Joseph Nechvatal. (Hotlist).Joseph Nechvatal has been making computer-assisted robotic paintings since 1986. His most recent show, "vOluptuary: an algorithmic hermaphornology," was on view this summer at Universal Concepts Unlimited in New York. It's tough to learn the ins and outs of a secret society secret society, organization of initiated persons whose members, purposes, and rituals are kept secret. Human groups throughout history have maintained secret societies. The ceremonies of initiation into such a society typically begin with an oath pledging secrecy as to all proceedings of the society, ascribing special obligations to its members, and assenting to penalties for violation of the oath. if you don't know the handshake. Happily, the Internet makes available esoteric traditions that were once virtually inaccesible--from Gnosticism Gnosticism (nŏs`tĭsĭzəm), dualistic religious and philosophical movement of the late Hellenistic and early Christian eras. The term designates a wide assortment of sects, numerous by the 2d cent. A.D.; they all promised salvation through an occult knowledge that they claimed was revealed to them alone. and Hermetism to Tantra Tantra (tŭn`trə), in both Hinduism and Buddhism, esoteric tradition of ritual and yoga known for elaborate use of mantra, or symbolic speech, and mandala, or symbolic diagrams; the importance of female deities, or Shakti; cremation-ground practices such as meditation on corpses; and, more so in Hindu than in Buddhist tantra,, magic(k), and Freemasonry Freemasonry, teachings and practices of the secret fraternal order officially known as the Free and Accepted Masons, or Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Organizational StructureThere are approximately 5 million members worldwide, mostly in the United States and other English-speaking countries. With adherents in almost every nation where Freemasonry is not officially banned, it forms the largest secret society in the world.. Many arcane texts and images, once difficult to obtain and prohibitively expensive, can now be downloaded free, making this material available to artists--or anyone--with special affection for esoterica. As Yves Klein said in his Chelsea Hotel Manifesto: "Long live the Immaterial!" Fortean Times www.forteantimes.com Fortean Times, a "Journal of Strange Phenomena," was founded in 1973 to carry on the work of early-twentieth-century writer and UFO spotter Charles Fort. Skeptical of scientific explanation, Fort was intrigued by questions of the loss of bodily sovereignty through philosophical reflection on transport. His investigations into disembodied experiences might well parallel contemporary forays into virtual-reality art, thus feeding our own interest in the telematic condition. Entering FT online is like stepping off a precipice with no apprehension of losing control. The site offers breaking news, archived articles (check out "The Mystical Count," about the life of Jan Potocki, author of the supernatural fiction The Saragossa Saragossa, Spain: see Zaragoza. Manuscript), and a gallery featuring images of strange beasts and, of course, crop circles. Esoterica www.esoteric.msu.edu In 1948, at age twenty, Yves Klein discovered a book by Max Heindel that outlined the beliefs of the Rosicrucians Rosicrucians (rōzĭkr  `shənz), members of an esoteric society or group of societies, who claim that their order has been in existence since the days of ancient Egypt and has over the course of time included many of the world's sages.. After studying the Christian sect for six years, Klein considered himself an initiate and announced the coming of the "Age of Space," in which humans would travel liberated from their bodies. if, through internetted virtual-reality technology, that age is approaching, the periodical Esoterica and its website will become required reading. The journal covers Western esotericism and its influence on multiple disciplines; the site contains a magnificent archive of relevant dissertations, research links, and a lush image library. The Dark Arts www.banger.com/banger/art A small but admirable selection of images and texts devoted to decadent art, a tradition particularly relevant to cyberspatial understandings of virtual realities in its concern with the fabrication of inorganic worlds. Here we can view fine examples of decadent art by Beresford Egan and Arthur Zaidenberg, as well as the absorbing archive of works by Austin Osman Spare (www.banger.com/banger/spare) who concentrated on transforming his onanistic libidinal energy into chaos art through the use of automatism command automatism abnormal responsiveness to commands, as in hypnosis. au·tom·a·tism (ô-t  m almost a decade prior to the Surrealists. Alchemy www.levity.com/alchemy The more we identify our hyper-real simulacrum persona(e) as fluid, technologically stored sets of bits, the more we have to learn from the principles of alchemy. The reading lists and time lines on this occult site will help beginners get acquainted with alchemical thinking; advanced scholars will find an extensive library of pertinent texts, including a choice selection of English alchemical verse (there's more than you'd think). I also love the searchable database of alchemical emblems, with more than five hundred icons to download and decode. The Gnosis Archive www.gnosis.org The Gnostics have attempted to construct a majestic system of higher knowledge derived from Christianity but assimilating elements of various Greek and Asian religions. Believers conceive of the transcendent as an intelligible sphere whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere--an apt image from our immersive virtual perspective. The Gnosis Archive, with its exhaustive collection of primary texts and resources, including RealAudio lectures, offers everything you wanted to know about Gnosticism but didn't know to ask. Read, experience, and transcend. Visit www.artforum.com for links to Hotlist A listing of the best of something. It typically refers to the most popular Web sites. websites. |
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