Compressed Ontology (version 1)

A simple definition of ontology is “the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being.” Since I learned of the word, I’ve always thought of it as the study of relationships of everything. Philosophically, it is confined to metaphysics however, which deals with the non-physical aspects of nature. Many twentieth century scientists, philosophers, and thinkers have relegated ontology to piles of superstition, folk lore, and hocus pocus however. This is because they believe physical matter is the final frontier in human exploration.

I use the word ontology in my title here as an artistic resource. To me, art has always been about relationships, and how anything relates to anything else. Complementary colors can be set side by side to one another in realistic or abstract depictions, such as red and green for example. These two colors create tension in the eye because of their contrasting relationship.

The main thing(s) that stands out to me that emphasizes the idea of relationships in this picture is/are the crude line drawings and the cubic object. I am drawn to the un-shaded cube. I intentionally drew the cube with Bic markers without shading. I like the effect that it has because, even though there is no shading, it still looks three dimensional. With the irregular teal colored pool next to, and in front of the cube, it makes it look like the cube is a melting chunk of ice. Hence, another ontological relationship.

I can get away with calling the relationships in this picture plane ontological because they really are not physical. In fact, this is a digital image you are viewing. If you invest in it as a limited edition (25) print from me, then perhaps you could call it physical. But even then, the objects in this image are not physical. They are mere representations of symbols I made up, and which I put no effort in defining. I just like to create simple wire constructs as drawings because of the structures and spaces they excite for me.

Art allows me to express myself in ways that words would be forbidden. Art is my Freudian slip. Art and music have always been vehicles in various cultures, societies, and civilizations as valves that allow for the release of whatever is suppressed in those worlds. I learned that ancient Egyptians, for example, had layers of meaning hidden in their hieroglyphic language. Painters of kings and queens in Medieval and Renaissance Europe frequently subtly betrayed their masters by infusing barely noticeable symbols or expressions indicating questionability of the tyrant’s power.

In my own art, I have full freedom to play with the tensions between objects, subjects, and colors without offending anyone. Abstract art allows for the full expression of one’s soul because it’s not recognizable in standardized ways. Or, the shapes are so universal—squares or circles for example—that their symbolism can mean too many things to be sure they mean one thing only.

I thought Compressed Ontology would be a good title because of what it means to me. Decades ago, I read a trilogy by Robert Monroe concerning his out-of-body experiences. He discovered in his nightly journeys that he possessed a “second body,” an immaterial body, that he was able to detach from his physical form and then explore the universe, physical and non-physical. In one of his journeys, he described physical life for humans as an artificial “compressed learning” environment.

I thought about what compression means in this regard since reading those books. Compression would mean a rather forced, limited environment in which resources are scarce and physical beings must deal with one another, for better or for worse. I suppose the learning part of this compressed environment we all live in comes about in time as we “successfully” deal with situations minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, person by person, etc., etc.

Most people I would venture to say have been born into less than optimal environments in which stereotypical “success” is out-of-reach, thus securing a situation for the soul in which certain people and circumstances are compressed, and “forced” upon the soul seeking spiritual growth in one way or another.

The floating, abstract, crude, wiry objects floating above the ground have a sense of heat about them, indicating “hot to handle.” They sort of remind me of the wire loops surgeons use for loop electrosurgical excision procedures (LEEP). They also remind me of the iron brands farmers use to mark their cattle’s skin for recognition. Fiducial markers are other objects used for landmarks or locators associated with this idea. So we have hot and cold sensations coming from this picture: The colorful, melting ice cube, and the hot wire constructs.