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369

My observations so far…

Walls MV references

I want to start by approaching Walls MV as the bridge between LT1 and LT2. I believe we should choose this approach because some of the 369 Drop merch appears to depict the same desert as in Walls MV.

I want to first run through the references Louis uses to construct the video. Speaking through allusions, saying things you cannot say by referencing things that have your intended meaning, is not new to Louis or this fandom, and he does it well.

First, there are the Oasis references - the wall, which is appropriated from the Live Forever MV, the guitarist in the desert, which is appropriated from Who Feels Love MV, and the bullseye, which is appropriated from Wonderwall MV.

The other apparent music reference that I can identify is the black door, likely an allusion to Paint It Black by the Rolling Stones.

And of course, there is the reference to Lights Up where Louis’ masked dancers mimic the movement of the dancers in the Lights Up MV.

Next, there are the TV and Film references.

Stanley Kubrick features heavily.

2001: A Space Odyssey features in at least three places: The black door in the desert doubles as an imitation of the monolith. The bullseye also doubles as an allusion to HAL 9000. The lit-up stage references the floor of the room at the end of the film.

Eyes Wide Shut is alluded to by the masked dancers, the debutante ball, and the red velvet drapery.

The red velvet draped room and hallway are very literal interpretations of the red room from Twin Peaks.

Star Wars makes two appearances: The opening shot resembles Luke on Tatooine and the mirrored shot resembles Rey’s mirror scene in The Last Jedi.

Finally, the burning wall alludes to Only The Brave, the firefighting film which shares its name with the Walls album’s closing track.

Lastly, I think it is worth noting the presence of surrealist influence in the video. The desert setting combined with the abstracted scenes calls to mind Salvador Dali’s work. Disney’s collaboration with Dali seems particularly relevant in that it features ever-changing settings and, to my eye, the visible moon in the mirror scene is strongly reminiscent of the animation.

What we know about 369

“If you only knew the magnificence of the 3, 6 and 9, then you would have the key to the universe” - Nikkola Tesla

Louis followed Elon Musk, Tesla founder, on twitter with timing that appeared to confirm that Tesla’s 369 ideas are relevant to Louis’ use of 369.

I believe these two videos provide useful insight into what Louis’ understanding of Tesla’s 369 theory may be. The first video seems similar to media we know Louis like and the second provides a very clear and concise explanation of Tesla’s theory.

Why Did Nikola Tesla Say That 369 Was The Key To The Universe? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJkR84MEkVQ&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=UnexplainedMysteries

369 Theory of Tesla… https://youtu.be/YnMFQFDhy-4

My key takeaways from these videos are:

1. Symmetry

> I believe symmetry or doubling could be an important theme to explore. Where are things mirrored, duplicated, or alternate versions of themselves?

2. Circles (and infinite repetition)

> Circles feature prominently in Louis’ visuals (ex: bullseye) and are relevant to the 369 theory. I would include the concept of vortexes here. I intend to watch for any patterns or 369-related themes that seem to relate often to circle imagery.

3. 3, 6, and 9 are theorized to belong to a 4th dimension

> I believe that 369 could ultimately represent a new dimension, and I will elaborate on this idea in depth

4. Singularity of 9

> According to this theory, the number 9 exists across all dimensions and time. It is both everything and nothing. I would keep an eye out for the number 9 and what it could be used to mean.

My last takeaway is the connection to Hinduism mentioned in the second video. Louis chose to include the artwork of Ganesha which hangs in the studio he is recording LT2 in, in an instagram post. While there’s not much to this connection at the moment, if he chooses to expand on it in a respectful way, I think it would be a very cool way to include his Hindu fanbase.

the 369 Drop

(I have numbered the designs for convenience.)

Like all of Louis’ merch drops, his merch imitates other designs, some of which he has personally worn. For example, the burst design tote bag in the merch drop strongly resembles the exclusive Vampires Wife tote bag. However, I am going to focus on analyzing the individual elements of the designs.

“Op Art”, or art that uses optical illusions, features prominently:

In design 1, the burst design, we see infinitely repeating arches as well as a Frasier Spiral.

In design 3, we see the doubling of images used to produce a 3D image.

In design 4, we see a line weight optical illusion where lines and negative space are used to create the illusion of an image.

In design 6, we see infinitely repeating doors.

In design 1 we see an ammonite, the spiral shaped shell commonly associated with the Fibonnaci sequence. The Fibonnaci sequence is mathematically related to the Golden Ratio, which is apparent particularly in design 2, but also in 1, and 6.

Here are some videos to watch to learn about…

The Golden Ratio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwYfuJfIgaw&ab_channel=SamAlfano (this is the video I was shown in school!)

The Fibonnaci sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tv6Ej6JVho&ab_channel=ScienceABC

And the infinitely repeating patterns known as Fractals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BURjKRfOA9g&ab_channel=JavierRoma%C3%B1ach

In design 1, we also see puzzle blocks. These blocks do not strictly belong to a Soma Cube because one piece has 5 sections, while Soma Cube blocks have only 3-5 sections. However, other 3D puzzles do have these 5-section blocks. (You can see a catalog of puzzle blocks on this website: https://johnrausch.com/PuzzlingWorld/chap03.htm)

An interesting and noteworthy detail about these blocks is that the design shows the two chiral (mirror-image symmetry) 4-section blocks. Chirality and symmetry are interesting themes to keep in mind.

Finally, the blocks in design 1 come in two sizes. For me, this brings to mind the way fractals repeat themselves on infinitely smaller scales. In fact there is a fractal design which might be interpreted as the “solution” to the puzzle pieces we can see (although we would not have all of the puzzle pieces necessary to complete the image)

It’s a bit of a stretch, but maybe the idea is that this fractal pattern was shattered and the puzzle pieces were sent flying.

So to summarize I take away from the puzzle blocks the following concepts:

Puzzles: these are puzzle blocks which are meant to be reverse-engineered; there is a puzzle here to be solved

Repetition: the puzzle repeats, or themes of repetition are central to the puzzle

Breaking the cycle: the pattern has been shattered or disrupted in some way

Design 6 (and design 1) show an infinite hall of archways or doorways. There is relatively little information encoded in these designs other than that they are thematically appropriate because they seem to utilize both the golden ratio and repetition.

However, Design 6 in particular evokes for me the door from the Walls MV, the door that I believe alludes to the monolith in 2001 as well as the door from the song Paint It Black. In 2001 the monolith represents a mysterious greater intelligence. In Paint It Black, the door represents death. In the Walls MV, the door leads into the surreal Twin Peaks influenced room which enables Louis to look back on another version or past version of himself. Combining all of these references into one suggests something like mystical plane of higher insight which exists beyond our mortal plane.

And that brings me to The Doors of Perception. The name comes from a William Blake poem which states “If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is: Infinite.” Infinity and heightened perception or understanding are central themes to Tesla’s 369 theory, and so it relates. The book The Doors of Perception is about psychedelic experiences and greatly influenced 60s culture. It is responsible for the band name The Doors and Richard Brautigan’s story In Watermelon Sugar was influenced by it.

While there is very little information inherent in the design, I believe that keeping these themes in mind may be useful to understanding how Louis is thinking about his world building and the meaning of 369.

The Moon Boy and the Glass

Designs 1 and 2 both show the Moon Boy statue. The statue is accompanied by the poem translated here: https://cathuniverse.tumblr.com/post/649725871586934784/translation-of-the-et-si-ma-bille-%C3%A9tait-la-lune

The general concept of the statue and poem is a boy climbing a ladder to reach for the moon, which looks like a toy marble.

In Louis’ design the image of the boy is appropriated, but instead of the moon, he interacts with a circular break in what appears to be a pane of glass.

In Design 2, the boy on the ladder appears to be in the same desert as the Walls MV is set. Here, he is behind the pane of glass.

In Design 1, the boy on the ladder is in front of the shattered glass and he is spray painting Louis’ dead-eyed smiley face over the circular opening in the glass.

The glass may be said to represent the Fourth Wall. (explained further here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_wall)

So, through these two designs, the boy appears to have traveled through hole in the “Fourth Wall” of the Walls MV.

If we consider Tesla’s 369 theory once again, we might interpret the space beyond the Fourth Wall as an alternate dimension (or the fourth dimension). It is a dimension where artist and viewer interact.

In this dimension, there are puzzles and patterns to be deciphered.

Note: If you’re an art nerd, read Relational Aesthetics with this idea in mind. If you’re not, don’t worry, you know what you need to know for Louis.

With puzzles and patterns in mind, let’s revisit the line weight illusion. Conceptually, what is happening in this design is that an artist is asking you to “read between the lines” to identify the image they intend you to see. Applied to Louis’ general sensibility and specifically to the 369 mystery, that is the puzzle being played. Louis offers up the clues. It is then up to us and our perception to fill in the missing information and identify his intent.

But what is the hole and where did it come from?

Now, let’s take a step back and revisit the hole through which the boy has appeared to travel between the world of Walls and another dimension.

In the world of the Walls MV, the moon features prominently in the mirror shot. To me, the shot evokes the famous Dali/Disney collaboration, Destino, in which a white ball morphs into many things.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMLVqQDeY58)

In the 369 Drop, the hole in the Fourth Wall takes the place of the moon in the original statue.

Although it has not been discussed here, Tesla’s 369 theory can be related to the moon (because it is a circle) as well as the lunar cycle.

We know that Louis uses the number 28 constantly. Larries strongly believe it represents something important to Harry and Louis as a couple, and regardless, Louis cares a great deal about the number. I bring 28 up because it has a near-relationship to lunar cycles:

One full revolution of the Moon around the Earth takes 27 days, 7 hours, and 43 minutes. A moon phase cycle, during which the amount of Moon surface that we are able to see from Earth waxes and wanes, takes 29.5 days.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/menstrual-cycles-and-lunar-cycles-is-there-a-link

“Reaching for the moon” is a metaphor for pursuing your dreams, no matter how difficult they may seem. As a solo artist, that phrase might describe Louis.

To quickly recap that, Louis may have drawn some inspiration from Destino in which objects transform into other things. Inspired by Destino or not, there is a relationship between the moon and the hole in the fourth wall. There is also a relationship between the moon and Louis’ favorite number, 28.

Now, I will put those ideas into conceptual framing: Louis has been reaching for moon, trying to do the impossible. The impossible thing he has tried to do is connect with us, and we know this because the boy is trying to break through the Fourth Wall via the moon. The “moon” is also the number 28, which he has used to communicate with us.

The “moon” which is also Louis’ connection to his audience via code, has transformed into a portal to an alternate dimension in which Louis interacts with his audience via puzzles.

This “portal” may be likened to the singularity referenced in the 369 theory. You might recognize the concept of a singularity from the “big bang” theory. The singularity is what exists at the beginning of the universe and everything expands from it. The burst design resembles this concept. If Louis’ use of 28 is the thing which created this singularity, then all of the new puzzles that burst forth from the singularity = portal = hole in the fourth wall = moon = connection to his audience via the number 28.

I’ll try to simplify this once more: Louis has communicated with his fans via the number 28 which has enabled him to leave his old artistic constraints and create art by engaging his audience in puzzles and codes.

Now that he is in a new dimension, he spray paints his dead-eyed smiley face over the portal to the old, more constrained dimension.

Copy of a Copy of a Copy

Now, let’s analyze everything we have discussed through the lens of the lyrics of Louis’ unreleased song Copy of a Copy of a Copy.

I hope that by now, you understand that the theme of repetition is central to Tesla’s 369 theory as well as the design elements in the 369 drop. Repetition is also indicated by the title “Copy of a Copy of a Copy”, which is itself an allusion to the speech in Fight Club (and a derivative NIN song). I’ve already established that Louis builds layers of meaning into his art using well-chosen references, and this is also a part of the theme of copies or repetition.

The opening line of the song is “It’s an old curse, dreamers divin’ head first/ broken beaks and dead birds” which shares the same theme as “reaching for the moon”.

The next line “can’t break through the glass” alludes directly to the broken glass in the fourth wall that I have just discussed at length.

(The “glass” has been interpreted also to mean a “glass closet”. If you believe that Louis has used the number 28 to communicate that he has been silenced and closeted in a way that relates to Section 28 and/or a secret relationship with Harry, then he has in a sense used “28” to “break through the glass” and communicate to fans, and that is what is represented in the merch design.)

The next three lines are: There’s no use cryin’ over spilled blood / Carin’ only kills love / A kiss won’t bring it back

I relate the line “Carin’ only kills love/ A kiss won’t bring it back” to the dead-eyed smiley face and interpret the dead-eyed smiley as a symbol of detachment (it can be interpreted as a sign for being high and detached and happy in that way or related to Nirvana’s iconic dead-eyed smiley face which & the Buddhist concept of detatchment). The act of spray painting a smiley face over the portal to the past is a statement of acceptance and detachment.

Now let’s look at the line “There’s no use cryin’ over spilled blood” - in light of this line, I interpret the drip smiley face design as a bleeding wound. (The drip design has always evoked Mowalola’s bullet dress for me.) A wound which the dead-eyed smiley face of symbolic detachment has been applied to. In this interpretation, it is a quite literal depiction of not caring about spilled blood.

The idea of a bullet wound may relate back to the imagery of Louis being at the center of a bullseye target. So, the wound comes from the painful past depicted in the Walls MV.

The remainder of the song addresses a young man who is now in the position Louis was once in and describes a repeating pattern which seems inescapable. Perhaps like the mathematical patterns of the universe which the 369 theory deals with.

The noteworthy difference between the song and the 369 drop is that in the song, there is no way to break through and you are stuck repeating the same old, inevitable patterns. But 369 shows that there is a way to do the impossible and “break through the glass”. So where does that take us…?

I think the best way to reconcile these differences is to look again to 369. 369 holds the “key to the universe” if you believe Tesla. 369 is a pattern. Knowledge of the pattern enables you to do the impossible. It enables you to “break through” to another dimension.

The young man in the song does not know the pattern yet, so he can’t break through.

The boy on the ladder uses the pattern to break through.

What to look for going forward

So what does all of this mean going forward? In theory, it means that we are in a new dimension of puzzles with Louis. (God, Universe, 369, Ganesha help us all.)

In the past, I have said that we have built up a language of code between us and HL. This artwork may indicate that we are entering a new era of code with LT2.

We should pay attention to patterns because they are the key to unlocking the secrets of the Louniverse.

Perhaps most importantly, the puzzles we see are real, they have meaning, and Louis wants us to explore them.

Please remember to check the original post for future updates and corrections.

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