The Promised Land Project: Restoring Passion in Art: A Project Rooted in Crisis

Turning Vision into Action....at least hypothetically

Strike up the music of the band
We're blazing a trail for the promised land
Heaven on earth is within you.

Through the writing of stories, poetry, essays, and a novel, I’ve creatively contended with the consumer culture and the problem of the ideal in the modern era. This preoccupation in time would lead to a vision of cultural transformation and where I believe our democratic society needs to go to truly progress beyond the modern era. Conceding my limited credibility, this blog provides a synthesis of recognized visionaries, poets, and writers with the objective of making a credible argument. Ultimately, it is a certain feeling the project strives to inspire and sustain on a certain level, making more vital use of poetry and the arts; consequently whether one agrees or not is less important than whether one senses it and feels it over time.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Restoring Passion in Art: A Project Rooted in Crisis

“The cult of art reaches its end when it exists only for a precious handful of men and women. Then it is no longer art but the cipher language of a secret society for the propagation of meaningless individuality. Art is something which stirs men’s passions, which gives vision, lucidity, courage and faith.” -- Henry Miller

The above quote comes from Miller's book on The Time of the Assassins: a study of Rimbaud. First published in 1946, there'a a sense of urgency to the writings in the wake of two world wars and the dropping of the atomic bomb. Lamenting the state of poetry and inspired by the writings and life of French prodigy poet Arthur Rimbaud, Miller calls for greater vitality in art.

Rimbaud's visionary poetry also comes at a time of crisis and urgency: following France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, the society is at the brink of civil war with the rise of the revolutionary Paris Commune, and its subsequent violent suppression by government forces.

Miller's book and the writings of Rimbaud would stoke my imagination towards greater possibilties of art at another time of urgency and crisis in the winter of 2003: in the wake of terrorists attacks of September llth, 2001, the administration would take advantage of the public mood to build up towards a unilateral, preemptive attack towards a country completely unrelated to the terrorist attacks. With the administrations emphasis toward tax-cuts and military spending, I saw it as a guise towards the usurping of private wealth amidst public plunder, leaving the country less secure and bitterly divided. At the time, a nationwide chorous of poets would raise their voices in objection under the banner of "Poets Against the War."

After my initial vision in early 2002, my creative inspiration would strike a feverish pitch during that winter of 2003 in what would be my first attempt to get a handle on this vision and turn it into some kind of action. It would also be the beginning of many failures but I believe I learned something about the possibilities of art forged by the fires of passion.

These days I strike a more disppasionate tone as I've come to realize the importance of a proper framework to harness passion. As when we officially set out on this trail, I'll remind readers it's not so important that one understands or agrees with what I write. Writing about The Promised Land Project is like talking about a piano when you're trying to create music. Staying with this analogy, the project strives to create a kind of instrument in which poets and other artists can make a more vital kind of music.