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.


17 November 2008

Colour my world

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"The research scientist in photo C is studying how colours change under the influence of electricity. The telescope-like device can produce all colours of the rainbow by changing the voltage applied to a light beam."

TV MIRRORS “SEE” ONLY ONE COLOR
Popular Mechanics
December 1950



Another moment from the conference Out of Bounds: Art, Faith & Spirituality held earlier this year at Monash University (Faculty of Art & Design). In the background a detail of an installation by Domenico de Clario, which included a spectrum of seven fluorescent lights .