‘It’s weird, you know, you tell a story like it is created in some kind of vacuum, but you know it isn’t, so I don’t know why you insist on continuing the pretense that it is.’
‘If you don’t maintain the notion that the artist is a unique individual who creates by themselves then you will have no heroes for the artist to aspire to be – you won’t be able to push the notion of the philosopher king. We need that – we need some idea that there can be a person distinct from the crowd.’
‘All I see are paper shapes cut from the same pattern that think they are individual, but pitch the same notion, and what are we to do with that?’
‘I don’t know David, what are we to do with that? You believe that your work on This Burning World is the only work that has any merit? Do you not see the arrogance in that? If you offer something to the world that seeks to help and build rather than tear down, then I think you would be making a better contribution.’
‘Just because I point out it’s burning, doesn’t mean I am not being constructive. You’ll see it.’
‘Maybe.’
‘It’ll be a flare. Something to mark out how to save the world.’
Jasper smiled, maybe he had just prodded David into one of the first true things he had ever said outside his work, and about his work.