Belief, not the truth, is everything: Mocumentary- Damien Hirst: Treasures from the wreck of the unbelievable (2017)
Damien Hirst- "The Sharkman", the famous British artist who sold his art work about dead shark (called The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living) for millions tells us about his exhibition in 2017 in this mocumentary made by himself for himself probably regarding his exhibition works called "Treasures from the wreck of the unbelievable" released in 2017.
Some the great things he tells us through this mocumentary which made me look into it were:
Intro: [Damien Hirst] I suppose we're all looking for a whole true story that makes sense.
But I think what makes you believe in things is not what's there, it's about what's not there.
With any story, the gaps between things is where you locate your belief.
You know, it's unbelievable to start with, but that makes you believe it.
End: [Damien Hirst] It's unbelievable to start with.
But most things from history do seem very hard to believe.
You know, you look at the Venus de Milo, look at the way the arms are cut off on it and you think somebody must have done that on purpose.
For me, the whole exhibition is about belief.
Belief in the past. Belief in God. Belief in Gods. Or not believing.
And belief is a strange thing because there's no absolute truth.
Artists don't have the answers, science doesn't have the answers, religion doesn't have the answers.
But somehow, collectively, we create some kind of a truth.
But whether you believe in anything or not, I think we need something.
I am not sure, truth has grown on me, but belief in the truth certainly has. In fact I would attribute shameless to my growth or reverse growth for the last four decades of my life, more on beliefs regarding truth than the actual truth.
This mocumentary for me was thus an eye opener just to realize that we as humans have grown with beliefs with the common beliefs that hold us together in the collective imagination of our entire civilization. Yes Yuval Noah Harari mentions it in his book "Sapiens " too, and I have read it years ago. But when an artist, a true artist explains it through his work by letting it speak than himself and rather make a mocumentary to speak its' language; the realization is all the more powerful I believe.
We here at voyage ride has believed in something too since last three years. A space travel company can be launched from a country believed to be third world and can be competitor to the greatest space travel companies in the countries believed to be first world. Nobody believed us, because their beliefs told that it is impossible. But we prevailed, and look how far our belief regarding the idea has come. We have everyone we are looking to pay us a million dollars in our reach by now. It's simply about believing and not about truths preached to us humans about our limiting selves in face of an illusory world we have created. We intend to launch ourselves to space soon enough. Ride the voyage, voyageride. Amen, Damien Hirst, for reminding us through your mocumentary again, no wonder you sell your works for millions and no wonder we will sell ours for millions, billions and trillions too.