What constitutes art in relation to the contemporary concept of “design”? After all, all art is designed, isn’t it? Even when art is wholly random, the mind of the person triggering the random splash (or whatever technique) is a designing agent by proxy. However, all design – a contemporary general term for shape and form in everyday/decorative items and/or demagogic information – isn’t art. But if one is to make such bold assumptions as I just did, perhaps there needs to be some clarification? As a result of urbanised and globalised monoculture, there has been a slight confusion during the most recent decades. The sphere of what I call “general creatives” has been more or less successfully integrated into what’s usually called the “art world”. Meaning: industrial designers, commercial graphic artists, fashion people, architects and conceptual strategists can nowadays have exhibitions at institutions and spaces that used to contain a more narrow form of art (the kind made by...
A recent interview at COS News
I was recently interviewed by Der Rabe, a German Church of Satan-affiliated site. The interview has now has also been posted in English at COS’ news site. You can read it in the original HERE or just keep reading here below. Thank you. 9 QUESTIONS, 9 SATANIC ANSWERS – MAGISTER CARL ABRAHAMSSON Conducted & Translated by Der Rabe Hello Carl. Thank you for taking the time to give an interview to Der Rabe. As a starter, how would you explain Satanism to someone who comes again and again with the same old arguments like child molestation, animal sacrifice, and church burnings, to name but a few? It is after all difficult to make it clear to these bigoted humans and also to the media that this is bollocks. I think the main thing to do is point to the web site of the Church of Satan, where everything is so clearly stated. And, in extension, to LaVey’s own writings. If the people in question are intelligent enough to do that, then maybe A) nothing needs to be explained...
A Sex Ambient Flashback
Way back when, my band White Stains collaborated frequently with Stockholm based video artist Fetish 23. His work was always (and is still) psychedelic and mind-boggling in a decidedly maximalistic way – much in the same way as I perceive the music of White Stains to be. No tender and sensitive pussyfooting but much rather a full-blown assault on the senses at volume 11. One of our most substantial collaborations was Sex Ambient: an hour long video with music from our album Misantropotantra as well as many unreleased tracks. It turned out well. When we showed it at legendary sound-art haven/hub Fylkingen in Stockholm in 1992 we broke the attendance record of that place (and they had been in business since 1933!). I released it as a VHS cassette on my then label Psychick Release but when that operation folded (approx 1994), the video went into hibernation. But now, 23 years later, it’s time to digitally dust off this little blast from the past and share it with a new...
Tom Benson: Visionary arrives
The wonderful book Tom Benson: Visionary has now arrived and has been shipped to all pre-order customers. Thank you for waiting! As stated before, I’m extremely proud to have been involved in this magnificent tome, and I was even more so when I unpacked the boxes from the printshop. The book looks absolutely amazing, and is such a great introduction to the wonderfully weird world of Benson’s. Why don’t you take a look yourself? The book can be found HERE! Tom Benson: Visionary from Carl Abrahamsson on Vimeo.
