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.


01 August 2021

La Grande Bouffe < blow-out


Philip Brophy in this weekend's MeMO review :

          Everyone simply loved it. State politicians stood in front of it (like every moron in Melbourne) to have their photo taken. The NGV website has a short promo discussing its curatorial purchase and placement. But do you think I could find anyone anywhere to critically engage with this work, short of reprising the NGV’s sound-bytes or Anadol’s own assertions? Am I second-guessing that most MeMO readers saw it, hated it and can’t bring themselves to even remember it? Maybe therein lies the core of the problem: how screen culture’s increasing leakage of totemic and monumental art commissions constitutes a critical drowning-out of discursive engagement.

Theatre of the Actors of Regard  
NGV Triennial 2020 installation view of Refik Anadol (designer); Refik Anadol Studio, Los Angeles (design studio) Quantum memories 2020. Commissioned by the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne. Proposed acquisition with funds donated by Loti & Victor Smorgon Fund and Barry Janes and Paul Cross, 2020 © Refik Anadol. 
Photo: Tom Ross

As above, so below :

     TARist
     projection-space
     words


 Yosa Buson (1716-1784) ink paper scroll digital reproduction regard

Theatre of the Actors of Regard  
 detail
 A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
 someone looks at something...
  
 LOGOS/HA HA