All after sketching chimneys,
factories, old houses, buildings,
and the old steel church trying to resist the rust of time
factories, old houses, buildings,
and the old steel church trying to resist the rust of time
Seems that this writer had again, gone nostalgic with his sketches featured in this writeup.
Influenced by both books and sightseeing, it's all but strange to invoke a dystopic world but at the same time paying tribute to a past that had been trying to invoke an aspiration gone failed by those who at the same time parroting the sentiment of many.
Or perhaps, revisiting his interest on steampunk, dieselpunk, yet in a different manner instead of cosplaying.
One may say that this sketch may deemed dystopic, science-fiction in its appearance such as having factories side by side with the San Sebastian Church. Yes, that aside from having a church made out of steel and others made out of concrete, of chimneys venting smoke, it invokes a near lost idea being spoken by the old and being read by those taking interest, that one would say about "industrialization" and a promise of "prosperity" during the latter days of the 19th and the early 20th century.
Another work, also based partially from his sight-seeings near San Sebastian church was remaking the logo of the famous liquor Jägermeister. Like the sketch from above, it featured the old steel church, factories, and some modern buildings that for this writer meant more than a "culture jamming" such as putting what comes from his mind into an existing logo.
Or simply because the deer depicted at the logo is also one of Bastê's symbols? Can be, but again for this writer one has to turn a commercialized symbol into a different one, a reaction to an established shit creeping over everyone's minds with labels from a bottle than thoughts from a book most despise; putting makabuhay, crown of thorns, and oak leaves into a wreath other than putting a background of familiar places this writer had sought and drawn.
Other than drawing old structures, this writer had drawn people from the past. Having a revisit seemed quite strange but it carries a significant value compared to present-day decadence. And obviously, this writer is quite thinking about a return to human values as part of ContemporAntiquity other than reforming traditional architecture and art. The works of Vann Molyvann and Victorio Edades didn't express the typical modernity as expressed by the decadent west, but rather it tries to invoke the deeply rooted heritage that means a revival of a lost idea leading to a revival of a "volksgemeinschaft" with high culture being popularised.
Yes, high culture that is contrary to the stereotypical. How come? If one had glorified the exploits of the rich, of seeing them dancing to the minuet, how about chivalry and respect to women? Of justice for the poor? When was the time knights had to observe their honor codes instead of glorifying their exploits? And women who, other than child bearing and family life had the right to get involved in communities as coequals of men? To the extent of bearing arms like Jeanne d' Arc and the legendary Urduja?
Or perhaps this writer is indeed "antimodern" (rather than conservative or traditionalist) to make those things, after seeing modern-day bullshit culture dominating, it had negated, if not damaged entirely the ideas and aspirations such as Thomas Jefferson using Voltaire's, and Rousseau's views to justify his stance as a slaveowner.
Personally, this writer may had appreciate Jefferson's idea regarding freedom as a founding father and maker of Declaration of Independence, so was Alexander Hamilton and his call for developing his America as a young nation. Being Antimodern, in this writer's point of view had not just meant to reject the modern world, but rather to counter it, in s way modernizing an existing domestic culture as a means to counter wholesale westernization being espoused by the present social order; Soviet Russia, then-Maoist China, or Khomeiniite Iran had done the idea of creating a new culture by modernizing existing domestic ones same as formulating new that invokes a growing, progressive folk; yes, they are creating back then a progressive but deeply rooted Volksgemeinschaft, with new morality that tends to counter modern decadence that until today continues to creep the mindsets of everyone.
After all, as Mao Zedong said:
Revolutionary culture is a powerful revolutionary weapon for the broad masses of the people. It prepares the ground ideologically before the revolution comes and is an important, indeed essential, fighting front in the general revolutionary front during the revolution.
- "On New Democracy" (January 1940), Selected Works, Vol. II, p. 382.
All our literature and art are for the masses of the people, and in the first place for the workers, peasants and soldiers; they are created for the workers, peasants and soldiers and are for their use.
- "Talks at the Yenan Forum on Literature and Art" (May 1942), Selected Works, Vol. III, p. 84.
In other words, contributing in making a culture that is Revolutionary, and being Antimodern also meant Revolutionary (as contrary to the typical one that is reactionary).
Usually, in making those works, these were accompanied by some industrial music, if not punk rock or metal. The music being played tends to convey a sense that is contrary to what mainstream radio, or TV, or the internet conveyed much all the time; Being rebellious against the so-called order also adds some passion enough in those pencil'ed works given, knowing that those works are made as a reaction to what he sought and think all as but contrary to the aspirations people wanted to see. Yes, they wanted modernity, they wanted progress, low cost of goods and services, but instead, the system provided them illusions, canned ones being peddled whilst those on high had afford the so-called richness of a culture that is pleasing.
That, again made others, including this writer turned anything into a tool of struggle, particularly from the have not against the ruling nonsense. Yes, the factories, old edifices being drawn in that barren sheets of paper invoke the promises of the laboring people that the future belongs to those who had worked in it, not on those who took pride yet not participating directly in their hardship, nor sharing its profits equitably, and worse, firing without any consideration the so-called makers of history.
So were the others that depict science, industry with its creators becoming deities of a society man idealize yet difficult to create everything all despite having factories, technology, conquering space and attempts to use energy both war and peaceful purposes. ContemporAntiquity, as it bridges the goodness of the archaic and of the present tends to realize aspirations creatively and realistically as contrary to those stressing merely figments of imagination guised as "Idealism." The Atomic Bomb, or even the rocketship isn't created out of a certain dream but of countless research, all collected from the pasts and putting it into action thanks to those who steadfastly adhere to its fulfillment.
Sadly, present-day institutions cared about exploiting science for their own benefit instead of everyone; they may afford to brag about their idealism as a driving factor in fulfilling what scientists, and laborers had shown to the people; but exploiters are indeed exploiters in exploiting those who had created "good things" and turning it into decadent ones devoid of its primary objective. Atomic energy of the past isn't even made primarily to support the Atomic bomb, but also to create a clean energy, but institutions whom caring about their privilege of exploiting it had to stop those who had took research and willing to use it for peaceful purposes. Iran had been deemed as pariah by the west for taking research on Atomic energy, but come to think of this: is Atomic energy meant making an atomic bomb? How about those who are willing to utilize that said energy for peaceful purposes? Is the west should be the one who afford to use such advanced ones including Atomic energy? Making those kind of research is useless without putting it into practise, so were the efforts in utilizing other safer forms of the present such as Wind, Solar, or Tidal energy to break dependency on oil.
And again, these are forms of struggle to counter the prevailing nonsense as everyone had sought and felt unto it. These would say all at first products of imagination and extensive research and development of the past with mankind trying to control over nature by various means with the support of continuous mindwork trying to bridge the past and the present ideas, both classical and modern, whether in the form of music, art, sciences, everything contributive to the material and spiritual wealth of humanity as a whole.
And in trying to understand human nature rationally alongside the willingness to create changes, it takes time to create something to counter upon; if Greed is good, as well as selfishness, then how come according to man's conscience it is morally wrong? It's not because of a being called god, but also according to Man's quest for survival. In a way Animals had valued mutual aid as contrary to what being said by mainstream media of intense competition, and sorry to use Kropotin's, for he mentioned that cooperation and struggle, rather than greed and selfishness, as a feature of the most advanced organisms (e.g., ants among insects, mammals among vertebrates) leading to the development of the highest intelligence and bodily organization.
Yet still most what being sought by many are rather end up made by those who had dictate policies and thus creating a distorted view that is, nearly meaningless. Again, what is artistic, scientific, anything that is made extensively by research or creativity caters to the few whilst the rest had to get contented in a canned, or a distorted one more of aesthetics and less in reason."
That somehow made this writer, or others took the challenge of breaking the cycle and making what was for the few accessible to many. Of what is real, rather than illusion has to be sought after! People had been longing and making a progressive but deeply rooted Volksgemeinschaft for their moral, material, and spiritual wealth and developing their full capacity as a living whole.
***
Admittingly speaking, it is easier to convey what comes through the mind through sketching than writing; that during the past few months, or perhaps even years, this writer, other than having some research work involving history, architecture, visual art and literature, had spent time sketching what comes from his experiences; that with his experiences in seeing the flour silos of Pasig, the old houses mostly dilapidated by time and social negligence, the old Magnolia ice cream plant and the steel church of San Sebastian in Manila had brought into his eyes the aspirations that had been forgotten by many as most had chose the facades of consumerism.
Sorry to those who had satisfied with what goes on today such as prefering malls than strolling in the gardens, working just to have an income than to remold one's self and enjoy with its own contributions, or let's just simply say "to live only to work just to live" that justifies life as all but a vicious cycle of survival, a sickening truth that humanity compels to observe.
Yes, and with that kind of dictum lies consumerism all in the form of shopping centers like those of Mall of Asia, as well as high rise buildings bereft of significance other than what is usually shown in the tarpaulin.
This writer may had been on those places, specifically stay at specialty stores selling mostly books and of course, buying what comes from his budget fit to buy. However, since most people of today had gone into the vicious cycle that reduces its thought into a figment of imagination, even treating the place itself as a "air con" with themselves spending time loitering and endure the air-conditioned breeze given; and somehow for this writer ought to think that "since they themselves speak much of hard work, why not stress much of production than these? Aren't they tired of just consuming for the sake of extravagance? If government officials speak much of development, why not from the start planned, self-sufficient communities instead of seeing a "prime-lot" hungry private sector afford to exploit and see an urbanized mess such as today?
Quezon city for example, planned during the Commonwealth period as the Philippines' centre of governance and a showcase of development, was also a place for lower class Filipinos, with gardens, medium-rise flats, even factories and other establishments trying to stimulate the progress then conceived as an aspiration of many; but again, like any other writeups this writer made, the plan had been disregard much and instead everyone sought a "development" that is, in fact a mess. Yes, a mess that is a hodge-podge of corruption, extravagance, illusion, anything officials tend to hide, if not to justify it as "progress."
Progress? Again, like any other critics sensing the cesspool of the present, are these called progress? In its facade, yes; but merely to keep the stench of degeneracy that is consistently creeping over thanks to the present order. The shantytowns are itself the realities behind the high rise buildings; that those who had reside in its crampy, ill-made structures are also the ones who had wielded the steel girders, mixing mortar, placing glass panels and painting, putting granite and any other shit just to create an eye candy for a promising investor. "an imitation of the past without capturing the spirit of the past or present" as one article said.
And if time comes, they ought to be taken over from those who had brought illusion into their very own eyes, and with all their aspirations one after another comes a city conceived for the future!
***
When was the time people had seriously, and steadfastly invoke something different only to be given an unjust skepticism or perhaps, persecution? Rizal's dream of a "New Calamba" at North Borneo had been rejected simply because it was "too progressive" and may result to the loss of forced laborers rendering corvee labor (contrary to Rizal's dream of a community of free laborers); so is the neoliberal-oriented republic that had overturned national industrialization simply because it is "passe" in favor of submitting in the so-called "international standards" of free trade.
Or if there is, limited to assembly line and consumer goods, small and medium scale all for export and not for consumption; thinking that the iron, copper, manganese being mined from the mountains of Mindanao and Luzon aren't even used to make steel in its own backyard while everyone afford to buy sachets of shampoo made in a factory those address is at UN Ave. Manila!
The system had tried to mimic those of industrialized nations and promoting a patriotic, scientific culture yet as they submit to the so-called "international standards" it had to give up most, if not all and say that anything goes to international capital than production; old familiar houses and structures gone demolished, others end suffered by weathering and negligence, and people chose to give up their sanities as they chose to join in a vicious cycle "in order to live" as one person may out to say.
That somehow would say stranger than those who been deemed weird for resisting, and making an alternative to their stupidities.
To Claro M. Recto, Egor Letov, Joma Sison and Eduard Limonov