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.


07 October 2013

Reinventing the Wheel: the Static Display


To see the wheel turning was very soothing, very comforting, a sort of opening of avenues on other things than material life of every day. I liked the idea of having a bicycle wheel in my studio. I enjoyed looking at it just as I enjoy looking at the flames dancing in a fireplace. It was like having a fireplace in my studio, the movement of the wheel reminded me of the movement of the flames.

- Arturo Schwartz, The Complete works of Marcel Duchamp, London: Thames and Hudson, 1969, p.442

In 1966, four years before her appointment as Secretary of State for Education and Science, the MP for Finchley, Margaret Thatcher visited the exhibition 'The Almost Complete Works of Marcel Duchamp' at the Tate Gallery, London.

In 1980, as the Conservative Prime Minister of Britain, Margaret Thatcher had cause to recall her earlier regard of that static reconstruction of Marcel Duchamp's 1913 Bicycle Wheel. 

Thus it was, she said...

                                                              click image to enlarge
    
Reinventing the Wheel: the Readymade Century
       

Monash University Museum of Art

Caulfield campus

3 October – 14 December 2013

Presented in association with the Melbourne Festival



       
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