On Post-Internet Poetics...

So there are a bunch of fun people writing poetry in unique and creative ways nowadays. Or perhaps I ought say they are "finding" poetry or "publishing" poetry in unique ways, or more generally thinking of poesy differently. The Internet has democratized media along all fronts and we see the repercussions of this age of free information in most places we look. The current unrest in North Africa and the Middle East is a result of free information and access to media. The downfall of the recording industry in the past ten years has as its root the democratization of media. Any fool with a network connection can publish any information, any media. The media may be text (poetry!), sound, video, etc. Many have written about the consequences of free media effectively. I'll just touch on a few of the people I find most interesting and some projects and aspects of projects I find compelling.

I've done quite a bit of my own work on the fringes of poesy over the past few years. This has included theft of text from all sources: advertising language, web source code, dialogue and speech, SMS, social network text, etc. The act of writing post-Duchamp and post-Kenneth Goldsmith may be more accurately termed a "framing" or a choice. We're surrounded by language, by information. Much of our contemporary existence is "curating" our sources of information. We perform daily many an artistic or poetic task: we choose where to place our "gaze," we select information to "share," we place it in a new "frame" and associate it with our selves. Much of the trick of poesy or art is directing this gaze to something previously neglected, or encouraging an "aesthetic attitude" be taken toward an object never before taken as such. There are quite a few young artists doing just those things!

First of all, I'll talk about the 2011 poet laureate Poncho Peligroso. "Laureate" comes from laurel and is like a crown. In modern praxis it's a distinction bestowed by a polity, by a government, by an institution upon an individual. Like the title "president" or "pastor," the title, the crown, the distinction has no meaning with out the institution. The Laureate's task in the U.S. is to bring more awareness to the writing and reading of poetry. Now, Poncho isn't really the recognized Poet Laureate (or is he?). He and fellow writer Steve Roggenbuck have devised a gag that muddles with the authority and relevance of a laureate title. By utilizing a technique called "Google bombing", they've harnessed the algorithm that ranks pages in Google searches and are now directing 2011 poet laureate traffic to Poncho's site.

Just like Mubarak and autocrats in the Middle East aren't able to control the media their constituents have access to in a post-Wikileaks, post-Internet world, institutions have less of an influence on who we as a people see as "artists" or "poets." Danto's institutional theory, having been so defined, is becoming obsolete. By harnessing new-media tools, artists and agitators are able to create false and misleading information that undermines the authority of institutions. No longer do governments, polities, academic institutions, critics and literary magazines get to decide who the poets are and who they aren't. New media tools allow artists, allow anyone to publish content and share expressions and information with the world.

Not only are the titles and accolades associated with institutions being challenged, but the traditional avenues and forums for poesy are being altered. Just as Fluxus and Conceptual artists placed an influence on the performative aspect of the work, its situation in space and time, 21st century poets have expanded far beyond the page and the chapbook. Poets and artists like Jenny Holzer and Robert Barry use words in unique ways both in and outside gallery space. This brings an aspect of involvement with the environment and encourages a sort of participation by the audience and viewer. Writers like Steve Roggenbuck tend to take their minimalist text projects and put them in living environments. A short poem printed out and placed in a chair lift, on a locked door or held in any other place alters the traditional context of poesy. These artists bring the word beyond the page and back into the social sphere where it can become more immediately effective.

Not only is the poetry forced into new and exciting contexts, but the distinction between what is formally poetry and what isn't is blurred. Many of these poets continually find text presented and "frame" it as poetry, or make a concerted effort to view what is traditionally considered just speech as art. They "frame" a YouTube comment, a thread on a social network, a product review or an advertisement. Roggenbuck keeps a running blog of what he considers INTERNET POETRY. In a world with increasing levels of technology and machinery, the "dialogue" we have with our tools becomes a curious means by which to analyze our connection with our artifacts. In the interest of better service, software applications and social media tend to ask us as users for bits of information, or to tell us strange and interesting things while we operate our profiles. This artificial dialogue is an inspiration to a whole wave of Millennial writers and post-Internet artists.

While social and political institutions have always recognized the import of art as a tool for controlling a populace and influencing behaviors, democratization of media allows even the least powerful and least funded of persons to manipulate messages in such a way that undermines hierarchical authority. Publishers are no longer the only ones who can publish. A book pressed by Random House is just as "published" as a status update on a social network. There is scarcely a distinction to be made between printed material and immaterial Internet content. In many ways we live in a post-media world where the medium is no longer the message. Because of the proliferation of media perhaps we are seeing the message's emancipation; its emancipation from the institution, from medium and perhaps, finally, from authority itself...

More Astrological Musics...

I'm in such a weird mood, let's try and figure it out friends! Reading charts is so fun, look at all these luminaries situated. When it is noon a luminary (Sun!) is situated at its apex/zenith in the sky. I haven't found good information about what the horizon points are as far as degrees goes, like how much of the sky is typically visible from most latitudes, but I will continue researching until I figure this one out! Either way, tonight we will be able to see Jupiter setting in the West following this Sun. Some astrologers and astronomers call this a heliacal setting. Heliacal just means "pertaining to the Sun."

As you'd presume, the Sun is the primary luminary in our Solar System. Some, including most luminous Nick Anthony Fiorenza, prefer terming the system "Soul-ar." Astrology is a divinatory art, an art of interpretation that uses traditional archetypes to frame behaviors, trends, attitudes, etc. A year, a cycle we are all familiar with (ha!), is just one full Sun cycle, simply enough. A fun thing about astrology is that we can observe some of the cyclic tendencies of our Solar System in a myriad of ways. A warm summer and a cool winter (Northern Hemisphere) is just the tip of this iceberg. Western astrology, which is oriented to tropical zodiac, gleans much of its traditional symbolism from portions of the year. We are all familiar with these portions!

First of all, Spring is the active beginning of the year! We're approaching Spring right now in the Northern Hemisphere and quite obviously. I woke up sneezing all day about three days ago. Pollen drifts in the air, the lawns and sides of roadways get a rich green, clover sprouts superfluously, etc. A fun part of naked-eye astronomy is that throughout the year we may observe the Sun's meetings (synods) with different luminaries. This is most apparent with lunar cycles. A meeting (synod) between Sun and Moon is what we've termed a New Moon. We don't see this happen, but we see the waning crescent drift lower than horizon into the Sun, then we see the waxing crescent of a new cycle emerge. This is the meaning of a heliacal setting and rising.

This situation we see the Sun progressing across the sign of Pisces. Pisces is the last sign of the tropical cycle, the last sign of Winter before Spring officially beings with the vernal equinox. All symbolisms you can think of connoting the end of a cycle apply with Pisces. Pisces is typified by dissolution, dissolve, loosening, illusion, etc. Pisces is the ender of the cycle, the preparatory phase for the birth and growth that is Aries and Spring. Tonight we may observe just after sunset the greater benefic Jupiter in early degrees of Aries. Jupiter in this situation may be interpreted as a generous, jovial, expansive feeling manifesting. As plants and animals spring (Spring) back to life and come alive as the year begins, Jupiter's energies are enlivened at this point of the zodiac.

As the Sun progresses Jupiter will dip into the Sun, this is termed the heliacal setting. A synod then occurs out of our view and then Jupiter experiences his heliacal rising. The Sun conjoins all superior orbiting planets once a year in this fashion and in this manner creates its own cycles with each of these luminaries. We may also observe at this time an opposition between Jupiter and Saturn. This opposition has been in effect for much of the last few years in various degrees of perfection/imperfection. Saturn's retrograde period (until June) and Jupiter's progression are perfecting this opposition at the moment. We find the self (Aries) expanding and manifesting, traveling, celebrating, while the other (Libra) endures pruning, discipline and restriction. All this under the auspices of underworld ruler Pluto who sits in the cardinal earth sign Capricorn.

I think I'm going to be doing more chart interpretation in the future as a way to practice my own reading skills, build more familiarity with cycles, symbols and archetypes, and get more comfortable with writing. If you're interested in me looking at your chart, shoot me a line at heylight@gmail.com or on Twitter @toastbeard. Astrology is a lot of fun because you can be creative with the interpretation but the data you base interpretation off of is real and empirical. Having a knowledge of the mechanics of the Solar System is a great tool for orientation (quite literally) and also a great analogue for those who study musics and follow general trends in world and personal histories. Stay awesome everyone and remember always/all ways to love!

Of Late...

Last few weeks have been quite a bit of busy! Just last Thursday Toast Beards did a gig at the Maison in New Orleans with our friends Never Ever & the Family Band and City Zoo. I had read Inayat Khan's "Mysticism of Sound and Music" and I was never quite the same. There are sections about the "Power of the Word" and other concomitant New Age concepts that for whatever reason affected me. A poesy beyond the page means a poesy of life, a poesy of full being and becoming. All your language, your expression is a re-presentation of your principles and must be viewed as such by any responsible artist. So I've been crafting songs likewise! One is called "Always Having a Good Time" because when we have a gig and play a song I would like for all to be having a good time! And guess what? It works.

Besides the gigery and blossoming (though on a small scale) success of Toast Beards, I've been working on a few other ideas. A friend of mine has access to some art space in the New Orleans area and I'm planning on abusing networked connections to this institutional apparatus... And as a true crazy I'm compelled by pattern. Are you familiar with a Vedic square? I'd presume you are as it is basically a multiplication table reduced to digital roots. All this means is that once the products in the table exceed one digit, they are simplified into one digit representations. A 10 becomes a 1, a 12 becomes a 3 by a process very similar to that used in numerology. The purpose of crafting squares of these sorts is to see the regularity in the pattern of multiplication (inverted division/divination?).

The minimal research I've performed informs me that many a designer and architect has used these patterns as the basis of a symbolism. The Muslims whoso feared representations of the Prophet or the Absolute were forced into symmetric and elaborately patterned representations by doctrine. The ineffable, the unsayable, the unmappable, the unlimited, the Infinite is incapable of true representation (though its presentation is quite obvious). Many traditional architects of sacred images be they mandala, thangka, chapel design or likewise have employed a Vedic square pattern in their designs. So I've been fashioning these simple number squares and superimposing different designs. The magic is that there are a myriad of patterns within the system and any set of aspects can be highlighted as the basis of a design. It may be difficult for me to explain this in language. I've done some studies already but don't have a digital camera. I'm getting a friend to take some images for me and doing a series of studies before I do more formal works.

I am full of ideas which assault the art-space, the artworlds, I am playing an artgame. Once the true power of word, of art is realized by the practitioner, it can't help but become politicized and philosophized. We see the doctrinal content in all artifact, there is no behavior that does not demonstrate a "way." An artist is not truly realized until self-concern is obliterated, a slavish stylistic posturing is abandoned and true purposive motion begins. The motion may be realized through any medium: the motion of language vocalized, the motion of a dance, the motion of a music, the motion of a static or dynamic image... I plan to realize with great purpose a principled motion, a motion of love, a motion of true import beyond art movement or style. A poem architected without ornament, plain function, meaning through use. I'll work out the self and art essay with some points to be made on advertising language, ideology, anonymity in the artworld and the artgame soon. I may even talk about the 2011 poet laureate Poncho Peligroso... But at the moment I will continue research. Love!

Brief Musings on Astrological Situation

This is what the Solar System looks like now from our perspective, geocentric. Many luminaries in a bundle in Aquarius which is airy, communicative, sign of social organizations, groupings, media. Sun recently conjoined Mars, Mars the martial lesser malefic, noted as god of war and a stressor. Conjunctions are mixtures of energies, synods, meetings of archetypes. Sun the grand center, soul-ar source, in a natal chart perhaps the over-arching 'ego', the cohesive Leo/leader/autocrat of the defined personality. Mixed energies with angry, active Mars means a focus of aggression, activity, fiery things. In Aquarius manifests in groups, especially democratic/autocratic conflicts like Egypt, government is polar in an Aquarian/Leo way, Leo being the One leader, Aquarius being Many.

T-Square caused by outer planets Pluto, Saturn and Uranus still there but not as focused or pinched. However, Saturn is now retrograde (going backward from our perspective) until June so the square she forms with Pluto perfects again. Saturn, greater malefic in a stressful aspect (square, 90-degrees) with Pluto has been noted by some as manifest in oil spill, earth shakes and the like. Saturn rules Capricorn, the cardinal Earth sign which Pluto is now in. Pluto is related to Hades, the underworld and undercurrents, esoterica and the occult. Some say Pluto signifies the inevitability of change and painful transformation. Pluto has been running this T-Square for the last few years, its cycle is the longest of the luminaries on these charts. Jupiter has aspected it stressfully this past year, joining Uranus near early degrees of Aries Point (first degree of Aries, equinoctial).

I could keep interpreting this all day really but look at this chart of the system from a heliocentric point of view, with Sun at center.

This chart shows the stressors more clearly. Pluto at the top squares both Saturn and Venus in Libra and Uranus and Jupiter near Aries point. It's a cardinal T-Square cause those signs are 'cardinals' or hinges, they're the first sings of the seasons and have 'cardinal' characteristics like being harbingers of a new mode, season, and being in that regard active (Cancer is cardinal, first summer sign). Also we note quite clearly Earth's opposition to Mars, Earth being in autocratic Leo and Mars (the angry red one) being in democratic Aquarius. Opposition places the Sun between these two luminaries and draws distinction between them, like the disconnected between a tritone and a tonic, notes in definite dissonance because they both attempt to exert their independence, autonomy.

These are just a few of my astrological musics on the current situation and in the future I plan on doing a little more interpretation. I, as I've said, was never formally trained and work continually to better my understanding of the symbology, associated archetypes, astronomical geometry, and art of interpretation. Much love always!