Psychography

Psychography. What is it? It is all artistic activities in line, form and colour that seek to enframe a moment of the Protean psyche, the soul of post-modern man (and what a sickly “thing” that is these days). It is not interested in what the eye sees, but what the artist feels and intuits while visiting the worlds beyond the physical. It is surrealizing the natural world, finding the marvelous and mysterious “behind” it. The psyche acts as the living portal between the world-s.

In psychography, the picture’s natural colours should be altered; the picture turned all around to find where the most surreal angle lies. The ghastly faces and limbs of Spiritualism are not to be shunned, but encouraged. Automatism, as well as Salvador Dali’s critical paranoic technique, should actively be employed to derange/rearrange the world into a new one. For example, a cemetery landscape turned upside down with rearranged colours opens onto a whole new vista of perception. The term “psychography” itself, was coined as I imaginatively entered a psychograph of the intergalactic black lodge. Really. Surreally. Psychography. Indeed.

The strange juxtaposition of common objects can also liberate the mind and old antique shops are a treasure trove of new discoveries. All modern and ancient art should be devoured by the mind’s Cyclopean eye and then completely forgotten. The works of C.G. Jung, as opposed to the mere materialism of Sigmund Freud, may lend the artist a conceptual framework for their “captured” visions. The naming of each piece is extremely vital, as in the works of Duchamp, Magritte and Dali, for they may act as signposts for the sympathetic viewer.

In its’ later phase, Andre Breton wrote of the “occultism of Surrealism” and psychography is the newly found key. The works of Aleister Crowley and Kenneth Grant are alchemical gold mines of inspiration and I personally have a great number of pieces that suggest or seek to reveal the Mauve Zone.

As the cult of technology blinds the common man into buying an endless series of slightly improved technological toys, the psychographer is free to use any aspect of pseudo-sacred technology (high tech, low tech, no tech) as mirroring the psyche is the primary goal. The mere means are means to the numinous image. Man Ray did amazing things with now totally obsolete photographic equipment. His work clearly transcends the technology. Hans Arp dropped pieces of paper onto a backdrop to utilize chance. Pure chance is synchronicity. Utilize it. Stop talking about the myriad mutations of technology and create with it. Use it. Abuse it. Realize it. Surrealize it. Psychography. Indeed.

O. The NU Surrealist must fully play with & Wisely Understand both light & shadow.

I. The NU Surrealist must subvert the norm in any & every way conceivable.

II. The NU Surrealist must reify the dream.

III. The NU Surrealist is the Adversary of mundane awareness.

IV. The NU Surrealist must find the Marvellous in the mundane.

V. The NU Surrealist, using the electronic eye, must capture & therefore kill its’ artistic image-prey.

VI. The NU Surrealist seeks out strange & hideous Beauty.

VII. The NU Surrealist makes the real sur.

VIII. The NU Surrealist binds beautiful chaos to find its’ secret order.

IX. The NU Surrealist thus posits a NU reality.

X. The NU Surrealist, through the ever-hungry eye, devours its’ image-meal.

XI. The NU Surrealist adores the automaton & mannequin in order to bring them to life
(modern Pygmalions of art & magickal photography).

XII. The NU Surrealist makes the canny UN.
subvert, revert, pervert, distort, abort, contort – revere

XIII. The NU Surrealist is the UN-dead alchemical alembic; transforming human into Nu-man into NOT.

XIV. The NU Surrealist perceives & captures both sky & trees as ingresses or portals of NOT.

XV. The NU Surrealist is fascinated with the androgynous & hermaphroditic
(unabashedly bold desire of the NU sexuality).
Anything goes if all legal parties agree.

XVI. The NU Surrealist is not intimidated by the objectification of hirself.

XVII. The NU Surrealist trans-forms religion into art & art into religion.

XVIII. The NU Surrealist is both syncretic & synthesistic.

XIX. The NU Surrealist is a secret purveyor of natural & man-made landscapes.

XX. The NU Surrealist makes the dream real; the natural both super & UN.

XXI. The NU Surrealist is the Da’athly bridge between manifesting & NOT.