31 octombrie 2012

Art vs. Science

Why does art exist? Who needs it? Indeed does anybody need it? These are questions asked not only by the poet, but also by anyone who appreciates art—or, in that current expression all too symptomatic of the twentieth-century relationship between art and its audience—the 'consumer'. In any case it is perfectly clear that the goal for all art—unless of course it is aimed at the 'consumer', like a saleable commodity—is to explain to the artist himself and to those around him what man lives for, what is the meaning of his existence. To explain to people the reason for their appearance on this planet; or if not to explain, at least to pose the question.
To start with the most general consideration, it is worth saying that the indisputably functional role of art lies in the idea of knowing, where the effect is expressed as shock, as catharsis. 
From the very moment when Eve ate the apple from the tree of knowledge, mankind was doomed to strive endlessly after the truth. First, as we know, Adam and Eve discovered they were naked. And they were ashamed. They were ashamed because they had understood; and then they set out on their way in the joy of knowing one another. That was the beginning of a journey that has no end.
One can understand how dramatic that moment was for those two souls, just emerged from the state of placid ignorance and thrown out into the vastness of the earth, hostile and inexplicable.
'With the sweat of thy brow shalt thou earn thy bread . . . ' So it was that man, 'nature's crown', arrived on the earth in order to know why it was that he had appeared or been sent. And with man's help the Creator comes to know himself. This progress has been given the name of evolution, and it is accompanied by the agonising process of human self-knowledge.

In a very real sense every individual experiences this process for himself as he comes to know life, himself, his aims. Of course each person uses the sum of knowledge accumulated by humanity, but all the same the experience of ethical, moral self-knowledge is the only aim in life for each person, and, subjectively, it is experienced each time as something new. Again and again man correlates himself with the world, racked with longing to acquire and become one with, the ideal which lies outside him, which he apprehends as some kind of intuitively sensed first principle. The unattainability of that becoming one, the inadequacy of his own I, is the perpetual source of man's dissatisfaction and pain.

And so art, like science, is a means of assimilating the world, an instrument for knowing it in the course of man's journey towards what is called 'absolute truth'.

That, however, is the end of any similarity between these two embodiments of the creative human spirit, in which man does not merely discover, but creates. For the moment it is far more important to note the divergence, the difference in principle, between the two forms of knowing: scientific and aesthetic.

By means of art man takes over reality through a subjective experience. In science man's knowledge of the world makes its way up an endless staircase and is successively replaced by new knowledge, with one discovery often enough being disproved by the next for the sake of a particular objective truth. An artistic discovery occurs each time as a new and unique image of the world, a hieroglyphic of absolute truth. It appears as a revelation, as a momentary, passionate wish to grasp intuitively and at a stroke all the laws of this world—its beauty and ugliness, its compassion and cruelty, its infinity and its limitations. The artist expresses these things by creating the image, sui generis detector of the absolute. Through the image is sustained an awareness of the infinite: the eternal within the finite, the spiritual within matter, the limitless given form. [...]
In order to be engaged in any scientific system a person has to avail himself of logical processes of thought, he has to achieve an understanding, which requires as its starting point a particular kind of education. Art addresses everybody, in the hope of making an impression, above all of being felt, of being the cause of an emotional trauma and being accepted, of winning people not by incontrovertible rational argument but through the spiritual energy with which the artist has charged the work. And the preparatory discipline it demands is not a scientific education but a particular spiritual lesson.

Art is born and takes hold wherever there is a timeless and insatiable longing for the spiritual, for the ideal: that longing which draws people to art. Modern art has taken a wrong turn in abandoning the search for the meaning of existence in order to affirm the value of the individual for its own sake. What purports to be art begins to look like an eccentric occupation for suspect characters who maintain that any personalised action is of intrinsic value simply as a display of self-will. But in artistic creation the personality does not assert itself, it serves another, higher and communal idea. The artist is always a servant, and is perpetually trying to pay for the gift that has been given to him as if by a miracle. Modern man, however, does not want to make any sacrifice, even though true affirmation of self can only be expressed in sacrifice. We are gradually forgetting about this, and at the same time, inevitably, losing all sense of our human calling. . . .[...] 
The only condition of fighting for the right to create is faith in your own vocation, readiness to serve, and refusal to compromise. Artistic creation demands of the artist that he 'perish utterly', in the full, tragic sense of those words. And so, if art carries within it a hieroglyphic of absolute truth, this will always be an image of the world, made manifest in the work once and for all time. And if cold, positivistic, scientific cognition of the world is like the ascent of an unending staircase, its artistic counterpoint suggests an endless system of spheres, each one perfect and contained within itself. One may complement or contradict another, but in no circumstances can they cancel each other out; on the contrary, they enrich one another, and accumulate to form an all-embracing sphere that grows out into infinity. These poetic revelations, each one valid and eternal, are evidence of man's capacity to recognise in whose image and likeness he is made, and to voice this recognition.
Moreover, the great function of art is communication, since mutual understanding is a force to unite people, and the spirit of communion is one of the most important aspects of artistic creativity. Works of art, unlike those of science, have no practical goals in any material sense. Art is a meta-language, with the help of which people try to communicate with one another; to impart information about themselves and assimilate the experience of others. Again, this has to do not with practical advantage but with realising the idea of love, the meaning of which is in sacrifice: the very antithesis of pragmatism. I simply cannot believe that an artist can ever work only for the sake of 'self-expression'. Self-expression is meaningless unless it meets with a response. For the sake of creating a spiritual bond with others it can only be an agonising process, one that involves no practical gain: ultimately, it is an act of sacrifice. But surely it cannot be worth the effort merely for the sake of hearing one's own echo?

Of course intuition plays a part in science as it does in art, and this might seem to be a common element in these contrasting modes of mastering reality. However, despite its great importance in each case, intuition is not at all the same phenomenon in poetic creativity as it is in scientific research.
Equally, the term understanding denotes quite different things in these two spheres of activity. Understanding in a scientific sense means agreement on a cerebral, logical level; it is an intellectual act akin to the process of proving a theorem.
Understanding an artistic image means an aesthetic acceptance of the beautiful, on an emotional or even supra-emotional level.
The scientist's intuition, even if it is like an illumination, an inspiration, will still always be a code standing for a logical deduction. It will mean that not all of the various readings based on the available information have been registered; they are being taken as read, held in the memory, not figuring as already processed data. In other words, knowledge of the law as pertaining in a certain area of science has allowed for some of the intermediate stages to be skipped.

And even though a scientific discovery may seem to be the result of inspiration, the inspiration of the scientist has nothing in common with that of the poet.
For the empirical process of intellectual cognition cannot explain how an artistic image comes into being—unique, indivisible, created and existing on some plane other than that of the intellect.
Here it is a question of agreeing on terminology.
In science, at the moment of discovery, logic is replaced by intuition. In art, as in religion, intuition is tantamount to conviction, to faith. It is a state of mind, not a way of thinking. Science is empirical, whereas the conception of images is governed by the dynamic of revelation. It's a question of sudden flashes of illumination — like scales falling from the eyes; not in relation to the parts, however, but to the whole, to the infinite, to what does not fit into conscious thought.
Art does not think logically, or formulate a logic of behaviour; it expresses its own postulate of faith. If in science it is possible to substantiate the truth of one's case and prove it logically to one's opponents, in art it is impossible to convince anyone that you are right if the created images have left him cold, if they have failed to win him with a newly discovered truth about the world and about man, if in fact, face to face with the work, he was simply bored.

And what are moments of illumination if not momentarily felt truth?
The meaning of religious truth is hope. Philosophy seeks the truth, defining the meaning of human activity, the limits of human reason, the meaning of existence, even when the philosopher reaches the conclusion that existence is senseless, and human effort—futile. The allotted function of art is not, as is often assumed, to put across ideas, to propagate thoughts, to serve as example. The aim of art is to prepare a person for death, to plough and harrow his soul, rendering it capable of turning to good. Touched by a masterpiece, a person begins to hear in himself that same call of truth which prompted the artist to his creative act. When a link is established between the work and its beholder, the latter experiences a sublime, purging trauma. Within that aura which unites masterpieces and audience, the best sides of our souls are made known, and we long for them to be freed. In those moments we recognise and discover ourselves, the unfathomable depths of our own potential, and the furthest reaches of our emotions.

extras din Sculpting in Time, Andrey Tarkovsky, Chapter II, Art - a yearning for an ideal 

28 octombrie 2012

Reklam! NDP 2012!

Dupa o pauza de 2 ani am ajuns din nou sa asist la o Noapte a Devoratorilor de Publicitate. Show-ul pastorit de Jean Marie Boursicot a revenit, ca in fiecare toamna, si la Timisoara, tot la Sala Capitol a Filarmonicii Banatul insa cu Teo in chip de maestru al ceremoniei. Lucru imbucurator pentru ca nu cunosc prezentatori mai placuti sa introduca un eveniment decat un stand-up comediant ca Teo. Nu e vorba de glume ci de felul degajat si usurinta cu care improvizeaza. Eu il vad destul de rar pe om asa ca ma amuz intrucat glumele lui nu mi se par rasuflate deloc. Nu stiu de ceilalti dar inclin sa cred ca simt la fel caci altfel n-ar fi ras si aplaudat cu atata pofta.

Revenind insa la reclame, vreo 290 de bucati (o cifra mai mica decat de obicei, caci in 2008 au fost vreo 400 iar in 2010 "doar" 320), am fost nevoit sa constat ca destul de putine mi-au satisfacut elanul devorator. Fie selectia a fost mai slaba decat m-as fi asteptat de la o eticheta ca "cele mai bune reclame" fie disponibilitatea lor la orice ora pe interneti si impartasirea lor prin retele sociale conduce la o oboseala a ideii si mesajului transmise. Adevarul a fost ca o mare parte din ele le cunosteam - ceea ce nu m-a deranjat chiar deloc - iar o parte, mai mica, ce-i drept, dar suficient ca sa n-o pot trece cu vederea, au fost efectiv dezamagitoare (ca sa nu folosesc un cuvant mai tare).

Prin urmare mi-au placut cele la masini, Audi avand una misto de inspiratie il clasico - rivalitatea Real-Barcelona - si una cu vampiri, iar VW ruland spoturile Darth Vader. Apoi, m-am bucurat de cele de la Young Director Award, Born to create drama si de seria creepy bunny de la Festivalul Anim'est. Foarte bune, clare, concise si surprinzatoare.

Dar, daca in alti ani exista macar o reclama la detergenti mentionabila pentru originalitate acum nu-mi amintesc nici una din ele. Poate din cauza ca toate erau din regiuni exotice, gen India sau Liban, si cam anoste. Iar din zona fashion mi-a placut doar Chanel cu Keira Knightly si una din seria Armani, parca cu Megan Fox. Serios, eu am nevoie de o poveste servita cu reclama, ca nu pot sa privesc glamour si fete frumoase bine imbracate pana amortesc. Adica pot, dar nu dupa ce am vazut niste regizori de film pusi pe facut spoturi. E clar ca se poate mai mult.

Am apreciat insa calupul cu spoturi de inspiratie Star Wars.. buna idee, nu pentru ca as fi fan al filmelor, ci pentru ca imi plac omagiile care vor sa creeze o relatie de complicitate intre autor si privitor, de genul "you know this as well as I do, don't you?"

Din motive de trezit devreme a doua zi, n-am ramas pana la final, plecand inainte de al 4-lea calup, asa ca sunt curios daca pe teme eco sau drepturile omului a (mai) fost ceva interesant. Ca altfel as fi nitel dezamagit. Nici bauturile alcoolice parca n-au avut prea multe spoturi.. imi amintesc unul singur la Budweiser, ceva cu prohibitia, destul de banal, si unul excelent la Johnny Walker - the rock giant. Rusii au avut si ei una interesanta la o vodka de care n-am auzit pana acum dar am uitat despre ce era exact vorba.

La capitolul 'dureri de cap' au castigat detasat reclamele japoneze si NU pentru ca se canta in ele ci pentru ca erau realmente infantile. Sunt destul de sigur ca si Japonia are o piata serioasa si normala de publicitate asa ca.. why the bashing!? E greu de crezut ca intr-un an doar acelea au fost demne de remarcat. 

Legat de spectacol trebuie adaugat ca in foaier/lobby s-a facut terapie cu bere de la Clinica de Bere. Pentru cine cunoaste. Lucru pe care l-am tratat cum se cuvine. Iar partenerul Flanco a montat xbox-uri pentru curiosi si un SmartTV pe care sa se joace lumea Angry Birds. N-am avut show de lasere sau concerte ca-n alti ani dar nu le-am simtit lipsa. Insa, intregul concept al NDV ar trebui cumva imbogatit in viitor pentru am indoieli ca oamenii vor continua sa plateasca bani pentru a vedea reclame in situatia in care:
1. nu avem o selectie a celor mai bune reclame dintr-un an si nici nu sunt puse intr-o competitie
2. sunt disponibile pe internet, gratuit, multe din ele fiind destinate acestui mediu, deci mai lungi, mai cinematice si mai putin probabile sa fie incluse intr-un show care pune pret pe diversitate.
3. lumea in general evita reclamele pe motiv ca, ehm, sunt "prea ocupati".


Mai jos sunt 4 reclame pe care nu le-am vazut pana aseara la NDP asa incat le sharuiesc:

una cu bitze


una cu caini:


una cu lupi


si una cu nachos:

Cam atat. Daca prindeti NDP in orasul vostru nu strica s-o vedeti. Iar biletul echivaleaza cu niste reduceri la Flanco asa ca aveti numai de castigat.

Ps: evenimentul a avut, cred, pt prima data "parteneri media" locali niste bloggeri, Ovi si Tomata, fapt care a insemnat ca toata seara palaria si scufita s-au perindat pe 'ecranul sponsorilor.' Asa se face branding...

Zero G

Am impresia tot mai puternica ca ce era mai bun in mine s-a cam dus deja. Consumat. Ca ce era mai frumos pe lumea asta am vazut deja. Ca oamenii cei mai inteligenti, cultivati, amuzanti i-am intalnit deja, ca birturile cele mai cochete le-am inchis deja, ca fetzele cele mai zambitoare le-am privit iar buzele cele mai calde si mai dulci le-am sarutat deja. Ca femeile cele mai dragi le-am imbratisat deja si le-am iubit deja si ne-am... dezbratisat deja. Ca muzica cea mai buna am ascultat-o deja iar filmele cele mai bune le-am vazut deja. 

Am impresia ca nimic nu ma va mai suprinde in continuare cu aceeasi intensitate caci ce era mai interesant mi s-a intamplat deja. Cele mai frumoase drumuri le-am batatorit deja, singur sau altfel, cele mai exotice locuri le-am vizitat deja iar cele mai apetisante mancaruri mi s-au servit deja, indiferent daca le-am gustat sau nu. In schimb cele mai fine bauturi m-au cunoscut deja, uneori mult prea bine. La fel si cele mai misto tigari. Le-am stins deja... 

Ma indoiesc ca cele mai bune carti le-as fi citit deja dar sunt sigur ca alte carti mai bune decat cele pe care le-am citit nu voi vedea. La fel, stiu ca cele mai naive ganduri le-am gandit deja iar cele mai articulate conversatii s-au produs deja.. De-acum incolo lucrurile pare-mi-se ca se vor degrada. Poate nu de maine sau poimaine, ori peste o saptamana, dar mult nu va mai dura pana s-o simt din ce in ce mai acut. 

Pentru ca anii cei mai buni simt ca mi i-am trait deja, viata a mai buna mi s-a derulat deja si traiesc deja cu impresia ca de-acum incolo nu va fi decat un regres continuu catre uratenie, amaraciune si dispret.

Poate e doar o impresie cauzata de atingerea si inchiderea voita a unor orizonturi; dar poate e un mic moment de luciditate. In clipa asta ma simt complet lipsit de greutate.. insa deloc usor.

24 octombrie 2012

Fabricate in Timisoara

In ultima vreme am tot fost intrebat ce se mai intampla prin Timisoara. Poftim deci:

* Plai, festivalul cel mai drag timisorenilor, aduce World Music Films on Tour in P-ta Libertatii, intre 25-27 octombrie. Vor fi o serie de documentare ce vor pune in fata ochilor diversitatea traditiilor muzicale din lumea asta proiectate pe un ecran de 9.5 metri, in aer liber si cu sonorizare pe masura. Sa vedem cat de bine sa muleaza P-ta Libertatii pe nevoile spectatorilor.

* PRbeta, un brand original timisorean, face pasul de la lectii la practica si de la conferinte la workshopuri. Incepand cu 30 octombrie, in 4 orase din tara vor avea loc sesiuni de cursuri practice pentru studentii de la PR, in cadrul carora acestia vor putea aplica ce-au invatat in facultate. Si, evident, se vor intalni cu oameni din companii sau firme de recrutare. Inscrierile pentru Timisoara s-au incheiat deja, acum aflandu-se in faza de intervievat studentii, dar mai sunt 3 orase: Cluj, Bucuresti si Iasi. Actiunea se anunta a fi o premiera nationala si se face cu sprijinul Romtelecom.

* Ctrl-D, o revista digitala timisoreana (dar cu acoperire nationala) care ofera in scop educational o multime de articole pe teme de design, development si digital a iesit in offline saptamana trecuta cu un training in Google Analytics la care au fost invitati bloggeri si alti onlineri. O intalnire relaxata si informala in care mi-am lamurit destul de multe lacune in privinta uneltelor de monitorizare. Acum urmeaza o noua descindere Ctrl-D, adresata 'dizainarilor', cu Behance Portfolio Reviews, in care Erik Erdőközi, in calitate de mentor va oferi feedback celor interesati pe portofoliile de design grafic si web. In 30 octombrie, Cafe D'arc, ora 15.

Destul de aglomerat zic. Si nici nu m-am atins de zona culturala: teatru, filarmonica, concerte etc..

16 octombrie 2012

Ma trainuiesc in Google Analytics


De cand am blogul asta am folosit tot felul de unelte de monitorizare a traficului: statcounter, trafic.ro, google analytics dar pe nicicare nu le-am cunoscut de-a fir a par, cu avantaje, dezavantaje sau diverse smecherii. Mi-am dat seama si singur ca Analytics-ul e cel mai complex tool dar mi-am prins urechile dincolo de simplele metrici cu vizitatorii si refereri sau sursele de trafic.

Acum, oamenii de la Ctrl-D, revista digitala specializata in design, development si digital, au conceput un training pentru bloggeri in care sa-i lamureasca ceva mai bine despre cum poate fi folosit Google Analytics-ul atat ca un sistem avansat de monitorizare a traficului cat si ca un puternic instrument de marketing, in caz ca vrei sa te promovezi prin diverse campanii si-apoi sa-ti masori reach-ul si influenta. Prin urmare, azi de la 18 ma duc in D'arc sa ma instruiesc cu Ionut Radu Munteanu, expert in web analytics, in analizarea corecta a datelor furnizate de platforma analytica. Ca sa fiu in control. Sau in Ctrl.

15 octombrie 2012

Realitatea lui Philip K. Dick

Am inceput sa citesc Philip K. Dick in liceu, acum vreo 17-18 ani, intr-o perioada in care detestam literatura obligatorie din scoala, cu exceptia poeziei, si cautam evadari in imaginatia celor mai influenti autori de SF. Visam cu alte cuvinte lumi viitoare, indiferent daca erau sau nu plauzibile, si nu suportam sa raman agatat de un prezent trist sau de-un trecut idilic. N-am gasit niciodata o atractie deosebita pentru viata taranului roman - sau a micului burghez, daca vreti - iar orice tema de la literatura era o corvoada de care nu stiam cum sa ma achit mai repede. Pur si simplu nu eram un om cu aplecare asupra trecutului si nu ma interesa valoarea artistica sau stilul scriitorilor romani. Acum stiu ca eram un dobitoc arogant dar atunci mi se parea o idee buna sa nu citesc altceva decat SF. De fapt, la fel cred si-acum. Nu vad cum as fi ajuns un om mai bun daca terminam Ciocoii vechi si noi.

Revenind la PKD, primul roman citit a fost Ubik, si sincer, mi-a facut creierii mei puberi cam praf. Pentru a avea o imagine mai plastica asupra lumii descrise de Dick voi mentiona cateva idei: telepati si anti-telepati, semi-viata si iluzia realitatii, corporatii care se spioneaza economic, suspensie criogenica si un personaj central, Joe Chip, care nu-si poate da seama daca el e viu si ceilalti morti sau invers. Urmatorul roman a fost Omul din castelul inalt, o istorie alternativa a secolului XX in care fortele Axei castigasera cel de-al doilea razboi mondial datorita asasinarii lui Roosevelt in 1933 si a incapacitatii SUA de a iesi din criza economica. Razboiul rece se purta asadar intre Al Treilea Reich si Japonia Imperialista. Dar realitatea este din nou pusa la indoiala de un roman obscur in care se pretinde ca de fapt fortele Axei au fost infrante. Asa ca, desi personajele cunosc faptul ca romanul e o fictiune, realitatile vietilor lor le confirma ca s-ar putea sa fie ceva adevar in el. Complexa si ambigua, Omul din castelul inalt e considerata capodopera lui Dick.

Pana acum o vreme nu am mai pus mana pe vreun roman de PKD, probabil si din cauza ca nu s-au mai publicat prea multe. De vreo cativa ani insa am reluat munca de asimilare a operei acestui autor devenit atat de popular la 30 de ani de la moartea sa (pana acum s-au ecranizat 10 romane sau povestiri, in filme ca Blade Runner, Total Recall, The Adjustment Bureau, Next, Paycheck, A Scanner Darkly sau Minority Report). Ca urmare am luat in maini Viseaza androizii oi electrice? - romanul adaptat in filmul Blade Runner - si am fost foarte surprins sa descoper cat de mult a fost lasat pe dinafara, atat din poveste cat si din personajul Decker: subplotul despre religia mercerismului care oferea o empatie colectiva indivizilor prin impartasirea suferintelor lui Mercer (un fel de sfant) cu ajutorul unor “aparate” interconecate sau cel al animalelor artificiale pe care le colectionau oamenii dat fiind ca cele reale nu mai existau sau erau foarte scumpe. Aceste elemente nu doar ca dau o imagine mai plastica lumii speculate de Dick insa il arata si pe erou ca fiind motivat si de altceva decat o obligatie materiala, anume de o dorinta de a evolua spiritual. Plus ca finalul filmului e o inventie marca Ridley Scott.

Au urmat Substanta M si Clanurile de pe Alpha, doua nuvele extraordinar de bizare, probabil cele de pe urma carora scriitorul si-a atras reputatia cretina ca ar fi un autor drogat. Da, poate ca a avut experiente cu diverse pilule si substante, la fel ca multi alti autori ai generatiei sale care incercau sa sparga “portile perceptiei”, dar asta nu-l face automat un junkie. In Substanta M (orig. A Scanner Darkly) un politist schizofrenic isi asuma o noua indentitate pentru a se infiltra intr-un grup de drogati si a da de urma unui puternic halucinogen iesit pe piata. Devine insa un consumator atat de aprig incat isi uita propria identitate si ajunge sa se supravegheze pe sine insusi. Paranoia si identitati fracturate pana la cer si inapoi. In Clanurile de pe Alpha un conflict, chipurile, intre pamanteni si niste colonisti lunari - revelati ca urmasii unor pacienti dintr-un azil care au evoluat in caste sau triburi dupa fiecare afectiune documentata - functioneaza ca purgativ emotional pentru autor dupa o perioada foarte neagra: nevasta internata in azil si dubii asupra propriei sale sanatati mentale.

Propria lui paranoia e foarte bine exemplificata si in Timpul dezarticulat, un roman in care personajul principal traieste intr-un orasel din California cu impresia tot mai acuta ca realitatea din jurul sau e o iluzie. In fiecare zi omul rezolva un puzzle publicat in presa locala, ajungand cea mai cunoscuta persoana din lume dar si singura care-si pune intrebarea daca lumea se intinde si dincolo de oraselul lor. Pana la urma se lamureste ca tot spectacolul e pentru persoana lui iar indaratul cortinei exista cineva cu tot interesul sa-l pastreze in joc pe termen indefinit. Filmul The Truman Show imprumuta grosolan din povestea asta fara sa-i atribuie recunoastere de paternitate.

Tot despre un joc si o atmosfera de paranoia este vorba si in Jucatorii de pe Titan, ultima carte de PKD pe care am citit-o. Jocul se cheama Cacealmaua si e un fel de monopoly & trombon jucat de ultimii supravietuitori de pe Terra. Cei mai multi dintre ei sunt proprietari de orase intregi, adunati in grupuri in interiorul carora isi joaca proprietatile pe baza de sansa si bluf. Intr-o singura noapte eroul principal isi pierde proprietatea preferata (Berkeley, CA), nevasta si, indirect, faciliteaza intrarea in grup a unui rival de pe coasta de Vest. E o lume cam prapadita in care putinii proprietari ramasi pot dormi unde au chef dar nu se pot casatori decat daca dau un zar de 3. Mai mult, sunt loviti si de o infertilitate care face ca orice noua sarcina sa fie anuntata la radio si sarbatorita worldwide. Intreaga poveste capata inertie in momentul in care Pete Garden, eroul cu tendinte auto-distructive, devine suspect in uciderea rivalului de pe coasta de Vest. Prezentand bucati de memorie lipsa, tipul are toate motivele sa banuie o conspiratie in spatele crimei, una in care sunt deopotriva implicati colegii de Joc, unele persoane cu puteri telepatice si niste creaturi citoplasmatice de pe Titan numite vogi, un fel de custozi ai ultimilor oameni in viata. Chiar si acestea au o placere in jucat Cacealmaua, astfel ca in curand Pete va trebui sa gaseasca o modalitate de a juca jocul impotriva unor adversari care pot citi gandurile. Pana atunci insa tipul va trece prin aceleasi obisnuite dubii privind natura realitatii percepute si a celei inchipuite.

Dupa cum se poate observa una din intrebarile si temele esentiale in opera lui PKD a fost tocmai “ce este realitatea?” si angoasa pe care o provoaca. E aproape la fel de adanc explorata ca celelalte problematici sf-iste: “ce inseamna sa fii om?” sau “cum arata viitorul?” insa aici imbraca o forma aproape autobiografica. Raspunsul pe care si (ni) l-a dat provine insa din cel mai mistic si spiritual roman al sau, VALIS: “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” Asta venind de la un om nascut prematur (cu 6 saptamani inainte de termen) a carui sora geamana a murit la o luna dupa nastere dar al carei spectru l-a urmarit intreaga viata intrucat parintii, nedandu-le sanse prea mari, au realizat o piatra funerara dubla cu numele si datele de nastere ale ambilor copii pe ea. Imaginati-va cum e sa mergi la propriul tau mormant tot restul vietii dar sa gasesti totusi forta sa scrii 30 de romane si 100 de povestiri.

13 octombrie 2012

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11 octombrie 2012

Pause for a reminder

what can i do to make you happy? she said. i remember it like it was yesterday. her voice, warm and clear, saying those words... the darkness and the smoke... the smell of spilled beer, indistinct perfumes and burnt cigarettes. in all my existence she was the first to ask me plainly that simple question. and, probably for that reason, I was completely unprepared to answer. I didn’t knew what to say... I didn’t knew what I needed.. now I know but then... I was numb. or so I remember... perhaps I was only too nervous to answer... afraid of being honest about what I needed from her. perhaps I didn’t thought her to be honest about it, thinking maybe it was just a joke.. like something you say to pull someone from his mind stroll.

what could she do to make me happy? back then a smile wouldn’t have been enough.. i’d seen her smile pretty often... I got used to that trick. it worked for awhile, but not anymore. a kiss would’ve had a more lasting effect... but without some emotional pledge to go with it would’ve been soon forgotten. maybe a stare would’ve worked.. o long gaze from those magnificent dark eyes straight into my own and right down the bottom of my shitty little soul... a gaze like the one I’d gave her and others all night, like an x-ray trying to pick-up hidden feelings, unwanted emotions or dangerous, cancerous thoughts.

i should’ve said to her: look at me. stare at me for 5 seconds... and then ask her if she really meant to make me happy for those 5 seconds... her answer would’ve been enlightening. like a death sentence. killing me and releasing me in the same time... yeah, it would’ve been a much more inspired proposition than the one I’ve actually uttered. the one that resulted in a handjob and one last round of beers, courtesy of my caring companion. what can I say... life’s full of empty bottles and ashtrays filled with happy regrets...

10 octombrie 2012

Ziua Portilor Deschise la Timisoreana


Cred ca un bautor de bere, fie el barbat sau femeie, trebuie sa cunoasca interiorul fabricii de bere din orasul sau. Pentru acest considerent e bine de stiut ca in weekend Fabrica de bere Timisoreana ("cea mai veche fabrica de bere de pe teritoriul de azi al Romaniei, infiintata de Principele Eugeniu de Savoya dupa ce i-a batut pe turci, fie-i numele in veci cinstit cu bere soldateasca!") isi deschide portile pentru vizitatori. Weekendul asta, 13 si 14 octombrie, putem arunca o privire in ungherele ei. Inscrierile se fac pe pagina lor de facebook, printr-o aplicatie special creata, sau la info line 031 417 85 60 (intre 09-18) pana maine, 11 oct. Hai, noroc si voie buna!

02 octombrie 2012

Ps-uri (XI)

As fi vrut ca povestioara noastra sa fi avut un happy end. Sau sa fi crescut intr-un roman aventuros. Din pacate n-a depasit stadiul de short-story cu final neasteptat din care, acum, la fiecare revizuire, mai elimin cate-un paragraf. Nu, nu din considerente stilistice. Doar ca, la fiecare noua recitire, lucrurile capata parca o noua perspectiva. Un gest al meu, o vorba a ta, un moment mai deosebit, toate apar intr-o lumina noua. Dar daca de propria-mi bucata de poveste pot fi sigur ca-mi reflecta cu adevarat starea sau gandurile de atunci, asupra rolului tau ma pierd in speculatii. E pura fictiune. De asta textul sufera atatea adnotari iar la final am lasat loc si de-o anexa. Pe undeva exista speranta ca va veni o vreme cand povestea va putea fi completata si cu versiunea ta. Ii va oferi un plus de savoare si o aura de echidistanta. Va obtine plinatate. Si, poate asta o va salva de la disparitia pe care ciopartelile mele i-o pregatesc.