The Origins of Art and Magic
I wanted to make a movie about the origins of art and magic, but never did because my time doing video stuff wasn't very long. I did video stuff night'n'day then I got too feeble rather quickly. When I started out I immediately began teaching children how to make little animation pieces since it was fun and parents have cameras sitting in closets that they never think to let children use. I don't quite get why -- techno stuff gets outdated long before it wears out, most adults have but a brief obsession with the camera, and children don't seem to break things any more than anyone else. But I digress...
Because I saw that the origins of art and magic are obvious and in front of us, I wanted to do that, but as I never did I'll make a short quickie blog version.
When I was a child I would lie in bed and look at the ceiling, and see various things in the stains and shadows -- like all children. I don't think we ever outgrow that ability to see things, but I think perhaps some people squash that tendency as it is considered bad. "Seeing things," or "distorting reality" are considered symptoms of being a nutball. I suppose if you are able to understand what's going on, and control the process you are PRESTO! an artist. If it happens and you have no understanding or control you are PRESTO! a basket case. The ability to see things-in-things might vary according to the activeness of the imagination, perhaps.
I'm always amazed at how incredibly detailed and sensitive these images are. And how insistent. I painted a cupboard with an abstract design many years ago, and one little area immediately became a little dog's face. I see the little dog's face every day. Now it's become Con's Frida, which is weird.
I see humans sitting in a cave and one person sees a little sqiggly crack as the head of an elk. She points it out to someone else. The other one doesn't see it. The first one takes a bit of charcoal and adds a bit more onto the line... "Hey! Now I see it! " There's another crack that looks like an animal's foreleg. The first one shows the second one and the second one sees it. THAT'S magic -- the crack has been transformed into the foreleg of an animal, by the first person, who obviously is very powerful. It was nothing, then PRESTO it became a foreleg.

10-5-06 I should be careful of leaving draughts as apparently I never go back and finish.