bLOGOS/HA HA: Color Me Ken

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.

16 August 2017

Color Me Ken

Last week we attended the impressively credentialed workshop Art and Translation : Ian Fairweather’s The Drunken Buddha lead by Claire Roberts at the Ian Potter Museum of Art, Melbourne University.

Towards an Abstract Mood : The Drunken Buddha, 1965

While there, we also regarded (and translated...) The Potter's current exhibition The Score, curated by Jacqueline Doughty :

A musical score is a form of translation. It transcribes sound into drawing, by representing the aural complexities of pitch, rhythm and tempo as visual symbols.

The Score expands upon this spirit of transformation to ask, if music can be represented by notes on a staff, why not by colours? If a song can be performed by the voice, why not with silent hand gestures? And how would dance based upon the syllables of a poem, or music based upon the shape of a leaf manifest?

photos by Jodie Hutchinson

excerpts from The Score of Theatre of the Actors of Regard

Now, following The Score, we're listening again to Ken Nordine, to his 1966 Colors album, an extension of his 1964 7" EP Fuller Paint 'Color' Spots made for the Fuller Paint Company.

The ad man Bob Pritkin gave Ken Nordine this opportunity. That's Bob below, on stage with the Fuller Four Paint Performers doing their conceptual Can-Can-Can-Can for TAR. This info and these images from the excellent audioarcana.

Theatre of the Actors of Regard

COLORS has thirty-four tracks, each around 1' 35" of cool jazz hip bop advertisement copy for the chosen colors. It's available on Spotify and YouTube.

cover design Daniel Czubak

Flesh is ... color-centric thinking

Flesh, as a color is in an awful mess, yes
Ask anyone with flesh, they'll tell ya
Flesh, as a color is about as close to a problem as a color can get
Some people think the only color flesh color should be is the color their flesh color is
Which, pure and simple, is color-centric thinking
Popular in some corners, but you and I know, though,
That the proper color flesh for flesh to be is the proper color it is
Varying from complexion to complexion
But if black flesh
And white flesh
And brown flesh
And red flesh
And yellow flesh
And tan flesh
If all the fleshes that are flesh want to establish a sensible similarity among differences,
We better forget the flesh, and the colors it can be, and think on the Spirit, and its singular light
Otherwise, flesh as a color could be black and blue,
Or even a bloody hue

Tracklist
01 Olive
02 Lavender
03 Burgundy
04 Yellow
05 Green
06 Beige
07 Maroon
08 Ecru
09 Chartreuse
10 Turquoise
11 White
12 Flesh
13 Azure
14 Puce
15 Magenta
16 Orange
17 Purple
18 Muddy
19 Russet
20 Amber
21 Blue
22 Black
23 Gold
24 Crimson
25 Brown
26 Rosey
27 Hazel
28 Mauve
29 Fuschia
30 Sepia
31 Nutria
32 Cerise
33 Grey
34 Coral

TAR presents regarding Abstract Mood (for Ken N) :