Dayton Ohio at the turn of the Millennium and Berlin in Pre -Nazi Germany

by Jack Bowman - 2007

Chapter 6 Religion and Magic

BERLIN-

In the 1870's Spiritualism was in full swing but it didn't reach it's peak until the 1920's. In "Art Magic Spiritism" there is a mention of the American Séance movement by 1876 and Professor Hoffmann's "Modern Magic" of 1877 detailed the tricks of Spiritualism. After WW1 there was a great spiritualist movement.  It was caused by so many people that were killed in that war. Relatives wanted to reach them. The Gypsies of Berlin were very suited for this. The person in Berlin that made the most use of the WW1 lives lost was Erik Jan Hanussen. It is said that he personally assisted Hitler.  Hanussen was killed, presumably by the SS. The Nazi's set about to eliminate the magic and spiritualism that was practiced in Berlin at that time.  They were not the only ones. Houdini and Dunninger in America spent the 1920's and 1930's doing the same thing with expose shows.

DAYTON- There were many religious references in the Dayton scene at the turn of the millennium. Most of them were no more than a poet using Evangelical mannerisms to make fun of religion. Some related very directly to religion such as the first performance of the Danse Macabre Trilogy that was titled "Origin of Religion". It was performed during an Art Hop night in Jack's Studio in the early 1990's. It portrayed Jane Goodall's observation of chimpanzees doing the "Rain Dance".

Spiritualism in avant-garde art and magic, as defined in pre-Nazi Berlin, was generally non existent at the end of the twentieth century and beginning of the twenty-first. There was a séance used to call time travelers from the future. It was a performance art party venue. The organizer was found dead the next morning. I only recall one other spiritualist type that was located in an open side room but do not recall the venue. This one was a tarot reading type. It appears that séance type magic had run out of steam by the early 1950's.

The Dark Time was the two months of the Roman Calendar that were not counted.  They were the equivalent to January and February of the current calendar. This performance was done at the Santa Clare Art District on North Main. It was originally the second part of The Danse Macabre Trilogy that was performed live in 1994. It was then called Dark Time I. It was later filmed but not publicly performed and was Called Dark Time II. In the Danse Macabre Trilogy it followed the Origin of Religion.

ESSAY ON THE DARK TIME

Civilization has only been working on man for about 10,000 years. Prior to that time he was essentially a primal animal. For him to have created civilization he had to be the most beautiful animal ever on earth.  As civilization was being formed, the beautiful animal still existed along with the civilized animal. Time, order, and calendars were the final civilizing force. They were the quintessential civilizing act.  When I discovered the early Roman calendar and found that it had ignored two months when creating a calendar I realized that this was the last of primal man. The Romans called these two months "The Dark Time"   In essence they were the time before Eden. They were the last time of the most beautiful animal ever on earth. They were the most beautiful time.  Whether it be dark or light.  These times were the instant before the death of primal man.

For a short video clip of the Dark Time Dance

Snakes in a Church was a part of the Performance Art Piece "Declaration of the Artist" It was performed at the Santa Clare Art District on North Main in 1994.

DECLARATION OF THE ARTIST

I am the one and I am not ashamed. I am the one that stenciled my hand on the cave wall 50,000 years ago.  Yes me, and I am not ashamed.  No, I am not a descendent of the one.  I am the one.  I am the the one that saw the relationships between the stones on the wall the the images in my memory.  I am the one that had that creative impulse/ thought/ bio-electrical connection that caused me to place my own image on the wall.  Yes, I am the one that created.  No, I was not reborn again with each generation.  I am continuous.  The math formula in my mind or genetic trait that matched the images on the wall with the images in my mind and caused me to create a new image on the wall has been continuous for 50,000 years.  I am the one and and I am not ashamed.  I am one.  I am continuous.  I am the creator and I am not ashamed.

For a 5 minute video clip in .rm format of Declaration of the Artists that includes the "Snakes in a Church"

 Jesus an the Mongolians.

Jesus and the Mongolians being performed at the Pearl in Dayton Ohio.

Almost all art that involved religion generated a lot of controversy and Jesus and the Mongolians was no exception. Nursery Rhyme Jack received so many negative comments that he was compelled to write this response;

"Lets consider the most recent performance “Jesus and the Mongolians”  Don’t forget, as it is being performed, that Nursery Rhyme Jack is performing it.  And he is a baby serial killer that cannibalizes them after he cooks them on the barbeque.  And hopefully you can pick out that the bible story is made up.  Could this mean that all bible stories are made up?  And don’t forget the symbolism.  I gut a fish as I am telling the story.

All in all the controversy is good.  I think it was Toulouse Lautrec that said “the art is always greater than the man”  So I win. The art is talked about after it is done.  It continues after the artist is gone, as all great art must. It is like it gets a toehold in eternity. "

 

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