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A few years ago now, I made the decision to drop out of the art world, and out of the art scene at large, deleting my social media and embarking on an entirely different path into the future.
There are many reasons for this, some are practical and economic, others are more grounded in metaphysics, but primarily it’s for spiritual reasons.
I am so very thankful to all of the platforms, galleries, publications and institutions that have enabled me to present my work and ideas, particularly because I know that they can be quite challenging, complex and controversial to present to a general audience or public.
I am especially grateful to the small and independent project spaces, and to the artists, curators and collaborators that have put a lot of energy and time into working with me.
However, I no longer felt that these environments were conductive or beneficial for my future development and exploration. I basically needed to go into a hermetic, ascetic state of down time, wandering, and isolation from the cultural and societal influences and engagements that I previously operated and networked within, before reorienting my life in more practical and sustainable ways.
A big part of this change is that I believe that humanity, and the planet as a whole is facing the greatest threshold it has ever had to face. Now everyone must change direction, if we want to survive.
Since then, I believe that I have had the time, and the focus to develop some of my most significant and valuable work, though it seems, or feels, like it is largely invisible to the wider cultural environment.
I just update my blogs and website.
For a general breakdown of my practice and my interests, you can refer to my 2021 statement here. I believe that it still does a good job of providing a brief explanation of what I am interested in doing in regards to a “systems approach to the production and dissemination of Art “objects””.
I like the terms techno-esoteric and tech-esoteric
In previous interviews, I, or others may have talked about geopolitics, and blending corporatism and mysticism.
These are still relevant themes, but I think that the focus should now become more orientated towards discussions regarding an intersection of occult studies, hidden Knowledge networks, rapid technological advance, and planetary consciousness.
I’ve been developing a few new things recently. They are still within a systems and a cybernetic approach, as it had previously been with projects like Energy Pangea, and even with my approach to digital collage in Pathology Loop. All of these works take into account machine interpretation and machine ability to recognise and link together images, signifiers, meanings, interactions, interpretations and relationships between various cloud materials and content arrays within a wider network of relations.
These are all linked together, and they share genetics and information amongst themselves. There are a lot of writings, there is collage, there are a few videos, and there’s a large set of images for ÆXO13 which were produced with AI.
I’ve developed an equation and a new system of contemporary Gnostic thought within these project frameworks. They really require a deep dive, if you so desire to take the time to learn about them, to understand what they mean and, hopefully, begin to develop your own perspectives, and to build your own frameworks of response to what I provide.
You don’t need a gallery, a book or an art object to do this. All you need is an Internet connection and a smart device, and the time and the courage it takes to dive into what I’ve now made publicly available for you, if you really seek to discover what my work is about.
I’ll leave that in your hands.
Iain
Iain Ball
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