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.


19 July 2011

Let it all hang out : Australian Art of the 70s

.
There are a couple of old favorites in this exhibition (- 7 August)
at the Ballarat Art Gallery .

First, Frank Littler's wonderful hot! crazy Pro News, circa 1975.



Here at Pro News bLOGOGOS/HA HA we have no inside knowledge about Mr Littler's intended readings, if any. However, in the dark light of the current revelations about Media Chief Rupert Murduch's NEWS of the WORLD, it's shame and demise, and the ongoing investigations into that newspaper's journalists' hacking of the phones of everyone from Royalty to a murdered child... it's hard not to see Rupert et al pictured here in excruciating hellish detail.

In the last week we've seen live on World TV not only Rupert and James Murdoch and their former now-arrested editor of News of the World grilled before a committee of the British Parliament, we've also seen the two most senior London police officers resign over police involvement.

Frank Littler's cockatoo screeching radio and television Media Man is accompanied onstage and off by the boys in blue. One of them even reads a rag with the headline MANAGING DIRECTOR



In the off stage shade at the bottom right corner, a blind or otherwise eyes-closed someone (a Pro News journalist perhaps) is playing along on a customized black phone-guitar. Yakkety Yak hackety hack...



That darth tool echoes the Instrument of the Passion, the eyeless guitar-body being fingered by the headliner.

These two Pro News guitars find familiar company in the form of the PUPPET CULTURE FRAMING SYSTEM at work in this other exhibition favorite from 1979 :

1979_Family and Black Painting_Puppet Culture Framing System_sRGB_400

The Puppet Culture Framing System was also configured around this time as a guitar...



Hence

Slave Guitars
formerly known as
Slave Guitars of the Art Cult


detail
A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
someone looks at something ...

LOGOS/HA HA