Awaken the Amnesiacs 5: Reflection Reversal

One of Gerhard Richter's mirror paintings on display at the Centre Pompidou, Paris, France. Image Source: View on Canadian Art.

Imagine a mirror, presented to you as a piece of art. Hanging in a gallery, the art would superficially deliver a message about itself. But this art piece would not be about itself. The artist had devised this piece to turn its viewers into objects, while the artwork became the viewer, or subject. The painting-as-mirror would be actively, perhaps even aggressively, looking back at its viewer. In this case, the viewer should wonder not about the artwork, but upon what or whom is that artwork gazing? Everything in the reflection would direct attention and questions back upon the viewer. In the style of the 1970s' minimalist movement, this was the conceit of Gerhard Richter's mirror paintings (thanks to -C.). Richter's sheets of colour-coated glass reflect the viewer. Richter's paintings "have secrets."

Now consider that the mirror's nature as an inert object with innate power might only become apparent once it is covered, or the light on it changes or disappears. Without light, Richter's mirror paintings become matte, dull, flat surfaces. The mirror, when covered, betrays its dangerous nature because we are no longer mesmerized by what we see in it. When it loses its power to reflect back at the viewer, to transform the viewer into an object, the viewer is reminded, brought to conscious awareness, that he or she has been watched. Add light again and the mirror gains agency and becomes a subject gazing actively at the world, with the world looking back at it. But at that very moment, the viewer in the world gazing into the mirror is mesmerized, and forgets the true nature of his experience, mistakenly thinking that he is the agent of action.

This power play is true of all mirrors, which is why some cultures require mirrors, or even reflective television screens, to be covered during sleep or after someone in a family dies. When Richter made a mirror into a piece of art, he manipulated superstition and embedded that message into an art piece, an object with cultural value. By putting mirrors into art galleries, he made us start to understand how mirrors reverse perspective and power. We think we are looking at mirrors, that we are agents with power when we gaze into them. But they are the real agents of power, and they are looking at us.

No Relief from the Heavens

From Sichuan, China: Share the Night With You. Image Source (12 August 2015) © Xiaoshan Huang via TWAN. Reproduced non-commercially under Fair Use.

Bombings in Lahore, Pakistan and Brussels were intended to disrupt Easter. Terror cells responsible for the Belgian bombings planned to kill Easter worshippers in churches in the UK and across Europe. There is an unconfirmed rumour on the Internet that ISIS crucified a Catholic priest, Father Thomas Uzhunnalil, on Good Friday in Yemen. In response to news like this, I always used to take personal comfort in astronomy and beautiful photos like the ones from The World at Night at the top and bottom of this post, because astronomy gives the biggest, most objective perspective on these questions. Unfortunately, astronomy is a secular study of the universe which drags us back into religious map of the human mind.

How iPhones Will Look to People in the 2070s

From Twitter: "The Philco Predicta is an American television made in several models by the Philco company in the late 1950s."

"Kuba Komet Television manufactured from 1957 to 1962 in West Germany." Image Source: Twitter.

Dark Days Get Darker

Passengers walk through a metro tunnel after a bomb went off in a subway carriage at Maelbeek underground station. Image Source: Evan Lamos/Associated Press via HuffPo.

Here are some photos from the 22 March 2016 Brussels terrorist attacks at Maelbeek station in the Brussels subway and Zaventem international airport, described here, here, here and here. The terrorists' original target was Tihange nuclear power plant in Huy, where 11 personnel have had their security clearances revoked. In related news, Syrian government forces have retaken the ancient city of Palmyra (see earlier posts here and here).

Lynch's American Noir

Inspired by Mulholland Drive (2001): This is the Girl by Sam Gilbey. Image Source: Roadtrippers and Spoke Art.

The San Francisco art gallery, Spoke Art (816 Sutter St., San Francisco, California 94109 USA), is running a show, In Dreams, until 29 March 2016 in which fifty artists paid tribute to surreal noir film director, David Lynch. Here are a few of the pieces on display.

Time and Politics 17: The Oath

Microbiologist Dr. Siouxsie Wiles brings science to the public in collaboration with artists who paint with bioluminescent bacteria: "Bioluminescent portrait of Donald Trump at the WSF Brisbane, painted by Ray Coffey. Photo by Chris Proud, Old Museum Network (Queensland Museum [Australia])." Image Source: SBS.

On 20 March 2016, Bill Maher joked on HBO (ep. 14/381) about Donald Trump's ignorance, because Trump claimed to get all his information off the Internet. Trump has also promised to shut down the Internet if he is elected. He stated he would shut down parts of the Internet domestically and internationally when necessary to restrict terror operatives. He later expanded that promise beyond terror threats. Snopes found the reports on Trump and the Internet to convey 'mixed truth'; on 7 December 2015, Trump stated in South Carolina:

"We have to go see Bill Gates and a lot of different people that really understand what's happening. We have to talk to them about, maybe in certain areas, closing that Internet up in some way ... Somebody will say, 'Oh, freedom of speech, freedom of speech.' These are foolish people."

Look Skyward: Penumbral Eclipse of the Moon

In a penumbral lunar eclipse, the moon passes through the outer shadow of the earth, not our planet's full shadow, or umbra (see another animation for today's eclipse, here). The effect is a subtle darkening of the moon. The above video demonstrates the point of view from the USA. Video Source: Larry Koehn (hat tips: Shadow and Substance and Earth Sky).

Today, there is a partial penumbral lunar eclipse, visible from Asia, Australia and the Americas. This post accompanies my 8 March 2016 post on the total solar eclipse, and provides background on a series of posts on the impact of unprecedented techno-social conditions on global emotions and unconscious behaviours. The moon is a mirror. But perhaps we see her true nature only when she is shrouded in darkness, as on today's eclipse. Upcoming posts will ask how our cultural understanding of the moon and mirrors can help to explain today's interactions with technology.

Area of visibility of penumbral lunar eclipse on 23 March 2016. It begins at 9:39:31 a.m. UTC and reaches its maximum at 11:47:14 UTC. Image Source: Time and Date.

Welcome the Vernal Equinox

Image © Fiona Owen.

Today is the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere and the fall equinox in the southern hemisphere at 04:30 UTC. Equinoxes occur when the number of daylight and night time hours are roughly equal. Solstices mark maximum daylight or night time hours, as the images and video from EarthSky and APOD/NASA demonstrate.

Video Source: Youtube.

Image Source: Physical Geography.