Aaron Ross
Christian Greuel
To accomplish the goal of audience consciousness alteration, specific formal devices known to produce neurological "crosstalk" are employed. Sensory saturation, under ideal conditions, can result in psychological paradigm shift. This technique has been utilized for countless centuries in a religious context. As an artist, I use these methods to communicate numinous psychic contents -- not in any metaphysical sense, but in a purely metaphorical one.
Among the specific methods I employ is the 20th-century discovery of stroboscopic flicker. Physiologists have proven that this technique effects all areas of the brain, as the overload of stimulus causes information to "spill over" from the visual cortex to alter the function of the entire central nervous system. Among the results are synaesthetic artifacts and perceptual anomalies, including hypnagogic visual hallucinations. Flicker, combined with archetypal symbolic imagery, is a powerful catalyst for TRANCE FORMATION.
The philosophy to which I subscribe is that of Carl Jung, so it should come as no surprise that my work is modeled on the art of alchemy. Its primary function is a purely personal one: the dialogue between the artist and his or her unconscious self. As in alchemy, the "magician" or "philosopher" externalizes the contents of the collective unconscious via interaction with a material medium. Traditionally, this has been chemistry, seen through the filter of mysticism. While this medium is no longer applicable, the method itself is still valid in these times of runaway technology. So, I find myself manipulating images and sounds through electronic means, and interpreting the results in psychological terms.
Another layer is added to this discourse when the work is presented to others as an object in itself. An already complex interactive system is even further enhanced by the process of creativity which each individual brings to the experience. In a sense, the artwork becomes a screen upon which the viewer projects the contents of the collective unconscious. My task is to activate pre-existing, universal feeling-complexes by providing sounds and visions which resonate with them. From that point, the internal transformation is regulated by the unconscious itself.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
The outer world can only be changed by working within the inner. The future is made today by harnessing the powers of upstream causality, consciously interacting with space/time. In searching a multitude of hidden places for the instruction manual of the mind, one must leave behind a trail to find his way back home, making sure not to leave a trail of cheese (or the mice will get it!) Another environment can not always be described clearly by conventional means of words. Images cut the surface, the katzenmusick slips in. The message is not only what you see, but also why you see it that way.
The senses are my medium: the interfaces with the physical world. The mind is my palette: full of rich imagery to choose from. The brain is my gallery: where all data is processed and burned in.
Like the Tibetan "black paintings," the unconscious must also wear a veil while in public, hidden from those who are not prepared. Some are able to swim the English Channel, others may drown. My works are audible images that are not easily explained in words. Direct interaction with the sonic architecture is required.
My current exhibit displays the deconstruction and reintegration of time into invisible diagramatic sculptures, or timescapes originating in my netherminds, consciously edited and juxtaposed for the mass stimulation of audience members, who in turn respond according to their own individual psychological maze.
This is only a test. Do not attempt to adjust your television. We are in control.
greuel@xian.com