David Jones, artist and poet (1895-1974) begins his PREFACE TO THE ANATHEMATA :

'I have made a heap of all that I could find.' (1) So wrote Nennius, or whoever composed the introductory matter to Historia Brittonum. He speaks of an 'inward wound' which was caused by the fear that certain things dear to him 'should be like smoke dissipated'. Further, he says, 'not trusting my own learning, which is none at all, but partly from writings and monuments of the ancient inhabitants of Britain, partly from the annals of the Romans and the chronicles of the sacred fathers, Isidore, Hieronymous, Prosper, Eusebius and from the histories of the Scots and Saxons although our enemies . . . I have lispingly put together this . . . about past transactions, that [this material] might not be trodden under foot'. (2)

(1) The actual words are coacervavi omne quod inveni, and occur in Prologue 2 to the Historia.
(2) Quoted from the translation of Prologue 1. See The Works of Gildas and Nennius, J.A.Giles, London 1841.


16 September 2015

Theatre of the Actors of Regard presents : Purple Gaze


Purple gaze, all in my brain
Lately things they don't seem the same
Actin' funny, but I don't know why
Excuse me while I kiss the sky
 We are what we think.
 All that we are arises with our thoughts.
 With our thoughts we make the world. 
 Buddha
 The Dharmapada 
Purple gaze, all around
Don't know if I'm comin' up or down
Am I happy or in misery?
What ever it is, that girl put a spell on me
 detail
 A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
 someone looks at something... 
 LOGOS/HA HA
Help me
Help me
Oh, no, no

Ooo, ahhh
Ooo, ahhh
Ooo, ahhh
Ooo, ahhh, yeah!

Purple gaze all in my eyes
Don't know if it's day or night
You got me blowin', blowin' my mind
Is it tomorrow, or just the end of time?

Ooo
Help me
Ahh, yea-yeah, purple gaze
Oh, no, oh
Oh, help me
Tell me, tell me, purple gaze
I can't go on like this
Purple gaze
You're makin' me blow my mind
Purple gaze, n-no, nooo
Purple gaze
   
- with apologies to JH

 ___________________________________________

We have received the following email announcement from the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney :

Question the post-critical irony 

How do we distinguish between an ‘original’ and a ‘copy’? 
Professor of Art History at Monash University, Rex Butler 
takes a look at the practice of two painters making similar 
work for two very different reasons. Explore the theories 
and future of painting, in this thought-provoking lecture.
       
Read more >>>
Clicking on that takes us to this :
           
TALK

WHY PAINTING? 
– Rex Butler

Explore the recent history, current state and the possible futures of painting in this series of talks.

REALLY POST-CRITICAL

Rex Butler (Monash University)
Sat 26 September
2-3.30pm
The Brisbane-based newspaper The Courier-Mail recently carried a long article by journalist Susan Johnson, 'CJ Hendry shows how artists are finding fame and riches by using social media' (Read article here) (December 15, 2014), featuring the work of one CJ Hendry, an artist whose work bears an uncanny resemblance to that of another Queensland artist Michael Zavros. Painter Zavros is known for his “post-critical” attitude towards art-making, his doing away with that critical “irony” that distinguishes the work of art from that object or attitude it appears to represent. Zavros’ work simply is what it represents: cars, handsome young men, the artist narcissistically bathing in his own wealth and glamour. And yet Zavros and his dealer in the article are quoted defending his work against its imitation by Hendry. In what could the difference between the two bodies of work lie? How are we to distinguish between Zavros’ “original” and Hendry’s “copy”? And why would Zavros, given his apparently “post-critical” attitude, want to?
Rex Butler is Professor of Art History at Monash University. He is currently working on a history of UnAustralian art with ADS Donaldson and has recently completed a book on Deleuze and Guattari’s What is Philosophy?
FREE, bookings essential
Veolia Lecture Theatre
Presented in association with Sydney College of the Arts, University of Sydney
Image Credit: Lucy Parahkina
               
Theatre of the Actors of Regard 
 detail
 A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
 someone looks at something...

  LOGOS/HA HA