Abstract: Recent developments in Brain Science lend significant support to research conducted at Uncivilized Omniversity (fully owned subsidiary of Uncivilized Megacorp). Ancient mnemonics understood the relationship between mind and space: the mind was a memory palace. Heraclitus’ river revealed the paradoxical relationship between spatial phenomena and time. Einstein helped us understand space and time on a scientific level. Žižek clarified quantum phenomena as spatial effects akin to video game non-playable zones. Now we have clinical confirmation of the spatial nature of the mind:
“The brain represents concepts the same way that it represents space and your location, by using the same circuitry for the brain’s inner GPS. […] The hippocampus‘ place and grid cells map not only physical space but conceptual space. It appears that our representation of objects and concepts is very tightly linked with our representation of space.”
This discovery confirms millennia of intuitions and theories. Mapping memories to spatial locations is natural. Locations trigger memories and vice versa. For over a decade, our researchers have been constructing new mental models and universes. We synthesized a vast body of knowledge from an extensive array of fields: Quantum Physics, Bio-Architecture, Non-Euclidian Geometry, Alchemical Morphogenetics, Jungian Archaeotypology, Omniversal Theories, Continental Philosophy, Soviet Geopolitics, Deterritorial Uber-unter-philology, Physiognomy, Komicxsology, and Cartooning.
Our goal is the creation Spatio-temporal maps of the pheno(u)menal omniverse. For this endeavor, we considered prose, epic poetry, philosophy, illuminated manuscripts, comics, and art (here we considered a broad spectrum from architecture to home video). All except comics had to be quickly eliminated for many reasons that will become obvious.
For example, art is prone to graphomania akin to graffiti (graffiti at least is location-specific), hoarding, and conceptual games (etc.) Additionally, art can be likened to a hall of mirrors that reflects projections of the viewer and creates narcissistic feedback loops (see: stock market bubbles). These infinite reflections produce paradoxical mind/body effects on the viewer and the artist. These art/body effects can be scatologically mapped to various dispositions: constipated (sculpture), diarrhea (abstract expressionism), indigestion and gas (postmodern art), etc. In that sense, art is geological (alchemical coagula). Art is one of the only human objects recovered archaeologically. It is material strata, like bat guano. But, most importantly, art is too removed from the original Spatio-temporal context… indeed that is the way that art works.
Relying on written language only (prose, epic poetry, philosophy) has problems related to the nature of writing. If art is matter, then writing, or more precisely, language, is closer to secretion or a discharge. Biologically it is related to venoms and acids (alchemical solve). It can never create matter or concepts, it can only dissolve, soften, liquefy. This softened matter and concepts must be shaped or placed — but writing/language cannot do it alone. For example, structures built with words, like Atlantis, or Utopia, exist only as spectral acid-concepts that have haunted man for millennia. These concepts can only be materialized by art-like endeavors like digging, building, etc. — in other words, by disturbing the geological strata.
Only comics, cartooning, or more precisely, komicxs (pronounced comics), are the clear medium of choice for this endeavor. This paper will make a case for komicxs as the medium that most closely resembles human mental space and as the best medium available for intellectual work today.
The full white paper (also titled “Your Mind Is A Vast Landscape”) will be available soon. Sign up for Uncivilized Mailing List (form on the right) to be notified of availability.
By Adalbert Arcane
The above excerpt was previously published in Cartoon Dialectics 2 by Tom Kaczynski.
