CHRIS ARNING - ARTIST'S STATEMENT
I am a creative thinker interested in ideas and philosophy and how they become manifest in symbolic form.
My main medium is words: both written and spoken. I practice across genres from prose to stand-up comedy from hip hop to calligraphy. My poetry ranges from Japanese tanka, through sonnets and other closed forms through to longer performances pieces. In terms of poetry, I read widely and exist in the interstices between page poetry, performance poetry and hip-hop.
I am inspired to write through three sources:
Usually all three at once! For me, my writing practice is about gradually removing preciousness, overcoming perfectionism as well as helping with my mental health.
My inspirations are, in no particular order:
1. The British Radical Tradition – William Blake, Tom Paine and the radical tradition of the Free Born Englishman
2. Romanticism – I believe in the sublime, the beautiful, the upsurge of powerful feelings and what Tolstoy says about the sincerity of artists work inspiring others
3. Hip-Hop Consciousness – speaking truth to power, rhythm and poetry, hip-hop is a beautiful, spiritual art form that came from nothing and has inspired so many
4. Buddhism – so much wisdom and inspiration in the Four Noble Truths, the idea of impermanence and the symbolism of beauty of Buddhist art and symbolism
5.Semiotics - though it might, in a sense be seen as dry and academic, #semiotics makes the invisible visible – as Wilde said every good artist must be a critic too
I value imagination and wisdom over knowledge and intelligence – although my upbringing always favoured the latter. I grew up in a household where revering the rubrics – my art, every piece of work I produce is part of creative recovery towards fulfilment.
This website is dedicated to the memory of my late dear friend Zsi Chimera and the artist she might have been… Thanks for reading.
My main medium is words: both written and spoken. I practice across genres from prose to stand-up comedy from hip hop to calligraphy. My poetry ranges from Japanese tanka, through sonnets and other closed forms through to longer performances pieces. In terms of poetry, I read widely and exist in the interstices between page poetry, performance poetry and hip-hop.
I am inspired to write through three sources:
- a) To process difficult feelings
- b) To channel righteous indignation
- c) To play with beats, rhythm and wordplay
Usually all three at once! For me, my writing practice is about gradually removing preciousness, overcoming perfectionism as well as helping with my mental health.
My inspirations are, in no particular order:
1. The British Radical Tradition – William Blake, Tom Paine and the radical tradition of the Free Born Englishman
2. Romanticism – I believe in the sublime, the beautiful, the upsurge of powerful feelings and what Tolstoy says about the sincerity of artists work inspiring others
3. Hip-Hop Consciousness – speaking truth to power, rhythm and poetry, hip-hop is a beautiful, spiritual art form that came from nothing and has inspired so many
4. Buddhism – so much wisdom and inspiration in the Four Noble Truths, the idea of impermanence and the symbolism of beauty of Buddhist art and symbolism
5.Semiotics - though it might, in a sense be seen as dry and academic, #semiotics makes the invisible visible – as Wilde said every good artist must be a critic too
I value imagination and wisdom over knowledge and intelligence – although my upbringing always favoured the latter. I grew up in a household where revering the rubrics – my art, every piece of work I produce is part of creative recovery towards fulfilment.
This website is dedicated to the memory of my late dear friend Zsi Chimera and the artist she might have been… Thanks for reading.
Blog PostsFor more on writings on brands, visual culture, communication, and language
http://www.creativesemiotics.co.uk/blog.html https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisarningsemiotics/detail/recent-activity/posts/ |
Academic WorkFor a taste of my academic work, and some publications please see this page:
https://warwick.academia.edu/ChrisArning |
InterviewsFor interviews on aspects of my craft
The Bard School, Podcast interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt0DakNfdXk Meet the Experts Podcast interview https://open.spotify.com/episode/1xdmdIciodhEeXDdzjYzW7 |