Man, we've got a lot of stuff.
Sure, we're kinda smart-ish and all, but the most noticeable difference between humans and all the other species is that humans have a lot of stuff.
Practically no modern human has no stuff. Some spiritual leaders have few things – but nothing? It just isn't done!
A long time ago, pre-stuff, when we spent our days picking berries, getting laid, and getting killed by lions, we started agriculture. Agriculture begat a means of keeping track of agricultural products – little bitty clay pots which represented big clay pots full of grain. People would count and trade these toy clay pots which were the first form of money.
The use of money eventually led to our being able to acquire a bunch of stuff we didn't make ourselves. (Keeping track of the little clay pots was how writing started, but that's another story.)
So, think of the poor (or lucky) dolphins. They have no place to put stuff down. They have no way to pick stuff up. So, no matter how big their brains are, they will never have any money, never have any stuff, and therefore they will always be poor (or lucky).
Some days I want to take all my stuff and put it into neatly labeled boxes, and carefully write down a list of all the labels and
just
burn
the
list.
[ ]
And now we finish with some art. Just click on the representation of the art below to see a larger representation of the art. And if you keep clicking in just the right way you'll end up with your own physical instantiation of the image.
Man’s Glassy Essence
by Paul Smedberg
Original photographic assemblage giclée on 14" x 11" polypropylene. Signed, limited edition of 9.
I've pretty much always viewed
my feet
as a part of my body —
until now.
Now, they're just hanging out
under the desk
spooning against each other
like high school lovers,
one rubbing the other's callus
with a little toe.
"I don't pay you two to make lovey dovey."
(I yell)
"Get back to work!
Back under the desk with you two."
(I bark)
"Wait!
Where are you taking me?
Watch out for that . . . "
BAM.
"Stupid feet."
(I explain)
BracketBracket, the irregular ezine from Paul Smedberg, is
meta-something-ing into a short email newsletter. It will, or so I intend, continue to be irregular in period and content, yet a little more frequent. Each of these missives will end with a thumbnail of a piece of my limited edition art.
Initially these works will be unimaginably inexpensive.
As with many thumbnails, you can click on this one for a much bigger, far more detailed, gander.
Aggravated Manslaughter
by Paul Smedberg
Original photographic assemblage giclée on 11" x 14" HP 10mil gloss indoor polypropylene stock printed with UV inks.
Signed, limited edition of 23.
