Tonight's insomnia got me thinking (as insomnia is bound to do) about success and art and society and on and on...
I guess the most compelling thought (at least to me in the midst of sleepy-headed-ness) was that I think there should be a seventh sense; warmth. The type of warmth that only the touch of life can give. In this increasingly technological world I find myself longing for music, art, clothing, food etc. that contains some element of the warmth of life.
It seems that everything these days can be "fixed" and "polished" and "streamlined" and "perfected" with gizmos and plugins and gadgets and I miss all the little "imperfections" that to me make things FEEL real.
I love the missed brush stroke and the prize of the occasional finger moving against a steel string on a guitar. I'm not such a fan of out of tune singing but I'd much prefer every once in a while to hear a note that's a tiny bit off than to hear that other worldly tin can sound of auto tuning... I'd rather eat a carrot that's not bright orange than to taste a faint sensation of fish in a genetically modified carrot. I miss the differentness of things...
I find myself looking for "vintage" on ebay and "handmade" on etsy, but even that category "handmade" turns up pages of mass production thanks to technology that leaves me wondering what exactly "handmade" means anymore...
This year Jono and I got to see David Byrne's concert when he toured his latest record. I've never really been a big fan although I've always recognized the talent. The concert was one of the most beautiful performances I've seen in many, many years. Afterward, when we were talking about it and trying to explain why it was so moving, what it boiled down to was that it was very- human-. It wasn't about fancy light shows or techno tricks. It was a performance based on talent and it was full of the warmth of life. The dancers were more in the modern dance vain than the shooka shooka scantily clad sell it however you can vain. The musicians were all extremely talented and there was a simplicity that was honest, inviting and seemed to strive for connection rather than perfection. And it was pretty close to perfect as well!
Even hospitals and healthcare overall have paid more heed to the impersonal aspects of the industry and have infused care with technology and wellness has suffered for it. We don't have to make eye contact very often but we are very efficient. But are we?
At what cost to art, to health, to society on a whole is this missing seventh sense which we never named and always took for granted ?!
