Day 106

True enough, They Live is somewhat campy. It's John Carpenter. Of course it is. Campy isn't necessarily a bad thing. Not a fan of zany, but a little camp is okay in my book.

They Live is also chilling, even more now than in the eighties, at least in my opinion. You don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to know we're living it on the edge of it, as I type this entry.

I don't recall reading "Eight O'clock in the Morning," the Ray Nelson short story the movie is based on and I haven't found a copy of it yet. though I hope to soon.

I watched the movie again this week. Almost immediately afterward I saw a commercial for a new family car with the latest in entertainment systems.

What the fuck, humans? Don't our children spend enough time staring at screens? Don't we?

I get that long trips can be boring and entertained kids are easier to travel with. Mom's on her blue tooth, the kids are glued to the screens as they travel through a world they're completely isolated from. I could be wrong. Maybe they're going camping. I'd bet the kids couldn't find the way to their own school. But they likely know Lady Gaga fell on her ass twice.

Nothing about this feels right to me.

I know this theme of sleepwalking humans has been explored many times, the parasitic elite few suppressing the masses.

I'm sick of caring about it. But I can't stop. Stupid humans. Poppets tell me to be patient, that humans are still very un-evolved. And not stupid, just young and silly.

Near the beginning of They Live, the protagonist, Nada, says he still believes in America. He only wants a chance to earn a living. Americans didn't lose their freedoms or their money. We gave them away, handed them right over for something shiny and a false sense of security. If we're asleep, it's because we swallowed the pill that was offered, with a nice glass of shut the fuck up.

I'm going to read to my son now, from a book, which doesn't require a power source owned by vampires.

g'night

Day 66

I get email alerts when people comment, even on old posts. I got a comment from an anonymous:




"what's this...It's just a little piece of ceramic clay painted on. It's not living! They don't have feelings. They can't see you or hear you it's just an inanimate object."











I know this.







I know this is true about every piece of art I've ever made. Of course I think about this---what it is that I'm making. And why.







How could I do this nearly every day of my life without examining it?







I answered the comment with this: "right. A book isn't a living thing either, but words have great meaning. If you can't see this, look again."







or something to that effect. After all this time I still haven't figured out how to cut and paste within Blogger.







Likely I don't have to defend Poppets, or my other art, to you. If you're here, reading my blog, you probably already know what I'd say. But just to be clear, and to think about it 'out loud...'







A Poppet is an object created by an artist. Art is a conversation between an artist and those who view her art.



Art (and Poppet) is an idea. And ideas are very powerful.







The comment is on the post "What we know about Poppets so far." I should update this page, because in truth, I know a little more about Poppets now than I did then.







Poppets gave me a unique way to look at myself and at other human beings and, stepping way back, a look at humanity in general. They became a language for me that explained things better than I ever could without them. At least to myself.







I stand by the little fellows. My life is better because of them and I plan to continue to learn all I can about them. And to learn what they can teach me about being human. For me, they truly are a sort of language, an alphabet I can use to cipher things I can't grasp otherwise.







And, like any language, they are changing. I see this. Possibly you don't so much, because there's always a bit of a lag between where I am creatively and the art that goes to shows and into the shop. I'd like to think they're changing because I understand them better. I'd like to think they're changing because I understand being human better.







What I do know is that as an idea, Poppets are very much alive.







Now I want to know what you might say, or what you have said, to someone who wants to know what you could possibly see in this tiny little figure with two little black eyes. Or why you think they caused such a reaction from the commentor. What is it about Poppets that scares some humans?




I'm off to read with Orion. We have finished The Hobbit and are beginning tonight, The Lord of the Rings. We are two lucky humans.
Poppets tell me so. I believe them.

g'night