Paradoxes and conundrums. What does it mean to “desire enlightenment”? According to the Four Noble Truths, suffering is due to desire, attachment. To desire nirvana or enlightenment, then, is to reach for something that continually eludes you because of the act of reaching.

But these paradoxes are not limited to religion. Art, music, philosophy, science, all of the higher human activities are full of contradictions and puzzles that don’t provide ready answers but instead point elsewhere, dismantle perspectives, or shatter illusions, all in an effort to reach an approximation of reality that will, in turn, transcend and exceed that reality. A veritable folding Mandelbrot set of a Shining Void that flows beyond the illusions of duality and into Everything / Nothing.

Basta! Stop! I know. In this, the final post of our Festival of Lights, we will limit our efforts to deconstruct reality to the humble pun. Marshall McLuhan says that the pun is a breakthrough to reality when it breaks down some expected movement in language. The title of his book, The Medium is the Massage, is a classic example. The word is not “Message”. According to Wikipedia, McLuhan attributed this to a typographer’s typo. When he saw it, he kept it. This, in my opinion, was to his great credit: I’ll leave our discussion of synchronicity and the fortuitous mistake for another time.

So what is the “Gaffa” in “Suspended in Gaffa“? Gaffer’s construction tape? Or a gaff, a large stick for impaling fish? Nah. I like to think of it as gaffe, pronounced by an Italian. (Side nota bene: The Dreaming, is a true masterpiece by a Strega of extraordinary power. In addition, do not, do not miss Hounds of Love, especially Side 2, especially during the dead of winter.)

All of which is to reiterate once again: Art points. It doesn’t answer. Taking a literal, final definition of the intention of the work or of the artist robs the entire enterprise of its purpose.

I, myself, can’t wait to move into Mardi Gras / Carnival Season, which begins as I type this. Forty-five days until Fat Tuesday on 21 February. That’s a nice, late WARM Mardi Gras. Make your plans now.

Rimanete sintonizzati!

Rome : Trastevere, San Luigi dei Francesi, Pantheon. December 2022