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commentary The folio* ing is an anii It by Henry Elder, Professor Emeritus. An hiiei lure. UJl.C. He writes. The future of Community Arts Councils is assured if they can widen their horizons to include ALL the arts and also the teaching of artists-to-be. The North Shore Community Arts Councils have travelled far along this road and their efforts will be rewarded when a toi icty i an look at its plan, without political gain Keep up the good wor and remember the Chinese proverb. animals. Some people contend that ideas at inspired - that is. influenced by the spirit, whilst others seek origins in the Slvx (the Having gone so far ihere arises an urge to continue until all the various parts relate into an harmonious whole. Trial and error play important roles, until in the end a CONCEPT led the forms the basis of art in the West). Seeing and hearing have become sophisticated and responsible for the interpretation of the world in which we live as well as influencing all the major art forms. On the other hand, tasting, touching and smelling are still primitive and we respond to them emotionally as part of basic needs. If however, we consider the senses as instruments of perception, they are imperfect mechanically. What you perceive is not exactly what I perceive. We strive hard to find means to provide uniformity in our perceptions to aid communication, but we forget that the abnormalities we condemn are the source of individuality in artists, and lie at the root of The process has been described as sequential, i.e. from initial ideas through notions to concepts. This may not be so. Actually the steps involved may jump backwards and forwards without reason. Sometimes - with wonder and shock a concept appears. This is a REVELATION. All this action takes place in ihe prison ol the brain. Although the process is complete in itself, sooner or later ideas must leave the confines of cellular life and re-enter (he real HAVE IDEAS! SAVE THE WORLD. Gosh, So You've Got an Idea? I. Autobiography OF A n Idea. I am proud to be an idea. Nobody seems to know who or what I am. Many great thinkers have tried to define me. but I belong to the unknowns. ReecntK one explanation suggested that I exist as the smallest increment of thought: a piece of energy moving in a definite direction. This pleased me. for when I'm constructive. I'm envied, but if destructive. I'm feared. I am aware 1 exist in spasms, suddenly coming into being, and then I prompt action. Although I have a parent, I was not conceived: instead I was a direct product of the senses. I was perceived. Sad to relate I'm sexless, but respond to male and female persistencies. I'm stored, along w Hh millions of siblings in a memory bank awaiting immediate recall, then 1 take part in building up images in the mind. I'm very temperamental, basking in elation and being naughty I frequently build anxiety by disappearing at the lime I'm most needed to reappear inconveniently in the middle of the night. Of course, like my parent. I'm subject to old age. Then I tend to look backwards with nostalgia or forwards with fear. In the end alas! 1 die. In an incestuous sort of way, I know that the writer of this paper has attempted to describe my function and purpose and I urge you. dear reader, to look upon this epistle as yet another explanation of one of those mysteries of mankind that might never be IV. Ideas. Chameleons In T h e B r a i n . An idea may be likened to an adventure starting among tamihar things, hut the pathway is strewn with obstacles, some known and others unknown. The experience through the KNOWNS and UNKNOWNS is exciting, frustrating, disappointing and mostly rewarding. It is always a challenge... and a source of even more ideas. Challenges arc dealt with not by the senses but the brain... the "seat of sensation, organ of thought memory or imagination". (OED) New ideas enter the memory bank as friends or foes. Friends are known because they fit into an existing system of order. Foes arc unknown and they must be made to fit the system, or the system itself must change - a reluctant task. How rigid the system is depends upon the ideas objective and the side of (he brain hosting the idea. For example, if the world is to be interpreted in factual terms (as in science) the system must be logical, measurable and provable, but if interpretation is to be personal and inspirational (as in art) the system is built upon values and judgement. Proof plays no part. Thus unknowns can become knowns only within the appropriate system. There exists yet another group, the U N KNOWABLES that lie well outside logical systems of thought. This group of ideas includes unpredictable emotional responses to associated with the spirit world. Unknowablcs are a source of inspiration to artists and those who enjoy mysteries, hut flights of fancy and fantasy must be resolved in terms of current methods of communication methodology or left to communion by using symbols. Worthy of note is the INFLUENCE upon ideas during their development. The environment we ideas) reflects our way of life, our culture, our values and our habits. All these mould ideas, particularly in the concept stage - as though we have been reminded of the real world and the need to be practical. This is the lime when styles, aesthetic principles or analytical logic become testing grounds. Of course there is a choice; conform or reform. Here lies the lest of courage. Ideas after they havi may be considered in three groups, i.e.: THINGS; or facts (a thing done) mostly mad as artifacts to satisfy basic human needs. SIGNS; an order or design to explain or gov* past or future actions, and SYMBOLS; distillations of ideas presented in such a manner as to excite or inspire. discovered that the brain had a left and right hemisphere and each had a different function. produced bj logic, language and patterns: it finds some difficulty v. iih \ IMI.II representation. The right hemisphere processes informarelai iships when II. Ideas - Blessing O r Curse? . It thrives upon mystery. It may be argued that ideas entering the brain when subjected to the workings of both the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere will produce a balanced solution. This does not always happen. Each culture seems to give emphasis to one side or the other. Our culture has developed the left hemisphere with the result that we enjoy an affluent technical society, but we have done so at the expense of human values, including the joy of living". Other cultures have developed the right hemisphere wilh the result thai the arts have flourished. It may be rewarding to find out whether the major influences arc social, political or educational...or what? V. Ideas. They G r o w Just So F a r . . . Never Stop... A Process Involved. j> Can you imagine a world you cannot see, hear, taste, touch, nor smell? It's impossible! And yet in this barrier between you (as a person! and the world (of things and events) lies the e of ideas and a All animals (including homo sapiens) have senses with which to perceive predators, detect disease and dangers, experience extremes in climate, find food and water, effect affections and other actions in an incredible world. The fundamental purpose of the senses is to satisfy basic needs: survival, nutrition and reproduction These needs are pursued ruthlessly and with emotion, hence man's cruelty in surviving, greed in eating and irresponsibility in reproduction. Of course mankind uses senses in trying to understand the wonders of nature and even in the exercise of power over misfortune. And to do this ideas must be used. In fact, it has been written that without senses there would be no ideas (perhaps if all animals were without senses there may be no need for ideas...maybe no animals). Actually the word IDEA covers a complete process (described lateri sianing with perception (involving all five senses)...called AWARENESS. One is left wondering whai (he world would really be like should we have more than five senses. In fact, it has been suggested that the classical senses be called "Outer Senses" and an additional group called ' Inner Senses" (beauty, love, hale, etc.) be introduced into perception. Tell me, but I'll forget, Show me, and I'll remember, Involve me, and I'll know. dashes representative of the electrical impluses that travel from sense experience to life...such is the i Vancouver and why I wrote i Imagine the excitement as new images rush to meet the old and establish relationships. There is little evidence of form at this stage; the images are incomplete. Apparentl> the human brain cannot tolerate incompleteness, and therefore the INITIAL IDEA docs not last long; the process must continue with great haste. The next step takes place when a number of new and old ideas group together. Forms begin to evolve and each related sense has a pan to play. When a feeling of confidence ensues and the direction is felt to be right, but the form remains still unresolved, this has been called a NOTION Have ideas! Save the Even though the actual source of ideas r unknown, it is admitted that their existci separates humans from other species of . A,.... w.-IC iyy2