Philippe Houzé
Photographe
Beliefs of an Anti-Skeptic
With all due reference to that magician of words, Raymond Devos—to whom I confess I have borrowed this title—it must be admitted that humor and derision can sometimes bring us much closer to the truth than certain beliefs or certainties.
So yes, I am a believer, and for the little that is given to me to understand of what is accepted by science today, I believe that the gods owe much of their existence to us. Without wishing to question our perception of the world, the truth of what we perceive is perhaps not quite the reality of what might truly exist. Our brain, though it remains an exceptional organ, is ultimately, along with our five senses, nothing more than a filter that gives us a partial interpretation of reality—a reality that could surpass our imagination and all the laws of physics established so far.
Indeed, not only is it already difficult for us to conceive of infinity, the dizzying immensity of the universe, or even the possible existence of multiverses, billions of galaxies and consequently billions of billions of stars, to accept the relativity of time or the mysteries of dark matter and so much more; but with the formidable discoveries of quantum physics, which invite us to rethink our relationship to matter, space, and time, what truly exists could expand the physical and math rules established until now, thus opening up a vast field of possibilities...
In quantum physics, there is a wave-particle duality which means that any elementary particle can behave both as a particle and as a wave, and a principle of entanglement which means that two particles can form an intimately linked system even if they are in different places in the universe. At this scale, particles do not appear as fixed entities but as fluctuations, probabilities, and constant exchanges of energy—the universe being not a collection of frozen objects, but a continuous dance of relationships and possibilities!
We evolve in a universe whose fundamental components are in perpetual motion, and it is within this context that the miraculous and temporary assembly of elementary particles that is our life on Earth takes place, in an evolutionary process from the first bacteria to the most complex DNA—the fruit of chance and necessity, because all the chemical, biological, and physiological conditions were met for its development.
Nothing in current scientific knowledge allows us to assert it, but one can imagine or believe that our existence is perhaps not limited to matter alone, and that it may include a dimension still unknown to science. Some even advance the idea that matter is merely a manifestation or a level of vibration of a more fundamental energy that serves as its biological envelope—like souls clothed in a biochemical body, which would be the instruments through which they play their music.
In the image of this wave-particle duality or entanglement, we could conceive that we also exist in the form of waves or vibrational structures, constituting what some call the soul, which would be a deep identity in harmony with the universe. One could even imagine that these vibrations enter into resonance and connection with other realities, coming from a timeless elsewhere whose nature we are currently incapable of grasping, except to divine its existence.
It is within this fertile space of uncertainties that the human being—feeling the need to explain, to materialize the invisible, to give meaning, or even quite simply to create life insurance for the afterlife—may have felt the need to create Gods and their induced religions, with the drifts and abuses that we know.
Of course we need the mystical because there is mystery, of course we need the spiritual because there is spirit, but if religions have the merit of contributing to the fulfillment of each individual, to the proper functioning of societies, to morality, education, or conventions, they nonetheless remain far too material to approach what reality might be.
But if physical or metaphysical science distances us from traditional representations of God, there nonetheless remain major questions concerning the origin of the universe and its deepest nature.
The Truth of Art
I believe that if there is a place that can invite us to vibrate in communion with this great master of the universe, perhaps we must look for it on the side of artistic expression. But first and foremost, it is appropriate to be precise about what we put behind words. Indeed, when we speak of God, it is important to know what we define by this term, and the same applies to art, often used in several senses, in an era where this word designates many activities, whether artistic or artisanal.
Apart from all the speculation that governs this gigantic market and this economy in its own right, it would be good to wonder what truly constitutes the intrinsic value of a work, beyond its status as a testimony to our humanity, a period, a culture, a technique, or a know-how.
At the beginning, there is obviously the subject, the representation of a subject, or the message that emanates from the artist. Even if this subject becomes more and more abstract over time, it nonetheless remains the starting point, the support, the mandatory link with our matter, our body, our time, our intelligence, our sensitivity, our feelings, our emotions, or our beliefs. The subject is often the witness of an era, a culture, a geographical location, a history, with everything the artist can
bring to it from their experience, their inner self, from what is most deeply buried within them, from their DNA. For a long time,
religions, beliefs, or the powers in place provided artists with their subjects, making them highly dependent on their patrons; yet the evolution of art proves to us that the subject can fade away to the point of becoming secondary, modern painting being the demonstration of this.
Although many will always try to find a meaning or a rational or philosophical explanation for the subject—to the point of sometimes having to look for a user manual, turning it into intellectual masturbation, or even a vast swindle—I believe that the quintessence of a work is not in its subject, but indeed in the vibrations that emanate from it and reveal its substantial marrow.
Next come creation and composition. Of course, it is necessary for there to be creation; life itself is in permanent creation, a perpetual succession of deconstructions and reconstructions, arising from a necessary chaos caused by the imbalance, however infinitesimal, which constitutes the very essence of movement. Without creation, there would be no life and we would not be here.
In this era of fertile imaginations and rapid evolutions, where new creations or inventions rain down every day and in every field, immediately destroying the previous ones without giving them time to exist, it is difficult to step back sufficiently so as not to let oneself be absorbed by a passing fad. Creation is everywhere: in the street, advertising, cars, buildings, on our plates, everywhere our eyes land, but the content of a message resides far less in the message itself than in the way it is treated: substance is in the form.
When you watch a movie for the second or third time, you no longer watch it for the story, even if the plot is excellent, but rather to find pleasure in the accuracy of the actors' performances or in the beauty of the images. The same goes for songs; many young people who appreciate Anglo-Saxon bands do not necessarily understand the translation of the lyrics; what they appreciate above all is the music and everything it can transmit in terms of vibrations or emotions through its form. In another register, Pope John Paul II was so well-loved far less for the message of the Church, which remains immutable, than for his personality and his way of being. It is interesting to recall, moreover, that in his youth, he was a man of the theater.
And finally, the truth of art; Jean Bazaine, in his book Exercice de la peinture, wrote: “This desert (the blank canvas), the first step, the first touch invades it entirely, edge to edge: a space is created, the white becomes light, the canvas begins to exist. This first seed comes from us, it is us, it will undoubtedly be our only entirely free act. A second step, a second touch: another space, another light appear. No doubt we had wanted it, but already the canvas existed and, without our being aware of it, it was beginning to lead us. And gradually, multiplying gestures, calls, turning back, alternately affirming and denying ourselves, coming and going in this increasingly populated desert, we strive to bring to light this great, uncertain body which, in its turn, calls us into existence.”
Also, this quote attributed to Albert Einstein: "Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous."
A work of art is the trace left to us by God of his anonymous journey, through the hand of its author, guided by an irrational force that gives it a life unsuspected at the start. It is a form of life that frees us from matter, time, and space, in the miraculous balance of lines, shapes, colors, whites, blacks, notes, or silences that come to life in harmony with one another to emit those vibrations that resonate in unison with the universe.
Its intrinsic value therefore resides neither in the subject nor in the emotions it provides, but above all in the deep vibrations that emanate from it. There is no rational explanation or fully intelligible reasoning allowing our consciousness to understand why a work becomes alive. It imposes itself and takes on life of its own accord, in agreement with the artist; it has no age, it is outside of time, fashions, trends, and matter. It helps us to divine the light, invites us for a moment into a dialogue with the invisible, allows us to commune with the universe, and with souls it whispers…
Science brings us closer to accuracy, art brings us closer to truth.
P.H.