Andrew Schmidt
Artist | Student | Traditional Art

United States

“You have to know the past to understand the present.” -Carl Sagan

My interests are what some may call esoteric. I am fascinated with many ancient cultures; the designs and patterns of the Aztecs and Mayans, the hieroglyphs of the Egyptians, and the way monolithic structures like Stonehenge align with the stars. There is also the seeming impossibility of how these fantastic structures were built; were the stones of Stonehenge magically floated from Ireland by Merlin? The lore and legends that surround these monuments build an even greater mystery about their past.

All of these cultures used simple tools to make grand gestures that have lasted thousands of years. I seek to expand the art of these cultures by methodically drawing their patterns, learning their languages, and building models of their monuments. These new gestures echo the remnants of the past and strive to make these ancient cultures relevant again.

Despite studying all these different cultures, I have always gone back to the ancient Norse. They wrote in a symbolic language called Runes, which translates as “mystery.” This language was designed to be both magical and as a functional tool of memory. Each rune also has its own poem attached to it that explains its meaning and purpose within the world. These are just some of the reasons that I have taken the Runes to memory and can fluently translate English to Elder Futhark (the most widely used variation of Runes).

It is important to look back on the past and try to make sense of it. Throughout history, we have repeatedly forgotten what has happened before and tend to repeat many of the same mistakes; the Dark Ages for example, made the world hit the reset button and start from scratch all over again. By taking the time to learn these languages and these cultures, one can come to understand more about himself. To create my piece, “Echoes of Voyager,” I learned how to write in Enochian (a form of writing created in the Middle Ages that was, according to its creator, the “Language of Angels”). By studying this language I became more aware of why we sent the Voyager satellite into space, bearing the message of humanity on the Golden Record (a disc inscribed with basic information on human life, development, and culture). It relayed our desire to share knowledge and connect with new life. Another space related piece, “Connected,” questions the idea of the constellations. Who gets to decide these celestial shapes? We all have the power to look at the stars and see what we want. Yes, history has a set definition of things like the stars and that is important, but despite things that may seem predetermined, we can create a new history for ourselves by viewing the world through a creative lens.

www.andrew-schmidt.com