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.


06 June 2013

The Outsider

          
Our favorite blacksmith is John Madigan. 

A few days ago The Weekend Australian wrote of Senator John Madigan :  

He is the "most outside of outsiders" in federal politics but come September, the DLP's John Madigan might find himself at the centre of the action 
JOHN MADIGAN FORGES THE HEAVY METTLE OF DLP
Stuart Rintoul / The Australian
1 June 2013
A photo in that article shows Madigan at his forge, not far from our own office.
photo : John Nowakowski 


John set up here as a blacksmith when still a boy.
       
In the late 1970s, one of our staff commissioned him to make a branding iron in the manner of the early hunters and hearders of the Canvas Animal.


 
Above and below, John prepares two equal-length iron lines of inter-dependence for the ideogram brand.
      

   
The parts are then heated soft in the forge, ready to smite and shape together.
   

    
The result...
    


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