Bohemian Postmodernism(2006):- art influenced by, but not dependant on, science and technology. manifesto

(i) That which contains fundemental beauty, truth or hope cannot be dismissed by any ideology that seeks to undermine its value.

(ii) It is too simplistic to suggest that 'form follows function'. when both form and function are subjective and metamorphic.

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"The public gets what the public wants" 'Going Underground': Paul Weller(1980)

lick it
Paul Birkeland-Green
Current work:
study for:
'fringe'
acrylic on
canvas 2006


latest webshowLink
Current work:

ArtyHog:
An irreverent appraisal of digital art in 2006

Drawn Pawn: Womb or Tomb

Bohemian Postmodernist pbg 2006©

The figure is still

 

study for:
'boat trip'
acrylic on wood 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


.....True Bohemian........Entrance


. Bohemian Postmodernist


Devices, toys and technologies that facilitate or intensify the attainment of human desires.
The pursuit of fulfillment and satisfaction.

The Construction of Desire

Dusk
acrylic on canvas 2006
   
   

about this web page?

This is not going to be a web site that is maintained as such. What I have put here is only to stake my claim to founding
'Bohemian Postmodernism'
(very different to Postmodern Bohemian). I cordially invite any fellow artists to contact me if they feel there is something here that inspires them or that I might like to see. As a strong proponent of synchronicity I expect these values to pop-up all over the globe anytime now.
My views on 'digital art' are now pretty well documented elsewhere, so only a little more here. Lest to say I have found (in 16years) nothing of any lasting value in it (especially my 1000's of images). Techno mulch which alas' when all added up isn't worth a simple 10minute watercolour.
I have no idea why, or why the medium is of no lasting value or addresses any artistic enquiry. It has however been of incalculable value as a bridge across the void of visual possibilities. The grass certainly isn't greener on the other side. In fact the very qualities of grass (other than being green) had been totally overlooked. Virtual grass is only green!
My email address is on the main site, I get enough spam as it is from trawling and phishing. And I know you are more than smart enough to figure it out!


Cheers pbg

Bohemian Postmodernist Manifesto (PBG 5 July 2006)

It is the purpose of this art to engage the artist and the viewer in the single act of human discovery. To make solid, using the body of the artist, a representation of an emotion or sensory experience that can be fixed or observed by others without the need for any technological device.


Art should encompass only experiences and emotions. Technologies work to enhance and amplify our natural instincts and emotions. It is these that all art plays to. Referencing 'signifiers' in media as metaphors, adjectives and reference points is an inevitable form of expression in artist endeavours.

Art should not present just the doctrine of philosophic or scientific thought but must engage and embrace the emotional and aesthetic consciousness of the viewer. Digital or technologically created imagery is not in itself a true description of either an idea, event or aspiration. All art must contain direct physical marks made by the artist.

In this art any technology may be used, references to ideas and beliefs encapsulated in abstract form can be included. All work must culminate in the direct hand of the artist.
The subject must be a result of emotional psychological enquiry and no cultural ideas can be included as 'ideals'. Truth to a genuine human response is the only meaning, and the representation of this response is the only motif.

Basic premise: We are only truly interested in ourselves. The physical world is merely a resource to be exploited by the human. We are consciously and subconsciously aware of this and an empathetic conflict is created. We take maximum advantage of the skills we have acquired. These cognitive skills have brought us to a crisis with the natural world. Our instincts are our greatest asset and our ultimate weakness. We need to understand ourselves and be prepared to face all fears and taboos.The challenge is to find out what we really are, using any device at our disposal. But truth and honesty are the only tools we can use to reveal the self, no matter how painful the discoveries prove to be.
This art challenges our desire to blank out what we feel everyday. To make visible the feelings and instincts that we all share. To show what does make an impact and describe it without meretricious representation or correctness.
It is no longer technology's task to better harness the world. It is technology's task to aid us to understand ourselves, and therefore minimise the 'tragedy' that we are. Art shows us these discoveries, from the hand of a fellow human.

 

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

I can only see fragments of the natural world, very little of it still exists. Unlike other animals we do not just pass through our environment, we construct or modify it to fit our tastes or purpose.
The world is a construction. A series of elements arranged by man. A hereditary construct of practical or aesthetic design.
When, for example, I see the image of someone sitting in a room, they are not just passing through or amongst a series of objects or arrangements. It is a construction, a partnership between the sitter and the space; an active interaction and a considered position. What is going on? What need is being served, experienced, enjoyed or re-assessed? As the sitter actively engages with the space how is the 'engine' of consciousness being controlled? What stresses, forces and desires are being encountered?

Outside people mix and mingle, act, interact and modify every situation and environment they occupy.
I want to observe, identify and record; make it clear through whatever medium or discipline examples of the building blocks of this conscious interaction.

"This is not a treatise but a dictionary."

The natural world is now little more than a romantic ideal, it no longer exists. We have: been, changed and left our mark on it all.

The world is a construction of our desire. Our desire a construction of our evolution. Our evolution a construction of our consciousness. Our consciousness a construction of…what exactly?



Paul Birkeland-Green 2006