Kickstarter

As we enter the nineteenth day of our Kickstarter fund drive for the BONFIRE FOR HUMANITY, we would like to ponder the presence of the Eye of Providence that currently graces all American one dollar bills.  Perhaps surprisingly, we are not interested in identifying potential occult, secret society or conspiracy ties within the symbolic use of the all-seeing eye on our national currency.  Instead, we would like to focus our attention on the triangle that contains this powerful symbol.  

The equilateral triangle is a powerful symbol in and of itself.  Linguistically, equilateral breaks down quite simply to "equal" and "lateral".  Equal is also the root of equality.  Physically, an equilateral triangle represents a stable form.  Spiritually, it is the point where matter and consciousness meet the higher realms.  Realized in the third dimension, it becomes a pyramid or tetrahedron.  Interestingly, the educational diagram below is rendered in the form of a tetrahedron.

Like many symbols, the equilateral triangle is charged with a secondary association or power depending on its orientation.  For example, a triangle pointing upwards will have a masculine association, while one pointing downwards will have a feminine association.  What happens when two equilateral triangles point at each other?  Is the point at which higher realms may be accessed magnified?  Will this unlock a manifestation of true unity characterized by total equality?

If you have not already, will you stand and be counted as a collaborator with Nightmare City?  Will you take the place of an eroteme and use your form to build upon our stable symbol which stands in inverted yet direct opposition to the signifier that has wrought so much instability?  Will you help us heal humanity?  

As we enter the fifteenth day of our Kickstarter fund drive for the BONFIRE FOR HUMANITY, we would like to take a moment to celebrate the start of the weekend with a new jam!  Press play, trance out and visualize beautiful flames encircling dollar bills, ya'll!

As a special thank you to our generous backers, Money II Burn Supermix Remix will be available for download for anyone who pledges support for the BONFIRE FOR HUMANITY in solidarity and collaboration with Nightmare City.  

The phrase "money to burn" is quite popular, lyrically, in pop music these days.  A metaphor for spending capital unnecessarily, it is often included in pop songs to describe nights in the club drinking and/or attempting to get laid.  Money II Burn Supermix Remix is made up entirely of samples of said lyrics.  While Nightmare City certainly supports - nay, defends - the right of drunken revelry, we do wonder about the current Top 40 hits whose lyrics seem to advocate a certain fatalism mediated by intoxication, and facilitated by a pile of cash or maxed-out credit cards.

 "I live it up like these are my last days"   "and I'mma hit this drink up like it's my last"  "For all we know we might not get tomorrow" "and I drink to that" "two white cups and I got that drink" "It's a blacked out blur" 

Does this mean that communication via - or participation in - pop (aka populist) culture is dependent on achieving an unconscious or semi-conscious state?  Can we create a realm of participation and communication that strives for a state of higher consciousness?  Will literally burning money help create this realm?

As we enter the thirteenth day of our Kickstarter fund drive for the BONFIRE FOR HUMANITY, we find ourselves considering time.  The passage of time, yes, but also the timing of events.  Specifically, the events of our twelfth day of fundraising, Tuesday, October 25, 2011.  Let us investigate these important events in time [all events recorded in PST].

Event One:  The Oakland [PD] Raiders

At approximately 4:30am, the Occupy Oakland camps at Oscar Grant Plaza (formerly Frank Ogawa Plaza) and Snow Park were raided by the Oakland police department with assistance from the Alameda County Sheriff's Deputies and the Berkeley, Emeryville, Hayward, Pleasanton and Union City police departments.  With the aid of tear gas, the Oakland police department, assisted by the aforementioned agencies, demolished (or dismantled, depending the news source) the camps and arrested approximately 100 civilians.  

The Occupy Oakland movement responded to this action with a rally at the Oakland Public Library which led to a march at roughly 5:00pm.  As the protestors attempted to re-enter Oscar Grant Plaza they were informed by the Oakland police department, along with the aforementioned assisting agencies, that they were assembling illegally.  

At approximately 7:15pm at the intersection of Broadway and 14th Street tear gas and flash bang grenades were used by the Oakland police department and assisting agencies on the crowd.  

Did you notice the woman in a wheelchair surrounded by gas at 0:07?  Do you think the camera person was incapacitated by the gas and that's why the camera was set down?

Do you recognize the woman lying face down in the street at the 0:40 mark?  Is this same woman who is standing at the beginning of the previous video?  Her lovely, yet flimsy, brightly colored dress looks so familiar, partially because of the stark contrast of the riot gear, wouldn't you agree?  Can you hear the camera man choking?

The crowd continued to be tear gassed and shot with bean bags and rubber bullets throughout the night, and there were also rumors of the Oakland police department and assisting agencies deploying a sound cannon on the civilian protestors.  Josh Levinger provided a live video feed from his cell phone, which was archived here.

Unfortunately, the segment including an interview with a Navy vet participating in the protests has mysteriously disappeared.  However, this still image survives.

Event Two: Obama'$ Dinner

Meanwhile, across the San Francisco Bay, in the illustrious neighborhood of Pacific Heights, President Obama was attending a fundraiser of his own.  For a mere $35,000.00 per plate, any individual could dine with Obama.  $30,000.00 of the meal ticket would support the DNC, while $5,000.00 would support Obama's re-election campaign.

Event Three: Heartache in Hotlanta

At 8:52pm Atlanta Deputy Police Chief Calvin Moss announced that the Occupy Atlanta movement would have to vacate Woodruff Park, as the executive order allowing them to occupy the park had been revoked.  

At approximately 9:15pm tents were removed from the park.

At approximately 9:45pm police began arresting protestors.

At approximately 10:00pm Senator Vincent Fort, who notably authored the strongest predatory lending law in the country and sponsored bills against collective bargaining for law enforcement officers, was arrested.

In addition to Senator Vincent Fort, Atlanta city councilman Derrick Boazman and Joe Beasley, the southern regional director of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, were occupying the park, as was a war veteran who tied himself to a tree in protest.

However, it is widely noted that the largest demographic of the Occupy Atlanta movement has been college students.

Event Four:  HOPE for the co-ed set

Over the course of the evening several news outlets released reports that President Obama will announce a plan to reduce the financial strain of college graduates.  Supposedly, this plan, which will cap student loan payments at 10% of income and forgive student loan debt in 20 years, will be unveiled on the thirteenth day of our Kickstarter fund drive, Wednesday, October 26, 2011.  It is rumored that this plan is vital to his re-election campaign, as the student vote was crucial to his 2008 election.

What is the timely significance of these events?  What is the relationship between freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, the allocation of public space, the allocation of tax dollars to arrest the general public and the allocation of campaign donations from private citizens?  Does money directly affect our ability to be free?  Do you agree with the sentiments underlying the actions described in the following tweets?

As we enter the eleventh day and half-way mark of our Kickstarter fund drive FOR THE BONFIRE FOR HUMANITY, we are reminded of the old adage "you've got to spend money to make money".  There are many charms, talismans, oils, powders and candles for sale that will enable you to unlock and harness your mojo, your power, to access or attract money.  You can buy them here, here or here.  If you prefer a more D.I.Y. approach to your capitalist goals then you may be interested in these spells.

Candles and fire seem to be an integral activator in these spells.  Let's watch a money spell being cast:

Almost exactly one year ago, in collaboration with Alex Lukas, we cast our own money spell utilizing a store-bought Voodoo money candle in New Orleans.  We intended to use the money candle to activate our personal mojo in relationship to the Power Ball Lotto tickets we purchased at a drive-thru daiquiri stand.

Our desired outcome was quite ambitious.

But the money candle burning didn't go quite as planned.

The past year of Nightmare City's life has indeed been a journey.  This journey has led to tremendous spiritual growth.  We no longer need to ask the spirits or the universe for money for personal gain.  In agreement with the libertarian economist Steven Landsburg's proposition that burning one's paper money is one of the highest forms of egalitarian philanthropy, we now ask you for your collaboration in THE BONFIRE FOR HUMANITY in the form of paper money that will burn so much more strongly and brightly and with a greater collective purpose than a strobing money candle.     

As we enter the sixth day of our Kickstarter fund drive for the BONFIRE FOR HUMANITY, we would like to pause and take a moment to thank our backers for their generous donations.  We are off to a great start and now just need to raise the remaining $9800.00 for the fire.  That is just $612.50 a day for the next 16 days.  $612.50 is such a small amount when put in the context of cleansing the collective psyche!

Many individuals and groups burn money.  For some it is a form of protest; in the following youtube video, participants are protesting the Federal Reserve:

(That laser at :34 is pretty dang cool, huh?  Donate some dollars and we'll get our bonfire started with multiple lasers!)

Others, such as The K Foundation (formerly KLF, a highly successful British pop group from the early 1990s) seem to be interested in a critique of pop culture, as well as "high" art and their relationship to the circulation of capital and the very institutions that engender them.  

Here is an excerpt of the KFL documentary to provide some context:

Here is an excerpt of their art video, Watch The K Foundation Burn A Million Quid:

There is also the Bank of Burning Money, based in Germany.  From their Manifesto:

"The free market gives us the freedom of Money: Because with Money you can do whatever you want.  Look around:  There are endless possibilities: Car, Vacation, Your Own Home, investment - the Choice is Yours!  This is the Freedom of the Market - the Freedom of Money - our Freedom!

The Bank of Burning Money is here to fight for that Freedom!"

(manifesto and video from Exchanghibition Bank)

Let us look deep into the fire and reflect on these examples of how and why individuals, groups and artist collectives burn money.  As our present and future backers, how do you conceptualize your role within this collaboration?  Are you interested in protesting, critiquing or fighting?  Do you see a relationship between these options and Nightmare City's desire to cleanse?