21 December 2013
Rebirth-day:
worldwide day of rebirth
A great celebration throughout the world - a vital, living, breathing symbol of a new beginning.
December 21st, the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere and the summer soltice in the Southern, is a day celebrated by mankind since time immemorial.
A fateful “end of the world” connotation, as widespread as it is unfounded, has been attributed to this day in 2012, proposing a theme that is recurrent in mythologies and religions as well as in the literature of fantasy and science fiction.
All imaginative factors aside, this date can take on a symbolic meaning, as it effectively corresponds to a climactic phase of human history.
The ecological imbalance created by exploiting and polluting the planet, the combined action of consumerism and population growth, causing a state of global unsustainability, the crisis of cultures that have determined the patterns of our common thought and practices—all have taken place in conjunction with an exponential growth of technological and scientific development that has given humankind unprecedented power to build and to destroy, and therefore extreme responsibility.
The whole of human society is now in the reckoning and so must face a historic transition, a complete change.
Humanity has gone through two paradises. The first, in which it integrated fully with nature; the second, in which it expanded into an artificial world of its own, which grew until it came into conflict with the natural world. It is time to begin the third stage (further information about “The Third Paradise”), in which humanity will reconcile and unite nature and artifice, creating a new balance at every level and in every area of society:
an evolutionary step in which the human intelligence finds ways to live in harmony with the intelligence of nature.Michelangelo Pistoletto
A new perspective opens up that involves everyone, without exception, in the daily effort to implement the process of rebirth – each according to his or her abilities and possibilities.
Early signs of change can already be seen in every field of human activity, from art to spirituality, culture to politics, economics to science, manufacturing to education. But collective awareness and responsibility at the global level are urgent if we are to start the ascent toward a new era of humanity.
On December 21, 2012, we met in the streets and squares all over the world, and on the Web, to take part in the great inaugural celebration of the Third Paradise.
We had the extraordinary opportunity to joyfully and eagerly create our future destiny together: we have participated, with whatever form of expression (performance, music, sound, installations, images…) in creating a great common artwork.
Rebirth-day is an annual event, a celebration that is renewed every year: let's work all together in the new edition of Rebirth-day, on December 21, 2013.
Rebirth-day: the first worldwide day of rebirth
The gestational process of Rebirth-Day, the first worldwide day of rebirth, has begun. We can all participate, with personal or group initiatives featuring proposals, actions and activities consistent with the process of responsible social change set forth in the Third Paradise.
The Rebirth-Day project is low-impact, sustainable and sensitive to environmental issues; it promotes a development model appropriate to a practice of containment and it uses the free collaboration of individuals and communities throughout the world.
Participation in the Rebirth-Day represents a personal commitment to the process of change.
The actions, activities and interventions oriented toward rebirth will be carried out throughout 2012, on the celebration day, 21 December, and in 2013 as well.
The Third Paradise is a secular undertaking and is not associated with any religious denomination.
- The first form of participation is to share the initiative: tell your friends and acquaintances about it.
- Propose actions, activities and interventions inspired by rebirth—starting, for instance, from the sign/symbol of the Third Paradise, which can be presented in different forms in different languages and materials.
- Share your contribution here.
- Share your interventions, actions and activities on Facebook and Youtube.
- A selection of the materials produced is presented in the within of the exhibition “Michelangelo Pistoletto, année un - le paradis sur terre” (“Michelangelo Pistoletto, year 1 – Paradise on Earth”), held at the Louvre, Paris, from April 25 to Semptember 2, 2013.
Cittadellarte & Michelangelo Pistoletto, 2012 - 2013
What is the Third Paradise?
It is the fusion between the first and second paradise. The first is the paradise in which humans were fully integrated into nature. The second is the artificial paradise, developed by humans through a process that has now reached globalizing proportions. This paradise is made of artificial needs, artificial products, artificial comforts, artificial pleasures, and every other form of artifice. Humankind has formed a real artificial world that gives rise, in an exponential manner and in parallel with its beneficial effects, to irreversible processes of decline on a planetary scale. The danger of a tragic collision between the natural sphere and artificial has been announced in every way¹.
The idea of the Third Paradise is to lead artifice—that is, science, technology, art, culture and political life—back to the Earth, while engaging in the reestablishment of common principles and ethical behavior, for on these the actual success of the project depends.
The Third Paradise is the passage to a new level of planetary civilization, essential to ensure the human race's survival.
The Third Paradise is the new myth that leads everyone to take personal responsibility at this momentous juncture.
The Third Paradise is symbolically represented by a reconfiguration of the mathematical infinity sign. In the “New Infinity Sign” three circles are drawn: the two opposite circles signify nature and artifice; the middle one is the conjunction of the two and represents the generative womb of the Third Paradise.
1. The term artifice is rooted in the word art, so art today takes on core responsibilities with regard to the whole artificial world.
Michelangelo Pistoletto, 2003 - 2012
further information about “The Third Paradise” on www.cittadellarte.it
“Omnitheism and democracy” manifesto
This is my last manifesto.
The manifesto of a human being, at a point in space and time.
A being in part natural and in part artificial. Natural in so far as shaped by nature and artificial in so far as shaped by art.
An artfully made human being.
The aim is to reconsider the foundations of sociocultural structure, specifically religion and politics, reinterpreting them through the new dual concept of omnitheism and democracy. It is my conviction that democracy cannot coexist with monotheistic dogmas. To make this clear I intend to follow the course traced out by art. [...]
Michelangelo Pistoletto, 2012 - 2013
download the “Omnitheism and democracy” manifesto in PDF format
