Merry Christmas: "twelve"

for the first ethic of christmas my true love sent to me an ambiguity in a non-temporal truth for the second ethic of christmas my true love sent to me two hierarchies between body and soul and an ambiguity in a non-temporal truth for the third ethic of christmas my true love sent to me three veils of illusion two hierarchies between body and soul and an ambiguity in a non-temporal truth for the fourth ethic of christmas my true love sent to me four errors of dogmatism three veils of illusion two hierarchies between body and soul and an ambiguity in a non-temporal truth for the fifth ethic of christmas my true love sent to me five extrinsic justifications four errors of dogmatism three veils of illusion two hierarchies between body and soul and an ambiguity in a non-temporal truth for the sixth ethic of christmas my true love sent to me six phenomenal modalities five extrinsic justifications four errors of dogmatism three veils of illusion two hierarchies between body and soul and an ambiguity in a non-temporal truth for the seventh ethic of christmas my true love sent to me seven inner experiences six phenomenal modalities five extrinsic justifications four errors of dogmatism three veils of illusion two hierarchies between body and soul and an ambiguity in a non-temporal truth for the eighth ethic of christmas my true love sent to me eight possibilities of realising seven inner experiences six phenomenal modalities five extrinsic justifications four errors of dogmatism three veils of illusion two hierarchies between body and soul and an ambiguity in a non-temporal truth for the ninth ethic of christmas my true love sent to me nine ladies dancing eight possibilities of realising seven inner experiences six phenomenal modalities five extrinsic justifications four errors of dogmatism three veils of illusion two hierarchies between body and soul and an ambiguity in a non-temporal truth for the tenth ethic of christmas my true love sent to me ten favourable circumstances nine ladies dancing eight possibilities of realising seven inner experiences six phenomenal modalities five extrinsic justifications four errors of dogmatism three veils of illusion two hierarchies between body and soul and an ambiguity in a non-temporal truth for the eleventh ethic of christmas my true love sent to me eleven singular conjunctures ten favourable circumstances nine ladies dancing eight possibilities of realising seven inner experiences six phenomenal modalities five extrinsic justifications four errors of dogmatism three veils of illusion two hierarchies between body and soul and an ambiguity in a non-temporal truth for the twelfth ethic of christmas my true love sent to me twelve harmonious equilibria eleven singular conjunctures ten favourable circumstances nine ladies dancing eight possibilities of realising seven inner experiences six phenomenal modalities five extrinsic justifications four errors of dogmatism three veils of illusion two hierarchies between body and soul and an ambiguity in a non-temporal truth


(first published in 2005)

Women in Art - Bury Art Museum

Funny how when you're busy you don't notice you're own patterns. I only realised this morning that all the contemporary art installed currently at Bury Art Museum is by women artists: Liz West "Colour Collection" in the Museum;

Alison Erika Forde "There's Nothing for you here" in the gallery;

Jo Clements "Retrospective" in the video gallery

Hilary Jack "The Late Great Planet Earth" in the Sculpture Centre

And Penny Anderson's 'Speech Bubble' Christmas Tree on the Ring Balcony

 

I quite like that there wasn't a plan for an all-women display - and it was just the brilliance of the work that brought it together. 

Two new shows at Bury

National Poetry Day

Twitter tells me that somewhere in the world it's National Poetry Day and in the threatening context of the Conservative Party conference which thankfully ended yesterday in Manchester, I thought I'd put up a poem from my last book: The End of Poetry. It's called 'Intolleranza' after Luigi Nono's socialist opera  

Intolleranza

Lower than vermin

… the gates are opening. Our murderers are here.

Suspended Song

Today: Conceit: will shoot us truth construct it Instruction all

Bijective the quiet fragile of this work to be silent and 

Instead the listener who is silent.

minuend individual receives

From it, fretting is overwhelmed we an idea opposed

mereologic fragility and have a collective

A new audience and a presence of nilpotent

unfolding of a silence to die in company

null conquest of the interior of musical structures taking Different forms, shining paths as revolt.

FIST. FITS. The favoured design for the future

Flow class features

I will love you from beyond the grave

… the gates are opening. Our murderers are here.

Total Recall

Phil Davenport installing his "The Weather, in lipstick" -
and part of Marco Giovenale's "asemic encyclopedia"

As mentioned in the previous blog, this year is the 20th anniversary of me starting work in Bury - the 4th of August to be exact. I only came across this by accident in some old job papers and thought maybe we'd have a party or go for a quiet meal - whatever. Anyway, I mentioned it to Phil Davenport some months back in passing and it turns out a surprise was hatched. Phil talked to Derek Beaulieu over in Canada and the two realised that it was not only my 20th anniversary but also the 10th anniversary year of me creating the Text Festival. To wit, the pair invited various artists involved in the Text over the years to make a commemorative artwork. Though I should say that I am humbled and honoured that so many artists actually did (I am, of course), typical of Phil and Derek, instead of celebrating my genius or my contribution to the history of art/poetry, adopted a framework of memory -  as they say: "How do you remember the people who are important to you? How do you conjure your shared past? Is it in images, a sound, a smell, a touch? Or do you use words?" I've obviously not quite cracked the cult of the personality, but still it's flattering and very nice of everyone. 

Part of Erica Baum's Total Recall

The result is a pop-up exhibition which was installed this week. Originally it had a fancy/obscure title TEXTfestschrift but Erica Baum's piece "Total Recall" so nailed the moment, that as the installation unfolded it felt like that had to be the title of the display. To make it manageable/low cost, Phil and Derek limited everyone to A4 paper, which magnifies the displays guerrilla aesthetic in the classical space of the Gallery ring balcony.

The exception to the A4 rule came from Lawrence Weiner who suggested installation of a work originally made for Leo Castelli in 1977. It was very flattering for Lawrence to make the connection between me and Castelli. 

TOTAL RECALL includes work by local, national and international text-based artists and poets - lots of whom have become friends over the years of dialogue and exhibition (eating and drinking) together: angela rawlings, Barrie Tullett, Bob Grenier, Carolyn Thompson, Cecilie Bjørgås Jordheim, Darren Marsh, derek beaulieu, Emma Cocker, Eric Zboya, Erica Baum, Jaap Blonk, James Davies, Jayne Dyer, Jesse Glass, Karri Kokko, Kristen Mueller, Lawrence Weiner, Leanne Bridgewater, Liz Collini, Lucy Harvest Clarke, Marco Giovenale, Márton Koppány, Matt Dalby, Mike Chavez-Dawson, Paula Claire, Penny Anderson, Peter Jaeger, Phil Davenport, Rachel Defay-Liautard, Ron Silliman, Satu Kaikkonen, Sarah Sanders, Steve Miller, Seekers of Lice, Steve Emmerson, Steve Giasson, Tom Jenks, and Tony Lopez - more works than we had wall-space to display so there are various conceits that allow access to all the works. 

I was joking earlier - I am very grateful to everyone who sent something - there's some great things - I'll revisit and talk more about individual works in a later blog. 

Marton Koppany: "Concrete Poem - for Tony Trehy"

Past Pain

As the 20th anniversary of me working in Bury approaches, it was difficult to resist the urge to nostalgia (Greek: past pain): I recall the first exhibition I ever curated was Michael Sandle's etchings - I knew his work because we went to the same art school in the Isle of Man (separated by some years). 

Satisfyingly, though my next thought turned to what comes next? (John Peel used to say that it was next record that he wanted to hear not the one he'd just heard)




Over the last couple of days it's really felt like some exciting times to come: Riiko Sakkinen finding his concept for his show next year: The ABC of Capitalism; Hillary Jack finishing her new commission in Bury; Great Dutch sculptor, Auke de Vriers visiting to discuss his show next February and a big new public art commission; And there's the pop-up in the gallery pulled together by Phil Davenport and Derek Beaulieu - which I'll blog about shortly.