Upcoming documentary film explores the role of visionary art, street art and activsm

“Even though many worthwhile films in this genre have been released in recent years, “Time is Art” could well prove to be one of the most important offerings in this vein.” - Brent Marchant, pre-release review via Vivid Life

Brooklyn, NY—‘Time is Art’, a narrative documentary film-in-progress is preparing for worldwide release in three languages on 11/11/2015. The film tells a personal story of creative and spiritual awakening.  Writer Jennifer Palmer’s metaphysical journey through inspiring urban and natural settings in California and New York tracks the artist’s search for meaning in a seemingly meaningless world.

After quitting her corporate 9-5 job, Jennifer finds herself searching for inspiration in a money-driven society that more often that not shuns creativity. Presented as a cinematic meditation along the lines of Waking Life and Samsara, the film takes an experimental approach that allows the audience to experience reality as Jennifer begins to see it – one less concerned with linear storytelling, and more open to the cyclical patterns of nature, the hidden meanings of symbols, and the dreamlike overlapping of people, places, and moments.

Large scale public street art pieces in San Francisco's Mission District as well as murals by Brooklyn artists Magda Love, WERC and Chris Soria are featured in the film. Graffiti art becomes a gateway to shifting Jennifer’s world view from materialism to one more interdependent and in harmony with the creative rhythms of her universe. Inspired by the profound messages she receives from their artwork, she is encouraged to look deeper into the meaning of life.

In the film, activist Chris Soria shares a story about the process of creating massive mandala murals along with large keys on the back of the Brooklyn detention center. “To have keys placed on a wall on a jail facility, there’s obviously a lot of connotations to that, because it’s about access. It’s about the doors that are locked to protect something of value or locked to keep people out and perpetuate social injustices.” he says.

World renowned visionary artists Allyson Grey and Alex Grey are also featured in the film along with Caren Charles who works and lives at Chapel of Sacred Mirrors where much of the opening scenes of the film were shot. The 1989 piece called Gaia by Alex Grey which was also a Beastie Boys cover is discussed in the film. “It was a very frightening vision. After 9-11, we started getting e-mails from people and they started saying, what is going on? You’ve got the planes, the twin towers, there’s somebody that looks a lot like George Bush standing next to a dick and embracing a terrorist.” says Alex. 9-11 was very important part of Jennifer’s awakening as it was for people all over the world.

Jennifer’s poetry is also featured intermixed with compelling conversations with prolific researcher and author Graham Hancock, and biologist Rupert Sheldrake who both have now infamous TED talks that were censored by the organization, as well as Carl Jung historian Richard Tarnas, mystic and dream walker Toko-pa Turner and many other scientists, artists and activists.

The title, ‘Time is Art’, coined by the visionary author and artist, José Argüelles, whose work is a major inspiration for the film, is a twist on the catch phrase “time is money”. In the world of the film, “time” is unyoked from the relentless pursuit of material and capital gain and the audience is given an alternative framework: ‘What if we lived in a world where time is linked with creative potential and our lives became our masterpieces?’

In a recent article, Aaron Kase of Reset.me says, “ultimately, the film is about how to shift from being caught up in an ego and success-driven society into a state of seeking peace and community anywhere we go.”

The original film soundtrack also features trip-hop artists East Forest and Dream Circle (the filmmakers band), psychedelic space rock band, It’s Not Night It’s Space, folk artists Diana Zinni and Bachan Kaur and soundscape and house music artists, PJOE and Real Eyes. In support of the film contributors have been selecting the “deluxe conscious music package” which includes 300 minutes of conscious and uplifting original music including the original film soundtrack.

The film is produced by Things are Changing Productions and directed by co-creative team Katy Walker, Joel Mejia and Maia Monasterios. The filmmakers recently launched a 2015 teaser/extended trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKW44OdIY70) and are currently running an Indiegogo campaign that ends August 1st to raise remaining post-production funds. The trailer, pitch video, and additional information about the transmedia production are available on the Indiegogo site, as well as pre-orders of the film, soundtrack and ‘Time is Art’ book which includes more visionary art and conversations that were cut from the film.