ULTIMATE VALUES
"LIFE MATTER" is a simplified form of an observation from the ancient Greek philosophers. They believed that when it comes to establishing ultimate values nothing ranks higher than life itself. The Greeks believed that there were five ultimate values: “Truth”, “Good”, “Justice“, “Beauty” and eudaemonia. (The last is an untranslatable word which loosely means “human flourishing” or “contentment with one’s life as it is actually lived.“ The English word “happiness” is often used for it.)
According to Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, all other human values are indirectly derived from those five ultimate values. However, they also went on to observe that all theses values are meaningless without a living, breathing, human subject to evaluate and appreciate them. A lifeless Universe with no living human beings in it would be a Universe with nothing of value in it because there would be no one to make such a determination. Things would merely exist without any other such consideration. Nothing would be good nor bad in that sense. Hence, it follows that life itself is the thing of highest value because without life there is no value whatsoever. In other words, life is the pre-condition for all values. And, that is why “life matters.” Either it does matter or nothing does. You can’t have it both ways.
Propaganda
“Every child is an artist. The challenge is to remain an artist after grow up.” This sentence by Pablo Picasso has always made me think. Children say and do things in a simple way and they are true. In my artistic research simplicity and immediacy characterize many of my works because I want my messages to be enjoyed and understood by anyone without exclusion. Simplifying is much more difficult than complicating. Among the many problems we face, I thought of that of war, which has always belonged to the history of our Civilization. In the United States one of the most widespread words is “WAR”. The current conflict between Russia and Ukraine is just one of many wars plaguing our flood causing death, suffering, and hatred among the people. The message I want to send is as simple as it is true. If I asked a child what he thinks of war with great probability he would tell me that war is for the stupid.
SOUND WAVES
The public is invited to answer a simple question whose answer is by no means obvious.
The sound and visual artwork "Sound Waves" is a powerful and engaging reflection on the meaning of freedom.
The work is characterized by an essential aesthetic that recalls the cover of Unknown Pleasures - Joy Division's first album - and by a backing track generated through artificial intelligence, which uses sound samples connected to keywords associated with the concept of freedom.
The use of artificial intelligence to generate the opera's melody represents the power of technology to give people a voice to create new forms of artistic expression and resistance against oppression.
The sound that accompanies the work is not the answer to the question posed but represents an emotional aid for the listener in seeking the answer directly within himself.
However, only the collector of the original work will be able to hear the entire melody, symbolizing the limitation of freedom of expression in today's society.
