Geodesic Gnome

This issue is dedicated to the idea of withholding expectation whenever possible. It’s within expectation that disappointment exists.  It’s the fear of disappointment that has the potential to keep us from truly experiencing life for what it is. If we had any hesitation about immersing ourselves into the unknown, we wouldn’t have had the pleasure of discovering Geodesic Gnome this week.

Don’t fret, we have other weird and wonderful experiences on which to report that do not include mathematical philosophy and/or the bastardization of Eastern spiritual fundamentals, such as: Rhymes With Opera’s presentation of Book of Gazes, Mobtown Modern’s Jazz interpretation of The Rite of Spring and Soul Mob Productions’ second Visionary Gathering at Sonar.

This isn’t an anwser that holds more value than its question, people. This is What Weekly.

The Big Picture

The description for Geodesic Gnome’s ‘Daishadokyo: Do Not Feel the Cosmic Arrow Wind’ created questions rather than clarified the intent behind the performance. More than that, we weren’t sure how this fit into the Megapolis Audio Festival hosted in Station North.  But, we were willing to put our fate into the hands of these performance artists just for the opportunity to tell you all about it.

In the great big picture above: No, it’s not Obi Wan Kenobi making a cameo on the set for the remake of Escape From New York. The man beneath the hood is none other than John Berndt.

Who else would you expect to find in a cloak, banging a gong and leading a band of willing participants (some of whom donned surgical masks for reasons unknown) down Falls Road for a jaunt through philosophical conundrums, spiritual interludes and mathematical uncertainties? Meet one of the most unique performance troupes we’ve yet to come across: Geodesic Gnome.

The Good Word.

By promoting and supporting artists and cultural organizations in the District, the Station North Arts & Entertainment District seeks to create a vibrant neighborhood where arts, artists and entertainment venues flourish in the midst an economically diverse community with an abundance of healthy residential, retail and commercial offerings.

Check out the Station North Flea Market, everything AND the kithcen sink. Monthly May through Nov.

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What you’re looking at is a group of ten to twenty people who followed a man dressed as a gnome down North Avenue, over to Falls road and then under a bridge and beyond. The framework for this event lies in Ludwig Wittgenstein’s opposition to Georg Cantor’s co-dependant love affair with the infinite, otherwise known as Set Theory. In this adaptation, a Zen master archer represents Set Theory. Maybe.

At eleven a.m. on Sunday we assembled, as instructed, in front of Cyclops Bookstore. Soon a man, who we will refer to as ‘the gnome in charge,’ approached and began to speak of famous philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein and how he stumbled upon a Zen master archer with his bowstring pulled tightly and an arrow ready to release. What puzzled Wittenstein was that the archer never shot the arrow. He just meditated there with the string drawn. When questioned, the archer explained that releasing the arrow was not the goal. Wittgenstein was wildly opposed to this sentiment, much the same way he resisted Georg Cantor’s Set Theory.

What Weekly Magazine

Justin Allen

Brooke Hall

Contributors
Philip Laubner

Erica Hinson Denny aka artfisch

Aaron Krosner

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Point of Fact: Zen in the Art of Archery is a book written by German philosopher, Eugen Herrigel. Herrigel taught philosophy in Japan in the 1920’s and is credited with introducing Zen philosophy to Europe and subsequently the Western World.

For Geodesic Gnome, the idea of Zen archery may represent the idea of one-to-one correspondence, Wittgenstein’s blight and cornerstone to Cantor’s argument for Set Theory.

During the performance, each act unfolded with an archer posed, bowstring drawn, ready to release. In this scene, the performer begins in this pose and then presents what appears to be a ritual involving food preparation (Think: popcorn, eggs and hushed breath).

Not pictured here, but equally intriguing, we witnessed an archer performing a ritual burn, another disposing of a body in the river and yet another driving by slowly shouting at the spectators with bow and arrow perched outside of his truck window. This player insists that a certain corporate giant “controls the internet” and is commencing a campaign to spread misinformation throughout the interwebs.

(*Said corporate giant cannot be named here for both legal and illegal reasons.)

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Somewhere along the river, the narrative veered sharply into the absurd (because everything that led up to this was completely reasonable). Certainly, we could assume that the previous acts point back to one of the many paradox’s contained within Set Theory. But then again, maybe not.

Upon arriving at this scene we found an empty chair with a sign taped to it that read, “No Sitting.”

The gentleman in the suit had been mingling with the crowd of spectators since the start of the performance. When we arrived at this scene, the man in the suit left our group, crossed a railing, carefully removed the sign, sat in the chair and began reading a newspaper.  Enter: Creepy character in mask slinking along fence.  This gnome-ish creature uncovered the water pictured here and did the thing that must be done.

When the water drenched his newspaper, the man simply pulled another from his brief case. The appropriate reaction to this, as you can see, is smattering him with flour.

Since 1995, The Creative Alliance has promoted Baltimore as a dynamic center of art in all genres. With members ranging from artists and educators to neighbors and supports, the Creative Alliance cultivates community through collaboration.

Of course, flour may not be enough of an obstruction to disengage the man from his thriftless obsession with disposable print media. Under such circumstances, a large pot of tomato soup is in order.

And, obviously, when it’s apparent that he may be immune to these attempts at intervention and picks up a magazine, the only thing left to do is smother him in a thick blue, unidentifiable liquid goo. Very nostalgic in a ‘You Can’t Do That On Television’ kind of way.

Geodesic Gnome is known to focus on three areas of content: Paradoxes, obscurity and the recreation of poorly understood historical events. Any attempt to decipher their performance is strictly for our own amusement and is not intended as a reference, by any stretch of the imagination.

The conclusion of the experience ended at the broken down streetcar station along the Jones Falls River. There we were treated to an excellent monologue by yet another interesting character that summed up some of the questions posed during our journey. I won’t attempt to relay the message in the monologue; it’s one of those things for which you had to be there. But if you’d like to see the conclusion for yourself, and other images from the performance, follow the white rabbit (but don’t shoot it).

The famed and wonderfully talented photographer Philip Laubner.

It seems this past weekend Soul Mob Productions and Telesma were up to their usual antics again at Visionary Gathering II. Sources at the scene say that there was a party at Sonar of epic proportions and many of those in attendance are still afflicted with residual bouts of giddiness and satisfaction.

Photo by Erica Hinson Denny aka artfisch.

Moko Will and artfisch- one of the most bad a^* photographers around.

The organizers of this event have some nerve putting on a multi-media extravaganza that wasn’t only highly entertaining but cathartic as well. How dare they inspire people to move in time to beats being created by some of the most innovative and up-lifting dance musicians on the planet for an evening of unbridled exuberance and fellowship?

Photo by Erica Hinson Denny aka artfisch.

Johnny, Ru, and friend. If you know his name, tell us!

Photo by Erica Hinson Denny aka artfisch.

Zeal and Sarah. Body art by Divine Gypsy Designs.

Photo by Erica Hinson Denny aka artfisch.

Artist Toby S Verhines cubed.

We can see what’s happening here. The Visionary Gatherings are set to be a cultural phenomenon that has the potential to raise the bar for what one might expect from an evening at your friendly neighborhood nightclub.

Photo by Erica Hinson Denny aka artfisch.