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.
Peter Tyndall says
“Usually I don’t provide a bio when I’m exhibiting. From my side, it’s a
convention that irks : the de rigueur list of Selected Places of Study,
Selected Exhibitions, Selected Collections. If I do give one it’s
usually a one-off construction (all bios are constructions), a creative
complement to some aspect of the particular show.” The man's bio is a
work of art. His works all bear the same title 'A Person Looks At A Work
Of Art/someone looks at something… LOGOS/HA HA'. The man is a riddle
wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma accompanied by a press release
written in invisible ink. Visit this exhibition of his works from the
mid '70s to the present, and join the dots. The dots are also invisible.
Cleo Braithwaite
Two Thousand
Sydney, December 2012
Peter Tyndall, 'detail'
245 Wilson St, Darlington
detail
A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
someone looks at something ...
LOGOS/HA HA
