Summaries

Synopsis

In VANdaliSM I found Dali, in all his crystal clarity, residing anachronistically within the chaos of this time. Surrealism, at the forefront of the origins of extreme abstract Modern Art, arose from a social political generation where rationality had failed, a world of primal recognitions, taboo truths and violence sandwiched between two World Wars.In support of my ongoing documentary series Vancouver Vagabond, like many an opportunity in and around Vancouver, I covered the Stanley Cup final in Canadas largest west coast city where the Vancouver Canucks battled it out with the Boston Bruins, and where a surreal riot broke out following the final 7th game loss on home ice. Whipped 4-0, it was a punctured and humiliating end to a pumped up crowd in denial of their deflation, 150 thousand in their number crammed dangerously into the streets at the foot of the iconic 1955 Canada Post building, teeming with drunken youth in an uproarious pro sport patriotism needing release. And it was found in the form of what felt like a tribal ecstasy, albeit a downright dirty one loaded with foul language and an air of violent and sensational monkey-mischief. Rolling over vehicles, orgiastic in a mammoth endeavor of primordial aggression, gasoline set a spewing like the lifes blood of an ancient beast, firing them ablaze in something of a bonfire ritual around which they danced, clowned, whipped banners and flags, jerseys and towels; it spoke of something beyond the industrial modern city, a throwback to another time, another consciousness, one buried in all of us for centuries and millennia, dark and dangerous, kept mute in the chains of religion, social convention and political repression. Or as in the liberal commercial society, kept constrained in the pocket of various fetishistic outlets of communion, sport, rock concerts or otherwise. It was war ritual and Art as one amongst a post modern purposeless population, throwing off in an ecstasy of unbridled passion the yoke of the square and sterile, the hollow of the briefcase replaced by the weight of the nearest projectile.Ive seen the monkey before, dancing about foolishly, chattering all too loud about all too much, typically a big bunch of nothing. The juvenility of it all, those who must be seen and heard at all costs for no good reason except to somehow proclaim that they do exist, that they somehow matter via facebook or otherwise. That in this growing faceless chasm of disparity between the classes, rural and urban alienation, amidst neighborly disaffection and the cult of excess as success, amidst the mist of connection, diffusion of role and significance, confusion of limp flags, impotent leaders, corporate criminals and apocalyptic earthly disaster, the beast finds its way out of the black recesses of obscurity: the black box no longer, its confines broken, shattered perhaps forever into millions of images, voices, thoughts, opinions, criticisms and cultural delusions- all flaky, all ephemeral. The "social" democratization of media is a curious term; it presupposes that for some reason the masses are owed it as a vehicle for their personal expression, to reinforce what is theirs as a collective union of nonetheless stark transient globalist individuals. Power and privilege of media is arguably both stronger and weaker than ever, since both everyone and no one has it entirely- or any great degree of it except perhaps, if by chance, typically something of an unprofessional nature happens to go viral and becomes a celebrity sensation between those who partake in the communion ritual, the more cheap, inane and pedestrian the better since that is what all are enabled to achieve. An orgy of bodies butted up against one another, the chain grows beyond mere length but in breadth sideways and in every way outward. The virus, the ever splitting cell, benign or otherwise grows until interest wanes to the outskirts of the crowd, the network periphery, very quiet compared to the noise from the greater body. It is there that the smaller artists and independent filmmakers now find themselves, marginalized.How do you negotiate with the indirect violence of cyber criminals and media hijackers? How do todays authors, artists and expense-laden genuine filmmakers compete with info-racketeering free-front parasites offering an undercutting, fully subsidized audience foundation of such an expensive and privileged field of cultural resonance and potential meaning- for absolutely nothing? What happens to a society world round when cultures most expensive and meaningful vehicle, comprised of any number of mediums and industries, talents, crafts and economies, is enabled to fall into the grasp of a worldwide rabid populace bent on the cult of personal vainglory? When the beacon of hopes and dreams, the pinnacle of privilege and skill sets becomes a sick and violent trashy everyday arena of attack and snub, invisible creeping and obsequious greasing? Whats interesting, and perhaps the silver lining for the outskirts observers of this simian mob is the falsity of the common argument, the abuse of the romanticized Robin Hood social outlaw. Is it really about equality when all are fighting for greater spotlight share, when these same people are the ones ritually thieving music, movies and whatever they fancy- not for others but rather themselves? When such action by so many leads to the irony of consolidation amongst the Hollywood topmost elite, endless emphasis on the nervous shareholder and cop out derivative product, sequels, prequels and bastardized remakes of every kind; the destruction of breakthrough, risk taking and genius?'Democratization' is proven hollow in VANdaliSM. The Fight HST campaign, like so many democratic processes was ignored by the youth in place of fake feel-good ribbons & bows as encouraged by social(ist) media. The tomfoolery deception multiplies into a cult of facades, a roundabout communal mythology of the self, perhaps even as someone appearing as engaged in important things. Cancerous 'Click Mobs' rarely show up for the tangible real-life events where numbers really matter. Appearance of association becomes the emphasis, over all else. Stripped of substance, a celebration of celebrity itself, an extension of Art for Art's sake only typically trending, fleeting and without any skill nor dedication.Arts and Motion Picture, rigorous and elitist by nature demanding genuine talents and hard won workmanship, are like the idyllic but overpriced and alienating city of Vancouver, BC. If the jealous mob is enabled, it will be abused, trashed and left for dead.