What does Perceival mean?
I can't answer that question exactly, but I can tell you some of the ideas I was thinking about when I came up with the idea. This is the looooooong version with lots of my bizarro thoughts. For a shorter version, click here
First of all, I am carrying out this project as "Gwazdor" not because I want to keep my identity secret (it's fairly easy to figure out who I am), but because I want to remove myself from the equasion to limit my artistic authority. I don't want anyone to think that I know the "correct" answers... It is truly a matter of opinion.
The title, "Perceival," comes from the word "perceive" - which can mean to see something, but it also means to notice, to realize, to interpret, to understand. Additionally, Parsifal, a.k.a. Percival, was one of the legendary knights of the round table who searched for the holy grail in King Aurthur's time, decoding mysterious clues and disentangling leads to pursue the ultimate mystery. This story is a wild combination of truth and fantasy that continues to fascinate our culture, blockbusters.
When people look at abstract art they often ask what it is supposed to represent. *What is it? The urge to identify and categorize things is not only the foundation of art criticism, but is one of the basic motivations of all mental activity. This can be as simple and practical as, "If that's a banana, I'm gonna eat it." Or it could be as complicated as particle physicists using supercolliders to explore the mysteries of the universe. One thing is for sure - the mind is not satisfied by saying "I don't know." When you see something you can't quite identify you must approach the solution creatively, and the answers will be quite subjective. They reveal your beliefs, your culture, your inner fantasy life, or what's been on your mind. After all, all knowledge comes from experience, and experiences are all unique. This is why psychologists use abstract patterns in the Rorschach inkblot test (a load of hooey; don't worry; I'm not going to analyse you!).
I created animations of symbols that are very simple, almost like a letter or an ideogram, but that also have a kind of minimal plot. They are partially abstract, but also have some representational elements; these may be realistic or fantastic. I intend them to have enough clues to to spark some ideas, and yet be ambiguous enough to remain open to interpretation.
In terms of style, I know these are not masterpieces of drawing or animation. They are simple sketches that get the job done - to communicate the form, movement, and sound. In the 21st c. it is possible for an individual to create a multi-media project without making a huge production out of it. I am attracted to this rough & ready visual aesthetic.
This project also deals with fantasy. All scientific theories begin as a creative fiction in someones mind, only later are they graced with empirical truth. We all live our fantasy life to a great extent. When you watch this video you absorb a piece of my inner world. When you add your interpretation a loop of imagination is created, contributing to a cosmology of form and meaning.
Most importantly, "Perceival" is about the diversity of individual opinion. When subjective questions are debated in public the process must be democratic, and the consensus (if one emerges) will be a kind of group-think, a meeting of the minds, a printout of the social sphere. Before we make any more misguided attempts to export democracy around the globe we need to figure it out for ourselves. In order to understand it we must start with the basics, i.e. how to determine the answer to a question with no obvious objective answer. There are a few myths that need to be dispelled. Pure objectivity is a mental impossibility; people all live in their own fantasy worlds. But this is not necessarily a negative; all of the purposeful, concrete changes in the world, good and bad, originated as someones fantasy. The process of reaching consensus should be approached with a sense of humility rather than a false and arrogant belief in our own infallibility. "Perceival" is an exercise in this kind of democractic process in a world of fantasy, and is an attempt to dispel another myth about democracy - that it doesn't work.
Of course, these ideas are a bit far out. In the end, "Perceival" is just a bunch of simple animations which I hope you find enjoyable and thought-provoking.
For a short explanation of artwork I completed while developing Perceival, click here.
I'd love to hear your comments.
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