exponentiation ezine: issue [2.0: features]
Opposing Angel: The Metaphysics of Averse Sefira
Averse Sefira exemplifies the paradoxical nature of black metal. The meaninglessness inherent to modern society wars against the Romantic desire to give wings to the soul, to restore once more the spirit and vitality claimed by ancient humanity. These artists balance these factions in an occult esotericism by sublimating themselves into an Idea, bringing that Idea into action and then reality. They unify the physical world with the aesthetic of the infinite and otherworldly such that both threads of being, through this, become one.
According to vocalist/bassist Wrath, Nature "is a presence in all things, one which we as humans have wronged egregiously. Nature is that which we cannot deny, be it in ourselves or the world around us." The natural world employs an evolutionary mechanism in its construction and continuity of life through time; as each generation turns, organisms spring forth and pass away, leaving those which were better-adapted to the requirements of survival as the shapers of the future development of the species.
"Nature creates things to serve purposes, to fill voids. Everything we have ever seen that naturally occurs has some specific role to play, however unwitting. By comparison art is part of justifying an existence, not serving one." Within the human sphere, civilizations throughout time have arisen, flourished and perished as the organisms which comprised them ascended from birth into their inevitable deaths as all things which live must; many cultural achievements are still visible to us through the mists of time - the relics of those once mighty empires, the accumulated wealth of knowledge, and the artistic works which shaped and defined culture remain for us to contemplate the boundless energy and creativity it took to create them.
Art is a different form of communication than that of direct speech or experience. It is created through the willful abstraction or metaphoric symbolization of what are otherwise concrete ideas, presented through a certain aesthetic filter for consideration by others who are capable of reassembling the conveyance locked within the puzzle. When the message is found, it is judged by its perceiver on the scale of its worthiness to their world, and the meme is adopted into their outlook, oftentimes unconsciously.
"I think art is a human device in that art comes from intent, a decision to communicate an idea," says Wrath. "Life is a situation foisted upon each of us against our respective wills. The question then becomes what is it worth and how is the time best spent?" Although many people have attempted to find such an answer through their work, thought, or art, even more have turned to God in resolution of this problem.
Wisdom, and God by extension, were states of mind achievable through hard diligence and deep thought turned toward comprehending the vast esoteric depth of meaning rooted in this concept. As time passed, and we arrive again in the modern day, the masses have thrived, a status quo of mediocrity prevails, and God has been sublimated into a marketable caricature of Its former meaning to placate those masses. Not before the damage was done to our spirits and values, however; we now understood God as outside of our world, unknowable, and thus we have been left to our own materialism.
Certain individuals in ancient and modern times have stood against this rising tide of spiritual nihilism. Black metal was an artform which coalesced in opposition to the values which characterize mob rule: "I stand for support of the vital and productive, I stand for art over entertainment, I stand for acknowledging female contributions to said art, I stand for quality over quantity, I stand for achievable goals, I stand for consistency, I stand for directness, I stand for lack of compromise in the face of mediocrity and enclavishness, I stand for the eradication of YHWH, his flock, and the according status quo."
Black metal stood for, in the eyes of its originators, ascendancy in the face of stagnation, for warlike honour and integrity of artistic vision, and a rejection of the plastic culture which had robbed the world of vibrancy and meaning. Uncomprehending imitators and social outcasts have since turned it into a gross parody of what it had uncomprimisingly decried. "One element that sets us apart from many bands in this genre is the amount of time and thought we invest in every aspect of our work. Too many bands think that the way to create Black Metal is to just pick up instruments and just bang it all out. That to me is the recipe for hardcore/punk, old Discharge stuff. In that case I don't think it is so much a preferred method as it is a way to avoid learning how to effectively write music. Nobody can accuse us of not investing any effort into Averse Sefira, whether or not they like us."
"...Our message is paramount to our content, to the point where we cannot write music without first finishing all the lyrics. We avoid single-mindedness in that our mythos is in large part about tapping into the infinite, and accordingly there are many story arcs we address between the songs and albums. That said, everything is still connected but it is a considerably large area to cover, and even then it is but a microcosm, an overview of the ideas in question." The conception Averse Sefira seeks to impart is the effort to reincarnate God within Man, to reconcile the separation which has occurred via religious and secular dualism. This is conveyed by their artistic works, in which they represent themselves as the conduits of the Sephiroth, a group of extracelestial beings who, having previously served underneath its yoke, now find the concept and manifestation of Jehovah to be a mirror image of the modern psychology of its creator - bitter, resentful, materialistic, stagnated beings with no ability to dream - and they correspondingly find this situation repugnant.
The Sephiroth see divinity as not outside the realm of Man, but a fundamental structural facet of Man that can only be grasped when the exterior mental dominance by a spiteful deity and its inherently limiting values are removed from Man and destroyed utterly, to allow that divinity opportunity to reveal itself, and guide us anew. The art and music serve as the conduit for this storyline and idea; in terms of artistic image-representation, Averse Sefira resurrects out of the degraded farce of black metal's original usage of "corpse-painting" a certain obligation or necessity to adorn themselves in their occult armor and demonic facial visages, which have been altered to take on a certain regal nature: it is a fundamental component of the presentation of their art that they appear otherworldly - they are the creators of the art, yet the art and message underlying it is what impels them to act; a grand reciprocal synthesis of the two merges and becomes a phenomenon greater than its individual parts.
"I would say my strongest area would be my imagination. It is the touchstone of everything that motivates me. Second to that would be my sense of determination. When I truly feel strongly about something I tend to see it though unwaveringly. I don't know if I can say this connects mind and body in that I am ultimately a cerebral person and not a physical one." As "regular" beings of this physical world - "I am no different than many Hessians in that I wear black army pants and band shirts almost exclusively, but at this same time this was the case well before I became embroiled in the Black Metal subculture" they of course have thoughts on what occurs within it: "for the record I strongly disagree with this war and I abhor our government, particularly the current administration," says Wrath.
"In western nations it is christianity that tells us that it is 'right' to breed endlessly. In regards to other nations such as India and Africa, it is christianity that says to intervene and implement some kind of hard-line population control is 'wrong.' Maybe we should go to war with more populist nations? None of these of course are plausible solutions; it seems that when it comes to mankind the time of plausible solutions in general has long past," he adds. "If I may adopt the posture of Sun Tzu for a moment, I will say that [the USA is] a threat to the world the way a clenched fist threatens a hornet's net. The first strike causes great harm, but the survivors will still be many and attack the fist from all sides. The outcome becomes fairly obvious past a point."
Their art is what motivates their most visible actions: "I have a difficult time speaking in direct terms about such topics, as Averse Sefira is not a political entity nor do we wish to be one." Their art is merely one manifestation of who they are, a selective process of action to bring about the recognition of a better reality than the one we are currently shackled into. The thoughts which have shaped them as men find their reflection in the art which they have created and sublimated themselves within upon its manifestation in the world. "...Averse Sefira members regularly abandon reasonably paying desk jobs in the interest of touring various parts of the world. At this point, I seek the glory of our art. Past that, I am not terribly worried about what will befall me. It will take care of itself..."
These men actively seek to make choices in their art and in their personal lives which deliver a non-insane, assertively-defined reality, extended from the art they create to a life that is not compromised by the pervasive virus of modernity. "Anyone who meets me finds that I am outgoing and generally sociable, assuming the person in question is someone I am interested in meeting. I am self-assured, I am jocular, though even in my best moments of levity I am told I am intense. I tend to leave little doubt that I like who I am and what I am about. With all this in mind, there tends to be the polarized perception that I'm either interesting and agreeable or arrogant and insufferable."
It is rare to see such self-conviction found in a world dominated by self-image and standards of political correctness.There is thus a duality to the outside observer: the onstage or artistic representation of these men seems far removed on the surface from how they conduct a "normal" life outside of their artistic realm of choice, where they are addressing concepts not rooted in the everyday; on a deeper level, there is however no duality, as the root value system which drives them as individuals is also the progenitor of the art manifested through them. In this, one can begin to see the incarnate divinity believed in and invoked through the hymns of the Sephiroth, in an effort to readdress the concepts of evolution, artistry, and ascendancy in man. - blaphbee
"German Expressionistic Cinema (1919-1933)"
In these times the entertainment money making machine (Hollywood) has helped to destroy the capabilities for high art in the cinematic medium. Too much time is spent trying to sell a story that will appeal to the masses and too little time is given to those seminal voices willing to guide the masses through an enchanted and artistic wonderland. Unfortunately due to the required man power and high amount of money it takes to create a film, this does not appear to be something that will change in the future, at least not in our society. An unwavering dedication to thematic and artistic expression is a rare trait in the movie business these days which is full of money making morons, pseudo-artists and over-socialized brats from the suburbs. Very few good filmmakers are left (and perhaps ever existed when looking back on film as a whole) and the new generation looks stale. But for those who enjoy the cinematic expressions like the Greeks enjoyed plays, there exists optimism yet! In these times there still are seminal forces who have recognizable talent. But these forces are not necessarily new, in fact the forces I'm referring to in particular are old; the past is where the breadth of the beauty lay in film. Great art is great art, it has no time boundaries, it matters not whether it was created four thousand years ago or yesterday, its transcendent greatness is a testament to its endurance. German Cinematic Expressionism should be noted as a movement that deserves special recognition for being an influential and more artistic movement in film making that pushed out great works.
German Expressionist cinema was born out of the desolation of post-WWI Germany. The cinematic movement created atmospheric pieces of cinematic art which helped promote cinema as a medium which truly could have artistic merit all while being entertaining (much like a play). German Expressionism's greatest artistic value is perhaps in its ability to create atmospheres that absorb the viewer and take them into another world where the themes are made present in the actions and environment of the characters; in essence Expressionism works like fantasy in that it takes ones feet off the ground and places them in another realm. The fantasy of German Expressionistic Cinema is very Kafkaesque in nature as the stories which Expressionism revolves around are often planted in complex environments which are full of impending dangers and psychological distress which is all wrapped up in a dream-like distortion of reality.
Expressionism portrayed all the feelings and sentiments of Germany in the post war state. Germany in the post-WWI era was a land in turmoil due to the loss of the war. The loss caused economic turmoil and a radical change in life for the German people. This feeling of loss, despair and uncertainty in Germany became evident in the expressionist styled art forms that were popular during the 1920's. The emotional state of Germany blended with cinema to create one of the most unforgettable movements in cinematic history, German Expressionistic Cinema.
Time line of German Expressionistic Cinema:
Arising during the post-WWI years when Germany was at an economic low point, German Cinematic Expressionism ascended to prominence as an artistic representation of the times. The film movement expressed the feelings and sentiments of a war-torn Germany residing in a depressed post war state. Feelings of loss, despair and uncertainty were high in the German people and those emotional conditions were evident in the expressionist style coming from Germany in the 1920's.
Expressionistic cinema also stands as a revolutionary force in cinematic history. Many great films that have come after expressionism was over as a movement have directly or indirectly been affected and influenced by the cinematic changes imposed by expressionism.
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, released in 1919, is historically agreed upon to be the start of the movement and the ending is usually agreed upon to be sometime around the making of Vampyr or M, which was approximately in 1932-1933. Some debate does exist, however, as to the official ending time of the movement.
Dynamics and themes of Expressionism:
Reflections on objects, actions or emotions coming from the perspective of the artist or the object itself are dominant narrative styles in Cinematic Expressionism. An inward perspective on a moment or theme is given though the expressions of characters and objects. In this way it is an opposite of impressionism, which seeks to give an outward impression of the object. This subjective or introverted approach to explaining emotions, objects and themes almost likens it to the Romanticisms sense of passionate ideals and love for the irrational and subjective. The filming technique used to display the scenes and objects are themselves supposed to represent ideals and symbols of both broad thematic story elements and of the inner emotions of the characters.
German Expressionism is a style of film that creates its atmosphere using many influential dynamics such as high contrast lighting, sharp camera angles and distorted set decoration. The expressionist's objective was to paint symbolic pictures and expressions in order to convey the deeper meanings of the film. These themes involving loss and despair were greatly influenced by a Germany greatly devastated and affected by Allied ultimatums such as the Treaty of Versailles. Expressionistic cinema sought to convey the emotions of the times through odd characters and radical set decoration. Every twisted design, every ethereal shadow, and every dramatic character movement was designed to express interior motivation and thematic symbols. Some expressionistic films, such as the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, drew on budding sets that cut into the background like the artwork of Dr. Seuss.
In many ways German expressionism rests on similar themes as Franz Kafka's novels. There is a sense of loss and melancholy, need for being and an eternal search for meaning. The characters are lost effigy's in most cases, whose expressions and sentiments are expressed though their surroundings and bodily actions more than their words. In this empty world they live in where nothing is certain they are granted obtainment or release, although the obtainment of something greater is not always satisfied through heroic means; Nosferatu is destroyed and set free by being burned in the sun, in Metropolis the workers are freed from doing menial labor in an industrial system and in M a child murderer is brought down by the criminal underworld in Germany.
Feelings of displacement or not belonging are also very common themes in German Expressionist cinema. Films like Metropolis reflect the growing concerns of a people left dehumanized in the Industrial factory fumes. An aspect of the films voice has an undeniable relevance to today, a time in which we face the destruction of the environment and culture in favor of a mass producing industrial system where all that matters is that we are good consumers, feeding and producing so that the system may roll on and continue focusing on the lowest common denominator.
Influence:
The influence of German Expressionism could be seen far and wide. Most directly, Expressionism was an influence on most all atmospheric horror films to be produced since. The Gothic Romanticism undertones of the plots and designs of the Expressionistic horror films such as Nosferatu, Vampyr and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari served to influence countless horror films, particularly the universal films of the 1930's. Expressionism also was very influential in film noir, the style of film that took fruition in post-WWII America. Film noir made stylistic use of many of the Expressionistic dynamics such as heavy shadows, dark empty areas, alienation, and melancholic, distressed and dishonest characters. Quite often the lead would be an anti-hero stuck in a situation he couldn't control, often holding a dark secret that would be their eventual downfall.
"Imagine we are sitting in an ordinary room. Suddenly, we are told that there is a corpse behind the door. In an instant, the room we are sitting in is completely altered; everything in it has taken on another look; the light, the atmosphere have changed, though they are physically the same. This is because we have changed, and the objects are as we conceive them. That is the effect I want to get in my film." [1] - Carl Theodor Dreyer
This quote from director Carl Theodor Dreyer, director of Vampyr, highlights some of the aims of expressionism and touches on the dynamics of its influence. Looking deeper into Dreyer's quote we can see that there is the very real possibility of expressionistic influence on surrealistic cinema. Both blended the fine lines between fantasy and reality into a cohesive whole in which one does not know whether they are awake or dreaming. The environment and actions of characters serve as symbols which convey deeper, more thematic meanings. Other similarities include the common use of atmospheric lighting for a dramatic dynamic which symbolizes the emotions of the characters and helps to express the films theme(this is especially apparent in the surrealist films of Jean Cocteau).
The film's of the Expressionistic era have even managed to poke their influence into the present through film makers like Tim Burton whose set designs and dark, brooding settings and tales of alienation are straight from the Expressionists.
Common motifs of German Expressionism:
Thematic:
Displacement: A common theme in Expressionistic Cinema was feelings of displacement. Characters often would be out of place in a setting and objects would not be as they appeared. It was almost a direct reflection of the psychology of the German people after World War I.
Characters are unsettled with society: Often the characters are dissatisfied with the status of society. The have an inner longing for more and they are fed up with the status of modernity.
Seeking meaning and a sense of being: The characters also have a seeking spirit and wish to obtain meaning in a world that seems meaningless. There are a lot of existential undertones.
The form represents the inside: The environments and the actions of the characters represent their emotions. This is a much more thematic (as in play) way of conveying the emotions of the characters and the themes of the play. The characters exaggerate motions and actions in order to convey what they were thinking (like a mime). The set designs all played an integral part in the conveying of emotions and themes as well. In Dr. Caligari the use of sharp, cutting sets was used so as to convey the emotions and attitudes of the characters who were lost and disjointed.
Technical:
High contrasts in shadows are a common theme in German Expressionistic Cinema. Often times a chiascuro style of lighting is employed (heavy use of shadows and controlled lighting which highlights very specific points).
Sharp camera angles are used which adds a sense of distortion and wackiness. It is done very purposefully to give more insights into the characters and overall themes.
Often bizarre, sharp angled set designs are imployed which, like the camera angles, are done to convey the emotions and thoughts of the characters and overall themes of the film.
German Expressionist Films of merit:
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919) Dir. Robert Wiene
This is the film that started it all. Regarded by many to be the first true expressionist film. This is the product of an era lost in the despair of losing a war. Caligari is the manifestation of the dark and bleak days that post-WW1 Germany found itself entangled in. There was no other movie to come sense that had such sharp set designs that rivaled the imagination's greatest endeavors. Dr. Caligari is a stunning piece of visual art and it conveys the internal expressions of a dark and macabre tale. It was films like this that influenced some of the most influential horror films to come in the preceding years. The dark shadows, the music, the methodical zombie like behavior of the characters all served to present an atmosphere adept at conveying the thematic elements of loss, despair, endless wandering and Kafkaesque soul-searching.
Dr. Caligari's plot circles around a murder. Caligari gets sent to an asylum, which happens to be the one he is the head of. The emotions of the characters are understood though the creepy and demented set designs and haunting makeup. This is expressionism in full stride. The crisp contrasting lighting helps created effective shadows that cast the viewer into the mind and world of the mad man. the film teeters on the boarder of reality and fantasy as one knows not what
In terms of set design this film may have the most radical sets ever created for a motion picture. The sharp wacky sets pop out of the ground and resemble a Dr. Seuss book. The first modern filmmaker who comes to mind who imposes a similar set design technique is Tim Burton whose film making technique is extremely influenced by this era of filmmaking.
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horrors (1922) Dir. F.W. Murnau
F.W. Murneau's masterful horror film that remains an atmospheric powerhouse to this day. This is often regarded as the most chilling and haunting of all films done on Dracula. The shadows cast upon the wall ravish the imagination and cast impressions inward that dwell and claw themselves deeper and deeper with every passing second. The long dangling claws of Nosferatu almost appear to lift themselves from beyond the silver screen and into your heart. The film is chilling. This is perhaps the most ethereal and haunting vampire film every made.
Murneau was never able to gather the rights to Dracula so this instead was his retort. Nosferatu is essentially the Dracula story retold with the character of Count Orlok, the grim being who wanders his cavernous castle deep in the woods of Romania. Orlock is the manifestation of a dismal existence, a lost soul wandering in an abysmal time, an introvert who's only satisfaction is derived from the workings of his own mind but whose only ability to live is from the taking of blood. This film goes beyond just horror and seems to reflect the very real fears and alienation of the German people in a time after war where their country was torn and economically battered by the Treaty of Versailles. Beyond any subconscious sociological reflections however, Nosferatu is at its heart a timeless, chilling and atmospheric film; it's a piece of film making art.
Metropolis (1926) Dir. Fritz Lang
Often regarded as the highlight of German Expressionism and often sited as the greatest picture of the silent film era. Metropolis is a feast for the eye and an impressive artistic accomplishment. This film is a look into the future where the world has become a Metropolis. No more is there vast green fields to walk or mountain's and forests to roam in, there is now only the darkened city with it's bellowing alleys and sharp cutting features. The walls and buildings are endless, representing the caged world of the Metropolis that lacks any method of escape. The story circles around an upper class son of a rich and ruthless capitalist who owns the city. The very situation of Metropolis is at times hauntingly reminiscent of our present in which we are consumed by capitalism and growing metropolises.
M (1931) Dir. Fritz Lang
Early Fritz Lang sound film about a psychotic child murder who wanders the Berlin underground. The police crack down looking for the killer and interupt the criminal underground instead. This prompts the organized criminals to go on a hunt for the child murder themselves. M is a chilling film that is one of the first sound films by Lang. The common expressionist films of alienation and despair are present against film noir backdrops. In fact this can be looked at as an early noir film in many ways as it has a lot of the same locations (dark city streets) and involves similar character struggles.
Vampyr (1932) Dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer
One of the last Expressionistic films. Vampyr is a Gothic tale that plays like a dream. The set design is reminiscent of aspects of Caligari as the two films share the same art director. A young occultist goes to castle inn in which case he is confronted with strange happenings. The film is an atmospheric piece of Gothic horror that is remembered as another seminal moment of German Expressionistic cinema. Like Nosferatu, the atmospheric qualities in Vampyr would go on to influence atmospheric horror and fantasy films that would proceed it. Some criticism comes in the area of sound as this was one of the first sound films and thus lacks polish and is washed out in places. - phantasm
Works Cited:
[1] http://silentmoviemonsters.tripod.com/germanexpressionism.html [2] http://milgram.tripod.com/works/gefilm1.html
"Globalization and its Effects on the Ecosystem"
Before humanity invented means of traveling over oceans and to other continents, animal life was isolated to their respective continents or islands, separated by bodies of water. In these virgin ecosystems everyone has a certain place in the food chain, from tiny insects to gargantuan mammals, so a certain balance is maintained between them. Insects, among others, are trying to adjust themselves to this big world and some are inevitably killed, some are not, leaving the rest to be bird's prey. Some birds starve, their corpses feeding the earth and it's crawling inhabitants, reducing the number of birds eating insects, who may once again gain in numbers in this fluctuating cycle. Creatures whose main prey birds are may have to stalk upon other animals to feed themselves, and the same chain continues ever round and round, leaving even "the highest one" vulnerable and dependent on continuous harmony.
Now, as globalization reigns, and every place on Earth is linked to every other, species can find their way to ecosystems alien to them via human transport, and cause much disruption there because of a possible lack of natural enemies.
A good example of this is water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), which wreaked havoc at Uganda's Lake Victoria. Originally a South American waterplant, it was transplanted to Uganda, presumably as a gift of some sort, and it spread quickly. This plant thrived in Lake Victoria because the lake lacked it's natural adversaries, which helped to keep the plant at bay in South America. The plant clogged the shores, effectively halting transport across the lake, and eventually killed the fish due to lack of oxygen. In addition to ruining a means of transport and a bountiful food source wasn't enough, the plant provided an excellent habitat to bilharzia snails and other pests by forming zones of stagnant water near the shorelines. A document by National Geographic discussed this subject, and it explained how a cure against the water hyacinth was invented by bringing in the natural enemy of the plant. These small insects were transported from South America, after carefully examining them and thus making sure that they wouldn't bring any further harm to Lake Victoria's ecosystem.
The same document told of a mass extinction when two new, exotic species of fish were introduced to Lake Victoria, Nile perch and Nile tilapia. The results were devastating, as these two fishes ate most species. The reason for this is that European sports fisherman liked the idea of fishing there for Nile perch, which however had not managed to swim into the lake due to various falls and cataracts along the way. So, they were assisted to make that final jump. The same document tells how the processing of the Nile perch's oily flesh requires more firewood, and thus resulting in deforestation. "Before the 1970s, Lake Victoria (Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya) contained more than 350 species of fish from the cichlid family. Today over 50% of these species are extinct or found only in small populations (92W1). This was largely due to the introduction of two exotic species, the Nile perch and Nile tilapia. By 1983 Nile perch made up almost 70% of the catch, and the Nile tilapia and a native sardine made up most of the balance (90A1)." [1]
Those were examples of what a simple human error or accident can cause. It is a quite another thing with international ports, where incoming ships introduce new species into the environment every day. A prime example of this is the invasion of the San Francisco bay, which has been dubbed as "the most invaded ecosystem". This is because countless ships pass through the bay, possibly letting their ballast waters to the bay, effectively transporting species to a foreign ecosystem. Some stowaways prefer traveling within the cargo, packaging materials and such. In the previously mentioned document, some scientists examined the discs they had left in the water for two years for accumulated sealife. Of all the species clung to the discs, 99% were non-native. It has been estimated that over 234 nonnative plant and animal species are now established at the San Francisco Bay. The species attached to the discs are small forms of life, some not even visible to the bare eye, but when thinking how the food chain is built, for example, these seemingly small numbers are important as well for sustaining a stable environment.
In the case of Hawaii, the trouble caused by an alien plant was quite severe. Landslides would occur, when Miconia (Miconia calvescens), later fittingly named "the green cancer", would overshadow other, smaller native plants with it's large, up-to-80 cm long leaves and take over. Miconia itself can grow even in dense shade needing as little as 0.02% of full sunlight. It was originally from Central America, and the man who found it was delighted by it's beautiful purple-black leaves. He took a sample of it along, and researchers were fascinated by it. In the 1960's, this plant was presented as a gift to a research institute at Hawaii. It spread vigorously at the islands, because the plant can bear up to 195 seeds per fruit, and 208 fruits per infrutescence, and it has at least three major flowering peaks in one year. It grew over the smaller flora, as a fully mature tree can have a height of fifteen meters, and as those original, deeply-rooted plants died, landmasses became prone to slide, because this new plant had quite shallow roots. It has become one of the most invasive plants in Hawaii. Most of the alien species there are introduced because of horticultural reasons, like ornamental purposes. The plant is being uprooted now, though with slow success, because people have realized the problems it causes, namely the landslides and eradication of native flora, since they have been severe enough.
These examples show that ecosystems are far beyond our understanding, and the simple thoughts of "repairing the world" and "human superiority" appear very naive in the light of this. As with the case of Lake Victoria, seemingly insignificant changes can have unpredictable results. But "repairing" does sometimes work, as the Yellowstone nature conservation area has shown us; humans hunted off the wolves there, and because of this forests started to suffer, because elks, deers and such were free to eat the growing trees. Beavers lacked aspen, which is optimal for building dams, which then in turn flood the land, helping more aspen to grow. But, in this case, humans repaired what they had caused by replacing the missing block they had decimated before to protect themselves.
However, there's much more to be "repaired", and it isn't practically possible to undo what globalization has done to our world. The basic "leftist green"- style of approach, which first and foremost values human rights, doesn't work. While we trample around from one corner of the world to another, we don't always see what it's doing to the ecosystem. Totally unnecessary causes of alien invasion like transplantation for ornamental purposes should be prevented completely, that should be clear enough to understand, and while there could be some trading, it should be reduced to only the necessary, especially in the case of transcontinental trade, as ships and planes can travel between very different ecosystems, and carry many of their species along to all over the world. This is detrimental to human development in the present sense of the word, but we must choose between our desire for immediate welfare and a lasting way of life. Simple pleasures aren't to be put first if we are to have a healthy environment in which to live. - frostwood
This is a wonderful world we are of, truly.
Sources:
1. Bruce Sundquist - The Earth's carrying capacity - Fishery degradation chapter 5 http://home.alltel.net/bsundquist1/fi5.html (2003)
"Analysis of Claude Debussy's - Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun"
Distinguished as the most daring and genuinely pioneering composer of the 20th century, Frenchman Claude Debussy's music has also undoubtedly composed the artistic peak and the triumph of the Romanticist movement; not only has he revolutionized the technique of piano playing, stretched the boundaries of tonal music with his highly personal harmony and eloquent expression, but his attitude also gave birth to the typical concept of the romantic musician; when he was asked by one of his professors of what musical rules does he observe in his music, he replied ''None, but my own pleasure''.
While most of his piano music, however subtle and graceful, in a sense conformed to the libertarian-romanticist norm of a general lack of structure and a rejection of the great achievement of German music, the sonata form (exposition- development-recapitulation), it is his symphonic music that should be considered his grand offering to the tradition of great classical composers like Beethoven and Wagner. Probably among equals, his ''Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun'' is the work that stands above all, being one of the most recognizable orchestral pieces of all time.
Debussy was considerably influenced by contemporary artistic movements of his time, and has irrevocably connected his name with Impressionism at the exact moment he came up with the idea to base this particular composition to the same titled poem of Staphane Mallarme, a prominent poet and leader of the Impressionist movement who, along with other painters and poets of similar inclinations, Debussy enjoyed the company of. Though Debussy never fancied the title, his music was possibly the closest musical incarnation ever of the aesthetic and principles of the movement: the naturalist and sentimental themes, the abstract structure, the liberating (for the romanticist aesthetic) view of the world not as an absolute truth but as canvas painted from the objective impressions of each man must surely prove this point.
This 9 minute instrumental opus attempts to enter into and depict a world of fantasy: the world of neraids, fauns, spirits, gods and goddesses, the primordial anthropomorphic and poetic metaphors of nature's beauty and valuable fruits, in other words, a theme that has offered some of the greatest pieces of european art ever, from Weber's 'Oberon' to Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Consequently, the harmony that is being used by Debussy in the Prelude is of a diatonic and chromatic nature, meaning that while the music is based on relatively simple scales of a melodic character (though not always of the usual minor-major type, since Debussy had a preference for 'unconventional' harmonies like ancient Greek scales, pentatonic and whole-tone harmonies) their development and contrapuntal layering (the melodies that are being played at the same time by different instruments of the orchestra) results into a colourful, ethereal harmony that often reaches the borders of a multitonality that interpolates in between the basic notes of the scales without betraying the solid tonal structure of the work; indeed, and unlike modern 'avant-garde' music, the listener is at all times able to follow the course of the music, without being able to guess of course the next step (of all classical composers, the most unexpected and surprising would be Debussy). The composer's already established trademarks are obviously to be found again; namely the 7th and 9th intervals of the chords that are not solved according to the tradition, the parallel intervals and generally the bold and often defiant of 'rules' instrumentation that gave his music such a personal, lyrical and Dionysian character and was later 'borrowed' to provide the basis of mostly jazz and generally modern music, from pop to Hollywood soundtracks (just listen to the Star Wars soundtrack shortly thereafter this work...)
Theoretically, the piece can be divided into three movements, although the standard organization of a concerto or symphony is not to be found and the structure is reminiscent more to a loose form of the symphonic poem, a style introduced in the romanticist era by Lizst. The first theme of the work is the most characteristic that could have been; a flute introduces the theme of the faun, a slow chromatic melody that from the very start gives away a direct impression of a vivid image - one cannot help to imagine our playful hero and the magical environment that surrounds him. The response to that idyllic theme is given shortly afterwards by the orchestra with the ethereal glissando of the harps and the anxious entrance of the other wind instruments; the theme of the faun is replayed but now with the full support of the orchestra. The theme begins to develop as the flute part moves on to a soloist performance; the other instruments not only support the basic melody harmonically in the background but add other melodies that appear in the context of the whole synthesis. Debussy is a mood painter, his music serves for the main purpose of aesthetical influence and not as a mathematical construction of an autonomous nature. In that manner he is at the same time distant to tradition but loyal to the primordial and essential function of music, its impact on the human psyche.
The second part of the synthesis consists of the cradle of the impressionistic approach to music and one of most eloquent and majestic orchestrations of all time. After the initial theme comes to a halt, an abrupt and movement-indicating passage enters and begins to expand itself by transforming it's somewhat lyrical sub-theme into a grandiose melody executed by the wind instruments and soon followed by the strings into the piece's first upcoming crescendo, the intensity tends to waver back and forth for some seconds in an ironic hesitation but finally reaches a loud climax with the horns and the strings crying in surprising agony; but while the last notes of that theme are repeated as if in a echoing, continually slowing down, fading, the final prevailing chord will be not the one previously hinted, but Debussy's all time favourite; the major with seventh, the equivalent of triumphant, strengthful joy. At this point the listener would be able to understand several things about the artist and his personality, the most evident should be the determinative influence of Richard Wagner into the core of Debussy's music; indeed the Prelude owes some of it's finest moments to the latest and most adventurous works (not only harmonically or structurally but also in spirit) of Herr Wagner, even though he would "disown" him later in the future because of his modest aversion to any, supposedly, superfluous and conceited art (that could be also due to the fact that he hated the over-blown forms and harmonic style of Post-Wagnerian romanticists of his time like Mahler and Strauss). In addition, it should be evident that the composer has raised the talent of surprising (not to say shocking) the listener up into new heights; while most expectations for the tonal direction of the synthesis are being triumphantly denied, this is accomplished in an ingenious and not abrupt way, as the listener feels not betrayed by the development of music but impressed and aroused.
To illustrate this, that particular passage at the 3.30 minute of the piece could be as well perceived as a 'pseudo-climax' of some sort, an attempt of the composer to mislead us regarding the real core of the synthesis, because shortly afterwards the music does finally seem to walk a sure step forward. On 4.20 this is almost certain; the theme that preceded the crescendo previously is represented, apparently with different orchestration, the music again is beginning to grow in intensity and expressiveness, the ascending and descending layers of the instruments find a common tonal center, the crescendo begins again, a double forte pre-climax breaks up and immediately fades out as the final and devastating ascent begins... voila! The theme is finally represented in all it's glory in a 'clean' and unembellished form of the major chords; if Debussy himself once considered that beauty lies in the simplest of chords imagine what message should be passed over today to contemporary seekers of novelty and progression in art... The third section is for the most part a deconstruction of the piece so far. Having already reached such a high level of complexity and intensity the composer decides to re-establish a state of harmony into the mind of his listeners, kind of like holding their hand while coming back from the enchanted woods of fauns and neraids into the real world; all important themes are recapitulated and in a way stuck out of the multitonal mass of notes to stand out in their lonesome glory; the closing of the book and a song for goodnight.
Debussy had initially intended for this orchestral work to be separated into three parts, PrÈlude, Interlude and Paraphrase finale. In fact, he never succeeded to get past the Prelude, as all his attempts to successfully develop the other two parts have proved in vain, with the most apparent reason probably being that they couldn't match with the quality of the Prelude. Still, even on it's own, the Prelude had managed to make an unprecedented breakthrough at the musical circles of Europe. Debussy's American biographer Oscar Thompson compared it with the Prelude to Lohengrin , in the manner that "at the time it was written nothing like it existed in music." Since then, evolution in music has taken place and brought new theories, new instruments, even new musical systems; but hardly will another musical piece have a larger impact than the "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun" to the musical world. - lycaon
