To Devo or Not to Devo (2014) Painting by Charles Riley

Acrylic on Canvas Strips fastened to plywood with acrylic gel. Plywood also painted with acrylic. Framed with acrylic painted particle board. The painting is in the shape of a trapezoid with the narrow end facing down. The larger strip at the top is a reflection of our long tribal history in which oral communication was dominant and humans gathered together in tribes for survival. Their painting of animals on rocks indicates they understood there is an animating force in the universe. The surviving tribal societies today have this same understanding. The next shorter strip from the top is a representation of the machine age, an age that is relatively short in comparison to the span of human existence on the planet. The machine age has filled the planet with cars, planes, and other devices that have had numerous drawbacks as well as advantages. The final strip at the bottom is of people living in the shadow of the electronic age, which also has its drawbacks as well as advantages. We are still not aware of all the advantages and disadvantages of the machine and electronic age. We don't know if they are leading to the end of humanity, a loss of humanity, a better humanity, or an abdication to AI.

A Case for Devolution
By Charles Riley

The earth was said to be flat
Verified by the science of the time.
It was the center of the universe.
Then it was round, and round
It went about the sun
Until it was elliptical
And some said epileptic
With wobbles, and the earth
Was misshapen like an egg,
But if you looked close
It had a bad case of acne
And was perhaps only a teen
As compared to planets of its species.
With Einstein there was a question
Of speed that could flatten the planet
As it approached the speed of light.
So we are back to the flat
If we are approaching the speed of light.
In all likelihood this is the case
If we calculate the speed of the rotation
on top of the orbit around the sun
and the solar system’s orbit around
the center of the galaxy plus the increasing
speed of an expanding universe.
In fact it is probable that some
People have reached the square
Of the speed of light and have drifted
Into the realm of pure energy
Having had one too many and seen
The world spin out of control.
Some have returned to report
There is nothing to mention
When one leaves this dimension
Except a huge headache and
It is better to keep steady on a flat earth.

Related themes

ExpressionisticExpressionismDevolutionPhilosophyAcrylic