BUANASENI

Title: Buana VIII
Medium: Computer Graphics (Microsoft Paintbrush)
Artist: Johan Ishak
Time/Date: {Time not recorded}, 19 December 1994
Place of creation: South Yarra, Australia
www.buanaseni.blogspot.com

HIS is the last of the BUANA series. I think the subject matter of BUANA VIII, "Passion & Love", is present in all of the BUANA presented earlier. It serves as the common platform to which the various aspects of live can be associated with as demonstrated below:

BUANA I: The physical - What more can I say other than "Lust", a sensual enlightenment for one's appreciation of the physical beauty, be it sexually, warmth of a parental hug or even love for art (sculptures, paintings, music, literature, etc).

BUANA II: The spiritual - An innner feeling of desire, the very essence on which "Love" exists for whatever targets, be it companionship, knowledge or God. The drive for many leading icons such as Muhammad p.b.u.h for Allah and his Ummah, Gautama Buddha for Nirvana and abolishment of sufferings, Jesus Christ (Isa) p.b.u.h for his followers and God, Moses (Musa) p.b.u.h for Yahweh and freedom of the Hebrew and Abraham (Ibrahim) p.b.u.h for his quest for the True One God.

BUANA III: The creation - This would probably be the consequence of BUANA I & II which manifests itself in various context such as reproduction or the intention of Creator Himself for embarking on the act of creation (eg. The Holy text that translates into "God wouldn't have created man and genies if not for them to worship Him, ie. To Love Him!). God even created Eve (Hawa) for his love to Adam p.b.u.h.

BUANA IV: The environment - The appreciation of Mother Earth is an aspect of love, nature's lover, such as the Green Peace, the fight against global warming, Kyoto Convention and the like.

BUANA V: The destruction - Often the result of love as well. Many wars were caused by "Love" such as Helen of Troy, or was it Helen of Sparta? that had the big wooden horse at work. King Henry's love for his wives practically destructed the relevance of Roman Catholic in England with the rise of Anglican Church. Love of God in the numerous Holy Wars between the Crusaders and the Islamic Warriors went on for ages. Love of the supreme race, Aryan, by Bismark and Hitler caused the 2 huge World Wars. Love for the Queen by 007 just enhances James' charismatic charm. The clash between the house of Capulet and Montague for the forbidden love between Romeo and Juliet is also a good example. And who would have thought that the love for the land of the rising sun and its emperor by the pilots of the Kamikaze fighter jets resulted in the bombing of Pearl Harbour, or worse, the atomic response against Hiroshima.

BUANA VI: The after-Death - The degree of love by the Creator to Its creations. Well, if you go to hell, its "negative love" I suppose. Wherever you end up in, the fact is, most religion preaches God's merciful attribute by promising the gardens of heaven to those who loves Him.

BUANA VII: The civilisation/technology - Born out of "Philosophy" which is literally a combination of "Philo", Greek for "Love"; and "Sophy", Arabic for knowledge; ie Love for Knowledge - A jump start to many scientific discoveries that led humanity to its magnificent civilisation/technology from the ancient Eastern Chinese Empire to the Western Industrial Revolution.

Of course, what is apparent in my blogs, is the reflection of my love for art, in whatever form.

The links to all the BUANA series are as follows:

BUANA I: The physical
BUANA II: The spiritual
BUANA III: The creation
BUANA IV: The environment
BUANA V: The destruction
BUANA VI: The after-Death
BUANA VII: The civilisation
BUANA VIII: The passion and love

Title: Buana VII
Medium: Computer Graphics (Microsoft Paintbrush)
Artist: Johan Ishak
Time/Date: 2:32am, 19 December 1994
Place of creation: South Yarra, Australia
www.buanaseni.blogspot.com

UANA VII is the 2nd last of the BUANA series. After having expressed different aspects of life in my previous sections of the BUANA series, I think "Technology" deserves the right to be expressed, hence BUANA VII. After all, "Technology" has been mankind's single most significant contribution to civilisation.

Technology has led to numerous goodness in our lives but it has its fair chance in destroying the world as well. The following are the Top 10 technological discoveries (in my mind that is) which never failed to amaze me - starting from 10 to 1:

10. Building Structures: No doubt, human beings displayed the best of civil engineering in the fine works of Pyramids, Hanging Garden of Babylon, Great Wall of China, Petra, Angkor Wat, Machu Picchu, Moai Statues, Taj Mahal, Stonehenge, Colosseum, Eiffel Tower, Cristo Redentor, Acropolis, Borobudur, St. Paul's Cathedral, Notra Damme, La Sagrada Familia, Petronas Twin Towers, Golden Gate of San Francisco, Statue of Liberty, and a whole lot more.....

9. Navigational Vehicles: You name it, from Noah's Ark, the wooden ship of the Vikings, the Wright Brothers' first airplane, Daimler's first Internal Combustion Engine, the Titanic to the Boeing 747's - magnificent improvement to the traditional caravan of camels or the migration of orientals from China to the North Pole (later known as the Eskimos).

8. Genetic Engineering: Talking about playing God. Items 1 to 7 below involves equipment, chemicals and natural resources. However, Genetic Engineering is a direct human interference into the Creator's realm - the manipulation of the devine building blocks of life itself!

7. Atomic and Nuclear Powers: Well, what more can I say,.. Isn't this the most dangerous discovery ever that made it possible for Armageddon to be caused by humans themselves?

6. Medical Discoveries: Whilst this has its roots thousands of years ago via the early civilisations of China, Egypt and the like, recent discoveries from the age of the Muslim Scientific Era in Baghdad in the 600's a.d. right to the present day has been quite an exponential achievement.

5. Telecommunication: Be it telephone, facsimile or satellite; every aspect of telecommunication would have been regarded as Black Magic just 200 years ago!

4. Electricity: Well, I am sure anyone can live without Oil, Computers or walking on the Moon; but, electricity! It is almost impossible for the modern urbanites to live without electricity. This extends to the related applications such as Television, Hot Water System, Lighting, Microwave Ovens, Igniting Automobile Engine, Electric Guitar, etc.

3. Walking on the Moon: Hail Armstrong and his crew. What a quantum leap - one day we will be living in Space - Branson's Virgin Galactic is already launching its first spaceship soon.

2. Computers: The closest ever in man's attemp to imitate the biological brain - my favourite being Excel Spreadsheets.

1. Discovery of Oil: Who on Mother Earth had the idea of drilling into the ground to extract ugly looking black liquid with the confidence that it will bring very high Return on Investment? I just cannot comprehend how someone would have that investment instinct. It's not like walking in the woods to discover nice looking berries and had a go at it just to find out whether it is edible or not. This is drilling into the ground! Amazing. I'd rank this as No.1 most significant technological discovery given that its value, in utility as well as monetary terms, is far more than Gold, if not equal. People go to war for this. (Therefore worthy of being the image of BUANA VII)

The links to all the BUANA series are as follows:

BUANA I: The physical
BUANA II: The spiritual
BUANA III: The creation
BUANA IV: The environment
BUANA V: The destruction
BUANA VI: The after-Death
BUANA VII: The civilisation
BUANA VIII: The passion and love

Title: Buana VI
Medium: Computer Graphics (Microsoft Paintbrush)
Artist: Johan Ishak
Time/Date: {Time not recorded}, 18 December 1994
Place of creation: South Yarra, Australia
www.buanaseni.blogspot.com

UANA VI is my expression of "after-Death" - silhouette of man in uncertainty whether he has done enough to follow the bright light ascending to the heavens or being sucked down below in the inferno of hell.

Almost all religion that I can think of has somewhat mentioned the concept of "after-Death" in their scriptures. The monotheist religions (Islam, Christianity and Judaism) clearly state that "after-Death" can only mean eternal sufferings in hell or goodness in heaven (though some believe that one will be transfered from hell to heaven once the sufferings compensate the sins).

The Hindus and Buddhists believe an ultimate state of enlightenment called Nirvana at which, Beings cease to reincarnate over and over again into this world. Whilst that concept does not really fit in nicely into the black and white of hell and heaven, it does in some ways potray that until you redeem yourself thoroughly, you will continue to suffer living your life (over and over again) and experience the so called "heavenly status" once you meet profound redemption, ie Nirvana. This is, in my mind, and in essence, similar to the concept of hell and heaven.

The Pharoahs of Egypt seems to think that "after-Death" requires effort in the current life. Hence dragging their entire family and wealth into the Pyramids. Again, there is a connection between what you do in the current life to what you will end up in "after-Death".

You should by now noticed that my preferred term is "after-Death" rather than "after-Life". Well, To use "after-Life" would simply mean that you'll enter into the realm of Death after being Alive and that's it. This is, in my mind, an imperfect hypothesis of what the major religions are preaching. I'd rather use "after-Death" - conveying the message that the splitting point between the current life and the next life is "Death" - hence the next life cannot be Death. So, in the case of Hinduism and Buddhism, there are multiple Deaths before you reach heavenly state of Nirvana? Whatever the answer is, at the end of the day, it's all the same concept.

In chronological sense, perhaps, death is best defined as the period between your last heart beat and the point when the gatekeepers decide your path, ie. either up or down (Note: Islamic gatekeepers refer to Angels Malik for Hell, Ridzuan for Heaven, Munkar and Nangkir for the judgement of sins vs good deeds).

What does "after-Death" really means to us? Well, "Death" gives us the sense of sadness for leaving behind our loved ones, our wealth and the good things in life. If the life we live is pathetic, you would probably feel the opposite, ie. too happy to go!. However, "after-Death" has got a totally different impact. It urges man to act and make a difference to this world (eg. laws, regulations, education, wars, humanitarian, politics, etc) - a totally acceptable human behaviour of "effort and reward" vs "crime and punishment".

Finally, I would like to highlight a few art work which are based on the concept of "after-Death": Drag to Hell (Movie), Ghost (Movie), Raphael's hand of God touching Man's in the Sistine Chapel of Vatican (Painting); and my old time favourite from Led Zeppelin, Stairway to Heaven (Song).

The links to all the BUANA series are as follows:

BUANA I: The physical
BUANA II: The spiritual
BUANA III: The creation
BUANA IV: The environment
BUANA V: The destruction
BUANA VI: The after-Death
BUANA VII: The civilisation
BUANA VIII: The passion and love

Title: Buana V
Medium: Computer Graphics (Microsoft Paintbrush)
Artist: Johan Ishak
Time/Date: {Time not recorded}, 15 December 1994
Place of creation: South Yarra, Australia
www.buanaseni.blogspot.com

UANA V potrays "Destruction", an act of anti-creation, a chaotic manifestation of hatred, rebellion, nationalism, crusade and psycho mad-insanity. The right to destroy ought to be the priviledge of the Creator and not of man, except, when defending against others who ill-assumed that priviledge with self-declared authority.

Al Gore, in his quest to spread the love for Mother Earth, presented statistics on environemnt which included the graph for the world's population count. Interestingly, the graph showed a steady increase in the world's population since the early B.C all the way to 1945. From there on, the population grew exponentially to the 6.5 billion that we know today. The 2 main causes are medical advancement and the extinction of mega wars. Whilst we still do have sporadic wars such as Iraqi War, Afghan War, etc, mega wars that involve the entire world population cease to happen when Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and the Kamikaze soldiers lost the 2nd World War in 1945.

Since the beginning of time, man has been at war for various reasons, some are justified but most are not. These wars, whilst functioning as population control, were based on quests for supremacy, wealth, dignity, power, truth as well as revenge. The following are a few famous destructive movements by human beings (not in any particular order):

1. World War I
2. World War II
3. The American Civil War
4. The Greek/Macedonian wars under Alexander the Great
5. The Roman/Byzantine wars under Julius Caesar and Constantine
6. The expansion of Islamic Muawiyah, Abassyd and Ottoman
7. The rise of Qin Dynasty under Lord Shang Yang
7. The Holy Wars of Crusaders vs Islamic Caliphates
8. The world conquest by Kublai Khan and Genghis Khan
9. The exploration of Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, French and English

An interesting fact worth sharing with others is that: the first murder ever convicted by humans was because of jealousy - Adam and Eve (Adam and Hawa) had two sons, Cain and Abel (Qabil and Habil). Each made sacrifices to God and God accepted the sacrifice of one and not the other. The scriptures do not specify why God accepts only one (Al-Ma'ida 5:30–32; Gen. 4:1-7). The assumption perceived is that God had given them instructions for the sacrifice and Cain had chosen not to follow them. Because of the rejection of his sacrifices, Cain murdered Abel (Al-Ma'ida 5:30; Gen. 4:8). God condemns Cain to suffer whilst Abel is regarded as righteous.

There is another version to the story: Adam and Eve also had two daughters whom they arranged to be the wives of Cain and Abel respectively. Cain must not have got the woman he preferred and so,.......

The links to all the BUANA series are as follows:

BUANA I: The physical
BUANA II: The spiritual
BUANA III: The creation
BUANA IV: The environment
BUANA V: The destruction
BUANA VI: The after-Death
BUANA VII: The civilisation
BUANA VIII: The passion and love

Title: Buana IV
Medium: Computer Graphics (Microsoft Paintbrush)
Artist: Johan Ishak
Time/Date: {Time not recorded}, 14 December 1994
Place of creation: South Yarra, Australia
www.buanaseni.blogspot.com

UANA series continue with BUANA IV, an expression of the "Environment" in which our world exists. The Environment is instrumental in the development of mankind from both physical and mental perspectives. It manifests external force gigantic in its presence - only a being as supreme as God Himself is worthy of being the creator. Its magnitude varies and can have both blessed or catastrophic results. For example, drops of rain bring with it the power of creation in the fields of agriculture but yet an amplified and prolonged shower floods humanity to death. The Environment presents itself almost in all form of elements (Earth, Wind, Water & Fire) and earned the headlines to the daily newspapers via various names: Cyclone, Typhoon, Tornado, Eartquake, Storm, Volcano Eruption, Flood, Tsunami, Avalanche, Global Warming, etc.

Environment has also been one of the key areas of knowledge for which man has learnt to appreciate over the past thousands of years and will continue to do so until the end of the world. Such gift to mankind made it possible for us to understand the world we live in from many aspects such as Geography, Astronomy, Agriculture, Meteorology, Geology, Aviation, Maritime, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Quantum Physics, Art, Literature, Mining & Exploration, Industrialisation, Warfare and even Religion.

Man has also left behind their legacy from the application and/or the discovery of such knowledge. To name a few: Avicenna (Ibn Sinar), Algorizm (al-Khwarizmi), Neil Armstrong, Uri Gagarin, Marco Polo, Ptolemy, Admiral Cheng Ho, Eric the Viking, Christopher Columbus, Leonardo da Vinci, Stephen Hawkings, Albert Einstein, Adolf Hitler, Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great (Iskandar Dzulkarnain), Genghis Khan, Saladin (Salah Al-Din), Al Gore, Ramses, Moses (Musa p.b.u.h) and the infamous Noah (Nuh p.b.u.h) with the biggest flood of all time.

The links to all the BUANA series are as follows:

BUANA I: The physical
BUANA II: The spiritual
BUANA III: The creation
BUANA IV: The environment
BUANA V: The destruction
BUANA VI: The after-Death
BUANA VII: The civilisation
BUANA VIII: The passion and love

Title: Buana III
Medium: Computer Graphics (Microsoft Paintbrush)
Artist: Johan Ishak
Time/Date: {Time not recorded}, 14 December 1994
Place of creation: South Yarra, Australia
www.buanaseni.blogspot.com

S a continuation from my earlier blog, I present you BUANA III, my computer graphics expression of the world from "Creation" perspective. Unlike BUANA I & II where the subject matter was a wholesome view of the world, this one focuses only on the topic "Creation" - whilst myopic in its scope, it's a powerful subject for digestion and reflection.

I believe the word "Nature" is quite deceiving when some groups of scientists tried to imagine the existence of the world visible to us today as an unexpected event that happened for no particular reasons and simply by accident - hence labelling it as "Nature". For that reason alone, I refuse to use that particular word to describe all the things I can see in this world. For lack of better word, and my religious conscience, "Creation" would suffice - implying that there ought to be a creator, a concept even the Atheists agree deep down inside.

BUANA III in particular shows the "Creation" of human beings, a magical phenomenon of "Creation" by its mere simplicity of liquid biochemicals evolving into complex structure forming Homo Sapiens. I could have chosen other visual such as the Big Bang or a bean sprout shooting off the ground but human beings are interesting. Why? well, despite their weaknesses, they appear to be the supreme controlling creature or "Creation" on Planet Earth, a God-given-trust which is not necessarily carried out appropriately. You will find that most of the remaining expressions for the BUANA series revolve around human beings, that "trust" and their development. So, watch out for BUANA IV onwards......

The links to all the BUANA series are as follows:

BUANA I: The physical
BUANA II: The spiritual
BUANA III: The creation
BUANA IV: The environment
BUANA V: The destruction
BUANA VI: The after-Death
BUANA VII: The civilisation
BUANA VIII: The passion and love

Title: Buana I & II (... a start to a series of expression)
Medium: Computer Graphics (Microsoft Paintbrush)
Artist: Johan Ishak
Time/Date: {Time not recorded}, 14 December 1994
Place of creation: South Yarra, Australia
www.buanaseni.blogspot.com

S mentioned in my earlier blog, in 1993/1994, I got hooked with computer graphics for a while. Instead of plagarising some rock album cover, I decided to express what I feel and what was lingering in my grey matter between the two ears. So I came out with the Buana series. Yup, the name "Buana" was actually already in my vocabulary those days, even back in 1990 when I was in secondary school. It simply means world/dimension.

So the Buana series had begun. What do I express when I am referring to world/dimension? Well, you will find the below series of computer graphics depicting the various dimensions as described below. Buana I & II are images potrayed above and the rest are in separate blogs subsequent to this.

The links to all the BUANA series are as follows:

BUANA I: The physical
BUANA II: The spiritual
BUANA III: The creation
BUANA IV: The environment
BUANA V: The destruction
BUANA VI: The after-Death
BUANA VII: The civilisation
BUANA VIII: The passion and love

Well you'll have to wait for the subsequent blogs for Buana III to Buana VIII. For now, Buana I & Buana II are presented for your own interpretation. The graphics are somewhat distorted because I had to extract from an obsolete 3 1/4 inch diskette, but still able to demonstrate the artistic form of these pieces.

Buana I & Buana II representing "Physical" and "Spiritual" dimensions of life are actually the building blocks of life from two forces like ying and yang, a balanced existence, a symetrical creation by God Almighty, a dual partnership of sensibility necessary for existence itself, the very life we are living. Imagine a body without a soul, a song without melody, Male without Female! and the all divinity hypothesis of humanity without God. These are truly armageddon, an apocalypse to biblical proportion (... exaggeration after watching the movie 2012). I leave it to you to interpret and value life..... embrace the vibes of the Buana.