This first appeared in Full of Crow’s On the Wing section, in February 2011.

By Richard Godwin

There have been many debates about art and where it comes from and what rules govern it and at the end of the day maybe no one knows.

Friedrich Nietzsche posited the theory that it stems from a basic tension between the old Greek gods Apollo and Dionysus, Apollo representing law and Dionysus chaos.

In his first seminal work ‘The Birth of Tragedy’ he wrote:

‘…we have considered the Apollonian and its opposite, the Dionysian, as artistic energies which burst forth from nature herself …first in the world of dreams, whose completeness  is not dependent upon the intellectual attitude or the artistic culture of any single being; and then as intoxicated reality…’.

This idea of intoxicated reality runs like an undercurrent through all the theories of creativity.

Rimbaud used it for his poetry.

Keats wrote of imagination that it was Like Adam’s dream ‘he awoke and found it true’.

There is a central issue of control.

If you paint with watercolour you have to let go of control, or you will paint shit.

The colours run.

That is why Turner is probably the greatest water-colourist and a great oil painter, he knew his media. He also cleverly created many paintings of the sea, which is fluid.

It’s like tipping the monster out of the pot.

The ego stands in the way.

What are you evoking?

During the 1960’s and 1970’s in the US a number of works were performed which transgressed the traditional boundaries of Western genre in the arts.

Jim Morrison urged his fans to ‘ride the snake’. Morrison also spoke of his reading in ‘The Birth of Tragedy’ of the primal Dionysian art as the spirit of music.

Morrison moved his performances towards shamanistic theatre.

Interestingly Mircea Eliade, author of Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy writes of shamans:

‘they express on the one hand the diametrical opposition of two divine figures sprung from one and the same principle and destined, in many versions, to be reconciled at some illud tempus of eschatology, and on the other, the coincidentia oppositorum in the very nature of the divinity, which shows itself, by turns or even simultaneously, benevolent and terrible, creative and destructive, solar and serpentine.’

Morrison’s ‘The Lizard’ took nearly half an hour to perform in concert and is an act of descent.

We’re into the underworld and back to the same divide.

Aristotle based much of his philosophy around a basic opposition and Alfred Korzybski, the Polish semanticist argues in ‘Science and Sanity ’ that mental pathology within Western cultures stems from a basic confusion of signifier with signified, in other words thinking that a table is identified with the verbal label we attribute to it.

He used to thump the table in his lectures and say ‘this is not a table’.

He also saw the basic either/or basis for Western thinking as its primary flaw.

Hegel moved it on in ‘Phenomenology of Sprit’ where he sought a unity stemming from the synthesis resulting from the uniting of his thesis and antithesis, although this may be a variation on the Christian trinity.

Like John Cage, Morrison was drawn to the Lord of Misrule’s carnival.

David Bowie said ‘I know one day a big artist is going to get killed on stage.’

Alice Cooper enacted much of the Dionysian on stage, throwing live chickens into the audience, axing dolls to death.

The acid trip, under the influence of Timothy Leary became a religious experience, a sign for the Trips Festival read: ANYBODY WHO KNOWS HE IS A GOD GO UP ON STAGE.

There is a strong sexual element to this, as Euripides’s play ‘The Bacchae’ illustrates, Bacchus being the Roman version of the Greek God.

When Dionysus sheds Eros his energy turns negative.

He becomes the Devil, as Norman O. Brown shows in ‘Life Against Death’ as the form of excrement, waste and ‘filthy lucre’.

Then something happened at Altamont.

After Santana opened, a freaked out kid tried to get on stage. The Rolling Stones had hired Hell’s Angels as body guards, they dived into the crowd with five-foot pool cues.

While the Rolling Stones waited for darkness the Hell’s Angels taunted the crowd with contempt. Then they parodied the rituals of religious cults. In the words of Sol Stern, a former Ramparts magazine editor ‘ One of them, wearing a wolf’s head, took the microphone and played the flute for us – a screeching, terrible performance; no one dared to protest or shut off the microphone.’

Why?

Why didn’t they protest?

Because they were caught up in group psychology.

Why do leaders use it?

It’s good for business.

The Mediterranean wolf cuts and the flute music of Dionysus, the wild music of the joujouka – the vestigial music of the God which had entranced Brian Jones, Bryan Gysin, William Burroughs, Paul Bowles and Ornette Coleman – had come to this, a preparation for a star.

Into the darkness of Altamont, through the protective circle of the Angels on the blood-spattered stage, came the Stones, led by Mick Jagger in a black and orange cape and tall hat.

They played well but their music spoke out the interface between savagery and erotics, between the controls of art and the controls of magic, between Apollo and Dionysus. Jagger began ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ –  ‘They call me Lucifer and I’m in need of some restraint’. The earlier Angels’ attacks now climaxed. In the spotlights, when Jagger went on singing this number, they stabbed to death a black youth from Berkeley named Meredith Hunter. Panic-stricken Jagger tried to cool the screaming people, but the death ritual operated as part of his own performance.

The antithesis maybe at the root of art and sexuality.

Blood may flow from its veins.

Cultures create their own paradigms.

The scientists are the new priests if you believe in their religion.

Korzybski believed that hieroglyphic sign systems are healthier than ours because they use images.

Consider flint.

Strike it and there’s a spark.

We are as Shakespeare wrote in ‘The Tempest, ‘such stuff As dreams are made on; and out little life Is rounded with a sleep.’

“A Light In The Parlor”

Christopher Woods is the featured photographer in the newest issue of Full Of Crow Fiction, which is an online collection of short stories that appears quarterly at www.fullofcrow.com/fiction.

About The Artist:

Christopher Woods is a writer, teacher and photographer
who lives in Houston and Chappell Hill, Texas. His photo
essays have appeared in PUBLIC REPUBLIC, GLASGOW
REVIEW and NARRATIVE MAGAZINE. He shares a gallery
with his wife Linda at MOONBIRD HILL ARTS -
www.moonbirdhill.exposuremanager.com/

“The Windows”

“Directive”

“Tubas”

Below is a Scribd display of some of the work from this exhibition.

The First Asemic Exhibit in Russia – 2010

Some artists and writers describe their desire to work as compulsive, at times even pursued at great cost and sacrifice. Even in the face of tough odds regarding “success” and the long shot of earning a living, creative people are everywhere and the work continues.

I was inspired to ask these questions of people I know after reading an article in Greater Good entitled “Why We Make Art”. In it, editor Jason Marsh asks seven different artists to explain why they do it and here are some excerpts:

Gina Gibney:

I make art for a few reasons. In life, we experience so much fragmentation of thought and feeling. For me, creating art brings things back together.

Judy Dater:

I like expressing emotions—to have others feel what it is I’m feeling when I’m photographing people.

Harrell Fletcher:

First of all, what is art? The definition for art that I have come up with, which seems to work best for me, is that anything anyone calls art is art. This comes from my belief that there is nothing intrinsic about art. We cannot do a chemical analysis to determine if something is art or not. Instead, I feel like calling something “art” is really just a subjective way of indicating value—which could be aesthetic, cultural, monetary, and so on.

Kwame Dawes:

I write in what is probably a vain effort to somehow control the world in which I live, recreating it in a manner that satisfies my sense of what the world should look like and be like.

James Sturm:

I like the question “Why Do You Make Art?” because it assumes what I do is art. A flattering assumption. The question also takes me back to my freshman year of college, where such questions like “What is nature?” and “Is reality a wave or a circle?” were earnestly debated (usually late at night and after smoking too much weed).

Twenty-five years later I’d like to think I am a little more clear-headed regarding this question. Perhaps the only insight I’ve gained is the knowledge that I have no idea and, secondly, the reasons are unimportant. Depending on my mood, on any given day, I could attribute making art to a high-minded impulse to connect with others or to understand the world or a narcissistic coping mechanism or a desire to be famous or therapy or as my religious discipline or to provide a sense of control or a desire to surrender control, etc., etc., etc.

Whatever the reason, an inner compulsion exists and I continue to honor this internal imperative. If I didn’t, I would feel really horrible. I would be a broken man. So whether attempting to make art is noble or selfish, the fact remains that I will do it nevertheless. Anything past this statement is speculation. I would be afraid that by proclaiming why I make art would be generating my own propaganda.

I can see some of my own reasons in these quotes, things that I can relate to. I also agree that for many, the reasons change over the lifespan. Our circumstances also change, as does our cynicism and sense of limitation.

I’m going to ask this question of a few people myself, to see what turns up.

Chuck Gattuso interviewed by Lynn Alexander for Full Of Crow’s Arterialize

LA:       You seem to do it all, from constructing things to painting to collecting and sharing mail art from all over the world.
Is there something you would identify as your favorite form of expression, where you feel the most connection with your art?   If somebody unfamiliar asked you what you do, how would you respond?

GS:Funny thing, the first sentence of your question is also the answer, I pretty much do do it all. I am not as strong in some facets as I am in others, but I do enjoy it all across the board. It’s kind of hard for me to pin-point a particular art that I favor…I guess if I really had to I’d opt for drawing, that’s where it all blossomed from when I was a child…I guess drawing could be referred to as my first foundation. Then as time went on I learned this and that here and there, and then it all kind of flows as it does, erratic. When a fever hits I simply follow that lead and ride it and enjoy for however long, which is usually until another fever steals my interest, “Hey, wow, look at that!”. If you were to visit our home today this is why you’d see a handmade cello in one room, a pastel painting in progress on one of the easels, a kiln firing downstairs in the studio, and a little racing sailboat in progress in the garage. I’m always juggling a variety of creativity and creations. Having said this, I think that I would have to say that creation is my favorite form
of expression, so long as I am creating in one way or another, then yes, creation would be the umbrella answer.

LA: What do you think goes into your mail art calls, the themes? Do they reflect themes that you like to interpret?

CG: Well assuming you’re speaking of my postcard blogs, well, I don’t really put anything that I would call special into them, regarding thought-wise. I just come up with a theme idea kind of out of the blue: The “Rock Stars & Musicians” theme just kind of popped into my head when I was pondering ideas and the radio was going in the background like it always is. Then the idea kind of just popped into my mind, so I went with it, what the heck, I mainly wanted to simply start a call and get in on the game. Next, almost
simultaneously came my second art postcard blog, the non-themed variety. That was a no-brainer, whatnot I don’t sit around and create only rock star drawings, paintings, etc, rather I do a lot of things and a blog of open variety was the perfect home and reciprocation to that call. My latest call theme is for marijuana. That came to mind do to the somewhat recent and rapid escalation of medical marijuana in our state. Dispensaries and headshops are popping up like weeds…excuse the pun…so I figured what the heck, it’d be  a fun thing to toy around with and have the government deliver the fun abroad and around the world.

LA:  What was your favorite theme? What theme seemed to garner a lot of attention, or the most responses?

CG: My favorite theme. Um, I dunno, like I said I plain like creating. But if I factor in which of the three has had the most attention then I would have to go with the Rock Stars & Musicians call. It has by far had the most attention thus it kept me creating more works. Yeah, the music call has been the most enjoyable and funnest of the three thus far…I still get a laugh
when I think about my Mick Jagger creation, “Micky Mouth.”

LA: How do people build things in bottles?

CG: Well, there really isn’t all that much to it: The eye candy, first you build the things outside of the bottles…dry mount/ build…keeping in mind the inside dimensions you have to work within. Then you simply assemble  the item, scene, things, inside the bottle. The last step, and this step is the whole real reason of my bottles, the brain candy, is to lock the bottle from the inside. Regarding the how of how I do that, well, the extraterrestrial who told me swore me to secrecy, and honor it I will. I mean would you question an extraterrestrial?
If you would, and if you get the chance, ask him if he’s the one who knows Chuck the whimsey bottle maker, the artist. If it is he I’m sure he would then share this with you too.

LA:  How has the web (internet) changed the way you share work with others?

CG: The web. What a great and vast tool for communication, sharing, learning etc! In the old days, my pre-computer days, the early ’90s, geeze, hobby type arts didn’t really exist for me. I still did whatever I wanted to do art-wise, but under the umbrella of hobby there really wasn’t any resources to participate in. Back then my hobbies consisted of the traditional type things, you know, coins, stamps, postcards, beer cans and tops, and a few esoteric items that were off the path and strange back then, but with the web nothing is strange and off the path. The web has brought and offered a whole new world of contacts, like minded people, friends, etc. It is a true goldmine of communication and learning and inspiration. What used to be encapsulated within a handful of friends in now encapsulated within the entire world and always growing.

LA:  Please add any details you think would
help me get to know Chuck Gattuso, and share things about him.

CG: Hmmm, I’m not one to toot my own horn…. I play guitar, no horns, laugh. Since I find it awkward to speak of and define myself I asked my daughter, Angela, to handle this question for me. Her answer is independent of what I wrote, in other words, she did not read anything that I wrote before she composed her answer to question six. Here is her response:
“My dad is a friendly, great, nice guy, yes. But more than that he is a very well-rounded person, something I feel many more people should aspire to be. Never have I seen him sit idly. If he’s on a computer he’s not just browsing the Internet for this and that, but he’s looking into his interests. If he’s not reading on the computer, there is always some book lying around that he is slowly chipping away at. When he’s giving his eyes a break, his hands move into action. Not only is he an artist but a guitar player and, you might even say a bit of a builder. While it’s not always feasible or within his means, I often perceive my dad as having the mentality that, why buy it if you can build it yourself? Getting his hands into plaster molds, colored pencils or charcoal to make up a lot of who my dad is and what he does as an artist, but his interests are everywhere and in everything. My dad is someone who is always interested in learning more. He is someone who cannot stand idle time and so he follows his interests, whether that means putting a story line together to make a short animation film, reading a book on quantum mechanics, caring for his plants that have turned my parents’ house into a miniature greenhouse or watching a documentary film on farming and agriculture. He would rather live comfortably and for himself than be concerned with material “things.” Yes, he is a nice guy. He is a husband, father of two, artist of many mediums, guitar player, music guru and plant enthusiast, among many other things. He may not have a perfect understanding of the world, as if anyone does, but he does not shy away from learning, understanding and becoming aware of the world he lives in. And, in all honesty, it is quite lucky for me that I have grown up to be just like him.”

More about Chuck Gattuso and Mail Art:

Themed, ‘Rock Stars & Musicians’    http://mailart-myndzi.blogspot.com/
Non-themed open variety:                 http://mailart-myndzi2.blogspot.com/
Themed, ‘Mary Wanna’                     http://denchar-wwwmarywanna-artpcard.blogspot.com/

He was born in Belfast in 1976. His family moved to the south of Ireland due to ‘The Troubles’. He has travelled extensively in Europe, living for brief spells in both Holland and Italy. He elected to study Fine Art & Design, but left after one disillusioned year. He has been writing poetry for almost a decade, but has only begun to submit in the last year. His work has appeared/ is forthcoming at the following: Poetry Monthly International, The Recusant, The Delinquent, Finger Dance Festival, (U.K); Counterexample Poetics, Gloom Cupboard, Full of Crow, The Plebian Rag, Lines Written W/ A Razor, Eviscerator Heaven, Gutter Eloquence, The Stray Branch, Origami Condom, Writing Raw, Why Vandalism?, Danse Macabre, Clockwise Cat, Calliope Nerve, Fragile Arts Quarterly, Heavy Bear. His Art-work is also forthcoming at Calliope Nerve, Fragile Arts Quarterly, and Bergamot. He is also the author of four short collections of poetry. The first, ‘In the Black Cadaver Light’, was published by Poetry Monthly Press, (U.K-’09). He has just released a chapbook through Calliope Nerve Media, entitled, ‘The Rapacious Night’, and has another forthcoming at the same, entitled ‘The Gathered Bones’, and from Back Pack Press, another,,entitled ‘The Redundant Pulse’…He also likes to smoke and drink to kill time…

The Full Of Crow Poetry Hour, which runs on Sunday nights at 10 pm on BlogTalkRadio, will have a special reading of female poets on March 7. For more information on reading, female poets can  contact Lynn Alexander. This show will be archived and added to the Audio section at Full Of Crow.

I first got to know Tim Gaze when we interviewed him for Full Of Crow’s PRATE Interview series, and this is what he had to say about why he produces the magazine:

“unlike an art gallery, which is only open for a few hours a day, with exhibitions of limited duration, a book is portable, relatively cheap, & personal. a book can sit on a shelf untouched for years, but sits in readiness, without the need to pay an annual subscription or monthly internet access fees. it feels important to me, to compose asemic or abstract works into physical books, magazines & other publications.”

If we can think of a paper gallery, waiting in readiness, this book is it. Gaze has a variety of styles, from elaborate compositions to relatively simple scripts.

The pieces range from calligraphic brush work like Nathanael Archer’s to marc van elburg’s combined piece with elements of both scripts and cartoon-like forms.

Asemic Magazine, PO Box 1011, Kent Town SA 5071 Australia

Interview With Tim Gaze, Prate at Full Of Crow

BIOGRAPHY

Always available for correspondence Muse of Fire Press Tim Scannell 21 Kruse Road Port Angeles, WA 98362 USA TScannell5448@msn.com

ARTIST STATEMENT

    I enjoy creating things that people will not experience unless I make them. My fount (and font) is a plinth existing BEFORE GREEK CITY STATES (‘civilization’) – over 2,500 years ago – when mind lived in a ‘poetic’ realm: a surround of HER NINE YAKKING DAUGHTERS © of Mnemosyene and Zeus. Do look up the ‘nine girls’ – Calliope, Erato, etcetera. The political correctness of the present day, see my “Politics Kills Poetry” online, has destroyed huge swathes of what we once called called ART. The artistic challenge today is to connect the universal with the particular – see my essay on Robert Frost’s poem The Most of It (also online). My general philosophy, “Credo – Uncouched” is online too. BTW, I can mail hard copies of these freshly re-edited essays mentioned to anyone interested. I wryly adhere to Samuel Beckett’s adage, “The galley slave sticks to his oar.”

  Since I am relatively new to your work I don’t know much about your past. How long have you been doing collage? What was it that initially drew you to start working with collage?

    Ironically, the only exhibition I have had of my work (about 50 or 60 examples) is in Priboj, Serbia (Feb/March, 2009) arranged by an Art professor, NeŠic Dragan (Galerija “Spirala”). The Serbian artist made a presentation and a TV station presented the exhibition on a little program. I’ve had no formal training, but admire the work of Stuart Davis, Charles Sheeler, Grant Wood, and most of the Romantic Landscape painters of the 19th century. I also love clip-art and magazine illustration wherever I find it.

  Your work appears to be a simplistic construction. Most times containing no more then five panels but these few panels have more to say then meets the eye. Can you talk about this aspect and some of the central themes featured in your collages?