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Monday 8 November 2010

Magick Concrete

As anyone who has spoken to me for more than about 10 minutes will know, my creative inspirations are quite transparent. For years I've been obsessed with JG Ballard (who in a weird way, I consider a surrogate father figure), and Kenneth Grant (though I would NEVER seek practical parenting advice from his words). I've spent alot of time introspectively trying to tie together their creative worlds. The brook to bridge between JGB and Grant appears to be Ballard's refusal to countenance anything paranormal. This seemingly irreconcilable difference has actually provided me with the dialectical fuel to see a possibility of synthesising their mythos'. Where Grant and Ballard meet is in their appreciation of the science of the imagination, revealed through Surrealism. The pivotal figure in the equation is Salvador Dali and his siddhi of manifesting  - the "concrete irrational".

I've recently started moving the English Heretic project abroad, following the imaginal across the channel to Europe. In doing this, I've been groping for a suitable moniker to describe the research. Of course the hankering for exotic soil is a subconscious one analogous with Roussel's "Impressions Of Africa".

I've decided upon "Magick Concrete". Starting in 2011, I'll be developing this project. I envisage there being three broad aspects to it: "Theory" (essays, discussions, hermeneutics); Art (Concretised Irrational); Practice (Ritual/Fieldwork). Of course this may all change on the hot deserts of the imagination, but it feels like the time (albeit it told with soft clocks) is right.

5 comments:

Phil Knight said...

I think your site is fascinating, though I'm interested whether you believe that "magic" (which I guess includes the paranormal) is simply a psycho-social phenomenon, or whether it has real natural-but-undiscovered-to-science or even genuine supernatural components?

I don't know if you have read "Stolen Lightning" by Daniel O'Keefe, but he makes a convincing case that although magic is in his words "real social action", he is deeply sceptical that it includes any unknown-natural or supernatural components.

Even if you disagree with it, it's a brilliant book, and might help you bridge the brook you mention in this piece.

Chris Hill said...

Interesting idea - perhaps the link between Ballard and Grant (and others) is through the primacy given to place in both of their creative matrices. It seems to suggest to me that a rhizomatic approach may be more suited to your project than looking at their relationship dialectically. It's interesting how one's fascinations become the seed for a deeper level of discourse. I have recently been looking at how the world of shabby 70's sitcom may well be open to an occult reading. Your idea of 'Magick Concrete' has great potential in terms of artistic production - for sheer physicality and sense of time/place there are great precursors in the work of Alan Davies and Anselm Kiefer, to name but two.

Dr. Champagne said...

Hi Phil and Chris

Thanks for the comments and input!
I'll reply in more detail in a separate blog entry, as there is alot really to say, but briefly:
Phil - i believe magic and the imagination are synonymous and paranormality is a facet of the imagination. Imagination is a very little understood science.

Haven't read this book, but will look at picking it up, thanks for the recommendation.

Chris - yes, I wasn't quite sure dialectical is the right approach... It's interesting the rhizomatic could be analogous with the wyrd. But in a sense Magick Concrete also represents a growing down - the acorn theory - i'll explain more in the context of previous projects leading to MC.

I'd love to hear more of your idea for occult sitcom. I've been writing on similar themes. If you are writing such stuff, then do get in touch andy.sharp-at-character-dot-hotmail-co-uk etc..

Phil Knight said...

Hello again Dr. C

I'm part of the collective "and what will be left of them" blog.

I've a post here that you may or may not find interesting:

http://andwhatwillbeleftofthem.blogspot.com/2010/12/synchronicity.html

Dr. Champagne said...

Hi Phil,

Ah yes, I do read that blog, and it's great too! I know Carl as well and love his writing.