Monday, November 25, 2013

Water, Consciousness and the Prophecies of Nostradamus 3

The two images on the left were taken within 10 seconds of each other on July 23 2013. The one on the right was taken on October 24 2013. As a storyboard they seem to be telling us of a man inside a café, who decides to put on his hat and coat, and is now walking in the snow. © Lena Ghio 2013
FRANÇAIS app de traduction à gauche

part 3 THE PROPHECIES OF NOSTRADAMUS 

In the previous two articles, I describe the unusual phenomena I experienced with water and I resumed a research on what some scientists have thought about the connection between water and intelligence. In this article I will resume the importance of water in ancient cultures and myths using the works of CARL JUNG to bring a scientific perspective to it. The evidence I have gathered sheds an incredible new light on the knowledge of our ancestors.

When I was a child our parents took all of us to spend a day on a ferry boat. We had never been on a boat and we enjoyed hanging over the edge of the ramp staring at the shimmering blue water. I remember our mother telling us not to stare at the water lest it mesmerize us into falling into it. Before July 23 2013, water was just magical because I love swimming in it, I love drinking it, I love its versatility and mystery. I even had done tests with glasses of water and crystal balls that are posted on youtube. Yet I still saw water, like most people do, as an inert substance. Now I can't help seeing water as a complicated living entity capable of spontaneous and smart creation.

Before I continue, I must clarify that the studies I have done with water, that are now integrated in my artistic practice as EMERGE ART,  were not done for prophetic or religious purposes. I was inspired by the work of Dr. MASARU EMOTO to activate the water with a variety of colors, forms, words and other objects so I could then capture refraction in the water. The installation around the bowl of water does not represent a ritual to invoke invisible forces. However the water astonished me with a huge amount of unexplainable images that far transcend mere refraction! I did not expect water to create intricate storyboards that show intelligence and coherence like the one in the header.

Interested in the process of individuation, Carl Jung retraced the historical roots of multiple archetypes that to this day manifest in our dreams, our personalities and our lives; some belonged to religious practices, some to the mythology of certain civilisations, some to alchemy and astrology. There is a lot of material to go through to get at the wide range of knowledge Dr Jung accumulated. Here I wanted to underline that Dr Jung found that water was at the heart of most ancient religious myths, its creative qualities were described as being divine. In certain texts it was called the Word, the Logos. Jung also talks about the meaning of the mermaid as an archetype of the male psyche. The photo below begs the question of whether mermaids are a myth, a projection of the male psyche or an autonomous emergent form created by water? In modern humans, all these concerns are repressed in the unconscious mind. The mermaid archetype has now become an exotic dancer advertised in luminescent neon lights above gentlemen bars. According to Jung, the archetypes will always emerge in our lives in one form or another. I use this example to convey how prevalent archetypes are even in modern times.

This Emerge Art made me review myths about mermaids. The astonishing female face just appeared in my bowl of water. The image on the left is the original. It is dark because to capture the forms made by water I cannot use a flash.
 © 2013 Lena Ghio
The intriguing questions raised by Jung are the link to the prophecies of NOSTRADAMUS. According to the scant information we have on his process of divination, he used astrological calculations and gazed into a brass bowl filled with water to access the prophecies. From his nightly visions he composed quatrains. The storyboard on the header illustrates how water is able tells a story. He warned against the enchantments of mermaids and other forces living in water, admonishing that prophetic visions come from God alone. Now I have presented to the world a feature of water that has always been dismissed by supposedly rational people. We have developed technology to capture these fast moving phenomenon.

For years, as an artist,  I have been working through certain quatrains that applied to my life by analogy. It was clear to me that the intention behind the prophecies were of a healing nature. That was who Nostradamus was, a healer. My practice as an artist was entangled in his quatrains. I experienced indescribable trials and losses. Everything has led me to the acts of photographing a series of  extraordinary phenomena that most of you will take years to assimilate, others will dispute to hang on to your views of the world. The WORLD is speaking back to us now, reminding us who we are, ALL of us, EACH of us, are HER children.

 CENTURIES IV QUATRAIN 5
Croix paix soubs vn, accomply diuin verbe,
Espaigne & Gaule seront vnis ensemble,
Grand clade proche, & combat tresacerbe,
Cœur si hardy ne sera qui ne tremble.

Cross, peace, under one the divine word accomplished,
Spain and Gaul will be united together:
Great clade near, and combat very bitter:
No heart will be so hardy as not to tremble.

PHENOMENE ART XII: CROIX PAIX SOUBS UN, ACCOMPLY DIVIN VERBE

-LENA GHIO

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire // L'Embrasement

CATCHING FIRE
The movie opens in district 12 where Katniss Everdeen, JENNIFER LAWRENCE, is spending time with Gale Hawthorne, LIAM HEMSWORTH, her true love. Nothing is easy as Katniss relives the trauma of the Games and Gale must adjust to the consequence of her fame. The intrigue grows as there is suspicion from President Snow, DONALD SUTHERLAND, that a rebellion is brewing and that Katniss is to blame. JOSH HUTCHERSON is heartbrakingly heroic as Peeta Mellark, the other game winner with Katniss, who loves her in vain. A Victory Tour by the reluctant duo soon turns into a diabolical plot with past Hunger Games winners.

In part 2 we go deeper into the characters souls and minds. We are  so close to the action you can feel the vapor of the characters breath. Life and death, technology and human skills, citizens and abusive rulers are in a bloody battle! The design of the film is exquisite, the tension edgy, the special effects of the highest calibre. There is more maturity in this second part and this is equal to the issues the movie is trying to come to terms with: injustice, human rights, freedom. New threats and new challengers give dimension and excitement to the contest imposed by President Snow

Of course there is still that delightfully wicked performance by STANLEY TUCCI as Ceasar Flickerman and the incredible costume designs of TRISH SUMMERVILLE as well as the excellent production design of PHILIP MESSINA. Effie Trinket, played adorably by ELIZABETH BANKS, wears an intricate butterfly outfit at some point that blew my mind. And she cries for "her" team.

A delicious movie that leaves us wanting more and more...OPENS THIS WEEK-END

I LOVED IT!!!

-LENA GHIO

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Network Consciousness // La conscience du réseau

Light On ( Flash Light ) © 2013
LUIS JACOB
Français plus bas

Last Tuesday there was a stimulating Happening at SBC Gallery. A one night event in the presence of LUIS JACOB where we viewed his most recent work Light On ( Flash Light ) © 2013. The concept of this video where children armed with flashlights and mirrors are sending and receiving reflections  was very evocative of the exchange we attendees were enjoying with each other. The evening is part of a larger project curated by FELICITY TAYLER involving four cities, including works from the previously mentioned Luis Jacob and several other artists: BLOC COOP, CHARLES BINAMÉ, SIMON BROWN, SKAWENNATI, DARSHA HEWITT, MARISA JAHN ( REV-), JULIA OLDHAM. The videos are part of the collection of VIDÉOGRAPHE, a creation center that has been accumulating video artworks since the 1970's. For several months you will be able to enjoy a large selection of their archives for free at this website: www.vitheque.com

-LENA GHIO

FRANÇAIS

Mardi dernier il y a eu un Happening très stimulant à la Galerie SBC. Événement d'un soir en présence de LUIS JACOB où nous avons visionné sa dernière création Light On ( Flash Light ) © 2013. Le concept de cette vidéo où les enfants s'amusent à lancer et recevoir des jets de lumières avec des lampes de poche et des miroir ressemblait aux échanges agréables qui se déroulaient entre nous qui étions présents. La soirée faisait partie d'un plus large projet conçu par la commissaire FELICITY TAYLER qui implique quatre villes, incluant les oeuvres de plusieurs artistes incluent le déjà mentionné Luis Jacob: BLOC COOP, CHARLES BINAMÉ, SIMON BROWN, SKAWENNATI, DARSHA HEWITT, MARISA JAHN ( REV-), JULIA OLDHAM. Les vidéos font partie de la collection de VIDÉOGRAPHE, un centre de création qui accumule des vidéos artistiques depuis les années 70. Pendant plusieurs mois vous pouvez apprécier une large sélection de leurs archives gratuitement en allant sur ce site: www.vitheque.com

-LENA GHIO

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Water, Consciousness and the Prophecies of Nostradamus • 2

1                                                   2                                                      3                                                 4
Photos taken July 28 2013 with 10 seconds between each shot// Photos prises le 28 juillet 2013 avec 10 secondes d'intervalle entre chaque cliché © Lena Ghio
FRANÇAIS app de traduction à gauche

part 2 CONSCIOUSNESS 

« The brain is a tangible physical organ constituted from molecules; but that collection of molecules seems mockingly remote from the insubstantial, complex, transient thoughts that combine to endow us with conscious awareness. »

-Susan A. Greenfield
Journey to the center of the mind
© W.H. Freeman and company

In her insightful book, Susan A. Greenfield asks: "How exactly does nervous tissue cause consciousness?"

Today's technology is capable of observing very complex chemical and biological activity in the brain that reveal centers of consciousness and emotional states even social behavior. Yet what is that thing in us that allows us to comprehend, to reflect, to re-interpret what we learn?

If the only difference between the brain of an Albert Einstein and that of an average human is  molecular composition, it would be possible for all of us to become geniuses by supplementing our brains with the same molecules. We can all observe that while certain chemicals and nutrients will benefit the brain, it will not make us geniuses. Intelligence is more than mere biochemical processes, even if its expression in the human realm is dependent upon them.

It is in Susan A. Greenfield's book that I read about the ancient Greek concept that a «special consciousness substance» was the cause of intelligence and consciousness. In particular Galen (129-199); a renowned physician employed to treat gladiators in Rome, he treated many brain injuries and was among the first to recognize the importance of the brain as the center of thought;  who theorized that our mental faculties resided in the cerebrospinal fluid which he called the urine of the brain. This is the same fluid collected during lumbar punctures to diagnose various ailments of the body and brain. At that time the author wrote that the fluid contained nothing so special that it could be described as "psychic".

When I read Greenfield's book I was already familiar with flower essence therapy. In the 1930's Dr. Edward Bach discovered and developed a series of homeopathic treatments made from soaking flowers in water that healed emotional states and helped heal many physical ailments. The principle is that water retains the healing message from different flowers and then can transmit this message to us if we add a few drops of the essence to our drinking water. Each plant chosen by Bach has a different form, a different signature, and addresses a different negative emotional state.  It seemed natural to me that our individuality, our intellect, could emerge from the fluids surrounding our brain that looks like a flower on top of an elaborate stem, the spine, and is uniquely shaped in each one of us.

A while later, I was looking at the movie What the bleep do we know?  and was fascinated by the work of Japanese researcher Dr. Masaru Emoto on the molecular structure of water from different regions who, when exposed to various stimuli, created forms that reflected the ambience that surrounded it. His work proves the vitality of water, its intelligence and sensibility.

In my artistic practice I serendipitously stumbled upon the mysterious image making propensity of water. In this article I am showcasing this phenomena with the above sequence of images. Notice the similarity of water in the process of forging an image with our own intellectual problem solving processes.

3
Image 1 shows a cloudy quality on both sides of the bowl while you can see an emergent activity at the center. The image is abstract. Image 2 is jumbled, but you can imagine a scenario. For example, I see two forms embracing in the center. Image 3 is a stunner! The composition is pure creation emerging from the water! Puppies and a little boy appear to be waiting. Image 4 is another stunner! Here the two figures are clearly drawn, an Angel appears to be comforting a man. There is an interval of only 10 seconds between each shot.



I conclude part 2 CONSCIOUSNESS with the clear hypothesis that bodily fluids must play a determining role in forging our individual intelligence and identity.


In the last part of this series I will look at the myths surrounding water and the prophecies of Nostradamus.



Part 1: Water / 1e Partie: L'Eau
Part  3: Nostradamus / 3 e Partie: Nostradamus

-LENA GHIO

Thursday, November 7, 2013

THOR: THE DARK WORLD

     THOR: THE DARK WORLD
Based on a MARVEL comic this exquisite feature film is extremely elegant! I enjoyed so many aspects of the movie. First were the scenery and costume design that captured my esthetic sensibilities right away. Then the perfectly balanced performances by all the players made it even more delicious. The evil characters are so well embodied I found it hard not to like them. The evil Loki for example, played by TOM HIDDLESTONE, is a simmering character with a twinge of sadness in the eyes, or is he a refined sociopath?  NATALIE PORTMAN shines again as Jane Foster, a scientist and the true love of Thor played by a very seductive CHRIS HEMSWORTH. To add to this, ANTHONY HOPKINS looking very good as the patriarch Odin. The scenery is emotionally satisfying: the huge columns, the immense castles, the mountains, the birds, the views of contemporary London.
I so strongly recommend that you go see this movie at the theatre and in 3D because it is just too good! And you must stay until the very last second to experience the extraordinary 3D art as the credits roll in the end and the very last surprise scene!
I LOVE IT!!!!

-LENA GHIO