The inconspicuous intangibles
the unknown unknowns
of the internal workings
of the human mind;
Our infinitely spectacular agency
Manifesting from a physico-chemical tangible
Giving forth irreducible intangibles
Joy and tear, cheer & fear
A shared structure, a tangible form
Gives deities & deviants
Shapes tools and implements
That one day, unhinderedly reach within
Our mind’s tools turn upon its maker
Derive ways of meddling with a recipe
that we belies understanding, nay even respect
An unequal world where some un-nourished minds struggle
Amidst unfairly privileged others thrive
Run-away tech for one
Derision & neglect for some other
Will the resilience of the human condition
akin to ancient Cycads resist the intrusion?
Will the draw of the “power” of mind-tech
Draw us like the Artocarpus aroma draws Elephants into our midst unmindful of the perils
Will the new tech thrive and provide food for thought
In an otherwise foreign land like the distant Singapore’s cherry to our own Nilgiri Flowerpecker
Else will the myriad unknowable ramifications of it
Choke us from within like the Lantana does our forests…
Time will tell?
This poem & photo were originally created on invitation from PSYCHE, a digital exhibition at the Bangalore Science Gallery in 2022. See the PSYCHE archive for details. I am not sure if it was used eventually but the poem and the photo are reflections/imaginations of the exhibit created by Andrew Carnie. The purpose according to PSYCHE was “foster(ing) a collaborative space for discussion on brain implants”. At PSYCHE, he invited artists, scientists, and members of the public to creatively intervene in the artwork created by him (the centre-piece in the photo above). See PSYCHE’s Change my Mind exhibit for details.
In the exhibit above, I received help and support from Mahesh, our colleague at the BR Hills field station of IPH. The exhibition had asked for an online profile of his. He has completed his high school education (having dropped out of school decades ago) and does not have email ID or an Internet footprint of any kind (yet).
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