renaissance ", this adept of the total art that is Gao Xingjian, advocates a new thought to change the world and awaken the conscience, through culture. Writer, painter, playwright, director, poet, Gao Xingjian calls for a return to an artistic creation without frontiers, multidisciplinary, non-utilitarian and not "merchandised", exploring the complexities of the human soul, with for finality a communion perfect hearts and minds. "Chantal Colleu-Dumond
This is the graphic work of the Chinese-born French artist Gao Xingjian, winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize for Literature, which is presented as part of the Chaumont-sur-Loire exhibition. In India ink, he probes a third way between figuration and abstraction: the universe of his dreams. He seeks to bring time and space into painting. "The tone created by the ink that flows is rich and refined, it opens great plastic possibilities, capable of provoking real revelations. The painting also makes it possible to make an interior journey; all the places that the imagination is able to explore can be expressed by painting, and this expression is unlimited [...] If, in a painting, the spatial relations have been modified, the void becomes full, the black is transformed in something or nothing, empty spaces in brilliant light. This is a very difficult vision to grasp in the direct observation of nature, but in a black and white painting it is possible to construct a space that surprises, that one could only see in a dream: Is not it actually an inner image? "Gao Xingjian, For Another Aesthetics, 2001.
"Gao Xingjian's painting has unquestionably opened a new path for Chinese ink painting, and moreover, she has overcome the difficulties of contemporary Western art, she has opened a path by showing new perspectives for the art of painting. Between the figurative and the abstract also appear inexhaustible mental images, opening in the history of art a new page. "Liu Zaifu
Between the cultural heritage of his native country and the Western aesthetic, his practice reveals a great sensitivity. His imaginary landscapes echo his literary research, especially for theater and opera. In June 2018, he published in Italy an essay entitled Per un nuovo rinascimento.
"He is not only an artist and a multidimensional man of letters, as there are few, but also a thinker. His thinking is not limited to getting rid of all the ideological constraints, but it is moreover completely independent and, contrary to the philosophy of the philosophers, it does not seek to make the creation and reflection at any price within a framework of theoretical construction. From beginning to end, her thought remains alive, open, she never seeks what is called "the ultimate truth". As he himself says, it is only a matter of constantly deepening our knowledge of the world and of human nature in order to replace philosophical ontology and all value judgments. "Liu Zaifu
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Today's story and sketch"by me" Today's story and sketch "by me" began before dawn, actually it was 4:30 am, I had just started a pot of Chock Full Of Nuts Coffee, opened a Blueberry Bran Moon Pie, switched on the "MCPPOTG" Man Cave Posse Protectors Of The Galaxy console, switched off the auto answering machine recorder, put on the cerebral cortex helmet, and just as I was pouring my coffee, the Man Caves Multidimensional Stargate Portal alarm was signaling someone was about to enter. At that moment of excitement thinking it could be JB and Rescue Randy returning, after being gone over three weeks, with not a word where they had been. But sadly in my excitement I poured the hot coffee down the front of my Huggy Bear Man Cave Pajamas, luckily the thick luxurious fur magically soaked up the hot coffee preventing any stain or even worse a crippling burn. The Huggy Bear Man Cave Pajamas, which are stain resident, fireproof, bulletproof, and can deflect laser weapons up to one thousand gigavolts, the kind often used by intergalactic freighter highjackers, are available in the Man Caves Official Merchandise Gift Shop. The hot coffee excitement was short lived, out of the stargate in a steamy fog in walked two Seekers wearing "DTB's" dimension travel beenies, agents from the "IFPA", Intergalactic Forest Preservation Administration. They had terrible news about a Ompalusian Bearded Goat that had somehow been released last week in the San Diego Botanical Gardens, and had almost eaten every shrubbery in the twenty four acre garden, and when they left, two of their associates watching as the Goat began eating the Potting Shed, which it was still munching when our "MCPPOTG" Deputy Cosmo arrived. Hopefully I will have an update of how Cosmo captures the Ompalusian Bearded Goat, until then taa ta the Rod Blog.
March 8, 2017
Water droplets bead up on waterproof canvas. They have a magnification effect, creating a random and chaotic multidimensional pattern.
Brewster, Massachusetts
Cape Cod - USA
Photo by brucetopher
© Bruce Christopher 2017
All Rights Reserved
...always learning - critiques welcome.
Shot with a Canon 7D.
No use without permission.
Please email for usage info.
Took my camera rotation tool out for a road test after a modification and repair after I broke it a few days ago.... This is an illuminated colour changing stairway leading to a car park in Sheffield known as the Borg Cube.
Shot straight out of camera, I had to be quick to replace the lens cap at each rotation so as not to blow out the colour changes.
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can you believe: russian parliament is in about 300 meters from this spot and if you'd go through the short tunnel (on the left) you'd find yourself on the fancy street with the cafes and boutiques.... this multidimensionality is one of the things i love the most about moscow ( unfortunately disappearing ) ...sometimes it feels like a teleportation )
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Have a Happy Halloween!
No, wait. It's past Halloween....Happy Thanksgiving?
No?
Okay, then. Merry Christmas.
I am substantially late in delivering my Halloween project this year, but I do not apologize for it. I've been quite busy in the last few months and only had time to work on this during the weekends. What's more, this project was much more ambitious than what I usually fold for Halloween. The shape itself has no formal name, but if I had to give it one, I'd stick with the usual conventions in Stewart Toroid nomenclature and call it an "icosaugmented near-miss rhombicosidodecahedral toroid"—that is, a 20P₃(20Y₃ + 30P₃ ≈ E₅/12P₅(D₅)). With stars.
Intricate though this structure may seem, it is really no harder to make than a "standard" 210-unit tetrahedral symmetry toroid. The only real difference is that I capped each tetrahedron with an open, 9-unit triangular prism "cage" instead of the usual 3-unit triangle.
The final breakdown is as follows:
• Black units: 330 Open Frame Units, from Tomoko Fuse's Unit Origami: Multidimensional Transformations, pages 65-66. Each unit was folded from a quarter-sized sheet of paper (75x75 mm².) Online instructions for these units can be found on page 4 of this PDF file.
• Orange units: 180 Star Modules, from Miyuki Kawamura's Polyhedron Origami for Beginners, pages 74-75. Although they may not look the part, these really are edge modules, which means that I needed nine of them to create each orange "star" (actually a cumulated triangular prism). Each module was folded from quarter-sized paper.
• Green units: 30 Star Modules folded out of full-sized sheets of paper (150x150 mm²). This double-size Star Module dodecahedron (which very closely resembles a small stellated dodecahedron) just happens to fit in the dodecahedral void at the center of the toroid. This was an unexpected result; before starting the project, I thought that any Star Module polyhedron would fit inside an analogous Open Frame Unit polyhedron folded out of sheets having the same starting size. It was only after I finished folding a miniature Star Module dodecahedron out of 30 quarter-sized sheets that I realized it would be too small to fit snugly in the center.
Big star or small, that central dodecahedron was more or less an afterthought.
While the orange stars do rattle slightly in their cages, the central green star does not. I'm not yet sure if there is any solid way of predicting which Kawamura Star Module polyhedra will be good fits inside their Open Frame Unit equivalent cages and which won't.
If the gods of time are multiple like Aïon (that of eternity), or Chronos (the god of time, the son of Ouranos), to differentiate from his homophone Cronos (the equivalent of Saturn, who devoured his children), there is one that invites us to seize the moment, opportune, ephemeral...": Kaïros. A mythological figure close to Hermes and Eros, he is a true gift for feeling "the right moment". Unlike that of the Devil ("dividing one"), the function of Kaïros comes under the symbol ("putting together"), allowing to evaluate very quickly what presents itself and what should be done. Because it provides a disposition to discernment, to work in multiple fields (medicine, navigation, rhetoric, etc.), it allows to make a decision, quickly and well, among multiple possible ones. Few iconographic representations have illustrated him: he was a young man whose only tuft of hair on his head had to be grasped when he passed by... in order to seize the opportunity! Without seeing it or doing nothing, we passed by... Relevant to both secular decisive time and sacred time, it has the particularity of being in relation to synchronicity, synchronizing two events without causal link between them where time and action combine. The difficulty is to seize this time in a timely fashion, this time just right. Symbolic tools can help us, such as images, dreams, archetypal representations or other media, such as astrology or tarots. Kaïros is no stranger to astrology, an area that Jung also looked into at the beginning of his research. Thus in Paracelsica, or The Roots of Consciousness, Jung evokes the possibility of raising the patient's theme during his cure. The celestial symbolism of the birth theme can prove to be a formidable road map of the psyche's time. But Kaïros, god of the "right moment", can also be compared to the Tarots de Marseille, whose cards - in a particular draw - present the constellation of the "moment" for whoever consults them: is it time to seize or not what is presented? Far from the predictable linear physical time (Chronos), Kaïros acts on temporality, it mobilizes our ability to evaluate the circumstances in order to act neither too early nor too late. Kairos (καιρός) is an ancient Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment (the supreme moment). The ancient Greeks had two words for time, chronos referring to sequential time, and kairos, a moment of indeterminate time in which events happen: mood of universal destruction and renewal...has set its mark on our age. This mood
makes itself felt everywhere, politically, socially, and philosophically. We are living in what the Greeks called the kairos- the right moment- for a "metamorphosis of the gods,"
of the fundamental principles and symbols. We are living in what the Greeks called the kairos- the right moment- for a 'metamorphosis of the gods', of the fundamental principles and symbols. This peculiarity of our time, which is certainly not of our conscious choosing, is the expression of the unconscious man within us who is changing. This peculiarity of our time, which is certainly not of our conscious choosing, is the expression of the unconscious human within us who is changing. Coming generations will have to take account of this momentous transformation if humanity is not to destroy itself through the might of its own technology and science....So much is at stake and so much depends on the psychological constitution of the modern human.
C. G. Jung
“…what is time? Who can give that a brief or easy answer? Who can even form a conception of it to be put into words? Yet what do we mention more often or familiarly in our conversation than time? We must therefore know what we are talking about when we refer to it, or when we hear someone else doing so. But what, exactly, is that? I know what it is if no one asks; but if anyone does, then I cannot explain it.”
-Saint Augustine, Confessions (book 11, chapter 3) (~400CE)
One thing is for sure, whatever the ego thinks time is—whatever spell it tries to cast with its alphabetic magic to capture it—it will almost certainly miss the mark. Whatever time is, we should admit we are mostly unconscious of it. In fact, it seems to me that there is an intimate connection, perhaps even an identity, between time and the Jungian notion of the unconscious, a connection that archetypal cosmology obviously substantiates. Despite time’s unconscious depths and ineffability, I am after all a philosopher, and we love nothing more than to try to “eff” the ineffable.
In the 15 brief minutes I have with you, I want to introduce, with help from the Ancient Greek language, 3 different modalities of temporality, or rather, I want to introduce you to 3 Gods, each with a powerful hand in shaping our experience of time: Chronos, Kairos, and Aion. In concrete experience, each mode appears to me at least to be co-present and interwoven; I only separate them abstractly to help us get a better sense for the anatomy of time. Of course, we should remember all the while that “we murder to dissect” (Wordsworth).
I therefore humbly ask for the blessing of the Gods of time as I embark on this short journey into their meanings. May you grant us entry into your mysteries.
A Brief History of (the Idea of) Time:
1. Plato suggests in the Timaeus that time is brought forth by the rhythmic dancing of the Sun, Moon, and five other planets then known upon the stage of 12 constellations. Through the cooperative and friendly circling of these archetypal beings, eternity is permitted entry into time. Time, in other words, is said to emerge from the harmonious or regular motion of the heavens—motion regulated by mathematical harmonies. Plato’s ancient vision of a perfect cosmic order had it that the motion of the 7 known planetary spheres was in mathematical harmony with the 8th supraplanetary sphere of fixed constellations, that the ratios of their orbits added up to one complete whole, finding their unity in what has been called the Platonic or Great Year (known to us today as the 26,000 year precession of the equinoxes). This highest of the heavenly spheres was the God known to the ancients as Aion.
2. Aristotle critiqued Plato’s idea of time as produced by motion. Aristotle argued that time couldn’t possibly be produced by motion, because motion itself is something we measure using time. Motion can be fast or slow, he argued, but time always flows at the same rate. Time is simply a way of measuring change. Aristotle’s conception of time, then, is chronic, rather than aionic. His was the beginning of the scientific view of time as a merely conventional measurement, rather than a cosmic motion, as with Plato.
3. Galileo’s view of the universe was, on the face of it, a complete rejection of Aristotle’s physics. Remember that Aristotle still held a teleological view of chronological time: an apple falls to the ground, for Aristotle, because it desires to do so, because earth is its natural home; for Galileo, nothing in the apple compels it to fall, it is simply a blind happening working according to mechanical laws. Galileo, like Newton and Descartes, rejected the idea of purposeful, meaningful time. Time became for them merely a function in a differential equation. In a sense, then, though the early scientists rejected Aristotle’s view of teleological time, they only further formalized Aristotle’s view of time as a measure of motion. Time became t, a variable quantity used to calculate the precise velocity of material bodies through space. 4. Einstein’s theory of relativity revealed how time and space are intimately related, since, strange as it may seem, as speed increases, time slows. But still, time is understood not on its own terms, but is reduced to a linear, easily measurable and quantifiable function. The reduction of time to Chronos may have begun with Aristotle, but was carried to new extremes by modern materialistic science. 5. Today we know things are quite a bit more chaotic than earlier thinkers, including Plato, let on: we live in a chaosmos, not a perfect cosmos; an open spiral not a closed circle. The orbital periods of the planets shift ever so slightly as the years pass, and the “fixed” stars are actually not fixed at all. Our universe is very strange, and measuring time is no easy matter. Even merely chronological time is extremely counter-intuitive: A day on Venus, for instance, is longer than a Venusian year. Everything is spinning around everything else. Time is then not a moving image of eternal perfection; rather, time is what happens when divinity loses its balance and gets dizzy. But don’t worry, there is nowhere to fall over in the infinite expanses of space. What is happening when referring to kairos depends on who is using the word. While chronos is quantitative, kairos has a qualitative, permanent nature. The union of kairos and logos is the philosophical task set for us in philosophy and in all fields that are accessible to the philosophical attitude. The logos is to be taken up into the kairos, universal values into the fullness of time, truth into the fate of existence. The separation of idea and existence has to be brought to an end. It is the very nature of essence to come into existence, to enter into time and fate. This happens to essence not because of something extraneous to it; it is rather the expression of its own intrinsic character, of its freedom. And it is essential to philosophy to stand in existence, to create out of time and fate. It would be wrong if one were to characterize this as a knowledge bound to necessity. Since existence itself stands in fate, it is proper that philosophy should also stand in fate. Existence and knowledge both are subject to fate. The immutable and eternal heaven of truth of which Plato speaks is accessible only to a knowledge that is free from fate—to divine knowledge. The truth that stands in fate is accessible to him who stands within fate, who is himself an element of fate, for thought is a part of existence. And not only is existence fate to thought, but so also is thought fate to existence, just as everything is fate to everything else. Thought is one of the powers of being, it is a power within existence. And it proves its power by being able to spring out of any given existential situation and create something new! It can leap over existence just as existence can leap over it. Because of this characteristic of thought, the view perhaps quite naturally arose that thought may be detached from existence and may therefore liberate man from his hateful bondage to it. But the history of philosophy itself has shown that this opinion is a mistaken one. The leap of thought does not involve a breaking of the ties with existence; even in the act of its greatest freedom, thought remains bound to fate. Thus the history of philosophy shows that all existence stands in fate. Every finite thing possesses a certain power of being of its own and thus possesses a capacity for fate. The greater a finite thing’s autonomous power of being is, the higher is its capacity for fate and the more deeply is the knowledge of it involved in fats. From physics on up to the normative cultural sciences there is a gradation, the logos standing at the one end and the kairos at the other. But there is no point at which either logos or kairos alone is to be found. Hence even our knowledge of the fateful character of philosophy must at the same time stand in logos and in kairos. If it stood only in the kairos, it would be without validity and the assertion would be valid only for the one making it; if it stood only in the logos, it would be without fate and would therefore have no part in existence, for existence is involved in fate.What are the deep stirrings in the collective psyche of the West? Can we discern any larger patterns in the immensely complex and seemingly chaotic flux and flow of our age? Influenced by the depth psychology tradition founded a century ago by Freud and Jung,and especially since the 1960s and the radical increase in psychological self-consciousness that era helped mediate, the cultural ethos of recent decades has made us well aware how important is the psychological task of understanding our personal histories. We have sought ever deeper insight into our individual biographies, seeking to recover the often hidden sources of our present condition, to render conscious those unconscious forces and complexes that shape our lives. Many now recognize that same task as critical for our entire civilization. What individuals and psychologists have long been doing has now become the collective responsibility of our culture: to make the unconscious conscious. And for a civilization, to a crucial extent, history is the great unconscious- history not so much as the external
chronology of political and military milestones, but as the interior history of a civilization: that unfolding drama evidenced in a culture's evolving cosmology, its philosophy and science, its religious consciousness, its art, its myths. For us to participate fully and creatively in shaping our future, we need to better understand the underlying patterns and
influences of our collective past. Only then can we begin to grasp what forces move within us today, and perhaps glimpse what may be emerging on the new millennial
horizon. I focus my discussion here on the West, but not out of any triumphalist presumption that the West is somehow intrinsically superior to other civilizations and thus most worthy of our attention. I do so rather because it is the West that has brought forth the political,technological, intellectual, and spiritual currents that have been most decisive in
constellating the contemporary world situation in all its problematic complexity. For better or worse, the character of the West has had a global impact, and will continue to do
so for the foreseeable future. Yet I also address the historical evolution of Western consciousness because, for most of us reading these words, this development represents
our own tradition, our legacy, our ancestral cultural matrix. Attending carefully and critically to this tradition fulfills a certain responsibility to the past, to our ancestors, just as
attempting to understand its deeper implications fulfills a responsibility to the future, to our children. A paradox confronts every sensitive observer about the West: On the one hand, we cannot fail to recognize a certain dynamism, a brilliant, heroic impulse, even a nobility, at work in Western civilization and in Western thought. We see this in the great
achievements of Greek philosophy and art, for example, or in the Sistine Chapel and other Renaissance masterpieces, in the plays of Shakespeare, in the music of Bach or Beethoven. We see it in the brilliance of the Copernican revolution, with the tremendous cosmological and even metaphysical transformation it has wrought in our civilization's
world view. We see it in the unprecedented space flights of a generation ago, landing men on the moon, or, more recently, in the spectacular images of the vast cosmos coming
from the Hubbell telescope and the new data and new perspectives these images have brought forth. And of course the great democratic revolutions of modernity, and the
powerful emancipatory movements of our own era, vividly reflect this extraordinary dynamism and even nobility of the West. Yet at the same time we are forced to admit that this very same historical tradition has caused immense suffering and loss, for many other cultures and peoples, for many people within Western culture itself, and for many other forms of life on the planet. Moreover, the West has played the central role in bringing about a subtly growing and seemingly
inexorable crisis on our planet, a crisis of multidimensional complexity: ecological, political, social, economic, intellectual, psychological, spiritual. To say our global civilization is becoming dysfunctional scarcely conveys the gravity of the situation. For humankind and the planet, we face the possibility of great catastrophe. For many forms of life on the Earth, that catastrophe has already taken place. How can we make sense of this tremendous paradox in the character and meaning of the West? If we examine many of the intellectual and cultural debates of our time, particularly near the epicenter of the major paradigm battles today, it is possible to see looming behind them two fundamental interpretations, two archetypal stories or metanarratives, concerning the evolution of human consciousness and the history of the Western mind. In essence these two metanarratives reflect two deep myths in the collective psyche- and let us define myths here not as mere falsehoods, nor as collective fantasies of an arbitrary sort, but rather as profound and enduring patterns of meaning that inform the human psyche and constellate its diverse realities. These two great myths in the collective psyche structure our historical self-understanding in very different ways. One could be called the myth of progress, the other the myth of the fall. The first, familiar to all of us from our education, describes the evolution of human consciousness, and particularly the history of the Western mind, as an extraordinary progressive development, a long heroic journey from a primitive world of dark ignorance,
suffering, and limitation to a brighter modern world of ever increasing knowledge, freedom, and well-being. This great trajectory of progress is seen as having been made possible by the sustained development of human reason, and above all by the emergence of the modern mind. We recognize this view whenever we encounter a book or program whose title is something like "The Ascent of Man" or "The Discoverers" or "Man's Conquest of Space," and so forth. The direction of history is seen as onward and upward. Humanity is here often personified as "man," and imaged, at least implicitly, as
a solar masculine hero of Promethean character: bold, restless, brilliantly innovative, ceaselessly pressing forward with his intelligence and will, breaking out of the structures
and limitations of the past, forever seeking greater freedom and new horizons, ascending to ever higher levels of development. The apex of human achievement in this vision
begins with the ascendance of modern science and individualistic democracy. The view of history is one of progressive emancipation and empowerment. It is a vision that emerged fully in the course of the European Enlightenment, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, though its roots are as old as Western civilization itself. In many respects our modern consciousness is so fully identified with this myth that it has become our common sense, the lineaments of our self-image as modern humans.The first, familiar to all of us from our education, describes the evolution of human consciousness, and particularly the history of the Western mind, as an extraordinary progressive development, a long heroic journey from a primitive world of dark ignorance,suffering, and limitation to a brighter modern world of ever increasing knowledge, freedom, and well-being. This great trajectory of progress is seen as having been made
possible by the sustained development of human reason, and above all by the emergence of the modern mind. We recognize this view whenever we encounter a book or program whose title is something like "The Ascent of Man" or "The Discoverers" or "Man's Conquest of Space," and so forth. The direction of history is seen as onward and upward. Humanity is here often personified as "man," and imaged, at least implicitly, as a solar masculine hero of Promethean character: bold, restless, brilliantly innovative, ceaselessly pressing forward with his intelligence and will, breaking out of the structures and limitations of the past, forever seeking greater freedom and new horizons, ascending
to ever higher levels of development. The apex of human achievement in this vision begins with the ascendance of modern science and individualistic democracy. The view
of history is one of progressive emancipation and empowerment. It is a vision that emerged fully in the course of the European Enlightenment, in the seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries, though its roots are as old as Western civilization itself. In many respects our modern consciousness is so fully identified with this myth that it has become
our common sense, the lineaments of our self-image as modern humans. The other view, whose presence has become much stronger in our cultural discussion in
recent years, though it was always present to one extent or another as a compensatory countercurrent to the progressive view, describes this story in quite opposite terms. In the
form this myth has taken in our era, the evolution of human consciousness and the history of the Western mind are seen as a tragic story of humanity's radical fall and separation
from an original state of oneness with nature and with being. In its primordial condition, humankind had possessed an instinctive knowledge of the profound sacred unity and
interconnectedness of the world; but under the influence of the Western mind, and especially intensifying with the ascendance of the modern mind, the course of history has
brought about a deep schism between humankind and nature, and a desacralization of the world. This development has coincided with an increasingly destructive human
exploitation of nature, the devastation of traditional indigenous cultures, and an increasingly unhappy state of the human soul, which experiences itself as ever more
isolated, shallow, and unfulfilled. In this perspective, both humanity and nature are seen as having suffered grievously under a long domination of thought and society associated
with both patriarchy and modernity, with the worst consequences being produced by the oppressive hegemony of Western industrial societies empowered by modern science and technology. The nadir of this fall is seen as the present time of planetary ecological disaster, moral disorientation, and spiritual emptiness, which is the direct consequence of human hubris as embodied above all in the structure and spirit of the modern Western mind and ego. Here the historical perspective is one which reveals a progressive impoverishment of human life and the human spirit, a fragmentation of original unities, a ruinous destruction of the sacred community of being.
cosmosandpsyche.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/revision-rite...
Serpiente de luz ,
Zoobiologias del multidimensional,
Geometrías angélicas,
Canto de pájaro triangular
Cordones quirúrgicos
Mi hermano manifiesta enfermedad,
Para que se limpie y se sane,
Amor y cariño de la espiral
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Umbrian Worlds - The White Storm
by Daniel Arrhakis (2024)
With the music : 022 "District Core" // 1 Hour Ambience by OBSIDIAN SOUNDFIELDS
Umbrian Worlds - White Dust Mist Portals
Another dimension from an outer planetary system invades our world with clouds of cold white dust, in a strange and mysterious mist, transforming it silently but inexorably.
Multidimensional orbs now cross the skies and the geomorphologies of the earth that little by little see gigantic and strange forms of life emerge.
Humanity almost became extinct and now its creations remain abandoned in a white blanket of intriguing mystery.
The strange white powder would transform life itself on earth into strange and gigantic forms that now populated the nightmares of humanity and went far beyond imagination...
Picture: Almost rain at Windmill Farm
Location: Zaandam, Netherlands
The Netherlands is synonymous for its windmills, clogs, tulips, canals, cheese markets… practically everything that you would expect to find in a charming and utterly picturesque country. But, whatever image you associate with the lowlands, the first thing likely to come to mind is the windmill (molen). Such is the importance of these living monuments that there is even a National Windmill Day (11 May), and on festive occasions or national holidays molens are decked out in flowers, garlands, figures of angels or the Dutch flag. For centuries, windmills have helped the Dutch fight water shortages so it is little wonder that they were the first to develop ‘windmill technology.’ In the glory days, the Netherlands boasted more than 10,000 mills but the molen population today stands at a mere 1,000. Many of the remaining mills are open to the public and a couple have even been transformed into homes, but a word of warning, these are not museums!
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t even have to leave Amsterdam to see a little piece of Dutch heritage up close. Like most things in a multidimensional city, everything is literally at your doorstep or just a short bike ride away. There are in fact 8 windmills at the heart of Amsterdam – this may even come as surprise to the locals – but you can only visit two. For 17th century molens, head for De 1200 Roe on Haarlemmerweg 465, De 1100 Roe on Herman Bonpad 6 or the Riekermolen located along the Amstel River. For a later example of molen artistry, try D'Admiraal on Noordhollandschkanaaldijk 21 or De Bloem on Haarlemmerweg 701, which in fact has been moved form its original location.
By now you may be wondering what happened to the other three mills but fret not, the best have been saved for last. If you are into architectural makeovers, visit de Gooyer or Fuenmolen located on Fuenenkade 7. East of Amsterdam, this windmill houses Bierbrouwerij ‘t Ij, a brewery that still sells the traditional Dutch Y-lake (Ijmeer) beer. Of all of the 8 mills, this is probably the easiest to get as it is within walking distance of the Maritime museum. If you happen to be in the city on the first Saturday of the month, you might just catch the windmill in action. The two remaining windmills are Molen van Sloten, highly popular with tourists, and de Otter, which is quite possibly Amsterdam’s best-kept secret. Fortunately, you can still visit these molens today.
Located on the outskirts of the city, the Molen van Sloten mill is situated on Akersluis 10. It is a 19th century polder draining mill accessible to the public daily between 10am and 4pm, with the exception of public holidays. Disabled and eldery people as well as children and pregnant mothers are also able to enjoy a guided tour through the mill and visit the gallery thanks to an in-built lift. You can trace the history of the mill or the life of Rembrandt and why not make a day of it – visit the neighbouring village of Sloten. What makes this mill truly extra special is that it has been officially declared a ‘house of the municipality’, which means that you can actually get married here.
Last but not least is De Otter mill. Built circa 1630, De Otter stands proud as the "heritage of Amsterdam, the instrument with which the Netherlands ruled the waves." The mill is approximately 20 minutes away from Dam Square by foot on Gillis van Ledenberchstraat 78, west of the Jordaan district. De Otter is a post-mill (paltrok) and not only is it the only wood-sawing mill of its kind still in operation but it is also the oldest. Unfortunately it is being threatened by developers who plan on knocking down history to build a block of luxury apartments or offices. Already, De Otter is having trouble operating as a proper mill because neighbouring houses are obstructing the passage of wind and although the owner is fighting tooth and nail to keep the mill, the future looks bleak. So if you really want to see a traditional molen, make sure you visit De Otter before it’s too late. Just one look at this beautiful mill and you will be blown away!
Source from: www.amsterdam.info/windmills/
I have a lot to say about public transportation. It's multidimensional and I'm still building up to it. This is image 83 of this series, set in the Jerusalem Central Bus Station. The series has only just started to reveal itself.
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#visionary #illustration #2danimation #digitalpainting #conceptart #characterdesign #visualdevelopment #conceptdesign #characterartist #photoshop #environmentdesign #story #storytelling #movie #gaming #industry #Photo #Photography #work #talk #3d #cg #blender #brechtcorbeel #psyberspace #psyberverse #Xrystal #Aescermonium #rapthraeXeum #Xomplex #Xaethreal #Xrapthreum
Today's story and sketch "by me" began before dawn, actually it was 4:30 am, I had just started a pot of Chock Full Of Nuts Coffee, opened a banana moon pie, switched the "MCPPOTG" Man Cave Posse Protectors Of The Galaxy console, switched off the auto answering machine recorder, put on the cerebral cortex helmet, and just as I was pouring my coffee, the Man Caves Multidimensional Stargate Portal alarm was signaling someone was about to enter. At that moment of excitement, thinking it could be JB and Rescue Randy returning, after being gone almost three weeks, with not a word where they had been. But sadly in my excitement I poured the hot coffee down the front of my Huggy Bear Man Cave Pajamas, luckily the thick luxurious fur soaked up the coffee before it reached my junk. Sadly the excitement was short lived, out of the stargate in a steamy fog was a Beaked Being I had met at Cosmos Surprise Birthday Bash at the "FTSATEOTG" Fish Taco Shop At The End Of The Galaxy last year. It was Cosmos cousin Bro, looking for Randy or JB or whoever was in charge of the Hiring and firing, Bro wanted a job helping to save the Galaxy from evil doers, and that he had his own dimension jumping Adirondack Lounge, I of course hired him on the spot being short handed because of the NAVO Virus infection overtaking navigation systems causing an epidemic of crashed spacecraft. An hour ago I gave Bro a quick overview of the Man Caves protocols and security precautions, and an official JB deputy badge, personal laser weapons, and you see him on his first mission at the crash site of a Kertangian Spacecraft registered to a very large Kertangian named Grunter, who does not seem to be anywhere in site, until next time taa ta the Rod Blog.
Intelligence is a multidimensional entity, a human characteristic too complicated to be accurately and sufficiently measured by any IQ test. IQ tests merely photograph one's cognitive level / mental performance, rather than fully analyze and describe it, mainly since IQ itself is not all there is to intelligence. Creativity, for instance, which is highly correlated to imagination (the core of intelligence), is not IQ dependent. So it's really very hard to say, particularly since the IQ estimation of most of the greatest geniuses of all time is based almost entirely on their work, since they're not alive. Thus, the results' credibility cannot be verified with intelligence tests. Despite that, several psychometricians consider William James Sidis to be the most intelligent human who ever lived. Moreover, some believe his peak cognitive level to be representative of the highest possible level a human being can reach (his deviation IQ is estimated at about 250-280, sd 16). Others characterize Emanuel Swedenborg as the most intellectually charismatic person ever (during his lifetime, his mental abilities where considered nearly divine). Some other universal geniuses exceeding the level of a deviation IQ of 200, sd 16 are Leonardo Da Vinci, Socrates, Plato, Nikola Tesla, Hypatia, Stephen Hawking and more. Others, with an estimated deviation IQ above 180, sd 16 - the critical level of 5 sigma above the mean - are Friedrich Nietzsche, Gottfried W. Leibniz, Salvador Dali, Baruch Spinoza, Marie Curie, Johann W. Goethe, Pythagoras, Srinivasa Ramanujan, John Stuart Mill, Michelangelo Buonarroti, William Shakespeare, Robert J. Fischer and many more. Just consider that according to the current statistics & norms, the top 0.00003% of the unselected population corresponds to a deviation IQ of 180, sd 16 which is statistically equivalent to approximately 1800 individuals in our current population of (roughly) 6.4 billion people. Many scientific magazines & top scientists around the globe accept Dr. Edward Witten as the most intelligent human alive on earth. Witten works as a professor of physics at Princeton's Institute of Advanced Study and focuses on the laws that govern the Superstring Theory, currently the most realistic and widely accepted theory regarding the beginning and evolution of our universe. Grail Society (founded by Paul Cooijmans) has been created with a sole purpose of bringing out the most intelligent person who ever lived, that is, 1 in 100 billion people. This corresponds to 6.7 sigma above the average or a deviation IQ of 207, sd
Movie Park Studios 18/06/2022 13h46
One of the main reasons for our revisit to Movie Park Germany was the in 2021 opened multi-dimensional coaster. Two old T-Ford are parked in front of the studio hall.
Movie Park Studio Tour
Movie Park Studios or Movie Park Studio Tour in full is an indoor roller coaster in the German amusement park Movie Park Germany. It is Germany's first Multidimensional Coaster from the builder Intamin. The attraction opened on June 23, 2021.
The attraction is located in a 3800 m² building that used to house Ice Age Adventure and before that Looney Tunes Adventure.
The length of the track is 532 meters and the top speed is approximately 60 km/h. The ride has two launches, one of which is backwards. The track also has a 360° platform. Three trains can run on the track, each with two trolleys.
The ride of the attraction also contains many nods to the past. For example, decorations are reused from former attractions such as Cop Car Chase, Movie Magic Studios and Gremlins Invasion.
This rollercoaster is the first double-launched indoor rollercoaster and also the first indoor coaster with backward acceleration in Europe.
Visitors enter a studio and are told that director Steven Thrillberg (a reference to Steven Spielberg) is shooting three films. Soon the tour is taken over by a hysterical clapperboard who calls himself Sam. Afterwards, visitors pass through the drawing boards, construction drawings and scale models of the current attractions found in Movie Park. In the station, in Art Deco style, visitors board one of the carts that lead through the offices and past the archives, pass the first scene of a disaster film, after which they drive backwards to the second scene (a racing film) . Then there is a launch to the outer section of the ride and visitors ride under a leaking water tower back into the studio to the final scene, where King Kong is waiting for them. In total, the track passes through twelve scenes.
FACTS & FIGURES
Model: Multidimensional Coaster
Manufacturer: Intamin
Opened: 23/06/2021
Speed: 60 km/h
Length: 552 meters
Duration: 2m00
Trains: 3
Capacity: 900 riders/hour
Danger! The Lurkers Woz Ere!
Apparently a bunch of dirty handed miscreants! Waging war on the banality of modern life!
The Lurkers are a peripatetic, multidimensional art movement spawned from a love of travelling and bad behaviour. Their practice has developed over the last 4 years or so to encompass an aesthetic and ideology that transcends their crucial but restrictive graffiti roots. Their enthusiastically haphazard approach to improving their surroundings and a passion for subterranean exploration has refined over the years to become a sophisticated operation with planning becoming central to their subversive, gorilla style antics, peppered with social commentary.
More to be read HERE if you like!
Today's story and sketch "by me" you see Cosmo at the crash site of what I believe is the third known spacecraft, that has had it's navigation system infected by the NAVO Virus, a new and very dangerous Virus affecting the navigation systems of intergalactic spacecraft that are connected to the pilots consciousness directly to the "MSS", Multidimensional Spacenavigation System. The virus began slowly only affecting only one Spacecraft, it is a nasty virus that suddenly begins playing opera music over the crafts sound System, then sends the craft Flying into the Fifth Dimension. The NAVO Virus (Neurological Alien Voodoo Opera), Virus is being investigated by Rescue Randy and the "MCPPOTG" Man Cave Posse Protectors Of The Galaxies investigation team. Above you see Cosmo arriving at the crash site of a spacecraft believed to have been the third victim of the NAVO Virus. Regrettably I have to report JB and Rescue Randy while in Dimension Five investigating the second known case of the NAVO Virus last week, have gone missing, and are not responding to any communication on any of the intergalactic emergency channel's. Until next time taa ta the Rod Blog.
A Multidimensional Exponential Utility Indifference Pricing Model with Applications to Counterparty Risk. Henderson, Liang arxiv.org/abs/1111.3856 #q-fin
Umbrian Worlds - The Crater Of Xedhros by Daniel Arrhakis (2024)
Umbrian Worlds - White Dust Mist Portals
Another dimension from an outer planetary system invades our world with clouds of cold white dust, in a strange and mysterious mist, transforming it silently but inexorably.
Multidimensional orbs now cross the skies and the geomorphologies of the earth that little by little see gigantic and strange forms of life emerge.
Humanity almost became extinct and now its creations remain abandoned in a white blanket of intriguing mystery.
The strange white powder would transform life itself on earth into strange and gigantic forms that now populated the nightmares of humanity and went far beyond imagination...
“Avec son “Appel pour une nouvelle Renaissance”, cet adepte de l’art total qu’est Gao Xingjian, prône une nouvelle pensée pour changer le monde et réveiller les consciences, grâce à la culture. Écrivain, peintre, dramaturge, metteur en scène, poète, Gao Xingjian en appelle à un retour à une création artistique sans frontières, pluridisciplinaire, non utilitariste et non “marchandisée”, explorant les complexités de l’âme humaine, avec pour finalité une communion parfaite des cœurs et des esprits.” Chantal Colleu-Dumond
C’est le travail graphique de l’artiste français d’origine chinoise Gao Xingjian, Prix Nobel de littérature en 2000, qui est présenté dans le cadre de l’exposition de Chaumont-sur-Loire. À l’encre de Chine, il sonde une troisième voie entre figuration et abstraction : l’univers de ses rêves. Il cherche à faire entrer le temps et l’espace dans la peinture. “Le ton créé par l’encre qui s’écoule est riche et raffiné, il ouvre de grandes possibilités plastiques, capables de provoquer de véritables révélations. La peinture permet en outre d’effectuer un voyage intérieur ; tous les lieux que l’imagination est en mesure d’explorer peuvent être exprimés par la peinture, et cette expression est illimitée […] Si, dans une peinture, les relations spatiales ont été modifiées, le vide devient plein, le noir se transforme en quelque chose ou en rien, les espaces vides en lumière brillante. C’est là une vision très difficile à appréhender dans l’observation directe de la nature, mais dans une peinture en noir et blanc il est possible de construire un espace qui surprenne, que l’on ne pourrait voir qu’en rêve : ne s’agit-il pas en fait d’une image intérieure ?” Gao Xingjian, Pour une autre esthétique, 2001.
“La peinture de Gao Xingjian a ouvert sans conteste une nouvelle voie pour la peinture à l’encre de Chine, et de plus, elle a dépassé les difficultés rencontrées par les arts contemporains occidentaux, elle a ouvert une voie en montrant de nouvelles perspectives pour l’art de la peinture. Entre le figuratif et l’abstrait apparaissent aussi des images mentales inépuisables, ouvrant dans l’histoire de l’art une page nouvelle.“ Liu Zaifu
Entre l’héritage culturel de son pays natal et l’esthétique occidentale, sa pratique laisse affleurer une grande sensibilité. Ses paysages imaginaires font écho à ses recherches littéraires, notamment pour le théâtre et l’opéra. En juin 2018, il publie en Italie un essai intitulé Per un nuovo rinascimento.
“Il est non seulement un artiste et un homme de lettres multidimensionnel, comme il en existe peu, mais aussi un penseur. Sa pensée ne se limite pas à se débarrasser de toutes les contraintes idéologiques, mais elle reste en plus totalement indépendante et, contrairement à la démarche des philosophes, il ne cherche pas à faire entrer à tout prix la création et la réflexion dans un cadre de construction théorique. Du début à la fin, sa pensée reste vivante, ouverte, elle ne recherche jamais ce que l’on appelle “la vérité ultime”. Comme il le dit lui-même, il s’agit seulement d’approfondir sans cesse la connaissance du monde et de la nature humaine pour pouvoir remplacer l’ontologie philosophique et tous les jugements de valeur.” Liu Zaifu
"With his" Call for a New Renaissance ", this adept of the total art that is Gao Xingjian, advocates a new thought to change the world and awaken the conscience, through culture. Writer, painter, playwright, director, poet, Gao Xingjian calls for a return to an artistic creation without frontiers, multidisciplinary, non-utilitarian and not "merchandised", exploring the complexities of the human soul, with for finality a communion perfect hearts and minds. "Chantal Colleu-Dumond
This is the graphic work of the Chinese-born French artist Gao Xingjian, winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize for Literature, which is presented as part of the Chaumont-sur-Loire exhibition. In India ink, he probes a third way between figuration and abstraction: the universe of his dreams. He seeks to bring time and space into painting. "The tone created by the ink that flows is rich and refined, it opens great plastic possibilities, capable of provoking real revelations. The painting also makes it possible to make an interior journey; all the places that the imagination is able to explore can be expressed by painting, and this expression is unlimited [...] If, in a painting, the spatial relations have been modified, the void becomes full, the black is transformed in something or nothing, empty spaces in brilliant light. This is a very difficult vision to grasp in the direct observation of nature, but in a black and white painting it is possible to construct a space that surprises, that one could only see in a dream: Is not it actually an inner image? "Gao Xingjian, For Another Aesthetics, 2001.
"Gao Xingjian's painting has unquestionably opened a new path for Chinese ink painting, and moreover, she has overcome the difficulties of contemporary Western art, she has opened a path by showing new perspectives for the art of painting. Between the figurative and the abstract also appear inexhaustible mental images, opening in the history of art a new page. "Liu Zaifu
Between the cultural heritage of his native country and the Western aesthetic, his practice reveals a great sensitivity. His imaginary landscapes echo his literary research, especially for theater and opera. In June 2018, he published in Italy an essay entitled Per un nuovo rinascimento.
"He is not only an artist and a multidimensional man of letters, as there are few, but also a thinker. His thinking is not limited to getting rid of all the ideological constraints, but it is moreover completely independent and, contrary to the philosophy of the philosophers, it does not seek to make the creation and reflection at any price within a framework of theoretical construction. From beginning to end, her thought remains alive, open, she never seeks what is called "the ultimate truth". As he himself says, it is only a matter of constantly deepening our knowledge of the world and of human nature in order to replace philosophical ontology and all value judgments. "Liu Zaifu
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Europe, Belgium, Antwerp, Het Eilandje, Rijnkaai, Red Star Line museum, Stair well, Visitors (uncut)
The Red Star Line museum opened some 6 weeks ago and tells the story about the Antwerp Red Star Line that from 1873 to 1934 took some 2 million landverhuizers (emigrants) across the ocean to the USA and Canada to start a new life. It isnât primary a story about the ships but about the people that boarded them, their dreams and the long rite of passage they underwent to fulfil them.
This rite started at the controlegebouw (control / testing building) of the Red Star Line where they were medically tested. And their belongings sanitized and decontaminated, for this enormous cylindrical autoclaves were used. The facility was constructed in 1922, the time when the USA was restricting immigration and still was scared of the spread of diseases. The testing and sanitation process was rigorous and dignity stripping. And it left the people and their luggage smelling of vinegar-acid and benzene, the typical "emigrants' smell". The procedure as a whole was in accordance with American rules and was overseen by American inspectors. The incentive for the Red Star Line company to comply was having to pay for the transport of the people back to Antwerp that were denied access in Ellis Island, the place where emigrants landed in America.
At the museum not only the processing of people and their belongings is documented but also the situation in Europe that made them flee our (then) troubled continent, their travel to Antwerp, the time they had to stay in Antwerp before being able to board a ship, their ocean passage and their new life in the promised land.
There's a lot of audio-visual documentation and self narration (recorded interviews) is an important element. And one can even experience the "emigrants' smell" the by 'means two smelling tubes.
History is a living thing. So before leaving the exhibition area, one can add stories about emigration, the ones heard of and the ones (indirectly) experienced.
The museum is a definite must see and must experience. The structure of the exhibition and the architecture of the building are beautiful . But the main quality is that it gives one a thought provokingly multidimensional insight in the process of mass emigration. And the gap between the "what once was" and the "what is now", is easily bridged.
The renovation of the buildings, the design of the tower and the exhibition were handled by Beyer Blinder Belle Architect and Planners. The same firm that handled the renovation of aforementioned Ellis Island.
-----------------------------------------
Shot in the renovated stairwell of the museum. The expectations from the visitors sometimes seemed to match those of the emigrants
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#visionary #illustration #2danimation #digitalpainting #conceptart #characterdesign #visualdevelopment #conceptdesign #characterartist #photoshop #environmentdesign #story #storytelling #movie #gaming #industry #Photo #Photography #work #talk #3d #cg #blender #brechtcorbeel #psyberspace #psyberverse #Xrystal #Aescermonium #rapthraeXeum #Xomplex #Xaethreal #Xrapthreum
Location: Advent City.
Date: December 31st 2019.
“Jones?.. JONES!!!”
I jolted awake to find Fluxx staring me in the face while odd sounding electronic music filled my ears
Oh right. New years eve party… Joy…
“What time is it?” I asked groggily.
“Eleven fifty. Ten minutes til new years!” He replied excitedly.
“Right. Roaring twenties here we come…” I said trying to sound enthused.
I decided to get up off the couch and mingle a bit in order to stay awake since courtesy of the previous night’s activity it was proving to be a difficult task.
The IDPD had been on high alert lately due to continued abductions and had to bring in members of the criminal rehabilitation program to assist with the field research. Chief had finally managed to pry some info out of Huxley and learned that Gravestein had reached out to several multidimensional outlaws and fortune hunters. Providing “power enhancement” in exchange for gathering “test subjects” from various dimensions. Chief assumed the criminal community was simply unaware of Gravestein’s defeat and set up an “update” to where any crooks were to meet the Doctor. Stationing a few undercover officers at the location.
But I had a feeling something else was going on. It wasn’t just monsters and metabeings disappearing. Average humans were vanishing as well.
The most recent being my old “frenemy” as Fluxx called it, Maria Morfran who had gone missing while on holiday in London.
It all seemed very odd and I was about to go mad from the sleepless nights of research and tracking.
Which leads to why I’m at this party to begin with. To try and unwind.
“Bonsoir Count!” Said one of my teammates as he approached me. I recognized them to be one of the fellows I met on Halloween.
“Ah, le Professeur. Comment allez-vous ce soir?” I replied matching his French. And for those of you who aren’t fond of linguistics I essentially said ‘how are you this evening.’
“Fair. Which is likely better than you given your appearance. Stressful assignment from the Interdimensional task force?”
“You have no idea…” I said with a yawn. “Say, did you get those journals I sent you?”
“Indeed. They were most informative. And you’ll be happy to hear that I completed my study and destroyed the last vial of Dracula’s blood over the weekend. Quite a tedious process.”
“Good riddance!” I exclaimed with a sigh of relief. “You’d be amazed at how many times that blasted strigoi has been resurrected thanks to that blood…”
Just then we were interrupted by one of our armoured cooperatives whom I believe goes by the name Rongzero.
“Come on you guys, it’s almost midnight!” He exclaimed pushing us over to where everyone else was.
“Twenty, nineteen, eighteen…” they started counting. And as they did I started feeling strange.
“Seventeen, sixteen, fifteen, fourteen…”
A thumping sound started pounding in the back of my head. Wait, was that, my heartbeat? I haven’t heard that since-
“Thirteen, twelve, eleven…”
I quickly leaned up against the wall as I started feeling dizzy and my vision became blurred. The light of the room seeming to get brighter and brighter.
“TEN! NINE! EIGHT! SEVEN!”
The thumping became more rapid now and my ears started ringing.
“SIX! FIVE! FOUR!”
All the pain culminated into what felt like two daggers being shoved into my wrist.
“THREE… TWO… ONE…”
the pain was finally too much and as everyone shouted ‘HAPPY NEW YEAR’ I fainted.
When I opened my eyes I found myself back in my lair lying on my bed. All the pain having ceased entirely as though it were simply a nightmare.
“Somebody must’ve spiked the punch…” I muttered as i climbed out of bed and shifted to the living room. Bypassing the stairs. There I found Fluxx passed out floating slightly above the couch.
He looked as though he had been there a while.
“You alright mate?”
Fluxx jumped at my words. groggily opening his eyes and standing up.
“I should be asking you that… You’ve been out for a few hours now…” He stated while groggily rubbing his eyes.
“Well no need to worry mate. I feel fine now.” I said cheerfully. “In fact I feel absolutely splendid! I must’ve been farther behind on sleep than I thought.”
“Good, I’ll give the others a text that-“
Fluxx stopped mid sentence as he slipped on his glasses and stared at me in surprise.
“Jones? Are you partially shifted or something?”
“No, not at the moment. Why?”
“Well your face is sorta pale and uh…”
Flux trailed off as he motioned behind me to the mirror above the mantle of the fireplace.
I turned around to see… Nothing. Well, I saw Fluxx and everything in the room but not myself.
“As if you didn’t already look like a vampire…” Fluxx said with a nervous laugh trying to lighten the mood.
“I am afraid this is no laughing matter Fluxx…” I said turning around and walking into the next room. Motioning for Fluxx to follow.
we entered my study and I reached under the edge of my desk. I flipped the small brass toggle switch and with a loud hiss and clicking of clockwork the door to the room we just came from appeared to slide along the wall, around the corner and onto the other wall, revealing a library with a series of bookshelves that curved around the ceiling in a way that looked to defy gravity.
While my companion gazed in awe of the architecture I walked over to the first shelf and pulled out an old bestiary, then back into the study and sat down at the desk. (Flipping the switch again to return the door to it’s original location.)
“Let’s see… Sphinxes, Spiriduși, Spriggans, Squonks…” I muttered reading off the index.
“What in the world is a squonk?” Fluxx interjected. looking over my shoulder at the text he likely couldn’t read.
“Oh, a rather sad little critter with a monstrous and wrinkly appearance.” I answered as I flipped over to the V section when I didn’t see strigoi listed under S. Legend says they can cry themselves into a puddle of tears to evade capture. Now then… Valkyrie, Valravns… Ah, here we are. Vampires. Page 1487…”
I turned to the page number only to find it was missing from the book. and in it’s place was a note. Written in elegant cursive on parchment that looked older than any man alive.
“That wretched knave…” I cursed as I deciphered the text which was written in Romanian. it essentially said “Your books won’t help you my child. Your fate is sealed.” – Contele Dracula.
“Fluxx, where does the Professor live?" I asked setting the book down.
Fluxx shook his head. “No idea. He may still be at his Lab though. Why do you ask?”
“It appears something has gone awry… Dracula still lives…”
“Wait, Dracula? You mean he’s real?!”
I nodded with a look of surprise upon my face. “Didn’t you hear about the professor’s run in with him back in October? With the Knights of the Hallow and all?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t really believe it was actually Dracula.”
“Yes, his followers managed to help him return to this realm via vials of blodd from his original form… However I fear the Professor has mucked up something while he was destroying the last vial of blood. Or perhaps it triggered some sort of time released virus that-“
I shook my head and ran my hand through my hair to get my focus back on the task at hand.
“Let Sharp know I won’t be able to attend the training session today… I have things to attend to…” I said taking off my coat and swapping it out for a black and brown hooded robe.
I flipped up the hood and turned to face my companion who was looking at me quite worried. A mutual feeling honestly…
“I’ll keep you posted on what the Proffesor and I figure out. Until then you and the others keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary savvy?”
Fluxx nodded.
“Will do Jones. Good luck…”
with that I shifted to the streets of advent city. Just a short walk from the HQ. oddly it was still dark out so I didn’t have to worry about the infection causing me to burn in sunlight.
just to be safe though, I stuck to the alleyways. So I didn’t spook anyone trying to get home after a long night of partying.
I soon rounded a corner and came to the back door of the Professor’s laboratory. Thankfully there was a light shining through the window which meant he was still there. So, I knocked on the door.
“It’s open Count.”
How did he- right, smartest man in the world…
I reached for the doorknob only for a burning feeling to shoot up my arm when I touched it.
Drat strigoi can only enter when invited inside… The Prof hadn’t directly asked me in.
So, I simply knocked again.
this time the Prof came and answered himself.
“Hmm. Vampire virus?” He asked upon seeing my appearance.
I nodded.
“Well, Come inside and you can help get to the bottom of this…” He said motioning for me to enter. “I have a feeling we’re all in for a very long night…”
to be continued...
This would be a fun big print.
Mike
Father and son collaboration
Our photographic art is a kinetic motion study, from the results of interacting with my son A.J and his toys.
He was born severely handicapped much like a quadriplegic. On December 17,1998. Our family’s goal has always been to help A.J. use his mind, even though he has minimal use of his body.
A.J. likes to watch lights and movement. One of the few things he can do for himself is to operate a switch that sets in motion lights and various shiny, colorful streamers and toys that swirl above his bed.
One day I took a picture of A.J. with his toys flying out from the big mobile near his bed like swings on a carnival ride. I liked the way the swirling objects and colors looked in the photo.
I wanted to study the motion more and photograph the whirling objects in an artful way, I wanted my son A.J. to be a part of it. After all, he’s the one who inspires me. When A.J. and I work together on our motion artwork, A.J. starts his streamers and objects twirling, I take the photographs.
Activating a tiny switch might not seem like much to some, but it’s all A.J. can do. He controls the direction the mobile will spin, as well as when it starts and stops. The shutter speeds are long, and sometimes, I move the camera and other times I hold it still.
I begin our creation with a Nikon digital camera. Then I use my computer with Photoshop to alter the images into what I feel might be an artistic way. Working with Photoshop, I find the best parts from several images and combine them into the final composite photograph. I consider the finished work to be fine art. The computer is just the vehicle that helps my expressions grow.
I take the photographs and A.J. adds the magic. It’s something this father and son do together. After I’ve taken a few shots, I show him the photos in the back of the camera. When the images are completed, I show him from a laptop. He just looks. He can’t tell me whether or not he likes the images, but he’s always ready to work with me again.
It offers me my only glance into A.J.’s secret world. We’ve built a large collection of images and I hope the motion and color move you as much as they do me.
A.J. inspires me to work harder to understand my life in the areas of art, photography, people, spirituality, and so much more. He truly sets my mind in motion and helps me find the beauty in everyday things.
AJ Patnode - A Journey of Hope (documentary):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR7m8QFcmRM
This shows how I do the Camera work:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmjVVGraUVw
AJ'S blog:
Abstract set:
www.flickr.com/photos/patnode-rainbowman/sets/72157602269...
This was my first night out with 'Blue' (my Holga/toy camera). Zeb took us to Government Camp at Mt. Hood for our 1st snowy night excursion. This is a really light weight plastic medium-format film camera so it's very easy to carry about. It's also very easy to drop in the snow when your fingers are frozen!
It was truly a winter wonderland that evening at Government Camp. Everything was beautiful. I actually became overwhelmed and frustrated to be honest because everything was so pretty. I could not decide what to make pictures of. At one point I just stopped making pictures. Everything seemed so hard all of a sudden. Just making 1 photo seemed like such an effort. I had to take a time out, readjust. Besides that my fingers were so frozen that they hurt and I kept forgetting to advance my film, which means I was double and triple exposing my film! Yes, yes I know... everyone does this their first roll of Holga... but it didn't make me any happier! I can definitely look back now from a distance and laugh a little at my roller coaster. But really, all things considered, that night was truly wonderful and a sweet memory! After getting out of my ditch I continued to make pictures and I continued to multiple expose my roll of film, lol...
I learned many things that night with an incredible 'teacher' called experience and a most wonderful companion named Zeb... "Sometimes you just need to put your camera away and enjoy the beauty..." It also takes practice to make beautiful photos in extreme types of weather and it can be painful... but "the images last so much longer than the pain"! Oh and 'mistakes' can be wonderful works of art.
So Tina, I will take your challenge and post some wintry photos over the next 6 days. I may share a few more multidimensional photos from my experience that evening with Blue and Zeb.
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MARY HALVORSON AMARYLLIS SEXTET
Gitarist en componist Mary Halvorson werd in de Downbeat geroemd als Star Jazz Artist en Rising Star Composer of the Year. In het laatste decennium werkte ze met muzikanten als Trevor Dunn, Bill Frisell, Ingrid Laubrock, Marc Ribot en John Zorn. Halvorson bracht een aantal bejubelde albums uit in wisselende bezettingen, maakte ook de soloplaat Meltframe en in 2018 met Code Girl haar eerste album met vocalen. Amerikaanse critici noemen haar “New Yorks minst voorspelbare improvisator” en “een van de meest formidabele bandleiders van het moment.”
Vanuit Brooklyn bouwt ze sinds 2002 aan een stevige reputatie als vooruitstrevend gitarist en zelfs als dé vernieuwer van de jazzgitaar. Mary houdt zich niet aan genre-grenzen, speelt in meerdere ensembles, maakt kamerjazz met een violiste, maar is ook lid van een progressieve rockband. Ze gaat clichés uit de weg en creëert haar eigen stijl, waarbij ze de klank van haar semi-akoestische gitaar subtiel vervormt met elektronische effecten. Ze speelt heldere, inventieve melodielijnen. Door bewust af te wijken van clichés creëert ze haar eigen stijl, beïnvloed door de avontuurlijke improvisaties van leermeester Anthony Braxton en de eigenzinnige rock van Robert Wyatt en Jimi Hendrix.
Recent bracht Nonesuch twee nieuwe albums tegelijk uit: Belladonna, waarop de gitarist samenwerkt met een strijkkwartet, en Amaryllis, waarvoor ze een sextet samenstelde. Beide albums werden geproduceerd door John Dieterich, gitarist van de avant-rockband Deerhoof. In het Amaryllis Sextet speelt o.a. de fantastische trompettist Adam O’Farrill. De suite toont Halvorsons vele muzikale invloeden: jazz, experimentele muziek, nieuwe muziek en meer. Het multidimensionale sextet filtert haar compositorische verkenningen van melodie, harmonie en contrapunt door de lens van zes meester-improvisatoren, zo gearrangeerd dat de muziek zich elke keer anders ontvouwt.
Bezetting:
Adam O’Farrill – trompet
Jacob Garchik – trombone
Mary Halvorson – gitaar
Nick Dunston – contrabas
Tomas Fujiwara – drums
Patricia Brennan – vibrafoon
Send me a message on Facebook or LinkedIn if you want me to do some design work for you!
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#visionary #illustration #2danimation #digitalpainting #conceptart #characterdesign #visualdevelopment #conceptdesign #characterartist #photoshop #environmentdesign #story #storytelling #movie #gaming #industry #Photo #Photography #work #talk #3d #cg #blender #brechtcorbeel #psyberspace #psyberverse #Xrystal #Aescermonium #rapthraeXeum #Xomplex #Xaethreal #Xrapthreum
“Suppose this is it…” I said as I looked at the address written on the small slip of paper Fluxx had given me ages ago. I then gazed upward at what looked to be a decently sized facility with “Flickr Fighters” printed on a sign above the entrance.
“Must be a typo…”
Shaking off the peculiar wordage I marched inside to find surprisingly few of my colleagues. Hardly any of which I recognized.
This could prove difficult…
“You alright there Count?” A slightly modulated voice spoke behind me.
I quickly whipped around to find a figure clad in silver and purple power armor with a cape similar to my own. I recognized them from the Halloween incident but like most instances, I could not remember their name.
“Ah, Hello there. By chance do you have any idea where we keep the archives?”
“Try the office next to the meeting room.”
“Which is where exactly?”
“Just follow me…” the figure said with a sigh as he marched through the lobby and down the hall.
We reached the office and they walked over to the filing cabinet and attempted to open it only to discover it was locked.
“Allow me.” I said calmly as I pulled out a couple of bobby pins from my pocket. And began picking the lock.
“Why don’t you just carry lock picks?” They asked likely wondering why a gentleman had hairpins on his person.
“Lock picks always raise suspicion… Not to mention I never could get the hang of them…”
With that, a satisfying “click” sounded as I positioned the last pin and opened the drawer.
“Let’s see… ah, here we are.”
I pulled out a large folder filled with sheets of paper containing a photo of each member along with their name, powers, and a summary of their background.
“What is it you’re looking for anyway?”
“I’m looking for heroes with portal generation abilities…” I answered as I flipped through the papers.
“You mean like this?”
With a flick of the wrist, the hero summoned a small purple rift in space-time about the size of a pie pan.
Then something clicked in my cluttered mind and I remembered that the hero in front of me went by the name Rift Runner.
“Well. I feel like an idio-“
Suddenly a fellow in a black tactical suit wearing a bandana over his mouth entered the office.
“What’s going on here?!” Agent Sharp exclaimed.
“Oh bother, time to go!” I said quickly grabbing Rift runner’s shoulder and shifting to a random dimension.
“Youch! Watch it man, that hasn’t fully healed- What the?! Where the heck are we?!” Rift shouted as he looked around clearly startled by our sudden change in location.
I looked around and saw we stood in a room with yellow wallpaper covered in mildew stains, slightly damp foul-smelling carpet and Fluorescent lights that buzzed loudly overhead.
“It appears we have ended up in the realm known only as the backrooms.” I replied as I pocketed the folder.
“Backrooms? Sounds like one of those crazy stories you find online…”
“Well my friend, the multiverse is often a very odd thing. Sometimes one realm’s crazy story is another’s reality… Now, if we just stay put we should return to the realm we came from shortly.”
“Can’t you just shift us back?”
“One does not enter or exit this realm on purpose. Only by accident. If I were to shift now we’d end up in one of the more treacherous levels of this office building of the damned…”
Suddenly a loud howl echoed through the halls causing Fluffenstein to leap out of my pocket and dash off down the hall.
“Oh bugger! Come on! And try to keep up, this place will drive you mad if we get separated!” exclaimed as I pulled out my cutlass and a bottle of almond water before we ran through the endless halls after the cat.
As we searched I explained the Apophis Ra situation to Rift in order to try and maintain our sanity.
“So what does this guy have to do with me?” Rift asked.
“Well, I honestly have no idea what Apophis is capable of. Thus I devised a backup plan utilizing portals just in case- There!”
I pointed as a white blur dashed towards us and clung to the leg of my trousers.
“Easy there mate. You’re safe now.” I said consoling the frightened feline as I picked him up and gently placed him in my coat. Buttoning it to ensure he stayed put.
“I wouldn’t be so sure Count…” Rift said pointing to a pair of shadowy creatures in the distance slowly approaching us.
“Hounds…” I whispered as I passed Rift the bottle of almond water. “Here, start backing up slowly and If they turn hostile douse them with this.”
Rift nodded and we began to walk backwards. The creatures slowly picking up speed and their appearance becoming clearer as they got closer. Revealing not the canine shape they had at a distance but that of distorted and tangled humanoids walking on all fours with unnatural movements. With a loud snarl, the creatures began rapidly scuttling towards us. I quickly raised my sword and prepared to strike the beast in front as it lunged towards me when suddenly a pair of purple vortexes opened in front of the first creature and above the other as the first tumbled in and sank its claws into the other’s back causing a fight to break out between them. I turned to my companion to see he had his hand raised and was breathing heavy as though he had just had quite a workout.
“Quick Mate, the water!” I exclaimed.
Rift tossed me the bottle and I ripped off the cap frantically before splashing the liquid onto the beasts causing them to scream in pain as it burned their shadowy hide.
I then began shouting and swinging my sword as I walked towards them and the creatures scrambled back down the hall they came from.
“Haha! That’s it ya yella bellied beasties! Run back to the void where ya belong!” I shouted as I pocketed my weapon and turned back to my companion.
“Exceptional work my friend!” I said as I went to pat Rift on the shoulder but caught myself before I made the mistake.
“What even were those things?!”
“Most refer to them as the Hounds of Tindalos after one of Lovecraft’s abominations.” I explained. “Now then, what say we find a way out of this wretched place before Cuthulhu shows up…”
“Should I take that last statement a joke or an actual concern?”
“Best to take it as both mate…” I replied with a laugh. “Best to take it as both.”
After a bit more walking we turned a corner to find the hallway opened into a desert landscape filled with mesquite bushes and cacti.
“Ah, an exit!” I stated as we walked into the “room” only for the hallway to vanish once we turned around.
“Now. Let’s find out where we are…” I said as I began pulling out my navigational equipment. Compass, spyglass, sextant and the like.
“Hold on Capt Sparrow.” Rift said likely referencing something. “Let me handle this.”
Rift then pulled out a smartphone and opened up some sort of map on it.
“Looks like we’re just outside Laredo. Just a quick jump and we’ll be back in Advent City.”
Rift opened a portal under our feet and we disappeared through it and landed in the lounge room of the Flickr Fighters Headquarters. Rift landing on a chair while I crashed backwards into the coffee table.
“Sorry about that Count. I’m used to traveling alone.”
“That’s understandable. Most Vampire hunters choose to be lone wolves…” I said as I picked myself up and let the cat out of my coat before I sat down on the couch.
“Vampire hunter? What are you talking about?”
“Your cape, it’s a trophy from a vampire hunt correct?” I asked. “Got mine after a fight with Dracula last centur- er, a few years ago.”
Rift shook his head.
“I Just thought the cape looked cool and the guys back at HQ whipped this one up for me.” Rift explained. “It helps with gliding and deflects heat and ice rays.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at Rift’s description.
“Fancy. But I’ll stick with being able to say I pulled mine out of the dust pile that was once a legendary strigoi.”
Just then our discussion was interrupted by the lights flickering out and then on again to reveal the sudden and dramatic arrival of agent sharp.
“The folder. Hand it over.” He said sternly.
I sighed as I pulled out the file and tossed it onto the coffee table. (Which was now cracked down the center and was being held up by only three legs.)
“Anything else officer?” I asked mocking Sharp’s serious tone.
“Yes. You’ve yet to show up at any of the group training sessions or any of the meetings…”
“In my defense, I wasn’t aware either of those were things.”
“I figured as much.” Sharp said shifting to a somewhat softer tone as he picked up the file. “According to Fluxx you only knew about Gravestein last Thursday because he happened to say something to you.”
“Hey, I was at the warehouse wasn’t I? What’s the big deal?”
“The point I’m getting at is the Flickr fighters rely upon communication between heroes. And we can’t function properly if one of them doesn’t even have a phone.”
“I’ll have you know I have two excellent telephones.” I said pulling one out of my pocket. “Why this one even has one of those newfangled rotary dial setups.”
“Man, I didn’t know they still made these…” Rift said as he picked up one of my phones and fiddled with the dial. “And how exactly are we supposed to send you messages on these?”
“Well, I figured we could set up a party line. Telephones still have that right?”
“No Count, they do not.” Sharp said with a sigh. “Look, you have access to a multiverse full of tech. Just find a smartphone you like and then get someone more technologically inclined to connect it to HQ’s network for you.”
“Not to mention you’ll have access to the group files and don’t have to raid the office.” Rift said passing the phone back to me.
As I stuck the phone into my pocket I noticed a sneaky look in Sharp’s eyes as a smirk came across his face.
“Which reminds me, which of you left a hairpin jammed into the lock on the cabinet?”
“He did it.” Rift said quickly slipping through a portal before I had a chance to pull him down with me.
“Well. I believe some extra time in the training room will be suitable consequences. I’ll see you at 0500 tomorrow morning for your first session.”
Sharp then exited the room and once he was a good distance away Rift appeared through a portal and landed back in his seat.
“Sorry man, I survived one training session with him, I don’t know if I’d last through another.”
“Quite alright ol’ chap. But you better not let me down tonight.”
“No prob. I’ll meet you at the museum ’round eleven. This should be interesting…”
That evening…
I walked around the museum half shifted to avoid detection. Looking at the exhibits to pass the time as I waited for either Rift or Apophis to arrive.
I couldn’t help but notice the differences in this dimension’s history I wasn’t aware of. The Sphinx not having a nose, three pyramids at Giza instead of four. But oddest exhibit of all was in the American history exhibit. A playbill from the Ford theatre’s production of “Our American Cousin.” Perhaps this realm’s version of the event went differently than I had learned. If Lincoln hadn’t bent down to retrieve his wife’s handkerchief Booth’s scheme could have easily succeeded.
“Excuse me, sir.” The night guard said rounding the corner and walking towards me. “I’m gonna have to ask you to le- GAH!”
The guard screamed and frantically drew his weapon as he saw the beam of his flashlight hit the wall behind me.
“Ah, Sorry my good fellow.” I said shifting back to where I was no longer translucent and held up my ITF badge. I’m an agent from the Interdimensional Task Force. I’m here to investigate a potential robbery.”
“Interdimensonal? Look, kid, I have no idea what the heck you are or what you’re doin’ here and I honestly don’t care. Now come along-“
Suddenly a portal opened under the guard and he disappeared through it.
“Gotten in trouble with the cops already?.” Rift said as he walked up behind me.
“So it would seem… The ITF must not be very well known in this realm.”
I then noticed rift was holding a cloth knapsack and something in it was moving.
“um, what’s in the bag?”
“your cat.” Rift said shoving the bag in my face. “you left them at HQ. Thought you might need them for whatever plan you have.”
I hadn’t thought of that… If Apophis’ is fascinated with the Egyptian religion then Fluffenstein could be a valuable weapon.
Genius idea mate! Just like The Battle of Pelusium!”
“The what?”
“During the first Persian conquest of Egypt, Cambyses II’s troops painted cat faces on their shields and placed dogs, sheep, cats, ibises and whatever other animals the Egyptians held sacred onto the front lines. Thus, the Egyptians surrendered at once instead of facing the ‘cat army.'”
“Huh, neat… But last time I checked two guys and a cat aren’t an army…”
“What we need is not an army, but a lookout.” I answered. “Follow me into the Egyptian exhibit.
We walked down the hall a ways until we came to a room filled with ancient Egyptian artifacts. Or rather, what the people of this dimension assume to be Egyptian.
“See that camera up there?” I said gesturing to the security device above us in the corner of the room.
“Lemme guess. you want me to head up to the security room and keep an eye on the cameras while you wait here for Apophis”
“You catch on quickly my friend.” I said with a grin. “When he gets here focus on the Egyptian exhibit’s camera and whenever you see me tip my hat open a rift under Apophis into that sarcophagus over there.”
“You got it Count.”
Rift gave me a quick salute before opening a rift behind him and disappearing through it.
“Well Fluffenstein.” I said pulling the kitten from the bag. “I hope that Antiquitus has the same superstitions as Third Dynasty Egypt.”
Around thirty minutes had passed and I had shifted in an armchair from my lair and was beginning to doze off in it whilst stroking Fluffenstein. Something about petting a small furry creature always puts one’s mind at ease.
Suddenly the lights in the room turned on and then began flickering rhythmically as an electronic noise began echoing around me.
I quickly stood up and shifted the chair away to my lair and tucked Fluffenstein behind my back under my cape.
Wait a minute, that noise, is that, music?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-Cbb0AyhBU
Suddenly a cloud of blue smoke appeared and Apophis Ra stepped through it holding an ankh staff in one hand and a strange obsidian tablet in the other.
“Friends, Romans, countrymen…” The Cultist said in a semi-robotic voice. “Apophis Ra here coming at you live with a crossover I have been waiting dynasties to make! Here he is, the menace of the multiverse, Bane of Anubis, Count Dimensio!”
“Bane of Anubis? That’s a new one…” I joked trying to mask my confusion as Apophis held the tablet up towards me.
“Oh yeah, my dude! That ol’ doggo is ticked with you. What with your tomb raiding and all. Right folks?”
“Who the devil are you talking to?!”
I exclaimed in frustration as I scanned the room. “What manner of multidimensional demons have you brought here?”
“Chill, I’m just vloggin dude, Gotta keep them followers posted on my conquest of the multiverse.”
“Well, I’m afraid your cult’s quest ends here…” I said drawing my sword.
“I wouldn’t be so sure…” Apophis replied as he set his device on top of a nearby crate and held up his staff with both hands. “BEHOLD THE POWER OF APOPHIS RA!”
As he tapped the end of his staff on the floor a loud hissing erupted from the walls and hundreds of vipers began pouring out of the cracks and formed a defensive ring around their master.
“Impressive eh? Go ahead my man, try and strike me!” Apophis taunted
“With pleasure…” I said tipping my hat.
On cue, a rift opened under Apophis and he fell into the sealed sarcophagus in the corner.
Before a larger rift opened and the vipers fell into it.
“Well, that was easy.” Rift said as he appeared beside me.
“Indeed, I didn’t even have to use the-“
Suddenly I was cut off by the sound of a laser blast and the lid of the sarcophagus shattering and flying across the room.
“HEY! Not cool dude!” Apophis shouted as he lept out of the casket. “You totally messed up the vibe I had going!”
“Never mind…” I said with a sigh as I dodged a blast from the arch of Apophis’ staff.
“Did he just say vibe? I thought you said he was a Cultist.” Rift asked as we ducked behind a display case whilst Apophis was firing his staff and swinging it around like a maniac whilst doing some kind of strange dance. “He looks more like one of those annoying internet celebrities…”
“I’m certain, he even has a magic tablet that he uses to keep his followers updated on the fight.”
“Tablet huh. Where?”
I pointed out the strange device to Rift and he opened a portal under it causing it to fall right into his hands.
“Uh, Count? this is just a smartphone.” Rift explained looking the device over. “albeit a rather strange looking one. I mean it looks like he’s live-streaming the fight on some kind of youtube style site but the text is all in caps and some kind of weird language.”
“All in capitals? Hand me that…”
I took the phone and sure enough, it was filming us right that moment and many different people were posting messages beside the video in what appeared to be Latin. Or at least a variant of it.
“Hmm, I believe you’re right… it does appear to be an internet-like system..”
“Hey, I have an idea.” RIft whispered. “If his internet is anything like ours I know something that just might give us an advantage.”
“Hey! You fellas comin’ out or am I gonna have to disappoint all my followers?” Apophis asked mockingly before smiling towards where his phone had been and noticing it wasn’t there.
“What the- WHO STOLE MY EYE-PHONE?”
“You mean this?” I taunted as I shifted through the display and walked into the center of the room. “Sorry ‘dude’ but I just had a talk with your followers they think this fight is missing something.”
“Oh yeah? And what do my loyal legion of fans what to see?”
“BEHOLD! THE SLAYER OF RODENTS, DESTROYER OF HOUSEPLANTS! FLUFFENSTEIN!!!” I exclaimed pulling the cat out and holding him in view of the phone’s camera.
“GAH! GET THAT BASTET SPAWN AWAY FROM ME!!” Apophis screamed as he stumbled backward.
“Well now, An Egyptian who’s afraid of cats? Now I’ve seen everything…” I said with a laugh.
“I’m n-not afraid of th-them I’m just Aler- aah, Aah, ACHOO!!”
Apophis then entered a sneezing fit and dropped his staff in the process. which rift quickly snatched up with a portal.
“Allergic?” Rift said with an obvious chuckle in his voice he was trying to hide.
“Yeah…” Apophis answered with a sniffle, reaching for his staff and fumbling around with watery eyes.
“Well, It appears we have the upper-hand here Apophis… Perhaps you better come along peacefully before we have to take you to a hospital…”
“Sure man, ACHOO! J-just get that thing away from me…”
a short while later we had Apophis in cuffs and we had just finished dropping off Fluffenstein at my lair with Jack.
“Right, So I assume you’ll take it from here?” Rift asked.
“I can, but I’d prefer if I had someone else with me. helps keep the cops from getting suspicious if I have a hero with me…”
“But I thought you work for some top-secret Men in black style organization?”
Men In Black? Good heavens no. It’s just the inter-dimensional police. Not the CIA. Now come on…”
I grabbed Rift and Apophis’ shoulders and shifted into the large front lobby of the police station.
marble pillars lining the walls, royal blue carpeting, and a large wooden desk in the center.
“Well look what we got here.” The red-haired woman at the desk stated. “Chief said you’d be comin’ in with a convict but I didn’t expect you to bring in two.”
“Uh, No Miss Lana. This is Rift Runner, He’s part of the hero team I joined.”
Lana raised an eyebrow suspiciously as she looked Rift over.
“If you say so sugar. leave Apophis with Charlie and then head on back to the chief’s office. I’ll let her know Y’all are here…”
“Thank you, ma’am. Come on Rift.”
I walked towards what must have seemed like a wall to Rift and apophis until we stepped through it and into the prisoner processing center.
“So this is where you guys lock up the crooks?” Rift asked.
“No, this is just where we throw the book at em, and that fellow over there is our head book thrower. How’s it going, Charlie?”
The tall gawky looking man jolted up in his seat and straightened his uniform only to sigh once he turned his desk chair around to find me.
“Oh, It’s just you. I thought it was somebody important.” Charlie said with a yawn. “Just stick the perp in cell seven while I work out the papers…”
“Cell seven? Well now, You’re a lucky man Apophis.” I joked. “You get to stay in my old room.”
Apophis merely rolled his eyes as rift shoved him down the hall and into the cell with a seven above it.
“Right, You have a good evening Charlie, I’ll fill out any paperwork later. Gotta go see chief.”
“HEY! you still haven’t turned those papers from-“
I quickly grabbed Rift and shifted to the Cheif’s office door before Charlie could finish.
“Sorry about that Rift, I can’t stand paperwork…”
“Tell me about it. you wouldn’t believe how many reports Sharp has us fill out when we capture a villain…”
“You’re preaching to the choir mate. Preaching to the choir…”I said with a grin as I knocked on the door.
“Enter…” The Chief replied from inside.
I opened the door to see Chief Cahill standing at the window behind her desk. gazing out at the futuristic skyline of Capitus Prime.
“Beautiful isn’t it?” Chief asked as she turned around and sat down at her desk and turned on the banker’s lamp that sat on it.
“I always prefered the look of Capitus Delta.” I replied.
“Of course you would. Have a seat Jones, You too Monteleone.”
“HOW DID YOU KNOW-“
“Your Name? Oh relax, I know more about you flickr fighters than Sharp! why else would I have sent Jones here to Advent city to serve his parole.”
“Well, just don’t tell anybody alright? I prefer to keep my secret identity.”
“Of course, My lips are sealed…” Chief replied with a locking motion over her lips. “Now then, tell me everything that happened…”