The Transdimensional Moment (revised & completed 1/1/2026

 

Timestamp: December 15, 2025 - 4:08 pm. Cellphone photo, DS.

"I’ll walk where my own nature would be leading:

It vexes me to choose another guide:

Where the gray flocks in ferny glens are feeding;

Where the wild wind blows on the mountain side.

What have those lonely mountains worth revealing?

More glory and more grief than I can tell:

The earth that wakes one human heart to feeling

Can centre both the worlds of Heaven and Hell."

- An excerpt from an untitled poem written by the perennially relevant, 19th century British poet and author, Emily Brontë in 1846. Read the full poem here.

(December 31, 2025, 8:00 PM.)

I am presently watching a beautiful twilight sky here in Albuquerque during this final daylight hour of the year 2025. Not quite as beautiful as the clouds I found earlier in December (in a similar timeframe), when the photo (above), and, specifically, the cloud (below) were taken. (Note: All 4 cloud formations in this post share the same tree.)

Timestamp: December 15, 2025 - 4:58 pm. Cellphone photo, DS.

The moon, which almost seems strangely full - strangely, because (I swear) it was in its new phase only 3 or 4 days ago - is nested in a pale puff of clouds. Then again, somewhere else in the world or outside of it, the moon is full, depending upon our hypothetical watcher's perspective.

The color of the sky is one shade of an indescribable iridescent blue/grey color I've seen nowhere else other than NM. The much paler clouds hover ghost-like there, darkening as the night cycles by. They'll continue to shift and transform - so slowly you won't even notice - till the early morning, before they drift away.

On this day, however, when the clock strikes midnight, an official transformation will take place: the year 2025 will slide into year 2026, AD (CE).* For some of us, it already has. For some of us it hasn't quite yet, which is why I wanted to post so late in the day. Because it's all so relative, and relativity is important when attempting to define a transdimensional moment. 

I confess, I've spent weeks attempting to rethink and redefine transdimensionalism after the content of Once Upon a Transdimensional Day forced me to fully realize that all previous attempts on my part were in adequate.

I want to apologize for leaving that post hanging in mid-air for weeks, with that prematurely-made promise: "Text to come." I didn't intend to lie; I just overestimated my ability to write that text. I didn't foresee the severe case of writer's block that would follow...

(This post is being written live; more appears below the jump!)

(Update, January 5, 2026: For my other 2026 post, see The Fool's Heroic Journey.

Once upon a transdimensional day...

 

Four Seasons - oil painting - 2020, Petras Lukosius.

A Walk

by Rainer Maria Rilke, 1924

(Translated by Robert Bly)

"My eyes already touch the sunny hill

going far ahead of the road I have begun.

So we are grasped by what we cannot grasp;

it has inner light, even from a distance

and changes us, even if we do not reach it,

into something else, which, hardly sensing it,

we already are; a gesture waves us on

answering our own wave...

but what we feel is the wind in our faces."

***

Reveal Arriving - oil painting - 2020, Petras Lukosius.

Evening

by Rainer Maria Rilke

(Translated by A. S. Kline)

Slowly the evening draws on its coat

Held out to it by a row of ancient trees:

You gaze: and the landscape splits in two,

One part lifting skywards, while one falls,

Leaving you not quite part of anything,

Not quite so dark as the house, the silent one,

Not quite as surely invoking the eternal,

As that which turns to star each night, rising -

Leaving you (indescribably, to unravel)

Your anxious, immense, and ripening life:

So that, now bounded, and now grasped,

It becomes, in turn, stone in you, and star.

Patron Saint #11: Frida Kahlo: Portraits of La Santa Muerte

Autorretrato con collar de espinas (Self Portrait with Necklace of Thorns) - oil on canvas - 1940, Frida Kahlo
(Apart from this image which is posted at its maximum size, all others on this page
 can be clicked to enlarge.)

“I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it's true I'm here, and I'm just as strange as you.”

- Frida Kahlo; quote found here.

__________________________________________

I've not been a huge fan of most film and television fare in recent years, so I tend to miss a lot of things. And, when Julie Taymor's Frida (2002) appeared on the tube several months ago, I was a liitle hesitant; not convinced that Selma Hayek (or, anyone, for that matter) could pull off the heavy title role. Happily, I was wrong, and, for the most part, I enjoyed the film. And, it renewed my interest in possibly one of the most celebrated, venerated - and, possibly least understood - artists of the past century, Frida Kahlo (July 6, 1907 - July 13, 1954).

As it was, Frida Kahlo's story came up a few times in the autumn of last year, during research for "Dia(s) de Los Muertos". At first, I thought it was amusing that, while googling "The Day(s) of the Dead," Kahlo's imagery - and photos of Kahlo herself - kept popping up on my computer monitor, but, after exploring some of these links, and doing a little investigation of my own, an intriguing picture began to emerge. Ultimately, Frida Kahlo might not be associated with the Days of the Dead for superficial reasons. As it was, I begin to suspect, in many ways, not only was she aware of La Santa Muerte (or Santisima Muerte) the patron Saint of Death - in spite of the fact that she had not come from, nor lived in the lower class barrios - she, in many ways, identified with her and, possibly, even paid tribute to her, along with the Saint's Mesoamerican forebear, the goddess of death, Mictecacihuatl. Moreover, as documentation of contemporary Santa Muerte worship just happened to originate around the middle of the 20th century - anywhere from the 1940s to the 1960s (Kahlo herself died in 1954) - I suspect that, not only was Frida Kahlo an early contributor (albeit unwittingly) to the religion's more recent form (see here and here), she has become, in a sense, one of the saint's corporeal embodiments...

Transdimensionalism 1:01... & Parallel Worlds

"Blueprint" for Unit 3 Aggregate 6 - 1983, DS

"We have ways of determining when a physical body is no longer, obviously alive. And, yes, we know how different living structures come together to produce more complex structures. These eventually result in a creature who can, quite possibly, walk to a local diner and order "home-fries". But, ultimately, this knowledge fails to illuminate us. While we can surmise that John Doe desires home-fries due to theories regarding genetic or environmental prompts which happen to coincide with that biological drive known as "hunger", we do not really know why it was that, while John was walking home from the diner, he got hit by a renegade truck. Nor do we know why John's wife, Sylvia, told him to stay home that day because she "had a bad feeling" about his going out. Nor do we know why John's son, Rufus, shot the neighbor's dog two days earlier. You can call in all the biologists and psychiatrists in the world, and possibly after several months, they might be able to determine the "how" of several elements of this scenario, but they'll never be able to determine the "why" of this succession of events because there is no obvious logic involved. And, that's life.

Hence, we have the "story", which is not so much a thing, nor a series of things, but a mad combination of all sorts of no-things that come together in a such away to amuse us or dismay us.  And it's a very strange occurrence to realize that some of these tales which filter into our brains, mysteriously become part of our own personal databank of experiences without ever attaining 'thingness' at all."

- from Transdimensionalism 1:01, a .pdf file I've just uploaded, containing material I wrote in 2010 and revised in 2015 (A link appears after the jump...).

To Decode The Living Matrix... Featuring the Work of Cristóbal Vila

From the video: Isfahan - 3D digital still - 2005, Cristóbal Vila

matrix |ˈmātriks|
noun ( pl. -trices |ˈmātrisēz| or -trixes )
1 an environment or material in which something develops; a surrounding medium or structure : free choices become the matrix of human life.
• a mass of fine-grained rock in which gems, crystals, or fossils are embedded.
• Biology the substance between cells or in which structures are embedded.
• fine material : the matrix of gravel paths is raked regularly.
2 a mold in which something, such as printing type or a phonograph record, is cast or shaped.
3 Mathematics a rectangular array of quantities or expressions in rows and columns that is treated as a single entity and manipulated according to particular rules.
• an organizational structure in which two or more lines of command, responsibility, or communication may run through the same individual.

ORIGIN late Middle English (in the sense [womb] ): from Latin, ‘breeding female,’ later ‘womb,’ from mater, matr - ‘mother.’

North American Wood Thrush

“As we listen we lose the sense of time—it links us with eternity…Its tones…seem like the vocal expression of the mystery of the universe, clothed in a melody so pure and ethereal that the soul still bound to its earthly tenement can neither imitate nor describe it.”
- Anonymous Twentieth Century naturalist describing the Wood Thrush

"It was dawn and as I lay there listening to the birds w/ my eyes shut I began to see a weird pattern emerging from the darkness... an almost graphic pattern similar to computer graphics... It looked like chopped meat being criss-crossed (sic) by a rapidly moving concentric ring pattern... similar to my cyclocentric* patterns but more intricate. From this emerged what seemed like another darker dimension - again filled with cyclocentric patterns but these were made of various colors of light... and some were large and whirlpooling (sic) while smaller brighter patterns emerged... all of them moving and vibrant and living and all of them revolving and forming harmonics by which even tinier glowing patterns emerged. It was as if I was delving into a series of many dimensions... but I could only glance at certain aspects (of the patterns) for milliseconds at a time (as they were) far too complex and enmeshed for human resolution...

The Transdimensional Landscapes of San Base

There are numerous new artists out there - too many, in a sense, to wrap ones head around - and new artists jumping into the digital arena every day. But, every now and then, I'm introduced to new art (this time via MOCA) that really resonates with me, and art that fulfills the purpose of what I believe art should ideally be; that is: a visual language which has the ability to both illuminate and transform. And when I find the art, the artist, I am moved to feature them here... and so, I present to you San Base, a Russian artist now living in Canada.

San Base, as in the case of many digital artists, though artistically inclined, was initially trained in the science of mathematics, becoming a cybernetics engineer before fully devoting his efforts to his true passion, painting. What he refers to as "Dynamic Painting" - both the images and the program he developed to generate them - represents the marriage of his painting skills and his digital expertise, and the result... well, as you can see from the example above, the result is amazing.

All too often digital creations are too slick - lacking integrity, emotion, and poetry - but, San Base's transdimensional landscapes breathe, shift and transform as naturally and aesthetically pleasing as running water and drifting clouds. One recognizes something... maybe it's the way we dream... or the organic composition of our thoughts and memories. But, no description is ever necessary with successful art. It simply is, and, intuitively, we know it's precise.

Bravo, San Base!

Incidentally, after you've viewed this "painting", you might want to try this one!

For more of San Base's work, including imagery for sale, more videos (even a few Mandelbulb fractals), visit his website, and his online studio.

***

PS: And, here's two new articles in cyberspace that may interest you... "Art + Technology = New Art Forms, Not Just New Art", and "What is New Media Art?"

The Doors of Perception (9/1/25: video repaired)

Doors of Perception - digital - Copyright, 2011, Dia Sobin

"If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite."

- William Blake, from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, 1793

***

“There are things known and there are things unknown, and in between are the doors of perception.”

"To be shaken out of the ruts of ordinary perception, to be shown for a few timeless hours the outer and the inner world, not as they appear to an animal obsessed with survival or to a human being obsessed with words and notions, but as they are apprehended, directly and unconditionally, by Mind at Large - this is an experience of inestimable value... The man who comes back through the Door in the Wall will never be quite the same as the man who went out. He will be wiser but less cocksure, happier but less self-satisfied, humbler in acknowledging his ignorance yet better equipped to understand the relationship of words to things, of systematic reasoning to the unfathomable Mystery which it tries, forever vainly, to comprehend."

"The various “other worlds,” with which human beings erratically make contact are so many elements in the totality of the awareness belonging to Mind at Large. Most people, most of the time, know only what comes through the reducing valve and is consecrated as genuinely real by the local language. Certain persons, however, seem to be born with a kind of by-pass that circumvents the reducing valve. In others temporary by-passes may be acquired either spontaneously, or as the result of deliberate “spiritual exercises,” or through hypnosis, or by means of drugs. Through these permanent or temporary by-passes there flows, not indeed the perception “of everything that is happening everywhere in the universe” (for the by-pass does not abolish the reducing valve, which still excludes the total content of Mind at Large), but something more than, and above all something different from, the carefully selected utilitarian material which our narrowed, individual minds regard as a complete, or at least sufficient, picture of reality.”

- three excerpts from The Doors of Perception, Aldous Huxley, 1954

***

Trade winds find Galleons lost in the sea 

I know where treasure is waiting for me 

Silver and gold in the mountains of Spain 

I have to see you again and again 

Take me, Spanish Caravan 

Yes, I know you can."

- Spanish Caravan - The Doors*, 1968, from Waiting for the Sun 

***

I had a semi-eureka moment the other night. I was reading the posthumously published book of a friend (mentioned in previously posts), Mac Tonnies - the first volume of an edited transcription of his Posthuman Blues blog - when I came across a 2003 discussion of anomalous arial phenomena (UFOs), and his speculative proposition (inspired by Rudy Rucker's Spaceland) suggesting they may be cross-sections of 4-dimensional objects moving through 3-dimensional space. He compares this hypothetical 4-D world with the idea of a vast "multiverse", but its phenomena would only be visible to we 3-D "Flatlanders" at points of intersection... sort of a complex version of the "tip of the iceberg" appearing on the surface of the ocean - it's what we can't see that defines it in totality.

He goes on to say that, it stands to reason, we might theoretically coexist with the generators of these "aerial phenomena" - assuming some variety of intelligence is involved. 

As it happened, I had recently posted a quotation from Michio Kaku, a String-Theory physicist, on my memorial blog, Post-Mac Blues, which intimated a similar idea in the form of possible parallel worlds, in which we theoretically might co-exist with a range of probable realities populated with a whole host of "others", up to and including loved ones who have died, and other versions of ourselves, as well. And, keep in mind, String Theory proposes as many as eleven dimensions to play with!

Seemingly, transdimensional reality comes off like science fiction, but, in a sense, we experience a form of it on a continual basis; co-existing with the seemingly dimension-less phenomena of our own unconscious minds. Dreams, for instance, fall into this arena, They, too, may intimate experiences we are forced to translate using the limited language of three dimensions, with our equally as limited "official" set of senses. The experience of levitating or flying, for example, which, in my own dreams, initially entails allowing oneself to fall - albeit at an oblique angle - into space, might be describing a more complex manifestation on another plane, or, for that matter, the vestiges of a race memory wholly outside of the conventional range of spacetime... you might say, an inner-dimensional** reality. Some dreams, then, may represent those same "tips of the iceberg", with their true breadth extending in a whole range of enfolded directions.

Ghosts, and other anomalous visual phenomena might also find their origin in a transdimensional reality whereas, once again, our experience is partially obscured by the nuts and bolts of our 3-dimensional range. We see what (to some of us) is apparently visible... but only to a certain degree... and possibly only at certain angles in what one can reluctantly refer to as a moment in spacetime. True perception is thereby incremental... like tuning in a station on a radio; our window for experiencing certain phenomena is, apparently, extremely small.

Of course, in the light of the brick wall effect of corporeal reality, all of this seems fairly moot. Which is probably what I meant when I created "Doors of Perception". Look, but don't see. On the other hand, I sense an underlying mystery about this image... as if its facade was created by an extra-terrestrial race. At the same time, during the process of its creation, a key phrase emerged in my mind -"false doors" - possibly referring to those which decorated Egyptian tombs. The "Ka" doors (an example is pictured above, left) were more than embellishments, however, they were the means by which the dead might re-enter the earthly plane and communicate with the living. The enigmatic Nabatean race included similar doors, and windows - referred to as "god blocks" - on the surface of their tombs at Petra (above, right). When you think about it, these solid, physically impenetrable "openings" are very strange. Obviously, their dead could walk through walls - and our enterprising ancients designated exactly where these portals should exist.

For Aldous Huxley, (July 26,1894 – November 22,1963), the "doors of perception" were thrown open via certain altered states of consciousness, either natural and spontaneous, or artificially "manufactured". His 1954 extended essay, The Doors of Perception was a chronicle of his experience with mescaline. He, in turn, borrowed that title from the inspired ravings of William Blake, a visionary artist and poet who was born in the previous century (November 28, 1757 – August 12, 1827).

Huxley's doors were the doors of inner-dimensions, the "Mind at Large", but one suspects the doors might swing both ways, from microcosmic to macrocosmic, from personal to transpersonal, from universal to multiversal.

It was Huxley's doors, in turn, which inspired the name of the 1960's rock band, The Doors. They, according to legend, were no strangers to psychedelic enhancement. As a teenager, it was the latter Doors who introduced me to both Blake and Huxley. Pop culture does have it's beneficial side-effects. Which, I suppose, is my excuse for indulging myself with the Doors video at the bottom of the post.

"Spanish Caravan" does relate in a weird way though... in that. it initially seems like no more than a beguiling, substance-drenched ditty - or an ode to a favorite vacation spot - set to the Doors' standard Disneyland-in-Hell - or, better even, Carnival of Souls - orchestral sound. But, to the discerning traveller, "Spain" and "Andalusia" are not corporeal destinations. Translated by the sultry voice of Jim Morrison,  (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) - the Sidewinder Shaman, and self-proclaimed Lizard King - the lyrics transform into an alchemical cryptogram, intimating a subliminal dimension which houses the proverbial philosopher's stone - the mystical El Dorado of the spiritual realm - which must be experienced "again and again". In the grainy "Live in Europe" clip below, this song takes no prisoners.

What is the "Spanish Caravan"? A "Magic Bus" ? The mother of all mother-ships? Death? Who cares. Morrison assured us that it could "take" him. We assumed we were welcome to come along for the ride... if we dared.

* The lyrics to Spanish Caravan were actually penned by Doors guitarist, Robby Krieger.

** "Interdimensional" is a word in use, coined by Jacques Vallee, which he used to describe UFO phenomena, but is not exactly what I'm referring to here. On the other hand, these cosmic portals might be the macrocosmic expression of what I'm attempting to describe.

Note: For those interested in a mash-up of ideas referred to in this post plus, you might try familiarizing yourself with the writings of Clifford Pickover, his website or blog.

(Another note: For those of you familiar with this blog, you actually have seen a portion of my image "Doors of Perception" in a past post.)

Casey Kotas... Amid the Streams of Consciousness

Leitmotif Number Four - Digital -  Casey Kotas

"When man (and woman) first picked up a charred piece of wood to make a mark on a cave wall, the idea of artistic expression came into being. Some time later, the sister concept of philosophy materialized and humanity sped off into what we call civilization and culture. The reason I consider philosophy a sister to artistic expression is that they both deal with the expansion of consciousness and the illumination of spirit, through self-expression and self-awareness. These are probably the two most transcendent attributes exhibited by Homo sapiens and, to a large extent, have been responsible for the progress that we have demonstrated as a species."

- Casey Kotas, excerpt from his essay Analog versus Digital Art, 9/7/2009

***

I've been off on a tangent for the past few months - half a dozen of them (months and tangents), actually - to the degree that the original purpose of this blog, i.e., to explore Transdimensionalism and Transfigurativism in digital art, has been almost completely compromised. A large part of the problem, and it should be fairly obvious by now, is that I have something I refer to as Multiple Muse Disorder (MMD). One can flatter me and refer to me as a "Renaissance woman". Detractors may describe my modus operandi as a bad case of dilettantism, but, essentially it comes down to this: despite how disparate the forms of ones output seem to be, they all originate from the same integrated source, and often reflect an ability to express the same essential "message" in a variety of different ways. (And, keep in mind, "dilettante" originated from an Italian word meaning nothing more than "loving the arts".)  Ultimately, I'm of the opinion that if one can't translate ones expressions into varied disciplines, it represents more of a deficit than a virtue.

It was In an effort to get back on the track, however, and having little new work of my own to exhibit, that I came upon the work of Casey Kotas - via this MOCA page -  a digital artist working out of Chicago, Illinois. Interestingly enough, Casey notes in his biographical sketch, that after some formal art training, he left school to become a musician, before returning to the visual arts via the computer; and it may very well be that his work as a musician enabled him to express himself so eloquently, so harmonically, in the visual arts.

Doctrinal Entrapment - Digital - Casey Kotas

Kotas describes his images as "stream of consciousness", which, if you've read the term definitions on the sidebar of this blog, falls under "Transfigurativism". It was also the favored "automatic" technique of the Surrealists. His use of fractals, on the other hand, automatically defines his work as Transdimensional as well, because while fractals describe phenomena in the natural 3-dimensional world, they do so by interpreting the relationship between the microcosm and the macrocosm - that is to say, they describe how one dimension is enfolded in the other. So fractals are a type of "magical wand" for the Transdimensionalist, whereby many dimensions, both mathematical abstractions and the rarefied dimensions of the psyche are able to interweave, creating an homogenous, holistic fabric, an electronic tissue which, in itself, can reflect all and anything to the observer.

Dream Journey - digital - Casey Kotas

I've included a few examples of Kotas' work here, but these merely partially represent the magnitude of his abilities to translate the multi-dimesnsional reality of the psyche into two dimensions. There are hundreds of images in his galleries. But. all of them do have one thing in common, and I think this is represented by the images here; that is, there is refined intricacy of line and form, as delicate and pure as Mother Nature's finest works.

Enjoy!

A Transdimensionalist's Dream

In Search of the Transdimensional: Murmurations (Repaired, 12/2023)

I was sent a link to the above Vimeo (new link for Sophie Windsor Clive & Liberty Smith) by a friend, not long ago, which really set my mind whirling. I didn't connect it with recent work, but, in a strange way, it and my recent preoccupation with nature - specifically the woods behind my house - do somewhat go hand in hand, so to speak. The Green Man is all over my psyche these days.

Currently I'm working on an illustration for an old children's story of mine... about a wood-elf. No, I'm not referring to Tolkien's variety - as lovely as they may be - nor the pretty little Victorian fairy variety either. Without going into detail, however, I've felt oddly connected to the natural world again... in the way that healthy children generally are, and my current illustration features a bird and a beech tree. So, it's all about birds and trees... and bugs.... and, for an artist, the amazing spaces in-between.

I've heard of murmurations before... which is a rather perfect word describing a flock of starlings... but what few clips I've seen never did justice to the actual phenomenon itself, which is fairly astounding.

Starlings, of course, at least the variety one sees around the east coast of the USA, are fairly obnoxious birds, and the most scruffy, least attractive birds I've ever seen. But then, I've never witnessed a murmuration... I'm not even sure they occur here... certainly none so remarkable as the ones shown in this video of Otmoor, below. And the starlings across the pond are quite handsome in their own way, though, apparently, not terribly popular there, any more than they are here.

In any case, after viewing the video above - and really, the reaction of the women at the end is priceless -  I consulted Youtube and found two videos composed by Dylan Winter featuring some breathtaking starling formations over Otmoor, England.

Interestingly enough, Otmoor and its environs were said to be an occasional haunt for Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll. His chessboard in Through the Looking-glass was said to be inspired by Otmoor and the area is known to this day as Alice's Meadow. (Note: Not only are European Starlings under attack, but apparently Otmoor was, too, till concerned citizens rallied and saved it from the bulldozers! See here.)

According to Winter's short documentary (found here) murmurations happen every day throughout the winter! Winter makes a tepid case for predation habits and social status as an explanation for the birds' behavior... but I get the impression that he's no more convinced than I am.

A predator's search strategy? Starlings maneuvering for social position...? Somehow I think there's more to the phenomenon than simplistic biological explanations. Why then do starlings take part in such remarkable displays of aerodynamics? My guess is because they can. And these displays are not motivated by biological needs but - dare I say - are inspired by needs and abilities humans can just barely understand. We do, however, engage in sports - feats of physical prowess exhibiting the capabilities of the human body to conquer limitations imposed by the three dimensions of the "solid" world. "See what we can do?" is our implication as we turn our somersaults, or fly thru the air over an ice-skating rink.

I think the birds are doing the same. "Ah, but see what we can do?" they seem to be saying. And don't you just wonder how they do it? How thousands of birds can form massive currents in the air with their bodies, synchronized in ways no human can imitate? Apparently science affords us no answers. Not even the most complex algorithm can explain what we're seeing. And, keep in mind we are only seeing these formations from one angle at a time. (!) 

The bird's odd dance has an almost alien, enchanted quality - like something you might find in one of Merriam Zimmer Bradley's Arthurian tales. I think of Lewis Carroll and his marvelous looking-glass. I think of old wives tales and folk tales featuring sorcerers and harbingers of death. I think of moire patterns and broken symmetry... I think of M.C. Escher and his tessellations.

(2023 note: see also: this Guardian article.)

But I wonder, is this a transdimensional phenomena we're witnessing... an indication of some vast organic fabric of which we can only glimpse - or wholly miss -  through  our telescopic lenses and Hadron colliders? Can the discovery of any "god-particles" really fill in the gaps in our knowledge? I've often felt that animals, and wild-life in general know a great deal more than they're able to let on... but then, perhaps, "knowing" is somehow different for the denizens of the natural world. I suspect that the starlings effortlessly and gracefully gliding over Otmoor are not thinking about or planning their activities, writing "How To" books, or uploading themselves on to Facebook. They have no need for words, diagrams or marketing strategies... they're simply utilizing elements of physical reality we have little recognition of, coupled with abilities to traverse space and time in ways that render our mass-transit systems (and mass-communication systems) clumsy and infantile.

So, here's to birds, particularly starlings - godspeed, feathered cosmonauts!

***

PS: Synchronistically, that night, after writing this post, I was watching a PBS mystery centered around the theme of Lewis Carroll's "The Hunting of the Snark". From the Wiki article:

"Here is how Carroll "explained" the Snark in 1887: I was walking on a hillside, alone, one bright summer day, when suddenly there came into my head one line of verse – one solitary line – For the Snark was a Boojum, you see. I knew not what it meant, then: I know not what it means, now; but I wrote it down: and, sometime afterwards, the rest of the stanza occurred to me, that being its last line: and so by degrees, at odd moments during the next year or two, the rest of the poem pieced itself together, that being its last stanza.

In the midst of the word he was trying to say

In the midst of his laughter and glee

He had softly and suddenly vanished away

For the Snark was a Boojum, you see."


***

PPS: Regarding a comment I made on this post regarding magnetism, I happened to find this article about the earth's magnetic fields and it's effects on animals. Could our starlings be utilizing these magnetic fields for their own purposes? 

Got me. But it doesn't really rule out transdimensionalism... as I suppose one can view a magnetic field as a kind of transdimension... ;-)

***

7/20/12 UPDATE: I found this unfortunate afterword to my murmuration post on Graham Hancock's news page tonight. Guess it's a quick trip from the "invasive" list to the "endangered" list these days...

Patron Saint #2: Roberto Matta

“We should one day represent what we don’t see.”

Roberto Matta

"Visionary artist Roberto Matta (1911-2002) was arguably one of the most important artists of the 20th century. His high profile association with poet Andre Breton’s group of Surrealists only initiated his own personal evolution and style, which culminated in addressing the realm of the subconscious and the invisible. Thus, Matta is the patron saint of so-called “metaphysical art,” the graphic depiction of energies beyond the physical realities of everyday life.

“Matta – The Eye of a Surrealist” is a brilliant documentary by filmmaker Jane Crawford, which shows the artist exploring and simultaneously explaining the creative process. The film is also a cinematic retrospective of Matta’s life and his work with interview commentaries by art historians, curators and fellow artists.

Trying to explain his own personal creative process, Matta says, “If you start with a white thing [referring to a canvas or piece of paper], you are going to project things you already know. Make it dirty somehow and then you will start using hallucinations.”

These “hallucinations” are simply the power of imagination as when “people see in a cloud an elephant and begin to hallucinate to suggest something [to their mind.]” We make our own realities in other words, says Matta, and art is the expression of bringing the hidden into the visible."

- Uri Dowbenko - excerpt from “Matta – The Eye of a Surrealist: Mapping the Dimensions of Consciousness" - 2005

Chilean artist, Roberto Matta, I think, is often overlooked as a Surrealist, because his work never fit comfortably in that category. You can see in the article above that his work has been sited as "Visionary", "Metaphysical", and Surrealist. Ultimately, for the artist especially, this presents a problem. Even by my own definitions, Matta, like myself, was both a Transfigurist and Transdimensionalist. Ultimately, I think Transfigurism (and you'll note I'm reverting to the more simplified terms) and Transdimensionalism are one and the same; Transdimensionalism being the main category and Transfigurism being a subset in that category.


Matta is certainly one of the "patron saints" of this blog. I consider him one of the first true transdimensionalists. For more views of his amazing work and his hundreds of paintings, visit Tim Rock's amazing Matta gallery found here (this link also appears on the sidebar of this blog).

(Oil paintings by Matta in this post... Upper: Let All Flowers Bloom - 1952; Middle: Untitled -1959; Lower: Dar a la vida una luz - 1970.)

Amaterasu

The rain has gone away - for the moment - and myself, and this very wet, green world I live in, must take a moment to welcome the sun. The image above - The Loom of Amaterasu - was created in 2009, around the same as Botticelli's Blue Egg and, in a sense, is its sister image. Both were reformatted and revised in 2010.

Taken from the New World Encyclopedia (linked above): "The idea of the sun as a goddess, instead of as a god, is rare and it may be a survival from the most archaic stage of world mythology. Amaterasu was seen as the highest manifestation of Kunitokotachi, the unseen, transcendent yet immanent, spirit of the universe. Her myths are the most important of the indigenous Japanese faith, Shinto, "the way of the gods," a set of ancient beliefs and observances which have remained comparatively unchanged over the past millennium, despite the importation of Confucianism and Buddhism."

A Transdimensionalist's Dream

Above is one of my first forays into a Transdimensional art form: Botticelli's Blue Egg. Without going into the mechanics, suffice to say, many odd thoughts crossed my mind as I was working and reworking this image. I confess, I have always been attracted to what many consider to be the "paranormal", but very early on I developed a deep distaste for the word "paranormal" and the varieties of skepticism it attracts. In my mind, even if only in my mind at this time, paranormal phenomena are either in part or wholly Transdimensional phenomena, and, as such, cannot be understood or described by existing (i.e., popular) scientific trends, paradigms or theories. This is not to say that there are no footprints in Transdimensional soil, so to speak. It is to say, however, that at the time of this writing, theories or experiments that in any way fall under the auspices of the paranormal will not win you a Nobel prize, nor any other award for scientific achievement.


But, in my mind I have this re-occuring vision. It is simply this: the dark, leather cover of a bound book with the words, TRANSDIMENSIONAL SCIENCE written in capital leathers in metallic type. No, I didn't write it. There are no names beneath the title. It almost looks like the photographic memory of an old textbook. Does this mean anything? No, probably not... but, then again, I can't really say. The nature of dreams and visions might, likewise, fall under the heading of transdimensional.


Meanwhile, as far my own initial musings regarding the Transdimensional as it applies to life more than art, well, I started writing an essay last year which, in the interests of Transdimensional art, might provide a clue or two. Unless I suddenly decide otherwise, it will follow at some point in the near future.

Alchemy 1:01: Definitions of Terms

Above is detail from what I now consider to be my first digitally produced transfigurative image, from a three-panel triptych entitled: Alchemy of a Found Object.

***

The text which originally appeared here was removed. I have replaced it with definitions of terms that previously were posted on the sidebar of this blog.

Definitions of terms found within this blog:

In trying to describe my work, I am often dismayed to find that there are no word definitions from any source which are adequate for my purposes. Ultimately, it becomes necessary to create my own terms. These are not intended to be my personal "trademarks", however, merely definitions that I am throwing out there for consideration. They - and subsequent term definitions - will appear here, and are (tentatively) as follows:

trans-dimension - noun - a dimension without (apparent) physical mass that cannot be measured by use of conventional instruments and/or the mathematical co-ordinates used to define ordinary physical space.

This includes higher or lower dimensions beyond those already excepted as scientific fact, varieties of interstitial space, and negative, or "black"space.

transdimensional - adj. - That which relates to or can be described by a trans-dimension.

Can also pertain to phenomena that might exist within such a dimension and/or phenomena which have the ability to cross dimensions.

Transdimensionalism - noun - that which alludes to and/or is described by the term transdimensional.

In art - An artistic movement which is representative of the transdimensional, i.e., abstractions that either dispense with formal alignments of positive and negative space, or those which illuminate the relativity and/or symmetries ultimately binding them. Also pertains to that art which attempts to transcend boundaries of space and time, as in certain examples of abstract art and surrealism.

trans-figure - noun - In art, a figure which is not representative of an actual, corporeal figure and/or object. Also, a figure which is not necessarily metaphorical for any known object or ideology, existing wholly by and as itself and, as such, not necessarily obeying the physical laws of space. See transdimensional.

In digitally produced art, the trans-figure is often a transformed or a "morphed" figure. On the lower end of the hierarchy we have the simple "photo-shopped" figure, intentionally created to amuse and entertain. The genuine trans-figure, however, is generally more complex. See transfigurativism.

transfigurative - adj - defines art which is figurative, but not representative of actual existent figures or objects in 3-dimensional space. (See trans-figure). Very often, but not always, "space" is represented as transdimensional, whereby the "object" is rendered as an emergent.

Transfigurativism - noun - In art: that variety of art which employs the use of tranfigurative elements or the trans-figure. Transfigurativism, in its pure state, has no symbolic, theological, sociological and or political analogies or meaning. It, and the objects (trans-figures) it represents are ultimately and essentially a product of the unconscious mind and/or the inspired imagination, and that which might relate to incorporeal, often intangible, metaphysical experience(s).

Transfigurist, Transfigural, Transfigurism - variations on Transfigurativist, Transfigurative, Transfigurativism.

Welcome to Trans-D!

Greetings!




Digital art - as a medium and a discipline  - is still in its infancy, and while it's impossible to describe or predict all the many styles, directions and permutations that presently exist or will evolve, one has to start somewhere. And I think it's important that the artists who use a digital medium take that initial step and attempt to describe for themselves and others what is actually occurring before the critics, spin-doctors, and art historians have the last word.

Granted, formulas and formulations, descriptive criticism, etc., are already out there (I have yet to read them), but, in this day and age, with oceans of information continuously lapping at one's door via the latest technology, it's difficult for an artist to find the time and/or patience to navigate and assimilate all the information floating around. Individual, solitary artists, like myself, who do not presently live in cosmopolitan areas, find themselves in a type of vacuum. I think this is especially true for digital artists, because it so easy to fall under the spell of a medium which does not require or involve a great deal of interaction with the world at large. The digital artist does not need to go out in the field to paint landscapes or portraits. .. and there is not even a necessity to go out of the door to accrue supplies. Gone are the days of the great salons, the great exhibits, the tiny smoke-filed cafes, the glaring rivalry.

So, the purpose of this blog is not merely to carve my own niche in the digital world, but to establish a spring board and a forum, so that digital artists - and those creatives interested in either digital art, art in general, or art theory -  might begin to discuss and develop their own theories and descriptions of what they do. Multi-media is implied. It is never too early to begin to place oneself and ones work in a more or less historical perspective. I would also like to interface with artists who work in a similar vein as myself, that is, digital artists whose work might fall under the category of Transdimensional or Transfigurative, but this does not exclude artists in other mediums or those who may find these terms of broader interest, specifically those in "paranormal" fields and other fields to which Transdimensionalism, and theories thereof, might apply.

I will be posting links, and in some cases, representational information on this blog showcasing related digital artists, and eventually related artists and or theorists in different fields. Presently, however, if you are or know of an artist whose work might be related to the work shown on this blog or work that my fall under the headings of Transdimensional or Transfigurative, please inform me and/or introduce us.

Also, I would also like to post a series of digital art resource links on the sidebar that will be helpful to other artists, so, once again, either contact me or leave links in the comment section. As of now, the link section on the sidebar of this blog is a work in progress.

Meanwhile, I began writing small, random essays late last year, which will also appear on this blog as well as more detailed descriptions of Transdimensionalism and Transfigurativism. It should go without saying, that my ideas are as yet not fully formed - nothing is, shall we say, carved in stone -  and all feedback and suggestions are welcome.

As for myself, I would probably fall under the category of a Transfigurativist, or Transfigurist (a descriptive term I invented for my work in 2007) , however, it is one of my Transdimensional - definitions of these terms are on the sidebar of this blog* - offerings I have posted above. My approach to Transdimensionalism is through the use of patterns and symmetries, but I imagine there are as many approaches as there are artists who are drawn to this concept. Certain fractal art, for instance, might also be included within this category. In the end, I believe "categories", ultimately depend upon the individual artist's intent.

Cheers!

Dia

Contact:

araqinta@att.net

(Important: Include the word "Trans-D" in the subject line.)

* As of this writing, the only related word I could find in Wiktionary is this definition of "Transdimensional". (This is perhaps not altogether too far off!) ;-)