Philip Glass has long been a favorite composer. I've been following his work and career since his opera of Einstein on the Beach.
In 1977 David Bowie released "HEROES" the second in his Berlin Trilogy series (the first being LOW). It was a ground breaking album that was co-written by Brian Eno and featured some guitar work by King Crimson's Robert Fripp. An amazing conceptual work overall.
Here Philip Glass has covered that album or perhaps more accurately used those musical ideas to re-compose the music into a symphony as only Glass could do. Featuring many of Glass' signature motifs (repeating phrases etc). It really is a work of art in itself. And this is the way I like to see covers done - re-imagined with respect and reverence to the original. As I've said before faithful covers/copies are not of any interest to me as I suspect you've noticed by now.
Enjoy this title track from the "HEROES" Symphony by Philip Glass from the music of David Bowie and Brian Eno.
A bit of trivia: the live Bowie version below features guitar work of Ohio native and future (80's era) King Crimson Alumn Adrian Belew.
The virtue of looking back thru old files. In todays example files from 2018. I remember when I took these two photos I was intriqued by what had happened to the glass of this automobile. We are used to glass cracking, breaking and shattering but this glass seemed to be in a slow-motion movement of decay. I've paired each image from a song from Philip Glass' SONGS FROM LIQUID DAYS. When I listen to the music while staring at the photo - it generates a deep level of emotion and imagination in me. I hope you enjoy them as well.
Glassworks 2: Morphing and Changing Opinion
Glassworks 1: At the intersection of an interdimensional portal – it’s time to “Open The Kingdom”
Todays post features the work of Performance Artist Yoann Bourgeois. His work continues to mesmerize me and keep me in thrall. This video of a work titled Passants (passers) looks at the life cycle and beautifully illustrates the passing of each generation - as one generation is ending another is beginning. It also visually describes a human life in motion even when it appears to stop. Music is by Phillip Glass played by Kronos Quartet with its kinetic repetitive motifs is perfect for this performance. Enjoy the magic, the wonder, the beauty of this performance. (fyi there is an introduction in french since this live performance was broadcast on French television.)
The "curtain call" itself is a work of performance art. Simply amazing! Enjoy!
If you liked the video above ... here are a couple more featuring the amazing work of Yoann Bourgeois.
I’ve been diggin’ the opera Akhnaten (again) by Philip Glass. Probably my all-time favorite of his opera’s. Enjoy this duet between Akhnaten and Nefertiti.
THE ENOCH CODEX
I have long been interested in language. The written and spoken word are abstractions of ideas. Spoken it is a “performance” but when “written” becomes “law”…. To get back to the original idea we must often deconstruct language. Irreverence is the highest form of art. Even language has a life cycle 🙂
Enjoy this…the music of Philip Glass from SYMPHONY NO. 5.
Track#3 – “The Creation Of Sentient Beings”
The image above is another work using my “visual glossolalia” approach to creating digital art. It is comprised of the text from seven different photos of signs etc. Added a couple of texture layers for effect.
About the Title. A codex is simply a book that was written on wood or papyrus etc – in a world before paper. Often a codex is affiliated with ancient and “dead” languages from which a code/law is documented. Who is Enoch? The first disappearing act in history?
Enoch walked with GOD; then he was no more, for God took him. ~ Genesis 5:24 (JPS)
It’s interesting that in these early accounts of lineage in the bible all other descendants of Adam are listed as having “died”. Only Enoch is listed as “was no more…for God took him.”
There are other stories of “magical” disappearances like the later story of Elijah(Eliyahu) in 2 Kings 2:11, “Eliyahu went up into heaven in a whirlwind.” and even the ascension of Jesus (Yeshua) in Mark 16:19, “So then, after he had spoken to them, the Lord Yeshua was taken up into heaven and sat at the right hand of God.” It may be loosely related to the story in acts of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:39) where “the spirit of the lord snatched Philip away.”
All these disappearances in the Bible. But Enoch was the first. What happens when the meaning of text disappears and all that is left is the text itself? Can it still be understood? Is one meaning replaced with another? And when this happens how can we be sure of the right meaning? This is something that also happens with translation where the meaning of something is changed when the language is changed from one cultural context to another.
What do you think?
“Language is a virus from outer space.” ~ William S Burroughs
... on being and becoming ... 