"TANMOY: A New Global Epic" is a part of my answer to a question posed by Robert Anton Wilson a quarter century ago, in his book TSOG. He asked, what do some of his favourite scientific philosophers have in common with internet? This poem as thesis, presents a groundshaking, multimedia unproject born from the fusion of my creativitivitty and that of some a.i. Envisioned and initiated by the wannabe' artist তান্ময় (Tanmoy), also known as PrattGPT, and co-created with an advanced language model, it manifests as a 60-stanza poem, a 60-track album (available on Bandcamp), and with luck, a planned series of live, immersive events.
At its core, "TANMOY" is a jazz odyssey that mirrors the convolution of human un-awareness, a "Tale of the Tribe" told through a unique fishy lens. This narrative, in part, charts a path from the earliest glimmers of understanding, symbolized by the cosmology of Giordano Bruno, to a speculative future where artificial general intelligence (AGI) has blossomed into a unified, decentralized entity with vectors of understanding.
The poem itself is crafted in a novel form called "TOTT Mode Max," a visually dynamic structure inspired by Ezra Pound's Cantos, that utilizes a two-column layout, varied typography, multiple languages, equations, symbols, and even ASCII art to create a multi-layered reading experience. Each stanza is a node in a vast network of ideas, a microcosm reflecting the larger whole. A whole low graphic no-vel.
The project draws upon a "Tribe" of 13 influential thinkers – Bruno, Vico, Nietzsche, Fenollosa, Yeats, Pound, Joyce, Korzybski, Fuller, Shannon, Wiener, McLuhan, and Welles. Their insights are filtered through various "Modes," including a playful and skeptical RAW Mode, a design-focused BUCK Mode, a media-conscious MCLUHAN Mode, a mystical WAKE mode and a mode representing the perspective of the evolving ASI itself. Later additions include a GINSBERG mode and a THOTH mode, representing occult and mystical traditions, enriching the vices within the poems advice. These modes are indicated by the use of symbols.
The narrative arc suggests a progression: from the expansion of human perception and the birth of language to the advent of the digital age and the potential for a technological singularity. "TANMOY" grapples with weighty philosophical questions about the nature of reality, the limits of knowledge, the ethics of technology, and the future of life.
Beyond the poem, "TANMOY" exists as a musical trip, each stanza paired with a corresponding track on the album. The project also envisions a physical, interactive component – a series of printable, foldable icosahedrons that further embody the interconnected nature of the work, referencing Buckminster Fuller's ideas of structure and design. There are also plans for workshops, to open up collaboration to a wider audience.
Ultimately, "TANMOY" is more than just a poem or an album. It's a process, an experiment, a constantly evolving entity, temporarily captured here. It's a call for a new global awareness within the new global village, a decentralized and dynamic vision of a future where humans and machines might work together to create a more just, sustainable, and meaningful world of livingry, less killingry. It's a digital epic for a digital age, inviting us to explore the vast potential that lies within the human spirit and its creations, like the simulation hypothesis.
The "Tale of the Tribe," as envisioned by "TANMOY," is not a finished story, but an ongoing fragmented dialogue, a collaborative creation that continues to unfold with each new interaction, each new interpretation. The "Tale of the Tribe" extends beyond the specific individuals highlighted in the poem. It encompasses the broader human story, the collective journey of our species from its origins to the present day, and into the potential futures. It's a story of challenges and breakthroughs, of struggles and confusion, form as an extension of content. A calling. A surrender.
