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.


13 March 2018

Department to Count the Moon


Malcolm Tucker : Yeah. 'Julius Nicholson is a hugely respected advisor. He now has a wide ranging brief and his blue-sky vision and helicopter-thinking will enable this government to go, in his own phrase, beyond delivery and beyond that'. That's the line, ok? And if he does stick his baldie head round your door and comes up with some stupid idea about policemen's helmets should be yellow or let's set up a department to count the moon, just treat him like someone with Helzheimer's disease, you know? Just say 'yes, that's lovely, that's good, we must talk about that later', ok?

- The Thick of It : Episode #2.2 (2005)

Fosterville Institute of
 Applied & Progressive 
Cultural Experience   
presents  
Department to Calculate 
Distances of Portraits 
from Surfaces of the Earth 


 Theatre of the Actors of Regard - photo David van Dam

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 A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
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