“We do not have to visit a madhouse to find disordered minds; our planet is the mental institution of the universe.” ―Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
What constitutes a disordered mind? What is disorder? What is its antithesis? Why does it matter?
It was once popularly stated that a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, to which Albert Einstein quipped, “if a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” Albert Einstein had an idea about what an empty desk signified, and we can all deduce what that was and how he felt about it.
In the Scroll of Emptiness, in the Book of Five Rings, Miyamoto Musashi states “knowing of nonexistence while knowing of existence is emptiness,” and goes on to explain what emptiness is not, and how to recognize and value true emptiness.
One man’s cluttered desk is another man’s false emptiness. Both cluttered desks and empty desks are valued by different minds for different reasons.
On a planet filled with conflicting ideas, often within our very own minds, it is absvrd to consider that one viewpoint on disorder vs. its antithesis would be acceptable as the rule.
In truth, there are no rules. There is only arbitrary enforcement by the arbitrary thinking of arbitrary minds. Learn and accept this and you will elevate your mindset, no matter its state of “disorder.”
ABOUT THE ART
I came across this photo of Alexis Diaz’ work by Paolo Bendandi on Unsplash:
when looking for inspiration for a completely different project, and after doing the painstaking work of isolating the main subject and aligning all the requisite limbs, I came to realize this particular subject would be better suited as part of its own piece.
Obviously, Alexis Diaz had the right idea.
In playing with the subject across different backgrounds and compositions, I eventually stumbled upon a more simplistic design that would serve as the basis for the entire L V N Λ C Y project.
A concept was born.
As of this writing, there are nine pieces of art ready for release as NFTs. Over the course of this project, 99 total works will be released, one a week, with 9 editions made available of each, at .099 ETH. Content produced in addition to these works as part of this project will be made available as unlockable content to NFT holders. This may include drafts, derivative versions, and music. Maybe the occasional haiku.
In an exploration of the line dividing sanity and madness, anything is possible. Follow along on Twitter and/or Instagram, and let’s journey down this rabbit hole together.