#museion institute

[blueiskewl]

A Carlo Scarpa Vase Found in a Thrift Store Sells For $107,000 at Auction

When Jessica Vincent, who raises polo ponies on a farm outside Richmond, Virginia, was shopping at a Goodwill store in that city, she likely had no idea she might come upon a rare and perfectly intact glass vase by a renowned Italian designer that would fetch six figures at auction—but that’s exactly what happened.

That vase, the so-called “Pennellate” vase or Model 3664, by famed architect and designer Carlo Scarpa (1906–78) hit the block on December 13 at Wright Auction House, tagged with an estimate of $30,000–$50,000. It sold for $107,100.

“It’s an amazing story, that this very sophisticated piece of glass finds its way to Virginia,” said Richard Wright, founder of the auction house, in a phone interview. “It was expensive, not mass-produced, and it falls through the cracks all the way down to the Goodwill. It’s not even chipped.”

He added: “And this very charming woman who raises polo ponies finds it, and she isn’t sure what she’s found but she’s smart enough to do her research. She finds the Italian glass group on Facebook, and is smart enough not to sell it for the first offer she gets, of $10,000.”

Standing about 13½-inches high, the object dates from about 1947 and is made with pieces of applied opaque and transparent glass that mimic brushstrokes across the glass’s surface (pennellate means brushstroke in Italian). Scarpa designed it for the Italian art glass maker Venini, located on the Venetian island of Murano.

Wright Auction House described the vessel as one of the rarest pieces the house has offered in a decade of auctions, and in fact only one other vase with this exact color combination is known to exist, in what the house calls an established private collection. The vase was included in its “Important Italian Glass” sale, which also offered examples by designers including Ercole Barovier, Tomaso Buzzi, and Dino Martins.

The current auction high for a Scarpa vase is also a Venini piece, a Laccati Neri e Rossi from 1940 that fetched about $309,000 at Christie’s Paris in 2012, soaring past its high estimate of about $64,000, according to the Artnet Auction Price Database.

Trained as an architect and designer, Scarpa is known for his architectural renovations, his glass, and his industrial design. He has come in for a renewed round of attention in recent years, for example in an exhibition organized by contemporary sculptor Carol Bove and pairing her own work with his, at the Henry Moore Institute in Leeds, England and at Museion in Bolzano, Italy.

“Venini Glass by Carlo Scarpa: The Venini Company, 1932-1947” appeared at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2013–14. It was while working with Venini, the museum said, that Scarpa “redefined the parameters of glassblowing in terms of aesthetics and technical innovation.” He created two dozen styles of vases, “pioneering techniques, silhouettes and colors that thoroughly modernized the ancient tradition of glassblowing.” In the 1930s and 1940s, their collaborations were on display at venues including the Milan Triennale and the Venice Biennale.

By Brian Boucher.

#Carlo Scarpa #A Carlo Scarpa Vase Found in a Thrift Store Sells For $107000 at Auction #italian designer #glass #vase #'Pennellate' vase #art #artist #art work #art world #art news

[radimartino-film]

RÄ DI MARTINO

Rä di Martino (Rome, 1975) studied at Chelsea College of Art and Slade School of Art in London, she has lived in New York, from 2005 to 2010, and she now lives and works in Rome. Her work has been shown in many institutions like Tate Modern (London); MoMA PS1 (NY); Palazzo Grassi (Venice); GAM and Fondazione Sandretto (Turin); MACRO and MAXXI (Rome); Museion (Bolzano); MCA (Chicago); Magasin (Grenoble); PAC and HangarBicocca (Milan). She has participated to a large number of film festivals like Locarno Film Festival; VIPER Basel; Transmediale.04; New York Underground Film Festival; Kasseler Dokfest; Torino Film Festival and Venice Film Festival, where she won, in 2014, the SIAE Award and Gillo Pontecorvo Award and a Nastro d’Argento with the medium length documentary The Show MAS Go On (2014). Her first feature film Controfigura (2017) was premiered at Venice Film Festival. In 2018 she has developed the project AFTERALL with the MIBAC Italian Council Award. She won the first edition of the Lio Capital Art Prize (Milan, 2020) with L'eccezione (2019), commissioned by Museo Novecento (Florence). In 2021 she filmed a documentary for ARTE, Il giardino che non c'è (inspired by Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini) and a documentary film about the history of Teatro di Pontedera (Fuori dai teatri). In 2022 opens her solo exhibition at Forte Belvedere in Florence and a solo show in collaboration with the Carmelo Bene archive. 

[swordoforion]

Orion Digest №45 - Alternate Models of ESF: What is Essential?

Eco-socialist federalism was founded on, and still relies upon, its central tenets. Regardless of the method by which it is implemented, it is important to understand that the nations of Earth must be united under one federation, that economy cannot serve the people adequately unless the means of production are available to public use, and until the system created is focused upon the preservation of Earth's ecosystem to allow humanity's continued survival. Everything else, much of what has been introduced in past issues, is merely models and suggestions on how this much could realistically be achieved.

I stand firm on the idea that the basic description listed above is true and necessary, but I also understand that the methods previously disclosed could be susceptible to my personal biases or lapses in my knowledge. Many have tried to implement the above concepts and met with some degree of failure, though the ideals are not to blame; simply the way they were handled. Similarly, I intend to keep writing and proposing more details on eco-socialist federalism as I envision it, but at the same time I am entirely welcome to alternate interpretations and approaches to the application of ESF to the world's political systems, as well as suggestions for improvement upon my own models.

It is not that I consider what I have written incorrect, but one person's perspective on such an issue might not compare to the perspectives of many. The two may align, but I find that the insights and experiences of others can make a collaborative piece of theory or art all the greater, and the juxtaposition of two differing perspective on an issue can prove a great testing ground for the merits of an individual theory. I believe that there are multiple ways that eco-socialist federalism can be achieved, and that different models can be more effective at accomplishing the goals of Orion.

While our membership leaves us currently unable for such a democratic assembly, the aim is to spread across the world and accumulate members that can reach a consensus on a strategy forward, and when the time comes, I am prepared to make my case not just through essays, but to members of Orion from every region, in hopes that I will find a majority that is in agreement with my plan. At the same time, to not leave my strategy up to democratic review would be a disservice to the spirit of the mission - we aim to build a world that serves the people, and if it is found that my judgement is lacking, and that current ESF models are inefficient in putting people and progress first, I am welcome to new and fresh ideas.

Similarly, when the time comes where Orion's structure has been filled out and established, I intend not to continue to serve as Instruist (as derived from the Esperanto word 'instruisto', the elected chair of Sword COMMAND, the executive house of Orion's command structure - represented by the office's seal, DKTC) until properly and democratically re-elected by such an assembly. My intent is to lay down the foundations of Orionist theory, philosophy and structure, as well as to propose my own approach to them, and leave it up to future members of this organization as to what path they shall choose to take.

So then, how might other models differ? While a federation must remain democratic, the structure of Parliament, the Judiciary, and the Executive Bureaucracy are not set in stone, let alone are the presence of such houses assured. Models that still allow for citizens to have a say in every level of government still accomplish the basic purpose. An economy can still be socialist while ridding itself of the market, so long as every citizen that falls beneath the livable threshold is provided for, and that the means of production are accountable and available to the public, rather than to private ownership. Finally, while de-escalation is one proposed strategy for environmental revitalization, there could exist both more and less extreme alternatives to save the ecosystem, especially as more and more advanced technology is developed.

It is important to understand that these models may need to change with the passage of time due to the unpredictability of the future. Certain circumstances may arise that require Orion to adapt and change, whether political, social, or environmental. For example, should the federation established one day be distorted into the antithesis of its ideals, it would be foolhardy to simply try once more with the same exact strategy; it is of vital importance that Orion can learn and grow with time. Just as a federation may be fallible, it is important for each member to understand that so too could the organization become doggedly stuck on an incorrect path, and as a member, it is important to stand up and fight even their fellow members on issues of importance to the organization and the world.

Outside of eco-socialist federalism, the other two primary components essential to Orionist thought are those of philosophy and structure, both of which have been laid out. Digest No. 41 detailed the basics of Orionist philosophy - the five levels (beauty, empathy, responsibility, discipline, and sacrifice) that detail the duty to fight so that the people of the world can truly appreciate the world around them and find greater meaning in their lives. Structure is listed already in several places - the two house command structure of Orion (Sword COMMAND, of which the Instruist is elected and the other positions are appointed; and the Council of Flagbearers, of which regions elect their own representatives), as well as the three branches (Sword of Orion, Liberius, Museion Institute) and their respective chapters.

Beyond this, I anticipate that over the course of Orion's existence, the words and theories written down in the Digest may be subject to change and evolution, and while I may find myself in disagreement, I am open to the idea of being proved wrong. However, it is vital that the theory, philosophy, and structure remain essential. We cannot forget that people deserve to enjoy the world, and that we owe it to each other to be kind and work together. We cannot neglect the precious balance between us and our natural habitat. We must make sure that our society is one that is united and puts accountability in the hands of both the individual and the community. Finally, as long as there are those who are willing to strive for these ideals, Orion must fight for the survival and prosperity of humanity, and for that unending pursuit of beauty and knowledge.

- DKTC FL

#eco-socialist federalism #ESF theory #orion #orion digest #sword of orion #liberius #museion #museion institute #instruist #DKTC #models #model #ESF models #Sword COMMAND #Council of Flagbearers #theory #philosophy #structure #Orionism #Orionist thought #Orionist theory #Orionist philosophy #Orionist structure

[infactandinfiction]

Camera Magica Virginia Genta and Canedicoda curated by In Fact and In Fiction April 18th – May 4th, 2019 opening Thursday, April 18th at 7:00 pm Spazio Contemporanea Corsetto Sant’Agata, 22 - 25122 Brescia thursday to saturday 3:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Camera Magica is the encounter between Virginia Genta and Canedicoda. An imaginative, cozy and intimate exchange to be observed with serenity. A comforting environment populated by visions and dynamic elements scattered throughout the space. Virginia Genta’s seemingly two-dimensional graphic world and Canedicoda’s tri-dimensional world will dwell in the large halls of Spazio Contemporanea from April 18th to May 4th. Placed in lines of contact and reciprocally dialoging, the universes of the two artists will expand, allowing visitors to penetrate into the material surface that encloses their imagination, navigating from one dimension to another. Virginia Genta will present the visual work that has accompanied her musical career for years, and Canedicoda will create a new series of site-specific Mochini, i.e. collages of wood and marble forming seats, stools and benches. A selection of graphic works, silkscreen printings, drawings, posters and tapes- tries will interact with the Mochini in the setting of the Spazio Contemporanea. Loose objects will reside throughout the space, glancing at the delicate and organic depictions on the walls. The drawings will hold their place and communicate with the plastic and material representations, creating analogies in both directions. The works, through an abstract/visual language, will whisper iridescent stories creating an environment that seems to be filled with sounds, voices and life in a metamorphic balance. The compositions of Virginia Genta and Canedicoda will guide the observer into a dense and noisy vision leading to an imaginative, chromatic and sonorous immersion. Visitors will be invited to listen to the forms and explore their nuances, entering into the space in tune with Camera Magica. During the exhibition period, In Fact and In Fiction and the two artists will curate a program of discussions and events: - April 18th at 7:00 pm opening with musical performance of Virginia Genta and Canedicoda and David Vanzan’s hidden rhythms - May 4th at 3:00 pm workshop of hand-lettering, manual creation of fonts prepared by Virginia Genta - May 4th at 7:00 pm finissage

Canedicoda (1979) is a designer whose work, starting with a precise and personal idea of drawing, ranges from art, music, and environmental and clothing designs. His drawings are intended as a matrix, as if they could take on more shapes, not only on paper, but materialize into forms through other materials and across other uses: to draw sounds, to play environments, to dress spaces, to wear signs. The driving force behind Canedicoda’s sculptural work is a desire for manual skills motivated by a profound desire to create, shape and build. A practice that is fed by the intimacy of the act of “drawing freely”, re-created in different ways and, at the same time, protected in its purity. Hidden behind an aesthetic dimension where he does not always put the finishing touch, a natural soul and tropism of sorts move him towards the essence of objects and their possible uni- ty. Among the main institutions, Canedicoda has collaborated with the Museion, ViaFarini, M HKA, Fondazione Bonotto, Xing, Le Dictateur, C2C, Netmage Festival, Live Arts Week, Istituto Svizzero and Marselleria. Virginia Genta (1984) is a visual artist and musician. She began her intense musical journey in 2004 in the experimental underground scene as a saxophonist/ multi-instrumentalist. Together with David Vanzan, she forms Jooklo Duo. They collaborate regularly with other musicians evolving into new formation such as Neokarma Jooklo Trio, Golden Jooklo Age, Jooklo Finnish Quartet, New Jooklo Age. Her countless projects have led her to traveling through Europe, the United States, Canada and, more recently, Asia. Among her collaborations are Mette Rasmussen, Thurston Moore, Brandon Lopez, Riccardo Sinigaglia, Francesco Cavaliere, Chris Corsano. Alongside her music endeavors, she has developed an on-going re- search with images, focusing on graphics and artwork aimed at the musical field with a strong interest in the manual creation of typographic typefaces. Drawing is a constant. The artistic practice becomes a vital element, a domestic land- scape. Creatures and fantastic universes take shape; hypnotic and mysterious sounds are transformed into visions and images. Her drawings are based on the infinite potential of the line and the point - preferably with meager chromatic elements - intensely two-dimensional and somehow reminiscent of an Asian graphic approach, which aspires to perfection in a gestural spontaneity.

IN FACT AND IN FICTION [email protected] https://infactandinfiction.tumblr.com/

[archaeologs]

Alexandria

The Greek city founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BC, capital of the Ptolemy dynasty, located on a narrow strip of land in the Nile Delta of Egypt. Alexandria was placed on the earlier Egyptian settlement of Raqote of which pre-Ptolemaic seawalls are the only archaeological traces. The great city soon replaced Memphis as the capital of Egypt and is famed for its lighthouse (Pharos, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, built by Sostratos of Knidos between 299-279 BC; destroyed in 1326 AD by an earthquake), the jetty of Heptastadion, the royal palaces; and the Museion, a library and institution of scientific and philological research. It was composed of quarters: Egyptian, Greek, Jewish, and Kings. The city became the center of trade and culture in the eastern Mediterranean. The Ptolemys ruled over Egypt until 30 BC.

#archaeologs #archaeology #archaeological #dictionary #history #ancient history #alexandria #ancient greek #alexander the great

[perfectirishgifts]

Honoring The Enduring Legacy Of International Art Champion Irina Antonova, Legendary Leader Of Pushkin State Museum Of Fine Arts

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/honoring-the-enduring-legacy-of-international-art-champion-irina-antonova-legendary-leader-of-pushkin-state-museum-of-fine-arts/

Honoring The Enduring Legacy Of International Art Champion Irina Antonova, Legendary Leader Of Pushkin State Museum Of Fine Arts

Irina Aleksandrovna Antonova, president of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow, at the … [] opening of the Rembrandt exhibition in 2012.

“Not being lazy is not enough!” 

It sounds far more eloquent in Russian, as it was uttered by the inimitable Irina Aleksandrovna Antonova, president of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, during a May 31, 2018, recorded conversation with Zoya Igumnova.

“Не лениться недостаточно!” is pronounced “Ne lenit’sya nedostatochno!” when transliterated into English.

Feting the “birthday” of the largest museum of European art in Moscow, located across the street from the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Antonova told Igumnova: “Not everyone can live long. I had many friends with whom I studied, grew up, started together. And now it seemed that many were in the ranks, but turn around, almost no one was left.”

The fierce force of the Pushkin State Museum died on November 30, at the age of 98, devoting 75 years to transforming the museum into Russia’s globally-renowned cultural jewel of international art history and multicultural innovation. The cause of death was acute cardiovascular failure, complicated by Coronavirus infection.

Irina Aleksandrovna Antonova, president of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, with actor … [] Jeremy Irons in 2007

When Igumnova asked her in 2018 how she planned to mark her centennial, Antonova quipped: “I didn’t set the task of celebrating 100 years. Because … I have two main tasks. They need to be solved before the 100th anniversary. This is what I am doing now. This is something that obviously every old person should be doing from a certain time. I started thinking about it very late.”

“What needs to be done and how much time is left for this. I reacted very lightly, this is very typical of me. I do not have a sharp sensation of a turning point in desires, in action, in functioning,” the incomparable Antonova said. “Everything seems to be so. Not because I consider myself immortal. No. I just don’t really think about death. Without any coquetry. A friend says to me: ‘I go to bed at night, and I have a film of my life in front of my eyes. Don’t you think about the end?’ Honestly, I don’t think about death, that’s all! Torture me as you want.”

Antonova studied nursing and worked at Moscow’s Krasnaya Presnya Hospital before graduating from Moscow State University in 1945. Embarking that year on her lifelong pursuit, she joined the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts as a fellow in the Department of Western European Art. Dedicated to her primary passion, in 1949 she completed her postgraduate education and research degree at the museum, focused at the time on the Italian Renaissance. Between 1961 and 2013, she served as director and then president of the museum.

Antonova changed how Russians viewed art, drawing captivated audiences to her show on the Kultura TV channel (rebranded in 2010 as Russia-K). Earning numerous accolades and awards from multiple nations for her trailblazing contribution to promoting international art, Antonova helmed the effort to create a “museum town,” realizing the vision of museum founder Ivan Vladimirovich Tsvetaev. 

Irina Aleksandrovna Antonova with Marc Chagall during his 1973 visit to the Pushkin State Museum of … [] Fine Arts, Moscow

Antonova developed a wide array of events and programming for the museum’s 100th anniversary in 2012, spanning design and capital construction, and publishing and exhibitions. Under her guidance, the museum published influential catalogs of its far-reaching collections showcasing art across the world through the ages, including: German, Austrian and Swiss Drawings of the 15th-20th Centuries in two volumes; French Drawing of the Late 19th – 20th Centuries; Coptic fabrics; Collection of Paintings: Germany, Austria, Switzerland of the XV-XX Centuries, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden of the XVIII-XX Centuries; and Italian Drawing in three volumes.

Massive crowds lined up to view large-scale exhibitions under Antonova’s direction, such as Meeting with Modigliani (2007), Turner 1775-1851 (2008), Futurism: Radical Revolution (2008), Picasso in Moscow (2010), Salvador Dali (2011), Kandinsky and The Blue Rider (2011), Caravaggio (2011), Imaginary Museum (2012), and 1,000 Years of the Inca Gold (2013). 

Her reputation compelled world-leading museums and galleries to loan priceless masterpieces that very rarely, if ever, left their permanent collections: Anthea (1525) by Parmigianino from the Museum Capodimonte, Naples, in 2007; Holy Family (1495–1500) by Mantegna from the State Collections of Dresden, Germany, in 2009); Portrait of an Unknown Man with Gray Eyes (1540–1545) by Titian from Palatine Gallery, Florence, in 2008; Lady with a Unicorn (1505 or 1506) by Raphael from Borghese Gallery, Rome, in 2011;  paintings by Caravaggio from the collections of Italy and the Vatican in 2011; works of the Pre-Raphaelites from museums and private collections in Great Britain and the United States in 2013); and Titian’s masterpieces from the museum collections of eight Italian cities in 2013.

A mentor to many younger employees and aspiring art historians, Antonova invested wholeheartedly in the museum’s Museion children’s center, offering educational programs to inspire the creative development of children ages 5 to 18 through programming inspired by the museum collections, lectures, and hands-on studio activities, enhanced by audio, video, and multimedia content.

Embracing the inseparable bond between visual arts and performing arts, Antonova partnered with Svyatoslav Teofilovich Richter, widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest pianists of all time, to create the popular December Nights international music festival in 1981. 

Antonova taught art history at Moscow State University and the Institute of Cinematography, and frequently lectured at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts and the Institute of Oriental Languages ​​in Paris. She published more than 100 catalogs, album articles, and scripts for popular science films and television programs. 

Antonova will be interred alongside her mother and her husband in Novodevichy Cemetery, adjacent to to the southern wall of the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent. Under pandemic restrictions, there will be a limited viewing at the museum. 

Pushkin Museum is closed to visitors through January 15, 2021.

The museum has no direct association with the poet, playwright, and novelist Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, but was named in his honor in 1937, on the 100th anniversary of his death. Tsvetaev, a professor and father of the poet Marina Tsvetaeva, persuaded millionaire philanthropist Yuriy Nechaev-Maltsov to fund Moscow’s first fine arts museum, which was designed by architects Roman Ivanovich Klein and Vladimir Grigoryevich Shukhov and built between 1898 and 1912.

More from Arts in Perfectirishgifts

[cchloekrol]

Gina CZarnecki

I was unable to make this lecture due to medical reason, but I did a little of my own research and this is what I found: 

https://www.ginaczarnecki.com/about

She is quite clearly a remarkable artist who creates pieces all over the world, and her choice of subject matter for her work are very interesting to me.

source- Gina Czarnecki was born in Immingham in 1965.  She studied painting and film-making at Wimbledon School of Art 1984-87 and a Postgraduate Degree in Electronic Art at Duncan of Jordanstone College, Dundee from 1992.

Through a varied practice of video, installation, drawing, sculpture and often unconventional range of media, her work engages us with the visceral, psychological and biological grey-areas, hybrids and developments that provoke questions on so many levels.  Her research practice focuses on technologies and culture.

Gina has participated in many solo and group shows including ‘Humancraft’ at the Moving Image Centre, New Zealand, Sundance festival, USA, the Medical Museion Copenhagen and a Monograph show at the Bluecoat Liverpool. Group shows have included works in The Brisbane International Arts Festival, Ars Electronica, The Science Gallery London, FACT, Liverpool and National Fine Art Museum of Tawain.

Her work is in private collections and institutional collections including the Australian Centre for Moving Image (ACMI) and Reeldance, Australia. She is a Sundance Alumni having had ‘Cellmass’ and ‘Infected’ featured in 2013 and was awarded a Banff Fleck Fellowship in 2004

She has been an advisor to programs including art and engagement advisor to The Casebooks Project, Cambridge University, art advisor to The Science Gallery London, and has co-developed an independent wet-lab for Liverpool.

From 1997-2003 Gina developed and ran the prestigious MSc program in Electronic Art at Dundee University. Other academic roles have included Head of Experimental film at The Northern Media School Sheffield.

She is currently collaborating with FACELAB, Liverpool John Moors University and Professor John Hunt, University of Liverpool in ‘Heirloom’ which has been exhibited internationally, and with Imperial College on a new work ‘Blast’.

[contemporaryartdaily]

Week in Review: January 15, 2017

Welcome to Week in Review, our Sunday round-up of the last seven days of activity here at Contemporary Art Daily. Please subscribe to our RSS feed, follow us on Twitter, follow us on Tumblr, follow us on Instagram, and become a fan on Facebook.

We would like to thank our annual sponsor NADA. NADA is the definitive non-profit arts organization dedicated to the cultivation, support, and advancement of new voices in contemporary art.

We’d also like to thank Exhibitionary. Exhibitionary is the new mobile gallery guide covering global art destinations from the most interesting galleries to major institutions and experimental project spaces.

Be sure to keep up with everything happening on our Office Notebook.

This week’s featured exhibitions:

Sarah Morris at Kunsthalle Wien

Judith Hopf at Museion

Mary Reid Kelley at Museum Leuven

Ei Arakawa and Nikolas Gambaroff at Meyer Kainer

Otobong Nkanga at Nottingham Contemporary

Gaylen Gerber at Emanuel Layr

Moyra Davey at Bergen Kunsthall

Lucas Arruda at Indipendenza

Fiona Tan at MMK

Willem de Rooij at MMK

Richard Aldrich at Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens

Ayşe Erkmen at Barbara Gross

Robert Anton at Broadway 1602

Wade Guyton at Friedrich Petzel

Have an excellent week.

Contemporary Art Daily is produced by Contemporary Art Group, a not-for-profit organization. We rely on our audience to help fund the publication of exhibitions that show up in this RSS feed. Please consider supporting us by making a donation today.

[ericfruits]

Obituary: Mostafa el-Abbadi died on February 13th

“THE universe”, wrote Borges, “was called by some the library.” Mostafa El-Abbadi, foremost among Egyptian scholars of the Graeco-Roman world, was of the same opinion. His universe was the ancient Great Library of Alexandria, long since vanished, which had occupied his mind and heart since his student days.

As he told it, an elfin figure wreathed in smiles with the joy of it all, the original Bibliotheca Alexandrina had been inspired by the conquering expeditions of Alexander the Great, which had shown for the first time the diversity of mankind and the Earth; and had been funded by Ptolemy I, who wished it to contain “all the texts in the world that are worthy of study”. There had been half a million, maybe many more. Visitors to Alexandria were searched in case they had a book which was not in stock. Ptolemy III managed to acquire, by trickery, the originals of the plays of Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides. Mr Abbadi was sure the collection included books from Phoenecia, Buddhist texts from India, the Septuagint of the Hebrews and Mazdean writings from Persia.

Alexandria’s library was not the first. As a proud citizen—Alexandrian by both parents, holder (as was his wife, Azza Kararah) of distinguished posts at the university, admirer of the sea view from the balcony of his elegant, book-crammed flat—he might have wished it so. But Syria and Babylon both had libraries earlier, as did the temple at Karnak. The difference was that these were regional institutions, with local interests. Alexandria’s library was the first to be set up as a repository of all human knowledge: the universe under one roof.

And it was never, he stressed, just a collection of texts. The real heart of the enterprise was the Museion or Shrine of the Muses, which was a centre of research. There, among walkways and arcades especially designed for thinking, Euclid came to formulate his theorems; Eratosthenes to measure the circumference of the Earth; and Herophilos to prove that the brain, not the heart, was the seat of the intellect. There, too (to Mr Abbadi’s chuckling delight), the philosopher Plotinus four times achieved complete union with the divine.

It struck him then as sad, when he returned to Alexandria in 1960 from his doctoral studies at Cambridge, that the modern city had no great library. Of course, Egypt had no sacks of silver now to spill out on culture, unlike the Ptolemaic kings. Yet the wonder of the library, despite Caesar’s incineration of it (for he held Caesar strictly to blame), had been seared on the memory of the world and on its image of Alexandria, as a cosmopolitan city of learning. Imitations had been built in Baghdad, Córdoba, London and Washington, DC; visiting world leaders asked after what remained of it. So in the 1970s he began to float, gently, the idea or dream of a new library, following the “spiritual example” of the ancients. The seed did not take for years. In 1986, however, UNESCO agreed to help and money began to flow.

The sun half-rising

He was well aware of the project’s limitations. Because books were so costly, it seemed best to build up the library as a series of circles. He began by amassing all possible bibliographical references for the city of Alexandria, and then moved outwards: to Egypt, the Middle East, Africa. He did not say “the world”, but he intended it. The new library, like the old, should be universal, taking in donations from all countries, digitising texts (though his love was for physical books, not screens) and drawing scholars to a new Shrine of the Muses, where they could work in an almost sacred atmosphere of tolerance and bright ideas.

The regime of Hosni Mubarak could not see what he was getting at. Officials envisaged a big library and an Egyptian cultural centre; Egypt was, after all, paying half the $225m cost. In 2002 the new Bibliotheca Alexandrina opened, with space for 8m books on 11 storeys—and four museums, 19 galleries, a Culturama Hall with a vast interactive screen, and gift shops. One museum was filled with the personal effects of Anwar Sadat, a former president. Mr Abbadi gave the library his precious 16th-century copy of the Codex of Justinian. It seemed slightly out of place.

He was not invited to the opening. He was known to have misgivings, and to have made a fuss when he spotted the bulldozers dumping chunks of mosaic in the sea; for the project involved huge excavations on the site of the Ptolemies’ palace, and he was a man whose idea of a holiday was to tour the ancient ruins of the Middle East. He did not carp about his exclusion, but kept quiet company in his study with his cat, Cleopatra. At least his booklet on the Great Library (only a booklet, he insisted, not a book) had been handed out at the opening. He did his job; they did theirs.

The design of the library, which he liked in principle, was a half-buried sphere that symbolised the sun rising, spreading the light of knowledge over the world. He only wished that it were true. The library made an efficient cultural centre, he sighed. But it did not function as a universal centre of research. Archimedes and Galen would not have done their thinking under that interactive screen. The Muses would not have touched brains, and hearts. And Plotinus would not have written, having encountered the One-and-its-power, “He is, Himself…the encompassment of all things.”

 This article appeared in the Obituary section of the print edition under the headline "All the books in the world"

http://ift.tt/2m2qVep

#IFTTT #Feedly

[micaramel]

Artists: Gina Folly, Peter Friel, Lina Viste Grønli, Marie Karlberg, Ann Greene Kelly, Eli Kerr, Sean MacAlister, Luzie Meyer, Adam Revington, Louise Sartor, Ben Schumacher, u

Venue: Bel Ami, Los Angeles

Exhibition Title: Showrunners

Curated by: Sean MacAlister, Adam Revington

Date: December 7, 2019  –  January 11, 2020

Click here to view slideshow

Full gallery of images, press release and link available after the jump.

Images:

Video:

Luzie Meyer, The Trout, 2019, Single-channel video, 02:10

Images courtesy of Bel Ami, Los Angeles 

Press Release:

Showrunners is organized by Sean MacAlister and Adam Revington, and features works by eleven artists and one curator, most of whom have been involved in running exhibition projects. One of the artists operates under a pseudonym, u, which was born out of a space called 67 Steps in Los Angeles. In 2019 u opened a gallery in Calgary called u’s.

For Showrunners, u will present six examples from an ongoing series of sculptural collaborations called ‘project spaces.’ The project spaces begin as small box-like forms made from clear packing tape that, when worked on by artists and curators, can act as thresholds into more expansive conversations on how identity is signaled through exhibition making. As the project spaces amass into an archive, they create a record of collaborations and conversations that unfold casually, on an intimate scale, alongside other works.

Gina Folly (b. 1983, Zurich, Switzerland) lives and works in Basel. Since 2013 Folly has been running the artist space called Taylor Macklin, Zurich, together with Selina Grüter and Michèle Graf. Selected solo exhibitions include KURA, Milan; Hard Hat, Geneva; Studioli, Rome; Ginerva Gabino, Cologne; Almanac, London; Tunnel Tunnel, Lausanne; SPREEZ, Munich; Ermes-Ermes, Rome; Space Is The Place, Basel; and S.A.L.T.S., Birsfelden. Selected group shows include Contemporary Art Centre, Riga; Swiss Institute, New York; Museion, Bolzano; Galerie Nagel Draxler, Cologne; Freedman Fitzpatrick, Paris; Sommer Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv; Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne; Galerie Bernhard, Zurich; Ginevra Gambino, Cologne; Freymond-Guth Fine Arts, Basel; Le Doc, Paris; and Art Bärtschi & Cie, Geneva.

Peter Friel (b. 1990, Chicago, Illinois) lives and works in Chicago. Friel has held recent solo exhibitions at forgo, Berlin and Bonny Poon, Paris. Recent group exhibitions include Ginerva Gambino, Cologne; Commercial Street, Los Angeles; Zwinglisalon, Berlin; Bonny Poon, Paris; and Galerie Bernhard, Zurich.

Lina Viste Grønli (b. 1976, Bergen, Norway) lives and works in Somerville. In addition to her public art work, Grønli has exhibited at several contemporary art spaces internationally during the last ten years, including Sculpture Center, New York; Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna; Wiels Contemporary Art Centre, Brussels; Henie Onstad Art Centre, Bærum; and List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge.

Marie Karlberg (b. 1985, Stockholm, Sweden) lives and works in New York. In 2013 Karlberg founded M/L Artspace with artist Lena Henke. Karlberg has recently performed at Elevation1049, Gstaad; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; and Künstlerhaus Halle für Kunst & Medien, oGraz. She has staged solo exhibitions at Bonny Poon, Paris; Plymouth Rock, Zurich; Tramps, London; Marbriers 4, Geneva and Reena Spaulings Fine Arts, New York. Karlberg has recently participated in group shows such as Ab auf die Insel!, Kunstmuseum Luzern; IL NUOVO III, Etablissement d’en face, Brussels; The 9th Berlin Biennale, Berlin; Freak Out, Greene Naftali, New York. Karlberg performed in plays at the Schinkel Pavillion, Berlin; the Whitney Museum of Art, New York; and MoMa, New York. Her upcoming solo show at Tramps New York will open Dec 11th.

Ann Greene Kelly (b. 1988, New York, New York) lives and works in Los Angeles. She received her BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art, MD in 2010. Kelly has held solo and two-person exhibitions at Chapter NY, New York; Michael Benevento, Los Angeles; AND NOW, Dallas; Station Gallery, Marfa; and White Columns, New York. Recent group exhibitions include Galleria Zero, Milan; Baba Yaga, Hudson; Lubov, New York; Michael Benevento, Los Angeles; Stems Gallery, Brussels; Maisterravalbeuna, Madrid; Kerry Schuss Gallery, New York; AND NOW, Dallas; The Pit, Los Angeles; Derek Eller Gallery, New York; Jack Hanley Gallery, New York; White Flag Projects, St. Louis; and David Zwirner, New York.

Eli Kerr (b. 1988, Regina, Canada) is a curator and writer based in Montreal and Toronto. Since 2014 Kerr has been invested in notions of ‘the alternative’ for its practical affordances as a mode to explore exhibition practices and intimately engage in artists’ ideas. Between 2014-2019 Kerr organized over 20 exhibitions in Montreal through various alternative contexts. In 2016 with Daphné Boxer he co-founded VIE D’ANGE, an experimental exhibition space. His writing has decidedly existed as contributions to artists’ exhibitions and projects. Kerr completed curatorial residencies at International Studio and Curatorial Program (ISCP) New York in 2017, as well as Rupert in Vilnius Lithuania (2018). He was awarded the 2019 Hnatyshyn Foundation-Fogo Island Arts Young Curator Residency for Canadian curators under 30, and is currently completing his graduate studies in Curatorial Studies at the University of Toronto.

Sean MacAlister (b. 1987, Calgary, Canada) lives and works in Calgary. MacAlister ran the exhibition space 67 Steps in Los Angeles (2017-18) and is the showrunner at u’s in Calgary (2019 – current). Solo exhibitions include The Loon, Toronto; Art Metropole, Toronto. Group exhibitions include Carl Louie, Toronto; Balice Hertling, Paris; and Soon.tw, Montreal.

Luzie Meyer (b. 1990, Tübingen, Germany) lives and works in Berlin. Recent film screenings and solo exhibitions include Sweetwater, Berlin; Kunstverein Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany; Kölnischer Kunstverein, Cologne; Éclair, Berlin; and Nassauischer Kunstverein Wiesbaden, Wiesbaden. Her poetry, films, and readings have also been exhibited or performed at CACBM Paris; Artist Moving Image Festival, Tramway Glasgow; KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin; Portikus, Frankfurt; and the 2016 Montreal Biennial of Contemporary Art. Meyer studied at the Städelschule, Frankfurt and was a resident at Cité International des Arts, Paris in 2018.

Adam Revington (b. 1990, London, Canada) lives and works in Toronto. Revington co-directs the exhibition space, Carl Louie, Toronto. Recent solo exhibitions include The Loon, Toronto; Main Street, Toronto; Support, London, Ontario. Group exhibitions include: u’s, Calgary; Vie D’ange, Montreal; Macfarlane, Los Angeles; Green River Project, New York.

Louise Sartor (b. 1988, Paris, France) lives and works in Rome. Between 2013 and 2015 Sartor co-directed the project space Shanaynay, Paris. She also runs Cocotte, a nomadic curatorial project. Recent solo and two-person exhibitions include Crèvecoeur, Marseille; Bel Ami, Los Angeles; Galerie der Stadt Schwaz, Schwaz; Crèvecoeur, Paris; and Tonus, Paris. Recent group exhibitions include WallRiss, Fribourg; Freedman Fitzpatrick, Paris; Gwangju Biennale, Palais de Tokyo Pavillon, Gwangju; Le Plateau, FRAC Île de France, Paris; MAMCO, Geneva; Château de Versailles, Palais de Tokyo off-site; François Ghebaly Gallery, Los Angeles; Bel Ami, Los Angeles; Palais de Tokyo off-site, Château de Villeneuve-Lembron; Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dole; Fondation d’entreprise Ricard, Paris; Treignac Projet, Treignac; and Crèvecoeur, Paris.

Ben Schumacher (b. 1985, Kitchener, Canada) lives and works in Berlin. He graduated from New York University in 2011, and has held museum and gallery exhibitions at Sculpture Center, New York; Musée d‘art contemporain de Lyon; Johan Berggren, Malmö; Croy Nielsen, Vienna; Kunstverein Braunschweig, Braunschweig; XYZcollective, Tokyo; and Bortolami, New York.

u is the letter “u” in the word “current” on the website of a now defunct Los Angeles based exhibition space called 67 Steps. In 2019, u opened an exhibition space in Calgary called u’s and in 2020 u will focus on a series of diary entries. Recent collaborative two-person and group exhibitions include: u and Alan Belcher w/ Alan Belcher, The Lily, Calgary; The Lucinda River w/ Naoki Sutter-Shudo, Carl Louie, London; and u, group exhibition, Utopian Visions Art Fair, Portland.

Link: “Showrunners” at Bel Ami

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#micaramel

[polyhorde]

44 and 150 for the ask

44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean?Tashy/Scott - Deep oceanMason/Jenny - Outer space, all the way!150. Get the closest book next to you, open it to page 42, what’s the first line on the page?"Under the Ptolemaic kings Alexandria had a number of outstanding institutions, like the Museion with its great library, the grave of Alexander the Great, that has never been discovered, and the Sarapeion, the shrine to the new god of the realm Sarapis."

[swordoforion]

#orion #sword of orion #orionism #orionist theory #orionist philosophy #orionist structure #museion #liberius #museion institute #what is orionism #politics #political #theory #model #youtube #video #link #media

[museionbz-blog]

Lili Reynaud-Dewar “TEETH GUMS MACHINES FUTURE SOCIETY” 28/01 - 07/05/2017

What is cultural identity defined by? What influences the way it is constructed? Drawing on the liberation movements and subcultures of the twentieth century, Reynaud-Dewar explores the rules and stereotypes of a political, racial and sexual nature that forge an individual’s identity. The exhibition – the artist’s first solo show in an Italian museum – presents installations, videos and objects including the so-called grills, the teeth decorations that are a status symbol in rap and hip hop culture, which the artist provocatively appropriates. The fact of using grills to modify the human anatomy in turn recalls another key element of the show, the essay ‘A Cyborg Manifesto’ by the feminist scholar Donna Haraway, a metaphor for the blurring of the hard and fast dividing line between man, machine and nature in Western thought.

Lili Reynaud-Dewar (La Rochelle, France, 1975, lives and works in Paris and Grenoble) has had solo exhibitions in institutions such as the New Museum in New York (2014), Kunsthalle Basel (2010) and Generali Foundation Vienna (2012). In 2015 she took part in the Venice Biennale. At the invitation of guest curator Pier Bal Blanc for Museion she produced the video Live Through That?!, which featured her dancing naked through the empty museum. The Museion exhibition is her first solo show in an Italian museum.

A collaboration with Kunstverein in Hamburg and de Vleeshal in Middelburg

Foto: Seehauser

#LiliReynaudDewar #grillz #cyborgmanifesto #memphis #sanitationstrike

[swordoforion]

Orion Digest №35 - The Purpose of Museion

As we discussed last issue, the Orion Manifest only briefly touched on the other two branches of Orion, and it is appropriate that in lieu of a full and official guide, we should touch on the purpose and aims of the sister branches to the Sword of Orion. We have covered Liberius, and now we move onto the Museion Institute, or Museion.

As stated in the Manifest, Museion is the research branch of Orion, but just because it does not interact directly with the public as Liberius and the Sword do, it is no less important to the cause, and fulfills a vital need in our goals - information and strategy. We have the ideas, but how we communicate them to the public, what facts we use to back them up, how we formulate plans for recovery and reform after we establish federation - these will all require effort that will make Museion invaluable.

As a think tank, the structure of Museion will be looser, largely based on the discretion of whoever is assigned to head the branch, but it will similarly be split into divisions for specific areas of research. However, to adapt for new needs and concerns, these divisions can be collapsed and created, instead of static categories like in Liberius. Within divisions, individual researchers can either propose projects, or have the heads of divisions create projects that they sign on to, with assistant staff able to choose projects to sign up for.

There would be three tiers of Museion membership - division heads, researchers, and assistant staff (not counting the branch head). New members would serve as assistants to current researchers to gain experience before they graduate to a research position. To do so, they would need at least two years of experience serving as assistant staff as well as a thesis project submitted to a board of researchers, excluding those they had previously worked with. Their thesis project would be judged based on quality of presentation and evidence, and then their hypothesis and results discussed with the board as a whole, before a vote on whether they are ready to graduate to the rank of researcher.

After some time as a researcher, members of Museion would get a chance to be appointed by the branch head to serve as heads of divisions, whether to replace a pre-existing division head or to head a new division. Division heads would serve tenures for either four years, until they decided to resign from their position, or until removed by a branch head for special circumstances. After their tenure ended, they would return to being a researcher as before. Of note is that to head a division, a researcher does not need to be a part of it prior to appointment - it is the branch head's discretion on who to place where.

Research projects would aim for low cost inquiry's into how other branches could better strategize and what we could do to accomplish our goals once federation is established, but higher level projects could be taken on with funding, including the actual development and creation of technology and equipment for Orion and public use. The matter of funding for Orion is an optional point in the grand scheme of things - while there are various expenses that will require paying in the course of our plans, writing, volunteering, and research do not inherently incur costs, save for the cost in time to members. Our goal is not to make money nor become an establishment that employs - to reflect the spirit of service, Orion is something one must enter without promise of material gain, but with the interest of benefitting humankind.

However, in addition to donations, profits from paper copies of books and technologies created by Museion through grants could be used for funding as needed for Orion, most specifically for further research by the Institute. With greater resources, we could learn more about our environmental situation and how best to combat climate change; we could work to advance technology in sustainable ways, and get us closer to interstellar space travel. We wouldn't have to simply do this all on our own - we could work with other institutions, pool our resources and knowledge, and in the spirit of unity, work together on our technological goals.

Environmental sustainability and interstellar travel are perhaps the most important tasks that the Museion Institute will take on. To survive the extinction we have created for ourselves, we must learn how to live more in harmony with nature, and to do that now will take more than just stopping the source of the damage - we must use our resources to help fix it as well. However, if we are to expand and learn more about the vast cosmos surrounding us, we must also crack the secret on how to travel past the boundaries of our solar system, and to new habitable worlds, where pioneers can start anew with knowledge on how to do it right.

If the Sword is the means by which we become politically able to accomplish our mission, then Museion is the means by which we become physically able to accomplish our mission, though its use is not just relegated to the steps we take after we establish federation. Knowing more about the communities we are trying to convince, and having credible evidence to back up our claims about the world will strengthen our stances, and allow us to take a more secure step forward. The Museion Institute's greater purpose is to support its sister branches, and in its own way, represents a greater calling than the simple protection of humanity - the partaking in that great quest for discovery and knowledge, that timeless journey into the unknown.

- DKTC FL

#museion #museion institute #orion #sword of orion #orion digest #research #projects #researchers #assistant staff #space #science #environmentalism #branches of orion

[swordoforion]

The Orionist Model; an Essay by DKTC-FL

The Orionist Model is the baseline for Orion. It defines our goal, our ideals, and our composition - how, why, and what we do. This is why, above all else, the Model is so essential, because without a clear reason for what we do, without a unified vision of how we bring about improvement, and without a cohesive system for organizing, Orion would tear itself apart in disagreement and confusion. 

It is composed of three parts - THEORY, PHILOSOPHY, and STRUCTURE. Theory defines the mission to which we are dedicated, philosophy defines the ideals for which we stand, and structure defines the method by which we organize and act. It must stand upon all three legs, as if you are to remove one, the other two are worse off for it. Without theory, the intent of Orion might prove unsuccessful. Without philosophy, change is pursued with no moral center to ground it. Without structure, we are but a loose collection of believers with no path forward. 

But together, we are given a goal, a reason to pursue it, and the means to accomplish it. How we get from this foundation to the end result is up to the ones who make use of this tool; in this way, the Orionist Model is only half the solution. The rest is up to how it is used - the creativity and ingenuity of the members and founders who create their own chapters and teach their own communities, as well as the leaders who they elect to direct the collective. We stand with the Model as the hammer in our hands above the metal to be fashioned, and yet, it is the mind of the smith that determines what shape it will take, and how well it will be crafted. 

There is no one way to follow the Model, as it was designed to be interpretative. What is laid down is basic truths, but the finer details are vague, for while Orion was created amidst chaotic times, it was not created solely for those times. It was created to serve its goal for as long as it is able, no matter what shape the world around it takes. After all, its central concepts are universal and timeless - society is most efficient when it benefits the people, and our shared experiences give us cause to foster kindness. The structure, too, is simple yet effective - while having a centralized focus and command, the chapter system allows for autonomy and specialization according to region. 

We begin with theory, which posits that society is composed of four fundamental factors - economy, government, socialization, and the relationship with the environment. Society, of course, is a construct created by humanity to streamline the process by which our physical and psychological needs are fulfilled. The most efficient model of human society is that which fulfills its objective - achieving maximum fulfillment with minimum input - and so the improvement of society to reach this ideal is our goal. Socialism and world federalism provide the most stable models of economy and government, and a more environmentalist approach to balancing society with the natural world is best for life in general. Because of this, Orionist political theory is called eco-socialist federalism. 

Eco-socialist federalism, or ESF theory, is not merely a collection of theories, but a synthesis. It can be best summarized as “a democratic federation of socialist nation-states formed with the express purpose of standardizing human rights and environmental protections.” In the interests of both the survival and prosperity of all humanity, there are certain qualities that must be made universal across the nations of the world, to ensure that all people, no matter what they look like, who they love, where they come from, or who they are, are given the same opportunities and freedoms. In addition, if we neglect to take a careful approach to our own growth and presence, we will not only endanger other life on Earth, but ourselves as well. Something of this scale touches every part of our lives, and thus, it will require not only a legal shift, but a sociological one, as we train ourselves to be kinder and wiser as a species.

Philosophy dictates five levels of realization about the self and its connection with the wider world, and the responsibility we hold as Orionists to better the world for ourselves and others. We first realize that no matter your conclusion, everyone finds meaning in the world by observing beauty, and determining the self in relation to the rest of the universe. Following from that, if everyone searches for some form of satisfaction and the fulfillment of their needs, we can relate and understand each other as humans. If we can relate, we can understand the apprehension towards suffering, and thus it follows that we should provide the helping hand that we would want in our time of need, for we can see ourselves in the lives of others. To accomplish this, however, requires discipline - as so many people let our differences divide us, it requires a temperance of our more negative emotions to hone our passions and give us strength. Finally, dedication to this mission requires a degree of sacrifice - a kinder world cannot come about spontaneously, and we must be willing to work for it so that our dreams can be fulfilled by those around us, and those that come afterwards. 

Philosophy and theory both tie into the idea of the Mission - the enduring and unending goal of Orion. The mission, simply, is to uphold the survival and prosperity of humanity, from now until our last member falls. Everything we do is about not only ensuring that the human race survives what could be our potential extinction, but that it learns, evolves, and flourishes equally. Survival alone is not the goal - for people could live full lives in bondage and suffering, and that would be a truly terrible existence. People could live forced down and treated as less than human, given a lesser lot in life for factors outside their control. Thus, prosperity is also important - to be given the chance to live a happy and satisfying life, not without struggle, but without unjust struggle.

Structure is divided between the chapters, the most basic element of Orionist organization, and the command structure, which is divided between executive and representative authority. A chapter consists of at least a Service Officer, a Research Officer, a Communications Officer, and a Chapter Head. The three officers and their respective teams represent the three branches of Orion - the Sword of Orion, our media and communications branch, Liberius, our service and activism branch, and the Museion Institute, our research and development branch. Chapters themselves are divided into geographic regions, with a regional command chapter, or REGCOM, at the head of each region. The head of a REGCOM is a Flagbearer, elected by the members of their region, and the various Flagbearers of Orion form the representative house of command, the Council of Flagbearers. 

REGCOMs act as a hub for Sword and Liberius operations in their region, while Museion is centralized into the titular institute, as well as any necessary secondary locations. The branches themselves are overseen by Branch Heads, appointed officials who serve on the council of Sword COMMAND, the executive house of command. While Flagbearers are only elected by a regional vote, Sword COMMAND’s head, the Instruist, is elected by an organization-wide vote, and the rest of the staff is selected for appointment by the Instruist themselves, with the Council of Flagbearers’ vote of approval. These staff members include the individual heads of each branch, a Financier (who handles financial matters) and a Parliamentarian (who handles record-keeping), each with their own offices, as well as the Instruist and a Lieutenant, who acts as an Instruist in training. In the event of the death or resignation of the Instruist, the Lieutenant will hold office until an election can be run, where they will run against a candidate of the people. If the Lieutenant wins, they will become the new Instruist, while if the people’s candidate wins, then the Lieutenant will continue to serve their position, and act as a guide and informant for the new Instruist. 

It is a simple and yet endlessly important idea that people, as complicated as they can be, deserve the opportunity to live their lives and express themselves freely, and if they fall by the wayside, to be given a chance to learn, grow, and recover. No one is perfect, because if we were perfect, we would not truly be alive. Life is that quest, through good times and bad, to understand oneself, and it takes some trial and error. Yet, with all this talk of freedom, we must not allow the mistakes of some to hurt others so seriously as they have in the past. The ability to live life comes hand in hand with the inability to outright deny it to others, and it is that balance we find ourselves charged to protect. 

To protect something so fundamental, and to seek change to monumental, may seem like an impossible task. What we seek is nothing less than a complete revolution in the way we live, the way we think, in the way we conduct ourselves, and in the way we see the world. To achieve peace and to undo our past mistakes will require unlearning what we have learned, understanding those we think far distant from us, and dismantling structures we deem so essential. But there is a strength we hold that surpasses the difficulty of our mission. We are not alone. You are not alone. 

I know as I write this that there are many others out there, who wish for a better world, who dream of a land untainted by bids for power and cycles of revenge, where two people from distant lands can stand hand in hand, united by what they share. Whatever drives them - hope, fear, love, guilt - there are those off on missions of their own, and with this, I take comfort, for as long as there is hope, my fire shall never die. With the Orionist Model in mind, no matter how big of an impact you make, know that you have a place among us, and that there is always room for new friends and faces in our ranks. The more who are willing to work so that others may be given hope, the closer the dream becomes to reality. 

And yet, even when federation is established, the world is reformed and the climate is saved, the mission will not conclude there. It may never end, for the role of an Orionist is twofold. We seek to protect that great journey of life, true, but it is equally as important to partake in it. To appreciate the value of life, one must learn to appreciate their own, and as the world moves towards the future and towards the stars, we will be right there with them, ready to help and guide whenever we are needed, but ready as well to experience the joy of discovery firsthand. That is what the Model means, that is what the Mission means, and that is what Orion means. 

Respice ad futurum, respice ad astra.

- DKTC FL

#orion #orionist #orionist model #theory #philosophy #structure #orionist theory #orionist philosophy #orionist structure #regcom #hope #future #model #eco-socialist federalism #esf theory #sword command #instruist #flagbearer #council of flagbearers #chapter #sword of orion #liberius #museion institute #museion #branches #environmentalism #socialism #world federalism

[swordoforion]

Orion Digest №34 - The Purpose of Liberius

While the general purpose and structure of Liberius, the sister branch of the Sword of Orion within Orion, has been discussed within the Orion Manifest, and will be covered in further detail in the second official book publication which is in production, more of its purpose within the overall goal of our organization has not been properly expounded on, and I will take this issue to discuss such, with the next issue dedicated to the Museion Institute, the third and final branch.

Each branch of Orion is designed to fight in some way for the preservation of humanity and the security of human rights; the Sword of Orion fights through writing, communication, and media. We make connections and communicate ideas to the world, interacting with politics and trying to use diplomacy to move policy forward. However, simply speaking and writing can only accomplish so much, and when it comes to action, Liberius is a branch that provides more devoted volunteers to help communities and causes on a more hands-on level.

Liberius itself is composed of three divisions - the Service Corps, the Medical Corps, and the Defense Corps, each with different levels of training and preparedness. As the names suggest, the different Corps are to be provided training and adequate testing to make sure they are ready for tasks of increasing physical and mental difficulty, from simple community service, to medical aid, to self-defense and defense of civilians. The order in which the names of the divisions are listed is the order one must progress through, rather than choosing - an initiate would start in the Service Corps, and train up to a Corps of their choosing, or remain within Service.

Let us start with the Service Corps. This will likely be the largest and busiest division, which would be concerned with training of other divisions, volunteering at rallies and public events, distributing resources to the homeless or impoverished, going on aid missions, etc. While long term goals of international political and economic reorganization are our top priority, we can help where possible through community service via our local chapters, to help the needy with what resources we have to spare, and for those dedicated to Orion and looking to help out, the Service Corps would be an easy choice.

The Medical and Defense Corps would, for the most part, be relegated to the same kinds of events, and would serve more for seniority purposes for simple service events, but would be trained in expectation of more violent altercation. Civilian protests in numerous nations have become violent whether due to the actions of the crowd or of law enforcement, and if members of Liberius are to attend protests for worthwhile causes, it is beneficial to have them prepared to administer medical assistance to the injured, and to be able to defend themselves and others to prevent further injury.

This expectation could also be extended, depending on specific chapters and the future of political development, to service in the midst of combat or in opposition to violent crime, though the latter would be at the discretion of specific communities. Liberius is not intended to be a program for conflict and soldiers - it is intended to protect and assist those in need and in danger. However, it is important to prepare activists for violence in a world increasingly filled with it, especially if they are to protect others from becoming victims to it.

Those who wish to enter the Medical Corps would be trained, as per the name, in medical aid, such as proper first-aid, CPR, life-saving procedures, etc. They would be prepared to use equipment to help those injured wherever they may find them, until they can get them to more proper and experienced care - a first responder to any medical emergency. While only the middle in the divisions, using first-aid to help the injured is perhaps the purest expression of the goal of Liberius - helping and saving others at any given opportunity.

The Defense Corps would be trained in the art of self-defense, via the way of both martial arts and practical hand-to-hand combat. A distinction between the arts of self-defense and regular combat training is that self-defense is not intended to attack an opponent - it is intended to fend off and, if necessary, force an attacker into submission. It is a useful skill applicable to any violent situation, and in reality, would be a beneficial service available to teach members of communities outside of Liberius proper, once members of the Defense Corps had mastered it.

While not named as such, one could call Liberius the 'shield of Orion' - we fight for people with our words, and defend them with as much action is as necessary. Whether this defense be literal - trained self defense against harmful adversaries - or metaphorical - aid rallies to provide food and shelter to the impoverished and homeless, or assistance at protests for beneficial causes - Liberius is there to protect. It is for this reason that out of the three branches, Liberius is given the most attention and rigorous requirements when it comes to membership, as it is important to be prepared for the sake of those we wish to protect and those who volunteer and serve.

The training that members of the Liberius divisions are provided serves a dual purpose - in addition to being useful to the students who learn it, it can also turn them into teachers for communities - self defense and first-aid are invaluable resources to anyone, as even if you never use them, it is good to be prepared. If there exists a Sword chapter in a community, members of Liberius there can provide classes to residents based on concerns, and it is our hope that perhaps that training could do well to save a life one day - if at least one person is protected because of that training, it will have been worth it.

What communities learn from Liberius could serve in peace or in times of conflict - if indeed the push for eco-socialist federation turns to revolution, the skills taught to members of Liberius could help citizens to resist and withstand. We are not an army, but if revolution is beneficial to our mission, we could provide guidance and assistance, or at the very least protection for civilians otherwise caught in the crossfire.

In the spirit of the purpose of Liberius - defense and service of the community - those that graduate from Defense Corps training are to be supplied with a shield, as available. This is both a symbolic and practical gesture - in the case of self defense, there are few greater pieces of equipment than an effective shield. Paired with martial arts, it can absorb common attacks and minimize damage to the wielder, without causing direct harm to the attacker. When used properly, it can also be an effective non-lethal weapon. Before this, those who graduate the Medical Corps training will be provided with first-aid kits and medical supplies that can be carried around and used when necessary. Finally, Service Corps graduates will be provided with ceremonial patches to commemorate their induction into Liberius.

Out of the three branches, Liberius will be the most difficult to create and enter into, but arguable the most worthwhile. Words, while helpful, are no substitute for action, and all the essays in the world cannot hold a candle to the value of potentially saving a human life. The purpose of Liberius is to be ready to help our communities, and the world as a whole in the real world, and to be prepared to serve in defense of its people.

- DKTC FL

#liberius #orion #sword of orion #orion digest #service corps #medical corps #defense corps #training #community service #branches of orion #action #activism #shield #self defense #first aid