entangled

[Priest]

[giovannimusica]

Hi priest,

Hmmm - might this be *Den Lille Havfruen* as interpreted by you?

Giovanni

[Priest]

yessir.. some distortion of good ol' danish high culture.. :]

[giovannimusica]

Priest,

Good job there, Commodore.

Giovanni

[giovannimusica]

Priest,

Tell me - Is *Den Lille Havfruen* still being vandalised by the hooligans or has Koebenhavns Politi put a stop to the nonsense?

Giovanni

[corno]

"Den lille Havfrue" (The little Mermaid) hasn't been vandalised since the 11th of September 2003, and has been back on its stone since the 27th of October 2003.
It's still unknow by who or why it was knocked of (possibly with the use of explosives) its stone this last time.

More information about this much treasured sculpture on an unofficial homepage: http://hjem.get2net.dk/OSJ_INDEX/hyb.../havfruen/eng/ (in English - also available in Danish)

[giovannimusica]

Admiral Corno,

Thanx for the info - it's ironic that it was knocked over on 9/11 (2003)

Commodore Giovanni

[Priest]

terrorist attack on a mark of our culture.. hehe..
if somebody are going to bomb anything.. they shall be free to take out the little mermaid.. no problem with me..

[giovannimusica]

Priest,

Why are you averse to *Den Lille Havfrue*? She has done you no harm.

I thought a creative person like you would be appreciative of fine art.

I hope that you will join the movement to save the artistic expressions of the past for future generations.

Respectfully,

Giovanni

[Priest]

I do stand for preserving art, but destruction in its mere form can be an art as well as creation.

Sometimes old values have to be destroyed to give place to something new.

[giovannimusica]

Priest,

You have made a statement which does suck the air out of the room
What set of standards do you use for judging what values that need to be destoyed?

Giovanni

[Priest]

I can't say my values are better than yours or vice versa. The only thing I can judge is from my own point of view.. that doesn't necessarily have to be what I think is best for me, but what I think is the best (goal lifted above my person but of course seen through my eyes).

It is the differences that makes the world alive.. if we all agreed and all of us lived in harmony.. wouldn't it be a boring place? If there was no conflict.. how could there be heroes.. and do remember.. who might be heroes in ones eye, might be a villain in anothers.


so.. when the little mermaid gets her head sawed or blasted off.. it helps making the world a more dynamic place. Some will hate the fact and some will love it.. but one thing both parts will have in common is.. the will all have something to talk about.

[giovannimusica]

Priest,

Conflict is an inherent part of human nature, whether it be that we're cussing the Traffic Cop who just wrote us a traffic ticket for driving 100 kph in a 50 kph zone or Mohammed having just raped our daughter and we want retribution.

We don't like being told what to do but there are rules which govern our conduct and for good reason otherwise there would be anarchy. When someone destroys the Mermaid in the harbor, it is only fitting that there will be an outcry since she represents a part of the cultural patrimony of Denmark or shall I say *Folkhjemmet*.

I'm sure you would not be happy if someone tore apart your artwork - so why should there be license for anyone holding a grudge against society to start decapitating sculptures, spraying grafitti on the exterior walls of Folketinget, Fredrikskirken or other public buildings?

Giovanni

[Priest]

but rules change and society changes as well.
Every kind of society has its counterpart that it will be able to develope to.. starts with beautiful ideals and then gets corrupted by human nature until it is finally torn apart and when done so.. something new might start. After Ragnarok comes Gimle, a potential paradise after the amageddon and so on.. but every paradise has its snakes.. and that snake is our nature.

Sometimes the sickness that is in man is part of the beauty of the whole thing. We need to vent our anger rightfully. What is right is different from person to person. For an example the two of us.. we seldom degree. We have each our set of moral values. We both have things that we detest.. and few of them are in common for us. But it is a focus needed for man.. if we don't aim outward we aim our wrath inward.. unless we of course learn to control it and transcend to some higher spiritual point or something like that.


If an artwork of mine was destroyed for a reason I might respect it. Again.. it depends on how this conflicts with my view. I might also get pissed and go tear the persons face of. Depends on reasons. I don't have love of material possessions.. I embrace my thought patterns.. so chance is I might not get that pissed..

[giovannimusica]

Dear Priest,

You made an interesting admission - To wit: *If an artwork of mine was destroyed for a reason, I might respect it* - 9 times out of ten there is no logical reason that art which is a part of the country's patrimony is defaced or destroyed. If an item of art or architecture is accepted by society as a part of it's patrimony, it is brought into the canon of acceptable expression.

Expressions of Art, Architecture and Music usually undergo a long maturation period before being accepted as that which is worthy to be *remembered* in history. Who knows, one day one will find one of Priest's artistic expressions in Copenhagens Glyptotek. Labor unceasingly and without expectation of worldwide fame and let history be your judge.

Few people attain *Superstar Status* during their lifetimes. There are 6 billion people on this earth. How many of those will ever acheive fame and recognition during their lifetime? Expressed as a percentile of total population, it probably would amount to 1/100 of a percent, if even that!
The important thing is that you keep on working in your area of expertise and never cease refining your product.

Giovanni