25 Hate B
"In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher." The Dalai Lama
KEY WORDS
Avoidance
Contempt
Revenge
Intolerance
Marginalise
Contrast
VIDEO
MEANING
A passionate aversion to something or someone is not necessarily a bad thing. Knowing what we like and dislike, identifying what's good for us and what isn't, and realising what we want and don't want, are all central to our understanding of where we are and where we want to go. However, hate can consume us and stop us from listening and learning. It is essential in our quest for change that we remain present, compassionate, and measured.
Hate can develop from fear and ignorance. To combat ignorance we can seek advice from wise people. To combat fear we must first assess whether that fear is justified or whether we are catastrophizing. Sitting for too long in hate or in anger will dim our view of the world and of ourselves. Solving problems often takes patience. If we cannot solve a problem, we can distance ourselves from it, or drown out its noise with kindness.
OBJECTS
Star (Light) Stay true to yourself. Never let anyone or anything distract you from your goal.
Snake (Dark) Snakes regularly shed their skin to grow, and to leave parasites behind.
Sword (Fire) You have the power to decide how to act. Choose wisely. Measure twice, cut once.
Key (Earth) Hate is a powerful motivator and channelling it correctly can be key to success.
Book (Light) We tend to hate things we fear. We tend to fear the unknown. Knowledge is power.
Match (Fire) A powerful spark of passion can ignite a great fire. Be careful not to burn valuable bridges.
THE MAGIC SEAL
THE ART
“Cuantos desengaños, por una cabeza,
yo jure mil veces no vuelvo a insistir
pero si un mirar me hiere al pasar,
su boca de fuego, otra vez, quiero besar.”
(Many deceptions, losing by a head...
I swore a thousand times not to insist again
but if a look sways me on passing by
her lips of fire, I want to kiss once more.)
"Por una Cabeza" is a tango song written in 1935 with music by Carlos Gardel and lyrics by Alfredo Le Pera.
We are back in the little cafe in La Boca that we discovered with Love. We see another corner of the smokey cafe, the couple is still there dancing, but this time, the air is dense with hate... Love and Hate are specular cards, they show the same cafe from different perspectives, one card is revealing what the other is hiding.
To draw these cards I took inspiration from my childhood spent in Buenos Aires, with its vibrant rhythm, passion, and life.
AUGMENTED REALITY
In Love we find freedom, in Hate with find chains and bonds.
The dancers are trapped in their game,
the tango is darker,
sensuous and dangerous.
It is the game of a spider playing with its pray...
THE MUSE
We wanted our collaboration on the Hate card to tie-in closely with our work on the Love card. It was essential to explore the dance between two sides of passion: the light and the dark. We are incredibly proud to be collaborating with the amazing Circus, Theatre and Sideshow performers Hauk Pattison and Hannah Lou to tell this story. Compare the characters and physicality in both cards - what do you notice?
Two artistes whose work dances along dangerous lines. They take the audience's breath away with hypnotic and astonishing feats, whether it is an acrobatic aerial feat on a Chinese Pole, or an electrifying brush with flames licking hungrily towards vulnerable flesh, it is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. Danger can be beautiful. Many of us are motivated to create work that rights wrongs in the world. Embracing a dislike of unhealthy influences can be constructive, but unless you're an expert, don't try this at home, and don't play with fire.
THE MUSIC
When passion is focussed on negatives rather than positives, it can spiral into murky dangerous places. Easily mistaken for the same hypnotic tango feeling of Love, we can be seduced onto the dance floor by how easily the rhythm of Hate takes over our body. The backwards orchestra push us further into our spiral, and piano and percussion join us making it harder and harder to stop. Whilst a little dislike can help us achieve good things, too much can consume us. The deeper we go into this dance, the more sinister it becomes.
LINKS TO GO DEEPER
Listen to Por Una Cabeza by Carlos Gardel on Spotify
An amazing ambassador for anti-bullying and positive mental health and dealing with hate, especially online, is Monica Lewinsky. You can watch her deeply moving TED Talk.
Discover the music by Darren Clark for These Trees Are Made of Blood, a musical political cabaret fighting oppression and telling human stories. Link to listen on Soundcloud.