David Lynch Understood On A Fundamental Level How Abusive And Exploitative The World Is To Those With

Swans - children of god Era

7 years ago today: May 13th 2018 paper collage „Ich suche immer nur zweierlei Orte auf – die, an denen man sich traf, und die, an denen man sich möglichst nicht wieder begegnet“ („I always return only to two kinds of places – the ones where we met, and the ones where we hopefully won’t meet again“). The second of the „Montréal Tetralogie“, and its title more true than ever.

The way I see it, Art has two functions: escapism and confrontation. It serves as both a sanctuary and a mirror. Through escapism, Art creates landscapes where burdens dissolve, where the ordinary is transformed into the extraordinary. It reminds us of the boundless beauty that is preserved in the world and the immense potential that we harbor. It paints a picture of what could be.

But Art also confronts. It grips us by the shoulders, demanding that we open our eyes to the raw, unadorned reality of existence. It challenges the lies we tell ourselves and the illusions we construct, and forces us to reckon with the depths of our humanity. In confrontation, Art becomes the wound that refuses to heal until we take care of it. With its blood and pus, Art paints a picture of what is.

Though it might seem so, these functions are not opposites — they are intertwined; a good piece of art achieves not just a balance but a fusion, where escapism and confrontation become two edges of the same sword. This dual-edged nature is what gives Art its power. The escapist edge whispers of what the world should be; the confrontational edge reveals what the world truly is.

A sword with one dull edge is incomplete, blunt and purposeless, and, certainly, a useless weapon against any enemy, leaving its wielder defenseless and vulnerable in the face of danger. In the same way, Art that leans too heavily on either escapism or confrontation becomes unbalanced. Pure escapism is shallow and hollow; it risks becoming an empty distraction. Pure confrontation, on the other hand, risks alienating and overwhelming the audience without offering hope.

Anita Lane, Seaview Ballroom, late 1970s

ph. Danko Maksimovic - Munich, Germany (2021)

Film: Kodak Ultramax 400

„Es war einmal ein Kind, das hatte alles Spielzeug dieser Welt. Es spielte mit diesem, bis es zerbrach, doch das kümmerte das Kind nicht, denn es hatte ja so viel davon. Eines Tages war das Kind krank und klagte dem Spielzeug sein Leid. Da sprach das Spielzeug: es kümmerte dich nicht, als ich zerbrach, was kümmert mich dein Leid?“ („Once upon a time there was a child who had all the toys in the world. It played with them until they broke, but the child didn't care because it had so many of them. One day the child was ill and complained to the toy. There the toy said: You didn't care when I broke, what do I care about your suffering?“)

March 9th 2025 paper collage, ca. 11.5 x 11.5 cm.

LDN 1471: A Windblown Star Cavity

We only see one side of the cavity, and the other is hidden by dark dust. The shape comes from the expanding stellar winds, the bright streaks on either side are Herbig-Haro objects formed as the star’s outflow collides with space dust.

This image was captured by NASA & ESA’s Hubble Space Telescope, following an original discovery by Spitzer, on November 17th, 2024.

Two women conduct marksmanship training at Roosevelt High School, Los Angeles, 1942.