Dreimehrparsec - The Light Like Lead

The way I see it, Art has two functions: escapism and confrontation. It serves as both a sanctuary and a mirror. Through escapism, Art creates landscapes where burdens dissolve, where the ordinary is transformed into the extraordinary. It reminds us of the boundless beauty that is preserved in the world and the immense potential that we harbor. It paints a picture of what could be.

But Art also confronts. It grips us by the shoulders, demanding that we open our eyes to the raw, unadorned reality of existence. It challenges the lies we tell ourselves and the illusions we construct, and forces us to reckon with the depths of our humanity. In confrontation, Art becomes the wound that refuses to heal until we take care of it. With its blood and pus, Art paints a picture of what is.

Though it might seem so, these functions are not opposites — they are intertwined; a good piece of art achieves not just a balance but a fusion, where escapism and confrontation become two edges of the same sword. This dual-edged nature is what gives Art its power. The escapist edge whispers of what the world should be; the confrontational edge reveals what the world truly is.

A sword with one dull edge is incomplete, blunt and purposeless, and, certainly, a useless weapon against any enemy, leaving its wielder defenseless and vulnerable in the face of danger. In the same way, Art that leans too heavily on either escapism or confrontation becomes unbalanced. Pure escapism is shallow and hollow; it risks becoming an empty distraction. Pure confrontation, on the other hand, risks alienating and overwhelming the audience without offering hope.

Mark Mothersbaugh of DEVO (1977) by Ruby Ray - A tangle of wires and knobs transforms the guitar into an experimental sound machine.

Jikai Zhu (Chinese, d.o.b. unknown) - Waterfall (2024)

LDN 1471: A Windblown Star Cavity

We only see one side of the cavity, and the other is hidden by dark dust. The shape comes from the expanding stellar winds, the bright streaks on either side are Herbig-Haro objects formed as the star’s outflow collides with space dust.

This image was captured by NASA & ESA’s Hubble Space Telescope, following an original discovery by Spitzer, on November 17th, 2024.

inspired by an illustration from a 1950 magazine

*** [we'll sit by the window...]

we'll sit by the window

we'll watch the storm coming

the darkest skies open

the strongest wind blowing

we'll see it take over

the world as we know it

we'll be left with nothing

but each other's hoping

for the days to come after

the days of redemption

to finally bring forth

our longed-for salvation

and yet we'll be crying

and yelling, denying

for no one has taught us

how to handle dying

i wish i could stop this

and hold you forever

but this very moment

is worth more than ever

we'll sit by the window

and watch the storm coming

once we had a future

soon we will be nothing

Arial B.

September 2023

Paul Evans (British, 1954) - Incredible Winter Light, Near Lavenham (2024)

“Stay close to anything that makes you glad you are alive.”

— Hafiz

Anita Lane, Seaview Ballroom, late 1970s

Playing The Downward Spiral cd on my Hello Kitty boombox is the only thing keeping me from ending it all