Art has always been an outlet for human emotion from decades past. I mean, Cavemen really were printing, etching, painting into stone. Now I'm not saying that they certainly did this as a form of therapy to allow their emotions and thoughts be brought visually and perhaps they did this purely as a form of communication. But one thing for sure is that they did this as a means of expressing what they saw - their environment, things that were around them at the time.
Author David Lewis-Williams in his book titled The Mind In The Cave attempted to determine how Homo-Sapiens "became human who then also created art in the process." To avoid any spoilers, one of his theories was that a key component in the transition from a Homo-Sapiens into Modern Man AKA us, myself and you reading this. He theorises Mankind could only engage in image making(Art) upon developing fully modern consciousness. Or as René Descartes put it 'I think, therefore I am.' Amazing to think that he coined this term in 1637, years and years after Homo-sapiens would have evolved into humans -that is of course if you believe in the science of evolution.
But that's beside the point in focus here. What I'm driving on however, is the fact that the ability to express our selves is deeply rooted and can be a thing of beauty when done thtough whatever medium of choice.
From the Etchings into rocks done by Cavemen, to Decartes poetic statement when doubting his existence, to the irony within the song Express Yourself by Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band song who were expressing themselves through music whilst at the same time encouraging listeners to do the same.
Art At The Expressivity Event. Birmingham 2024.
In a world where AI can help you generate your thoughts into picture, the Expressivity event at BCU really recognised this Art of Expression in its purest form. The serene event brought out the creative side in fellow students and other young participants who identified that an event like this allows them to destress, socialise, build relationships and find themselves on a philosophical level through Expressivity.