Gaia_final - Ecole Mondiale

EM
fieldstation Terra: Gaiagraphy
locality grid 1.0
(warsaw)
In 2015 “Ecole Mondiale” was invited in the
A-I-R Laboratory-program of the Centre for
Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw.
Within the framework of the “Fieldstation Terra
(Gaiagraphy)” we created a locality grid.
This “locality-grid 1.0” consists of 150 quartz-cristals laid out and burried in the form of a square
of 25.484 m in the centre of Warsaw. As startingpoint a study of powerspots or strong energy
fields in Warsaw, the idea of “going into the earth”
and the traumatic events in Warsovian history
which reminiscence we could clearly feel; made
us merge several elements and symbolic aspects
together.
1. Platonic solids : hexahedron (cube) + ray of
planet earth
In three-dimensional space, a Platonic solid is a
regular, convex polyhedron. It is constructed by
congruent regular polygonal faces with the same
number of faces meeting at each vertex. Five
solids meet those criteria, and each is named after
its number of faces. Geometers have studied the
mathematical beauty and symmetry of the Platonic solids for thousands of years. They are named
after the ancient Greek philosopher Plato. In his
work “Timaeus”, Plato equates the hexahedron or
square in it’s 2D representation with the element
“earth”1. As for the dimensions of the grid, we
chose the ray of planet earth and rescaled it a 1000
times smaller. With 6371 m for one side of the
cube, this gives a total perimeter of 25.484 m.
2. Crystals as transducers of vibration and
intent
The word crystal comes from the Greek word
“krystallos”, meaning frozen ice. They are created
by pressure where forces attract molecules to
create a particular structure. A crystal is generally
considered to be a systematic, orderly and repetitious patterning of molecules. Quartz’s crystalline
structure is a continuous framework of SiO4
silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being
shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall
chemical formula of SiO2. Quartz is abundantly
present in the Earth’s continental crust and has
peculiar properties. It develops an electric current when heated. Quartz is also piezo electric,
meaning it will generate an electric current when
subjected to mechanical pressure. This property is
used in pressure gauges, cigarette lighters and gas
lighters. When electric current is passed across a
quartz crystal, it becomes strained or deformed.
This property is used in the movement of quartz
clocks and watches2.
From a more metaphysical point of view crystals
form a bridge between the physical reality and
the world of subtle energies. Subtle energies are
forms of energy which do not appear within the
electro-magnetic spectrum. Inhere lies the consideration that everything existing and all that is, is
an emanation of an energetic source-world, called
the faster-then-light energetic continuum. In this
field a dynamic process takes place of condensation or stepping down through levels of density
from subtle energy into the production of matter.
This process is manifested through the growth of
crystals. It is believed that the particular energy
given off by a stone is determined by its internal
crystalline structure and the atomic vibrations that
are specific to that structure. According Marcel
Vogel’s research, every crystal can be charged with
intentions to act as antennas of purity and light.
This ritual and meditative practise has been carried
out on each single crystal used in the locality grid,
following the Munay Ki tradition, Tachyon-tools
and pure intention.
3. If Nicolaus Copernicus were a dancer (Alumnus) – A choreography : “Locality grid Warsaw”
For every EM-fieldstation, we draw on the actions of pioneering historical figures whom we
consider EM-Alumni. For “Fieldstation Terra
(Gaiagraphy)” we chose Nicolaus Copernicus
(1473 - 1543). This well known Polish mathematician and astronomer formulated a model of the
universe that placed the Sun rather than the earth
at the center of our solar system. The publication
of this model in his book “De revolutionibus
orbium coelestium” (On the Revolutions of the
Celestial Spheres) just before his death in 1543 is
considered a major event in the history of science,
triggering the Copernican Revolution and making
an important contribution to the Scientific Revolution3. We believe that a new way of perceiving
our world by the recognition of Gaia as being our
living planet and its reverence in every realm of
scientific, metaphorical and philosophical endeavor, could trigger a Gaian revolution4.
The astronomer Latinized his name from Nicolaus Copernik and looked into the universe as a
humanist, revolutionary and a scientist. Imagine
if he were a performer or a dancer, the orbits and
his third eye following a certain visionary choreography. The gaze of a dancer is sharp: it is concentrated and focused in relation with the movements
of his body. Since we don’t know about Copernicus’ movements, as the moving image didn’t yet
exist, we focused on the bronze statue in front of
the Staszic Palace, the seat of the Polish Academy
of Science in the center of Warsaw. What can
we learn from this monument? The statue’s gaze
and desire directed at Bologna, the epicenter of
knowledge, the place and meeting point with his
contemporaries and peers. His longing to his hometown of Torun or residing close to the heart of
Chopin which is preserved in a church only a few
meters from the statue.
The monument was almost melted down by the
Germans after Warsaw uprising but instead rescued, renovated and unveiled on july 1949.
The starting point of the locality-grid (the square)
is the back of the head of the Bronze Copernicus
statue standing in front of the Staszic Palace. It becomes the 6th chakra energy externalization of the
father of modern astronomy. In this sense we try
to grasp a fragment of what is described by John
Berger as an experience of the ideal field5.
SQUARING
THE
CIRCLE
4. Squaring the circle
It is said that the Oracle of Delphi proposed the
problem of “Squaring the circle” to ancient Greek
geometers like Anaxagoras, Hippocrates, Archimedes en Dinostratos. The challenge was to construct
a square with the same area or surface as a given
circle by using only a finite number of steps with
compass and straightedge. This ridle became a real
obsession for many people, until in 1882, the task
was proven to be impossible, as a consequence of
the Lindemann–Weierstrass theorem which proves
that pi (π) is a transcendental, rather than an algebraic irrational number6.
The expression «squaring the circle» is also used
as a metaphor for depicting the relation of the
diameters of the moon and the earth, the musical
interval of the second 9:8 and symbol of dynamic
growth when the proportion between the square
and the circle when increased alternates being
close and far off the golden ratio (phi)7.Therefore
we chose it as being an important reference to the
harmony between heaven and earth.
1. Platonic solid, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platonic_solid
Platonic solid, Wolfram Mathworld, http://mathworld.wolfram.com/PlatonicSolid.html
2. Marcel Vogel, http://vogelcrystals.net
Cornelius S. Hurlbut & Cornelis Klein, Manuel of Mineralogy, 19th edition, New York : John
Wiley & Sons, 1977, p.52.
Crystal, from the free encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal
3. Nicolaus Copernicus, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Nicolaus_Copernicus
4. David Abram, “The perceptual Implications of Gaia”, Dharma Gaia: A Harvest of Essays in
Buddhism and Ecology, http://www.wildethics.org/essays/the_perceptual_implications_of_gaia.
html
Bruno Latour states in his lecture “1000 names of Gaia” (conference in Rio de Janeiro, 2014):
“the invocation of Gaia is sure to trigger confusion, to agitate, to provoke”. When we suggest
Gaia or Gaiagraphy we are referring to the definition of James Lovelock where he sees the earth
as a self-regulating, complex system that contributes to maintaining the conditions for life on
the planet. The last 30 years “Gaia” received a multitude of interpretations, so we can speak of
a real ‘Gaia Cult’. For more critical research on this subject we definitely recommend: http://
green-agenda.com/gaia.html
Nevertheless, a genuine deep connection and respect seems more toilsome since it plays on
different levels of perception and connection and could be a synonym for “going into oneself ”
or as Bruno Latour states :
“In our perception, the Earth cannot be understood as system but as what has a history,
what mobilizes everything in the same geostory, … We have many different types of Earth.
Knowing that Gaia is fully controversial (she is not inside/outside; she is not local/universal; not
animated/de-animated), and probably another Earth invoked by another people. As foreign to
what used to be called Nature or Natural Sciences as from what used to be called religion. How
to address it, or maybe her, respectfully, this is what we will have to discover” (Bruno Latour,
Gifford Lectures, http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/humanities-soc-sci/news-events/
lectures/gifford-lectures/archive/series-2012-2013/bruno-latour/lecture-three).
5. John Berger, “Field” in : About Looking, 1980.
6. Wolfram Mathworld : Circle squaring, http://mathworld.wolfram.com/CircleSquaring.html
Squaring the circle : http://www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk/HistTopics/Squaring_the_circle.html
Squaring the circle, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squaring_the_circle
7. Michael Schneider, “Ontdek en creëer zelf het universum”, Haarlem : Altamira-Becht, 2010,
p. 234-236.
Ecole Mondiale
fieldstation Terra: Gaiagraphy - locality grid 1.0 (warsaw)
Concept & editing
Ecole Mondiale,
Filip Van Dingenen, Ive Van Bostraeten
Design by Mélanie Veuillet
EM-Press
Brussels
2015
http://ecole-mondiale.org/
page 18-19
courtesy of Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle / Ecole
Mondiale foto. Barbara Kaniewska (2015)
With the support of :
LUCA School of Arts http://luca-arts.be/
A-I-R Laboratory-program of the Centre for Contemporary Art
Ujazdowski Castle Warsaw
Flanders Agency Arts&Heritage
Special thanks to : Agnieszka Sosnowska, Anna Ptak, Sue Spaid