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.


25 July 2019

Cry 'Brexit!' ( Boris Johnson UK PM )


Once more unto the breach, dear friends, 
    once more;
        Or close the wall up with our English dead.


Theatre of the Actors of Regard 
  TARists with Untitled (2006-07) by Anish Kapoor
  dedicated to former QAG director Doug Hall, AM

...for there is none of you so mean and base,
That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George!'

- from 'Henry V' by William Shakespeare 


Theatre of the Actors of Regard 
 Open House Melbourne : Monash University Public Art Tour
 TARist with Water-Orb (2018) by Natasha Johns-Messenger
  photo by Christian Capurro 
 detail
 A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
 someone looks at something... 
         
 LOGOS/HA HA