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.
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After much discussion about yesterday's post, today two young performers from The Theatre of the Actors of Looking respond with a series of tableaux vivant, a play : "In reality, ...".
Staged upon a cube, he plays Ideal Man, she Ideal Woman. They each seek Ideal Other. In addition, each carries an Instrument of the Passion, on this occasion an accordion telescope. Allegorically, this represents the possibility of other sight. Physically, it can be long or short or any length between.
They perform the permutations. By turns, they display to each other and they look at each other. So too with their Instruments, they show and they regard.
In the scene below, Ideal Woman gazes downward though her Instrument - she turns it to enlarge - at the broad end of the fully extended, vertically displayed Instrument of Ideal Man.
(Thanks to Whaley's Card Depot for sponsoring this event at such short notice.)
detail
A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
someone looks at something ...
LOGOS/HA HA
