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 December 2008

Bon chance, all!

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Crumbs Swept Up
Talmage, T. De Witt (Thomas De Witt), 1832-1902
Published 1877Link

28 December 2008

INDETERMINACY

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There was a time, not so long ago, when A Painting re-pictured in a newspaper, journal or catalog would always and automatically be shown as completely cut away from The World.



Depending on the house style, it might also have an index number nearby or a brief description underneath. Sometimes, a more formal label: the name of the artist; the title given it by the artist; and perhaps a creation date. Additional information might include a set of measurements; names of certain of the physical materials used in the fabrication; names of previous owners of renown; a taxonomy category; certain jottings on the back (verso) and so on.

While that type of representation is still used, we are now also commonly presented with a formal projection-space framed in a theatrical archetypal tableau. bLOGOS/HA HA has commented previously on certain (likely) works of The Golden Guillotine which mimic this form ad absurdum. Also, the productions of the generalist Theatre of the Actors of Looking have been noted

The following two images accompanied (and are scanned from) the newsprint edition of an article in this weekend's The Australian. They illustrate this current fashion as performed for the top end of town and for those of the University burbs.

For the one, a stark and confronting work by ideogram (yet another of these 'infiltraitor' groups) : "What's black and white and faceless?".


For the other, same but different, all is downplayed in what appears to be a static staging of "A Stretch of the Imagination" with its Monk O'Neil university-of-hard-knocks type; its front-of-house behind-the-scenes white gloved stage hands turning their backs on the audience; and its in-your-face director in blue jeans, open shirt and hands in pockets.


25 December 2008

IMAGE & Son

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bLOGOS/HA HA wishes all visitors
a Merry Xmas
a Brilliant Hanukkah
Season's Greetings

21 December 2008

Theatre troupe thrills local audience

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Zombies of the bLOGOSphere is a recent tableau vivant by Theatre of the Actors of Looking.

In this six hour presentation the role of the Supporters was played by the Frame brothers; the Shield by a 2:1:1 wooden casket and the letters L and S by the overhead caption. The part of The Outsider was performed by a member of the audience.

The evening was judged an outstanding success.

20 December 2008

19 December 2008

Polly want a cracker?

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This image is scanned from today's THE AGE (Melbourne). Above it, the newsprint edition has the headline Gallery calls for donations to keep a 'cracker' and underneath, the caption reads Visitors admire Cornelis de Vos' Mother and Child, a painting the National Gallery of Victoria would like to own.


Visitors?_bLOGOS/HA HA wonders if this might be another farce work by The Golden Guillotine. Again, all the familiar signs are to be seen : an Actor of Looking set in appropriate pose on the INSIDE of the proscenium barrier (see detail below) and, as the formal projection-space is titled Mother and child, for a simple one-to-one the Actor of Looking is also a woman, is of similar age to the Mother depicted, and even matches her with a black dress and white collar. Aha. Oh, yes. Mmmm...



The tableau then extends into the fictional-real space OUTSIDE this No Man's Land. There, Actor of Looking with Golden Guillotine is flanked by the shadowy silhouettes of an older man with a camera, behind her , and a younger woman approaching.

Such works always have a text component:

The painting, Mother and Child by the Flemish artist Cornelis de Vos, is on loan from a London dealer while the NGV tries to raise the $1.4 million purchase price.

Director Gerard Vaughan said it was in pristine condition and described it as very well priced. "It would break my heart to have to pack it in its case and send it back," he said. "It will transform our collection and pull it all together and give it focus. This is as good as you get — it's a cracker."

18 December 2008

"Mmmm... "

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Norman Rockwell, Popular Science, October 1920

17 December 2008

Michael Kirby : the most important thing that I have discovered...

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"
THERE is nothing like the prospect of a radical life change to concentrate the mind on the things that really matter. I want to identify, if I can, the most important thing that I have discovered. I refer to love. Love for one another. Love for our community. Love for others everywhere in the world. Love transcends even scholarship, cleverness and university degrees. It is greater than pride and wealth. It endures when worldly vanities fade."_(more... )

Retiring High Court judge Michael Kirby

16 December 2008

Asleep on the job! (Hey, mate!)

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This is not a middle path.

THE AGE, Editorial



Rudd fails to match words and deeds on
climate change

"A GLOBAL financial crisis was never going to provide ideal conditions in which to tackle the gravest environmental problem facing the planet. Even those who had hoped that Australia would adopt a so-called middle path in reducing carbon emissions, however, should be dismayed by the extremely modest targets that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced yesterday.
". . (more... )

THE AGE Editorial
December 16, 2008

15 December 2008

Ben Vautier, POUR GEORGE BRECHT

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The witsom wisdom of Ben Vautier is held in high regard at bLOGOS/HA HA

Looking at the words and images that rim the window here, there's a 1985 postcard by Ben : no more Art



His contribution to Rene Block's 1990 Sydney Biennale (The Readymade Boomerang) print folio, Am I or is Australia Far Away? is another local favourite.



Shortly after the announcement of the name of the next
Sydney Biennale director, David Elliot, the Sydney Morning Herald published an article headed Biennale director sees potential of 2010, even from afar from which this extract
In it, in relation to the proposed exhibition title and theme, The Beauty Of Distance: Songs Of Survival In A Precarious Age, you are quoted as saying: "The idea of distance covers two ideas," he says. "Firstly, Australia is a long way away from anywhere else, but it's more about what art is and how art works … Art runs parallel to life.
bLOGOS/HA HA emailed the new director and referred him to_ Am I is Australia far away?

So, it was a pleasure a few days ago to receive the following forwarded newsletter (thanks Mal) from Ben Vautier honouring his recently departed Fluxus friend George Brecht.

POUR GEORGE BRECHT


2008-12-09
George Brecht
(August 27, 1926. - December 5, 2008

Hello Fluxus friends
This is a small newsletter
concerning George Brecht
who just left us
George Brecht is the artist
in the world who's attitude towards art
got me thinking
and changed my mind
in other words influenced me the most.
at the time in 1962
I was interested in " the limits of art "
I had met Yves Klein (the monochrome)
Manzoni (shit in art)
and knew about Duchamp's Ready Made
So when Maciunas in 1962 in London
said to me :
There is someone in New York called George Brecht
whose work also contains a limit in art
I said : what does he do?
Maciunas answered :
He blinks or just shakes your hand or closes a door.
or even just leaves a chair in a corner
you can't tell if it is a work of art or just a chair
I remember being taken so aback
that I decided to go to New York
and meet this incredible George Brecht
that is what I did...

This is the opening section only. The full piece can be found among Ben's magnificent heap at ben-vautier.com

Once there go to IMPORTANT
(as shown here on the right)
click on that,
then click on
POUR GEORGE BRECHT
- 2008-12-09