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.


10 December 2013

ANTI-MUSIC


Soon to conclude at David Pestorius Projects :

ANTI–MUSIC: 1979–1983
30 October—13 December, 2013
Pestorius Sweeney House, Brisbane

"... the most comprehensive retrospective of this important Australian artist collective, which in the early 1980s gained international recognition for its conflation of experimental music, punk and post-conceptual strategies.

An umbrella term for a large number of recording groups comprised mainly of artists with little or no musical training, ANTI–MUSIC was founded in 1979 by John Nixon, who also co-ordinated its activities over the five year duration of the project. Experimenting with a wide-range of musical genres, including folk, rock, pop, electronica, improv, film music, noise, muzak, and even opera, ANTI–MUSIC eschewed live performance, instead preferring anonymity and concentrating on DIY cassette-tape recording processes..."
       
- full text here
      

ANTI-MUSIC : installation at Pestorius Sweeney House

And at 'Melbourne Now' (NGV until 23 March) John Nixon continues this with The Donkey's Tail and The Donkey’s Tail Jr.

Formed in 2007 by artist John Nixon, The Donkey’s Tail is an experimental artmusic ensemble featuring diverse artists, musicians and amateur collaborators who perform Nixon’s unconventional compositions on instruments made from found objects and orthodox instruments played in unorthodox ways. The group has been prolific in the experimental music scene, releasing more than sixty-five recordings on CD and playing regularly in Melbourne galleries and music venues. For Melbourne Now, The Donkey’s Tail has conceived an installation encompassing homemade instruments, CDs, photographs, paintings, graphic scores, sheet music cover designs, flyers and posters, and abstract kinetic videos. The project also incorporates The Donkey’s Tail Jnr, a special commission for kids encouraging experimentation with sound.

- Melbourne Now catalog

The Donkey’s Tail : installation at Melbourne Now
     
detail
A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
someone looks at something ...
 
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