Shahree Vyaas's Blog, page 21

The psycho-historical character of Venice

This canvas (mixed technics on canvas 90 x 90 cm) is a derivate from the psycho-historical map of Venice. The kaleidoscopic perspective allowed me to distillate from the map the intrinsic characteristics of its psycho-historical vibes.

Every city has a unique psycho-historical character that reflects its collective memory, culture, and identity. Its architecture, landmarks, streets, and neighborhoods shape its aura and sense of place. A city’s traumas, victories, and transformations are imprinted in its psyche, creating a complex tapestry of emotions and meanings. Understanding the psycho historical character of a city can help us appreciate its nuances, conflicts, and potentials, and foster a deeper connection between its residents and visitors. It also invites us to reflect on the social and environmental factors that shape our urban experience and shape our future cities.
Emotional atmospheres exist constantly and everywhere. Every gathering, even if it is no more than a crowd on the street, is dominated by some sentiment. The emotional atmospheres of a city can be mysterious or specific, incomplete, or complete. They belong to the present and/or the past, and/or the future. They can be fluid or more solid, temporary, or more enduring. Affects can be, and are, attached to things, people, ideas, sensations, relations, activities, ambitions, institutions, and any number of other things, including other affects.
The character of a city is a collection of moments that encompass a range of emotions and events. From the exciting to the heartbreaking, spiritual to adventurous, all these moments come together to form the colorful tapestry of its timeline. Whether its habitants experience happiness or sadness, each piece contributes to the overall mosaic of its psycho-historical map. And while each piece may seem small and insignificant on its own, when seen from a kaleidoscopically perspective, they create a beautiful and unique picture that reflects what it is and the journey it undertakes.

Civilization and Cosmos. Part 10: Neptune

In this post I want you to bring part 10 of my latest project (for those who missed out on part 1, more info at the bottom of this post). If you want to hear the audio, just click on the image (duration 135 sec).

Neptune. Mixed technics on canvas 45 x 45 cm by Shaharee Vyaas (2023). Collection Civilization and Cosmos part 10

The great Green Tsar (by Pushkin?)

In Dystopia issued a mighty tsar
A solemn birth-control decree:
The country, plagued by famine and by war
Overpopulated by way too far
was to heed a one-child policy.
He calculated the amount of fertile ground
his country disposed of all year round:
he increased the farms with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many fruit-bearing trees;
Restored the forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greeneries.

But oh! that practical chasm which slanted
People from the grey cities towards the farms´ cloister!
A savage place! Drudgery and descanted
As ever beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon-lover!
And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,
As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing,
A mighty reform momentum was forced:
Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst
Huge fragments said Neptune hail,
Or chaffy grain beneath the threshers´ flail:
And ‘mid these dancing rocks at once and ever
It flung up momently the sacred river.
Five miles meandering with a mazy motion
Through wood and dale the sacred river ran,
Then reached the caverns measureless to man,
And sank in tumult into Neptune’s´ ocean:
And ‘mid this tumult, Dystopia heard from far
Ancestral voices prophesying war!
The shadow of the dome of pleasure
Floated midway on the waves;
Where was heard the mingled measure
From the fountain and the caves.
Neptune forged a sound advice,
And sent it from his caves of ice.

A god with a three-pronged spear
Was the vision they saw:
It was Neptune in battle gear,
And with his trident he displayed,
The fleet of mighty Mythopia.
And he sang to them
His symphony and song,
“It would my delight to humble them”
With music loud and long,
They build that fleet with flair,
Dystopias´ fleet, wrought in those caves of ice!
And all who heard should see them there,
And all should cry, Beware! Beware!
Their flashing planes, their floating heir!
Weave a circle around stagnation,
And fill their enemies with holy dread,
For Neptune has Dystopia fed,
with the inspiration of acceleration

My latest project concerns itself with a multimedia installation that consists of a rotating rhombicuboctahedron that is suspended in a magnetic field. The twelve square faces of the rhombicuboctahedron are carrying an image that represents the mythological aspects of the main celestial bodies that make our planetary system. While the installation makes every two minutes a turn to bring another planet in focus, a melody is played that consists of a classical music tune that is derived from the electromagnetic waves emitted by this particular celestial body mixed with a poem that refers to a specific phase that occurs in every civilization cycle with a reference to the classic European mythology that backs it up. The installation measures about 3 meters over 3 meter. The concept of this installation is founded upon the idea of how the cyclical nature of a multitude of phenomena mirrors circulatory cosmological and biological patterns.

Civilization and Cosmos. Part 9: Uranus

In this post I want you to bring part 9 of my latest project (for those who missed out on part 1, more info at the bottom of this post). If you want to hear the audio, just click on the image (duration 125 sec).

Uranus. Mixed technics on canvas 45 x 45 cm by Shaharee Vyaas (2023). Collection Civilization and Cosmos part 9

Hyperion by Keats

Just at the self-same beat of Times´ wide wings
And Saturn gained alone that sad place
Where Cybele and the bruised Titans mourn
Uranus slid into the rustled air,
His voice leapt out, despite of godlike curb,
To this result:, “O dreams of day and night!
“Saturn is fallen, am I too to fall?
“I cannot see—but darkness, death and darkness
“Over the fiery frontier of my realms
“I will advance a terrible right arm
“Shall scare that infant thunderer Mythopia,
The sky is mine to behold, no human shall intrude
Your human-carrying candles I will burn.
End your wars, restore the earth
before you start groping, for the mighty stars.

My latest project concerns itself with a multimedia installation that consists of a rotating rhombicuboctahedron that is suspended in a magnetic field. The twelve square faces of the rhombicuboctahedron are carrying an image that represents the mythological aspects of the main celestial bodies that make our planetary system. While the installation makes every two minutes a turn to bring another planet in focus, a melody is played that consists of a classical music tune that is derived from the electromagnetic waves emitted by this particular celestial body mixed with a poem that refers to a specific phase that occurs in every civilization cycle with a reference to the classic European mythology that backs it up. The installation measures about 3 meters over 3 meter. The concept of this installation is founded upon the idea of how the cyclical nature of a multitude of phenomena mirrors circulatory cosmological and biological patterns.

To woke or not to woke: that’s the question

It is important to acknowledge and confront oppressive systems in society in order to advocate for equality and opportunity. However, it is not productive to engage in overly-vigilant or reactionary behavior, such as calling out perceived instances of cultural appropriation without understanding the context, or tearing down individuals who are seen as oppressors without working towards constructive solutions. It is crucial to uplift marginalized communities while also striving for understanding and dialogue to create a more just and equitable society.

I want to be open-minded and engaged. I want to be informed and passionate. I want to be an advocate and a human being beyond political issues. I don’t want to rewrite history or censor the works of Dahl, Dickens, Stowe, Twain, Hemmingway, and many others in order to make them fit into my perception of fairness and right (or left, whatever).

Censorship has been of all ages. The most creepy kind of censorship is the one that climbs into the heads of artists and make them consider if their works or opinions are in line with what the contemporary moral crusaders preach.

Maybe we can broaden the definition of “woke” to include characteristics from both sides of the political spectrum, but until then I remain contently un-woke

Venice: A Psycho-Historical Map

The artwork “Venice: A psycho-historical Map” (mixed technics on canvas 90 x 90 cm) invites people not to obey existing opinions and common stories about Venice, but to slip away and with confidence listen to their own feelings and play with the city’s atmospheres. It’s concept is based upon the premise that cities have psycho-historical contours, with constant streams of movement, fixed points and fixed angles, which discourage entry or exit from certain zones. The contemporary island of Venice exists in a state of duality, bridging the gap between two pandemics – the Plague and Covid.

Civilization and Cosmos. Part 8: Saturn

In this post I want you to bring part 8 of my latest project (for those who missed out on part 1, more info at the bottom of this post). If you want to hear the audio, just click on the image (duration 110 sec).

Saturn. Mixed technics on canvas 45 x 45 cm by Shaharee Vyaas (2023). Collection Civilization and Cosmos part 8

Saturn´s children

Saturn´s favorites are vicious, dry and old,
Envious, weary, wretched, cold.
Deep eyes, hard skin, their beards are small.
They’re lame, misshapen, depraved withal.
Traitorous, brooding, greedy, pale,
They often find themselves in jail.
They grub the dirt, dig graves, plow land,
In foul and stinking clothes they stand.
Condemned to die or live in sorrow,
Sweat and strain, or trouble borrow,
Always in need, never free,
instruments of greed , you see.
They are born for battle and for strife
Like some caged eagle frets in peaceful life;
So they frocked as Dystopia afar
Ignored their sway and went to war.
And in the ruined trenches, lashed with rain,
Dreamed soldiers of games, with balls and bats,
And mocked by hopeless longing to regain
Bank-holidays, and pictures shows, and spats,
And going to the office in the train.

My latest project concerns itself with a multimedia installation that consists of a rotating rhombicuboctahedron that is suspended in a magnetic field. The twelve square faces of the rhombicuboctahedron are carrying an image that represents the mythological aspects of the main celestial bodies that make our planetary system. While the installation makes every two minutes a turn to bring another planet in focus, a melody is played that consists of a classical music tune that is derived from the electromagnetic waves emitted by this particular celestial body mixed with a poem that refers to a specific phase that occurs in every civilization cycle with a reference to the classic European mythology that backs it up. The installation measures about 3 meters over 3 meter. The concept of this installation is founded upon the idea of how the cyclical nature of a multitude of phenomena mirrors circulatory cosmological and biological patterns

Civilization and Cosmos. Part 7: Jupiter

In this post I want you to bring part 7 of my latest project (for those who missed out on part 1, more info at the bottom of this post). If you want to hear the audio, just click on the image (duration 156 sec).

Jupiter. Mixed technics on canvas 45 x 45 cm by Shaharee Vyaas (2023). Collection Civilization and Cosmos part 7

Soft breathes the air
Mild, and meadowy, as we mount further
Where rippled radiance rolls about us
Moved with music – measureless the waves’
Joy and jubilee. It is JOVE’s orbit,
Filled and festal, faster turning
With arc ampler. From the Isles of Tin
Tyrian traders, in trouble steering
Came with his cargoes; the Cornish treasure
That his ray ripens. Of wrath ended
And woes mended, of winter passed
And guilt forgiven, and good fortune
Jove is master; and of jocund revel,
Laughter of ladies. The lion-hearted,
The myriad-minded, men like the gods,
Helps and heroes, helms of nations
Just and gentle, are Jove’s children,
Work his wonders. On his white forehead
Calm and kingly, no care darkens
Nor wrath wrinkles: but righteous power
And leisure and largess their loose splendors
Have wrapped around him—a rich mantle
Of ease and empire, justice far beyond

My latest project concerns itself with a multimedia installation that consists of a rotating rhombicuboctahedron that is suspended in a magnetic field. The twelve square faces of the rhombicuboctahedron are carrying an image that represents the mythological aspects of the main celestial bodies that make our planetary system. While the installation makes every two minutes a turn to bring another planet in focus, a melody is played that consists of a classical music tune that is derived from the electromagnetic waves emitted by this particular celestial body mixed with a poem that refers to a specific phase that occurs in every civilization cycle with a reference to the classic European mythology that backs it up. The installation measures about 3 meters over 3 meter. The concept of this installation is founded upon the idea of how the cyclical nature of a multitude of phenomena mirrors circulatory cosmological and biological patterns

Civilization and Cosmos. Part 6: Ceres

In this post I want you to bring part 6 of my latest project (for those who missed out on part 1, more info at the bottom of this post). If you want to hear the audio, just click on the image (duration sec).

Ceres. Mixed technics on canvas 45 x 45 cm by Shaharee Vyaas (2023). Collection Civilization and Cosmos part 6

The Complaint Of Ceres by Friedrich von Schiller

Does pleasant spring return once more?
Does earth her happy youth regain?
Sweet suns green hills are shining o’er;
Soft brooklets burst their icy chain:
Upon the blue translucent river
Laughs down an all-unclouded day,
The winged west winds gently quiver,
The buds are bursting from the spray;
While birds are blithe on every tree;
The Oread from the mountain-shore
Sighs, “Lo! thy flowers come back to thee–
Thy child, sad mother, comes no more!”

Joy to ye children of the field!
Whose life each coming year renews,
To your sweet cups the heaven shall yield
The purest of its nectar-dews!
Steeped in the light’s resplendent streams,
The hues that streak the Iris-bow
Shall trim your blooms as with the beams
The looks of young Aurora know.
The budding life of happy spring,
The yellow autumn’s faded leaf,
Alike to gentle hearts shall bring
The symbols of my joy and grief.

My latest project concerns itself with a multimedia installation that consists of a rotating rhombicuboctahedron that is suspended in a magnetic field. The twelve square faces of the rhombicuboctahedron are carrying an image that represents the mythological aspects of the main celestial bodies that make our planetary system. While the installation makes every two minutes a turn to bring another planet in focus, a melody is played that consists of a classical music tune that is derived from the electromagnetic waves emitted by this particular celestial body mixed with a poem that refers to a specific phase that occurs in every civilization cycle with a reference to the classic European mythology that backs it up. The installation measures about 3 meters over 3 meter. The concept of this installation is founded upon the idea of how the cyclical nature of a multitude of phenomena mirrors circulatory cosmological and biological patterns

The Hare, the Fox, and the Human.

The hare, the fox, and the human are all part of an intertwined yet paradoxical cycle of connectedness. Fox and hare, human and balance, enlightenment and infinity, sunyata and sea—all flow together in the never-ending adventure that is life. Love, death, nature, and the planets weave a journey of transcendence, synchronicity, and depths to offer a surrealist experience beyond the boundaries of the mind and brain.

The Hare, the Fox, and the Human. Mixed technics 3 canvasses 50 x 50 x 3 cm by Shaharee Vyaas ( April, 2023)

Civilization and Cosmos. Part 5: Mars

In this post I want you to bring part 5 of my latest project (for those who missed out on part 1, more info at the bottom of this post). If you want to hear the audio, just click on the image (duration 115 sec).

Mars. Mixed technics on canvas 45 x 45 cm by Shaharee Vyaas (2023). Collection Civilization and Cosmos part 5

(Cato, de Agricultura, CXLI)
Mythopia prayed to welcome Mars,
God of Farming, God of Wars,
Begging with a desperate litany,
To deliver them from misery,
to be gracious and merciful to them,
their houses, and their households…and that he will allow
their harvests, their grain, and their plantations to regrow
and to come to good issue, restore their wealth,
return their flocks and shepherds to good health.
And Mars then said them to repent,
They´ll have to build a monument,

A dam to guide the river´s flow,
thus restraining her great force,
to install swirling blades below
feeding powerlines in due course.
To provide the farms with irrigation stream
To grow crops and water fields of kind.
Mythopia became a farmer’s dream
Mars said: One more thing comes to mind.
Black Dystopia you must heed,
Ruled by darkness beyond my reach
Out of spite, begets your fleet.
and War may come, to your beach.

Mythopia, land of beauty and such paradise,
But it would soon be held in Eris’ vice.
The air was filled with an ocean breeze,
But their tranquility would soon enough cease.

Their enemy arrived with a sneak attack,
And didn’t leave them enough time to react.
Dystopia came in fast and hit them hard,
Despite Mars ‘warning, caught off guard.

Quickly they arrived, quickly they were gone,
A vicious assault right after dawn.
The fleet destroyed, the sailors killed,
Leaving many voids to never be filled.

When the war machine returned to sea,
There was devastation for Mythopia to see.
Frantically trying to rescue and save,
Retrieving sailors for an early grave.

In the mind of Mars prevailed one thought,
To revenge the havoc they had brought.
Mythopia would not know peace but war,
till the war machine was not anymore

My latest project concerns itself with a multimedia installation that consists of a rotating rhombicuboctahedron that is suspended in a magnetic field. The twelve square faces of the rhombicuboctahedron are carrying an image that represents the mythological aspects of the main celestial bodies that make our planetary system. While the installation makes every two minutes a turn to bring another planet in focus, a melody is played that consists of a classical music tune that is derived from the electromagnetic waves emitted by this particular celestial body mixed with a poem that refers to a specific phase that occurs in every civilization cycle with a reference to the classic European mythology that backs it up. The installation measures about 3 meters over 3 meter. The concept of this installation is founded upon the idea of how the cyclical nature of a multitude of phenomena mirrors circulatory cosmological and biological patterns