THE COGNITIVE MANIFESTO

Sterquilinium

There is a spectre haunting the visible world. This spectre is Untruth, and it is the duty of the artist to banish Untruth. In ages past, men sought Beauty, likening it to Truth. But it is not Truth. It is Beauty. And for ages, Beauty was Art, and Art was Beauty. But Beauty was not Truth and thus Art was not Truth.

Then men arose who said in strident voices: "Let Art Be Truth!" And they strove to make Art Truth. They broke free from form, from line, from perspective, from skill, from talent, from melody, from rhythm, from meter, and most of all, from Beauty.

But Art was not Truth.

It is only now that History has ended that We may know Truth. But Art is still not Truth. For Art is Man's rendering of Truth via Media. Whether that Medium be tactile or visual, audial or olfactory, the Medium has linked the Artist to the Audience in the communication of the Truth that only the Artist may know.

And yet, all media are corrupt, for being physical, they are fallen. And being fallen, they are themselves Untrue. And being Untrue, how can anything transmit Truth?

And still yet, in the Artist's mind, Truth resides. For it is in the Artist's mind that Art is created.

Now, We ask, why is Art communicated? Why do we communicate Truth? There are two reasons. The first is to fulfill that vicarious pleasure that the Artist takes as Creator in the reception of the Truth. But this is not the True goal of the Artist. For the True goal of the Artist is Truth. And Pleasure is not a Truth. Thus, the reception of Truth by an audience, in addition to being impossible due to corrupt Media, is also a means to corrupt the Artist himself.

Secondly, the Artist may pursue renumeration, in order to sustain bodily needs while he continues to pursue the Truth. In this case, the Artist transmits a corrupted Truth (and thus Untruth), and in return receives corruption itself, for Material is the greatest Untruth.

And so We see that the only two purposes for communication (and media) serve only to enhance corruption.

And so We issue this Manifesto: The only True Art is Cognitive Art. Art that never leaves the Mind of the Artist. For in the Mind of the Artist, Truth may be found. Any and all media are corrupt, and thus are not Art, for Art is Truth and Truth is not corrupt.

And so We, as the COGNITIVE ARTISTS pledge to furthermore practice our Art only within the confines of our minds, never seeking to communicate that Art in any way.