Our Story
The
PANGAEA
initiative.
by Brandon McKinney
Foreword
Among the hustle and bustle of your average city, an essential component to life is often disregarded and ignored.
Under the shadows of skyscrapers that dot the concrete jungles of today; among the busy streets polluted with noise, light, and toxic gasses,
the modern citizen is stuck in the daily cycles of metropolis. The modern man or woman is more connected to the world now than they have even
been before, though nothing comes without a cost. The hyper-connectivity of technological society is marred by the loss of connection to our
humble beginnings. For our home, the planet that gives us life, is bearing the consequences of our technical evolution. Our societies, often
tied together through online social networks, face a constant struggle of discrimination, inequality, and systematic prejudice. These are symptoms
of a society that has forgotten its humble beginnings. The beginnings of a species that now spans across all 7 continents, bearing 7.8 billion children,
and inhabit all corners of the globe. What history teaches us is that all the land that we see, all the borders that we know, and all the seas that
separate us, were all once part of the same initial whole; the story of humans holds no exception. We romanticize diversity, but fail to incorporate
the very important aspect of unity. Pangaea aims to manifest the idea behind a popular Indonesian saying, a phrase that also acts as the country's
constitutional foundation: "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" (Unity in Diversity). As we are all humans, diverse in our own special ways, but are united under
the same form as beings of light and creation. From a single point, the universe expands, and into infinity we will disperse. We come from one,
and we shall all eventually become part of one. We are Pangaea.
- Brandon McKinney
Pangaea Studios recognizes art as a continental form of expression. This fundamental continent holds the domain of the conscious mind and the human condition
that provides us the grounds by which to tell a story; our story; the human story.
Over time as generations pass, the continental form blossoms into a rich world of unique cultures and perspectives. From one, emerge many; the supercontinent holds a subset of children continents that all harbour a unique fingerprint of their mother’s past. Each continent provides the conscious mind a unique set of tools and senses that allows a story to be told from a unique perspective. The ultimate goal of an artist, in my view, should be to find the inflection point of harmony between all domains of expression. The Pangaea Initiative is a philosophy, vision, and mission, aimed at paving the way for a new generation of auteurs; of Renaissance men and women; of individuals who strive for the mastery of multiple forms of art and creative expression to ultimately embody the true essence of "Unity in Diversity", and to bring upon a new era of human creativity.
Over time as generations pass, the continental form blossoms into a rich world of unique cultures and perspectives. From one, emerge many; the supercontinent holds a subset of children continents that all harbour a unique fingerprint of their mother’s past. Each continent provides the conscious mind a unique set of tools and senses that allows a story to be told from a unique perspective. The ultimate goal of an artist, in my view, should be to find the inflection point of harmony between all domains of expression. The Pangaea Initiative is a philosophy, vision, and mission, aimed at paving the way for a new generation of auteurs; of Renaissance men and women; of individuals who strive for the mastery of multiple forms of art and creative expression to ultimately embody the true essence of "Unity in Diversity", and to bring upon a new era of human creativity.
Bhinneka Tunggal Ika
~
Unity in Diversity
The essential philosophy behind the continental metaphor for expression is that art,
just like our planet and the life within it, is a constantly evolving structure.
We build upon older ideas and inspire from works that have an impact on us, works that
subconsciously instill us with the artistic DNA to carry on the artistic lineage of our
predecessors. Furthermore, just like biological evolution is influenced by its environment,
so is art. Throughout the millennia, our ancestors have found ways to express themselves and
celebrate creation in a plethora of interesting and unique ways that are reflective of their
specific culture. Our mission is to create and promote all forms of meaningful artworks and
forms of expression as a transmedia platform and artistic service. Pangaea Studios aims to
provide a supporting home for artists who want to share their art to the world, and work together
with clients to create culturally moving pieces of art.
A super-continent of expression
Why "PANGAEA"?
The name "Pangaea/Pangea" is derived from Ancient Greek 'pan' meaning "all, entire, or whole" and 'Gaia' meaning "Mother Earth or land".
I chose this name for my creative studio because I wanted it to act as a reminder that although in modern times we see the world as a categorized
landmass with separate continents, regions, and countries, that we are all ultimately children of Pangaea. The roots of life on Earth originated
from this supercontinent and evolved with the planet to form the world that we know today. I found this idea to be very poetic, and also applicable
to the nature of art in general.
The LOGO
In literal terms, the logo is an illustration of a double-slit diffraction wave. Waves are always the center of interest in my creative concepts as they are the
the foundations of reality, and subsequently the foundations of art. Visible and non-visible light are wave phenomena; sound is a wave phenomenon; our entire
sensory experience is built around capturing and interpreting waves and vibrations — it is how our physical body perceives the world around us. As a transmedia creative studio,
I believe that waves are the perfect subject to use as a logo, as they encompass all forms of human expression, and are at the center of the human experience.
The diffraction wave as illustrated in the logo for Pangaea Studios also has a relevant meaning in quantum physics that demonstrates "the observer effect" through a procedure known as “the double slit experiment”. The observer effect is a quantum phenomenon that essentially links our physical reality to a conscious observer. Without going too deep into the specific science, the experiment shows that our reality is actually not as predictable and rigid as we believe it to be. The observer effect entertains the idea that every particle in the universe is constantly existing in a state of superposition, a constant flux of possibilities that exist as a wave function, waiting to be observed by a conscious entity. Once observed, the wave function is collapsed into a single possible outcome that manifests itself as a single particle. I find this phenomenon one of the most exciting and fascinating things about our reality that I have ever discovered.
The idea that at the base of reality, everything exists as some state of undefined probabilities until observed and defined by a conscious entity, makes me feel that much closer to the unmeasurable chaos that is our universe. Furthermore, I like to connect the dots and expand this idea towards art as well, by realizing that every piece of art holds an infinite number of meanings and interpretations until an individual observes the piece and extrapolates some meaning from it. It helps me accept the fact that although I have some control over how my art is interpreted based on my own definitions and meanings I instill within it, that there are still people out there who can interpret a completely different meaning. This isn't something to be frustrated by, it is simply a demonstration of nature at work. The last comment I have regarding the design of the logo is that at first glance it also looks like a human fingerprint, at second glance, a seashell. The dynamic nature of the logo was perfect for the philosophy behind the Pangaea brand, as I wanted it to also have an open-ended meaning and interpretation towards anyone who observes it.
The diffraction wave as illustrated in the logo for Pangaea Studios also has a relevant meaning in quantum physics that demonstrates "the observer effect" through a procedure known as “the double slit experiment”. The observer effect is a quantum phenomenon that essentially links our physical reality to a conscious observer. Without going too deep into the specific science, the experiment shows that our reality is actually not as predictable and rigid as we believe it to be. The observer effect entertains the idea that every particle in the universe is constantly existing in a state of superposition, a constant flux of possibilities that exist as a wave function, waiting to be observed by a conscious entity. Once observed, the wave function is collapsed into a single possible outcome that manifests itself as a single particle. I find this phenomenon one of the most exciting and fascinating things about our reality that I have ever discovered.
The idea that at the base of reality, everything exists as some state of undefined probabilities until observed and defined by a conscious entity, makes me feel that much closer to the unmeasurable chaos that is our universe. Furthermore, I like to connect the dots and expand this idea towards art as well, by realizing that every piece of art holds an infinite number of meanings and interpretations until an individual observes the piece and extrapolates some meaning from it. It helps me accept the fact that although I have some control over how my art is interpreted based on my own definitions and meanings I instill within it, that there are still people out there who can interpret a completely different meaning. This isn't something to be frustrated by, it is simply a demonstration of nature at work. The last comment I have regarding the design of the logo is that at first glance it also looks like a human fingerprint, at second glance, a seashell. The dynamic nature of the logo was perfect for the philosophy behind the Pangaea brand, as I wanted it to also have an open-ended meaning and interpretation towards anyone who observes it.
© 2023 by Brandon McKinney - Pangaea Studios