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.


23 June 2020

modern Aussie shed


A few days ago we reported on the downgrading of The Humanities in Australia, from without and within. More such :

National Gallery of Australia to shed staff and slash acquisitions from 3,000 to 100 a year

Stephanie Convery / The Guardian
Tuesday 23 June 2020


...that the organisation would be undergoing a restructure to “modernise” the gallery and ensure its continuing sustainability.
The restructure requires shedding between 10% and 12% of its more than 300 staff to make up the remaining $1.5m of a $3.26m shortfall...

 The gallery is simultaneously planning to dramatically cut its art acquisitions as part of a strategy to focus on “masterworks rather than volume”.
....this year the gallery controversially spent almost half its annual acquisitions budget on the $6.8m artwork Cube by the US artist Jordan Wolfson...
        photograph : Lukas Coch/AAP  

The Debt Collection, Canberra  
        Theatre of the Actors of Regard  
 detail
 A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
 someone looks at something...
  
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