Film Journey in the Now

Moving Pictures

A sudden flash of bright flame and then a slow burn – that’s the way I’ve perceived events to be unfolding over the past four decades while pursuing my life’s higher purpose. Sometimes it appears to me that patience and perseverance are the only character assets I possess, especially during slow burn seasons. In slow times, when it feels as though my will to press forward is being nullified by circumstances and situations which are seemingly beyond my control, I know from experience that it’s time for me to turn inward. I turn my perspective within for a while to touch base with my mind, body and spirit. By taking an honest look at my motivations and desires – by appraising the level of self-esteem I have in the current moment – by making sure that I’m not feeling superior or inferior to anyone else, but instead just being my truest self – I can usually conclude whether I’m off on a tangent or still on the right path. And when, eventually, I turn the focus outward again, I find that there never really was an impediment, and that the only thing that was slowing down the fire had been my own self-defeating thoughts and actions. Then, right on que, there’s another flash and the life-force burns brightly once more.

These past three months in Saint Petersburg have been a whole new level of slow burn, but in an entirely positive way. If you’re a new reader on this blog, you may not know that three months ago, just as I was just starting out on a cross-country road trip, I was involved in a car accident that relieved me of my only vehicle. My dear daughter Victoria picked me up on the east coast of Florida and transported me to the west coast. I’ve been holed up in Mike Elwell’s warehouse studio ever since that fateful day. It has been an absolute blessing being here near my son Christopher and all his friends. We’ve all shared some great quality-time together. Chris and I even managed to work together (creatively) on a couple of projects. But now it’s time to be moving along. I’ve procured a new ride and I’m preparing to depart St. Pete, probably next Wednesday morning. There are still a few things that I need to accomplish before I get back on the road. Hopefully that road takes me back to Hope during late June and all of July this summer. I am intent on making the “Florida to Maine Expedition to Gather Film Content” a reality (please visit the GoFundMe page I’ve set up if you feel it in your heart to support me on this extremely important trip – https://www.gofundme.com/manage/crosscountry-expedition-to-gather-film-content). The trip will be as low cost as I can make it. I’ll be sleeping in the van most nights or pitching a tent, while also relying on friends and relatives for an occasional civilized (indoor) sleepover. Some of you may know that I have secured the funds for tuition at the Savannah College of Art and Design. I will be entering the Graduate Film and Television program as a Fellow to the college this fall. The fellowship award was one of only two offered to graduate students each year. It will pay for half of the tuition and federal student loans will pay the other half. Rather than going back to Savannah now, to rent a room and pay board throughout the summer, I am planning to spend June and July on the road, gathering documentary film content (mostly in Hope, RI). From the road, I intend to secure a room in Savannah via the internet, preferably for August 1, and return south during late summer to get ready for classes. This transition I’m now making between fine art and film has been a long time coming. I started dreaming about a career in the movie industry well before I left Rhode Island in 1996. In fact, that was the whole point of moving our young family to Florida to attend the Ringling College of Art and Design. Pamela and I decided that I should pursue a BFA in computer animation and then I could make a lateral move into prop design or animatronics where I could put my sculpting skills to good use in show business. In the now, I’ve set my intentions on becoming an independent filmmaker. I am to become a writer, director and producer of surreal documentary films, the most elaborate of which, will be a factual documentary on the creation and installation of Grand Providentia Projections around the world. There will be a fictional version of the story produced simultaneously. The two stories will run parallel, merging plotlines and characters until the audience is unsure what is actually happening in the real world. It may seem like I just released the ultimate spoiler for this surreal documentary, but I can assure you that if it is done with the right amount of filmmaking finesse, the intrigue will only be enhanced if the audience knows that it is on them to figure out what is real and what is movie magic. That’s just one of the beautiful things about making pictures move.

Still frame from “Return to Hope” If you haven’t already seen it, please do. If you have seen it, please return for another trip to Hope. Just scroll down a few journal entries and you’ll find a link to the Grand Providentia Projection -YouTube channel.

My first film, titled “Return to Hope” is on YouTube. I will be adding a new film during the coming weeks that is focused on the bronze sculpture featured in the film. The new patina is nearly complete (one of the finest patinas I’ve ever produced) and I’m putting together a promotional short film to show off the process and end result of the repatine. I will sell this one-of-a-kind bronze casting to pay for the road trip and help me to pay for books and living expenses at SCAD in the fall. Once I publish the promotional film, I’ll return here to announce it and leave a link.

Thank you for reading here! I am truly grateful for your presence and for your support.

Revelations of Purpose

Naturally Radical

On paths less traveled I tend to make better time. From the outer edges of the crowd, the sightline is clear to a wider expanse of the horizon. As far back as memory can serve me, I’ve been comfortable with being a nonconformist. Eccentricity is as natural to my lifestyle as conformity is to another’s. To those who occupy the central villages of societal norms, I am often referred to as part of the fringe element. I’m happy being fringy. Happier than I could ever imagine being if I were here to live the role of a centrist. Domestication, and all things mundane, remind me of the Sunday suits with clip-on ties and over-tight collars that my well-meaning mom often cajoled me into wearing as a child. Is it in rebellion that I’ve become more eccentric as others have moved closer to the center? I’ve considered this possibility often and I’ve always arrived at the same conclusion. It is not rebelliousness, or any other socio-psychological reactivity, that makes me a non-conformist. It happens much closer to the root of who I am physically, spiritually and intellectually. Having learned to love myself, after too many decades of self-deprecation, I have come to understand the beauty of irregularity, and the true value of absolute self-acceptance. I embrace the unique strengths and weaknesses that come with the whole package of being me. This, in turn, makes it easier to connect with those at the very center of normality. I realize that even the most rigid conformists must deal with many of the same inner and outer struggles that I’m dealing with, and they’re regularly experiencing victories and defeats of their own. To middle-grounders, it may seem that those of us on the fringe are failing in basic ways, but that misperception is arrived at because their understanding of our lifestyle is basic, and furthermore, that understanding is based in a common, and well-worn, viewpoint. At this moment in human history, radical ideologies are becoming increasingly counter-productive to the unification of communities, societies and civilization as a whole. Those with open minds and hearts can comprehend that there are equivalent sources of positive and negative radical ideologies attempting to change the course of humanity at this moment in history. To those who occupy the middle ground, it may appear that there are far more negative radical influences within modern civilization than there are counterbalancing forces, those forces being on the positive side of radicalism. The reason for this shortsighted perspective – the worldview that being a radical is equivalent to having a negative impact on society – is that the radicals with ill-intentions are most effective in the mainstream of society. Using fear to their advantage, they keep their collective heel on the throat of humanity by infiltrating the very core of society with their warped ideals steeped in hopelessness and desperation. Fortunately, there is a counter-balancing force out here on the fringe. For the sake of this discussion, I’ll dub them the Free Radicals – these are the ones who strive to build a better future for all (including those who are not yet in existence). Free Radicals are unifiers and peacemakers, healers and problem solvers, and they act not out of greed or a lust for power, or even from a place of self-interest, instead, they are motivated and inspired by the finest qualities of humanity. They perceive, in their brothers and sisters, parents and children, something worth living and dying for. These Free Radicals think and act according to a shared value system. Their values are grounded in good will toward humanity and gratitude for the abundance life and all of life’s sustenance on the earth.

The Reclamation of Manifest Destiny”

When I created the sculpture above, I failed to research the origins of the term Manifest Destiny, or to identify the negative connotations attached to the imperialistic outlook that brought this terminology into existence. In my ignorance I titled the artwork as such, thinking that it meant our ability to define and manifest our individual future lives by setting intentions that would aid in the realization of our best life stories. As I learn and grow, I uncover past missteps that I sometimes feel the need to acknowledge and correct. The term Manifest Destiny was appropriated and used in a way that is an anathema to my personal philosophy of inclusion and equality with regards to all people. Manifest Destiny originated here in the USA as justification for the colonialization of North America. They claimed that it was the European culture’s superiority over the aboriginal cultures that gave them the right claim all of the land from sea to shining sea. They committed widespread injustice and prolonged cultural atrocities all in the name of an ill-conceived western belief system. My intentions while creating the work were honorable, I was just looking at the term from a literal point of view and relying on the limited knowledge I had at the time. I stand corrected, and so does the title of this work.

Cosmic Overview

The Grand Providentia Projection – Where We Now Stand… United.

The following post was copied from my Facebook Profile page and pasted here on the Grand Providentia United blog.

In Transit

Transitions are as natural and integral to the human experience as are nocturnal dreams. Intuitively, I know that most of my personal transitions are happening at the same pace whether I am asleep or awake. In fact, it seems that the majority of ‘heartland’ transitions occur at night, on dreamscapes conjured by a collective subconscious mind. In the material world, physical transitions are largely a matter of logistics – we make our plans and follow through with actions to transition from one place to another. Our dreams follow. Our dreams lead. We are eternally in transit, while we are here, and when we move on.

Scott Joseph Moore

“American Dream Catcher” – Personal Dream Realization Device

Manifesting a Career in the Arts

I’ve read quite a few biographies about people from various backgrounds and professional fields of study. Because of my interest in the visual arts, most of them were written about artists. One particular artist’s biography that deeply resonated with me is Christo’s (Christo Vladimirov Javacheff – 1935–2020). Many of my friends from RI may remember him as the artist that wrapped the cliffs and beachfront in Newport, RI in 1974. That was one of his lesser-known projects. One of his biggest undertakings was in Germany, where he wrapped the Reichstag Parliment Building, in 1995. During his artistic career Christo conceived of and installed, in creative partnership with his wife Jeanne-Claude Denat, multiple large-scale projects all over the world. He funded them all with proceeds from the preproduction artwork and all of the materials (content) gathered from the concept development stages of the project. He lived a very simple and inexpensive lifestyle. As I remember, he never even owned an automobile or acquired a driving license. He was too busy creating his art.

13′ Prototype for Conscious Energy Receiver (2011)

Making a Way

I am in transition. I’m transitioning out of the hourly wage lifestyle of a blue-collar worker and into a creative career where I will rely on patrons and supporters who appreciate and add value to the artwork I create. I’ve already put enormous amounts of creative energy into the “Grand Providentia Projection”. I expect to be adding to, and compounding, those energies until I move on from this place. This is to be my masterwork in the arts.

Preproduction Phase 1 – Produce a small scale “Providentia” bronze sculpture with moving part(s), light, and possibly sound, to sell as a promotional fundraising element and to attract resources for the large-scale “Grand Providentia Projection(s)”. Limited to 50 castings (plus one AP), the tabletop edition will be 12″ tall and weigh approximately 30 pounds. The first ten of this reduced scale edition will be priced at $4,500.00. The price for the remaining 40 is likely to increase as the larger project becomes a reality. For anyone who is ready to invest in one of these works of high art, I will require a third deposit to reserve a signed and numbered bronze sculpture. Because the process to produce these sculptures has only just begun – it is currently being digitized and reduced – I estimate that the first 10 will be ready to ship in early 2024. These are exciting times and I expect the excitement to grow as the Grand Providentia Projections are made manifest.

“Providentia” – Peace

Thank you for reading here. Please consider leaving a comment (positive or negative) on this, or any other journal entry you’ll find by scrolling down. If you like what you read and see, add a tip to the jar if you’re so inclined – Donate * Contact page – or support the larger project by investing in the preproduction stages of the “Grand Providentia Projection”. Buy art for art’s sake, and support living artists!

Cosmic Overview

The Grand Providentia Projection – Where We Now Stand… United.

Journal Entry #1

When I retitled the American Dream Catcher bronze as Providentia, I arrived at the choice intuitively. I made an intuitive choice based on the limited knowledge I had at the time. I was looking for a title that was synonymous with English definitions of providence. Having lived in the village of Hope, in the state of Rhode Island for many years during my young life, I’ve always taken comfort in the fact that the state capital was named Providence, therefore I’m sure, at least subliminally, that I favored providence for nostalgic reasons. But the conscious choice was ultimately made because of the high ideals that the word conjures in my heart and mind. In truth, I almost used Providence as is, due to a particular definition that I found as soon as I started searching – “timely preparation for future eventualities.” ~ Oxford Languages. I then searched for the Latin origins of the word providence and found what I thought to be an eloquent alternative in Providentia. Three quarters of a decade later, spellcheck is still underlining the word in red, whenever, and wherever, I am writing about the work of art digitally. Since the application of a new patina and the retitling of the piece in 2015, I’ve learned more about the name I had chosen so long ago. Providentia Augusta was the Roman Goddess of forethought, foresight, and a maker of provisions for the eventualities She alone foresaw. The spirit of the Grand Providentia Projection is all about looking ahead collectively, and adjusting some of our lifestyle choices now, to make wise and ample provision for a promising future.

Adding the adjective “Grand” to Providentia in all discussions about the enlarged version of the sculpture may seem obvious, or even juvenile to some, but I considered other qualifiers for a good while and kept coming back to grand. From conception, the 42″ bronze sculpture was intended as a working model for a much larger piece. A monumental bronze, envisioned at 16′ tall, it would include all of the natural elemental forces of our environment – earth, air, fire and water – with the added elemental force of collective human consciousness. Spectacular was another word that I remember considering as a replacement for grand in the title, but I thought it sounded forced. I stayed with grand.

In recent months, I’ve turned away from the idea of the Grand Providentia being described, even in passing, as an art project. It has become so much more than that. To call it a “projection” instead, was also an intuitive decision – just like the name Providentia, except this time it was arrived at during a series of transcendental meditations wherein I envisioned the Grand Providentia projected onto the face of the Earth by the collective conscious intentions of a multitude of like-minded human beings. Consciousness acting as a celestial slide-projector. Just as it is believed in many contemporary spiritual traditions, we would collectively attract light energy from on high, beckoning Universal consciousness down to us, while we were simultaneously performing the groundwork of physical manifestation. The projections would be materialized objectively, of course, with the hard work and creative persistence of many courageous individuals, but they would also be manifested metaphysically through the power of positive intentions. The Grand Providentia Projection is currently experiencing a growth spurt unlike any other it’s had since the inception of the American Dream Catcher project in 2008. The materialization of this dream is imminent.

“Providentia”

I’ll keep the focus of this overview set on the physical end-product of the Grand Providentia Projections in order to afford you all a better description of how these Grand Providentia will be presented to the whole of humanity. It is likely that the first one will need to be produced in the United States on the mainland. Funding will need to be in place before the site is chosen, but already I’m sensing that it would be well received in Colorado. The Projections will be more than just sculptures placed on pedestals. Part of the broader vision is that they would be encircled by meditative gardens with water features and plantings of native vegetation. Local stone would be used for any structures or paved walkways within the footprint of the Projection. I would also want to incorporate a modest learning center where people would find more information about the scope of the projections once they are being manifested globally.

The sculptures themselves will need to include stainless steel support armatures for strength, and the reflective orb in the lower portion of the piece will also probably be produced in stainless steel (high polished and custom cast at 30″ in diameter). While the main structure is likely to be cast in bronze, it is just as likely that much of it will be fashioned with other materials such as stone or glass. I am not attached to the design of Providentia, or even its basic shape, those considerations are open to change by the creative crew that will be assembled to produce the artwork for each location. I’m sure there will be ten or twelve professional artists and architects involved in the planning and producing of each projection. Beyond that, there will be a support crew – technicians, administrators, patrons and any other ancillary help as needed. I firmly believe that once the intentions are set and the resources are in place, each projection will be raised up and promoted by the positive energy being attracted to the enthusiasm of the group. We’ll be relying heavily on positive vibrations. Not only the vibrations of active participants, but also the high vibrations of people from all over the world who are interested and invested in our success. Yes, I’m sure there will also be those who are trying to impede our progress, in fact I am fully expecting formidable resistance, but let’s not get into that here. You can trust that I’ve already been practicing counter-resistance techniques for more than a decade in my own life, so I don’t expect there will be much negative impact on our efforts in the long run. The Grand Providentia Projection will be made manifest. The time is now, the place is here, on the surface of our one and only planet – Earth.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/crosscountry-expedition-to-gather-film-content

I’ll return within the coming days to make an account of how I will proceed from here. All is well. In fact, it is exactly what it is meant to be, so how could it be anything other than well. Thank you for reading here! I truly appreciate your time and attention.

Film Journey in the Now

Curve Talk About Art

If straight talk is what you’re looking for, you may, or may not, find it here. Art takes many forms. In some cases, it is formless, as it is with conceptual art when the concept is as yet unrealized. Ideas are immaterial things, and concepts are sometimes abstract, along with algebraic formulas. But an abstract acrylic on canvas can have solid appeal. Touch it with your fingertips and let your vision follow its pathways until your senses are absorbed in the two-dimensional realm of optical illusion. Eye candy is delicious, but too much of it, and you run the risk of rounding an eye tooth. Straight lines can stabilize your composition with economy. Straight lines can also derail an art critic’s ability to look straight at your art. Contemporary architecture often bends the strict rules of structural integrity in an effort to add in a curved or crooked line, an arch or a floating stairway. A stairway that theoretically leads us to a horizontal heaven, and it gets us there vertically, on a diagonal. In my own practice of art, I’ve heard the square folks lamenting in my ear about the inability to even draw a straight line. My reply, usually non-verbal, is ‘Why would you want to?’.

“Midlife Crisis” Drawn in pastel during my midlife crisis.

Bear with me, I promise to get to the pointillism. Then again, who wants to talk about a million polychrome dots giving the impression of three-dimensionality anyway. Nobody does. Everybody does want to talk about Leonardo DaVinci though. He was an exemplary master of all dimensions, proportions and abstract scientific concepts. Leonardo and Michelangelo often behaved like oil and water when in close proximity, but being the art giants they were, they were rarely in close proximity. There wasn’t enough space in all of Europe for that.

“Inside Outside”

Then there is sculpture. As big as David or as small as Venus of Willendorf, the contours comparable. Just this morning, I loaded a ridiculously heavy bronze sculpture on a truck and offloaded it in the studio that is now my temporary home. I’m very tired, so I’ll write about sculpture the next time I am inspired to talk curves about art.

“Salvador Seahorse” Bronze bench by sculptor Mike Elwell. Me, stranded in Saint Petersburg, Florida, for the moment.