Work 666; The Beast

666 the beast
The Beast
c. Michael St.Mark 2011

CONTEXT
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Found fallen Ash tree root complex in woodland, Barnet.

DATA
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Signed edition of 25 giclee prints 32 ” x 28″ on Ilford Pearl
£230 ( unframed)

COMMENT by M.St.M
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Although the eye may immediately “see”  the protruding head of some terrible beast, in actuality the object is obviously merely knarled, weathered, partly charred wood.  The “beast” lies within us and is projected or imputed by the mind onto the object.
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In similar fashion every day we project our hopes and fears onto external objects in the world, unconsciously judging strangers by how they look, even though in reality their actual character may bear no resemblance to our imaginings. Demonizing or worshiping impersonal forms or people are two extremes or sides of the same coin of delusion that are held dear by the ego ready to pronounce in judgement over others.
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In the case of the mythology behind 666, “the number of the beast”, there is no evidence to back up the many extreme claims made over the centuries;  indeed, to the contrary…


Phillips Stevens Jr., an anthropologist at the University at Buffalo, suggests that the association of “666” with disasters, evil, doomsday scenarios, and the devil are based on a “widespread misinterpretation” of Revelation 13.

Professor Stevens said:

“Like most superstitions, the avoidance of the numbers 13 and 666 are examples of magical thinking. People everywhere believe that things associated with other things, through actual contact or just some similarity, have causal relationships even over space and time. Things associated with good events or great people can bring good fortune; things associated with failure, disastrous events or evil people carry some of that negativity with them.”
He suggests that the “number of the beast” in Revelation 13 does not refer to Satan, but to one of many beasts mentioned in that passage”

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LD archive website

Work 662; A Fitting Memorial

a fitting memorial
A Fitting Memorial
c. Michael St.Mark 2013

Digitally enhanced appropriation collage comprising image of Mrs Thatcher strategically
superimposed over that of the collapsed Primark sweatshop factory, Dhakar Bangladesh, in April 2013 that killed over half the number of people that died in the Twin Towers tragedy – yet was conveniently swept under the media carpet and, little more than a month on, barely a mention about the catastrophe from the Sky / BBC

brainwash media monopoly. The workforce had noticed large cracks appearing in the building for days before and on the day of the collapse many “Moaning Minnies” as the Iron Lady would have called them, refused to enter the factory for fear of their lives, yet were ordered in by bosses under threat of summary dismissal. They had little choice because of nil employment rights or union protection.

This is the meat hook end-game reality of unbridled Thatcherism.

Margaret Thatcher, mother and queen of the unregulated free market and economic growth-at-any-human-cost.
Destroyer of union power and degradation of tenants’ as well as workers’ rights, humane terms & conditions.
Supervised and initiated large-scale transfer of power away from the public to the privileged rich with privatization with changes to existing law c/w introduction of punitive and restrictive new law.
The cancerous scourge of Thatcherism continuing on and ever-widening in its scope to this day under Cameron and the spineless self-serving sellout promise-breaker Clegg, through pernicious and repressive legislation quietly passed almost daily in the House of Conmen.


“Under ongoing Thatcherism, Factory = Fat Tory dictating to slave worker”

Links thematically to “143 Sweatshop Shades of Cool


London Dada website