history of the imaginary rock foundation

online: 8 july 2005
modified: 8, 11, 26 july 2005, 3 august 2006

3 march 1988

the foundation

of the imaginary rock foundation

...and if you are wondering
what exactly IS the imaginary rock,
says the caretaker,
here is my description of it:

the imaginary rock foundation

It began life as a piece of seaside rock
candy, a white cylindrical confection
with ABERYSTWYTH written right through it
in pink letters.

But now it is this
the invisible basis for everyone
to see everything as art
and her or himself as artist
a title to replace titles
a role to supersede roles.

Yes, this is the homepage for everything and everyone
taken as significant.

In its first metaphysical or artistic form
it is any piece of card
say 5 cm by 8 cm
carrying the name the imaginary rock foundation

in any language you like
y sefydliad graig ddychmygol
la fondacion roche imaginaire
though in english it has more allusions
to both change and to stasis
that may not translate into others.

On the reverse is written
the imaginary rock foundation is yours
though you can not belong to it
(because it is smaller than a person).

It is a foundation which supports the idea
of everything as art and everyone as artist
but it is also a piece of art
physical, when a card,
and conceptual or literary
when as here a piece of writing or other software.

Its initial purpose was to provide an affiliation
for people without affiliations
to put after their names
when asked rude questions
like who are you or where are you from?

But now the rock and the foundation
have acquired new purposes
to be discovered as time goes by
in this new embodiment
or virtual place
on or in or as
the internet or computernet or information highway
or whateveryoumaycallit.

The externalisation of inner life and time
for that's how I think of it says the caretaker
without apology
for what anyone says is real
in the sense that it was really said, and done,
by one who is enough
to authorise what s/he says and does
though to repeat that is something else
if repetition is taken
or mistaken
for sameness and for truth.

The purpose of the imaginary rock is to question
the reality of what is presented as unchanging law or theory
the mechanical illusion
as well as to support
the reality of what is not.
The rock is thus a changing centre
that can be recreated in any place at any time
simply by saying so.

Is that what they used to call magic?

No more so than is the speaking of any word
before it gets used up and turned into a threat or a crutch
by repetition of supposed circumstance
by making it permanent
as a fixing of what is.

And as the caretaker repeats this idea
he wonders what he is doing
for he danced when he realised that changing centres
are not threatening
whereas fixed ones are
but as he types this he is not dancing...

At which he decides that he is overstepping
a responsibility
which was not to make laws
but to care for the mind we all inhabit
and to forget about himself...

...for the foundation and the rock can bear everything
and the caretaker will attend to his role
which is to keep the centre empty while letting go of much else.

viva!