Art, Music, Culture and Politics by Spyros Mercouris 18.2.2011

All living creatures have two main instincts: reproduction and self-preservation, these are necessary for the survival of the species. But Man, though a rational being has transformed the basic instinct of reproduction into an act of beauty. Humans beautify the sexual act, thus making it more desirable and in their pursuit of love and in the name of love have created much that is best in culture and the arts. Symbolic to the noble sentiment of love is the heart, the seat of the emotions.

Human beings, to secure their survival, must first overcome nature, whilst remaining a part of it. Man is a social creature, he does not live alone. In seeking a better and safer life, he builds communities with different social and political systems. He uses his vision and thinking abilities to create rules, laws and values in which to function in a more comfortable and harmonious manner. In this way he aims to create an efficient and just society which will ultimately lead to a better quality of life. Symbolic of this is the mind.

The soul is the force – the breath of life and the hope of our immortality. It is the soul which makes us conscious of our identity, dignity and above all of our humanity.

Art is an intrinsic part of the relationship between nature and the turbulence of life. To succeed, art must touch the mind, heart and soul.

Art, with religion, philosophy, science and technology are the culmination of man’s endeavors to find a balance with life and are at the centre of all cultural activity.

The arts are a human accomplishment, a man-made creativity – a vision – a revelation. Art is an expression through which the artist unfolds his ideas, passions and dreams. The artist is a free and independent spirit. He agonizes over, and struggles for the emergence of a new aesthetic, a new awareness, a new approach to life.

The language of art is perceived through the images and symbols the artist gives to his work and by which he transfers his ideas and inspiration to others. It is important for the artist to be recognized and have his values and impressions understood.

If his artistic genius endures the passage of time and breaches the boundaries of his country then the language of his art becomes universal and for all time.

Of vital interest to us all is the dimension and contribution art offers to society. Art is instrumental in the moulding and creation of civilization and culture, in accordance to the space and time in which it finds itself. It colors and affects the life we live, we cannot do without art – art is for life!

Kids’ Guernica is an international project for children through art in different places of the world to create peace paintings on huge canvases the same size as Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica”.

Picasso is a giant. Giant of the arts, of painting, of sculpture, but also a giant of thought. He could with his brush put on canvas all his artistic and political sentiments. Guernica has become a symbol of the horror of war.

Children are also giants of art. They paint spontaneously what they feel without being intimidated by outside influences. The imagination of children is fresh. They dream. They have visions. They feel and live intensely pain and joy. Their hand runs freely to paint their truth. The result is fantastic. Full of color and expression. Children from Izmir (Turkey) and Chios (Greece) painted together on the same canvas. They don’t want war, they want peace. The dialog between cultures starts with children.

For children music is a great communicator.

Humanity produces music in a way that no other living creature does, and has been doing so from an incredibly early point in its evolution. This shows that music is both something that is specifically human and to which humans are exceptionally susceptible.

Music depends on hearing. It is something we have to listen to, something that makes the reception of music direct, immediate and straight to the soul, heart and mind.

Music is more than a language. Having said this, music communicates so successfully between different cultures or within cultural areas such as Europe which are divided by language. A person need not know a single word of Russian and still listen joyously to the music of Tchaikovsky.

And it is precisely because the reception of music is so direct and so universal, that it can play such an important role in cultural and political interchange. Music is great for bringing us together.

The power of music to tap the deepest layers of our human substance are limitless and also explain the immense therapeutic power of music, as experienced by countless patients and children suffering from a great variety of ailments and disabilities. Music manages to reach, penetrate, comfort or pacify them where all else fails.

Music is something that is inherent in human nature and which is universally accessible across cultures without requiring much or indeed any mediation. It is also something which we do because we are human and which when we do it emphasizes and reminds us of our humanity. As Shakespeare said: “If music be the food of love – play on…..”.

Music starts spontaneously from the rhythm of the heartbeat and the sounds of nature, enters the mind, lifts the soul and reaches an apotheosis.

Music’s’ divine energy moves the world and therefore our lives, that is why we cannot live without it. Music is the invincible power that can pacify, make us fall in love or cry without knowing why. Music can ignite a revolution, drive us crazy or deplete our energy, put us into deep thought, make us visualize colors, shapes, trips to unknown realms in space, hallucinate, frighten or put our bodies into frantic motion. There is an explanation for all this: the sound of music mirrors aspects of life.

The sound of music has a mathematical form

Pythagoras calculated the direct relationship of a musical note with the height, width, length and tension of a chord. Both Plato and Aristotle wrote a treaty on acoustics based on the theories of Pythagoras. Theophrastus, though, took this further, and said that music is not only a creation of mathematics, but that the notes themselves had their own character and musicality. Theophrastus was the first to stress that music is an expression of joy and happiness.

We are talking about culture.

But what is culture? There are many definitions of culture. But let’s say the most simple one.

Speech, poetry, literature, theatre, music, dance, fine arts, architecture, science and care of the environment are expressions of culture, they create culture. However, the meaning of culture is much wider and deeper. Civilizations are formed by what man has said and done since thousands of years ago and which, up to now, have been accepted and absorbed by societies and peoples and have been added to in their traditions, habits, thoughts, creations, actions and memories.

Curiosity, desire, thought, reason, consciousness, will, creative energy and development are what man has acquired through the ages.

Culture absorbs from the past, moulds the present and shapes the future.

Culture exists in all our doings, in all our activities. It is knowledge, education, behaviour, freedom of expression, constructive dialogue, responsibility, understanding and respect for the diversity and the opinion of others. It is creation, quality and a way of life.

Now, at the commencement of the 21^st century digital technology has become a major ally and an accomplice of worldwide cultural behavior and expression. It moulds and shapes our new ethical and moral situation. But, at the same time it presents us with new dilemmas and challenges.

Today digital technology is mainly useful as an enormous pool of information and as a quick and easy way of communication. However, it does not, and cannot have the kind of knowledge that is acquired through experience and the art of living. As yet, it does not have the power for collective decisions nor that of a political will.

Though digital technology is still in its infancy, it has the positive future possibility of becoming an important tool for culture and a great potential source for knowledge.

But can digital technology lead eventually to a human society of peace and concord?

Geography and climate have always played a crucial role in the development of culture and civilizations.

Greek civilization was born in the Aegean. A tiny sea with a colossal civilization whose dynamism lead to the miracle of Classical Greece.

Here people learned to live in a limited space, well defined, where everything was familiar. They developed a tendency for the precise. They needed to observe the phenomena.

The sea was in front of them, curiosity, adventure, the voyage, communication with other people, exchange of ideas, opened their minds to create an anthropocentric civilization.

Democracy and Classical Drama were born at the same place, at the same time, in Athens at the end of the 6^th Century BC. Two major gifts that the Hellenic World gave to mankind.

In Democracy, tight bonds were forged between people, which taught them to value each other. The individual came to be respected as an independent personality.

So arose the concept of the Citizen, of a man who is free to make his own choices but who is fully aware of his responsibilities towards his Community.

A Society emerged whose social values were created by the Citizens, and where social control was exercised through legislation and public opinion.

The Agora was not just a business centre but a meeting place for the whole Community where ideas could be exchanged and discussed in the pursuit of truth.

This peaceful revolution gave a tremendous momentum to the people and inspired Athenians to create incredible achievements.

Politics are a high art.

Pericles was a great politician, statesman and law-maker of the Athenian democratic state and the years of his administration are known as “The Golden Age”.

Pericles, during his time in power, inspired the development – to the highest degree, in philosophy, paideia, education, fine arts, architecture, music, dance, drama, athletics, etc., for he wished Athens to be a city of beauty in all things. He believed that the ideals of the people of Athens should be expressed by buildings and temples of unsurpassed simplicity and beauty; like the Parthenon on the Acropolis. The Parthenon, through the ages became the symbol of the “Golden Mean”, wisdom and democracy.

To Pericles, virtue and merit were indispensable qualities for the proper functioning of the state.

Classical Drama developed as a unique form of art, uniting speech, song, scenery and dance in a physical environment. It was a supreme vehicle for expressing the emotional and intellectual concerns of the time.

In the hands of the tragedians the myths became a means for the expression of their religious, philosophical, political and artistic beliefs.

The poets of ancient drama through their words express to their audience the conflict between established tradition, religious and heroic acts, and the new, emerging concepts of justice, civic responsibility and political thought and action. The tension between the old and still unformed new, would give rise to a tragic moment, allowing the tragedian an opportunity to comment critically on the question of human responsibility.

The three great tragedians: Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides established Tragedy as a most noble form of intellectual creation. Their works performed during the festivals took man as their central focus.

After 2.500 years ancient drama is still up to date. It remains contemporary eternal and still speaks to us in modern language, of man’s yearning to explore the forces that surrounds him; and the awe he feels about the major events of his life.

In the last decades, religious creeds are multiplying and sadly bigotry and fanaticism are on the rise.

Nationalism and racism are spreading. The problems of minorities increase again. Unemployment grows. Hunger in the third world has not retreated. Local wars do not stop. The centers of power and mass media are creating such a bombardment of impressions that people cannot follow what is really happening. They cannot judge correctly. They cannot measure their knowledge. They do not know how much consideration is taken of their opinion. Technology runs at such a speed that people cannot yet absorb the biological and social conditions it creates.

Having this in mind in 1983, in Athens, the then Greek Minister of Culture Melina Mercouri gathered all the Community Culture Ministers together in order to submit to them the following question: “How is it possible for a Community which is deprived of its cultural dimension to grow?” and continued: “our role as Ministers of Culture is clear. Our responsibility a must. Culture is the soul of Society. Therefore, our foremost duty is to look at the foundations and nature of this Community. This does not mean that we should impose our ideas. On the contrary, we must recognize the diversity and the differences amongst the people of Europe. The determining factor of a European identity lies precisely in respecting this diversity with the aim of creating a dialogue between the cultures of Europe. It is time for our voice to be heard as loud as that of the technocrats. Culture, art and creativity are not less important than technology, commerce and the economy”.

The European community, a commercial and economic community up to that point, had not given special attention to its cultural dimension and Cultural Ministers met informally.

When Melina proposed to the Ministers of Culture to designate each year a European city as a European Capital of Culture, she did so in the belief that a real contribution would be made which would enhance the reinvigoration both of the individual citizen and of the peoples of Europe.

Also, it was certain that through efforts to achieve a higher quality of life the event of the Cultural Capital would expand to cities of European countries outside the Community according to the principles of Democracy, pluralism and rule of law.

The proposal was unanimously accepted and the institution of European Cultural Capital was created with Athens being chosen as the first European Capital of Culture for the year 1985.

The European Capitals of Culture began as a vision, developed into a big cultural event and became an institution of the European Union.

The institution of European Capital of Culture was created, so as to show the character of each city which had been nominated. This included its history, traditions and its contemporary creativity.

We especially wanted the event of Cultural Capitals, NOT to be a Festival, but a meeting place for discussion, exchange of ideas and communication, where artists, intellectuals and scientists would bring their work and efforts together towards the promotion of European thought.

To be a tool which would allow the citizens of Europe to be more than mere spectators, to participate, to understand, to feel, to define and shape new ideas and relationships in the process for a politically unified Europe.

From what we have said up to now, it is clear that the event is not only what a Cultural Capital offers and does on its own, but the contribution of all the European Cultural Capitals offer together as a whole.

The institution has acquired such importance that all the cities of Europe want to be nominated European Cultural Capitals.

As a result the ECCM Network (European Cultural Capitals & Months) was formed to link former, current and future European Capitals of Culture. Its aim was to serve the institution of European Capitals of Culture and thereby deepen the understanding of Europe’s cultural diversity.

To enhance cultural co-operation and the promotion of culture on a European wide basis the ECCM network undertook to share information and experiences. This was another way of interpreting and promoting European Cultural projects. For that reason the ECCM has organized European programs.

A few years ago the Municipality of Athens created a Documentation Centre which would include all the programs and activities of all the Cultural Capitals of Europe.

The Documentation Centre is a panorama of cultural activities of all the Cultural Capitals of Europe up to now. It shows the huge amount of cultural events, infrastructures, editions, experience, know-how etc. that has been produced during the past 25 years.

Despite the productive role of culture of the European Capitals of Culture and ECCM, the newer European Capitals of Culture ECOC have narrowed their goal. Especially, Liverpool 2008 and Essen 2010, who concentrated on strengthening the economic impact. Of course, this had a considerable success, but it is only one factor of the philosophy of the European Capitals of Culture.

Unfortunately under the guidance of Liverpool and Essen the ECCM ceased to exist. That was a mistake.

I strongly believe that a new network is much needed to link the past and future ECOC and have a communication with the Documentation Centre to form a complete archive of all the European Capitals of Culture.

In 2007 the European Commission published a study which confirmed that culture is of central and growing importance to the European economy. The study speaks about no less than 5.8 million people who are employed in the cultural sector. While elsewhere unemployment increased, the cultural sector had started to employ more and more of Europe’s best educated and most flexible workers, namely artists, film makers, designers, writers etc. The facts speak for themselves.

The study merits a welcome. But those of us who are involved and concerned about the future of European culture, the study carries with it, a certain risk. It comes at a time when progress is too often defined in purely commercial and material terms, and the study may reinforce this tendency to look upon cultural activity as being merely another form of economic activity. This would be a mistake. In the long run of history culture has never been a mere or even primarily an economic activity.

Here we must be careful. As we have already said, culture is much deeper and wider. The Productivity of culture is generated by culture’s own power to renew itself and to create out of itself a momentum to go forward. This is culture’s perennial strength.

We must never forget that culture is horizontal. Culture is at the centre of our social, economic and political life. It goes straight to the human being for the betterment of the quality of life.

Today, developed countries of the world form a global village. Never in the history of mankind has there ever existed such easy contact. Each country and each continent is in constant communication. But it is doubtful if such communication promotes a straightforward and constructive dialogue between peoples and civilizations.

We live in a time that is dominated by cynicism, mistrust, insecurity and fear. The pursuit of money corrupts and changes the characters of people. We must understand that when there is an increase in material goods, which is not followed with a parallel development of ideas and values, then the lifestyle created flattens every cultural creation and is doomed to wither and decline.

Unfortunately, with the political, economic and social relations of today –and especially because of the economic crisis– the transnational capital, which is invisible, controls and checks the world economy. Nominal money has become a product and an object of speculation and so creates an enormous social and economic gap between people and the policies of the centres of economic powers. Thus it is ostracizing culture from the decision making process. This is serious and dangerous. The gap must be narrowed.

The logistic way of the economy, must not be so hard. The balance sheet must not be the only thing of paramount importance. If people are squeezed dry, no development can be achieved and hope for a better life will fade. The economic decisions and programs must always consider the human factor. This is a protest and demand for culture and humanity.

Europe must be made to be conscious of this problem and should combine economic development with the happiness of her people.

We have to believe in the power and productivity of culture.

We have to ask the writer, the thinker, the artist, to give answers and a new meaning and essence to the conditions and demands of our time.

To develop, we must adapt ourselves to reality. To use the means that contemporary conditions offer to us and to function in a way that we can convince others in the importance and power of culture, for the development of societies, and to convince them that culture is not an abstract idea that occupies only the intellectuals, but culture, I strongly repeat, is at the centre of our political, economic and social life.

When the level of culture, education and intellectual life rises, governments and citizens will understand their problems more easily. They will evaluate their problems better and will face life with greater understanding and show greater tolerance for the thinking and acting of other people.

Cultural diversity is the basic heritage of thousands of years of history. It is the collective product of mankind.

Europe due to her historical background and experience could play an important role in fostering a constructive cultural dialogue worldwide.

Throughout the ages, mankind has consistently sought progress and renewal.

In the long history of human civilization there has been a whole series of renaissances, each one making its contribution to moral and intellectual regeneration and to the betterment of the quality of life. I am optimistic. I believe in culture.

If man wants to develop and progress he must not forget the eternal values that he himself has created. If he wants to dream and sing again he must create new ideas and values.

And who knows? Perhaps the institution of European Capitals of Culture may assist the old Continent of Europe with new ideas and values so essential for nations, communities and especially man.

Man is the driving force.

And as Sophocles said in his Antigone: “Many wonders there are and yet none is more wonderful than man”.

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Art, Music, Culture and Politics by Spyros Mercouris 18.2.2011