Tears Left for Dead...

More than haberdashery

The human eye, it is said, is the window of the soul; a portal one can travel to penetrate personality into the essence of being. What you see through its fancy window dressing may not be what you expect to see. For what you see is often seen through the Emerald Lens [1], or rose-colored glass. The perspective of vision can be altered by what one believes to be true and real, it can be influenced, slanted and warped thus the essence of being is masked by imposing forces. We often have to revel against such agents of constructed system. We may instead choose to build our own altered realities in favor of what is both real, and true in the landscape of social schema.
One of mans important mistakes, one which must be remembered, is his illusion in regard to his I. Man such as we know him, the "man-machine," the man who cannot "do," and with whom and through whom everything "happens," cannot have a permanent and single I.His I changes as quickly as his thoughts, feelings and moods, and he makes a profound mistake in considering himself always one and the same person; in reality he is always a different person, not the one he was a moment ago. G.I. Gurdjieff, In Search of the Miraculous, P.D. Ouspenksy

One way to accomplish this is through the use of archetypes, costume, and pageantry. We then become a living and breathing work of Art. Art changes perception, the ordinary can become extraordinary and the stage upon which we dance is in the eyes you care to travel through. We can become, all that we aspire to become, and we change with each thought we have, that affects our emotionality: The very essence of our being. The challenge then, is when attachment to these various selves and their feelings is detrimental to our perceived reality. The eyes then become symbolic of meaning, instead of what they really mean. Biologically speaking, our ocular cavities are but a portal for information. What we see is transformed into electrical impulses fed to the brain. Light impulses are transformed, and can warp our perception with a bending of the light. How we see is as amazing as what we see, or in some cases believe that we are seeing. The dance between the eye and the brain is at times a Waltz, but at others a Ravers dream within a dream. It is the very reason that the eye has been used the world over as a symbol of seeing more than what we believe is real and true. The symbology study of the eye will lead to an analysis of perception as each culture uses it to convey social mores and stratum of any given society (historical or modern). The use of references is simply to seek definition, and to extrapolate meaning. What does it all mean? The common thread is that the eye is the pathway to exploring levels of consciousness, and a way to project it outward to affect others; thereby causing an effect. You will find that the eye has been used to protect, harm, and connect. There are many interpretations through symbol as well as classes of use. How you use your eyes is more than just seeing, in fact the eyes are used to communicate an unspoken language. The eyes in compliment with other body parts have created an entire classification of communication called body language. The meticulous use of eye-gestures and body movement can often be stratifying as each person is affected by the language expressed. Equally, the presentation of

the eyes enhances that communication. The eye-patch is believed to have risen from blacksmithing, to prevent the sparks from flying into both eyes, leaving one eye free to work the craft. This profession gave rise to timeless stories told around the fire, and later used in parable to teach lessons by philosophers. An example is the story of the Cyclops, as told in Homers Odyssey. Scholars tend to believe that the craft of blacksmithing, coupled with finds in ancient Crete of Dwarf Elephant skulls gave rise to these fantastic stories. These stories change perception of the reality of the world, and give rise to localized superstition. Cross-seeding through social memetics [2] covers the world over, thus bending the light. Prior to the innovation of medical procedure to heal injury or birth defect, the patch was a common implement to mask the eye, thus managing the superstitions associated with these afflictions. Research into the eye-patch will demonstrate that it was used not only as utilitarian, but as an art-form which directly affects perception. If the desired effect is to disassociate from Old-wives tales, or the fear that rises out of socio-political influencing agents, the eye-patch is both a tool and a weapon against such forces.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder Margaret Wolfe Hungerford, Molly Bawn 1878, drawing from texts from 3 Century Greek sources.
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How your affliction is perceived by the outside world, may be beyond your control unless you choose to be a more vivacious artisan in your craft [3]. Haberdashery made the patch more fashionable, and this accessory has not lost its momentum. It is with great pride that I present to you: Tears Left for Dead

This piece was fun to make, and incorporates the Occult flair Im infamous for, but the keys are not near their locks. A true genius never reveals all of her secrets. *smirk* This is a basic eye-patch, and you can certainly use your own creativity to experiment with different materials, shapes, and embellishments.

I started with some supplies I had gathered from around the house. 1. 2. 3. 4. An old purse A discarded mouse-pad Some string Card-stock for cutting out a template

I cut the purse into remnants, and traced my template. A pleather-purse is ideal for this sort of project. The backing can be drawn upon with a pencil, and the texture ensures a time-tested seal.

I cut out (2) of each shape, and the mouse-pad a bit smaller of each size to use as padding in between the pleather pieces. I glued each together to form finished pieces, and then glued one over the other. Just a dab will do. Too much glue is a sure way to ruin your piece and make it less refined. This is your basic patch. I used a fabric hole-punch to create the holes for the lacing, and embellished it with pieces I had left from old costume jewelry, and a belt. I opted for a tie closure in favor of an elastic band. It occurred to me that this piece could be used in a number of ways: 1. 2. 3. 4. A belt accessory Tied about the thigh, with a garter belt for added flair Tied around the brim of a hat A chocker piece

The uses are limitless, with a little imagination and creative costuming. I chose to cover my right-eye, leaving my left-eye the seeing eye. Its symbolic of the generational Amblyopia (Lazy-eye) that runs on my mothers side of the family. I have it slightly, but coupled with the piece of glass embedded in that eye (an accident which occurred in my 20s) my body adapted by causing a strain on my right eye, which tears randomly when the left has been under stress or agitated by the sunlight reflecting off the tiny particle of glass embedded deeply in my eye.

I used the piece in an artistic occult expression which can be viewed on my YouTube page, entitled Book of the Dead [4]. The book we write each day is our story, but we are not our stories; that Dead Book, should be left where it lay, in the ashes of the past. When we attach to our physiology, emotions, thoughts, events in our history, or our costumed characters, essence ceases to exist in favor of the masks we wear, what we call personality. If you are interested in learning more about this piece, or various projects I am involved in, I encourage you to visit my website [5]. The use of costume implements enhances my artwork to convey meaning, and give my personal causes momentum. I am the art, and it is through my artistic expressionism that I am able to shape my world, and by proxy affect those touched by it [6].

SIN JONES February 2012

References:
[1] Lucifer Proper by SIN JONES, http://www.scribd.com/doc/55815655/Lucifer-Proper-by-SIN-JONES [2] Memetics: A body of study which arose in the 90s to address biological and social memes. Meme is a short expression for memory on gene or modeled on gene, derived from the Greek term mimema meaning to imitate. The distinction to be made between biological and social memes is that the model or memory is based in genetic factors vs. social. [3] Art as Beauty by SIN JONES, http://youtu.be/HASRjrDAg3Q [4] Hoop Trance: Book of the Dead, by SIN JONES , http://youtu.be/YPjTG-FZwFk?hd=1, www.youtube.com/alisonleejones [5] SIN JONES presentsThe Poison Apple, http://www.the-poison-apple.com/ [6] The Book of SIN, by SIN JONES: Tricksters Koran, ISBN 978-1-105-46111-8, Lulu Publishing, Copyright Rev. Steven Johnson Leyba