This is the art of foreverness | Cleo Jarvis | TEDxStroudsburgLibrary
The speaker argues that the "art of evanesce and forever" is expressed through cultural artifacts, such as music, food, and architecture, which connect past experiences to the present by maintaining communal memory. The speaker demonstrates this through personal anecdotes—like hearing the same music in China and India—and by tracing the connection between ancient dance movements, food traditions, and modern creative expression. Ultimately, the art is found in sharing personal gifts and cultures with others.
## Theses & Positions
- The "art of evanesce and forever" is a concept defined by bringing the past forward into the present, utilizing that memory for future continuity.
- Cultures have practiced this "art of foreverness" by leaving behind artifacts for inspiration, exemplified by museums.
- Music functions as a worldwide communication tool, capable of healing emotions and inspiring continued effort regardless of language barriers.
- Shared cultural practices—including dance, food, and architecture—are mechanisms for community building and preserving cultural identity.
- The act of sharing one's gifts, culture, or recipes is itself a practice of the art of foreverness.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Evanesce and forever:** A concept involving bringing the past forward into the present, which is then utilized for future continuity.
- **Art of foreverness:** Cultural practices demonstrated through artifacts that allow future generations to feel inspired.
- **Worldly Communication (via Music):** Music can connect people across geographies and languages.
- **Art:** Broadly defined to include not just painting or photography, but also architecture, shoes, clothes, and the overall environment (e.g., gardening).
- **Art of foreverness:** The overarching theme connecting cultural preservation through tangible and intangible practices like song, dance, and cuisine.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Emotional Healing/Connection (Music):** Music can heal rifts between family members, triggering shared memories associated with the songs (e.g., mothers singing songs to children).
- **Inspiration/Motivation (Music):** Listening to music can provide the impetus to continue working when one is tired.
- **Cultural Transmission (Music/Dance):** Passing down traditional knowledge or movements (like the Senegalese Labe people's dance) by adapting them to modern contexts while retaining original purpose (e.g., core strength for childbirth).
- **Communal Bonding (Food):** Food is essential in many cultures for relaxing people, making gatherings enjoyable, and maintaining cultural integrity (e.g., treating a birthday party like a major holiday feast).
- **Artistic Expression:** People explore and share their artistic selves by sharing skills, gifts, or cultural recipes.
## Timeline & Sequence
- **Ancient Times:** Early cultures preserved their art (artifacts) so future people could marvel and be inspired.
- **Speaker's Personal Timeline:**
- Early life memory: Remembering a song taught by a grandmother while being rocked as a 4-year-old.
- Childhood memory: Dancing at the annual carnival in Antigua.
- Observation: Witnessing people worldwide enjoying the same piece of music (heard first in the US, then in China, then in India).
- Current moment: Recognizing the interconnectedness of global art forms (steel pan, voice, modern beach parties).
- Near future/Actionable step: Encouraging the audience to look around their immediate surroundings to identify art.
## Named Entities
- **Antigua** — location where speaker remembers dancing at a carnival.
- **Senegal** — location associated with the Labe people.
- **Labe people** — people from Senegal whose dance has roots in maintaining core strength during childbirth.
## Numbers & Data
- Age of speaker recalling lullaby: **4** years old.
## Examples & Cases
- **Music as Worldwide Communication:** Hearing the same popular piece of music enjoyed by young people in both **China** and **India** months apart.
- **Emotional Trigger (Music):** Using a specific song to stop two sisters who were arguing.
- **Dance Example:** The Carnival in Antigua, where the speaker remembers the joy of performing during a street band's march.
- **Dance Example (Ancient):** The Labe people's dance from Senegal, whose purpose was keeping the core strong for childbirth.
- **Food Example:** A family gathering where not eating is considered insulting to the host.
- **Architectural Example:** A beautiful white-colored house structure, selected because of the Caribbean.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Airplane:** Used by speaker to travel internationally (US $\rightarrow$ China $\rightarrow$ India).
- **Steel Pan:** An instrument originating from a small island, now utilized globally.
- **Guitar:** Mentioned alongside the voice as an instrument used in beach parties.
## References Cited
- **The concept of "art":** Referenced across various cultural forms, including music, dance, architecture, and gastronomy.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Medium of Communication:** Language barriers are bypassed by music.
- **Artistic Medium:** The permanence of physical artifacts (sculptures, buildings) versus the ephemerality of performance art (music, dance).
- **Preservation Method:** Sharing recipes (culinary arts) as a means to maintain cultural integrity alongside physical objects.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- The speaker acknowledges that some people define dance only as "somebody on a stage performing ballet," but corrects this definition.
- The speaker advises that while technology and global travel allow for observation, the art of foreverness relies on *active participation* in noticing and sharing.
## Methodology
- **Anecdotal Evidence:** Drawing on personal memories (childhood, travel) to establish the universality of cultural connection.
- **Comparative Analysis:** Comparing practices across vastly different cultures (Caribbean carnival vs. Asian street life).
- **Categorical Expansion:** Expanding the definition of "art" to include architecture, cuisine, and even basic human interactions.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- The speaker urges the audience to become more aware of the art of foreverness by looking around them.
- **Action Item:** Share one's gifts, culture, or favorite recipes with others.
- **Final Directive:** *"look around you as you're walking down the street when you leave here today and see how much art is around you."*
## Implications & Consequences
- Culture is maintained not only by grand statements but by the everyday act of sharing—sharing a recipe, sharing a song, or sharing a smile.
- The ability to connect across time and space is rooted in the universality of human rhythm and shared experience.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"a concept of bringing the past forward into the present and then we have the present which will utilize that thing we brought from the past and then it remains for future use and so it lives on and on and on"*
- *"how many people looked at a piece of art and wondered what the people were thinking when they created that"*
- *"I see music as a form of worldwide communication you do not need to speak the language in order to enjoy a piece of music"*
- *"music heals"*
- *"I'm and that's how we connect from the past"*
- *"the art of foreverness"*
- *"The movement is the same"* (referring to ancient dance movements).
- *"if you come to my family's home and you don't eat you have insulted the host"*
- *"If you just utilize them if you just accept them if you just share them with others share your culture with others share that favorite recipe with others"*
- *"look around you as you're walking down the street when you leave here today and see how much art is around you"*