Text by Padraic E. Moore
for Parallelareal exhibition poster by Gunilla Klingberg
Galerie Nordenhake, Stockholm 2010
Posterdesign Andreas och Fredrika




Summer, 2010

Dearest Dearest,
I do hope this finds you in good spirits. You’ve been in my
thoughts since our paths crossed in June. Our conversation began
as a matter of art and has led us into distinctly different realms.
When last we spoke you mentioned you were in the midst of researching
the geophysical energy that Dr. Manfred Curry claimed to have identified
in the middle of the last century. As I’m sure you recall from
our earlier discussions, I share your interest in what we might term
the mystery of subtle earth energy. Despite having encountered webs
of dubious and contradictory material on this subject, I have never
doubted the fact of the existence of these energies. In actuality,
my mistrust of recent research into this field compels me to investigate
instead how insights into the phenomenon exist – in a variety
of permutations – in the historical fabric of countless cultures.

If I recall correctly, your intention is to make visible
those invisible energy lines (that have been detected through dowsing)
by actually demarcating them upon the surfaces of the gallery
interior. Your use of the grid in this project is without doubt the
most original and vital I have encountered in the work of any contemporary
artist. To my mind, the grid underscores the conflict between
intellect and intuition that has hindered the development of
our society for aeons. It also highlights an often overlooked fact:
that many of those artists working within the Modernist project returned
to the grid repeatedly not simply because of its visual potency
but because it is an archetypal structure that – as Rosalind
Krauss noted – contains the two rival poles of rational science and
mystic transcendentalism.

Although there are of course fundamental differences between
your practices, I remain fascinated by the coincidental connection
between your work and that of Emma Kunz – who I mentioned to you
during our first encounter – that pioneering artist/researcher who
combined her aptitude for identifying and interpreting subtle energy
fields with her ability to produce visually stimulating compositions.
I wonder if, perhaps, the instinctual sensitivities Kunz
seems to have possessed were once accessible to much greater numbers.
Do you believe it possible that there once was a time when
certain modes of sensory perception and intuitive sensitivity were
cultivated and refined in the same manner that intellect and logical
reasoning are taught today? It seems quite feasible to me that,
in distant epochs, those who possessed an instinctual ability to
perceive a constellation of vibrations and energies were central
to society and were revered and relied upon for their specialised
skill. Perhaps understandably, figures in the contemporary milieu
who devote themselves to researching such phenomena are neither revered nor respected. Indeed, in the present time those who choose
to set themselves the challenge of interrogating – or simply ignoring
– the accepted conventions of modern scientific dogma almost
invariably encounter derision and suspicion. I may be mistaken,
but I presume that the theories and methodologies proposed by Curry
(and his contemporary Dr. Hartmann) that you have been researching
are more often than not dismissed as implausible and delusional before
being properly assessed?

While my investigation into the work of these aforementioned
individuals has only just begun, I’ve invested significant periods
of time over the years expanding my knowledge of the phenomena of
ley lines, which – I believe – belong in the same spectrum of phenomenon
as the energy grids to which Hartmann and Curry gave their
names. I suppose this interest was sparked some time in my early
teens when I was privileged to have been introduced to enchanting
remnants of ancient Irish civilisations. Living on this little
island, one is almost never very far from these physical remains –
which have become integral to the landscape and which invoke in
many an awe-inspired and often superstitious respect, but in most
a disinterested and indeed destructive ignorance. A palpable aura
is said to be attached to these sites and structures by those with
intuitive insights who strive to protect and in some cases reactivate
the ancient edifices.

In not so distant times, these very sites of sacred significance
were said to be connected by what were referred to as faery
paths or spirit roads – thought to be the charged routes upon which
the denizens of the spirit world travelled. Although these paths
were invisible, knowledge of their presence was widespread and disseminated
down through generations, so that – even today – a fading
awareness of these supernatural conduits may occasionally be found
embedded within rural folklore. Possibly the earliest investigation
into ley lines to take place in the modern era is the idiosyncratic
study by Alfred Watkins, published in the 1920s in his book The Old
Straight Track. I am certain you would find this book worth reading,
not least because Watkins’ inquiry inadvertently lends credence
to the suggestion that we are surrounded by a spectrum of phenomena
once detected and comprehended by our antecedents but no longer
available to our field of perception. While the findings of Watkins’
intensive fieldwork are not as radical as those emerging from Curry
and Hartmann’s research, correspondences and similarities between
some of the ideas triggered by their separate inquiries are curious.

As I have learned, the points of particular significance on
Hartmann and Curry grids are the nodes where two lines intersect.
I believe that, in many cases, it has been observed that these intersections
of energy lines often correspond with the locations of
sacred sites. If we accept the existence of these grids, and also
accept the aforementioned systematic alignments, then we must give
some consideration to the possibility that Neolithic architects
were aware – or were made aware – of geophysical forces, and that
they positioned dolmens, stone circles and other such megalithic
structures accordingly. Whether or not commonalities in these parallel
investigations suggest an important connection we cannot
know. However, the fact that there would seem to be countless historical
cases of individuals discovering the presence of contested
phenomena suggests that we have alienated ourselves irrevocably
from natural occurrences.

As always with these captivating but contentious issues,
one must maintain perspective. While I am enthralled by the many
theories relating to geophysical energy, I cannot deny that the
repercussions of Curry and Hartmann’s claims possess a particularly
disturbing aspect. Specifically, the notion of one’s being physically
and mentally allergic to toxic negative energies emanating
from beneath to cause discomfort and ill health is terrifying. For
my part, I have chosen to gloss over this facet of geopathogenic
phenomena somewhat, as I can well envisage the onslaught of an anxious
obsession about Black Streams and Toxic Faults. Above all else,
I would be sure in stating that we may only begin to gain an understanding
of such phenomena by renouncing our dependence upon the
seemingly infallible instruments of quantitative science. Our lack
of developed understanding of these related phenomena is, in most
cases, less to do with the poor quality of research and more to do
with the dominance of a scientific methodology that discredits all
that which does not conform to the rigid criteria of those narrowly
“scientific” laws that have been embraced largely without question.
I am reminded of the words of the great Baron von Reichenbach, whose
assertion that “empiricism has ruled without invasion a vast domain
of knowledge” seems somehow relevant to this letter.
I’ve already mentioned that I am certain that our antecedents
possessed the ability to perceive a realm of vibration that
the majority of us can only guess at in the present. However, I am
also optimistic that there may exist a method by which our natural
ability to detect vibrations may yet be restored. Although I cannot
be sure if this sensitivity is heightened through study or whether
it is a physical skill to which some are genetically predisposed,
I delight in the prospect that – with determination and resolution
– we can build upon what we do know. Perhaps through study and
stimulating endeavours – such as your forthcoming exhibition – we
may eventually begin to grasp the true extent of the impact of earth
energies upon we humans. My belief that your work functions as a
catalyst that coaxes one to conceive possibilities eclipsed by unexamined
notions of real and rational is one of the reasons why my
initial interest was sparked, and why I was compelled to initiate
contact. This imminent exhibition will function as profound a
gesture of geomancy while simultaneously existing as a corporeal
event distinguished by a formal vocabulary situating it within the context of contemporary art. This duality is a vital element that
introduces an array of fertile possibilities into how we think and,
indeed, what we think.

Even without having had the opportunity to view the exhibition
that is soon to be, I am truly captivated by one particular
idea that has been sparked by your work on this endeavour. You are,
I am sure, familiar with the idea that the powerful forces that
charge sacred locations may be affected by the gathering of congregations
and mystical meetings. Perhaps, then, if we someday can
confirm the presence of these grids and develop an understanding
of their properties in relation to our own capabilities, we will
eventually learn to disseminate vital energy through these lines.
The fact that neurons pass between our synapses to produce a slight
electrical current that in turn produces a magnetic field is widely
known. Despite the microscopic scale of this field there are, at any
given time, thousands and thousands of synapses firing neurons in
the brain. Perhaps, through the cultivation of a particular state
of mind, one can reverse the usual process of outer stimuli from
nature being sent from without to within, and instead reverse the
stream so that stimuli may be sent from within to without, manifesting
in a vital energy. This, indeed, is a thought worth dwelling
upon – as is the rather optimistic idea that, through certain procedures
of positive investment, detrimental negative vibrations may
be transformed into those that are beneficial.

Whether or not these fantastical ideas can become a reality
remains to be seen. Regardless, we must now strengthen our understanding
of the power of thought that has been weakened in the
process termed evolution. Since I permit my rational mind to be
overruled by my fertile imagination, I appreciate that my musings
may seem somewhat fantastical and naïve. It seems to me, however,
that it is preferable to eschew incredulity and view the material
world through a lens of enchantment. In our hyper-modern milieu,
so-called logic substantiates and explains the systems and surrounding
us and dictates how we lead our lives. In the face of this,
it is inspiriting to have connected with you, and to have expanded
the circle of individuals in my acquaintance who recognise that
the widespread dependence upon accepted, legitimised and so-called
“logical” methodologies is a unreserved rejection and dismissal of
innumerable alternatives.

It is wonderful to have found another who holds precious
the contemplation of the possibilities of the super-physical world.
I do look forward to continuing this conversation in the not too
distant future!

Yours affectionately,
Padraic E.Moore