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.
In August 1984, Linda Marrinon, Geoff Lowe and I were staying at The Royalton (44 West 44th Street) in New York. For Linda and I, it was our first overseas excursion. With Vivienne Shark LeWitt, we started our Grand Tour in Rome, exhibited at ‘ANZART’ in Edinburgh, then continued to London where Vivienne stayed on. Steven Bush joined us in NY (*his exhibition at Sutton Gallery has just opened) where we spent our days mostly visiting museums. (Experiencing 'Ghost Busters' in a New York cinema was fun, too. Very meta.) After a substantial renovation, MoMA had just re-opened with ‘An International Survey of Recent Painting and Sculpture’. It included some Australians, a rare event even for white Anglo male non-indigenous: Peter Booth, Paul Boston, Tony Coleing, Mike Parr.
I had grown up admiring Tina Turner’s awesome 'River Deep, Mountain High' (1966), before my similar regard for Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone and Janis Joplin. While in NY, one afternoon I heard on local radio that Tina Turner was about to start a new tour in the wake of her breakthrough return single ‘What’s love got to do with it?’. She would be at The Ritz (119 East 11th Street) that night.
So, beer and pizza in an East Village restaurant with another music survivor Screamin' Jay Hawkins busking us with his ‘I put a spell on you’ (1956), then off to join the queue at The Ritz. Hawkers stalked the queue trying to sell us their (real or fake?) inflated-price tickets. Eventually I bit and was one of the last to get inside before FULL HOUSE and a great performance.
Today, news that Tina has died aged 83. The final para of a New York Times review of that August 1984 Ritz concert season : “Miss Turner doesn't mind mocking herself; after a hip-shaking, knee- swinging rendition of a rock song, she pauses for a deep, sweeping, bow, delivered with a diva's hauteur. Yet in her own way, Miss Turner has as much dignity as any performer now working. If there have to be sex symbols, Tina Turner is the best kind - wise, tough and adult.”
"I am sitting in a room different from the one you are in now. I am recording the sound of my speaking voice and I am going to play it back into the room again and again until the resonant frequencies of the room reinforce themselves so that any semblance of my speech, with perhaps the exception of rhythm, is destroyed. What you will hear, then, are the natural resonant frequencies of the room articulated by speech. I regard this activity not so much as a demonstration of a physical fact, but more as a way to smooth out any irregularities my speech might have."
OUT OF SIGHT is an interactive 'sculpture' by internationally recognized American conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner. The OUT OF SIGHT marelle (or hopscotch in French) is a curved structure that suggests a fluid and engaged journey of forward motion for participants.
Participants are encouraged to move along the OUT OF SIGHT pathway and activate the ideas within OUT OF SIGHT in their own expressive way. The core OUT OF SIGHT phrases are: - ASSUMING A POSITION - PRESUME A DESTINATION & - ONE CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE POWERS THAT BE - & IMAGINED THINGS CAN BE ALTERED TO SUIT - SPIT INTO THE WIND HOPE FOR THE BEST - THE DESTINATION IS STRAIGHT ON - OUT OF SIGHT
Materials will be provided to encourage viewers to consider further these playful statements in the context of their own lives. OUT OF SIGHT is not only a work of art but also acts as a metaphorical framework for the journey of self-discovery and empowerment, enlivening the experience of anyone who encounters it.
OUT OF SIGHT is an artwork that celebrates the potential within all of us to connect with ourselves and with other in a process of shared exploration.
"An intellectually rigorous artist who perpetually sought new creative paths, Mr. Sondheim was the theater’s most revered and influential composer-lyricist of the last half of the 20th century, if not its most popular."
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
Christine had cancer and a strong desire to save a life. "One that's old and unloved," she told the pound. Several weeks later, they phoned: "We have your dog." Diviners?Match makers? Five Dog Stars!
Susie and Christine
Rescue dog
outside studio window
Friend to all
Susie welcoming Marley (with Anne, River and Beck)
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