There are two situations in the life of every artwork in which artists play a key role in their destiny and permanence.
The first occurs at the very moment of creation of art and the second happens in response to any alteration that the work undergoes afterwards.
In the moment of creation, it remains of importance to stick to art that has a timeless effect. One challenge that I have observed is with regards to many artists in Zimbabwe that are overwhelmed and overcome by the bubblegum effect.
This means that the art works that they create is usually mediocre and lasts for a short time and is not engraved in a deeper meaning.
This is what makes art enriching as it is not meant to be a quick experience in which we see a photograph, then smile and nod before moving on; or listening to a song, hype to it, and then the next minute the song has lost relevance or the album has lost all its hype.
In Zimbabwe, this has been highly recurrent especially among the current crop of artists who are driven by the quest to trend, vis-a-vis, producing quality art works which have meaning.
Timeless art has depth, complexity, and elements that resonate with the audience no matter where they are from or when they are made.
But it takes time to immerse in this depth and complexity because new thoughts and ideas are notorious for being slow to form.
- Strengthening preservation of creative aesthetics
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Whether you are considering a dance, film, music, novel, painting, play, poem, sculpture, or any combination of this form, there is one quality present in almost all master works. It is the quality and feeling of timelessness.
I am an avid reader and have been fascinated by philosophy a lot and one of the interesting philosophies I will put reference to is that by Plato where he discusses the theory of two worlds.
He believed that there was the perceptible material world which was a world of passing time and constant change, decay, and imperfection. In this Plato also believed that there was also a world of forms or ideals which is a world not limited by geometry, gravity, or time.
As an artist, this interpretation of the two worlds relates to how we in a great many times create artworks that seek to speak to this other realm which transcends the phenomena of time, and in a great many cases is not limited by any particular style.
This is driven by a feeling when a person sees a surreal and unique artistic presentation which in a great many times becomes something that taps into the depth of the soul.
Imagining the possibility of another world beyond our consciousness offers the depth of an additional dimension to explore through artistic interpretation.
My rapper and poet friend Scott FAB likes to speak about the concept of time and how it is an important driving force that can constrain or open up limitless opportunities.
“What is time if nothing more than a social contract made between groups of people? There is not even a universal standard to time as anyone who has traveled across different time zones or continents with different seasons and calendars can affirm," Scott FAB says in one of his rap lyrics.
What this means for an artist attempting to create a work of art that will be truly timeless is to realize that any ideas of time that you impose on art that you make is informed by your own culture’s perceptions of time.
In other words, as an artist, if you seek to create work that is universal, you must transcend your perception of the present.
Something that seems timeless is not affected by what’s currently in fashion.
In addition to quickly becoming irrelevant products that are “trendy” and are reliant on comparisons to current norms within a small local group, what is trendy in the American northeast for example, may not even be understood in the same context in far east Asia or even closer the source in the American southwest or let alone here in our Zimbabwean context.
This brings in the question as to why then in Zimbabwe our art remains lacking in the essence of originality of the expression as many artists are a reflection of America, South Africa or Nigeria?
It needs us to be engraved in deeper contemplation on how our art works can be enhanced and also improved so as to bring forth more meaning.
The internet has contributed to a globalisation of certain trends and has made the present fashions of geographical regions more accessible to people from other parts of the world.
However, a trend is never a fixed target, but an evolving code that alters itself as more people participate in its adoption.
Trends can bring people together for a moment, but they can never achieve timelessness because they are destined to be replaced.
Therefore, for something to be timeless, it must not be trendy. The essence of something that is timeless does not change just because people’s tastes have changed.
There is something that both makes these works enjoyable from one generation to the next, but also an aspect of them that remains hard for anyone to completely peg down. They feel both fully realized and unresolved. There is an indefinable depth that remains uncovered despite repeat viewings, interpretations, or performances.
For a work of art to be truly timeless, it must be made (either consciously or subconsciously) for two audiences.
The first audience is anyone who might encounter it in the physical world. The second audience is God or at least the inhabitants of the spiritual dimension.
Ultimately, an artist has very little control over whether something they make becomes timeless or not, but maybe there are a few aspirations worth considering when trying to make something timeless.
- Raymond Millagre Langa is a musician, orator, writer and the founder of Indebo Edutainment Trust Follow Millagre Ray Langa on Facebook #Millagre Ray L, e-mail millagrepapaito@gmail.com. You can reach out to Indebo Edutainment Trust on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter indebotrust@gmail.com
