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.


31 October 2021

Halloween : Our Bewatching



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

28 October 2021

Coming Soon



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

27 October 2021

Les Artistes

cllck image to enlarge   


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

26 October 2021

Vale Nigel Lendon (1944-2021)


The first work I experienced by Nigel Lendon was Inventory in Brian Finemore's Object & Idea at the National Gallery of Victoria, 1973. 

Inventory, 1973, various media, 6000 x 6000 mm   
Nigel's contribution to that significant (after The Field) NGV exhibition was very much both object and idea : the material object engaged and impressed upon me, and I have never forgotten the effective work of that title.

these images from www.nigellendon.art    
 Inventory (How do I see thee? Let me count the ways.) 

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of being and ideal grace.
I love thee to the level of every day's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for right.
I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints. I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)


 Nigel Lendon with one of the 200+ plastic cameras he collected.
 photo Brenton McGeachie / CMAG

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

25 October 2021

The Expanded Field

    



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

22 October 2021

Minister for Education, Alan Tudge MP re. National Education Standards

  
In the morning, this broad discussion on The Art Show (ABC RN) re. about Public Art.

In the afternoon, at Question Time in the House of Representatives, the Minister for Education re. National Education Standards. Hansard (20 October 2021) :


Photo of MP

Mr ALEXANDER (Bennelong) (14:51): My question is to the Minister for Education and Youth. With many students in my electorate returning to school this week, will the minister outline how the Morrison government is ensuring the national curriculum will help our kids roar back and instil a factual, positive view of our history and love of our country.

Photo of MPMr TUDGE (AstonMinister for Education and Youth) (14:51): I thank the member for Bennelong for his question and his contribution to his electorate and indeed to our nation. It is fantastic that kids are returning to school in Melbourne and Sydney, and it is such a relief for parents and for kids. As they return to school, we are absolutely backing them in to roar back. We're doing that through record funding to every single school; we're doing that through additional mental health support; we're doing that through keeping the economy strong so that there are opportunities for them post schooling—and, of course, we're also doing this through revising the national curriculum to ensure that standards are high and that we instil that love of country which the member for Bennelong referred to.

Mr Speaker, as you'd be aware, the national curriculum is presently under review. But I've got to say that I would not support what the independent Australian curriculum authority has presently put out, the reason being that, in some cases, standards haven't been lifted but have in fact gone backwards. The clearest example of that is in the teaching of the times table. Presently, kids are being taught that in year 3, but under the revised national curriculum, which ACARA, the independent body, has put out, it would be taught in year 4. In some other countries it's actually taught in year 2. But I'll tell you what is suggested to be taught in year 2, and that is to suggest or to analyse whether a statue is racist. So you can't learn the times table, but you can do an analysis of a statue in year 2, when you are seven.

My biggest problem, though, is actually in the history curriculum

Opposition members interjecting

Photo of MPThe SPEAKER: Members on my left!

Photo of MPMr TUDGE: and it is in this history curriculum where I have the greatest problem. As you know, we live in the greatest, egalitarian, freest, wealthiest country that has ever existed in the history of humankind, but if you read that national draft curriculum on our history, you wouldn't think this. It has such a miserable view of our history. Frankly, we're not going to stand for that, because there is a reason that we are the greatest country in the world, and kids need to learn about that reason so that they can defend it, so they can be proud of it and they can do what previous generations have done.

I notice whenever I talk about this topic, whenever I talk about pride in Australia and I talk about pride in our history, the Labor Party opposite get so upset, because they equally have such a miserable view of our history and they want that miserable view imparted to kids. Well, we don't on this side of the House. We are proud of our country. We know that mums and dads are proud of their country, and we want to ensure the kids are equally proud.

Culture Wars 101 (continued) : He did the same thing in Question Time yesterday. Again, he had one of his own backbenchers set him up with a Dorothy Dixer. 

Mr STEVENS (Sturt) (14:27): My question is to the Minister for Education and Youth. Will the minister outline how the new draft national school curriculum proposes to teach Australian children about our rich history and our successful democracy?

Mr TUDGE (Aston—Minister for Education and Youth) (14:28): 
I thank the member for Sturt...
...I am not satisfied with the current draft which has been presented, because some of those core things which underpin our democracy are not there. It has a negative view of our history. It has a negative view of Australia. It omits some of the great people in Australia's history. It omits even things such as Christianity, more or less, even though it's one of the great influences on modern Australia.  

Opposition members interjecting— 

Mr TUDGE: Again I speak about this desire to instil love of country into the national curriculum and into students, and again the Labor Party get so upset when we dare to suggest that kids should learn about our democracy, should have pride in our country, should absolutely celebrate our democracy and should make a contribution to it. I don't understand why. The only reason I can suggest is that they share that miserable view of our nation and want our kids to equally have that miserable view of our nation. We won't stand for it.

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

21 October 2021

TAR and the Wheel of Life


Yesterday's drawing by Josh Bowes is dreadfully and personally familiar.


by Josh Bowes 
TAR and the Wheel of Life, made in response, 
"as driven by desire/attachment." 
Bingo! 
click image to enlarge
Theatre of the Actors of Regard  
 detail
 A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
 someone looks at something...
  
 LOGOS/HA HA
  
   
        

20 October 2021

some thank yous


Last week, a nip by a pug to the tip of your correspondent's little finger, thirty hours later brought on rigors and sepsis - From Little Things Big Things Grow - and, later, streams of IV antibiotics and micro surgery to flush out the resistance. A rare invader with a long name. "One case per year," he said.
 click image to enlarge 

 FIAPCE 
Grateful thanks to the doctors and staff at Springs Medical Centre and Daylesford Hospital; to Jo and Michele who at a moment's notice served as long distance ambos; to the doctors, nurses and all at Geelong Hospital; to Gill for bringing hot meals and general checking; and to Josh Bowes who, unaware of the developing bite saga, left this "Glad to see you back in general circulation" drawing on the chair by the front door.

 Josh and Boots 

by Josh Bowes 
 detail
 A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
 someone looks at something...
  
 LOGOS/HA HA
  
        
     

19 October 2021

New Stock Expected Soon

for Susan  

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

10 October 2021

Title, even


Titles in general interested me a lot. At the time I was becoming literary. Words interested me; and the bringing together of words to which I added a comma and ‘even,’ an adverb which makes no sense, since it relates to nothing in the picture or title. Thus it was an adverb in the most beautiful demonstration of adverbness. It has no meaning . . . . In English too, ‘even’ is an absolute adverb; it has no sense. All the more possibility of stripping bare. It’s a ‘non-sense.’

-  Marcel Duchamp to
 Pierre Cabanne (publ. 1971)

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

07 October 2021

The



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

05 October 2021

Land Rights, Naming Rights, Label Rights


In 1983, Daniel Thomas, then Senior Curator at the National Gallery of Australia, contacted the Fosterville Institute of Applied & Progressive Cultural Experience to discuss institution Label differences.

FIAPCE had previously requested the NGA use the FIAPCE Label format when exhibiting Works Of Art created by FIAPCE. The NGA had presumed its own Label Claim Right to re/describe all its dis/contents, even those belonging to others. Daniel Thomas suggested the compromise of two Labels, displayed together. One representing the art/worldview of the NGA and one representing the art/worldview of FIAPCE. "The more the merrier", FIAPCE responded, and so it was agreed. (Even so, the NGA placed its Label above rather than beside the "Artist's label".)

Something similar is now happening in Australia as Place Names come under public review. Melbourne/Naarm for instance.

Governor Bourke visited Port Phillip in March 1837, confirmed Lonsdale's choice of a site for the new town and named it Melbourne on 10 April 1837[13] after the then British prime minister William Lamb, 2nd Viscount Melbourne, who resided in the village of Melbourne in Derbyshire. The General Post Office opened under that name on 13 April 1837.[16] Before being officially named, the town had several interim names – including Batmania, Bearbrass, Bareport, Bareheep, Barehurp and Bareberp.[14][15][16]  - Wikipedia

If the Crown Nameplate Stampers are too stricture bound to easily make change, then those closer to the ground feel less such restraint as they re-state their preferred place name claims on envelope addresses and official forms. Observed today on ABC TV (Victoria), the presenter introduced a news update with, 
"I'm Nate Byrne, coming to you from the land of the Wurundjeri People."

Closer to home, between (Captain) Hepburn and Castlemaine on Dja Dja Wurrung country, the stream name 'Jim Crow Creek' is once again under review, this time with a suggested alternative. 

       
             Swiss Tunnel at Jim-Crow Diggings, c. 1858, by Richard
             Daintree (1832 - 1878), courtesy State Library of Victoria.

"Hepburn Shire Council is working with project partners, Mount Alexander Shire Council, North Central Catchment Management Authority and Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation (DJARRA), on the proposed renaming of Jim Crow Creek to Larni Barramal Yaluk."

- 'A New Name for Jim Crow Creek?', The Wombat Post, October 1, 2021

Place names, knighthoods, State Holidays, Standing Order Prayers in Parliament, public statues and other prominent signage. From below, all are under use-by-date review. 

In 1931, at the official Official Opening of the Castlemaine Art Gallery and Museum, the Flag of Australia (inset with the British flag) was displayed vertically and self-mirroring at either side of the symmetrical entrance.

Theatre of the Actors of Regard  
Leading up to the SINCLAIR+GALLERY stage review at CAM (December 2021- June 2022), we note this 'Take two' re-staging of the official opening of the Castlemaine Art Gallery and Museum (recently renamed Castlemaine Art Museum).

Theatre of the Actors of Regard  
The horizontals, verticals and diagonals of the Union Flag of the United Kingdom of Great Britain are here re-presented in the manner of the Diamond and the Square mythoLOGOS/HA HA and the Southern Cross constellation projection is re-presented according to the Great Net mythoLOGOS/HA HA

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

03 October 2021

Share the Joy!


This joyous Act of Regard by Average Human 
  
00:00
hi everyone i'm your average human
00:03
and i know i'm a little bit
00:07
purple today but i just recorded a video
00:11
on snow allegra's new song
00:13
so if you have not heard anything by her
00:17
please i beg you go check her out she's
00:20
incredible
00:21
but now on to this video
00:27
oh my god i don't think i'm ready for
00:29
this video
00:31
just by seeing the little snippet they
00:33
put out
00:34
on instagram i was freaking the hell out
00:38
so yeah we're gonna watch
00:41
good song an incredible song if you've
00:44
seen my previous
00:45
video for the song red room you kind of
00:49
know how i feel about this song which is
00:51
i love it

00:52
so yeah this is probably gonna be a mess
00:56
and yeah you're gonna we're gonna just
01:00
get right into it yeah we're just gonna
01:02
get right
01:03
into it and okay
01:06
go go time
01:10
what is happening oh my god so much
01:12
information
01:14
offers you excitement adventure the last
01:16
chance to escape this collapsing
01:18
dimension
01:19
that's what we need that's what we need
01:22
oh my god
01:24
i cannot with her yes yes
01:27
it's people

01:30
this song slaps so hard oh my god it's
01:33
so good
01:36
oh my god i'm gonna try to calm down but
01:39
i'm gonna fail i'm letting you know
01:40
right now this is too much oh my god
01:44
it's so good
01:57
oh my god what is that what is that
01:59
thing i don't know what it is but i want
02:01
it
02:01
every single time i see her i'm like
02:05
she's so damn original in everything in
02:08
her life
02:09
so i'm like too impressed
02:13


[Music]
02:20
oh my god her voice no
02:23
and i already like i already i'm
02:26
obsessed with the song
02:28
but still i cannot process how good she
02:31
is
02:31
oh my god
02:37
oh my god what is that red thing i
02:38
wonder those
02:41
they're well they're not goggles but oh
02:43
my god
02:44
jesus
02:48
this is so good
02:49
[Music]
02:52
[Applause]
02:53
[Music]
02:58
oh my god this space thing
03:02
i'm obsessed with it you know what it is
03:07
they're the only ones who could pull
03:08
this off oh my god and i started
03:10
cursing already
03:12
but seriously who could pull this off no
03:16
one
03:16
no one okay just these people these very
03:21
special
03:22
people right here only ones who could
03:25
pull this
03:26
off
03:27
[Music]
03:30
the vocals the visuals the space
03:34
the peoples the the dinosaurs
03:39
the meteor thing oh my god this is
03:43
incredible
03:44
[Music]


03:53
[Music]
03:55
oh my god this is so good
03:59
no no this this this is something else
04:03
this is something else this is on a
04:05
league of its own
04:07
it's in another universe like the car
04:10
oh my goodness the car
04:15
living for a car mood exactly
04:18
oh my god this is so good
04:24
not me losing my goddamn mind on the
04:26
internet
04:28
oh my god this is so good
04:32
oh my god
04:33


[Music]
04:40
i'm i'm i'm kind of obsessed over this
04:43
video
04:44
oh my god we need to do like a frame by
04:47
frame
04:48
dissection of this because it's so good
04:53
and also oh my god i'm tripping
04:56
also also
04:58
[Music]
05:00
i'm not saying people should do drugs
05:02
that's not what i'm saying
05:04
i did not say it but if you were to do
05:07
drugs
05:08
watch this video it will be a drip honey
05:11
oh my god yes lord yes lord


05:15
yes boyish to the moon
05:20
yes i mean it's not a moon but you know
05:21
what i mean it's like a
05:24
like a wink like a i see what you did
05:27
there
05:28
we're going inside of the oh my god
05:34
i'm way too sober for this
05:38
it's in in still trippy as hell
05:42
oh my god this is
05:46
this is on another level
05:50
galaxy oh no i'm gonna watch this a
05:54
billion times
05:56
from now until i die


06:03
i mean to leave me speechless
06:07
you great ghost whoever you are i'm
06:10
gonna
06:11
look for you i'm gonna
06:14
i'm gonna obsess about everything else
06:17
you
06:17
directed and yeah
06:20
[Music]
06:24
are you kidding me oh my god
06:29
oh my god um
06:32
so yeah i'm definitely gonna
06:36
obsess over this forever
06:39
like that's just what's gonna happen 


06:42
hi how are you i'm your average human
06:46
and i'm gonna get that tattooed on
06:47
my forehead i don't know how
06:49
but oh my god
06:52
that how i i mean
06:57
how can you sum up a video like that
07:00
because that was not a video
07:02
no sir that thing
07:05
i just watched it was not a video that's
07:08
an
07:09
experience a sensory
07:12
experience oh my
07:16
lord have mercy
07:19
that was so good i mean i'm gonna be
07:23
honest
07:23
i thought it was gonna be trippy and i
07:26
thought it was gonna be great


07:28
but this exceeded
07:32
any expectation i might have had
07:35
oh my god that was so good i have so
07:39
many questions like
07:40
i want a behind the scenes i want to see
07:43
how they
07:44
they shot this how how long it took
07:48
because it was so good and so original
07:51
oh my god
07:52
you know what always excites me
07:56
about you know unique
07:59
artists like this when they have a very
08:03
sort of precise point of view
08:08
in what they do with their art this
08:11
is a type of thing that just blows my
08:13
mind


08:15
because i mean when an artist makes a
08:19
music video
08:20
there's so many options of what you can
08:22
do with it
08:23
but i feel like
08:26
nowadays it's a bit more rare
08:30
that someone goes out and beyond for the
08:34
music videos
08:36
i don't know i remember when i was like
08:39
a little girl and i would watch
08:42
which would scare the living crap out of
08:46
me but
08:46
i would watch you know michael jackson's
08:49
thriller
08:50
and it was it was something so crazy
08:53
at the time i think now maybe if
08:57
i don't know someone who's like 12 or
09:01
16 even watches that video they're gonna
09:04
be like yes


09:05
you know it's not that good but back
09:08
when i was a little girl
09:10
that would blow my mind and
09:14
it was because i think in that case
09:18
you know just like this they put so much
09:22
effort and thought into the music video
09:25
like you can see
09:26
in this video that they had such a
09:30
strong idea
09:31
concept oh my god seriously people
09:35
i'm fangirling and losing my mind over a
09:38
video can we not make
09:40
loud sounds
09:44
every single time every single time does
09:46
it matter if i'm recording a three
09:48
in the morning some
09:52
rude person always anyway


09:56
going back to the awesomeness
09:59
that i just witnessed it
10:02
it is incredible i love it
10:06
i mean the song like i said i was
10:09
obsessed with it i knew the song was
10:12
great
10:12
so i have i had like good expectations
10:16
for the video
10:17
but i didn't know like where the video
10:20
could go
10:21
you know i knew it was not going to be
10:23
something very
10:24
literal in a sense but


10:28
damn that's like damn
10:31
it was so good especially the contrast
10:35
between
10:36
this video and the red room one
10:39
where it was so contrived you know
10:42
one one scene one place just
10:46
a room with the car in it and
10:50
and i mean i loved that video too
10:54
but to put that into
10:57
perspective with this one which is all
11:00
the opposite of that one you know is
11:03
open and out there and it's the universe
11:07
and it's colors oh my god so many colors
11:11
not just red you know it's like


11:14
it's everything it's it's like do you we
11:16
just went
11:17
on a journey through literally
11:20
everything
11:21
with our favorite musicians
11:25
you know just going through this
11:26
experience i just
11:30
wow seriously i'm not even kidding
11:34
that might be my like
11:37
the best video ever
11:40
period and i'm not exaggerating
11:45
definitely the best video that i've seen
11:50
since you know that i started the
11:53
channel and everything
11:55
i've seen a bunch of videos but nothing
11:58
honey like
11:58
this it was oh my god


12:03
i'm sorry if i'm very sort of
12:06
rambling or fangirling too hard over
12:09
this
12:11
but wow i'm so glad at the same time
12:14
that i've recorded
12:15
my reaction because wow that was
12:18
incredible
12:19
i mean props to everyone involved it was
12:22
so good
12:24
our queen she looked stunning the guys
12:28
did their thing too everyone looked so
12:30
good
12:31
oh my god and also i want one of those
12:34
astronaut
12:36
things you know can we get those can we
12:39
make those
12:40
into clothes because i'm ready take my
12:43
money please take it


12:45
i want it anyhow hopefully
12:48
this video doesn't you know it's not
12:51
like
12:52
20 minutes long and if it is then i'm
12:55
sorry but go
12:56
with me on this journey like we did on
12:59
this video
13:00
because god that was incredible
13:03
i'm like i'm gonna have to go watch it
13:06
again
13:07
and again and again and then i'm gonna
13:10
watch it again
13:11
because that is how good this was
13:14
oh my god what a great
13:17
era to be alive i hate when people
13:20
you know it's always like on instagram
13:24
or something like that where people
13:27
always put
13:28
like the best value onto the past


13:31
they're like you know um like the music
13:35
of this old era was the best and now
13:38
music
13:38
sucks i always feel the same way
13:42
honey if you think that then you're not
13:45
looking
13:46
in the right places first of all and
13:48
second
13:50
can you see this like the artists that
13:53
are alive
13:54
right now that i get to experience i
13:56
feel so
13:57
lucky because this thing is
14:01
on another level like i said another
14:04
universe
14:05
another i don't know but today
14:08
this moment what i just saw
14:12
i cannot believe it was so good and i'm
14:15
grateful
14:16
thank you universe thank you for that
14:18
gift

14:19
i do not take it for granted i'm very
14:22
i feel very blessed to have watched that
14:26
video

14:26
anyway i think maybe that was a bit too
14:29
much but you know what
14:30
no it's not we should be grateful so
14:33
yeah
14:33
grateful to the universe thank you and
14:36
of course let me know what you thought
14:39
in the comments below
14:40
did you love the video did you trip on
14:42
the video what was your favorite
14:45
part i don't know maybe the part when
14:47
they were in the house or the part where
14:49
they were just going through the
14:52
universe
14:53
like that anyway let me know what you
14:55
thought
14:56
and as always have a great day bye

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