SPACE JUNK: A PRACTICAL IDEAL IN ART. (part 2.) by John Cat

Snake character Ali from Space Junk.

Rough sketch of Ali the snake character in Space Junk.

---

    
----at the still point, there the dance is, –  T.S. Eliot

           Now that we know what the term Space Junk usually refers to these days, we can delve more into the space of the mind’s imagination & the practice of meditating in that area.
       A decade ago, 2012 to 2013, the environmental children’s story entitled, Space Junk, was published.  It is the first children’s story about the topic of Space Junk pollution.  Created in a spontaneous stream of consciousness writing style, these hand written (old fashioned style with ink and brush) stories were not formally edited  & feature unique works of art.
      In the Space Junk stories are several main characters ( Yama, Ali & a nameless black dog) along with other introductory peripheral ones.  Here is a brief analysis and understanding of the snake character named Ali and brief research into the possible meanings to decipher and understand more about this Space Junk story.
         The plot is really about nothing and is almost an inconsequential aspect of the whole concept.  The plot merely offers a simplistic narrative about the trashing of the environment of space by humans. The subject matter acts as a bridge to the artworks which operate as a cultural salve to benefit humanity with art.
        The space of our minds is oftentimes filled with a clutter of ideas, emotions, mental formations, memories and thoughts about random things.  Mental clutter refers to times when our mind has too many thoughts which makes it difficult to process and focus. A cluttered mind is disrupting and it hinders our productivity, balance and even our mental health. This relates to the sub conscious as well.
       A daily practice of Meditation is a useful tool to unclutter the mind, get into the present moment and offers great health benefits for people of all ages. People practice meditation for many reasons but the main goal is to quiet the mind & focus on the NOW, the present moment and sub conscious.

     When our thoughts slow down and we focus on nothing & attempt to clear our minds, there is a space for cosmic energy to manifest.  This space is where things like personal healing, ideas, helpful insights & creative inspiration comes from. The present moment, the eternal now where God energy resides.
     Some people focus on their breathing to enter this nothing state of the sub conscious, while others silently (or sometimes loudly) recite a MANTRA.  As we related before, space also means emptiness and nothing. Yet form and emptiness are inseparable and they cannot be understood in isolation from each other.
     Emptying the mind is a useful tool to learn as it helps you give your brain a break. According to the dictionary, to EMPTY YOUR MIND means to try your best to think about NOTHING. It means to purposely put a stop to the constant stream of thoughts that are with us every day. This also acts as a form of brain detoxification as well.
      The practice of daily meditation is also a way of healing traumatic stress and raising performance. 
In his book, Catching the Big Fish: Mediation, Consciousness, and Creativity,  Director and Artist David Lynch intones that "ideas are like fish. If you want to catch little fish, you can stay in the shallow water. But if you want to catch the big fish, you've got to go deeper. "
      Another big proponent of the powerful practice of meditation is Dr. Joe Dispenza, a researcher of  epigenetics, quantum physics and neuroscience.  Dr. Joe has done extensive research on the effects of meditation and creating a new reality for your life.

Space Junk character Ali playing air guitar while singing.

Speaking of space & emptiness, a snake is one of  the Space Junk characters.  Here is a brief overview.

Name:  Ali -- The unisex name Ali was chosen by the artist simply because it rhymes with the word tree. No other reason given yet in retrospect has importance.
Ali is a gender-neutral name of Swahili origin ( from Eastern Africa)  which literally means “supreme” or  “exalted”. Today it is used as a name all over the world and in many different cultures other than African.
Description & Meaning: Ali is a greenish snake with arms, wears a straw cowboy hat. and we all know that snakes don’t have arms, at least not on today’s version. The ancestors of today's slithery snakes once sported full-fledged arms and legs, but genetic mutations caused the reptiles to lose all four of their limbs about 150 million years ago, according to two new studies.
      Ali is a snake in the process of mutating backwards for the benefit of his emotional & physical survival, hence the arms.  He is de-evolving instead of evolving.  As these arms are rubber hose/noodle style appendages, this signifies the animated fun aspect of the character.     
        These rubber hose/spaghetti style arms are a reference to an early animation style used over 100 years ago. Rubber hose animation refers to the bouncy, rubbery way that characters were animated primarily in American cartoons during the 1920s to approximately the mid-1930s.  It is the first standardized animation style to be adopted by Hollywood studios. It was not only adopted for its efficiency, but also to avoid the issue of stiffness.
Color Psychology:  In color theory, Green is highly connected to nature and represents new beginnings, renewal and abundance. Growth, fertility, health and generosity are some of the positive color meanings for Green.
Green is also the color of money in U.S. dollars. Green (Secondary Color) is a color derived from mixing Blue and Yellow.
Alternatively, green can also carry negative associations such as envy, jealousy and a lack of experience.
Green has many of the same calming attributes that Blue has, but it also incorporates some of the energy of Yellow.

Ali ( right) with Yama Space Junk( left) as they meet for the first time.

Personality: Ali sings & dances because he craves attention and just wants to be loved. Most people don’t like snakes because they are cold blooded reptiles and scary.   Snakes are not perceived as warm and cuddly.  So as an evolutionary feat Ali is de-evolving backwards with arms to hug others and be loved. He just wants to be hugged and not be a scary snake that everyone fears. 
        His arms are not only for hugging but also to do other things like to Dance Rhythmically, play air guitar or  gesture wildly in Spasmodic movement.

Meaning & Symbolism:  Snakes and serpents are a much maligned species throughout history and literature.       People sometimes scream in fear when they encounter snakes or recoil in horror. A dishonest person is referred to as a snake.  'A snake in the grass' means a deceitful person or harmful thing that is hidden.

   According to the bible’s creation myth story about the Garden of Eden, a snake helped bring about the fall of mankind when naked Eve ate the apple from one and then tempted naked Adam. 
     God told them they would die if they ate the apple. Death was God's warning, before “the great fall,” and the loss of innocence for mankind. We all know the story and remember it well from our bible studies in youth.
 
    But a snake is not all bad as far as symbolism & meaning goes.  Snakes are symbols of primal energy, referred to as Kundalini, which is an ancient Sanskrit word from India.

     Prana (another Sanskrit word) can be translated as “life force energy,” “vital energy,” “breath of life,” “spirit-energy,” or “vital principle.” This term is used in yogic teachings as a general reference to the manifest energy of the entire universe. This original creative power is constantly flowing around us and inside of us.  
  The practice of Yoga can harness the bodies energy channels  & cause an upsurge of the powerful life force energy (Prana).
           Kundalini is a healing form of divine spiritual energy that is sourced at the base of the spine & can be activated by breathing exercises, meditation, chanting & the practice of certain yoga postures.
 This specific energy (Kundalini = serpent power) that lies dormant in all of us is also our our untapped potential. True enlightenment can be attained as a sort of "awakened" state from this release of powerful energy.
         
       Kundalini means 'coiled' or 'circular'. The serpent symbolizes this exact type of energy that lies inactive , coiled like a sleeping snake, at the base of the spine ( root chakra) in all humans. 
Ancient texts such as the Bhagava described it as 'the coiled power'.
The Sanskrit term "Kundali Shakti" translates as "Serpent Power".

       On another note about snakes, the ouroboros or uroboros is an ancient symbol of a serpent eating its own tail, variously signifying infinity and the cycle of birth and death. The ouroboros was adopted as a symbol in Gnosticism and most notably in alchemy. The term derives from Ancient Greek.
      The ouroboros is often interpreted as a symbol for eternal cyclic renewal or a cycle of life, death, and rebirth; the snake's skin-sloughing symbolizes the transmigration of souls.

      The artist/author picked a snake character to avoid the cliché of cute and cuddly because polluting space is not nice and there is nothing happy about it.
      A snake character is not typically commercial. The snake Ali will probably never appear as a mass produced cuddly toy or sold as a Happy Meal character as these reptiles are usually not used in children’s stories and the subject matter is about the pollution of our earth in space. 
The subject matter is really about nothing since space equals nothing.

Using ART as a bridge, Art-To-Go seeks to heal & enlighten culture as unique creativity mixed with humor, as an environmental lesson.

Next blog entry -- Space Junkers: Art as the Aesthetic Ideal -(part 3)