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October 1990
Hello! Welcome to the seventh issue of the Ion Exchange
CONTENTS
WHEN I FIRST CONCEIVED THE IDEA OF IONIST ART IN THE SEVENTIES I BEGAN TO JOT DOWN NOTES FOR ART WORK, OTHER PROJECTS AND SOURCES. THESE NOTES EVENTUALLY RAN TO SEVERAL THOUSAND PAGES - THE VAST MAJORITY DONE BETWEEN 1977 AND 1981. I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE OF INTEREST TO INCLUDE A FEW PAGES OF THESE IN THE NEWSLETTER. THEY WERE CHOSEN AT RANDOM AND ARE EXTREMELY UNEDITED!!! Flags, arrangements of existing ones and invented ones. Ionist Flag —heraldry — Ionist heraldic design using electronic component shapes. Art work in semaphore, heliography etc. Coins, stamps etc. (collection as art!). Art work in morse code — binary code. Invention of secret codes and code breaking. Hieroglyphics, pictograms etc. ((you've already done this, berk!)) — deciphering as art—science process. Occult imagery — medieval imagery —armour and arms. Whale songs, oscilloscope images, diagrams — ditto bird songs (other animal calls). Electric eel pulses. Glowworm light effects, spider webs, bird and fish nests. Insect and amphibian metamorphoses. Plant adaptive mechanisms and mutations — evolutionary study. Cell images, finger prints, bark rings/ fish scales, feathers — camouflage studies — footprints, bird egg patterning. Migration patterns on maps — biological processes in general (in lieutenant!) — fossils as initiating forms — future predictions of animal transformations. Population statistics — anatomy and/or pathology. Crime detection as an art form. Military strategy, game rules — Historical research — teaching techniques. Psychoanalysis and psychoanalytical study of famous art works and artists. Art pathology, music therapy — visual art therapy. Dance therapy or catharsis — gesticulation or vocal catharsis. Ballet based on animal mating rituals — tribal dancing! — tattoos and markings. Military march ballet. Martial music and the effect it has on the brain. Hypnosis as art form. Ballet for hypnotized people (picked at random). Ballet of breaking of plates, jumping through windows. Underwater ballet, underwater photography, optical effects. Diagrams of light rays — refraction and reflection of light — different types of lenses. Prism art. Fairground mirrors (what do you call them?) Construction of kaleidoscopes (kaleidoscopes you can live in). Microscope art. Ballet seen through a telescope. Electron microscope images, imagery from similar devices. Ballet for cars at night, only their headlights showing. Torch art. Bonfire art — fireworks — smoke effects. Study of turbulence and aerodynamics using smoke and photography — coloured smoke —time delay photographs. Wind tunnel art gallery or theatre. Star patterns and night sky photographs. Traces of meteors. Astrology as art—science fusion (with the emphasis on the former). Cloud shapes —effects of rain drops on prepared surface. Wave forms studied in liquid or viscous substance. Lightening, real and invented — Van Der Graaf Generator in gallery — study of static electricity effects — wall and floor suitably prepared, spectators wear special clothing. Six inches of mud on gallery floor, record marks made by spectators. Photograph the gradual dilution of dyes in water. Radioactive sculpture (audience given Geiger counters and protective clothing). Layer of glue on gallery floor, audience left to its own devices! Gallery where the paintings, walls and floor are wet paint. Water splashes photographed — tide movements. Coloured dyes in sea marking ocean current —smoke in atmosphere follows air movements. Hurricane art — whirlpools —volcanoes, geysers, earthquakes etc. Sculpture arranged along sea edge. Flotsam — floating sculptures in sea. Dirigibles — flak patterns from anti-aircraft guns. Missile paths — tracer bullet ballet, searchlight ballet — corpses! Audience locked in the gallery for the night. Audience invited to place their ink covered hands on ceiling — ink covered bare feet on floor. Expedition to put sculpture on Everest. Expedition to put sculpture at the South Pole — expedition as art form (perhaps to Amazon basin) — painting onMoon (perhaps a giant mans face). Chalk designs on Wiltshire downs. Ionist white horse — Ionist Stonehenge or Avebury avenues, (Rennet) earth mound and other stone works. Ionist Pyramid (numbered stones). Battles as ballet — blow up Nelson's column — destruction as anti-art form. Art—science architecture. The learning process studied. Film of children in prepared environments —selection of children photographed and interviewed on a yearly basis — rats in maze — construct environments and experiments for rats or ants — rats in gallery (live and dead — taxidermy as art) — work with dolphins or chimps. Parascientific studies — experiments with plants — the ageing process studied — mental illness as art. Ionist art in hospitals, rest homes, workshops — morgues! (syn. galleries!!) Duplication of classical scientific experiments in an art gallery context. Photographic exhibition of flower forms, leaf shapes, bird plumage and fish markings. Art exhibition at Kew gardens — London Zoo. New cave art, cave art with technology inspired designs (perhaps reproduced in fibreglass in gallery). New red Indian sand paintings (mathematical formulas). Exhibition devoted entirely to an array of transducers and cathode ray oscilloscopes — each transducer dealing with a different (changing) physical quantity. Exhibition where each art work represents a different element from the periodic table. Exhibition in tunnels, on bridges, in air raid shelters — particularly in the shelter system built beneath London during the last war. Exhibition of rulers and measuring tapes. Exhibition of thermometers and barometers. Exhibition of chemistry laboratory equipment. Exhibition of old physics laboratory apparatus. Electronic component mosaic (working, non-working). Secondhand electronic equipment arrangements. Exhibition of clocks and other time pieces. Exhibition of musical instruments or record players, tape recorders etc., each playing different piece of music, voice etc. Archaeology as art. Exhibition at an excavation — gallery arranged as an exhibition site. Sculpture or painting cut into like an archaeological dig. Exhibition at lighthouse, watermill, windmill. Painted designs on windmill sails. Exhibition at factory, power station, chemical works etc. Integration of a science inspired work into a church or cathedral. science-art-religion combined. Tension and compaction of various materials. Materials stretched to (or near) breaking point in gallery. Elastic sculpture. Figurative blancmange tableau. Cookery as art. Sculpture made from food. Custard pie throwing private view, gallery photographed afterwards. Excrement art ((already been done)). Inflatable sculpture sent through post from mail order catalogue. Ionist Art sent through post. Electronic devices in envelopes. Art—science carnival float. Hire out sculptures on wheels —paintings on sails for yachts — designs for cars on self-adhesive sheets, ditto for aeroplane wings. Tableau of computer terminals, TV sets, radios etc. Conversation between tape recorders on stage (each recorder a different character). Art attachments designed to fit on electricity pylons to make them harmonize with their surroundings better. Sculptures combined with living quarters for wild or tame animals (wild and tame art!) — animal environments — Ionist doggie homes — aviary designs. Sculptures to fit into aquariums — modern art backdrops for model railways. to be continued....
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I find the Ionist Art Group newsletter very interesting. There seems to be a number of people striving towards Kandinsky's observer/creator theory. Perhaps they should dig out 'Concerning the Spiritual in Art" (1911 in English translation — 1910 in German). If they really like theories there is an English translation of the two volumes of Malevich's theoretical work. I haven't seen it for twenty years and found it pretty heavy going as I remember. The advantage of Kandinsky is that the work is concise and clear — good theories usually are.
The advent of the word processor has not only taken a lot of the donkey work out of writing — it's brought in a whole new dimension to it. I'm talking about that fiendishly useful device, the spell-checker. Spell-checkers aren't just something to weed out the dyslexic renderings of tangle-fingered typists like me; they have a creativity and a humour all of their own. In our office, the high spot of preparing any document is the spell-check run. It's the proper nouns that get us; the suggested alternatives are sometimes delightful. Gather round, everyone, listen what the computer came up with this time. Consider, for example, our friend Pat Rushton, who is Past Rusting. Or Mr. Hans LeNoble, who Hangs Linoleum. Hugh is Huge, while Bruce is Brute. By way of a contribution to the in-house magazine, we tried running the entire phone list through the speller, with the result that I am Sousing, while our rejectionist, Mrs Loveder, is pleased to be lovelier. Anita Grinling is Anti Groaning, which has to be good, but it's alarming to think that our Accounts Supervisor Elaine Roberts is Leading Robbery. Gushing Bywords (aka Justin Byworth) sounds like a Mills and Boon product, but Richard Forsooth sounds Shakespearean. This got me considering the possibilities of the computer for playing around with words. A random game with the speller and thesaurus options produced the following variations on well-known literature: Mariner and Jelly proceeded ascending the stockpile Three oblivious mice, Jack Sporty could ingest no adipose,It's a bit reminiscent of computer-generated poetry. Yes, there are actually packages available which put together random words in sentences. Each sentence has the required adjective-noun-verb combinations, but the meaning is pure verbal entropy. Sometimes it sounds as if it. ought to mean something though. From "Five Poems From the Chinese" by Marie Borroff, we get, "Gracious is money/ And avuncular are the buttonholes of its bed.. ." and "Furtive is the mahogany/ And delirious are the shadows of its pants... Doug Stewart, writing in New Scientist came up with "Slothfully, coffins could have been fluttering" and "Terse shadows touched the music. I sort of like the sound of furtive mahogany. My modified nursery rhymes came up with one or two memorable phrases as well. How about, "A cul-de-sac replete of anthologies", or "Soda progresses the weasel"? What's the point of all this? Very little — except to point out that
mixing words and computers can be fun. It can even help get round a writer's
block
************ For anyone interested in the last piece I did (ZETA issue), there's a news update. I was writing about the literacy and other development work going on in Menaka, Mali. Since I wrote, the base at Menaka has been raided by a group of rebels, apparently some who were kicked out of Algeria and are now trying to set up an independent Tuareg state taking in part of Niger, Mali and Mauritania. Four of the project staff were kidnapped; three were later released but one is still missing. Eight vehicles were stolen and six damaged, as well as the building being looted. In total, it looks as the damage adds up to over £130,000. If there are any philanthropic millionaires out there, let me know. The last I heard, the staff are all determined to get back to work. The loss of the vehicles is a problem, but they're proposing to travel by camel instead. I have some trouble picturing my nutritionist friend Rachel jogging off to her village health posts on a camel, but I don't doubt she'll do it if that's the only transport.
I must confess to not being a professional artist or scientist. However, I have always been interested in Art and Science, and this had led to my interests in Computers and Science-Fiction. At the moment, I'm a computer programmer, but I hope soon to be self-employed as a Desktop Publisher and Computer Graphics artist. As you can see, I have a strong belief that Art and Technology should be linked together to produce new techniques and break new ground. I believe that the time is now ripe for a new artistic movement such as the IAG to forge ahead and break the artistic rules (Who was it who said "Rules are made to be broken"?). There have been no significant artistic movements for years, so now is the time for a new Renaissance — for people with similar thinking processes to Leonardo da Vinci. If Leonardo had seen a computer, he would surely have used it to produce works of Art. He did not have the narrow thinking and preconceptions that many of the Art 'Establishment' today have. It is my belief that Technology and Science should be explored to expand the boundaries of Art. The wheel has turned full circle; once it was Art which laid the foundations for Science, but now Science can lay similar foundations for Art. The good thing about the IAG's existence is the fact that some people have recognized that the only boundaries which exist between Art and Science are artificial. It would be nice to think that the outcome of this will be the artistic liberation of people by the use of technology. I would certainly expect to see some kind of artistic movement come into being within the next few years — who knows? — some of us might even become famous!
RECONSTRUCTION The RECONSTRUCTION SERIES is a body of art created during the latter part of 1989 and throughout 1990. The art takes the Post Modern/Neo Modern thought one step further than the Deconstructionist which evolved from the Constructionist. The art offers a pure vocabulary without the turmoil of integrating two contrasting vocabularies into one. The emphasis of the art is clear, the integration of art and architectural thought through artistic means. The principles and media are drawn from the gray (overlapping) areas in both fields which are harmonious. In the paintings and drawings, the colors are saturated and the forms look as if they had been constructed, while other pieces are created in three-dimensional relief. The body of work consists of small drawings, sometimes referred to as studies, which reflect the development of the entire body of work. Most of these pieces are similar in scale and media. The mixed media on paper are created by drawing techniques with overlay of gouache paint and further drawn into, whereas some are wrapped relief. The most adventurous of the art are mixed media reliefs which are light structure and highly finished with the same rich saturated color that is seen in the drawings and oil paintings. The oil paintings and large mixed media on paper have a life of their own though they area direct creative extension of the small scale drawings. COMPOSITION XI, a 60" x 40" mixed media piece of art, is one of the most exciting with numerous planer relationships, which carry different media through out the work. To create the line work on many of the planes, drawing equipment was suspended above the work and lowered when needed. One of the first oil paintings created within this body. ICONOTECTURE, addresses an art form which is at the heart of architectural thought. It is a two dimensional plane that reads three; when displayed in a building of similar philosophy could be considered the soul. The thought processes used to solve spatial problems in three dimensional work becomes clear. This painting, 60" x 6O", was first studied on a 3" scale. The transfer of information and media to a more grand scale was the challenge, creating a life of its own and making adjustments for such a scale and media change, while maintaining the integrity of the intent. THE BLACK GRID RELIEF STUDY was the basis for the THE BLACK GRID RELIEF. The light construction lines are visible in the two-dimensional study, which began with no preconceived idea. The build up of lines and paint further developed the planar structure of the composition or elevation. The study of light and shade defines the depth of the piece. THE BLACK GRID RELIEF with mass and void arrangement grew from the study. The surfaces being highly finished with rich oil colors. Though, the human scale and physical interaction is not prevalent at this point, THE BLACK GRID RELIEF, but the same process could evolve into a workable creation for people to interact with. By rearranging the same planes in this quick study, FREESTANDING STUDY, a space in conceivably created whereby a person may interact within it given that the scale increases. In which case, a person may walk under the structure; a chair may be placed under the structure; a garden landscaped around it; or lighting may be added to it. If architecture is defined as a style and method of design and construction or any design or orderly arrangement perceived, the question which arises from this creation is: Is this art, architecture or landscape architecture? Completed, this current work offers the viewer a transition in thought —the rethinking and redefining of the Modern movement, giving a more pure vocabulary than what many have been in the past. The techniques developed are unique in materials and is sequential in thought. The studies which were carried into large oil paintings or relief forms display a drastic change in scale where new life is given to the art. I am happy to include information on the work, working methods etc. and exhibition details of artists working in the science-art area; BIG ED.
ART/DESIGN/SCIENCE /TECHNOLOGY. EDUCATIONAL CHASMS. Robbie S. Robbins, in the July issue of Ion Exchange, has introduced a very important issue. Over the years he has seen the educational gaps between art and technology widening. I am new to education (and at the time of writing still seeking my first post) but have spent 20 years as a town planner and civic designer. In my short experience with education, in teacher training, on teaching practice and at job interviews, I have been in turn surprised and saddened by what I see. I have studied Craft Design and Technology and had thought it to be an exciting and creative subject which fuses art, design, science and technology in an innovative way. I must have been dreaming. C.D.T. teachers (but please, there must be exceptions) vehemently distrust any creative work, art teachers don't want to get involved, science teachers are trying to hang on to their specialism and managers don't seem to have grasped the potential of design plus technology in their National Curriculum. I suspect that this potential has already been quietly smothered at birth. Why all this mistrust? I) Preserving specialisms Surely the ultimate test of a specialist is her or his ability to be able to apply this specialism in other contexts. We see this in most creative artists and scientists. How often to we see it in schools? 2) Fear of creativity Why are people so threatened by creativity? I suggest this is a fear of the outcome of creative processes. In science and art creative outcomes do not always follow 'the rules'. Mediocre artists, scientists and teachers want rules to shelter behind. 3) Technology and the Market Somehow technology has been confused with the market place (and art
too?).
4) Artistic Integrity Art teachers, and I hold much sympathy for their view, are wary of losing their subject's independence to 2) and 3) above. 5) Hardware as God We have confused our thinking about technology — if it is possible we do it. We are telling children that machines and technology do things rather than helping children to achieve their own, and much more valuable, potential. WHAT CAN WE DO? I) What about a specialist Ionist group for Science—Art in education. 2) A source book/reader for educational use. A first idea, but what about a collection of examples of art/science combining: structure of DNA (it had to be beautiful), chaos theory, Leonardo, medieval cathedrals etc. etc. etc. 3) Exhibitions/Activities. Obviously immense problems, in time, finance and organization. But small inroads could be made. 4) In Service-Training. An Ionist awareness course? 5) Un-competitions. There are loads of industry-sponsored competitions for schools. Un-competitions could keep the advantages without all the negative bits. There would be no need for rules, categories etc. Just that children step out of narrow boundaries imposed on them. 6) Links with other organizations/groups. Since learning of the Ionist
Art Group I have, from the newsletter, seen that there are others out there;
people
I am currently studying architecture at Manchester Polytechnic. Over the past few years I have come to the conclusion that the leading figures in all aspects of creative investigation are following similar paths. Whether you are a sculptor or a physicist your approaches may be different but your goals are fundamentally linked. Perhaps the sculptor's approach is to a large degree intuitive where the physicist's is analytical and logical, but the striving for an understanding of the system that we are part of is expressed in both.
CONTINUING THE DEBATE — REACTIONS TO MANFRED WING AND DAVID DIXON
I enjoyed reading the articles by Manfred Wing and David Dixon in the Epsilon issue. I would like to continue the discussion by replying with my reactions to the articles. Art may be less sophisticated, but does that necessarily imply immaturity? Science follows reason and in a rational way sets out rules for itself creating more and more complications in order to satisfy the exceptions to the rules. Art follows feelings, it therefore does not require rules because the observers trust their perceptions and expect nothing, accepting that anything could happen, accepting the uncertainty of the world. Isn't this acceptance more mature than making up rules? Although it s a vast generalization I agree that artists are more sophisticated and mature than most scientists. Science may be very sophisticated but in order to reach that level of sophistication in such an abstract subject you surely have to make very large sacrifices in other parts of your life, in other words your emotional and aesthetic development becomes retarded. Art is anthropocentric but surely science is too. If science is not something perceived by humans or something manmade, then what is it? Scientists cannot deny the fact that they are only observers in their universe. This is a fundamental of Quantum Mechanics — whatever you make a measurement on is affected by the observer. So all scientific measurements are distorted by humans. I like the idea of art being the making of maps. So if scientists are still looking for the starting point does that mean that they have the uselessness and danger that comes with not knowing where you are? I would say that art seeks to reveal the truth by the use of irony or satire. Science seeks to explain the universe by finding its version of the truth in technological terms, ignoring so many unexplained factors, so how can this be the truth? I disagree with Manfred Wing's statement " The more one observes the less one perceives." Surely the more you observe the more that you see analogies in what you have seen. The more you observe the more you are reassured that what you perceive is the same. Whether or not art is propaganda can be out of the control of the artist. The artist's aim may be true but if art is used in the wrong context by a propagandist, whether they are dealing in pornography or iconism, or even if the art is just misunderstood, then people can be influenced by art which when it was produced had no intention of influencing anyone. Anyway because the ambiguity of most art can mean different things for different people then propaganda only works for people who need to have a decision made for them and are not true to their own personal opinions (or don't have an opinion on the subject of the propaganda in question). I don't understand why David Dixon can say that emotions are of zero importance to the universe. Just because scientists make life easier for themselves by choosing to ignore emotions doesn't mean they are not important. Everything in the universe is part of it, therefore each part contributes to and draws from it. How can you say that some bits are more important than others? The reason that artists find it difficult to comment on scientific research is because science is presented in a different language. The technological terms and mathematics which describe science make it only accessible to an elite group. It would be quite possible to describe science in layman's terms but this rarely happens. Perhaps scientists will not come down from their technological fortress because they are scared that if their results were revealed to the world, somebody might question them. Instead of being able to keep turning their unquestioning handle to get results, someone might realize what their results imply and they'd have to stop and think about them. People only speak unnecessarily in an uncommon language when they've got something to hide.
The schism between the two cultures (art and science) should not exist and I suspect that like so many fine 'old' traditions it originated in the 19th Century, before that everybody could embrace both without a blush. With the explosion of scientific knowledge, no one person can be familiar with everything even if one restricts the field of knowledge say to physics or chemistry or biology (the division is to a large extent artificial and I suspect invented for examination syllabuses). Practitioners of the sciences can and often do, fall into an attitude
of 'false certainty', which to me is the hallmark of a charlatan although
it is often lack of humility rather than a desire to deceive that underlies
that attitude. Conversely those outside the closed world of scientific
knowledge are either frightened by the success of science and despise the
success or have a naive vision of Utopia where all ills have been overcome
by Science. I deliberately have used a capital '5' because many years ago
when I first started working in a laboratory, the chief chemist who was
a most entertaining and eccentric person said to me "What I cans t stand
are those silly buggers who believe in science with a capital S". I knew
exactly what he meant and I have tried to adhere to that tenet ever since.
Good art and science is as much a matter of discipline as anything else and this is only too evident in the fringe activities of some so-called sciences and art. The thinking and the artifacts are shoddy and gimcrack. This is not to discourage new ways of looking and thinking but to get rid of the spurious which often passes as novel.
In one of Manfred Wings s Micro Essays (ALPHA ZWITTERION) he states that "The very essence of art is communication". I'm not sure I agree in my view the very essence of art is creation. If it is communication, would art be worthwhile for a totally isolated person, marooned on a desert island for example. If the purpose of art is communication then art is isolation is meaningless, if it is creation then the problem does not arise. What does is if life in isolation is meaningless? Communication in its most basic sense of the exchange of information is far more important. At varying levels it is the basis of culture (the non-genetic inheritance of information) and life itself (the genetic transmission of information).
REFLEXION — REFLUXION (MAIL ART - A SUMMARY)
The movement started in ernest (perhaps) in the 197Os. Certainly making rubber stamps, using them for 'art' and decoration connected with publication started then. These can be obliterated, erased, combined, pulled and geometrically patterned. The other side of mail art started after (perhaps) Marcel Duchamp's four combined postcards which he sent off to friends in the art world. Also the impact of Italian Futurism on international postal activity — with postcards, manifestos and decorated manifestos etc. Bern Porter stated that he was doing 'Mail Art' in the 1920s. In the early 8 Os the 'Electroworks' exhibition of photocopy art was staged in New York (at George Eastman House). There was also a Xerox exhibition curated by Ginny Lloyd at La Mamelle in San Francisco, California. Questions asked about paying fees for mail art catalogues. In 1981 a Postage Stamp Exhibition was held at Art Pool, Budapest. John Held Jnr shows 'Letters to Mohammed'. Plus workshops on mail art in Los Angeles, California. In 1982 communication with Poland was disrupted by political activity. The Modern Realism Gallery opens in Dallas, Texas, to show mail art, Xerox works, artists books, rubber stamps etc. The International Society of Copy Artists Quarterly is produced. First International Mail Art Manifesto to mark the 20th Anniversary of New York Correspondence School also produced. National Stampagraphic begins publication. And Cohen's Brain Cell Project — gathering design elements and correspondence and combining/superimposing on one sheet of paper.
THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE V2 ORGANIZATION The V2 Organization is a non-profit foundation which started in 1981 as an initiative of some artists/musicians in s'—Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands who at that time were very discontent about the actions that took place in the field of art and music. So we started our own centre in which new developments in music and arts could and can be presented. The V2 Organization, at the moment, is mainly focussed on the use of technology by artists and on the exchange of ideas that exist in this field. In our space, which is a former textile factory, we organize manifestations and festivals in a regular schedule. Besides these activities we also have a distribution centre in which independently released audio-visual material is distributed all over the world. The books, records, magazines, videotapes, audiocassettes and floppy-disks can be seen as background information to the activities and ideas of the Organization. Another aspect of our Organization is the audio-visual workplace that we recently started in out building. Here one can develop individual hard and software in collaboration with technicians and software specialists. V2 also presents environmental installations made by artists within our organization.. These installations are based on an integration of different electronic media in a piece of work. We have realized installations like "The Dynamic Dialogue", in which the audience can control sound and image with flashlights. 'installation For The Unstable Media" in fact is a big condenser which decharges itself, if the audience enters the room (through 12 TV monitors, 16 loudspeakers and 3 ventilators). The best known installation is probably the "Movement-Time-Space installation which was made in collaboration with Vivenza (France) and which was presented in Zaragoza in 1987 in the "En La Frontera" Festival (Spain). ***********
We strive for constant change; for mobility. We make use of the unstable media, that is all media that operate with electric currents and frequencies, such as motors, sound, light, video, computer and so on. Instability is inherent in these media. Quantum mechanics has, among other things, proved that the smallest elementary particles, such as the electron, consist of an ever changing form. They have no stable form but they characterize themselves by dynamic mobility. This unstable lively form of the electron is the basis of the unstable media. The unstable media are the media of our days. They are the show pieces in our modern households. We propagate its comprehensive use instead of the practicable misuse of these media. We love instability and chaos, because they stand for progress. We don't see chaos as the struggle for life, but as an order which is composed of countless fragmentary orders, which differ among themselves and where the prevailing status quo is only a short orientation point. The unstable media move within the concepts 'Movement-Time-Space', by
this they possess the potential to combine more forms and content within
one piece of work. Unstable media are a reflection of our pluriform world.
Unstable media characterize themselves by dynamical motions and changeableness. This is in contrast with the world of arts that reaches us through the publicity media, which has come to a standstill and become an object for collectors, officials, historians and critics. Art must be destructive and constructive. V2 Organisation, Muntelstraat 23, 5211PT 'S—Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
LAST WRITES How would modern art appear isolated from its social and artistic context? Minus its history? Imagine a Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy type scenario: a many-eyed, multi-limbed and mega-minded property developer descends on the Earth and decides to turn the planet into an interstellar hot dog stand (ignore the fact that mankind is trying its best to do something similar) unless we can show him! her/it one example of supreme creativity produced during the present century. What would we show Him/Her/It? An example of modern art? A Mondrian perhaps —four vertical lines, three horizontal lines and two coloured squares! Or a Rothko? — two maroon. blobs on one red background! Or a Kandinsky? — based on intersecting straight lines! Or a Klee? — based on intersecting sqiggly lines! Or Not if the future of the human race depended on it please! Not before I am rich and famous (always next week!) anyway. Continuing with science fiction (I hope!) scenarios: what if everyone suddenly woke up with three eyes (some of us with six!). Artistic appreciation is a product of our senses — actually every kind of thought and perception is a product of our senses! So all that would be left of our High Art would be spent nuclei of content! Art for Art's sake is one of the basic tenets of modern art — probably
the basic tenet; possibly the only tenet!. A concept right in its time
but I suggest wrong now. Obviously it was a reaction to the static storyboard
art of the academies. However, story telling, static or otherwise (cinema),
is not necessarily bad in art, although perhaps the type of story or the
way it is told may be. All art needs a potential for interreferentiality
(I'm not sure if the word interreferentiality has a potential for interreferentiality
Imagine that the whole of humanity suddenly got a collective artistic amnesia (99% probably already has!), and could not remember any of the art produced after the time of the renaissance giants such as Michelangelo and Leonardo. Humanity does maintain the present level of scientific and cultural sophistication however. How would modern art form and evolve in this context? Would it form at all? In the first decades of this century modern 'art' and 'modern' science were in many respects neck and neck in the endeavour to comprehend the universe. Modern art's progress appeared to peter out in the seventies and actually start to move backwards in the eighties. Science on the other hand continued to proceed ever onwards. The reason I suspect, is simple: science has an inherent mechanism to negate the limitations imposed by mankind's physical and emotional makeup. I see (pretentiously no doubt) Ionist Art and Process Art as the means of negating human limitations in an artistic context. A way of extending art beyond the artist and a way of circumventing the genetic and cultural straight-jacket we find ourselves in. GERALD SHEPHERD
ION EXCHANGE - EDITOR: GERALD SHEPHERD |