(Above) Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division (1979)

The significance of Peter Saville’s design for Joy Division’s 1979 studio album Unknown Pleasures is unprecedented both within the album art world and universally. The design itself is borrowed from the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Astronomy, initially suggested by drummer Stephen Morris, but it was initially published in “The Nature of Pulsars” from a 1971 edition of Scientific American.

What you’re looking at is the frequency of a pulsar, which, according to NASA, is a “neutron star that emits beams of radiation that sweep through Earth’s line of sight. Like a black hole, it is an endpoint to stellar evolution.” It was discovered by Jocelyn Bell Burnell and is a computer-generated illustration that was originally produced at the Arecibo Radio Observatory in Puerto Rico.

The image, along with the enigmatic status of the band, has become a cult symbol all over the world and due to lacking copyright, it has been mass reproduced for a number of different purposes: an ode to the re-appropriated nature of Joy Division’s usage in the first place. The image draws power from the deadpan nihilistic statement of the lost, dead frequency of this far away pulsar: it eloquently admits our species’ loneliness on this planet.

Technique by New Order (1989)

My Life in the Bush of Ghosts by Brian Eno and David Byrne (1981)

AUDIO VISUAL is MONOLITH‘s weekly focus on notable album artwork.

(Above) Claude Vorilhon claims extraterrestrials gave him the secret to the history of humanity.

What if, out of the thousands of alleged UFO sightings that are reported every year, one individual actually met one of the occupants? One man claims to be this individual. Claude Vorilhon, renamed “Raël” by his outer-planetary pals, claims to hold the secret to the history of life on Earth as well as the answers for humanity’s future.

Whether your interests lie in ancient history, modern science, extraterrestrial life or religious scriptures, Raëlianism has something for you. From cloning babies to reconstructing mutilated clitoris’ and telepathically communicating with aliens on Sundays, the Raëlian Movement allows you to dip probing fingers into many a mystical pie.

Ranked ahead of the Manson Family on Buzzfeed-esque lists of “crazy cults,” the Raëlians have garnered staggering media attention during their 40-year existence. According to Raël’s book, The Message Given to Me by Extra Terrestrials, the former journalist and failed singer-cum-racing car driver was on his way to work when an impulse drew him to a nearby volcano. Here – he says – he was contacted by an extraterrestrial being who emerged from a flying saucer. Said creature proceeded to explain (in fluent French) that humans were created in laboratories by beings from another planet, known as the Elohim, which translates as “those who came from the sky” in ancient Hebrew. Vorilhon was told to spread the word of the Elohim on earth and to prepare for their return with the creation of an Elohim Embassy. He describes the beings as being a little over a metre tall, with pale green skin, almond shaped eyes and long dark hair. In 1973 Raël held a conference in Paris where he founded the movement. Today Raëlianism is broadly considered the largest UFO-based religion in the world and has reportedly funded Raël’s lavish lifestyle and love of cars.

Since 1973, Claude Vorilhon has convinced an alleged 40,000 or more of multiple outlandish hypotheses: he is the son of a French mother and an alien God, Jesus is his brother and he is a prophet akin to Moses and Mohammed. “Now is the time to stop believing, and begin to understand,” proclaims Raël from billboards, bumper stickers and viral videos broadcasts worldwide.

Raëlians initially exude the impression of the best liberal activists around: they promote sex-positive feminism, condoms, masturbation, and birth control. They also advocate genetically modified foods, technological advancements, and the futuristic tenet that humanity is on the path to surpassing traditional limitations set down by DNA. But for all their claims of free love, light and truth, they are an organisation littered with accusations of sexual exploitation, fascist ideals, member manipulation and the suppression of curiosity. “Don’t speak unless what you have to say is more beautiful than silence,” imposes Raël. The good news for any futuristic fantasist is that Raël insists that soon enough, endlessly compliant robots known as “nanobots” will sexually service us all. The bad news for foodies is that around the same time, (yet to be specified by Raël) “faecal matter will be reused and recycled into tomorrow’s food, along with the precious minerals extracted from our urine,” claims the space-age king in his book, Yes to Human Cloning.

While Raël admittedly copulates with many of his female followers, the ewes in his flock are apparently not required to perform sex acts on their messiah. However, Wonjune Lee – founder of raëlian.com, an online site and forum for ex-Raëlians – claims this is far from true. Lee states that the “Angel Condo” in Valcourt Canada, is used exclusively for the prophet to bed young Raëlian “Angels”. “They have to buy their own meal, yet, fine French wine is free of charge to get drunk,” declares Lee. After 11 dedicated years, Lee set about investigating Raël after a series of misdemeanors lead him to question the authenticity of the leader’s outlandish claims of outer-planetary excursions and family ties to rival a Rothschild.

Whilst women are a minority in Raëlianism, they play an important role and generally fall into two categories: The Order of Angels, and Raël’s Girls. The former calls for an increase in femininity amongst all humanity and the gilded few are expected to provide sexual pleasure for Raël and the soon-to-be-arriving Elohim only. Angels are also expected to surrender their eggs for cloning projects, which the group is heavily involved in. According to info-cult director, Mike Kropveld, these women also promise to defend Raël’s life with their own bodies. Meanwhile, Raël’s Girls stand for the pro-sex feminist ideals of the Raëlian Church, with members generally born from sex industry backgrounds.

Raëlian women often participate in highly-sexed protests.

The movement’s latest priority is supporting victims of female genital mutilation by launching Clitoraid, which claims to artificially regrow clitoris’s using stem cell technology. The unrelenting activists have been building several “pleasure hospitals” around Africa, where they have supposedly “reversed the effects of FGM,” according to Clitoraid spokesperson Lara Terstenjak. Another branch of Raëlianism, Stemaid, boasts an impressive medical marvel roster: a list of “treatable diseases” includes AIDS, autism, cancer, epilepsy and hepatitis.

“We have helped people who have suffered strokes to walk or talk again and we have removed traces of tumours in multiple cancer patients,” claims Director, Dr Boisselier. Prices start at £10,000 for three million embryonic stem cells and reach the nosebleed altitude of £200,000 for human clones. The American Medical Association argues that in spite of technological advancements, even animal cloning remains extremely inefficient. “For every 100 experiments only one or two produce viable offspring in surrogate mothers. Even then, its survival beyond the prenatal period is unlikely,” explains the association. The cult leader, on the other hand, believes that advanced cloning will be possible very soon. “We are not talking about next century, but in 10 to 20 years. If you are less than 50 years old, you can expect to never die,” he claims. Leading fertility expert Sir Robert Winston shrugs at the eccentric claim. “Nearly all scientists will regard [them] as ludicrous,” he laughs.

Since the dawning days of the new age cult, Raëlianism has homed a glut of unsubstantiated claims: from artificially grown organs to alien adventure parks with working UFOs. What evidence there is only seems to strengthen the widespread suspicion that Raël is nothing more than a self-proclaimed messiah and professional attention seeker. Throughout his reign, he has made increasingly peculiar claims (one example proclaims Jews to have “superior DNA because they are a crossbreed of Elohim and mortal women”), which do little to quell his critics. Whilst some gain from these eccentric amusements, for many, “His Holiness’” prophecies and principles have lead to catastrophic consequences. Family ties have been severed and romantic relationships estranged at the hands of the influential leader, explains cult expert Rick Ross.

The unrelenting grip Raël holds over his followers is worrying according to a multitude of experts.

Author of Confessions of a Raël Jean-Denis Saint-Cyr, a once primary school teacher and devoted high-ranking Raëlian of 14 years gained recognition for exposing the behind scenes of the sect. Saint-Cyr joined the movement in 1976 and spent five years as the President of the Canadian Raëlian movement, regularly “rubbing shoulders” with the self-appointed messiah. “Raël has entirely concocted a dogma founded on one of the most troubling spiritual deceptions of modern times,” claims Saint-Cyr. The author claims that whilst the prophet lived at his home he divulged to have “invented it all.” Ross may have condemned Raëlianism as the most transparent cult in existence, but many find the extent of Raël’s conviction alarming. “Claude Vorilhon will get his people to do whatever it takes to get him in the paper,” says Ross. Contrary to the selfless ethos Raël has masterfully portrayed over his 40-year reign, clandestine journalist Brigitte McCann reported that Raël has no interest in the troubles of “abused people”. “You want to tell me about your past? Have you been raped, here, just now? No? Well then, all’s well,” Raël reportedly proclaimed at a Las Vegas seminar.

So where does this lead Raëlians: both existing and prospective? “Generally, it’s the mental health and the moral judgment of the leader that’s the greatest protection against loss of control,” says Dianne Casoni, a psychologist and criminologist specialising in religious sects. This could be a cause for concern given Raël’s increasing anxiety, which has seen an ever-present army of white-suited bodyguards enveloping the paranoid prophet. Raël claims the secret services of France and America’s CIA have been trying to eliminate him as part of a top-secret extermination operation known as “The Abraham Project”.

Raël is tightening his hold over his disciples with at an alarming rate: the creation of the Order of the Angels demonstrates that. Whilst the group has yet to begin building bunkers, many academics specialising in psychology and cult groups harbour growing concerns over the increasing power Raël is yielding over his disciples. Carsoni warns that, if his group continues to crumble as it has done for the past 20 years, Raël is more likely to take extreme measure to keep his clutch. A statement gloomily titled “Last Messages” is entrusted to all Raëlians interested in joining the Angels of Raël. It articulates they must be ready to be of service to the Elohim and Raël without any restrictions: especially with regard to sex. “The privilege of being near them” is reserved to those who are prepared to sacrifice everything, “including their own lives if that is necessary to protect them,” orders the statement. Whilst Carsoni believes it’s only a symbolic commitment for now, sceptics wait with bated breath for Raël’s next carefully planned but amateurishly executed move.

Eyetoon is a psychedelic short from the late ’60s: one of many in its generation to attempt to demonstrate the cocktail of visions experienced on psychedelic substances. Written and directed by Jerry Abrams – a veteran of this genre responsible for a number of films, which slot into the same category – imagery of lysergic sex, open landscapes and religious iconography are used to formulate a torrent of stimulus, which champion spirituality, sexuality and peace on a global scale.

Born from an era of mind expansion and political rebellion, Eyetoon‘s proclamation, “FUCK FOR PEACE” is a telling symbol of what those involved with psychedelic culture intend to achieve through their art. Eyetoon is an uploaded portal capable of thrusting the viewer back into the synapse stimulation and freedom seeking of decades past.

SUNDAY SHORTS is MONOLITH‘s weekly shortfilm and animation segment.

Ever wondered what Saturday taste like? If 3 is to the right, 12 at the top, but where’s 44? Associations are subconscious, methodical connections for most of us, however some have no control over what they might smell when you first introduce yourself, regardless of what fragrance you’re wearing.

Synaesthesia is the name of this neurological condition. Briefly put, stimulus for one sense is simultaneously perceived as if by another sensory receptor. Some forms of synaesthesia joins tangible aspects of the world such as letters, shapes, or people’s names with smell, colour or points in space. These are involuntary and uncontrollable joinings.

While studied to great extent in the post-industrial era, synaesthesia was mostly abandoned during the mid 20th century in favour of behaviourally based models of development. With the cognitive renaissance in the latter part of the last century, however, increasing study has shed light on this field.

Crucially, additional perception is regarded by the synaesthete as real, and often outside the body. Its reality and vividness to the subject are partially responsible for a renewed interest in synaesthesia and have transformed it into a buzzing area of scientific research. It seems to directly defy the evolutionary trend for increasing separation of anatomical function and violates conventional perception by taking conjunction out of the mind’s eye and producing it via the senses.

Synaesthesia can involve multiple combinations of senses. The most common form – grapheme-colour synaesthesia – occurs when subjects see certain colours in response to certain letters or numbers. Other synaesthetes are able to hear sounds in response to smell, smell in response to touch, or physically feel in response to sight. The permutations are exhaustive.

Synaesthetic perceptions are often specific to each individual, though further research has gleaned that patterns form when large groups of synaesthetes are tested: sound-colour synaesthetes generally tend to see lighter colours in response to higher notes and the letter ‘A’ is often red.

Although there is no officially established method of diagnosis, guidelines have been developed by Richard E. Cytowic MD, a leading synaesthesia researcher and early pioneer of modern synaesthetic research. While not universally accepted, they provide a starting point for diagnosis. According to Cytowic, synaesthetic perceptions must be: involuntary, projected, durable, memorable and emotional.

According to biographer Norman Mailer, Marilyn Monroe was as synaesthete: a speculation confirmed by her niece.

In these respects, synaesthetes do not actively think about their perceptions: they are autonomous. Instead of experiencing something in the mind as when you are asked to imagine a colour, a synaesthete often actually sees a colour projected outside of the body, either on the stimulus itself, tinting an area around the object or the entire field of vision. The perception is the same every time and must be generic. That is, a synaesthete may see colours or lines or shapes in response to a certain smell, but would not be subject to extensive hallucination or the fabrication of entire objects or people. Additionally, the secondary synaesthetic perception is more potently remembered than the primary perception. One grapheme-colour synaesthete noted, “It’s the only way I can spell. In school I remember knowing there was an ‘I’ instead of an ‘E’ in ‘priority’ because ‘e’s were yellow and didn’t fit.

Exactly how many people may be affected by this condition remains unknown, with estimates for the number of people with synaesthesia yo-yoing between anything from 1:200 to 1:100,000. Synaesthetes are more likely to be left-handed than the general population, and are statistically of above average intelligence. There is also some indication that synaesthesiatic events can occur during stages of meditation, deep concentration, sensory deprivation, or with use of psychedelics such as LSD, mescaline, or even in some cases, marijuana.

Synaesthesia may be a genetic condition and while it was originally believed to be a dominant trait on the X-chromosome, more recent findings have concluded that father to son transmission is possible, thus marginalising such a possibility. A currently prevailing hypothesis is that in synaesthetes, the neural connections that are usually contained within one sensory system cross to other sensory systems. These crossed connections may be present in everyone in development, and only later refined to standard parameters, essentially trimming down the venturing connections. In some studies, infants responded to sensory stimuli in a way that researchers think may involve synaesthetic perceptions. These researchers hypothesise that many children have crossed connections, which fade as their brains develop. It is feasible that adult synaesthetes may have retained these crossed connections.

(Above) Black One (2006)

Sun O))) is an avant garde metal band, whose art direction and record packing is overseen by member, Stephen O’Malley. Seven albums deep, Sunn O))) have commissioned and collaborated with multiple artists to create a visual language that is tailored to the idiosyncratic motifs of the doom/drone metal genre. One of these artists is UK illustrator Jo Ratcliffe, who worked on the 2006 release Black One. More notably, one of their newer releases Monoliths & Dimensions in 2009, showcased the work of artist Richard Serra, specifically a piece entitled Out-of-Round X. In an interview with the Creative Review O’Malley commented on the significance of the piece: “Out-of-Rounds X provides many metaphors with our project’s moniker, the implication of radiation and collective colour, movement and energy in stasis, etc.” This minimal black hole was created with a paint stick on handmade Hiromi paper. Earth called Angel Coma is another of Sunn O)))’s prominent artworks to exist within their gatefold collection. The 2006 split EP features a photograph of a Pieter Breugel artwork. Their artwork is as ominous as the robes they chose to don on stage, but it is always refreshing to see and hear artists who break free from rigid stereotypes.

Angel Coma (2006)

Monoliths & Dimensions (2009)

AUDIO VISUAL is MONOLITH‘s weekly focus on notable album artwork.

(Above) Getty Images

The recent occurrences of near-Earth objects have worryingly increased over the past couple of years. Meteor 1998 QE2 takes its name from the NASA–supported Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Mass. 1998 is the year it was discovered and QE is the numerical code signifying the half-month it was discovered and the sequence inside that half-month. It safely slipped past Earth on the 31st of May, passing by at 4.59 pm ET, at around 3.6m miles away, which is fifteen moon distances.

It proved a safe enough void for the time being, but the damage could have been catastrophic if Earth had been hit. Spanning 1.7 miles across – which is about the same length as nine Queen Elizabeth 2 ships – it’s so large that it has its own moon in orbit. This is caused when other celestial material hits the asteroid and parts break off, its natural gravitational pull keeping the off-break within its orbit.

1998 QE2’s orbit overlaps with Earth’s.

Its orbit around the sun is less than four years, with its furthest point of orbit going out as far as Mars. The closest it comes to the Sun is about the same distance as we are from the sun. This is the reason for our close encounter, that both QE2 and Earth’s trajectory pass at the same time when closest to the Sun. There’s little to fear again in this lifetime, though, given that the crossover will not occur again for at least another 200 years.

It does, however, give us a chance to observe and analyse a meteor that is a similar size to the one that wiped out the dinosaurs. In a press release from Lance Benner, the principal investigator for the Goldstone radar observations from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, the scientific implications of studying QE2 are discussed: “Whenever an asteroid approaches this closely, it provides an important scientific opportunity to study it in detail to understand its size, shape, rotation, surface features, and what they can tell us about its origin. We will also use new radar measurements of the asteroid’s distance and velocity to improve our calculation of its orbit and compute its motion farther into the future than we could otherwise.”

Precautions are being taken to prevent collisions with near-Earth objects in the future. In 2016 the OSIRIS-REx mission will commence and a robotic probe will be launched by NASA to one of the most threatening known NEOs, asteroid 101955. Bennu will be one of the first prototype spacecrafts used to preform future exploration of any newly discovered NEO’s. This could spark further exploration of space and the implications include finding the original source of water on Earth and even the celestial molecules that catalysed the creation of life on Earth.

The paranormal is tenuous territory, broadly considered to have little footing in the realms of reality. Yet some people are so affected by these supposed paranormal experiences that these events, which are considered fictional can develop into real psychological issues. Many psychologists nurture firm beliefs that ghosts don’t simply roam the Earth searching for someone to haunt, but how does that affect their professional duties? How should psychologists handle patients who are so convinced of their paranormal exposure, they’re incapable of leading normal lives?

It’s not uncommon for counselors to dismiss claims in their entirety when patients express concerns over how their perception of the paranormal has affected them psychologically, regardless of underlying issues that could have triggered the experience. Despite minimal evidence to suggest these things really do exist, there is no way of proving how much an experience can truly affect the individual’s mindset. Even if it doesn’t exist within the conventional idea of reality, if there are psychological repercussions, then the experience still exists in some sense. It simply exists inside the mind rather than our shared reality. Alexander De Foe from the School of Applied Sciences and Media at Monash University in Australia confirms, “Many of the visions and hallucinations reported during paranormal experiences can have a significant personal meaning for the person experiencing them.” So when counseling someone affected by the paranormal, psychologists should restrain their personal beliefs, focusing solely on the emotional core of the experience at hand.

In 1961, Barney and Betty Hill claimed to have been abducted by aliens: whether true or not, within their own minds it was a real experience.

Not to say that it’s difficult to see why psychologists can be so quick to dismiss such irrational concerns. Chris French, founder of the Anomalistic Psychology Unit at Goldsmiths University, has compiled expansive research into the psychology behind paranormal experiences. He and others in his field have found evidence to suggest that even the most profound paranormal experiences are simply illusions created by a mixture of effects on both mind and body. For example, patients who suffer from Sleep Paralysis often see shadowy figures in the vicinity during an episode. The patient can mistake these figures for evil spirits, ghosts, or even aliens, rather than just left over images from their dream state. This particular experience, combined with an extensive inner backlog of mythologies, memories, and other psychoses, can give the patient the impression they are being haunted, leading them to believe they are trying to get rid of a real demon, instead of confronting and expelling their own.

If the dream state is a legitimate field of research for psychologists – an expanse of discussion regarding the subconscious perception of an individual’s mental state – despite the fact dreams are not ‘real’ in the conventional sense, then paranormal experiences should be approached with similar vigor. If medical experts were to delve deeper into the truth behind the psychology of paranormal activity, there would be less to fear and more scope for achieving a healthy mental state, free from the terror of hauntings and abductions.

To some, John Whitney could be considered the Godfather of computer animation. He famously became IBM‘s first artist-in-residence in 1966 and conducted the first computer animation lectures at UCLA in 1972, yet his work with computer animation preceded these achievement by more than 20 years.

Those who chose technological career paths in the mid-twentieth century were destined to tread a tenuous path: true innovation born from those who could simultaneously perform as artisans, inventors and mediators. Already industry-famed for his experimental work, Whitney spurred the democratisation of homemade animation in the ’50s, when he repurposed World War II anti-aircraft machinery into a primitive analogue computer. This machine was the tool Whitney used to create the opening sequence of Hitchcock’s 1958 thriller, Vertigo and also featured in the development of the slit-scan animation technique, which went on to be integral to the filming of 2001: A Space Odyssey in 1968.

In 1960 Whitney founded Motion Graphics Inc. and a year later made plans to document the journey he’d taken with computer animation with the aptly named Catalog. Whitney passed away in 1995, but the remainder of his life was spent maintaining and encouraging innovation in the film sect. His film collection is currently housed at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, CA.

SUNDAY SHORTS is MONOLITH‘s weekly shortfilm and animation segment.

(Above) New research shows that one in five want a universal ban on Google Glass.

A study of over 4000 people carried out by the Centre of Creative and Social Technologies (CAST) at Goldsmiths University, revealed that one in five Britons were uncomfortable with the privacy implications surrounding the Google Glass – and believe that it should be banned outright. The research paper, The Human Cloud: Wearable Technology from Novelty to Productivity, found that around half of respondents expressed a general mistrust about the invasive nature of wearable technologies such as Google Glass and Nike +, citing concerns for privacy as well as calling for possible regulation over such smart objects. However, the survey did find a general openness towards the forthcoming explosion of cloud-powered devices, with around 71% of people expressing the enhancement that such innovations had allowed in regards to their health, intelligence, confidence, relationships, as well as many other aspects of their lives. Robert Scoble, of Rackspace Hosting, enthused that “Cloud computing is powering the wearable technology revolution. It allows the data generated by wearable devices to be captured, analysed and made readily accessible whenever users need it.” But will the privacy issues surrounding the emergent Human Cloud prove to be more than just a fleeting concern for users?

Short film Lifeloggers documents how some who’ve delved into The Human Cloud lead their lives.

Google have already started to regulate usage of the Glass, recently banning pornography applications as well as facial recognition technologies that are believed to be a breach of privacy. However, the development of applications has persisted in the face of Google’s attempts to tame the behemoth that the Glass has become. The increased interest and openess of those studied in CAST’s survey for wearable tech will lead to what has been dubbed The Human Cloud: the term created for the network of humans equipped with wearable internet-connected technologies. The title alone certainly evokes an eerie progression towards the Singularity, but for the mean time, Chris Bauer co-director of CAST, comments that “The rich data created by wearable tech will drive the rise of the ‘human cloud’ of personal data. With this comes countless opportunities to tap into this data; whether it’s connecting with third parties to provide more tailored and personalised services or working closer with healthcare institutions to get a better understanding of their patients. We’re already seeing wearable technology being used in the private sector with health insurance firms encouraging members to use wearable fitness devices to earn rewards for maintaining a healthier lifestyle. It is likely that the public sector will look to capitalise on the wearable technology trend with a view to boosting telehealth and smart city programs.” Applications of the human cloud will serve only to enhance almost all aspects of our daily life, assimilating and collecting information in a much more efficient manner than ever before.

Wearable technologies appear to be the future for the internet. Already, innovations developed to support the increasing interest in the Internet of Things have created startling advances in machine-to-machine communication, with object communicating amongst themselves and conveying useful information to their owners. Now the increasing usage of cloud technologies will turn connect users bodies and clothing to the internet. Google recently announced in partnership with Motorola that tattoos and pills may soon replace regular smartphone password security in identifying their owners. The tattoos, silicone-based so-called Biostamps that contain flexible electrical circuitry. Initially designed for medical application, Motorola believe that they could be used for authentication purposes – as smartphones, tablets and laptops increasingly contain myriad personal data about us that makes users highly susceptible to identity fraud and other crimes. There is also talk of a pill that users would take, that would create an individual signal that would verify the users identity.

The Nike+ Fuelband is another example of wearable tech, which is spurring user caution.

Wearable tech is one of the most exciting advances for computing and indeed the internet. In the technological deluge we have found ourselves immersed in over the past few years, the transition of our lives from analogue to digital has been a little rocky to save the least. Incorporating and innovating new ways of breaching the gulf between the old world and the new will serve to democratize the technological revolution, and wearable tech is just one example of how cloud innovations will benefit almost all aspects of a users life. While concerns over privacy are definitely valid, the desire to explore and breach new technological boundaries will never wane. The possibilities allowed by such intelligently interconnected objects such as the Google Glass render the negative implications largely obsolete, access to the exciting realm of wearable tech awaits each and every one of us in the very near future.

Alcatraz, nicknamed “The Rock”, was the ultimate ‘impenetrable’ prison. The ancient fortress housed criminals, public enemies, and escape artists alike during its 30-year stint as America’s inescapable and brutal penitentiary.

Originally named La Isla de los Alcatraces, the island was first found by Spanish explorers in 1775. The name translates as “The Island of the Pelican,” but was later shortened to Alcatraz Island. Its natural isolation of stark land and roiling water gained the island its favour as a a holding ground for delinquents. Whilst sunny San Francisco sits a mere two miles away, for the prisoners of Alcatraz freedom was further than a short swim: the shores of the San Fran bay served as constant torment. Insanity, murder, and attempted escapes are still synonymous with the beguiling island, which was known amongst inmates as “the end of the line.”

Similar to the heavy mists and harsh waters that envelope the island, mystery has long shrouded Alcatraz. Though conspiracies are largely slated by sceptics, behind every lie is a grain of truth.

Syndicate leader Al Capone was an Alcatraz resident for five years.

Before the clinking of chains and the hammering of criminal footsteps tainted the island, Native Americans were already certain that Alcatraz was a hub of evil. Tribesmen claimed instantaneous feelings of malignant energies and would often leave their own people their as punishment. Desertion on Alcatraz meant eventual death and for the abandoned offenders an eternity of torture from haunting spirits was believed to be their fate.

Alcatraz is more commonly known for housing notable criminals such as Al Capone and George ‘Machine-Gun’ Kelly during America’s rampant crime sprees of the 1930s and ‘40s. Despite their criminal-cum-celebrity status, inmates were allowed only the bare necessities: food, water, shelter, and medical attention. Alcatraz was not regarded as a rehabilitation centre but rather a place of harsh punishment and minimum privilege. Those who survived it often did so at the cost of their sanity. With punishments including solitary confinement, restricted diet, hard labour, and iron balls chained to the ankles, it’s no surprise that many Alcatraz inmates surrendered their sanity to the island. Former sailor-turned-murderer Ed Wutke fatally sliced through his jugular vein with the blade from a pencil sharpener. Suicide and mutilation became an accepted fate for Alcatraz inhabitants, with many guards regarding mental illness as a meagre excuse to get out of work. It is believed that more men suffered mental breakdowns at Alcatraz, by percentage, than at any Federal prison to exist before or since.

With a history scarred with stories of human suffering and the paranormal, the island has amassed an expansive psychic following. Sylvia Brown was conducting a reading in the prison when she came across a cell that she claimed to feel a presence by. Only able to identify this incidence by the name ‘Butcher’ her claims were dismissed. It wasn’t until guards began researching that they discovered it had been the cell belonging to Abie Maldowitz: a hitman who had been killed there and went by the nickname ‘Butcher’. Paranormal Investigators also claim to have caught EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) on tape in and around the prison, saying everything from, “help me” to “what time do they feed us”. Paranormal investigators are united in their belief that Alcatraz is a hot bed of paranormal activity and workers on the island today claim to hear voices and cell doors slam shut, as well as screams and pleas for help.

Speculation as to the whereabouts of Frank Lee Morris, Clarence Anglin and John Anglin circles to this day.

Whilst Alcatraz hasn’t functioned as a prison since its closure in 1963 due to the ever-increasing cost to keep it running, the island still pulls in a crowd of thrill-seekers eager to explore the haunting island. As this month marks the 51st anniversary of another Alcatraz mystery — the innovative escape of three inmates who fled to sea on a raft made of raincoats — hoards of tourists are once again setting sail for the island. Similar to the mystery of the three Alcatraz escapees — Frank Lee Morris and brothers Clarence and John Anglin, The case remains open to this day and the men, who would now be in their eighties, are staples on the FBI’s ‘Wanted’ list, but many have simply accepted this as yet another Alcatraz mystery.

U.S. Marshal Michael Dyke, who has been searching for the men for almost a decade, is not yet ready to slam the cell door shut on this tale of intrigue. “It would be really nice to have answers, but some things you never have answers for”.

(Above) Epilogue

It would seem that Robert Beatty – Kentucky-based multimedia artist, musician and prolific album artwork designer – agrees with MONOLITH that album artwork is more than an iTunes thumbnail. In an interview with Tiny Mixtapes Beatty expresses his concerns for album artwork as whole, admitting he’s “turned off by a lot of current record art,” as anonymous imagery available on the Internet gives way to “lazy” artwork, adding that “appropriation has stopped being a tool to transform the existing into something new and has become an easy way out.”

Beatty is member of Hair Police – a noise outfit, which is the main driving force behind Three Legged Race – and a contributor to C. Spencer Yeh’s Burning Star Core. He’s also created a huge portfolio of album artwork for other bands such as Real Estate, Salvia Plath and Peaking Lights. A huge believer in collage as well as using computer-manipulated dreamscapes within his surreal style, he interweaves bright colours obscure shapes into a mesmerising composition. Beatty readily defends his use of techniques and appropriation, commenting, “People often see my work and assume it is appropriated because of the techniques I use, but I hope I’m bringing something new to a tradition that I feel is greatly neglected now. I don’t think people are used to seeing so much work being put into something that for most people is secondary to the music.” While there’s truth in Beatty’s musings, there are many prepared for the next wave of iconic album art.

Midday Veil’s The Current

Rainbow Arabia’s F.M. Sushi

Salvia Plath’s The Bardo Story

AUDIO VISUAL is MONOLITH‘s weekly focus on notable album artwork.

The ARKYD is yet another piece in the space democratization puzzle. Using crowdfunding to raise capital for the project, backers are offered up to five minutes of orbital observation time, which they can use to personally capture beautiful photographs of space: take a ‘Space Selfie,’ a picture of that is broadcast on a tiny LCD screen hovering above the surface of the earth or simply donate time to educational science projects to inspire a younger generation.

Interest in space exploration spiked after the successful landing of Curiosity. This is an image of Earth, Jupiter and Venus from the skyline of Mars.

See Planetary Resources, Inc: the ambitious Seattle-based company that recently shocked the world by announcing their intention to prospect and mine asteroids in outer space, some of which are purported to contain more platinum than has been mined in history. The ARKYD satellite is a preliminary step forward in reaching Planetary Resource’s ultimate space mining goal, since the company intends to use it for preliminary calculations. Chris Lewicki, the company’s President and Chief Engineer, maintains the ARKYD telescope’s primary intention is “to bring space within reach of everyone, one that will transform the way we interact with our cosmos and our own planet.” If successful, the ARKYD will put multi-million dollar space technology into the hands of students and scientists for the first time.

At a svelte 33 pounds, the ARKYD is a triumph of engineering: it’s smaller and more efficient than previous space observatories. Created by a team that have previously worked on every US lander sent to Mars in the last 15 years, their expertise in the field has assured backers for their ambitious Kickstarter campaign. “Operating a rover on another planet was an incredible experience,” says Chris Voorhees, the Vice-President of the company, “One that not many have had. I would like to share that experience with as many people as possible.”

Planetary Resources maintain that the ARKYD project is phase one of their plans to mine precious metals from asteroids, using the ARKYD for research to prospect particularly viable asteroids, as well as to monitor space for any potentially hazardous bodies. Yet they’re keen to stress the once in a lifetime opportunity for members of the public to use an orbiting space telescope for themselves: particularly for educational programs. The ARKYD’s important innovations hope to drastically reduce the cost of space observatories, allowing anyone to access them for their personal use. With almost a third of their $1 million Kickstarter goal achieved within a week, it seems that ARKYD users will be witnessing space for themselves sooner rather than later.

www.planetaryresources.com

(Above) Sessa is currently planning a study to explore the medicinal properties of MDMA for sufferers of PTSD.

“People are seeking alternative therapies,” enthuses Dr. Ben Sessa. “They’re more interested in more holistic healing, in what non-Western cultures can teach us in medicine.” Sessa is a British psychiatrist who has spent almost a decade battling to draw psychedelic substances into mainstream medicine. He is currently working with Professor David Nutt – the former government official dismissed for his study, which proved alcohol to be more dangerous than MDMA, LSD and cannabis – on a project, which intends to reveal the benefits of MDMA for sufferers of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He is also the author of The Psychedelic Renaissance, a book, which catalogues the growing expanse of work, which marks the resurgence of psychedelic drug therapy.

In July of this year, Breaking Convention – the psychedelic conference Sessa co-founded – will be back for its second installment at the University of Greenwich, where 600 people will gather to witness experts from all over the world make their cases for the brilliance of these compounds: whether for medicinal, recreational or cultural purposes. MONOLITH met with Sessa to mark the event, discussing his work and discovering how to sway a panel of scientist in grey suits.

Dr. Ben Sessa is a British psychiatrist, author and pioneer.

How did you become interested in this area of research?

I’ve always had an interest in psychedelia and psychedelic culture. I knew about Timothy Leary and R. D. Laing and all the work that was done in the ’50s and ’60s but when I was specialising in mental health at Oxford, I was surprised and disheartened to find that contemporary psychiatrists didn’t know anything about it. I wrote a paper back in 2004, which was the first paper published in the British Medical Press on psychedelics since the ’60s. Since then, a whole field of research has opened up. I came to it with a desire to bring this subject to the attention of other doctors. I always found there were a lot of people keeping the psychedelic community alive in terms of recreational users, but it had very much fallen out of discussion for the medical professions.

Why do you think there’s been such a renaissance for psychedelic drugs?

I think that the drugs themselves are much more interesting than drugs like cocaine and alcohol. They’ve spawned a whole creative industry. You don’t get cocaine users coming together for a symposium of literature and music, but psychedelic experience crosses over into sociology and anthropology and politics and ecology and spirituality.

In a culture of atheists and agnostics, do you think this resurgence in interest could spur a rise in spiritual beliefs?

As a doctor, I have to play down the spiritual and mystical aspects of psychedelics. It’s hard enough encouraging my peers to accept these drugs as clinical treatments: if I start using words like bliss and self-realisation and enlightenment, they’ll run a mile. I personally think there’s a lot of milage in the spiritual experience associated with psychedelics. If we could start using those kinds of holistic techniques in medicine, it could be great for the field. It’s a slow and careful process.

MDMA has been on the UK drug scene for 25 years, with less than 20 fatalities a year compared to 7,000 related to alcohol. Image by Scott Houston.

How do you minimise the cautions of your peers?

When I present about psychedelics to my colleagues, I’m very straight. I wear a grey suit and come across as boring and scientific as possible. They’re thinking, “This guy’s going to be like Timothy Leary: he’s going to have a massive beard, wear a kaftan and tell everyone that we all live in a chemical utopia.” I have to be careful not to present that image.

Would you not not agree, though, that the spiritual elements of psychedelics could also be medicinally beneficial?

Absolutely. Holistic healing is about a complete sense of well-being: physical health, mental health and spiritual health. Those are things that should be accounted for in medicine anyway. Psychedelics offer doctors the opportunity to explore those avenues with their patients. But as I said, that’s a difficult hurdle for mainstream psychiatry. Hopefully if we can get these drugs into more mainstream treatments, we can get transpersonal psychotherapy in through the back door.

Currently you’re working specifically with MDMA.

Yes, a study’s currently being planned. We put in an application last year for a large project last year, but it got rejected, so we’re scaling it down. What we plan to do is take people with PTSD and whilst they’re being scanned we’ll induce a traumatic stimulus, getting them to recollect their past trauma. We’ll monitor their brain activity during this both on and off MDMA, with the hope that we can demonstrate that with MDMA they’ll have a reduced fear of response. I believe that if you were to invent a substance that did all the things you’d want in trauma-focus therapy, it would be MDMA.

What do you think is the most common misconception of these kind of substances?

I think the War on Drugs has been very effective at blankly labelling any recreation drug as having no useful purposes. As a doctor, I don’t really see the distinction between legal and illegal: I’m just interested in how different compounds affect the brain and how they can be used. It’s frustrating that there are legal barriers that say we can test some substances but not others because of arbitrary socio-political agenda.

Have you noticed a growth in the support of this avenue of research?
There’s a huge resurgence. There’s a far more positive representation from the media and the medical professions are more open-minded to it. What we need to do now is get the data in. We need to publish more studies demonstrating the positive and safe effects of MDMA and other psychedelics. Once we’ve got the data, I don’t think the authorities will be able to disregard it.

Breaking Convention is taking place at Greenwich University July 12th-14th 2013.
www.breakingconvention.co.uk

Since the televised launch of NASA’s Curiosity Rover in November 2011, the buzz surrounding space has been getting louder. The prospect of actually visiting is looming in the distance, about to become a reality for those of us with enough cash.

Curiosity is just one of multiple events that have spurred outer space forward from final frontier to exotic tourist spot. Bas Lansdorp’s Mars One project was announced in June 2012 and is set to organise a permanent settlement on Mars where four highly trained astronauts will be sent every two years. The project – to be apparently funded by profits from an outlandish reality television contract – is still in its early stages and isn’t planning on dispatching their first one-way travellers until 2022 once research is complete.

The company SpaceX has already been planning towards creating reusable spacecrafts with their ships Falcon 1 and Falcon 9. They are currently running tests and are acting as cargo ships, taking astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station and back. Meanwhile, Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic is set to launch its maiden voyage on Christmas Day this year. In April, Virgin Galactic broke records by travelling faster than the speed of sound. Branson commented, “Most people would love to become astronauts if they could afford it and get a return ticket” He also announced that he and his family “plan to join our customers from around the world,” some of whom have already paid to secure places on the trip.

Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship Two went supersonic for the first time in April, spurring public interest in space.

At $200,000 a ticket, the financial bar for the aspirational “commercial astronaut” is high, and space travel continues to remain an unattainable dream for those on a less than generous salary. Yet interest in space travel is rising regardless, spurred by reinvented role models like Chris Hadfield and the crew of the International Space Station, who’ve ensured a generation of kids – and adults – will abandon aspirations to fame to nurse a fascination with space.

So what are the options for people who don’t have $200,000 to spend on a 90-minute space cruise?

Jerome Bottari is in charge of development for Mobilona Space Hotels, who will offer a space-like experience for as little as 300 euros a night. The 2,000-suite hotel is set to be built on an artificial island off the coast of Barcelona. It will stand at 984 feet, dwarfing every other building in Europe, and Mobilona have promised a carbon emissions free zone, aiding host cities in using greener energy sources.

Bottari also established Mobilona Immersive Technology Centers, developing immersive experiences for patrons in the form of gigantic windows, which double as displays that show realistic images of whatever the customer wishes to see on the walls around them. The most obvious choice is the sky at night, but standing in the midst of a galaxy only demonstrates the outer borders of the space hotel experience.

Immersive displays within the hotel will provide guests with an illusion of walking through space. Image by De Mango on Shutterstock.

The most highly anticipated feature of the Mobilona Space Hotel is the anti-gravity spa. Those who attend are free to experience zero gravity without the training lessons necessary for astronauts.

“The future of space travel is not in space, but in the space around you,” explains Bottari. These hotels promise to accurately emulate the sights and sounds the galaxy outside our atmosphere has to offer without needing to leave the planet.

While Bottari is confident that space hotels will make a more lucrative market than visiting space itself, many hurdles remain standing between the business model and its final goal. There have been issues with regard to planning permission, as Barcelona officials remain dubious as to whether the hotel would be an appropriate addition to Barcelona’s skyline. Despite this lack of cooperation, Mobilona are keeping their options open, with Los Angeles and Hong Kong in the running to become a potential settling ground for the world’s first space hotel.

Simulated space travel may become an option in the coming years, but the profoundly human urge to explore the final frontier may be all the confirmation Richard Branson needs that he’s onto the right idea.

www.mobilona.com

(Above) Hugo Paice on Flickr

In 1938, American baseball hall-of-famer Lou Gehrig collapsed mid-way through a game, signalling the end to his record-breaking streak of 2,130 consecutively played games. Fans and colleagues alike were baffled by the overnight disappearance of such commendable talent. One journalist wrote, “I think there’s something … physically wrong with him,” and they weren’t far from the truth: a year later, Gehrig was diagnosed with neurodegenerative disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The celebrated sports star would die two years later at the premature age of 37, remembered as the famed namesake of the destructive illness for which there was little medical resistance. More than 70 years later, research is finally beginning to shed light on a potential path to effective treatment and eventual cure: largely attributed to recent developments in cellular biology and stem cell research.

Lou Gherig’s disease (or ALS) is part of the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) family, primarily affecting neural pathways, which form the connection between the brain and muscle via the spinal cord. The average life expectancy for patients diagnosed with ALS is usually around three years. Death is slow: across a duration of months a patient can expect to become within their own body as it shuts down. Only the upper and lower motor neurons are effected, meaning consciousness, personality, and intellect are sustained.

Patients generally succumb to death after between two and five years of suffering, though some die in the first year and almost all become completely disabled before their second. There are no known causes, and very few genetic factors (which only make up only 10% of cases). It is currently incurable, can strike at any age, and there no known treatments to slow the progression or lessen the symptoms. In the UK three people die every day from this condition, and around 1500 people a year are diagnosed.

New York Yankee baseball star Lou Gehrig succumbed to ALS more than 70 years ago when little was known about the disease.

Such potent suffering for patients, their friends and their family attract extensive charitable aid from all over the world, yet many fail to grasp the extent of the disease’s wrath. This year marks the release of independent British docufilm I Am Breathing, a provative voyeurism of a young man’s journey from diagnosis to deathbed, which attempts to evoke further understanding.

Cell death is a characteristic of neurodegenerative disease, as well as many central nervous system disorders. The loss of cells is amplified by the lack of current regenerative abilities for cell replacement and repair. One way to potentially circumvent this is to use cell replacement therapy via regenerative neural stem cells. The benefits of this therapeutic approach have already been examined in Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and multiple sclerosis. Neural stem cell progenitors (descendants of implanted stem cells) can induce neural repair via neuro-protection and adjustments to the host’s immune system.

Another technique involves re-programming adult human cells to induce pluripotent stem cells. This approach generates patient-specific cells for transplantation. Whether such cells can survive long-term, transform into functional neurons or induce recovery in the brain still remains to be seen. Recovery of rats with neurological injuries displayed movements observed as early as one week after transplantation. Scientists involved in this study were quick to allay any overly-eager sentiment, suggesting improvement was most likely not due to neural replacement, but was associated with increased vascular growth factors, which most likely enhanced the neurons ability to adapt. This study provides evidence that transplantation of human stem cells is a safe and efficient approach to promote recovery after neural damage.

I Am Breathing is an intimate documentation of an MND sufferer’s final months.

Neuralstem is a biotech company, currently producing patented technology that produces neural stem cells of the human brain and spinal cord in commercial quantities, and can control the differentiation of these cells constitutively into mature, physiologically relevant human neurons and glia (non-neural brain cells). Neuralstem recently completed a phase I safety clinical trial for ALS in February 2013, and has received FDA approval to begin phase II. This will involve injecting larger quantities of these stem cells directly into the top of the spine. Phase I trials not only proved the technique was safe, but that even at low doses, some benefit were apparent in patients. Despite such positive responses, the treatment is still in its primary stages and potential long term side effects have yet to be realised.

A study conducted by Northwestern University in Illinois say dressing neurons in fluorescent “jackets” could improve understanding of Lou Gehrig’s disease. Of around two billion cells in the brain, a mere 75,000 motor neurons are affected in ALS. Medical researchers at the university have isolated the neurons that die in ALS and “dressed’ them in fluorescent “jackets,” enabling researchers to study them more accurately. “We have developed the tool to investigate what makes these cells become vulnerable and sick,” explained neurology Professor Hande Ozdinler. The technique also allowed Ozdinler and his colleagues to identify the motor neurons that don’t die so scientists can attempt to learn what protects them.

“Now we have a model of one motor neuron population that dies and one that is resistant,” Ozdinler said. “That’s the perfect experiment. You can ask: what does this neuron have that makes it resistant and what does the other one have that makes it vulnerable? That’s what we will find out.”

Director, illustrator, musician and artist: Yoann Lemoine hails from Paris, France where he first studied illustration and animation at the Émile Cohl School. There aren’t many musicians who direct their own videos, develop their musical style and create their album artwork all at the same time, but it’s safe to say Lemoine knows what he is doing.

As well as creating videos for Lana Del Ray and Taylor Swift, he also directs his own, including Run Boy Run, which was nominated for the Best Short Form Music Video award at the Grammy Awards. These are all facets of a greater professional identity the artist has carved for himself. Currently he’s on tour with his latest album The Golden Age, meanwhile studying film and writing in preparation for making a feature film.

His artwork for The Golden Age looks like a capture from the 3D animation promotion: it depicts a portrait that has a white plastic consistency and is covered in pins. Resembling some form of science fiction droid, it’s the artist’s signature obscurity that shines through.

AUDIO VISUAL is MONOLITH‘s weekly focus on notable album artwork.

(Above) Image by PyroOnASwing on Flickr.

By 2020, the Lovecraftian tentacles of the Internet are predicted to have ensnared around 50 billion objects, but the digital realm will no longer be dictated solely by the increasingly sophisticated conversation between humans and computers. The billions of nodes of the Internet will comprise common household objects, developed to provide a response to an exploding desire for maximum control over all aspects of life. Washing machines will notify us when the cycle’s done, the garden will water itself and lights will sporadically switch on and off to deter burglars when we’re not at home.

For the first time, objects will collect information about themselves, communicating with other intelligent devices and using this data to generate a positive contribution to our lives. Welcome to The Internet of Things: a rapidly evolving network of Internet-connected objects that offers us total e-synchronisation with their environment, firmly introducing physical objects into the dialogue between humans and machines.

Dr. John Barrett discusses the possibilities the Internet of Things at a TED conference in Ireland.

Whilst the thought of such intelligent objects may sound like preserve of science fiction, the revolution of the Internet of Things is well underway. Physical sensors now dominate 20% of non-video streaming Internet traffic, and the use of cloud technologies to connect objects to the Internet is growing exponentially. In an age where technological advances have created an ambiguity between our virtual and physical realities, the rise of intelligent Things is bridging what little gap is left. This heightened connectivity will allow us to take complete digital control over our lives, turning seemingly mundane household items into objects that respond and cater to every desire.

The infinite applications of the Internet of Things have created a burgeoning marketplace for intelligent objects, and crowdfunded projects appear to be at the forefront of innovation. Crowdfunding website Kickstarter has allowed the opportunity for many niche applications to be developed, and so far there have been several startling success stories.

SmartThings, which launched on the site at the end of 2012 (and exceeded its target goal by almost £700,000), offers users the chance to monitor and control aspects of their environment, in a triumph of compatibility. Using a centralised Hub which can connect to numerous Things around the home, the devices can control power outlets, sense whether doors or windows are open or closed, detect motion in a room and sense the presence of people or pets. This data can then be monitored and controlled via SmartPhone apps, allowing users complete control over their environment from anywhere in the world.

SmartThings makes it easier for people to connect all aspects of their physical worlds to the Internet.

Currently applications of the Internet of Things are straddling the precarious boundary between utility and novelty: take the SmartThings Buzz Barometer app, that brightens, dims or flickers lights in a house to notify of changes to a user’s social media networks. However, the serious benefits of such interconnectivity between our physical and digital realms can only serve to facilitate a fast-paced and technologically evolving world that we can become progressively more immersed in.

In a time when our virtual realities have become as vital to us as our corporeal existence, is the Internet of Things just another stepping stone to a seamless marriage of technology and humanity or are we simply facilitating a perpetual human laziness? As Aldous Huxley once aptly wrote, “Technological progress has merely provided us with a more efficient means for going backwards.”

(Above) Cover art from Leary’s audio collaboration with Ralph Metzner and Richard Alpert, The Psychedelic Experience.

“For thousands of years, men have studied methods of consciousness expansion,” narrates Timothy Leary over a backdrop of glistening colours. “Techniques for going out of your mind.” As poster boy for the psychedelic era, Leary’s dulcet tones are fitting for the first feature to attempt to depict the effects of psychedelic substances for a public audience.

Jean Mayo Millay is an American graphic artist who has a PhD in Human Science and has spent much of her life nursing a personal interest in human consciousness. Whilst teaching art in the early ’60s, these interests culminated into The Psychedelic Experience after Millay took peyote. Inspired, she approached filmmaker and artist Allen Willis and together the duo produced 20 minutes of experimental and abstract imagery, which went on to win an award at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1965.

Politics in the mid-’60s were broaching a rise in drug use with increasing animosity. Since Leary’s career at Harvard University was cut short in 1963, following the discovery that — by his own admission — he’d administered psychoactive substances including LSD and psilocybin to more than 400 people, these drugs became the eye at the centre of a hugely controversial media storm. Much of the news coverage, which cast psychedelics in a positive light was subsequently repressed, especially that, which affiliated itself with Leary.

After its screening at the San Francisco International Film Festival, The Psychedelic Experience was banned — a censorship, which would not be lifted for more than two decades. Its timing and suffering at the hands of such a politically volatile era have transformed the film into a staple of psychedelic history and a celebrated work of art.

SUNDAY SHORTS is MONOLITH‘s weekly shortfilm and animation segment.

Steve Quenell is a collage artist based in Seattle who has cultivated a distinctive visual style that combines heavy psychedelia, occult motifs and anthropological imagery. Aside from his poster work, Quenell continues to produce personal works that re-cast the ambience of the late-‘60s into strange, hypnogogic landscapes. Quenell speaks to about his methods, influences and memories of the marriage between psychedelia and the occult.

How do you define the term ‘psychedelic’?

In the ‘60s ‘psychedelic’ was used to describe music, art, films, etc., during a time when certain artists began to link their experiences of altered states of consciousness directly to what they were creating. I use the term more in homage to the spirit of that time. I draw a lot of inspiration from the ‘60s and ‘70s, but I also feel the word – as it relates to art – is a term that can be used when the fantastic meets the weird. Bosch, the Symbolists, the Surrealists, even sci-fi paperback artists like Richard Powers were psychedelic. I know that some people feel the word should only be used to describe black-light head-shop posters but I think it’s much bigger than that.

Have any artists had a significant influence on you work?

I’ve been making this type of art for almost 10 years now and my influences have fluctuated but I always have my go-to guys…many of the ‘60s San Francisco poster makers: especially David Singer, Nik Douglas, James Koehinline, Harry Smith, and Polish film posters from the ‘60s. With the advent of the Internet there’s a constant stream of new and inspiring artists. I started a Tumblr account just to keep track of them all.

What really influences me is the feel of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, from the vibrant print ads and the art-house films (especially the work of Alejandro Jodorowsky) to the widespread appropriation of occult imagery and ideas. These are the touchstones of my aesthetic.

Your album artwork is prestigious: do you work in collaboration with musicians to develop an image or do they request existing images?

I’ve actually done both. For Heavy Deavy Skull Lover I already had several pieces done when a friend of mine heard that The Warlocks were looking for art for their new album. She thought my work would be perfect, gave me their email address, and they bought the pieces. Alternately, when I work with Ben Chasny (of Six Organs of Admittance) he has an idea ahead of time and we work together to come as close as I can to the vision he has for his cover.

How would you describe your creative process?

I wasn’t in a trance but I was definitely in a zone. When constructing a collage I sometimes have a basic idea in mind as I search through old magazines but sometimes I’ll have no preconceived notions at all and I’ll just rifle through my archives, putting pieces aside that look good. Then I’ll start to take other aspects under consideration. Is it for a band or a show poster? What are the aesthetics? With these things in mind, the pieces just emerge. I have done rough sketches beforehand but almost every time the end product looks nothing like the initial sketch.

Why do you find that collage is a particularly effective medium for you? Is there an archival or more de-contextualising interest at work in your use of copies of National Geographic?

I think I was drawn to collage because I found that I couldn’t pay homage to the art I loved any other way. I don’t like to paint and I feel confined by illustration. Nothing looks more of that time than the actual photographs from the ‘60s and ‘70s.

I don’t consciously de-contextualize any image. The beauty of collage is that you can take just part of an image and get something completely different than if you used it in its entirety. That said I find that I am drawn to holy or ceremonial imagery because these images are often both beautiful and sacred.

Your work could be described as quite dark. Do you see this material as different from more traditional psychedelic imagery, which highlights peace and transcendence?

The darkness is the weird or eerie visuals that I’m drawn to. As far as what is traditionally psychedelic, I guess I’d refer back to how I define that term. To me those images are the building blocks of my psych compositions, which I suppose aren’t traditionally psychedelic but then again, what is?

Do you think there was a general shift in the late ‘60s towards an interest in the occult?

I’m not exactly sure when it happened but at some point in the ‘60s hippy culture embraced the occult. Maybe it was a harkening back to pagan ideals; maybe it was an acceptance of all things weird; who knows? So by the time I was a kid growing up in the ‘70s the residual effects of this paranormal acceptance was everywhere and – as someone who was drawn to the weird even at an early age – I loved it. Bookstores had an occult section and department stores started carrying Ouija boards. My own aunt bought an encyclopaedia of the supernatural. So I still have an interest in the imagery of the occult (probably because many of the images make me question what I’m seeing) but I don’t subscribe to it: I find it all kind of silly. That said, nothing tops a collage off better than a mandrake root or a hand of glory.

www.stevequenell.tumblr.com

(Above) An Audio Visual performance from Frank Bretschneider

The future has been creeping up on us for quite some time now. Gone are the blissful days of the early ‘90s, where computers were a luxury that took up half your desk. In recent years computers have been getting smaller and more powerful. More people are using them on a daily basis, and the rate at which they are improving is increasing exponentially. We have yet to relinquish control of this technology, but artificial intelligence is already progressing toward superior intelligence. As the Internet expands and gathers data, technology threatens to exceed the capacities and capabilities of the human brain. Leading us into the birth of what some consider an inevitability: The Singularity.

The Singularity is a term coined by Vernor Vinge in 1993. He suggested, “Within 30 years, we will have the technological means to create superhuman intelligence.” In other words, the demise of the human race as we know it at the hands of a superior computer intelligence evolved from our own creations. Should this come to pass, our brains will no longer need to retain or process information because computers will be able to do it for us. In his 2005 book The Singularity is Near, Ray Kurzweil predicts that The Singularity “will represent the culmination of the merger of our biological thinking and existence with our technology, resulting in a world that is still human but that transcends our biological roots.”

The prospect of computer intelligence surpassing that of the brain has filled an uncomfortable space in the minds of scientists since as early as the ‘50s. John Von Neumann, a mathematician in this era, was one of the first scientists to draw parallels between the human brain and computing systems. Neumann spoke of the “ever accelerating progress of technology and changes in the mode of human life.” Given “the appearance of approaching some essential singularity in the history of the race, beyond which human affairs as we know them, could not continue.” Around this time, multiple researchers were speculating over the advances of artificial intelligence, I.J. Good another notable name among them. His Intelligence Explosion Theory also suggested that computer intelligence would eventually leave mere mortals behind.

In some ways, The Singularity is a terrifying prospect, a distinctly human fear reimagined in multiple carnations: Blade Runner, The Matrix and I-Robot just three in the pile. Robots wresting control from humans, transforming our trusty computers that reside in our homes and pockets into intelligent weaponry waiting to strike.

The Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI) is currently taking precautionary measures against this horrifying version of potentially inevitable events. Luke Muehlhauser and Louie Helm of MIRI suggest, “If artificial intelligence’s goals differ from ours, then this could be disastrous for humans. One proposed solution is to program artificial intelligence’s goal system to want what we want before [it] self-improves beyond our capacity to control it.” However, it is almost impossible to know what we, as humans will want for our future. So perhaps it would be more beneficial to make an attempt at fusing human and artificial intelligence in the preliminary stages.

In Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, replicants are are organic robots indistinguishable from human adults.

M.T. Anderson’s book Feed provides an even more remarkable vision of the future. He imagines a world in which all humans have microchips inserted into their brains at birth. Not dissimilar to living computers, these chips allow humans unlimited access to all the information held within the Internet, fed directly into the brain. If this version of The Singularity were to come into effect, it would provide a seamless marriage of humanity and artificial intelligence. Not only providing computers with emotional intelligence, but compensating for the human deficiency for data storage and memory.

This could even potentially lead to the creation of a true collective consciousness, introducing the possibility for ideas like brain-to-brain communication. It seems Kurzweil is not ruling out this possibility in his hypothesis of The Singularity just yet. He states, “There will be no distinction post-Singularity, between human and machine … between physical and virtual reality. If you wonder what will remain unequivocally human in such a world, it’s simply this quality: ours is the species that inherently seeks to extend its physical and mental reach beyond current limitations.”

So should we be wary of The Singularity’s inevitable ability to become more intelligent than any human before? Or should we welcome the opportunity to expand our minds? Only time will tell if The Singularity will result in the end of the human race, but for now we have researchers with their own strain of artificial intelligence that may be able to turn the odds in our favour.

After all, is the promise of heightened intelligence worth the potential sacrifice of our humanity?

Random Access Memories is the fourth studio album from electronic goliaths Daft Punk. The iconic imagery, which graces the cover was produced by Californian multimedia artist Warren Fu. He has previously created visuals for Depeche Mode’s video Sooth My Soul to Little Joy’s No One’s Better Sake. His style has been described as retro futuristic and archaically modern, articulated in the ambiguous nature of Daft Punk’s latest record. The split face of the duo’s persona is brought into light and represented as a singular android.

The typeface on the cover is similar to that of the film Drive, and it’s accident. Fu was originally an intern at George Lucas’ film company and has designed proposals for films such as Star Trek and of course Lucas’ sci-fi cult classic Star Wars. Transitioning from film to music was a tenuous process, catalysed by the completion of his first major piece for The Strokes’ You Only Live Once. His foothold within the music industry became progressively stronger from that point and he’s continued to create a diverse scope of album covers and music videos amongst which Random Access Memories comfortably sits.

AUDIO VISUAL is MONOLITH‘s weekly focus on notable album artwork.

(Above) Angel’s Cry by Bryan Rulli

Between contemporary culture and scientific advancements, religion often falls to the mercy of the modern skeptic. Many claim to be atheist; the complete denunciation of any deity, let alone one who created the world in seven days, 6000 years ago. The story is familiar: “Are you religious?” “No, I don’t believe in a God.” Those who doubt their beliefs or lack of only await a barrage of debate. Some find solace in a claim of agnosticism, which leaves them free to speculate at their leisure: a way to avoid committing to any solid belief system. Yet recent scientific developments have turned many a skeptic into a believer, and this brings us to David Eagleman.

Eagleman is a neuroscientist and a writer at Baylor College of Medicine. There he directs the Laboratory for Perception and Action and the Initiative on Neuroscience and Law. In 2010 he gave a TED talk, which began with an experiment that was conducted by NASA from the Hubble Telescope: the Ultra Deep Field. NASA picked a tiny patch of the night sky and pointed the telescope directly at it for 20 minutes as Hubble orbited the world. They did this 400 times and what they found when they collected the data were 10,000 galaxies within that tiny space. Eagleman proposes that all of these have the “potential to house unknown forms of biology” that extenuates “the size of the mysteries that surround us.” Eagleman is trying to articulate that if we had not found this before, then who’s to say that there isn’t a sentient creator?

The marriage of atheism and science has long implied that scientists are unable to see past the presented data and speculate into the unknown. Eagleman explains that science is more than proving hypotheses wrong, and more “about the creativity of making up new hypotheses.” Some ideas are “beyond the scientific tool box,” but ambiguity is part of our relationship with mother nature: science is used to working with multiple hypotheses simultaneously. Not to see that Eagleman isn’t capable of taking up residence on the fence: “Perhaps, we know too little to commit to a position of strict atheism,” yet on the other hand we “know far too much to commit to a particular religious story.”

The researcher has drafted an idea based upon both ends of the science-religion spectrum. He suggests that there should be a third voice within the debate. That within the space of possibility – from Judaism; to Islam; to the idea that we are mechanical; that we could be descendants of extra terrestrial beings, that simply arguing whether there is a God or not a God – is just not enough. He proposes possibilianism: a term Eagleman coined to mean “an active exploration of new ideas and at comfort with the scientific temperament of creativity and holding multiple hypotheses in mind.”

With the break-neck pace of our modern age, a two-way debate where both sides are completely certain, is something that we simply cannot stomach anymore. We need to consider all possibilities – some may not even seem possible – and use the tools available to us to rule them out. Above all else, Eagleman attempts to take the parts of our minds that remain closed and prise them open to the potential of our future.

Regenerative research, stem cell treatment and nanotechnology are buzz phrases that some consider to be assisting in glamorising modern science. Yet researchers are making progress in these areas, which are propelling humanity beyond the borders of conventional reality. While the enormity of this work is widely anticipated, many are beginning to consider the potentially catastrophic knock-on effects for society at large.

Human lifespan has increased considerably since the 1600s, when 30 years on Earth was considered long life. By 1998, the average U.S. life expectancy was 76. Reasons included the increased quality of sanitation measures, antibiotics, clean water, refrigeration, vaccines and medical measures, which prevent children and babies from dying. Not to mention improved diets and better health care.

This aside, a growing number of people – many of them academic – believe this trend is very close to being bucked, not with a cessation of increasing longevity, but with a dramatic explosion in it. By approaching aging as a treatable condition, influential organisations hope to stiff-arm a cure out of the scientific community for this biblical ailment passed down from Adam.

Regenerative research advocate Aubrey de Grey and Professor Colin Blakemore debate the pros and cons.

Such a calculated alteration in the way we live our lives must be broadly considered before we make for the new world. The consequences would be world changing, of course, but change isn’t always a positive. Sociologically, politically and economically: many registered staples of our lives today would be irrevocably altered. Would society manage to weather these changes intact?

Let there be no misunderstanding: the aim of regenerative medicine and life extension is not to take an 80 year old as you imagine them today, and continue to ‘age’ them when they might otherwise have perished. The goal is to reprogram and rejuvenate. That maybe by retrofitting custom grown organs when old ones begin to fail, or assisting in limiting or reverting cellular wear and tear, we could begin to approach aging as a disease rather than a necessity.

If achieved, the most immediately perceivable result would most likely be a distinct lack of noticeably aged people: a population that remains economically viable. This is just the first in a long line of potential conclusions, which get progressively more concerning.

To begin with, the notion of a pension would become obsolete. Retirement would in itself become redundant. In a climate where leisure and labour are increasingly entwined, the diminishing of aging would give none a reason to stop. Today in the UK, pensions hold an equity value of over 25 times that of the gross domestic product. These financial instruments hold great significance in the way projects and business are invested in, enabling economic growth and facilitating the stability of financial markets. A world without pensions might not sound daunting, but it would have a dramatic effect on the nature of business at a grass roots level. New sources of investment capital such as property and precious minerals would sky rocket, increasing the cost of living dramatically for everyone and resulting in a decreased financial viability in starting a family.

In a political context this would be difficult to platform, as by modern sensibilities in the Western world there is an unalienable right to procreate regardless of financial means: imposing population control would be a last resort. Many families could eventually become subsidized by the state. This would invariably become a point of contention, and eventually voters may force an issue of this for political entities to toil over impotently. A prediction on what resolution would be chosen is difficult to determine, but already we’ve established a broad range of virgin policy quagmires that will only become more evident as the situation develops.

Tests on mice are already underway with regard to extending lifespans.

Even if population regulation laws were imposed, these would only serve to stunt economic growth in an altered sense as the requirements of the population would shift immensely. Education in the UK currently consumes nearly 15% of the annual budget. With a decline in demand due to drastically reduced birth rates, that could become a much-reduced figure, with potential to become entirely privatised. Support services such as medical treatment for newborns would be less broadly available and would concentrate in centres for specialist care, much like cancer treatment today.

Applying for a job would no longer require two years experience in a similar role: something in the vicinity of two decades might become the expected standard for many vacancies. As experience becomes more commonplace, specialisation of work would likely be renounced in favor of diversity of abilities. The inclination to stay in a position for a quarter century or more may be seen as a reasonable commitment for all new additions to the business.

These were just a brief collection of possible consequences from the research currently being conducted. If we are to continue this journey into the new world, we should anticipate imminent change in multiple spheres. The potential influences on our world will need to be explored before the fact, and not after it. On face value, long life is considered a blessing, but a far messier demise could be woven into its very fabric if our quality of life is compromised. Living for the sake of life is no life at all.

Autobahn is a 22-minute track, which was originally released by Kraftwerk on their eponymous album in 1974. Five years on, London-based animation studio Halas & Batchelor were commissioned by EMI – Kraftwerk’s record label at the time – to produce a 12 minute short film to accompany a re-release. The project fell into the hands of freelance animator Roger Mainwood, who used the psychedelic pop-imagery circulating at the time as a springboard for the film’s concept. The lonesome, be-goggled creature who stars as the short’s lead meanders through a galactic world of shooting stars and disjointed facial features, which mouth along to the simplistic lyrics: “fun, fun, fun, the Autobahn.”

The nature of the short was highly experimental, specifically designed to be released on LaserDisc: the now-redundant video format, which suffered beneath the success of VHS and Betamax. The film was promoted as the first of its kind to use computer animation, yet some years later in Halas & Batchelor Cartoons: An Animated History, Mainwood described how the poorly evolved technology impeded their progress. “The computer was a monster by today’s standards, taking up half a room,” he remembered. “The method for printing out drawings … involved a long mechanical arm with a humble pen on the end … we came away with a pile of jagged drawings that couldn’t possibly be used.” Despite the setback, Autobahn went on to win a number of international awards for innovation.

SUNDAY SHORTS is MONOLITH‘s weekly shortfilm and animation segment.

(Above) Pigs are often fed metal and sand the day before the festival.

According to Stevan Harrell in his book Ploughshare Village Pasis: Culture and Context In Taiwan, “the Gods are the most important focus of community ritual” within Taiwan and China. These so-called Gods are more accurately described as saints that have been given higher bureaucratic positions within the afterlife because of their laudable contributions within the world of the living. The Jade Emperor who is the ruler of the Gods within the afterlife decides their place. There are two forms of ritual. Individual worship; where the God is asked for personal help with a problem in exchange for devotion and community worship; in the form of a festival. In the second example the community partakes for two possible reasons: to celebrate the birth of a God or to ask for protection for the community as a whole.

One such festival is called The Pigs of God or The Divine Pigs, which has recently received slating media attention. Harrell provides a comprehensive explanation of the festival. The God of worship is called Cieng-cui Co-su, more colloquially known as Co-su Kong. This is just one of three different festivals that the Anxi inhabitants of the southern Taibei Basin hold throughout the year, broadly considered to be their most important. It is held “just after new year during the rest period of the first month of the Chinese calendar. It’s usually hosted in Sanxia from the Tiong-hok Giam temple, which houses “60 carved wooden images of the black-faced deity.” Like many deities of the Taiwanese version of Chinese popular religion, Co-su Kong was a ferocious military leader, however he is also known to have converted to Buddhism, serving as a monk in Anxi “sometime during the song dynasty.” He is also primarily known as a healing deity: a doctor, of sorts.

The Pigs of God is organised by one of seven noted local families that take turns hosting the event over seven-year cycles. The festival takes its name from the grotesque central process during which these families raise, slaughter and sacrifice pigs that are force-fed until they reach morbid size. According to Harrell, the festival he attended in 1973 boasted a pig, which weighed 553 kilograms. Fast-forward to an article written in 2007 by the BBC: one pig for that year’s festival weighed 908 kg, which is 143 stone. Of course this particular pig – and probably any that are fed to over 100 kilograms – wasn’t able to carry its own weight and had to be lifted by 20 men. “Most pigs were terrified. They screamed loudly and failed to control their bowels when they were moved to the scales by several people,” explained the Environment and Animals Society of Taiwan (EAST) to the BBC in an article written in 2003. The pig-monstrosities are paraded around town on floats decorated by flowers and bright paint after they have had their throats slit on a scale in front of a huge audience. Bystanders lap up the entertainment with similar zeal to football fans watching the World Cup final: mesmerised.

According to an EAST spokesperson, it takes two years to get these ballooned swine large enough. During the feeding, the pig is likely to suffer huge psychological and physical damage, attaining pressure sores from being pinned down for long periods of time as well as suffering from organ damage. The process also includes a castration without anaesthesia because the locals believe that this will make the pig fatter. The most abhorrent aspect of the whole festival however, is that some owners feed the pigs sand and metal the day before the festival to ensure they’re as heavy as possible for the weigh-in.

The important question is: why? According to legend, those who touch the sacred hog are blessed, those who pull the hairs of the deified animal will gain wisdom and finally, of course, the eating of the flesh, which will bring well-being and long life. Many question whether tradition and religion is a good enough excuse to mutilate animals in this way. Both EAST and the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) are currently campaigning to have this hugely cruel tradition aborted and replaced with pigs made from flowers, rice and dough. This will “allow communities to continue celebrating their traditional festivals while putting an end to the pigs’ suffering and benefiting the Taiwanese tourism industry,” according to WSPA’s website. There is speculation from other animal rights activists that within the last few decades the religious aspect has been lost to a farce where families show off their wealth and power.

An offerings table erected for participants to leave flowers and fruit in tribute to the Gods.

Further controversy was spawned in recent times when a pig who shared its name the president Chen Shui-Bian: such an act is considered an honour amongst the local people, ominous considering animal sacrifice is technically illegal in Taiwan. A spokesperson from the president’s office said there was no financial support given to the rearing of an overweight animal, but that he “respected local customs.” EAST expressed their outrage over this incident, commenting, “The idea that this enormous animal should be dragged in front of a huge crowd to have its throat slit is appalling … what’s also appalling is that one of these pigs should be prepared in honour of the president – the president of a country which has laws to prohibit the force feeding and inhumane slaughter of animals.”

The absolution of this abhorrent festival seems to be a long way off. The executive director of the Chinshui Zushi temple in Sansia, Liu Chin-ta has confirmed that they may consider ending The Pigs of God festival in 2017. “Seven clans take turns to [host the event], so each cycle lasts seven years. The current cycle started in 2010, and since we cannot just stop it, we have to wait until at least 2017 to put an end to the practice,” Liu said. “Of course, it’s up to the temple’s board of directors to make the final decision on the matter.”

MONOLITH is no stranger to Japanese artist Tokio Aoyama. Considering his prominence in the album artwork world, it seems fitting to laud his work once more with regard to his most resent project. Aoyama’s style, often described as modern-day, psychedelic pop art, often fuses iconic musical and political references and his work for Akala‘s Thieves Banquet is no different.

This is the newest release from the Camden born UK hip-hop artist, which is set for release on the 27th of this month. The artwork itself depicts modern day issues: a ring of leaders (the Thieves?) in a satirical dig at world leaders and maybe the G3 summit. Separately, a Euro note articulates the horrific state of the Eurozone crisis and plays its part in telling our doom ladled existence, as well as the mention of Wall Street and the usual military might.

In an interview, Akala referenced the album’s satirical nature, commenting, “The title song, Thieves Banquet, is a piss take and I think … if we can’t change the structure of the world, if we can’t hold the powerful to account, the least we can do is take the piss out of them.”

On the 26th of April Akala gave a live performance at the Tate Modern’s Hyperlink festival in The Tanks, while Aoyama provided a backdrop of images, as a response to Akala’s musical themes.

AUDIO VISUAL is MONOLITH‘s weekly focus on notable album artwork.

Technology is evolving rapidly. In order to maintain exponential growth, design concepts must become increasingly innovative and some have paradoxically turned back to nature for fresh inspiration. It is increasingly apparent that a greater understanding of natural solutions to seemingly novel problems can redefine the long-term effects of technology on everyday life. Many refer to this particular vein of design as biomimicry.

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have been observing common seahorses (Hippocampus kuda) for clues as to how they achieve unrivalled dexterity from a seemingly armoured tail section. By applying pressure to sections of the tails, researchers discovered that these could be compressed by over 60% before the spinal column was permanently damaged. Concealed connective tissues and tail muscles absorbed the majority of the compression. Unlike the armoured tails of other creatures (consider pangolins), the seahorses’ L shaped plates provide significant structural integrity and minimal permeability, while allowing for a solid grappling surface.

The seahorse tail is typically made up of 36 square-like segments, each composed of four L-shaped corner plates that progressively decrease in size along the length of the tail. The plates are free to glide or pivot as necessary. In turn, the plates are connected to the spinal column by thick collagen layers of connective tissue.

The results of this study have already been earmarked as future areas of development for flexible robotic manipulators, with innovative structures like this providing insight into useful design considerations, especially in volatile environments. The research team at Jacobs School of Engineering has also considered looking into more historically conventional types of naturally inspired armour systems such as fish scales and Armadillo.

These findings are not the only of their kind to emerge this year. In March, teams from Gutenberg University and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research announced that they had created a synthetic hybrid material, which is flexible despite its 90% mineral content. This feat was achieved by imitating structural elements found in sea sponges. These creatures are extremely flexile, yet still resistant to attack from predators. This is because their primary skeletal material is comprised of small, interlocking structures called spicules. These spicules are hard, lightweight and yielding enough to allow sea sponges to bend to such extremes that they’re near impossible to pierce.

Researchers were able to reproduce the effect inexpensively by using synthetic calcite nanocrystals as spicules and deriving the flexible interlocking protein directly from the sponges. This technology has attracted significant attention from global defense firms for a new generation of battlefield body armour.

The front of Shinkansen’s bullet train was inspired by the kingfisher’s beak.

These are only two studies, which demonstrate the innovation nature is able to inspire: countless others have already been incorporated into various avenues of design. The front of Shinkansen’s bullet train is the shape of a kingfisher’s beak, to minimise noise as it exits tunnels in the same way that kingfishers stealthily glide in and out of the water when hunting prey. Similarly, the Eastgate Centre in Zimbabwe was designed with the structural properties of the termite mound in mind, to reduce heating and cooling energy by up to 90%.

Our perpetual industrial evolution allows us to manipulate and override nature itself, yet it’s studies like these that remind us of the awe-inspiring feats that Mother Nature is capable of.

The bird who raced the eagle to the heavens and won: a Maori legend of a giant airborne predator living in the mountains, feeding on a diet of Moa (flightless New Zealand birds) and human flesh. Boasting a 10 foot wingspan tipped with yellow and green feathers and bright red plumage on its head, Te Hokioi was named after the sound of its cries. Thought to be a character in this tale of terror invented by tribes, this giant bird has been revealed as more than just a myth.

Also known as Haast’s Eagle (or Harpagornis moorei), the bird was discovered by Sir Julius von Haast, buried in New Zealand swamp deposits during the 1870s. Haast’s eagle was discovered more than a century ago and was extinct five times as long ago, but its true identity has only just been revealed. CAT scans undertaken on the bird’s skeleton by researchers in New Zealand and Australia revealed that it had a pelvis strong enough to withstand a kill made at speeds of up to fifty-miles-per-hour. Furthermore, the bird is not the scavenger everyone first suspected it to be, but in fact one of New Zealand’s most notorious killers; “capable of swooping down and taking a child,” tells Paul Scofield, curator of vertebrate zoology at the Canterbury Museum.

Te Hokioi has been a part of Maori culture for hundreds of years.

Haast’s Eagles were the largest known raptors on an island full of birds, closely related to the Little Eagle and the Booted Eagle: two birds of prey still alive today, though nowhere near as large or deadly as this distant ancestor. The eagle’s notoriety, large size, and powerful talons with which they used to grab their prey equated them to lions of their time, according to Scofield. They lived on the South Island of New Zealand where no land mammals could reach due of its isolation from other continents during the Cretaceous period, 65 million years ago. Birds took over, adapting and evolving to fill gaps in the evolutionary market left by the absence of other species to keep the island’s delicate ecosystem in balance.

Te Hokioi was never a bird that existed in large numbers: it is believed there were only ever a thousand mating pairs at any one time. It became extinct after the first human settlers – the Maori people – arrived on the island and took to killing the Moa and other large land birds for food. This wiped the formidable predator’s primary prey from the face of the earth, and possibly caused it to turn on the Maoris. They eventually died out completely, though not before gaining legendary status in Maori folklore as a deadly and beautiful man-hunter.

This is an excerpt from the 1979 documentary, The Secret Life of Plants, which was created by acclaimed documentary artisan Walon Green. The film was an exploration of theories taken from the 1973 eponymous book title from Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, noted for its discussion of pseudoscientific research into plant perception: the idea that plants are sentient beings, capable of emotion and ESP communicate with humans.

The Secret Life of Plants enjoyed a cult following in cultural circles, mostly due to its bespoke soundtrack from Stevie Wonder (punctuated by the occasional external track, like The Beatles’ Here Comes the Sun in this segment) and broad usage of time-lapse photography, which was being popularised in mainstream film making around the same time.

Unfortunately, the feature’s intellectual content aged poorly, suffering increasing skepticism as time went on. Its outlandish segments, which incorporate various interviewees performing questionable research – one woman attempts to teach her cactus the alphabet, Russian researchers measure a cabbage’s response to being chopped up – have ensured that The Secret Life of Plants is predominantly remembered as a work of art as opposed to ground-breaking science documentation.

Watch the full documentary here.

SUNDAY SHORTS is MONOLITH‘s weekly shortfilm and animation segment.

(Above) Ray Kurzweil via Wired

Have you heard of Ray Kurzweil? The author, inventor and notable futurist was the winner of the 1999 National Medal of Technology and Innovation, which is the highest honour in technology in his native USA as well as the 2001 Lemelson-MIT prize, which is the largest financial prize received for innovation.

His inventions include numerous firsts: digital music synthesisers, capable of recreating a plethora of instruments, CCD flatbed scanners, print to speech reading machines for the blind and commercial text to speech synthesisers. He’s also the recipient of an astonishing 19 honorary doctorates. Having authored seven books, which focus primarily on theoretical advancements in technology in regards to artificial intelligence, nano-technology and biological and technological evolution, Kurzweil is overflowing with intellectual achievements. He is outspoken in his views on transhumanism, technological singularity and life extension technologies. Kurzweil is also a prominent public speaker, having made appearances at SXSW, DEMO and TED.

Most recently, he has been appointed director of engineering at Google, a position that enables him to manage new projects involving machine learning and natural language integration and understanding. Directly applicable to the public face of Google, Kurzweil will become a pivotal factor in creating an even more rigorous search engine that was capable of analysing and interpreting semantic content used in digital language. He could contribute to the growth of Google’s infamous AI brain project, led by Jeff Dean. “The reason I’m at Google is resources like that,” he recently told Wired. “The knowledge graph and very advanced syntactic parsing and a lot of advanced technologies that I really need for a project that really seeks to understand natural language.”

Kurzweil predicts that by 2029, one of his projects will have bridged the gap between machine learning and AI. He claims that not only will his system be able to identify, navigate, analyse and interpret logical intelligence and human interaction, but that it will be able to intellectually comprehend human emotion. Humour, sexuality and affection: all entirely computable. Kurzweil has faced criticism in the past from the wider science community with regard to his futuristic beliefs, and his arrival at Google and subsequent interviews and statements have been no exception to that trend. There are a lot of questions that still remain on the tips of our tongues concerning Kurzweil’s pending work: with the seemingly infinite power and resources of Google at his fingertips, the science community will be poised in anticipation.

(Above) Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

Ketamine has been present on the recreational drugs scene for more than 40 years. It is already known to have some uses as an antidepressant, but currently it’s not available as a treatment on the NHS – despite acting within two hours, as opposed to the several weeks it takes typical antidepressants to work. When used recreationally, the effects don’t last long, but a hearty dose can causes a potentially pleasurable distortion of reality, and is fre-quently abused for its euphoric and perceptual properties.

An upcoming trial intends to investigate the benefits of Ketamine on patients suffering from Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD) when combined with Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT). Researchers are considering the pos-sibility that Ketamine could quell some of ECT’s undesirable side effects.

ECT is a broadly accepted treatment for TRD on the NHS, but has previously been associat-ed with impaired cognitive ability, as well as confusion and memory loss. Despite these downsides, not to mention ECT’s broadly negative media coverage – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Requiem for a Dream are notable examples – its positive repercussions are measurable. In 2012 a study carried out by researchers from the University of Aberdeen and the University of Dundee investigated the effectiveness of ECT by performing brain scans on nine patients before and after their ECT sessions. It found that, after treatment, the patients’ depression improved and there was a reduction of connections in an area of the brain previously linked to both depression and cognitive function.

Ketamine is already used legitimately as an animal and human anaesthetic (in combination with a sedative), and in rare circumstances can be administered for chronic pain relief. Smaller studies have suggested that combining ketamine with ECT can protect against some of the negative effects, however this study will be the first large scale trial of its kind.

High on the list of ambitions for this new cock-tail will be a reduction in the loss of past memories, including autobiographical memory – childhood holidays, growing up and early life – a known side effect of ECT. Researchers will explore ketamine’s effect on increasing the rate of improved depressive symptoms, hopefully resulting in less demand for repeat ECT sessions. The study may also use this opportunity to better understand how ketamine operates in the brain by utilising modern brain imaging techniques.

Lead researcher, Professor Anderson of Manchester University, commented: “It’s a great opportunity to really study ECT and see how we can improve it. ECT is the most effective treatment we have for severe Treatment Resistant Depression – but it can cause cognitive and memory difficulties as a side-effect.” He later added, “We believe that by combining ketamine with ECT these side effects on thinking and memory will be reduced or even prevented completely. This may make ECT a more acceptable option in the future.”

In the upcoming trial ketamine will be given alongside the anaesthetic received during ECT and participants will randomly either receive ketamine or a placebo injection. 160 participants will be selected after being referred by their GP and will undergo a double blind style study. The duration of the study is not yet known, but we can expect some interesting results to emerge as early as mid 2014.

The Afterman: Ascension was released by Coheed and Cambria in October 2012. The second part to the album – The Afterman: Ascension – was released earlier this year in Feburary. The concept is rooted in a series of comic books called The Armory Wars, written by the band’s frontman, Claudio Sanchez. The Afterman tells the story of Sirius Armory, who explores the energy source that is holding together the Keyworks (the seventy-eight worlds where the story is set), to find that it is an afterlife for departed souls.

Heidi Taillefer is a surrealist artist who was commissioned by Sanchez, as he thought she would have a “realistic approach for the album cover.” The image depicts The Afterman being divided by entities, which is a huge part of the story that Sanchez thought would be best suited for the cover. There was speculation from him and Heidi about the design of the helmet. The first design was considered too geometric, so they chose one that looked possessed and much more fractal.  The resultant effect makes the character appear divided and split by the entities, which is integral to The Armory Wars story.

AUDIO VISUAL is MONOLITH‘s weekly focus on notable album artwork.

Sunjammer is a short story written by Arthur C. Clarke in 1963. The story’s protagonist, John Merton, creates a lightweight spacecraft with a large solar sail attached to it to enter a space yacht race: the intention is to use wind from the Sun (radiation pressure) to achieve a speed of two thousand miles an hour. NASA has claimed that they are working with British Scientists to make this dream a reality, and sooner than you would expect: 2014. The research team has dubbed the project “In-Space Demonstration of a Mission-Capable Solar Sail.”

The solar sail itself will be approximately 124 feet on each side, which is about a third of a football pitch. This is the largest tested sail in space as well as the lightest. When collapsed,  it is the size of a dishwasher and only weighs seventy pounds, all as a result of NASA’s innovation in lightweight materials. The solar sail will be attached to a 175 pound disposable support module and will be housed by a secondary rocket bound for low Earth orbit to propel it two million miles toward the Sun. When held in orbit, Sunjammer will act as a type of forward observatory for both NASA and the UK Space Agency, with British scientists developing two instruments on board to study solar wind.

Arthur C. Clarke’s Sunjammer

The sensitive instruments on board will be capable of detecting a solar storm early, which means that satellites and power grids on Earth will be protected from streams of particles capable of damaging them. Debris collection and removal from orbit is also possible, a feat considering there are around 21,000 pieces of debris in orbit put there by humans.

There have also been proposals to utilise the sail as a means of protection and diversion from asteroids. Other clean-up operations involve de-orbit of spent satellites, but of course the greatest innovation of Sunjammer is deep space propulsion. Even though the maximum thrust from the sun would only amount to .01 Newtons – roughly the same weight as a packet of sugar – it could allow other spacecrafts to move through the galaxy without expendable fuel. Chemical rockets are simply not feasible as the amount of fuel needed to navigate space is astronomical, but solar sails allow us to expand without this problem. This means that we can use the fuel intended for the journey for other facets of the mission.

Those that are responsible for the manufacture of Sunjammer claim it will “advance the state of the art of solar sailing,” and their end goal is “the deployment, flight, and navigation of a mission capable solar sail to demonstrably prove that the efficacy of solar sails.” L’Garde, a manufacturer of inflatable and deployable structures for terrestrial and space applications, want to be world leaders in their field and if this project goes ahead as planned then a niche for this kind of production could open up. Founded in 1971 in California, the company was first created to support missile defence through the development and manufacture of inflatable targets as well as decoy systems. Since then they have been gaining knowledge in deployable space structures, leading them to this point.

Sunshine (1999)

The sun is a cause for much fascination with researchers. There’s also speculation in 2017, a Sun-observing satellite called Solar Orbiter (SolO), which is under development by the European Space Agency (ESA) will be propelled into space with the intention of performing a close-up study of our Sun and inner heliosphere: unchartered territory of our solar system. The aim is to better understand the star we rely on to exist.

Innovation and ideas within the sci-fi community are usually discarded as ludicrous, but as time passes on it begs belief that these ideas are becoming reality. Aside from Sunjammer, the film Sunshine, also predicted the solar sail. The spacecraft, named Icarus II, is sent on a mission to reignite the Sun with a stella bomb. The spacecraft itself has a huge shield to protect it from solar winds, which looks similar to a solar sail. They may be using it as a propellant instead of for protection, but the design is hard to ignore. The next time you pass off sci-fi as an impossibility, think again: the future is closer than you expect.

Building a Human is an ominous retro-futuristic short from Robert Popper and Peter Serafinowitz, the dual-mind behind Look Around You. Created with a lavish serving of black humour, the film provides a how-to guide to aliens for the construction of a Homo sapien. “Of course, they haven’t had their life force fucked into them yet,” claims the chirpy narrator, whose eery commentary is reminiscent of a ’60s infomercial. A dark insight into the human psyché, Building a Human is overflowing with sinister imagery, from melting mannequin heads to surreal shots of the Moai of Easter Island.

SUNDAY SHORTS is MONOLITH‘s weekly shortfilm and animation segment.

(Above) Inside an ion trap, by Ars Electronica.

Researchers at UC-Berkley are attempting the creation of a time crystal: a hypothetical crystalline structure of ions that moves in a repeating pattern akin to the ticking hands of a clock. The brainchild of theoretical physicist, Frank Wilczek, the successful creation of a time crystal would result in the first ever demonstration of a perpetual motion machine, as well completely defying conventional understanding of the laws of physics. Now, the team of researchers – headed by Professor Ziang Zhang and Dr. Tongcang Li – are using recent technological advances to attempt to create a time crystal inside of an ion trap, but is Wilczek’s theory truly possible ?

By forming into rigid, lattice-like three dimensional structures, crystals break the spatial symmetry of nature. Wilczek’s theory proposes that it is natural, then, to consider the symmetry of crystals in terms of time as well as space. The Nobel-prize winning theorist, who is noted for his particularly exotic concepts, had the idea of the time crystal while preparing for a lecture in 2010, and needless to say, the hypothetical structure offered a tempting demonstration of the asymmetrical nature of time. The futuristic-sounding time crystals would derive their energy from a break in the symmetry of time, allowing them to cyclically change their crystalline structure without expending any energy. If indeed Wilczek is correct in his predictions, as he often is, the form of perpetual motion demonstrated by these remarkable crystals would have major ramifications within the scientific community regarding the nature of time.

Frank Wilczek became a Nobel Laureate in Physics in 2004.

Wilczek proposed the possibility of the time crystal to the scientific community in early 2012, but until now, technology had previously rendered their fabrication impossible. Recent advances in cooling technology have allowed for researchers to attempt their creation for the first time, using an ion trap. The crystal would consist of microscopic ions being formed into a ring-like structure by electrodes in the trap, kinetic energy would then be removed from the ions, reducing the crystal to its lowest energy state. By using diode lasers to cool the crystal down to as close to absolute zero as possible, the time crystal would be reduced to its lowest energy state, known as the ground state. This cooling removes any surplus kinetic energy from the structure, therefore proving that any movement in the structure of the crystals is the result of a spontaneous breaking of the symmetry of time, and not due to any residual kinetic energy. Once reduced to this ground state, experimenters will activate a static magnetic field, that, if successful should cause the ring of ions to rotate.

The group of 100 ions would periodically rearrange themselves, and then return to their original state, displaying a form of perpetual motion that could have important applications in computing, amongst myriad others. For the time being, however, the time crystal is not being developed for the purposes of generating an infinite amount of energy, but to help physicists reconcile a better and more cohesive theory of time. While the perpetual motion of the time crystals may seem far-fetched, their existence has withstood scrutiny from within the scientific community thus far. If such objects can truly exist, perpetual motion technology would allow as-yet unheard of innovations in the future.

www.frankwilczek.com

(Above) Ocean Drawing, 5m x 3m

John Carroll is a Manchester-based artist who has produced a broad array of images through multiple mediums including watercolours, charcoal and drawing. Inspired by his older brother’s replications of Marvel comics as a child, Carroll has always taken pleasure in art, and after briefly deviating to a graphic design career, he settled into a “fine art approach” in his early 20s. The work Carroll produces often features water and the swirling, sweeping lines of these depictions are mesmerising, especially in his larger pieces. MONOLITH caught up with Carroll to learn more about his work.

What is your favourite medium to create with?

I particularly love drawing, painting and all forms of printmaking. I recently learnt how to do solarplate photo etching: View from the River Bank and Edge of water use this technique.

The Three Brothers, all three measure 5’8″ in height.

Why does water feature so prominently in your work?

The big turning point with the direction of my work came after my father died. My brother and I decided to scatter his ashes into a river. As I was doing this I became aware of the reflections in the water of the overhanging trees. Because of the flow of the current, the reflections became fractured and distorted: the silhouettes created reminded me of the shadows of people. Coming to terms with the death of somebody who had always been in my life reminded me of a moment when a large tree near my home had been felled: I had passed the tree every day for many years and suddenly it was gone. I found the experience disorienting. The landscape had changed and I had to get used to the change in my everyday routine. At this point I began creating studies in charcoal of the view into the water at the riverbank.

What’s the significance of The Three Brothers?

Shortly after this incident, I created The Three Brothers. These drawings are homage to my father and his two brothers. These three men all died within a few years of each other. All three collaged paper drawings are based on the reflections of trees in running water. The size is significant: at 5’8” in height, they refer back to the physical stature of a Carroll brother.

Stormy Weather, pastels, 56cm x 40cm

What are you working on at the moment?

I am currently working on two separate projects that are linked by the subject of water. The first is a series of drawings, collages and prints that investigate the spiritual and emotional relationship we have with water. The work is a response to an exhibition I saw at Oriel Ynys Môn on Anglesey, North Wales. A collection of man made objects and animal bones were discovered in a lake on the island, and it’s thought that they were votive offerings cast into the lake by Iron Age people 2000 years ago.

The other is based on the flood plain of the River Mersey – I’m making small-scale landscape studies in watercolour. It’s a place I know well as I grew up and played there as a child. I love using watercolour because it has a wonderful, subtle fragility to it, which I feel is a great contrast to the subject matter.

View from the River Bank, solarplate photo etching, 19cm x 19cm

View more of John Carroll‘s work.

(Above) Pink Floyd, Back Catalogue (2011)

MONOLITH has featured work from Hipgnosis before. The English graphic art group have designed some of the most prolific, surreal and down right fantastic artwork to ever grace a gatefold. On the 18th of April 2013 the music and graphic design industries lost one of their Goliaths. Storm Thorgerson, who founded the group in 1968 along with Aubrey Powell, passed away among family and friends after battling cancer; he was 69. As dour as that might seem, it must be said that his work will continue to influence and inspire many people for centuries: it will immortalise him.

His most prolific piece of artwork is of course Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, but Storm has created artwork for some of the greatest bands to ever walk the earth including ACDC, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Dark Side of the Moon depicts light refracted through a prism, inspired by Issac Newton’s experiments in 1642, which changed the way we think about light and colour: white is never white, it’s an amalgamation of many colours.

Pink Floyd, The Division Bell (1994)

With a name like Storm it perhaps goes without saying that he is of Norwegian decent. Born in 1944 in Potters Bar, Thorgerson met Syd Barrett and Roger Waters at the Cambridgeshire School for Boys – they remained friends throughout their lives. He then studied and graduated in English and Philosophy at the University of Leicester before relocating to London to study Film and Television at the Royal College of Art where he graduated with a Master of Arts degree. In ’68 he formed Hipgnosis with Powell, where they took on a third member Peter Christopherson. This fruitful career continued until 1983 when they dissolved Hipgnosis and started a music video company called Green Back Films where they produced films like Learning to Fly by Pink Floyd amongst numerous others. Thorgerson went on alone and created his own design studio under the title Storm Studios.

A statement on Pink Floyd’s website read: “We are saddened by the news that long-time Pink Floyd graphic genius, friend and collaborator, Storm Thorgerson, has died. Our thoughts are with his family and many friends.”

Pink Floyd, Tree of Half Life (1997)

Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

AUDIO VISUAL is MONOLITH‘s weekly focus on notable album artwork.

(Above) Ayahuasca boiling down.

Anyone who has read up on Ayahuasca – the sacramental brew from South America that contains class A hallucinogenic, DMT – will have often heard the stories of life changing experiences with ‘Mother Aya.’ Some speak of curing Heroin addiction, others report its therapeutic nature in aiding depression. Concocted within jungles like the Amazon, it is a toxic brew that is administered by a shaman or healer. Once consumed, the partaking individual may at first feel nausea but is then taken on a spiritual journey guided by a master ayahuascero to a place of higher knowledge: a completely transient existence. That is what is preached, but how can you know for sure that this will be the case? Such a potent and potentially life-changing brew is unimaginable to many softened Westeners, and if a shaman is necessary to guide users along the path leading to ‘Mother Aya,’ then what happens if Ayahuasca ends up in the wrong hands?

Last week a morbid news story gaped its way onto the Internet. A Chilean cult headed by Ramon Gustavo Castillo Gaete, had allegedly sacrificed his three-week-old child with mother Natalie Guerra on a bonfire after fastening the child’s mouth up with tape to silence its screams. The PDI – the Chilean police force – are conducting a major manhunt for Gaete and his mug shot has been posted on their most wanted page. “The baby was naked. They strapped tape around her mouth to keep her from screaming. Then they placed her on a board. After calling on the spirits they threw her on the bonfire alive,” said Miguel Ampuero of the Police Investigative Unit. The cult is apparently twelve members deep and all University educated. There has been speculation that Gaete controlled the group with Ayahuasca and was last seen buying components of the concoction in Peru.

Cult leader: Ramon Gustavo Castillo Gaete.

There are a few facets of this case that flag up. Cult leaders using hallucinogenic to control their sect is nothing new, Charles Manson used LSD to seduce his ‘family’ so it would seem that this kind of intoxicated control could be plausible. However there is no sufficient evidence that this is the case. There have been a number of reports on many credible news channels such as the BBC, but it has also been reported from more questionable sources. Is this purely sensationalism at its worse, another tool in fear propaganda? Or is there genuine truth to the matter?

Graham Hancock, a British writer and journalist spoke at a TED Talk in Whitechapel about his experiences with Ayahuasca and ‘Mother Aya’ (who is considered to be the spirit that is contacted when under the drink’s influence). He suggests that taking this hallucinogenic “connects us with seemingly intelligent entities which communicate with us telepathically.” TED’s scientific advisors deemed his talk well outside of orthodox scientific thinking and the presentation was consequently taken down from the site. In the presentation he talks about shamans walking the earth in order to convert Westerners from their capitalist ways before it is too late to renew our ties with spiritualism. He claims this is spurred on by such problems such as the mass deforestation of the Amazon.

If the story of Gaete is sensationalism, it is the firsts step in tarnishing the name of Ayahuasca before it is even fully known to the mainstream media. The horrific crime has taken place, but whether Ayahuasca has been used is another aspect all on its own. Ayahuasca is powerful, and logically, under specifically negative guidance, surely it could be used for ‘brainwashing’ type rituals. Yet the prospect of a world community of enlightened Ayahuasca users would surely go against the capitalist, consumerist society we currently abide in. 

Whatever the outcome, it’s important to keep in mind the type of people who may have influence over these kind of sensationalist reports. It’s wise to keep your sources credible and if it smells suspicious then try to get to the bottom of it before you open your mouth. It’s incredible that these kind of medicines have been around for centuries but their full potential and properties are still emerging to the Western world. There is inevitably far more positivity than negativity that shrouds this substance when in the right hands, but when linked to stories as abhorrent as this, it’s acceptance into society will surely be stunted.

Speculation over the existence of extraterrestrials and the level of contact we’ve shared with them is consistently shrouded in a concoction of equal parts fanaticism and scepticism, both of which breed off the other. A more recent addition to the endless stream of musings with regard to this topic is crowd funded documentary, Sirius.

Centred around the work of Dr. Steven Greer – a medical practitioner turned xenologist – and created alongside Neverending Light Productions, Sirius has been created with the intention of enlightening people to the full potential of humanity. Greer is previously responsible for the Centre for the Study of Extraterrestrial Intelligence (CSETI) and The Disclosure Project, both of which, are research communities focussed on uncovering the full extent of human contact with alien species.

Dr. Steven Greer discussing his research at a conference.

Claiming that we are capable of industrial and technological improvements, which would enable Inter-stellar travel and simultaneously deem fossil fuels completely useless, Sirius claims that Government and world authority have supressed this knowledge in order to keep the rest of humanity on a short leash. “What people need to understand is the secrecy around UFOs and extraterrestrial intelligence really has nothing to do with ETs,” Dr. Greer recently commented. “It has to do with humans and the power that is resting in large corporations and financial interests that do not want you to know the truth.”

While these ideas already sound eccentric, this feeling is only heightened by the fact that Greer and his team are only aware of such conspiracies through what they’ve learned from aliens that have already visited Earth. Their Kickstarter site comments that extraterrestrial communication is “only a thought away…”

The most extravagant claim, however, was no doubt the autopsy of a six-inch long corpse recovered from Chile’s Atacama Desert in 2003, which the trailer suggests could potentially be extraterrestrial. The documentary features specialists from Stanford University discussing an X-ray of the creature, and DNA tests eventually conclude that the corpse is a mummified human foetus, a fact, which was unveiled at the Hollywood premiere of Sirius on April 22nd of this year.

Whether every aspect of the research discussed in this documentary is authentic or not, it’s undeniable that some interesting ideas are raised. The core morale of the film lies in the idea that the human race is slowly killing the planet through the burning of fossil fuels amongst numerous negative effects of our industrialisation. While the angle Sirius takes may not be conventional, the team managed to raise more than $50 thousand to put the film into production and has successfully evoked a community-based motion to better the actions of the human race.

Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo (originally released under the title Kyōshinhei Tokyo ni Arawaru) is a short film produced by Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli. Directed by established animator and director, Hideaki Anno, and special effects mastermind, Shinji Higuchi, the ten minute short was released last week on the DVD and Blu Ray of Anno’s most recent work, Evangelion 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo. It depicts a fiery apocalypse inflicted by ‘God Warriors’: huge, biochemical beings with devastating energy beams who are able to manipulate space in order to fly (originally characters from Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind). Giant God Warrior Appears in Tokyo fits neatly into Japan’s thriving tokusatsu industry (a term used to define live-action dramas, which extensively utilise special effects), using advanced techniques to create a modern kaiju film that harks back to classics of the genre, like Godzilla or Mothra.

www.onlineghibli.com

SUNDAY SHORTS is MONOLITH‘s weekly shortfilm and animation segment.

Images of huge screens, teams of astronauts and “Houston we have a problem,” spring to mind when we talk about the space race. These days the idea of national union in the name of space travel barely exists at all. What is becoming more plausible is the prospect of privatised space travel. It is an aspiration that most of us share, looking up to the sky and aspiring to be in space or walk on the moon. It has always seemed like too much of a feat; it is what dreams are made of. The X PRIZE Foundation was launched by Peter Diamandis to spur technological development in fields like space exploration through private funding after the Lunar Programme was brought to a halt due to the astronomical amount of money needed to keep going: broadly believed to be close to one hundred billion.

What was needed for space travel to continue was small teams of engineers to come in and take over where the government left off. Amongst numerous other incentive driven awards, X PRIZE is offering $30 million to the first private team that could land a robot on the moon, get it to travel 500 meters across its surface, take samples and relay high definition images back to earth. It’s an incredible feat, that technology allows small private firms to achieve the same goals that were previously only possible for government-funded projects – what was only available for multi million dollar equipment can now be run on desktop computers. The spacecrafts themselves are also more manageable, since micronisation of technology has shrunk electronics to enable engineers to build smaller, lighter vehicles.

Lunar Rover from Astrobotic Technology.

Are we on the verge of becoming a multi-planetary species? Even if one of the 23 firms make it to the moon, they still owe a lot to the public sector. The iPhone, for example, wouldn’t have been created without the time and money invested by the state. Without their influence and ingenuity in the early stages, things like microchips, multi-touch screens and the Internet would have never been created: the same goes for the equipment and resources needed to get into space.

It’s only a matter of time before a private team get into space and to the moon and until then, we’ll have to just sit back and enjoy the ride. Within our lifetimes, the everyday man may well be able to fulfil his dreams of becoming a sub-orbital space tourist.

www.xprize.org

Researchers claim to have caught a glimpse of the pitter-pattering of tiny, emerging consciousnesses in developing infants as young as five months old. Using an electroencephalogram caps, (EEG) it’s possible to measure their brain activity in response to stimuli. The study, carried out by Sid Kouider and cognitive neuroscientists at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, tested the responses of 80 pre-linguistic infants as they were presented with images of a human face. Analysing shifts in electrical activity in the babies’ brains for a signature of consciousness, the study suggests that infants as young as two months old could be displaying extremely early signs of conscious awareness of their surroundings that is similar to patterns found in adults.

When presented with a stimulus, an adult goes through a two-process stage of recognition. Presented with stimuli, an adult brain activates an area of the visual cortex, leading to subsequent electrical activity in the prefrontal cortex milliseconds later. This second response is the activity that relates to more complex cognition, and conscious awareness of surroundings. A similar, but much slower, pattern was observed in one year old babies – implying that this is the age in which a baby’s emergent consciousness starts significant development. An even slower, but strikingly similar response was found in some infants as young as 5 months, which could be indicative of early formation of working memory – the stuff that consciousness is made from.

While the research is not conclusive, evidence of consciousness in such young subjects is promising. The research could possibly inform a better understanding of babies under anaesthesia, as well as the brains of people in vegetative states and perhaps even animals. If a similar ERP pattern could be found by comparing the patterns created by the babies’ to those in animals, this could provide compelling evidence of consciousness in non-human species.

www.ens.fr

Global emission control measures are failing and countries are unable to meet the swift demands of the eco-community to cut back on emissions. Being watchful of national emissions is expensive for any nation, especially those with underdeveloped economies. With the future of our environment resting on the political poignancy of global governmental democracy, alternative methods of dealing with CO2 are constantly on the environmental science agenda.

Researchers have been exploring the possible measures and processes that could potentially be undertaken to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Whilst research has begun to translate into reality for iron fertilisation, scientists are starting to shift their focus into other areas. In this vein, biochemist, Pierre Calleja, has developed an ingenious light source that consumes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and converts it into energy – it even produces oxygen as a by-product. The mythical ingredient that actualises this process? Algae.

Specific types of algae can feed off of organic carbon as well as sunlight: a varied form of photosynthesis, producing energy for itself with clean oxygen as a waste product from the process. The attractive lamps consist of algae filled water, which gives the lamp its intriguing green hue, along with a light and battery system. During the daytime the algae produces energy from the sun, meanwhile storing solar power within the battery. At night, energy from the battery is used. Since the algae also absorbs carbon dioxide, sunlight isn’t absolutely imperative for the process to operate. Effectively, Calleja’s algae lamps could be placed in areas where there is no available natural light and they would still continue to function, reducing carbon dioxide on a daily basis.

Research and findings into the sustainability and maintenance of the lamps is yet to be published, however preliminary testing figures suggest that each lamp can consume and filter up to one tonne of Carbon Dioxide per year.

Calleja’s project is at a sensitive stage: having proven the effectiveness of his lamps, he now must search for funding in order to make the lamps widely available. This innovative strategy could make a huge impact on our CO2 emissions and with politicians struggling to find the answer, we can only hope they turn to algae as part of the plan.

On December 21st of last year, Canadian astronaut, Chris Hadfield, began a five month stay at the International Space Station. Large enough to cover an American football field and host up to six astronauts, the ISS provides both home and lab for those who temporarily reside there, all the more homely due to its six-feet-wide bay window, which provides an expansive view of Earth.

Hadfield became the first Canadian commander of the ISS last month, and has been performing numerous experiments during his stay, alongside basic maintenance work and, of course, answering questions from the public via YouTube.

The ISS Bay Window (image via NASA)

He has recently enjoyed the buzz of Internet fame thanks to a combination of the viral video phenomenon and the fact that living without gravity adds novelty to the most menial of actions. Aside from his endearing moustache twitching and the casual way he just puts things down on thin air while he drifts through the station, the reason Hadfield has become to broadly revered is his chirpy helpfulness when it comes to any question with regard to these mundane space-tasks (tooth brushing and hand washing amongst them).

Hadfield’s simple act of wringing out a cloth in space on camera has earned the Canadian Space Agency almost three million views on YouTube. Their other videos have also received ample attention, rising with the spike of redirects from social media sites like Facebook and reddit.

Without Hadfield, Earth-bound creatures like ourselves wouldn’t consider that in a world without gravity no ordinary task goes unaltered: pillows and mattresses are replaced with tethered sleeping bags, water looks like transparent slime and shaving can potentially break computers. Admittedly, it might not be so convenient on Earth, but the awe evoked by this footage is enough to bypass any logical emotions with regard to the less life changing issues: the irritation that could be instilled by your peanuts floating away every time the bag is opened, for example.

What is disconcerting is the way anti-gravity affects the human body. As exhilarating as it would be to float free of the shackles of gravity, without it weighing down on the body, muscle can dissolve and bone can “start getting reabsorbed back into the body,” thus deeming a regular workout integral to the astronauts’ daily routine. Similarly, when people first reach the ISS, head colds are common, since all of the blood pumping to the brain fails to reach the rest of the body. Inexplicably, eyesight is also worsened for some ISS visitors.

Admittedly, Hadfield’s playlist may not be rich with information, which is directly applicable to real life, but it is a prime example of how technology can be used to enlighten the masses.

Visit the Chris Hadfield YouTube playlist.

Time lapse videos have been a popular method of showcasing incredible photography for a long time now, but barring the rare few prepared to travel the Globe in order to collect the imagery necessary to build these sequences, Internet users have been limited to spectating only. Thanks to innovative media company, Teehan+Lax, this is no longer the case. Using hyperlapse, a technique, which merges traditional time lapse with sweeping photography usually taken using a moving camera, Teehan+Lax have created an online tool, where users can map a route on Google maps and, using the street view images available, a hyperlapse film is automatically generated. This video is the first official video created using the tool, which was released alongside the tool itself.

Create your own hyperlapse.

SUNDAY SHORTS is MONOLITH‘s weekly shortfilm and animation segment.

In 2009, Google conducted an experiment, which showed that when results were reduced by between 100 and 400 milliseconds (less than half a second), searches reduced by 0.6% – a figure that sounds minimal until you consider the billions of searches conducted via Google on a daily basis. In a culture where immediacy is expected, research currently taking place in Ohio, which could lead to hyper-speed computed chips, is nothing if not well-timed. The chemists in question have found that by recycling 60 year old germanium, used primarily for primitive transistors, they can accelerate the conduction of electrons by up to ten times than materials used today.

Currently we utilise silicone and conventional germanium, but by creating a one atom thick sheet the chemists stumbled upon their results. The recycled material’s structure is similar to graphene, a two dimensional material comprised of single layers of carbon atoms. This material exhibits unique properties not found in more commonly used graphite. The research hints that although graphene isn’t commercially available, it could be utilised for a number of applications. Including faster computer chips and perhaps even a superconductor: many labs are competing to develop it.

In 2010 germanium was used to build a laser that could optimise optical communication.

Scientists in Ohio have been employing their recycling ethic to the more commonly used materials of silicone and conventional germanium. They home in by isolating individual properties in the material they may be able to create a new material at a low cost using existing technology. In nature, germanium has a tendency to form multilayered crystals in which each atomic layer is bound together; with a single atom layer usually being unstable. The Ohio team created multilayered germanium crystals and inserted calcium atoms between the layers. They then dissolved away the calcium with water and filled any empty chemical bonds with hydrogen. As a result they were able to pull of individual layers of a material called germanene.

Germanene has previously proven difficult to create: Ohio’s experience produced the first accessible source of germanene that could be analysed. Because of the hydrogen atoms germanene is a more stable material than even silicone, which oxidises in air and water. Which makes germanene an easier material to work with during practised industry manufacturing methods.

The first ever transistors were manufacturing using germanium in the 1940s. And although they have significantly depreciated in size to almost microscopic proportions and millions are now strewn throughout modern day computer chips the research alludes to the fact that this material could still advance technology. The increased electron mobility suggests that it could be used in the computer chips of the future. Although, with the Swiss molybdenite nano-technology in early development, we may reach a future where we don’t use computer chips at all.

The hunt for elusive dark matter may soon be over according to recent results beamed back from an experiment aboard the International Space Station. The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, which is mounted onto the outside of the ISS, was designed to search for evidence of dark matter by analysing incoming supercharged sub-atomic particles. The controversial experiment, which is rumoured to have cost around $2 billion, scans incoming cosmic rays for fluctuations in electron particles and their antimatter equivalent, positrons. Measurements of the ratio between the two could indicate the presence of decaying dark matter.

Dark matter is invisible but thought to comprise 80% of our Universe, with normal matter making up only a further 4.9%. Theoretical dark matter WIMPs – Weakly Interacting Massive Particles – are thought to create a surge of positrons and electrons when they interact with or annihilate each other. The AMS measure the ratio between positrons and electrons, looking for the scientific ‘smoking gun’ that could be indicative of the presence of the as-yet hypothetical WIMPs.

The ASS via NASA.

The first results released from the AMS, which has scanned over 25 billion particle events since the start of the experiment 18 months ago, have shown data that could hint at a first glimpse of the elusive matter. While the surge in positrons could be caused by pulsar (a type neutron star), the physicists at the International Space Station team near Geneva predict that a confirmed sighting of dark matter is inevitable. Nobel-winner Professor Samuel Ting, who headed the CERN team that designed the AMS, said of the results, “Over the coming months, AMS will be able to tell us conclusively whether these positrons are a signal for dark matter, or if they have some other origin.”

The results, combined with a recent theory proposed by Professor Lisa Randall of Harvard University, could lead to a complete overhaul in our understanding of the Universe. Randall theorises that there could be a shadow world – a mirror Universe comprised of dark matter wherein their might be an alternate version of our Milky Way. In Randall’s theory, dark matter particles interacting with each other would combine into atom-like structures that mimic the creation of ordinary matter, like that found in the Milky Way galaxy.

This shadow galaxy would affect the movement of stars in a way that could be observed by the Gaia satellite, which is due to be launched in October by the European Space Agency. The satellite will conduct an “unprecedented stellar census” that will chart a three-dimensional map of the Milky Way.

A ‘sin-eater’ refers to a person during the medieval period who had to undergo a certain ritual - one that survived right through to the 19th and 20th century - native to Shropshire and Herefordshire. A beggar or some appointed member of the village was brought to the death bed of the person in question. A relative would put a piece of bread on the chest of the dying and pass a bowl of ale over the corpse. Then the prayers or the reciting of a ritual would commence and the sin-eater would eat the bread and drink the ale, taking upon themselves the sins of the deceased.

It’s no coincidence that this folklore is from the same area that Matthew Glover AKA Sin Eater is also from: Herefordshire. He has revealed his home town is the reason for his facsination with animal form and this subsequently fuelled his passion for collecting taxidermy further interest in the theory of evolution. All of his work is created with his hands, he is a mass defector of photoshop and takes a lot of his influence from the German artists Albrecht Durer who lived in the 16th century. His dark gothic illustrations have been commissioned for a number of different bands including Brutality Will Prevail, Cough and Graves at Sea. He has also collaborated with a the DIY skateboard company Iron Column, creating graphics for skateboards.

AUDIO VISUAL is MONOLITH‘s weekly focus on notable album artwork.

The endless string of coincidental circumstances that led to our previously unlikely existence occurred despite the odds being precariously stacked against us. Could it be possible that a similar turn of events could have occurred on another planet in another galaxy, leading to the existence of another species of sentient beings? Furthermore, is it feasible to suggest that this alien race has achieved such technological superiority, that they developed star travel as long ago as one billion years, and have already examined Earth to ascertain whether life could be possible here? According to a smattering of scientists across the globe… maybe.

Humans have spent hundreds – if not thousands – of years musing over the possibility that we may not be alone in the universe. The scales of probability are aggravatingly unbalanced: the already obscene fluke of the human race coming into being versus the universe being so unimaginably large, that the prospect of total solitude seems both ridiculous and terrifying.

Since we’re so appallingly unevolved that we can’t even reach all the planets in our own solar system, let alone the rest of our sprawling universe, desperate theorists broach the question: who’s to say that an alien race won’t make the first move – or that they haven’t already? Given a complete lack of solid proof in this field, potential answers are endless, and sorting plausible ideas to mindless conspiracies is increasingly difficult.

The crop circle enigma is another example of potential alien contact, which is often under scrutiny.

In 1990, American science and science fiction magazine, Omni, published a short story from Terry Bisson entitled They’re Made Out of Meat. The comedic tale recounts a conversation between two aliens who, upon discovering Earth, are so confused and agitated at the prospect of a race made of meat that can think and dream that, against orders, they mark our universe as “unoccupied” and move on to the next. A fictional tale it may be, but if aliens are advanced enough to reach Earth, who can say if they’d want to meet us?

Some scientists are adamant, however, that not only has an alien race visited Earth, but they have left behind a coding in our DNA, assuming that once we’re evolved, we can decipher it bask in the definitive knowledge that we are not alone. Arguing that if viruses are able to alter our DNA, it could be externally altered, too, the theories on the logistics of this genetic message, which have simmering beneath the surface, have gradually been emerging.

In 2011, the story of Professor Sam Chang of the Human Genome Project rapidly spread across the Internet, who apparently conducted research that suggested we had extraterrestrial sequences in our DNA. Chang’s springboard was ‘junk DNA’, which makes up around 97% of the human genome. They are named for the fact that the purpose of these non-coding DNA sequences is predominantly shrouded in mystery. While, since the term was coined, many sequences have been allocated legitimate biological functions, for many their purpose remains unclear. Chang proposed that some – if not all – of the remaining sequences could be comprised of extraterrestrial DNA, potentially planted intentionally hundreds of millions of years ago. The validity of Professor Chang’s story took an unfortunate turn, however, when it became apparent that his existence may or may not have been fictitious.

Many modern theories about aliens are centred around ancient cultures.

Given the questionable nature of Chang’s (probably completely unfounded) findings, this field – already a target for skepticism – was thrust into further discredit. Yet recently published research from humans whose existence has been confirmed, suggests there’s still a small possibility of extraterrestrial tampering in our DNA. Two scientists from Fesenkov’s Astrophysical Institute in Kazakhstan have outlined what they believe to be ground-breaking research in the same area. Published in prestigious science journal, Icarus, under the slightly less faith-inducing title of The ‘Wow! signal’ of the terrestrial genetic code, the work stemmed originally from a baffling piece of unfinished SETI work from 1977. The expansion into biological coding from previous potential alien visits spiralled from that point onwards. Given that humans are now able to store non-biological data in DNA, the logical assumption was made that if aliens wanted to, data could have been instilled in living cells, which has remained untouched up until the present day. The essay predominantly involves the exploration and potential translation of the patterns researchers found between base pairs of DNA and amino acids. Reasoning that the research is solid since “the very method of [the code’s] extraction involves abstract operations”, researchers are positive that the patterns are of an artificially induced nature.

If a distant alien civilisation genuinely has attempted contact, and this isn’t simply the perpetual loneliness of the human race taking its toll, it’s clear that extraterrestrials aren’t keen to commence full dialogue just yet. In the meantime, the on going debate of whether we really are an unplanned miracle let loose in the universe can continue in a fresh vein.

We Have Decided Not To Die is a 2004 release from Australian film maker, Daniel Askill, which is set in a clinical alternate reality, where the story’s protagonists are free to exist without the constraints of space or time. The director captures transformations in each of the three characters, capturing transcendance from the shackles of reality in a context so simplistic and profound, it’s almost religious. The film appeared at more than 12 film festivals upon release, earning multiple awards in the process, especially noted for special effects. Askill himself is internationally acclaimed for his work, who, after studying in London at Central Saint Martins, now works between Sydney and New York. He appears in We Have Decided Not To Die in the second ritual.

SUNDAY SHORTS is MONOLITH‘s weekly shortfilm and animation segment.

In 1903, mathematician Henry Ernst Dudeny solved the Haberdasher’s Puzzle – a dissection puzzle that allowed an equilateral triangle to be cut into four pieces and rearranged into a perfect square. Over a century later, experimental design and architecture company D*Haus are following Dudeny’s work to its logical conclusion by designing adaptable furniture, lighting and architecture inspired by the “poetics found in logic and geometry”. Their current project, the D*Haus, is the culmination of their geometrical inspiration — and with the help of a burgeoning Kickstarter campaign, the world’s first fully Dynamic House may soon be a reality

The D*Haus is a masterpiece of flexible design, with a formula that can be applied to architecture in several ways. The designs come in both dynamic and pre-fabricated, static variations that can suit “all budgets and environments”.  The four models – the D*Dynamic, the D*Lux, D*Modular and the D*Static, with each model providing “a unique and innovative housing solution”, showcasing just how adaptable the D*Haus is.

While still firmly in development, the D*Dynamic is the most inspired of the four models. Originally designed as a living solution for people inhabiting the Arctic Circle, the house is a large-scale articulated version of the Haberdasher’s Puzzle. The house can adapt to its environment with ease by assembling itself into 8 different combinations, changing positions by slowly moving along several tracks. In it’s closed square shape, the D*Dynamic can protect and warm its inhabitants in winter, while the more open triangular form lends itself to long, summer hours. The house can also move inside of itself between day and night, allowing for ever changing perspectives of the outside world.

The Haberdasher’s Puzzle allows for myriad applications, and currently the D*Haus Company offer several other Dudeny inspired pieces of design. The D*Table is a “swiss army knife of a table”, which can be arranged into eight diverse positions to suit the owners storage needs. In addition there is the D*Light, “a chameleon light in perfect harmony with limitless colour possibilities”, which has four light chambers that can exhibit lighting combinations throughout the whole colour spectrum. But while these projects are obviously ingenious pieces of design, the D*Haus is certainly the most practical and intriguing expression of Dudeny’s puzzle. If successfully realised, the D*Dynamic could revolutionize we adapt to our ever changing environments.

www.thedhaus.com

The photograph on the cover of Fripp and Eno‘s 1973 studio album (No Pussyfooting) was taken by Willie Christie at the request of Brian Eno. During the time of the shoot, in 1972, Christie was an established fashion photographer and the husband to Vogue‘s creative director Grace Coddington. The idea of the mirrored room is reminiscent of Yayoi Kusama’s work. She voluntarily lives within a psychiatric institution and her work focuses on obsessiveness and the desire to escape from psychological trauma. She creates installations that immerse the audience within the endless mirrors, or dots, as she’s frequently used before. The mirrors were constructed within the house that Christie shared with Coddington in Maida Vale, West London. The house was set up as a make shift photography studio.

“We hired the mirror from Chelsea Glassware and the zinc ‘floor’ came from a session I’d just done for (fashion publication) Over 21,” explains Christie, “I’ve always felt badly for Brian that he didn’t share the credit, since it was his idea and we worked on it together.”

AUDIO VISUAL is MONOLITH‘s weekly focus on notable album artwork.

Recently, news and media networks have been inundated with stories of 3d printing. Additive manufacturing, as it’s more formally known, is the process of constructing a three-dimensional solid object from a digital model.

Specifically, it is a technology that utilises a sequential layering process to create objects. Already the process has been used to construct some of the most innovative products within their individual markets including human prosthetics, the Urbee hybrid car and perhaps most spectacularly, inventor Enrico Dini pioneered the D Shape “3d Building System”, which is essentially a huge 3d printer that uses a combination of extruded liquid adhesive compound to construct entire buildings. The whole process only takes a quarter of the time traditional methods would take.

Despite the fact this technology is only in its infancy, it has already revolutionised construction and the Computer Aided Design (CAD) industries. Industrially, the expansion of 3d printing equates to huge advancements in terms of rapid prototyping, rapid manufacturing, mass customisation and mass production. As consultants predict the eventual domination of wider construction markets, including projection moulding on an industrial scale, there has been a shift in focus onto the possibilities in domestic and retail markets.

Small success has been found in the production of ornamental objects. The Smithsonian Institute replicated some of its priceless historical exhibits for an educational tour and although other endeavours to popularise the process have managed to captivate hobbyists, it has yet to gain real recognition for practical household objects. Marketing analysts realised the cost of purchasing a domestic 3d printer was only justifiable by smaller businesses and niche groups of enthusiasts.

This realisation bore the rise of 3d printing services, which have resultantly sprouted all over the globe. All promise fast, friendly and efficient production of any object the customer desires. In our current climate, it was only a matter of time before a company combined this unique technology with our Supersize, Bigmac culture. Dreambox is one such company. Set around the busy University of California Berkeley campus, Dreambox was launched late last month.

Funded by Skydeck Berkeley, a university incubator-accelerator programme, they are essentially 3d Vending Machines, and that is exactly how they are being marketed. Having an item printed can be as simple as selecting or uploading a design via USB, clicking print and collecting the item when it is completed from your “hyper-local” Dreambox location.

Arguably, this is an innovative application of a life changing technology, however, with its future applications spanning from tissue engineering to medicinal production, science advocates will hopefully be able to catalyse a shift in perception concerning this burgeoning industry. Perhaps, our focus should firstly fall on the advancements this technology could actualise in terms of human interest rather than industrial expansion and longevity.

Fractal artwork is a regular feature on MONOLITH. The sacred geometry that camps so firmly at the crossroads between science and spirituality can be translated into countless aesthetics and applied to endless scenarios. Justified in this reasoning, MONOLITH introduces Jock Cooper, who’s variations of fractal art and animation (his mechanical reworks of traditional geometry, especially) add yet another dimension to these complex  designs.

California-based Cooper has been producing fractals since 2004, his YouTube uploads alone dating back to more than six years ago. With perpetual galleries of perpetual imagery, it’s not difficult to get lost in this mesmerising online portfolio. Under the title of Fractal Recursions, the artist has also released both a self-published book and a DVD showcasing the highlights of his sprawling body of work.

www.fractal-recursions.com

Ataraxia is a Greek term believed to be synonymous with total happiness: freedom from emotional disturbance. Set in an obscure future where electropathy is used to treat headaches and “space raid sirens” are commonplace, the characters of The Ataraxians demonstrate this state of absolute tranquility to an unsettling extent. Filmed in 2004 on 16mm film, the six minute short is directed by US based Ben Russell, an established media artist and curator who has been producing short films since 1997, and has since dabbled in feature length, too – notably commended for feature debut, Let Each One Go Where He May (2009). Describing The Ataraxians as “a science fiction film about the end of the Leisure Class and that which came to replace it,” Russell captures a singular aspect of an eery potential future.

Dreams have been at the nerve centre of human fascination for thousands of years. In ancient Egypt, dreams were a transitional state between the supernatural world and our own: communication with the Gods deemed possible via the complex navigation and translation of the dreamscape. The ancient Greeks nursed similar beliefs; contact with certain Gods through sleeping – and dreaming – at the appropriate shrines playing a core role in many medicinal methods.

The evolution of science has led many from the path of spirituality, yet the alluring mystery of dreams is as captivating as ever. As such, the technology born from the science that has injected doubt into the prospect of connecting with – of even the existence of – a deity is being used to decipher dreams from an entirely different perspective. This research sprawls across multiple layers of consciousness and various avenues of research: from Keith Hearne’s dream machine, which artificially induces lucid dreaming, to Professor Adrian Owen’s use of MRI technology to communicate with people in vegetative states.

Most recently, scientists from the ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories in Kyoto have been using brain scans to reveal the imagery that people see during dreams. According to the study, submitted to print journal, Science, researchers “concluded that we successfully decoded some kinds of dreams with a distinctively high success rate.”

An fMRI machine at the ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories. Taken by Ben Saren.

Three participants were required to fall asleep inside a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine. When they appeared to be dreaming, they were woken up and encouraged to recount what they had seen. Each subject was required to carry out this process more than 200 times, enabling scientists to compile a database where every item or image could be grouped together alongside certain patterns deciphered from the MRI scans. For example, “ice pick”, “key” and “plunger” all fell into the category of “implement”, while “hotel” and “house” were under the umbrella of “structures”.

Once data had been compiled accordingly, subjects were encouraged to sleep for longer in the fMRI machines, allowing researchers to apply their findings to resultant scans. In 60% of the cases, scientists were successfully able to assess what participants were dreaming about. Professor Yukiyasu Kamitani, who lead the study, commented, “I had a strong belief that dream decoding should be possible at least for particular aspects of dreaming… I was not very surprised by the results, but excited.”

Of course, this research only applies to the dreams that occur during short wave sleep, and there’s notable room for expansion into the realms of delta wave (or deep) sleep, which is far less trodden territory as far as dream research is concerned. Researchers believe that alongside reading the visual aspects of dreams, potential developments could facilitate the conception of emotions in dreams, too.

While it may seem that science has replaced spirituality in the minds of many, this research hints at the potential for technology to facilitate a deeper understanding of the human consciousness and how the two sit together in the balance of society.

As the frontier of biotechnology touches upon accomplishments, which have the potential to resurrect previously extinct species, what questions might we be asking ourselves? Is there truth behind the murmurs that de-extinction has already become a reality? And whilst bioethics are being pushed to limits never seen before, should we be assessing which forces we might be choosing to place our beliefs in?

Stewart Brand, an accomplished pioneer of some of our era’s finest technological advancements, spoke at a conference in Washington DC on March 15th of this year. His talk, entitled The Dawn of De-extinction, outlines an outfit of emerging gene technologies, which profess the ability to reverse the disappearance of some of history’s most poorly guarded organisms. His words echo a temperament which is gaining increasing attention from biologists, and subsequently in the mainstream press: “The technology of synthetic biology is currently accelerating at four times the rate of Moore’s Law. It’s been doing that since 2005, and it’s likely to continue”. He refers specifically to the work of a contemporary George Church, which Brand himself has boldly dubbed the “evolution machine”. The work encompasses a technique, which allows the automatic and systematic sequencing of genes for the purpose of producing a potentially suitable sequence of DNA, tailored to fit a purpose-specific function. Brand wouldn’t be the first scientist to state that with such advancement we might be claiming to have harnessed the very driving force behind evolution. And with a method that does away with the generational nature of trial and error employed by evolution, we may have streamlined its most important function.

Stewart Brand speaking at TED last month.

Some might say that the desire of human to harness the power of life in its quest to resurrect organisms, which have been extinct for up to 200,000 years is drawn from an arrogance which too often influences the choices we face. Others would argue that the view of extinction as a direct, or indirect, result of humanity’s actions as somehow ‘un-natural’ might be considered poorly thought out. Might it be considered that the perusal of de-extinction signifies a deliberate undermining of one of nature’s most powerful facets? Doesn’t de-extinction present a conflict of interests with survival of the fittest? Or are we happy to do away with natural evolution in favour of a more economical laboratory approach, which takes years, instead of millennia to achieve the same task?

While some are left wondering what the true value of de-extinction might be, others find themselves, quite familiarly, floundering at the junction of technology and the ‘natural order’ of life. As we’re so often hearing of the exponential rise of biotechnologies, it appears that biology might increasingly be found to be the ethical equivalent of the land meeting the sea. As has happened in the past, science is moving faster than our ethics have the capacity to keep up with. A concept such as de-extinction holds all but a feeling in one’s stomach, which signifies an inability to weigh up the expansive possibilities of its realisation against the fear of a collective failure of judgement from our greatest minds. Regardless of such, the extending reach of science represents an endeavour which should be viewed with equal measures of both pride, and pragmatism.

“‘Whosoever of ye raises me a white-headed whale with a wrinkled brow and a crooked jaw; whosoever of ye raises me that white-headed whale, with three holes punctured in his starboard fluke- look you, whosoever of ye raises me that same white whale, he shall have this gold ounce, my boys!’” Chapter 36, pg. 135

The metal genre is an ominous beast, littered with bad attitudes and even worse opinions. It does, however, host some of the most technical and elevating music in the industry and Mastodon attest to some of the most original craftsmanship we have the honour of listening to. Above, is a quote from Moby Dick. This was chosen to go alongside the great white whale that is prominent on the front cover of Mastodon’s second album release, Leviathan – and the white whale is no random feature. Rumour has it that Brann Dailor – Mastodon’s drummer/vocalist/lyricist – once picked up Herman Melville’s 1851 great American novel on a plane, with no other form of entertainment. The book made a huge impact on him and served as a metaphor for the bands overwhelming thirst for success.

The artwork was created by the Philadelphia artist and illustrator, Paul Romano. In an interview with Revolver magazine Ramono expressed some of his revelations about the artwork “That crown of colours on the whale’s head is called Ananta, when you see images of Vishnu [The Supreme Being in Hinduism], you’ll see the crown of cobras behind him that represents the endless and eternal. Vishnu is essentially the creator: He dreams us, and we dream him: going back to ideas on Moby-Dick and the book’s references to God, I made the whale a God.”

AUDIO VISUAL is MONOLITH‘s weekly focus on notable album artwork.

(Above) Image of Mars from the European Space Agency

Earth’s population have grappled with global warming and CO2 emissions for as long as we have been aware, yet, according to recent statistics, awareness has bred little change. In 1990, the worldwide output of greenhouse gases was 22.7 billion tonnes per year. In less than two decades that figure has increased to 34 billion, 8.9 of which are accounted for by China, the largest producer in the world.

Late last month, Chinese headlines claimed that 100 billion yuan (more than £10 billion) would be poured into numerous projects to tackle the issues cities like Beijing are creating for our ecosystem. Suggested improvements have been logical – reworking garbage treatment, sewage disposal, etc. – and potentially effective over a lengthy timespan.

Yesterday, on April 1st, design blog, Inhabitat, wrote a timely article suggesting that China’s environmental overhaul would be headed off by a 2015 mission involving the export of these troublesomely high emissions to Mars. Ridiculous, of course. But perhaps only for the time being?

A “3D printed factory” superimposed onto a Martian landscape from Inhabitat‘s April fool article.

While the logistics are as figured out as anyone could expect for an April fool (apparently gases could be transported using solar sails to 3D printed factories “modelled after some of the world’s most famous factories and coal plants”), the concept itself is a double-sided blade, which is thought-provoking to say the least.

The gradual over-population of the globe has instigated extensive discussion surrounding opposing solutions: curb the expansion of our race, or find a way to create real estate across the universe. One such theory that could solve the issue of finding another planet to call home is terraforming: the act of artificially altering another ecosystem. Though this is an assumption based on the effect humans have taken on Earth’s atmosphere, it is championed by many. Which brings us back to China: the phenomenal CO2 emissions, if successfully relocated to the Martian atmosphere, could melt the ice caps and warm the Martian climate, taking the planet one step closer to becoming a liveable environment.

On the other hand, are we so proud of the effects the human race has taken on Mother Earth that we would be willing to impose ourselves on another planet, should the means become available? So far as research currently shows, there is little to no life on the Red Planet, but the concept still instigates the same human-hating, self-loathing often felt after watching Avatar.

Human consumption has reached a peak so high that, April fool or no, if the technology became available, exporting our emissions – and ourselves – to another planet could eventually be our only solution. Perhaps that answers the question for us.

Voice Over was released in early 2012 from award-winning director, Martin Rosete. After the completion of filming in Tenerife and Spain, Rosete and his team raised more than $10,000 on Kickstarter to complete post-production. Before the Kickstarter project was launched, Voice Over had already won multiple awards, including Best Project at Gijon International Film Festival and Best Script at Almeria and Corto. Linking three perilous narratives via an intelligently witty script, Voice Over has continued to win 44 awards.

All images by Larry Carlson.

Around half of the population of the UK is reported to believe in the supernatural. From UFO sightings to Extra-Sensory Perception, people are increasingly veering towards the paranormal for answers. Professor Chris French falls at the opposite end of this spectrum – a self confessed “card-carrying skeptic”, his pioneering work in the field of Anomalistic Psychology is devoted to “separating the wheat from the chaff” in parapsychological studies.

MONOLITH met Professor French at his office in the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit, which he founded at Goldsmiths University. Set up by French in 1994, the Unit investigates paranormal claims, as well as replicating experiments by parapsychologists in an attempt to attain similar results. Anomalistic Psychology is the study of the psychology of ostensibly paranormal events, trying to find rational answers to explain the vast literature of anecdotal evidence for the supernatural. Often many of these events can almost certainly be explained as False Memory Syndrome, sleep paralysis or simply hallucinations. But conveying these findings to “experiencers” is a lot harder than you might think.

It was during his psychology degree French realised just how little mainstream skeptical arguments there were. “Once at University my best friend and I were asked by our psychology tutor to choose an area of interest for him to do a tutorial about,” he recalls, “I immediately asked to investigate ESP. I got the case FOR, but since there was very few skeptics at the time, my friend who got AGAINST couldn’t come up with anything.”

One particular book he read for his PhD — Parapsychology, Science or Magic by James Allcock — caused French to change his “semi-serious belief” in the possibility of the paranormal. “I went from being a believer to being an extreme-skeptic”, he admits. “I thought all parapsychologists were nincompoops who couldn’t design an experiment to save their lives, and that all psychics were deliberate con-artists. I’ve become mellower with age”.

Despite evidence to the contrary, there seems to have been a turn towards belief in the paranormal in the public consciousness, with a plethora of psychic themed programming aimed at this particular market. “Generally these people have a difficulty distinguishing fantasy from reality, and an openness to believe, sadly sometimes there is an element of childhood abuse that affects these ‘experiencers’, which causes them to be prone to FMS and Sleep Paralysis.”

But the world of Anomalistic Psychology is not exclusive to the paranormal. To exemplify just how easy it is for anyone to develop False Memories, Chris tells me the story of Elizabeth Loftus, a psychologist and expert witness in trials supporting eyewitness testimony in trials such as the O.J. Simpson case. Loftus’ mother drowned her self when she was 14 years old. At a family party, her Uncle told her that she had discovered her mother’s body in the family pool. “She had remembered little about the death itself, but suddenly she began to recall extremely vivid memories about the whole event. Days later a relative called her and informed her that her Uncle had been mistaken, and that it was her Aunt that had discovered the body. The memory had been completely false, she had inadvertently become the subject of her own experiment.” The incomparable realism of False Memories is what causes people to truly believe that they have experienced the paranormal.

Even though French is decidedly less militant in his skepticism these days, he is still wholly devoted to educating people about psychological explanations for paranormal phenomenon. ‘Supernatural’ phenomenon such as cold-reading and past-life regression can be extremely damaging, creating “the kinds of situations where families are being torn apart for absolutely no reason”.

However, the skeptics appear to be winning. Skeptics in the Pub, the small skeptical discussion group founded in London in 1999, which French works closely with, has expanded rapidly – with over 100 chapters worldwide and counting.

“I think I’ve definitely become a lot more moderate in my views but I am still very much on this side of the argument.”, says French, “I’m still not convinced that any of these things are real.”

In the field of biology, an extremophile is an organism that thrives physically and/or geochemically within extreme conditions that are detrimental to all other life on Earth. There are many separate classifications for the extremophile, each corresponding to the way each individual organism reacts within its conditions. The most versatile of these classifications, is perhaps the polyextremophile, which is the term appointed to describe an organism that qualifies as an extremophile on more than one categorical factor.

One of the most studied of this mysterious classification of creatures is the tardigrade, or waterbear. Tardigrades are infamous because they can withstand temperatures from 0 Kelvin or absolute zero to around 151°c. They can tolerate pressures greater than the deepest parts of the ocean and have even survived through the vacuum of outer space. Experiments have seen them survive ionic, gamma and solar radiation at doses that would desecrate human life. They can persevere without any form of sustenance for nearly ten years and they are capable of “drying out” to the point where they are less than 3% water. This dehydration is their ultimate defence mechanism - it is in this lifeless state that tardigrades are able to survive such dire circumstances. The difference lies in their capability to rehydrate, before continuing to forage and reproduce.

A German scientist initially named the tardigrade “little water bears,” which he derived after studying their pattern of movement and finding it to be reminiscent of a bear’s gait. The largest ever recorded tardigrade is only 1.2mm in length, with the smallest at 0.1mm. Their anatomy consists of a head, three body segments and a caudal segment with a pairs of legs for each. Each leg exhibits four to eight claws.

There are no respiratory organs – gas exchange occurs across the whole of their body — and they exhibit an extremely simple digestive system. Different species of tardigrade have been found to defecate under different circumstances and this can include a moulting process. The brain consists of multiple lobes and is attached to a large ganglion below the oesophagus which is connected to a ventral nerve chord running the length of the body.

Tardigrades are oviparous meaning fertilisation is mostly external. Eggs are laid during the moult and left inside the shed cuticle of the female before being covered with sperm. A select few species have been found to utilise internal fertilisation, although this is rare. Eggs hatch within two weeks and unusually possess their full complement of adult cells. Therefore their growth cycle isn’t one dominated by cell division but by enlargement of the cells, known as hypotrophy.

The discovery of these fascinating animals has lead to the analysis of their evolutionary journey in an attempt to resolve their biological relationships with lineages of other species. It has been found that tardigrades are most closely related to either Arthropods or Nematodes. However similarities can be drawn from various species of tardigrade to a multitude of different organisms, even the prehistoric oddity, Opabinia.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the tardigrades’ evolution actually links back to their ability to exist in outer space. The theory of Panspermia — that life is a universal existence and that it came upon Earth, amongst other planets, via meteoroid and asteroid distribution — is a theory that would seem positively ridiculous were it not for extremophiles like tardigrades and their ability to travel through space. Alien life forms they may be: either way, it is undeniable that this is a fascinating and mysterious species about which we still know very little.

Sometimes album artwork is overlooked, especially when the record within the sleeve is so good it permanently lives outside of the gatefold. MONOLITH intends to bring some of that overlooked artwork to the forefront, sometimes from within the depth of music history and some from the here and now. This week features Yeasayer’s 2010 second studio album Odd Blood.

The artist Benjamin Phelan created the design and is Yeasayer’s “artist in residence” as well as doing their lighting on tour. What you are looking at is touch-based interaction with virtual reality uncommonly known as haptics. According to an interview with Phelan on the NPR blog, the haptic interface “allows [him] to touch computer models within a modeling. So, we did sculpted each band members head in this virtual 3D environment, and kind of ended up taking chunks of each of their faces merged them into one single weird being.” Phelan’s own description of the piece is “the study of a future with a distorted biology.”

AUDIO VISUAL is MONOLITH‘s weekly focus on notable album artwork.

Casually going about our well-trodden routes through life, it is all too easy to miss the amount of noble activity perpetually taking place around us. From the all-weather maintenance of natural habitats, to the organization of arts projects for the disadvantaged young, to the Samaritans; the sphere of human decency stretches light years beyond any one person’s capacity to fully appreciate it. Without these worlds-within-worlds, the realm outside the front door would surely be a far greyer, far harsher and a far less sustainable place.

Vipassana Meditation is one such institution. The foremost UK centre is Dhamma Dipa, located in moderate seclusion a few miles south of Hereford. Over two thousand people attend this small site every year, and accommodation and meals are provided for ten days to each with no payment demanded. The single reason that it has managed to not only survive, but also grow (even through recession), is the personal benefit that students experience, and the resultant impulse to donate and persuade, in order for others to come into contact with the ideology on offer there.

Vipassana was practiced and taught by Gotama the Buddha around 500BC, although He claimed to have developed it from a much older method. Given the unimaginable differences between the worlds of then and now, and the fact that the centre continuously plays host to people from a wide array of religious and non-religious backgrounds, one can begin to get an idea of just how all-encompassing the path of logic is that paves the way to this simple technique.

Without revealing too much (as there is a lot to be gained from the gradual release of information over the course of the ten days), the way of thinking on display here presents a truly big-picture outlook on existence.  To come to terms with the world as it actually is — not as we hope or fear it to be — is key. Therein lies the potential to circumvent and undermine all harmful trains of thought, those that might deliver a person into anxiety or resentment of the reality they find themselves in.

Of course, there is no guarantee of a quick and easy solution. The Buddhists themselves believe that it usually takes more than one lifetime to break out of such entrenched patterns of the mind and reach a state of total equanimity. However, it is difficult to conceive of anyone in today’s world, in which its own aggressively fast-paced nature has already become a tired cliché, not finding any potential benefit from ten days spent silently contemplating themselves.

www.dhamma.org

(Above) Nusch swimming by Roland Penrose, 1937

The term “surrealism” was coined by French poet, Guillaume Apollinaire, in the preface to his 1903 play, Les Mamelles de Tirésias. After World War I scattered many surrealist writers and artists from their hub in Paris, many became involved with Dada, thus leading to surrealism as a movement trickling into the peripheral vision of the masses in the 1920s, led by its advocates, who threw conventional reality to the wind, regarding surrealism not simply as innovative art, but a philosophy — a revolutionary movement. By definition, surrealism as a belief system is, “based on the belief in the superior reality of certain forms of previously neglected associations, in the omnipotence of dream, in the disinterested play of thought. It tends to ruin once and for all other psychic mechanisms and to substitute itself for them in solving all the principal problems of life.”

Alongside its most famed campaigners — Pablo Picasso and Man Ray in their midst — Nulsch Éluard pales to the background, little known aside from her role as wife to surrealist poet, Paul Éluard. Yet in some ways, Éluard, born as Maria Benz in 1906, was integral to the progress of the movement through the time she spent with some of its most influential creatives in the 1930s and ’40s.

Nusch Éluard by Dora Maar, 1937

After moving to Paris in 1928, she worked as a model, actress and hypnotist’s assistant in the city, before meeting Éluard and fellow writer, René Char in 1930, and continuing to marry her husband in 1934. Her astonishing beauty is documented extensively, perhaps explaining, in part, the inspiring effect she took on the Surrealists. In his memoirs, film director, Claude Lanzmann wrote, “Nusch had beautifully chiselled lips, her blood-red lipstick emphasized her voracity, her long black hair highlighted her bone structure, her whole body, the way that she moved, exuded a fiery sensuality.”

This beauty and sensuality led Éluard to become muse and subject to the likes of Pablo Picasso, René Magritte, Joan Miró and Man Ray, amongst others. She also documented her own creativity, producing mismatched collages whose influences are still apparent in artwork of today. Much of her art was the product of intense insomnia, which she suffered with for a number of years.

Les années vous guettent by Dora Maar, 1932

Loved for her free and uplifting persona, she is also remembered for her contribution to the progression of feminism – a liberated and inspired woman who’s attitudes were modern for her time. In 2010, Parisian writer, Chantal Vieuille documented her life under the title Nusch: Portrait d’une muse de Surréalisme, in an effort to rectify public memory in regards to Éluard’s role in artistic history. At the launch, the author commented on her place in society as a woman before her time, noting: “She incarnated an ideal femininity.”

Despite the affect Éluard had on her friends and acquaintances, her time with the Surrealists was cut short in 1946, when she suffered a stroke on the streets of Paris. Her premature demise was apparently a monstrous blow to the group. Even in death, however, Éluard continued to provide inspiration: her grief-stricken husband moved through his suffering through his work on Le temps déborde in 1947.

Paul and Nusch Éluard

Portrait of Nusch Éluard by Pablo Picasso, 1938

Nusch au Miroir by Man Ray, 1935

Paul and Nusch Éluard by Dora Maar, 1937

Portrait of Nusch Éluard by Man Ray, 1935

Scintillation is an experimental short film that was made in 2009 by Parisian director, Xavier Chassaing. The video exhibits a unique combination of techniques, where Chassaing uses live mapping technology to project a stop-motion animation comprised of 35,000 images onto separately filmed footage. All shooting and editing was completed by the young director himself, the resultant footage complimented by the lilting chimes of  Contre Coeur from Fedaden.

One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) is a non-profit organisation, which endeavours to provide as many children as possible in developing countries with access to their own laptop. Pitching that a laptop is “a window out to the world and a tool with which to think,” OLPC’s leading priority is providing these children with the tools they need to enjoy an engaging, interactive education. Each child involved with the project receives a basic laptop, which is both cost and energy efficient. Not to mention that each laptop has wireless broadband, which enables local networks between multiple laptops.

While the work that OLPC do is incredible, the experiments the organisation conducted early last year proved how incredible the children they’re working with are, too. With the goal of seeing how capable illiterate children are of learning to read, OLPC dropped a box of Motorola Xoom tablets (which feature a solar charging system) in two rural Ethiopian villages with nothing but pre-loaded programs and the boxes they were packaged in.

In total, around 40 children were in involved in the experiment. Technicians went to the villages every week or so to swap the memory cards and monitor the progress of the children. It never could have been predicted how huge their resultant progress would be. Nicholas Negroponte, founder of OLPC gave a talk based on their findings at MIT Technology Review’s EmTech conference late last year. He enthused;

“I thought the kids would play with the boxes. Within four minutes, one kid not only opened the box, found the on-off switch [and] powered it up. Within five days, they were using 47 apps per child, per day. Within two weeks, they were singing ABC songs in the village. Some idiot in our organization or in the Media Lab had disabled the camera, and … within five months they figured out the camera, and had hacked Android.”

There are more than 100 million six-year-olds in the World who do not have access to any form of education. Providing equipment and teachers where possible is one thing, but perhaps equipment alone could be better than nothing at all.

www.one.laptop.org

However surprisingly, Chile has had a long astronomical history. Optimal observational conditions led to Chile hosting the world’s first primary astronomical hub operations in 1849. Chile has always welcomed an active and diverse community of astronomers from all over the planet, which could explain why currently over 50% of all global telescope infrastructures resides there.

Their reputation continues to precede them in contemporary astronomy, with the construction of ALMA — the world’s largest ground based space array in the Atacama desert — due to begin operations this year. It is comprised of over 60 specialised antennas and is also the largest astronomical project to have ever existed. Chile’s display of excellence within the world of astronomy is now percolating into other fields of science.

The Chilean Space Agency was established in 2001 and is governed by the Presidential Advisory Committee and is funded by the Chilean Ministry of National Defence. Its mandate is to facilitate the development of space based-information and technology for application in different national activities. It promotes the use of geospatial technologies for the benefit of public policy and the economic and
social development of the country, including regional integration.

In its brief twelve year lifespan the agency has made contributions to astrophysics, space medicine, microgravity, natural resource management and inventorying, infrastructure development (mapping, urban planning, telecommunications, etc.), environmental protection, natural hazard mitigation, satellite navigation, space law and other areas; technical, industrial and scientific.

As of 2013 their mandate is set to focus primarily on earth observation, geographic information systems, the advancement of the Internet, e-government and productive development. These endeavours are coupled with measures that are aimed at directly aiding and advancing the people of Chile, which is a wonderful socio-political sight to behold. This year they hope to optimise production processes in the Chilean oceanographic and agricultural industries through the utilisation of satellite information as well as other more internationally prominent projects including the construction of a satellite tracking laser device in collaboration with the Russian Space Agency.

However, with the next Chilean presidential election looming, and current president Sebastián Piñera being barred by the constitution from seeking immediate re-election, it could mean that the generous support being shown to the Chilean Space Agency will begin to diminish as other concerns bridge the Chilean political frontier. Let us hope that the success of a new presidential candidate will also coincide with the continued success and progression of the agency.

www.agenciaespacial.cl

Fleet Foxes‘ debut album burst into the British charts in June 2008; it was one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the year, The Guardian claiming it an ‘instant classic.’ The earnest sounds of a group reminiscent of the ’60s folk revival, it seemed at the time they were starting their own revival going back to basics, picking up mandolins and acoustic instruments and introducing vocal harmonies influenced by the Beach Boys and Simon and Garfunkel. It was a breathe of fresh air for the music industry, which at the time was saturated with electronic and pop music. An injection of nature when, in this prosthetic age, we needed something sincere.

The interesting aspect of the artwork is that Flemish Renaissance painter, Pieter Bruegel the Elder, created it in 1590. This re-appropriation of a painting created such a long time ago offers it new meaning in the modern day and lends a hand to create an air of aura of sincerity for the bands image. The painting itself is called the Netherlandish Proverbs or The Topsy Turvey World. There are 112 identifiable idioms within the entire scene, though the album artwork show only a part of it.

AUDIO VISUAL is MONOLITH‘s weekly focus on notable album artwork.

(Above) Stranger Visions installation at Clocktower Gallery.

Heather Dewey-Hagborg is not your regular artist. Yes, her work is a culmination of her intellect and creativity; she strives to produce content that opens minds and, by her own admission, “provokes reflection and dialogue.” Yet, by fusing genetics, creativity and a touch of experimentation with technology, her art is also a pioneering factor in opening eyes to increasingly relevant issues.

Her current project is Stranger Visions. Dewey-Hagborg began by collecting DNA samples she came upon whilst travelling around New York City: “hairs, nails, cigarette butts, chewing gum,” etc. She continues to extract the relevant genetic information before using said information to create a portrait of that person. These portraits are then 3D printed, before being exhibited accordingly.

Inspired by a single hair that was lodged in the crack of a picture frame, Stranger Visions has expanded to form an indirect demonstration of how the unconscious action of shedding that hair could impede on the privacy of its owner or potentially even be used against them. MONOLITH caught up with the Brooklyn-born Dewey-Hagborg to discuss genetic surveillance and the links between art and science.

Dewey-Hagborg with her own self-portrait.

How did your interest in art develop?

I’m actually [in upstate New York] a lot right now working on a PhD at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). I’ve always really loved art. I’ve enjoyed going to museums since I was kid, loved wandering the halls of the MET or Brooklyn Museum on rainy days. In high school I started getting interested in sculpture, and this led to an interest in installation art, video and sound. Ultimately this led me to programming and electronics, and now, most recently, Biotechnology.

When did you first start to see links between art and science?

I went to a very interdisciplinary undergrad program at Bennington College and I think that helped because I was really encouraged to think across disciplinary boundaries, to take classes in arts, philosophy and computer science and to bring the ideas together in creative projects. So this approach started for me in undergrad I would say. My senior thesis project, Netlingua (2003), was an attempt to evolve language in a group of embodied agents in the form of sculptures situated outdoors. That was the first time that my interests all came together.

Portrait from sample at Clocktower Gallery.

Could you tell me a little more about the process involved in creating the models featured in Stranger Visions?

I [mostly] do DNA extraction at Genspace, a DIY Biology lab in downtown Brooklyn. Working with the Biologists in these labs taught me everything I know about Molecular Biology and DNA. I amplify certain regions of [the DNA] using a technique called PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction). This allows me to study certain regions of the genome that vary person to person, called SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms). I send the results of my PCR reactions off to a lab for sequencing and what I get back are basically text files filled with sequences of As, Ts, Cs, and Gs: the nucleotides that compose DNA. I align these using a bioinformatics program and determine what allele is present for a particular SNP on each sample.

I feed this information into a custom computer program I wrote, which takes all these values, which code for physical genetic traits and parameterizes a 3D model of a face to represent them. Gender, ancestry, eye color, hair color, freckles, lighter or darker skin, and certain facial features like nose width and distance between eyes are some of the features I am in the process of studying. I’m really only starting to explore all the traits I am interested in examining with this technique. This is a work in progress!

Portrait from sample at Clocktower Gallery.

Have you used 3D printing before in your art? Do you find it to be an effective medium?

I have dabbled with it before but this was the first time it was really the focus, or the medium the project instantiated itself in. It’s still very early days for 3D printing and there are a lot of kinks and bugs in the process, but it is a very exciting medium to work in. We’re still figuring out the possibilities of working this way and that’s a great place to be experimenting.

Has law enforcement ever used this process to develop a model of what a criminal might look like?

Yes, a few people I’ve spoken with have worked with law enforcement, in Penn State and in Italy. It’s definitely something in the works for the future —IrisPlex is an example.

Dewey-Hagborg’s self-portrait at Clocktower Gallery.

 www.deweyhagborg.com

Dental researchers have unearthed a discovery that could lead to the future treatment of missing teeth, by growing replacements grown from human gum cells. The King’s College London research team were able to grow a tooth by combining cells from adult human gum tissue and another type of cell found in mice. Researchers said using a readily available source of cells helped accelerate the progress of the technology, taking a step further toward actualising and verifying the treatment and making it fully available to patients.

Previous research in the same area has lead to the bizarre construction of ‘bio-teeth’ using embryonic stem cells, however this was abandoned due to its impracticality and expense. The latest research involved the collection of epithelial from the gums of human patients, culturing and multiplying those cells and then combining them with the mesenchyme cells from mice, which are multipotent stromal cells, attached to the organs of the animal they inhabit. The mesenchyme cells act as a control centre for the epithelial cells and catalyse them into beginning the construction of a tooth. By transplanting the cell combination into mice the researchers were able to cultivate teeth with features of hybridity, with variable roots which they reported in the Journal of Dental Research this year.

The announcement of this research brings with it the knowledge that small cultures of cells transplanted into the human mouth have already been proven to develop into functional teeth. The next progressive step will be the cultivation of a supply of human mesenchyme cells large enough to be utilised in multiple experiments.

Human mesenchyme cells are usually found within wisdom teeth, amongst other smaller sources, however the difficulty remains in finding them in larger numbers. The team suggest there is a tangible chance their discovery will replace current dental implants, which cannot reproduce a natural root structure within the gum. Professor Alastair Sloan, a bone biology and tissue engineering specialist at Cardiff University cited the work as “significant” but implied there would be many hurdles to overcome before it will become widely available to patients.

The next challenge will be for the team to identify a method in which they can culture adult human mesenchymal cells to be tooth-inducing, as currently only embryonic mesenchymal cells have been utilised. As science continues to relentlessly expand, the advancement of the positive applications for medicine will continue to follow it.

www.kcl.ac.uk

Time-lapse film is now a commonplace technique for capturing the swirling lights of Earth’s view of the galaxy, but French director and photographer, Stéphane Vetter, has captured it perfectly in Leonid and Zodiacal Light. Exhibited as they were captured, in the spherical confines of the lens, planets, stars and entire constellations are labelled accordingly throughout, twinkling to a soundtrack by Agnes Obel. Featuring footage from 610 shoots, the crew were lucky enough to witness a meteor passing through the night sky, prominent against the stars that fade into the background as it trails across the shot. Vetter is also known for his photographs and films of the Northern Lights.

All images of Hurwitz’s artwork. Above: Interconnectedness of self (2008)

After Jonty Hurwitz’s anamorphic sculptures went viral in January, MONOLITH attended Kinetica Art Fair to ask the man himself some questions about his work, alongside something he called Generation Pi. He was approachable and friendly; not just an artist, but a scientist, an inventor and someone who cares about our future. The points raised in his lecture were relatable, even to those who might not be mathematically or scientifically minded.

Where are you? (2008)

Could you outline your process when creating these anamorphic sculptures?

Each one is so long, each one is different, but… the essence of it is scanning, 3D scanning.  Capture my subject in microns of detail; the pores, the wrinkles then use digital sculpting. There’s a whole new world out there called digital clay where you’ve literally got your 3d model in clay and you can work with it in that way. So there’s this beautiful sculpting moment of creating a hand position or a pose or an expression on a face and then after the digital sculpting it’s into the mathematical aspect. If it’s an anamorphic piece: applying the distortion, or if it’s a perspective piece: the slicing. For that I like to use film animation tools, because the animation tools have been made in a way to make the 2D world seem like the 3D and vice versa.

Often I’ll work with fabrication technologies after that, each piece is different. So C&C machines or 3D printers, it might be very specialist manufacturers who make perfect mirrors for instance. So a big part of it is an engineering journey, finding these amazing technologies out there and making the most of them. Afterwards is the creation of those pieces, the conversion into metal requires other amazing skills so I’m very open about the fact to some extent I stand on the shoulders of giants. In a sense, these pieces are partly made by me but I share the ingenuity with amazing teams of people who have spent lifetimes honing skill sets.

Jerusalem (2012)

What are some of the stories behind the anamorphic sculptures?

Rejuvenation (pictured below) is inspired by a dear friend of mine, who was very successful in the world of telecoms and has decided to commit the next phase of his life to helping the massive project that’s going on at the moment that is part of the human genome project to extend out life spans. I spent a lot of time with him and the scientists that he’s funding to do the research into life expansion and they’re convinced that our life span is 250 years and the lifespan of our children is 400, and if its not us, its our children’s children. It’s an inevitability that’s coming and gives rise to a lot of ethical questions, moral questions. How are we going to define our moral system when we live that long? And so rejuvenation to some extent is about these guys once again taking this illusive data set of the human genome and desperately… the hand in rejuvenation is desperately trying to make sense of this information that is at our fingertips to find that magical anamorphic point where we tweak that gene or that aspect of the immune system and suddenly our cells stop dying and perishing.

Kiss of Chytrid (pictured below) [is another story]. Chytrid is a fungus that acts as an infectious disease that amphibians are getting at the moment and it is virulent. What struck me was an article saying that were in the midst of a mass extinction of amphibians and these are ancient creature that predates humanity on the evolutionary scale and yet now chytrid is causing this mass extinction. Kiss of Chytrid is in a way a little bit subtler, the real frog is hanging on the sculpture and that real frog is almost the last frog. All that remains is this data that us as humanity has collected on frogs and so for me the data that I’m presenting is this almost perfect replica of a frog, it’s a frog without the consciousness and the movement and so this data which then gets converged into a reflection, a memory of a meta ego of what a frog is. Someone actually asked me in my talk, after I die does the Meta Ego represent you and I suppose that kiss of chytrid to some extent says yes; it represents a part of you anyway. It’s not going to be deleted and it’s going to be used by algorithms to inform things that we need to know at that point; it will be used to inform how humans are evolving. It will be used to inform how tastes have changed; it will be used to inform the behavior patterns of humanity so absolutely the Meta Ego forms part of a zeitgeist, an algorithmic zeitgeist that is essential.

Rejuvenation (2008)

Do you think the processing power of computers is going to take over that of the human brain?

There are places like the Singularity Institute in California where groups of geniuses are coming together and trying to understand what it means, where computational power is getting to the same level as the human brain. We’re now very close to creating a machine that is able to generate the same number… [of] similar neural connections and interactions that the human brain makes. There is a lot of fear about that and in a way we’re seeing them as parallel. We’re waiting for the day when machines overtake humans. The way I’m looking at it is we’re in a pre-cyborg time, there is an evolution of a symbiotic relationship between machines and humans where the processing power doesn’t necessarily develop consciousness, although that may happen, but it’s a form of consciousness, a form of meta ego.

So do you think in the end, there will be no need for a government, we could remove this whole idea of institutions and be able to govern ourselves? (In Relation to Big Brother and being watched from outside influences)

I think that’s happening now, man. The disintermediation of giant institutions I think is happening. It’s a big question, part of me wants to say yes in the new Marxism kind of way, where there’s complete equality and decision making but I think that’s set against the backdrop of giant organisations who have access to money and money equals processing power and processing equals increased probability in algorithms and increased probability means more access to you. This against the backdrop of giant capitalist organisations, it would be interesting to see some kind of revolution.

Kiss of Chytrid (2009-10)

www.jontyhurwitz.com

World’s Fairs are international exhibitions that are held for any number of reasons, such as celebrating industrial or cultural significance. Planned years in advance, multiple governments often participate, pooling funds to build national pavilions of interest. These super-sized exhibits date back to the eighteenth Century, when France held 11 separate expositions to celebrate agricultural and technological progress, the first of which took place in 1798. Multiple imitators were born from these extravagant displays, including one of the most famous, which was held in Hyde Park, London in 1851; “Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations.”

The concept of the World’s Fair has continued to evolve since. One of the most significant expos, due to the political climate at the time, was the Century 21 Exposition, otherwise referred to as the Seattle World’s Fair. Taking place between April and October, 1962, it was originally conceived in 1955 to commemorate 50 years since the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, which was a World’s Fair held in Seattle in 1909 to celebrate the development of North West America. It quickly became apparent that 1959 was too ambitious a date, however, so the angle was altered accordingly.

Sourced from National Geographic, September 1962

With the Space Race well underway, the exposition was also an opportunity for America to publicise its progress and exude the impression that they were not falling behind the Soviet Union ¾ a suggestion, which was under severe scrutiny at the time. Given Seattle’s prominence as a future-facing, aerospace city, as home to The Boeing Company, the original celebration of progression in the Pacific Northwest was trumped by themes of futurism, space exploration and science.

The benefits for the city were extensive; Seattle’s 605-foot-high Space Needle and its neighbouring architectural landmark, KeyArena (previously The Coliseum) are both long-standing souvenirs of Century 21, and Seattle cemented itself as a technological landmark in America. A monorail was also built for the event, considered at the time to be the choice transportation of the future.

Sourced from National Geographic, September 1962

For those that attended (an unbelievable 10 million), the experience was memento enough. Science giants such as John Glenn, the third American in space, and Gherman Titov, the second Soviet (and human) to go to space, notably made appearances. Aside from the expected space and science attendance, Sammy Davis Jr. was also spotted at the expo, and Elvis Presley shot his ¾ admittedly, forgettable ¾ It happened at the World’s Fair picture. John F. Kennedy was also pegged to be present at the closing ceremony on October 21st, though he claimed to be suffering from a “heavy cold” and failed to make the event. It later became apparent that his unexpected bout of flu was in fact the Cuban Missile Crisis, which was resolved just one week after Century 21 came to an end.

The Seattle World’s Fair is a proud moment for America, and a good omen for any city since offered the opportunity to host an exposition. The next is due to commence in 2015, Milan; plans have been underway since 2008. Titled Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life, the World’s Fair will use technology, science, culture and innovation in relation to diet to demonstrate the importance of everybody in the world having accessible food sources.

Sourced from National Geographic, September 1962

Sourced from National Geographic, September 1962

Sourced from National Geographic, September 1962

(Above) Black Sabbath’s Technical Ecstasy.

One of the most important design outfits to ever grace album sleeves, from Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon to Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy, Hipgnosis were at the forefront of album artwork design from the ’60s right through to the ’80s. Based in South Kensington, the outfit was made up of Storm Thorgerson, Aubrey Powell and latecomer Peter Christopherson. Their career was started through friends, Pink Floyd, who asked if they would design their second album sleeve, A Saucerful of Secrets. What came after was a succession of huge bands that made up the ’70s, progressive and classic rock genre, with bands such as ELO and ACDC on their commissions list, after they were projected into the lime light with Dark Side of the Moon.

Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy.

We look specifically at a heavy metal powerhouse (some might argue the originators of heavy metal) Black Sabbath, the one and only. Technical Ecstasy was Sabbath’s seventh studio album. Released in 1976, it had mixed reviews from critics, some saying that they had lost their doom-ladened, dark sound and had replaced it with synth and pop hooks, which to some extent, is true. However, tracks like You Wont Change Me still boasts that hair raising, menacing sound (with an awesome guitar solo by Iommi) signature to Sabbath.

The artwork itself features two robots ascending and descending an escalator, something Osbourne eloquently described as “two robots screwing on an escalator”: this is also reflected in the title, and the band’s progressive intentions of adding synth and orchestra. What it does conjure up is binary opposites, male and female, modern and postmodern. Out with the old, in with the new; for example the shape of the (male) robot going downward is block shaped (much like modern architecture) and the (female) robot going upward is of a futuristic shape. The heartbreaking fact of this album is that Ozzy actually left prior to the album being released and subsequently rejoined for the follow up, Never Say Die!

Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.

AUDIO VISUAL is MONOLITH‘s weekly focus on notable album artwork.

Amy Goh literally seethes with passion for her work. Despite her relatively short-lived dedication to her craft, the Singapore-born artist’s creative life force has obviously affected her for far longer. Having spent many of her younger years writing, eventually “the dams broke” and now her inky, undulating lines have wriggled together to form multi-faceted, engaging imagery. Captivating for their complexity, born from the paradoxical simplicity of black lines on white, the subject matter seems to continuously reintroduce itself from different perspectives, the longer the image is perceived.

Though she does not directly associate herself with surrealist movements, Goh recognises the similarities through unconscious links: it is her “vivid and synesthesic” dreams that often form the basis for her art. Residing in Montreal, where everybody has an “other-ish” aura about them, Goh’s deep, cerebral connection to her work combined with technical talent has enabled her to produce imagery, which appears to live and breathe. MONOLITH caught up with Goh to discuss chaos, cat guardians and if one ever really comes to terms with their human existence.

How long have you been illustrating for?

I’ve been illustrating properly for two or three years. I was taking a course on the Grotesque and it infiltrated my consciousness so thoroughly, I felt like I was overflowing. I had to channel that in some way and pen on paper seemed the most natural. So my first series was literally in excess: spilling, grotesque, hybrid. It was born from such chaos.

When you were small you were unsure if you were human or cat-changeling.

I did go through a long period of time in which I wasn’t sure if I was human, alien, cat, or something else. When I was little, I had a diminished sense of humanness, and I met a big black cat, who became my guardian of sorts. We only parted ways when I was 16. I still get that feeling of alterity often, but I somehow feel that in Montreal everyone is a bit other-ish, so I’m acclimatized to it. I’m not sure if I ever came to terms with my human existence… does one ever stop being a cat changeling? I still think a huge portion of me has a cat soul. It manifests in my need to thread boundaries and liminal spaces.

Do you have favourites amongst your work?

My favourites generally change. I loved the giant girl from my first series as I view her as a kind of fertility icon that I can draw inspiration from. A season later, my favourite became the Eden of our Consciousness piece that portrays twins engaged in the act of attempted telepathic communication in an effort to perpetuate secret selves. Now, it’s probably the sacrificial girl I recently did that I showed in my Eden in Stasis installation. My favourites are generally the ones that I can use as muses, or the ones, which were drawn directly from dreams, like At the Chapel of the Bandaged Moon. I love the ones I do because they contain a depth beyond their two-dimensional surface, which I can reach into and draw more inky creatures out of.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

Besides getting intoxicated on dreams and that liminal space between, I guess on a surface level, natural forms inspire me a lot. The texture of a rock face, of skin deteriorating into paper, the surface of bone: these things are sensual to me and when I’m not drawing from dream ether, I do like using a more ‘collage technique’, in the sense that I draw from references that I feel connected to and make something else out of it. I also read a lot. Sometimes I stay awake just thinking about the things I’ve studied and inevitably they bleed into my work. I’m also inspired by fragments of life, people, memories I can’t forget.

How do your dreams contribute to your work?

I do not draw exclusively from dreams and I go through phases of recording or not recording them, but sometimes I am haunted by a feeling, image or sensation within a dream, which I will try to render with words in fragmented, nonsensical dream garb. These fragments function as gateways of sorts. I love dream surfaces because they are so watery: you dip your body beyond the in-and-of-itself picturesque surface and it’s like dissolving into a landscape in which emotions, feelings, memories are all coalesced into one inseparable whole. I know that I can never articulate the substance of my dreams as it’s so beyond words, but I do channel them sometimes. As I said, this doesn’t always happen but when it does, I treasure the pieces birthed from dreams.

Have you ever considered branching out into animation?

I love the idea of manipulating my drawings so they fit within a 3D landscape. This has been done before by a friend. I was also working on an independent videogame a summer ago that wanted to do something similar – slicing foregrounds or backgrounds and mapping them onto a surface you can explore. I think animation is a bit too laborious for me – I’m far too impatient! If I did animation, I’d layer images with paintings, photography, words, photocopied things (like my books) in order to create a dimension that is truly out-of-this-world and beyond the two-dimensional!

How do you spend your time when you’re not drawing?

I read. A lot. I devour books. I live near a cemetery on the mountain, so usually I’m taking that rather lovely commute to the city and back. Besides that, I am a human being, really, so a lot of my life revolves around sleeping, eating, dreaming, meeting people, working, and generally trying to put up the act of being human.

www.atlantisdreaming.org

Choros is an experimental film that was created in 2011 by Michael Langan and Terah Maher. Using modern filming techniques, the directors intended to capture the concept of chronophotography, which originates from the 19th century. A stepping tone in the evolution of technology towards motion pictures, chronophotography captures multiple frames taken in rapid succession, which are then layered together to show the overall movement of the subject. These images were often exhibited in a spinning zoetrope to most effectively demonstrate the result. This technique was further developed many years later, when Étienne-Jules Marey, a French physicist, created a chronophotographic gun that was capable of capturing 12 frames on a single physical frame of film. The resultant effect was a kind of visual echo, depicted below in this image of a pelican, which he captured in 1882.

Choros revisits these techniques, using film itself to illustrate its technological predecessors and taking inspiration from Norman McLaren’s Pas de Deux. A dancer moves to Steve Reich‘s Music for 18 Musicians and multiple women are borne from her singular movements via the vision of the directors and their innovative usage of computer compositing. Since its premiere at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in 2012, Choros has played at an international array of festivals, and has received praise from a number of online film journals.

Dan Mcpharlin’s science fictional landscapes are our focus this week: Pretty Lights’ album Glowing in the Darkest Night in particular. McPharlin is an Australian artist who’s main influence comes from surrealism and what he calls the ‘golden age of sci-fi art,’ including the artwork of Roger Dean. Glowing in the Darkest Night is almost a pastiche of a series of science fiction books called the Terran Trade Authority published by Dragon’s Dream: the main image of the space ship is something that could directly link to that work.

What is interesting is the singling out of the astronaut (or extraterrestrial being) in comparison with the leaving ship destined for some far corner of space. This highlights the bleak idea of being alone in the universe or somehow left behind. The idea of glowing or standing out in space is intrinsically linked, whether that is the glowing of the spacecraft or the glowing of the planet, this for me represents hope, hope for a future far beyond the static enclosure of our world. McPharlin is not only an artist but also a musician and states that this is an important facet of his work, “The things I’m drawn to in music are similar to those I’m drawn to in visual art; form, space, atmosphere. I love music that evokes strange worlds, sound environments that seem more like natural phenomena than anything created by human or machine,” Mcpharlin’s artwork invokes all of these ideas and beautifully reflects our ambitions as space travellers, im sure it wont be too long until these grand designs become reality, it seems art of the now is steadily becoming visions of the future.

Listen to Pretty Lights here.

AUDIO VISUAL is MONOLITH‘s weekly focus on notable album artwork.

For the first time ever, the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory or Fermilab has opened its doors to documentary filmmakers. The film, entitled Fermilab: Science at Work, spans 40 minutes and was filmed by Clayton Brown and Monica Long Ross. It gives viewers a first ever glimpse at the inner workings of one of the most exciting and intricate laboratories in contemporary science history.

Fermilab was founded in 1967 by its first director; Robert Wilson. Since its inception, the laboratory has produced some of the most ground breaking equipment ever to grace the face of physics, which include the world’s first ever four mile particle accelerator ring and the tetravon, which up until 2009 was the highest-energy particle accelerator in existence. The laboratory is also responsible for the key discovery of the bottom quark in 1977 and also the discovery of the top quark in 1995: elementary particles and fundamental building blocks of matter.

The documentary enters the laboratory and provides an insightful look at the explorative laboratory and its employees. The lab employs over 1700 professionals, which consist not only of physicists, but machinists, technicians, electricians and mechanics. The informational segments of the documentary are interwoven with personal commentary by some of the scientists and this elevates the poignancy of the film. Every employee is ebullient to be apart of the processes of the laboratory and in educating the various touring parties and guests that visit the lab.

Fermilab is a referred to as a “discovery laboratory”, which is indicative of its dedication to the discovery of new knowledge throughout three fundamental frontiers addressing space and time. The Cosmic Frontier seeks to understand dark matter and dark energy through various experiments. The Energy Frontier explores the early universe through simulating its conditions by smashing particles together at extremely high velocity and the Intensity Frontier is dedicated to the exploration of the rare and mysterious processes within physics to potentially reveal new subatomic particles and forces.

The exploration of these sectors leads to the collation of billions and billions of data files. The data collected at Fermilab could lead to the discovery of new knowledge in multiple fields that might not be currently applicable to a problem and have immediate relevancy, but that could be aid future research. Fermilab physicist Deborah Harris surmised, “You don’t plant an olive tree for your children; they take fifty years to bare fruit. You plant them for your grand children.” Science at Work provides the only in-depth portrayal of an exploratory lab to date and is an effective and informative piece of documentary film-making. Watch it.

Watch Fermilab: Science at Work here.

That Will Be The Day was created by Matthew DiVito (broadly known under the alias of Mr. Div) in 2012 to accompany the eponymous  composition by Aldo Aréchar. Mr. Div has been circulating as a distinctive graphic artist for a number of years. After graduating with a degree in Visual Media Arts in 2008, he has established himself via a signature style, which builds galactic, fantastical, retro futures from geometric shapes and muted colours. His Tumblr in particular has become a huge success, where he posts gifs, which depict kaleidoscopic patterns and undulating shapes that mesmerise the viewer. Using programs Cinema 4D and Adobe After Effects, DiVito has synthesised a sprawling universe in which to hone his creative talents, and That Will Be The Day epitomises it perfectly.

This weeks AUDIO VISUAL takes a retrospective look at one of the greatest jazz albums of all time, one that emancipates itself from traditional jazz structure and dips its toe in the murky waters of rock. Bitches Brew is a double album, which was devised in 1970 by Miles Davis. Strung together through fragments of tempo, mood and bits of melodies that Davis communicated with his new quintet, it was well known for its revolutionary ideals and its unorthodox use of electronic instruments.By refraining from the rehearsal of the tracks Davis kept his instrumentalists’ concentration on one another and also on his frequent cues that were erratic in behavior.

Mati Klarwein, born in Hamburg in 1932, created this artwork specifically for the album in 1970 (more artowrk he did for Davis is pictured below). The origins of the original painting, also named Bitches Brew, are unknown. The technique used to create the painting is something called the Mische technique, where layers of oil and tempera are used on primed canvas.

The surreal nature of the sleeve is a sublime translation of the revolutionary nature of the music hiding within, like the quiet between notes. How do you translate something so humanly intuitive and creatively challenging as Bitches Brew into a single visual image? It is easy to see the influence of non-western mythology, deities and specifically Afro-centric imagery, which is represented in the dark figures that are focal points of the painting, that were credited to the artists style. A mélange of binary opposites, of light and dark, sea and sky, flame and water: these signifiers could represent the opposites of emotions that are within the album. The soothing softer sides juxtaposed with the angrier, outrageous blasts from the trumpet of the protagonist, as well as that of the artist himself. Both album and artwork compliment each other in such interesting and original ways that they will both be woven into the fabric of history, masters of their mediums.

AUDIO VISUAL is MONOLITH‘s weekly focus on notable album artwork.

The Fourth Dimension was released in 1988 by the internationally acclaimed, experimental director, Zbigniew Rybczyński. Noted for his work in a number of fields, including short films, music videos and multimedia arts, Rybczyński has been producing innovative film since 1972 and has subsequently won a number of awards for his contribution to cinema. The Fourth Dimension attempts to document manifestations of time on screen and features multiple indirect religious references to the Bible and later, Satan. Shot on 35mm film, the footage itself had to be edited extensively to achieve the skewed effects, which deform the human subjects. To achieve this, Rybczyński was required to produce 480 exposures of every single frame using early video editing software. The full film is almost half an hour long.

Gebrauchsgraphik International Advertising Art was originally founded in 1923 by Berlin-based professor, Dr. H. K. Frensel. A bi-lingual, English and German publication, its pioneering artwork was birthed from an era before graphic design had evolved to the gargantuan media tool that it is today. In the publication’s earliest stages, graphic design as a trade was emerging and pre-war editions of the magazine exhibit a distinctly futurist, art deco feel with obvious influences from Bauhaus and Construtivism. These initial editions in the opening decades of Gebrauchsgraphik‘s lifespan essentially helped lay the groundwork for the graphic design journals that would follow, and comparisons are consequentially drawn, especially between Gebrauchsgraphik and the later Graphis.

Gebrauchsgraphik continued to exist as a monthly publication until 1944. A lengthy hiatus followed until 1950, when the publication returned just in time for what some have described as the “Golden Age of Advertising” under the name Novum Gebrauchsgraphik. This era spurred the birth of the Creative Revolution, when a younger generation of advertisers took over from their tired predecessors to innovate advertising with a more receptive view of their demographic, which incorporated humour and intellect with the more obvious tools of social aspiration and personal ambition. With evolving new content and technique, the conjunction between art and advertising followed suit and Gebrauchsgraphik was on hand to document this growth accordingly.

Gebrauchsgraphik continues to be published today by Munich-based publisher, Stiebner Verlag, under the shortening of Novum, which was adopted in the late ’90s. A publication that has run for 80 years – successfully surviving numerous recessions, cultural undulations and a war – is a feat worth celebrating, and the modern covers are as exceptional as the wisened ones documented here.

Yellow & Green is the third studio album by Georgia’s four-piece Baroness that was released in May, 2011. Even if sludge-rock isn’t the kind of genre that inspires you, you would have to be relatively unreceptive not to appreciate lead singer, John Dyer Baizley’s, artwork. Following a colour theme throughout their previous albums (red album and blue record) these colours are used as frameworks for the music. All of Baizley’s artwork is created with ink and watercolours: the ink is used because it is a permanent medium, a technique Baizley has used for eight years now.

The album itself is an epic gatefold made especially for vinyl as Baizley has expressed that vinyl is the only medium that music should be experienced on. It depicts five Baroque-esque women among an abundance of swans, flowers and shrimp. The artist has explained that the idea came from a Caravaggio painting “where they were crowning Jesus with thorns and there are five dynamic figures composed in this amazing way,” (Shannon, 2012) adding that the women “represent some experience and some dream.”

There is also heavy influence through Greek, Roman, Scandinavian and Babylonian mythologies. These become focal points within the artwork and by applying this iconography they become mythologies of their own, “mythology that works for the music.” There are many signifiers within the artwork, each of the women are depicted with a different headset: a tooth reef, the fertilized eggs, the sacrificial nature of the woman with the knife to the throat of the swan, the nails in the mouths of the animals. One of the woman’s headsets (she is also holding a mallet) depicts the religious nature of the imagery portraying the final sacrifice: the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. As for the way in which the imagery relates to the music, Baizley has articulated that the music comes first and then the iconography and imagery afterwards. Baizley also applies his artistic talents to other bands and their album artwork; some of these include Skeletonwitch, Gillian Welch and the Flight of the Conchords.

Listen to Baroness at Bandcamp.

AUDIO VISUAL is MONOLITH‘s weekly focus on notable album artwork.

In 2008, Reza Dolatabadi graduated from the University of Dundee with a BA (Hons) in Animation and Media Art. His final masterpiece in completing the degree was Khoda, a surrealist thriller comprised of 6000 paintings produced across two years. The animation was entered into 12 film festivals and won three awards, including Best Animation at Canary Wharf Film Festival. Since, Khoda has received international acclaim, and has been viewed almost 900,000 times. Dolatabadi enlisted the help of Animation and Electronic Media graduate, Adam Thompson, for the 3D animation, and together the pair were able to produce a film in which “whenever you pause it, you see a painting,” which was Dolatabadi’s original concept. Despite its minimal run time, Khoda authentically touches upon ideologies of alienation, anguish and more literally, incarceration. Maintaining pace to an electronic soundtrack from Hamed Mafakheri, Khoda is a compelling watch.

On February 19th MONOLITH presents TUNNEL VISION Vol. VI: a film screening of Waking Life preceded by a special guest speaker. This month’s talk comes from British psychologist, Dr. Keith Hearne (BSc Msc Phd). He was the first professional to discover eye-signals from lucid dreams in April 1975, as well as the first Dream-Machine and also the main physiological parameters of lucid dreams. These are just a few introductory questions to wet your appetite before you’re thrown into the sandman’s work on Tuesday.

Your initial idea for you PhD was to explore hypnotic dreaming, what is the difference between this subject and ‘lucid dreaming’ and why did you decide to delve into the realm of the latter?

I have no visual imagery myself in wakefulness (for example I cannot imagine an aeroplane and ‘see it’ in my mind) – people vary in that ability. I devised a method of ‘externalising’ visual imagery in good visualisers, using hypnosis, when I was studying for my first degree in Psychology at Reading University. The intention was to complete a PhD on that topic at Hull University, however it was there that I made the fortuitous discovery of getting subjects to signal from within the lucid dream to the outside world, by making eye-movements (the body’s musculature is paralysed in dreaming sleep). I completed an MSc degree on the hypnotic imagery work, and was then given my own sleep-laboratory at Liverpool University – allowing me to conduct the world’s first sleep-lab research into lucid dreaming.

How do you acknowledge the subject is lucid dreaming? Is this measured in ocular eye movement?

In the sleep-lab, the state of sleep is determined by various established physiological measures – brain-waves, ocular monitoring, and muscle tonus. On becoming lucid, the subject, being perfectly aware of being in a dream, is able signal the onset of lucidity, and other significant places within the dream. The signals in effect are important event-markers in the polygraphic chart record. Specific signals may also be communicated (e.g. numbers).

Are there techniques to get your subject to ‘lucid dream’ or is it simply catching the right dream state?

At the talk I shall describe some methods, including my own F.A.S.T.  (False Awakening with State Testing) technique, which encourages False-awakenings – from which it is easy to transfer into lucidity.

What is the process for experimentation?

All sorts of studies can be made. The subject is in a completely different ‘internal universe’, with its own physical laws and phenomena, and can signal simultaneous information to the experimenter in the sleep lab.

And these are conducted in your sleep laboratory, could you describe your set up?

The subject is ‘wire-up’ in a bedroom. Various electrodes are attached – mostly on the head. The wires are combined into a top-knot and are plugged into a socket at the head of the bed. The cables run into a control-room, where a high quality polygraph is situated. The chart record, having several channels, may be inked onto a chart, or displayed on a computer screen.

Could you briefly explain what REM sleep is and what is meant by a ‘pre-lucid REM burst’?

Sleep consists of two states: Slow Wave Sleep (SWS) and Rapid Eye-movement (REM) sleep, which alternate in a roughly 90 minute cycle (eye-movements occur occasionally in REM sleep). Each state has its own distinct electro-physiological characteristics. REM sleep is linked with dreaming. One of my main discoveries was that lucidity is invariably preceded by a burst of ocular activity – this I called the ‘pre-lucid REM burst’.

Could you explain what the ‘scene-shift effect’ is as well as the ‘light-switch effect’ and how these techniques are applied to your experiments?

I shall describe these at the talk on Tuesday. In my technique for externalising the internal visual imagery of hypnotic dreams, using a tracing technique, I discovered a remarkable scene-shift effect, whereby the number of objects and people in a scene are the same before and after the scene-change, and that the colours are also retained – as if the dream progresses by a ‘law of least effort’. The phenomenon should be used in films!

The ‘light-switch effect’ was discovered by me after hearing many accounts of dreams. I noticed a consistent effect of the dreamer not being able to increase the subjective brightness level in the dream – say by switching on a light. Paradoxically it seems to be possible to switch a light off, then on again. The task, given to eight lucid dreamers, unbiased by one another, could not be performed by any of them. The phenomenon has implications for dream construction. My discovery is discussed in the film WAKING LIFE. It is a good way to test for being in a dream.

The ‘dream machine’ sounds like something out of a science-fiction novel, what is that exactly?

My research was very inefficient in that I did not know when subjects would have a lucid dream. I spent 150 nights in the sleep lab for my PhD. I began to think how lucidity might be induced artificially in some way. Normally, lucidity is attained when the dreamer notices a glaring anomaly in the dream-scenery. Eventually, I produced a device, which detected REM sleep in the user (by monitoring respiration) and then gave a sequence of electrical pulses to the wrist. An early dream-machine is on permanent display in London’s Science museum –along with the original chart-record of the first signals from within a lucid dream.

Dr. Keith Hearne will talk from 8PM on Tuesday at TUNNEL VISION, hosted at Vibe Bar.
Tickets are £3. They will be available on the door or you can prebook here.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s second studio release is entitled: ii. It was released through Jagjaguwar records on February 5th. UMO is the project of Oregon-based multi-instrumentalist, Ruban Nielson. The namesake phrase is a lyric taken from the seventh track, Monki: an apt lyric for album artwork that depicts a photograph of Janet Farrar. A high priestess of Wicca and scandalmonger of occultism and witchcraft; she was initiated into Alexandrian Wicca in 1970, after going with a friend to prevent her from joining the ‘cult.’ Since then she has published a number of books on Neopaganism and Wicca with her two husbands Stewart Farrar and Gavin Bone. Some of their notable literature includes Eight Sabbats for Witches and its successor, A Witches’ Bible: The Complete Witches’ Handbook.

The image itself feels like an appropriation of progressive seventies music, the representation of the occult was rife in band identity in the sixties and seventies and it’s fitting to the lo-fi psychedelic sound, a hommage to this period in rock music. “There’s this … feminine energy to the record,” Nielson reveals, when discussing his choice of imagery. “I guess that’s why I chose the image of the high priestess witch Janet Farrar for the cover – some kind of idea about female power, women not to be trifled with,” he continues, “Not feminist power; Witch power. Pre-feminism; your mother’s power to smother or abandon you, and your lover’s power to forget about you.”

The second image is also a photo from the past; a theme that correlates within UMO’s album covers. The photograph itself is of one of a number of Spomeniks, monuments that were erected by the communist regime that ruled Yugoslavia as a means to communicate the harrowing experiences of the Second World War, as well as futuristic advancements that commemorated Yugoslavia’s identity and history. These monuments are now obsolete due to parochial violence of the native area: ghostly space age towers that represent the modernistic values of the 20th century. Ruban Nielson actually tracked down the original photographer Jan Kempenaers, who gave him a high price for the use of his photograph, so Nielson decided to find tourist photographs and Photoshopped the people out of it because “the building is something the humans left behind.”

AUDIO VISUAL is MONOLITH‘s weekly focus on notable album artwork.

Advancements in technology are constantly revolutionising scientific industries. One of the most recent is Laser drilling. Laser drilling is a cutting process, in which a high power laser is utilised in place of a conventional mechanical drill.

Laser drilling operates through a version of ablation, which is defined as the removal of material from the surface of an object by vaporisation, chipping or erosion. A focused laser beam is projected into an object and the drilling is actualised through melting and vaporisation. The depth of which the laser energy is absorbed by a material, and thus the material removed by said laser, is obviously dependant upon the chemical and physical attributes of the material, but also the wave length and pulse length of the laser, which can be precisely controlled and monitored.

Due to it’s versatility, laser ablation has been used successfully across a multitude of applications: laser machining, laser drilling, and intriguingly, biologically. Laser ablation has been used in the accelerated and targeted destruction of biological cells and even in human dentistry.

Laser drilling has been adopted by manufacturers on a small scale for increased productivity and accuracy levels in boring small cylindrical holes into various types of metal and mechanical components. Their flexibility in comparison to conventional drills has had positive ramifications in terms of improved fuel efficiency, reduced noise and lower CO2 emissions across several mechanical endeavours.

Research is ongoing into the development and advancement of the success of laser drilling technology onto larger scale operations and objectives, one such example is geothermal energy sourcing. Previous attempts to drill deep down into the Earth’s mantle have been futile and conventional drilling has yet to provide a feasible means of realising the difficult goal of penetrating the Earth’s crust. Infamously the 2010 announcement by Dr. Damon Teagle of the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton and Dr. Benoit Ildefonso of Montpellier University in France that they intended to bore deep into the Earth’s mantle in Nature was applauded by the science community, until the pair speculated the technologies for their operation might not be available until 2018.

However, laser drilling has the potential to progress and overcome the limitations of conventional drilling. A small American company, with funding from one of the US Department of Energy‘s subsidiaries claim to have developed a prototype laser system that can easily and inexpensively “rip” through hard rock. The results of this prototype are yet to be seen, but with government funding and some of the best scientific minds behind the project, it can only be a matter of time before large-scale laser technology becomes a tangible reality.

In 2010, David Lynch announced that he was launching into a new chapter in his career, through music. He released two tracks, Good Day Today and I Know, through UK label, Sunday Best Recordings and to mark the significance of this new territory, he passed up the option to produce his own music videos. Instead, through genero.tv, Lynch opened a competition, offering anybody the opportunity to submit their short films to be used as the official video. Lynch chose the finalists himself, one for each of the two tracks out of 450 entrants. This submission was directed by Arnold de Parscau.

Photographs taken by Bevan Agyemang.

Old Moore’s Almanack is an astrological almanack, which has been published regularly in Britain since 1697. If offers predictions on a number of world events, including sport, finance and weather. It also features numerous advertisements that encourage the reader to sample the wares of various clairvoyants or others with extra senses or abilities. While many were satisfied to live in blissful ignorance of the publication, or alternatively to simply leave it to its fate in a dentist’s waiting room, others felt that Old Moore’s Almanack deserved a little more attention.

Ken and Tony Bromfield, a father-son duo boasting exceptional talent in the realms of illustration, design and good humour, thus invented the Old Bore’s Almanack. Parodying the original with fabricated adverts and an entirely original (though also fabricated) star chart, this is a rare example of genius and hilarity that almost never saw the light of day.

Film portrayal of the unstoppable, unnatural undead has haunted the nightmares of many a bad night’s sleep. Despite this, the self perpetuating image of the Zombie may not solely be the product of Tarantino-esque brains. The legend may have some origin in the truth. Ethnobotanists the world over have travelled to Haiti; a small island nation often associated with the Vodun religion, where the act of zombification is more than fiction. Upon arrival they often found it was first necessary to gain a better understanding of Haitian belief systems and culture before breaking down the Fourth Wall.

The Vodun religion (commonly known as Voodoo) is a complex belief system with a global worship of Vodouisants. It is the main religion in Haiti. It is thought to have its origins in the practices of an oppressed, 18th century French slave colony. Although not directly associated with the ‘Zombie’, it has been suggested that the appeasing, ritualistic actions inspired by this belief contribute to the efficacy of zombification (through possible ‘nocebo’ action). Haitian’s see distinctions between ‘the body’ (gwobon anj) and the the ‘ti-bon anj’- the agency or awareness of a person. Therefore, the removal of the essence of the person by the Bòkò, and ‘astral’ containment, leaves behind the easily controllable body of the person. Such acts, indeterminate of outcome, are identified by Haitian penal law as murder, and were originally thought to be performed in order to provide free labour for rural plantations.

The removal of the ti-bon anj is the result of the Bòkò administration of coup de poudre (Kout poud in Haitian creole), the chemical constituents of which were largely identified by Wade Davis (inspiring his book, The Serpent and the Rainbow). It is thought that the included cane toad extracts contained tetradotoxin (TTX). TTX is a potent marine neurotoxin, commonly found in puffa fish, administration of which brings about a significant reduction in heart rate and metabolic activity in sub-acute doses. Thus giving the illusion of death. Upon ‘resurrection’ the combination of other drugs, deliriogenics such as atropine or scopolamine, and the shock of being buried alive brings about a catatonic state of delirium; the zombie.

Such subjects are colloquially identified in Haitian culture by their inability to raise their heads, their fixed expression, limited capacity for speech and through their repeated and seemingly purposeless actions. Symptoms confirmed in 1997 when a team of doctors investigated local claims of sightings of people previously thought dead. The team however found a number of proven medical conditions, ranging from catatonic schizophrenia to developmental learning disorders, accounting for this clinical presentation.

It is therefore interesting to suggest that it is perhaps the differing views of Western and Haitian cultures, regarding care of the person, that are responsible for the differing explanations of events. The anthropocentric Western view versus the cosmocentric of Haiti. And, in that perhaps a sound and satisfying scientific consensus regarding zombification will not be reached.

Janna Levin is a theoretical cosmologist with a unique perspective on the universe. She recalls a vernacular that harbours astrophysical realism and super massive black holes. Her brand of science concerns itself not with the improbability of an intelligent species lost in space but with how it might find itself: way out on the limb of a branching multiverse. Previously, her work has sought to prove the existence of a finite universe, but what does she have to say about the sound behind the big bang? Can we believe that black holes bang on space-time like mallets on a drum?

Levins ideas about the universe rest upon an elegant manoeuvre of science that makes for interesting listening. Her idea is a simple one: “Everything that we know about the universe so far has come from the study of light, but what can we learn from listening to the sound that the universe makes?” Such insight is underpinned by a brilliance that makes our current conception appear ignorant and single-minded. Our universe is filled with a continuum of light traversing space-time. What we see of it from our habitable island of stable matter shapes our perception of the fluctuating ruffles of fabric that compose space. Imagine that up until now we have been watching television with the sound turned off. Does it provoke curiosity about what we might hear with the sound turned on?

According to Levin, at present we have used the advancing technological power of telescopes to compile a silent movie of the story of the beginning of time. But when we’re dealing with astrophysical objects that are capable of bending space itself, might the study of light alone fall short of providing an honest account of our universe’s tail? What Levin is referring to is the phenomenon of dying stars, whose gargantuan presence (three times that of our sun) collapse in entirety into a space as little as 60km across. The result is a black hole; a phenomena capable of diluting time and bending the conception of reality as we know it. In a talk given at a conference in 2011 Levin gave an account of how it would feel inside the vortex of a black hole: “…even though the black hole is dark from the outside, it’s not dark on the inside; because all of the light in the galaxy can fall in behind us. Even though, due to a relativistic effect known as time dilation, our clocks would seem to slow down relative to galactic time, it would look as though the evolution of the galaxy had been sped up and shot before us.”

The perspective of a theoretical cosmologist comes as a breath of fresh air to the layman who might concern themselves with worldly troubles. At present, Levin’s day to day is spent listening to the tune of the universe in an attempt to track down objects that might elude our temperament of merely investigating with our eyes. She claims to have predicted the sound of twin blackholes; whose existence cannot continue in the presence of the other: “…they not only curve space but they leave behind a ringing of space; an actual wave on space time. Space squeezes and stretches as it emanates out of these blackholes, banging on the universe, travelling out into the cosmos at the speed of light.”

There are a number of experiments currently being constructed to investigate the theories behind Levin’s ideas. One, Ligo (The Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory) in Washington, Louisiana is a group effort by scientists at MIT and other institutions with a contributing workforce of over 800 scientists. It aims to directly observe gravitational waves of cosmic origin as predicted by Einstein’s general theory of relativity in 1916.

www.jannalevin.com

The Eagleman Stag is a stop motion animation that was created by Michael Please in 2010. Narrated by the protagonist, Peter Eagleman, the visuals depict his obsession with the quickening of time as he progresses through life. The narration is deeply thought-provoking and darkly entertaining. The film is comprised of 115 separate sets, the entirety of which are built from a white, foamy material that Please found in the back of a cushion. The Eagleman Stag was premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, and went on to win a BAFTA the same year for Best Short Animation.

Nathan James is a South London-based, Canadian painter. Originally specialising in glossy, ultra-technical pop art pictures, he’s returned after a battery-charging break with CREEPSHOW, a radical new set of paintings that recently caught the attention of Jake Chapman and form the basis of James’ London pop-up show later this month. Drawing on the surroundings and culture of his upbringing in Hamilton, Ontario, MONOLITH met with James to talk about changing direction, drugs and pinball.

This latest work is very different stylistically to your older work. Was that a conscious decision, did you have a break in between the two phases?

I kind of ran out of steam with the Pop paintings. I wasn’t entirely satisfied with what I was doing and had said about all I had to say. It’s like I was singing but not really using my own voice, you know? It was a gradual transition, beginning with a stronger emphasis on the cartoony bit and moving towards incorporating that aesthetic into the figurative elements.

There’s a slightly psychedelic feel to some of your work, but more in that sense of ‘nagging aftermath of a bad trip’ rather than ‘the dawning of the age of aquarius.’ Have you ever experimented much with drugs, are they part of your creative process etc?

When I was younger I experimented with all sorts of substances. And yeah, maybe my work reflects that I don’t deal well with hangovers. I think that the biochemistry of my brain is precariously balanced to begin with and any nudge can mess up my mood for days. So in that way I’ve never found that psychoactive substances help me creatively. I’ve read a few articles and heard a couple of podcasts lately that got me thinking a mushroom trip would be a fun thing to do. However, about a week ago I smoked a small joint and had a pretty bad time. It was like it amplified all my negative feelings and emotions. It even made my back pain worse, or maybe just focused my attention on it. Anyway, it was such a bad experience that it made me reconsider the psychedelic adventure I’d been planning. Maybe I’m too old and broken for that stuff?

A lot of these images feel like glimpses into a much bigger story or world for the characters. Do you have a narrative in mind for them when you paint, or are they just isolated images?

When I first started this work I had in mind that I would create a world of these types of characters and reuse them in different scenarios. It is still such early days that that may eventually happen but for now I think it’s more about a particular perspective. Like seeing the world through a broken, dirty, old kaleidoscope.

I know Jake Chapman’s been very complimentary about your work. Is there anyone else working at the moment who you find interesting, or consider a peer?

At the moment I really like Dawn Mellor, Kaye Donachie, Nigel Cooke, The Chapman Brothers…but none of them are my ‘peers’. My friend Joe Becker is a peer and a superb painter. He’s helped me out a lot in terms of introducing me to new artists and figuring my own work out.

Is smalltown Ontario really that weird?

Hahaha, well, that’s all I knew growing up…but even still, yes it is.

I heard you’re a total demon on pinball. Any other secret arcade skills we should know about?

Do they even exist anymore? As a kid, arcades were my favourite places to hang out. The one in my hometown was called The Games Room. Even when we didn’t have any money we used to just sit on our skateboards out front and smoke. My favourite game there was Street Fighter 2. That was before it came out for Nintendo (and even when it did it wasn’t as good). When I was 11 I beat Super Mario 3 in about 20 mins without dying. Does that count?

Nathan James’ CREEPSHOW will be exhibited at The Cob Studios & Gallery from March 20th until April 7th. Follow him on Twitter @NathanDJames for details and previews of his new work or subscribe visit his website.

www.ndjames.com

Destino is a surreal animation, for which the production originally commenced in 1948. It loosely follows the fate of Chronos, the Greek God of time, who tragically falls in love with a mortal woman. A collaboration between Walt Disney Studios and Salvador Dali, it was originally storyboarded by the painter alongside John Hench, who was a studio artist at Disney for more than 60 years. Unfortunately, the project was shelved due to financial turmoil during World War II, and there it remained until the old footage was rediscovered amidst the making of Fantasia 2000. Dominique Monfréy of the Parisian Disney department was charged with the direction of the short film, and in 2003, 48 years after it’s conceptual birth, Destino was finally released.

Images by Luigi Schiavonetti.

One in ten people will experience an out-of-body experience (OBE) at some point in their life. This figure alone makes it no surprise that OBE anecdotes rank among the more pervasive life-after-death myths. Their statistical likelihood along with their root in sheer conscious – in as much as, regardless of the manifold debate of their provenance, people who report them can be proven to have experienced something – gives them a cultural staying power that many other supposedly spiritual experiences will never achieve. Often striking as part of a near-death experience, they catch people at the most vulnerable point between themselves and their mortality – when they would be at their most emotionally susceptible to reassurance that the end isn’t, in fact, the end. Moreover, having experienced one represents a disposition to experience more throughout a lifetime and so, for that one in ten, they are a fact that repeats itself.

Ironically, it is the fallibility of our feeble bodies that make this apparent proof of the afterlife possible. Scientists are learning (psychoactive substance users may have long known) there are a myriad of ways to artificially produce OBEs, including self-induced sleep paralysis*, direct mechanical stimulation of the brain, meditation ¾ tricks that cause the brain to misinterpret sensory data, and, as alluded to, drugs. Ultimately, it is widely accepted that those who experience OBEs, even those teetering on the precipice of this mortal coil, are experiencing a hallucination more akin to lucid dreaming than the genuine evacuation of the soul from the body. This is terribly bad news for eternal-life fantasists taking OBEs as some sort of empirical proof of an immutable soul or human essence that transcends the physical. Particularly those poor souls who have looked death – and they would insist, themselves – square in the face.

Yet the very idea of an out-of-body experience is a logical fallacy. The name in itself is a misleading linguistic trick in as much as it implies the body is the location of experience. Supposedly, under normal circumstances, experiences are “in-body” and so any deviation from that must be “out-of-body”. This is not true, however, because human consciousness is a product of neuronal activity triggered by sensory data and, as such, any and all “experience” is a product of the body. The body is not the venue of experience, it creates it. Experiences are therefore “because-of-body”. As such, an out-of-body experience is not possible because, by necessity, no body means no experience.

Again, the idea that the self can leave its body circumvents the very fact that the conscious mind is a direct product of that body. In doing so it relegates the role of the body as inconsequential to the mind. This is a more profound delusion than any eternal-life fantasy because it is pertinent to life now, as opposed to the afterlife. It trivialises the body as a mere vessel, something that it is not only possible for the self to leave behind and remain intact but that it is somehow ideal to do so. This is the body as shackle, as limitation, as the literal physical manifestation of inconvenience and an obstacle to any real sort of metaphysical experience**. Ultimately it belies contempt for the body and festers ignorance in our understanding of the relationship between human experience and our physical, biological endowment***.

Out-of-body experiences are merely one example of the contempt we hold, as apparently sentient beings, towards our own bodies in favour of spiritual idealism. Though doing so over a hundred years ago, and without the benefit of our scientific understanding of the mind/body duality, Nietzsche writes presciently on the subject: “The enlightened man says: “I am only body and nothing more; and soul is merely a word for something in the body.”  The body is a great intelligence, a multiplicity with one sense, a war and a peace, a flock and a shepherd.  A tool of your body is your lesser intelligence, my brother, which you call “spirit”— a little instrument and plaything of your great intelligence.  ”I” you say, and you are proud of that word.  But the greater thing— in which you are unwilling to believe— is your body with its great intelligence; it does not say “I”, but performs it.  What the senses feel, what the spirit perceives, is never an end in itself.  But senses and spirit would like to persuade you that they are the end of all things: that is the extent of their vanity.”

* One famous indulger in self-induced OBEs was Thomas Edison. He would sit in his armchair, cradling a metal bucket in his lap and resting a single silver dollar on the bridge of his nose. As he closed his eyes, drifting slowly off to sleep, he would nod and the silver dollar would crash loudly into the bucket. The result was a form out quasi-wakefulness, his body dead asleep but his mind totally lucid. This was his favourite time to solve problems.

** Note the idea of out-of-body experiences as leisure activity in the form of astral projection.

*** This is not merely a hangover from 2000 years of Christendom: “I know Kung-Fu”, Neo tells us with surprise. Surprise that his body doesn’t ache with a lifetime of dedication, practice and hard-knocks. Without the limitations of the body, augmented by software, the mind is free to achieve what it is apparently truly capable of. The Matrix, however, is it’s own undoing: Morpheus gravely reminds us, “The body cannot live without the mind”. But, as Cypher unplugs Switch and Apoc, we realise that the two are interdependent.

BLU is the pseudonym of an Italian streetartist who’s real name and identity remain unknown. He is known for not only using spray cans for his work, but experimenting with house paint and mounted rollers, too. This technique gives him the opportunity to create street art on a far larger scale, as demonstrated in the video above. BIG BANG BIG BOOM, which was filmed in Argentina in 2010, provides a loose narrative of the history of Earth, beginning with the Big Bang.

Visit BLU’s video channel.
Visit BLU’s website.

^{SUNDAY SHORTS is MONOLITH‘s weekly shortfilm and animation segment.}

Mark Brady is a developer and manager at a financial lending firm in Long Island, USA, who has been producing fractal artwork as a sideline for more than five years. Modestly exhibiting his work on deviantART alone, Brady has created hundreds of these images, which absorb the viewer in a manner reminiscent of Magic Eye images.

Fractal artwork has grown progressively more popular since the ‘80s, following on from iconic works such as the Mandelbrot Set. A genre predominantly created digitally, the evolution of appropriate software has spurred the availability, and in turn, popularity of the artwork itself. “My original inspirations are from images of fractal art I saw when I was younger,” Brady responds, when pressed for where these images began. “I always had a desire to make my own pieces, but computers were too slow back then.” This kind of artwork can be produced on a number of programs, Brady favouring Incendia and Ultrafractal, amongst others.

In countless hues and shades, and a sprawling expanse of patterns, what’s really astounding about Brady’s artwork is the depth that each image boasts. “The process requires a lot of experimentation and patience,” he admits. “My images typically take an hour or less to design, and then anywhere from 5 minutes to several hours to render.”

The endless quality of Brady’s art, both in the images themselves and the sheer number of individual pieces displayed online, liken rifling through his profile to falling down a rabbit hole. The fact that each one is so different from the last suggests that the infinite nature of fractal artwork applies to the artist’s imagination, too.

www.aureliuscat.deviantart.com

Images by Hajime Sorayama .

Doctors at the University of Pittsburgh have made a neuroscience break-through, giving a paraplegic women the opportunity to feed herself for the first time in ten years.

The patient lost the use of a her limbs over a decade previously to a degenerative disease that caused damage to her spinal cord. The resulting disruption to her nervous system left her bed bound and unable to do anything for herself. Doctors requested that the women test a revolutionary robotic arm that is controlled indirectly by the patient’s brain.

The robotic arm is connected to an intuitive computer program that interprets natural brain function and activity focussed on moving our limbs and utilises them to control the robotic arm. This is the first device of its kind with truly successful neurobiological interface. Several other groups around the world are experimenting with this technology, but these doctors are the first to appropriate the technology to be advantageous in a medical environment.

“At the end of a good day, when she was making these beautiful movements, she was ecstatic…that was nice to see,” said Andrew Schwartz, professor of neurobiology at the university. The prosthetic arm follows the laws of natural movement and emulates human movement and control; it can move directionally, positionally and it can be used to lift and pick up objects. Proficiency with the robotic arm requires training, although it only took the patient a matter of weeks to acquire full control of the prosthetic.

This is by no means a simple procedure, though, with connection to the arm requiring major surgery. In a four hour procedure, doctors implanted two 4mm microelectrode arrays into the left motor cortex beneath the surface of the patient’s brain, where tiny electrodes directly detect neuron signals emitted by the brain. Wires from the electrodes run to connectors, which are attached to the patient’s head, which doctors use to attach the patient to the computer program. Amplified brain signals are processed by the program’s brain-machine interface, which then passes the brain signals as commands to the arm, which operates in real time.

Doctors recorded and mapped electrical activity from individual neurons in the patient’s brain whilst she imagined various arm and hand movements. Neurons that control movement have a proclivity to move preferentially, and once the neurons are activated during the imagination of specific movements, doctors are able to program the arm to imitate the patient’s required movement. The results of this particular patient were staggering: after a short period, the patient was able to complete over 91.6% of tasks assigned to her and even gained an increase in the speed of operation.

Although this is a significant break-through and certainly an applaudable bio-medical achievement, there are difficulties to overcome before the technology can be made available to more patients. The electrodes implanted into the patient’s brain have been causing scar tissue to form, which degrades the amplification of the brain signals the program interprets. Moreover, although researchers are already intending to progress the technology into the realms of sense (this involves attaching the mircoelectrodes to the sensory regions of the brain), it is still only available for patients that can be plugged into a computer to control and power the robotic arm.

Despite these minor drawbacks, unlocking this technology  has enabled doctors to make incredible advancements in neurobiology and neuroscience that could one day benefit any person with a deficient or missing limb. Imagine every amputee provided the opportunity to have a mechanical limb directly controlled by their brain, without the use of a computer. That’s an idea to strive for.

Anthony Francisco Schepperd is a Philadelphia-based animator, who is renowned for his psychedelic animations. This particular video, entitled The Music Scene, was commissioned by Ninja Tune Records as a music video for  a solo project by Blockhead of the same title. It was released two years ago, and has since been freely downloaded and distributed across the Internet with a variety of other musical accompaniments.

Visit Anthony Francisco Schepperd’s video channel.

^{SUNDAY SHORTS is MONOLITH‘s weekly shortfilm and animation segment.}