Plugging into History

I recently heard from a woman named Stephanie Lamy a single mom living in Paris who, when trying to explain the Libyan revolution to her daughter ended up almost inadvertently becoming a crucial player in the unfolding of the resistance by connecting the elements of the social network that ultimately overthrew the Gaddafi regime. She is now helping communities create social networks to enhance people power and became interested in my Democratic Globe idea.

I'm suddenly becoming aware of a shift in my scope as an artist. In the 80's I was doing metal sculptures and series of multiples. In the 90's I became interested in larger concepts that were expressed in installations or designs for social constructions. In 2000 I started working on the series of Body Psalms films that turned into a whole vision for re-evaluating the flesh in a capitalist world. Now in the 2010's I have moved into creating what I'm thinking of as META-art projects: huge visions of how civilization can be transformed to allow more social creativity. As yet I have no way of turning them into what we think of as art (some sensual expression) that can be easily "exhibited".  Instead I struggle to imagine them into existence, like prying apart space itself to create new blank spots for fresh ideas to inhabit.  Then I try to shape them by writing so that others might one day be able to take these seedlings and grow something spectacular in the new world that doesn't exist yet.

We live in a time when anyone can suddenly be thrust into a pivotal role by simply being in the right place at the right time. That feeling of insignificance is a lie– we are all needed to be available when history needs changing! If a single mom teaching her daughter can suddenly become a crucial cog in a revolution of people against tyranny, is there any reason why that could not happen to you? Say, tomorrow?