We might now contemplate
aesthetic actions which possess
some of the resonance of terrorism
(or “cruelty” as Artaud* put it)
aimed at the destruction of abstractions
   rather than people,
      at liberation rather than power,
         pleasure rather than profit,
            joy rather than fear,

“Poetic Terrorism.”

Our chosen images have the potency of darkness –but all images are masks, & behind these masks lie energies we can turn toward light and pleasure.

We might contemplate some form of metadrama… which give(s) rise to a wholesome new art, a totally non-violent way of fighting – war without murder, “the sword of life” rather than death.

A conspiracy of artists, anonymous as any mad bombers, but aimed toward an act of gratuitous generosity rather than violence —at the millennium rather than the apocalypse.

Or rather, aimed at a present moment of aesthetic shock in the service of realization & liberation.

Art tells gorgeous lies that come true.

–T. A. Z. The Temporary Autonomous Zone, Ontological Anarchy, Poetic Terrorism by Hakim Bey, COMMUNIQUE #6 I. Salon Apocalypse: “Secret Theater”, page 39 – 40.

Another mind-bending segment from Hakim Bey.

This passage interests me because Bey assumes that life-as-life always involves conflict, friction, struggle, competition. The central issue comes down to what type of contention is to be supported, advocated, practiced. Bey indicates that abstractions, ideal models are to be swept away, ie. destroyed, because life by definition is much more complex than yes or no, right or wrong, “my way or the highway”. Let us learn how to behave, speak, work, study, be a spouse, a partner, or a parent making room in space and time for liberation, pleasure, joy.

The angle of view, comes down to intention, one’s aim. Is the purpose which I now entertain an expression of curiosity, what could we possibly create together? Let’s aim at something new, never before done, seen or experienced…

Here is the example which Bey gives:

The man who invented aikido was a samurai who became a pacifist & refused to fight for Japanese imperialism. He became a hermit, lived on a mountain sitting under a tree.

One day a former fellow-officer came to visit him & accused him of betrayal, cowardice, etc. The hermit said nothing, but kept on sitting –& the officer fell into a rage, drew his sword, & struck. Spontaneously the unarmed master disarmed the officer & returned his sword. Again & again the officer tried to kill, using every subtle kata in his repertoire — but out of his empty mind the hermit each time invented a new way to disarm him.

The officer of course became his first disciple. Later, they learned now to dodge bullets.

*Antonin Artaud (4 September 1896 – 4 March 1948), was a French artist widely recognized as a major figure of the European avant-garde, he had a particularly strong influence on twentieth-century theatre through his conceptualization of the Theater of Cruelty. Known for his raw, surreal and transgressive work, his texts explored themes from the cosmologies of ancient cultures, philosophy, the occult, mysticism and indigenous Mexican and Balinese practices.

Time enough for a song! This one, Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me written by Elton John, performed by George Michael and Elton John.  WTF! This performance is transcendent!