The Ten Human Years of Preta Eshana.
Ideas and Notes Behind project
The seed of this project began to germinate in 2008 when Liverpool held the title ‘European Capital of Culture’. The event brought attention and money to the city, but many local artists were unhappy with regard to how funding for art projects had been distributed. Some local artists believed that because their work directly or indirectly challenged structures of government, big business, or advertising, they were being deliberately overlooked for art that appealed as ‘spectacle’.
A question arose; is it possible to make an art project that on the surface seems to ‘tick the boxes’ of modern-day acceptability, but upon closer inspection begins to disrupt and challenge accepted relationships of subservience to power? What are the ways to adopt, negate and subvert the imagery, symbolism and words of those in positions of authority who use their power to oppress and demonise? For example, the imagery of the pink triangle, initially used in Nazi concentration camps to identify homosexuals, had by the 1970s been appropriated as the central symbol of pride for gay rights protesters.
For me, there was great appeal in becoming involved in a project that challenged structures of prevailing orthodoxy while simultaneously exploring the role of artists and activists trying to exact positive change.
The situationist Guy Debord argued that in capitalist societies such as ours, behaviours are often modified or engineered through our interactions with the ‘spectacle’ (mass media). Because the spectacle monetises interactions, it reduces our life into a daily series of commodity exchanges, thereby changing even one’s own personal thoughts into a commodifiable asset.
‘The spectacle is a social relation between people that is mediated by an accumulation of images that serve to alienate us from a genuinely lived life.’ Guy Debord
The idea of subverting a high-end limited edition crafted product appealed to me. Making an album and book that, on the surface seemed to attract as lifestyle/experience but upon further examination becomes a direct challenge to a society obsessed with spectacle.
Another question which intrigued me: what are some of the reasons behind people feeling uncomfortable or hostile when entering into conversations of a spiritual nature? Is this a necessary subject to examine for those trying to bring about deep, lasting societal change?
Having witnessed how, for some, a new relationship with spirituality (outside the traditional parameters of how it is ordinarily defined) became the catalyst for profound, meaningful change. It felt important to collaborate with artists willing to explore ways to ignite conversations and inspire others to make creative transformations on both a personal and societal level.
It is hoped this project can act as a positive disrupter, creating an echo of the situationist idea of ‘détournement’, the concept of recontextualising an original piece of work to transform its meaning. In this sense, this project ceases to be a mere commodity used for a temporal cathartic experience and acts as a portal, a focal platform to ignite belief in meaningful transitions. A gradual transition from an unhealthy obsession with an isolated self towards a unifying recognition of the interconnectedness and dependent relationship that all living beings share. All the work contained within this project is dedicated to the lasting happiness of all living beings.
