March 2012dasplatforMs.coMfree

Das ad Mar12.v4.indd 1 13/02/12 10:38 AM

1 February – 11 March 2012

Alex Gawronski The Invisible Man

Kate Mitchell Magic undone

Alex Martinis Roe non-writing histories

Image: Adam Geczy, video still from The Most Beautiful Cities in the World: San Francisco, 2012, courtesy of the artist

21 March – 29 aprIl 2012

Adam Geczy beautiful cities

Khaled Sabsabi Mush

arTSpace is supported by the Visual arts and craft Strategy, an initiative of the australian, State and Territory Governments.

arTSpace is assisted by the New South Wales Government through arts NSW and by the australian Government through the australia council, its principal arts funding body.

arTSpace is a member of caOs (contemporary art Organisations australia) and res artis (International association of residential art centres).

T +61 2 9356 0555artspace@artspace.org.auOffice 10am–6pm, Mon–FriGallery 11am–5pm, Tues–Sun

43–51 cowper Wharf roadWoolloomooloo NSW 2011 Sydney australiawww.artspace.org.au

The Invisible Man by alex Gawronski is supported by the australia council for the arts.

Beautiful Cities by adam Geczy is supported by the May’s lane Street art project.

285 Young Street, Waterloo, Sydney

www.gbk.com.augallery@gbk.com.au+61 2 8399 1240

Grant StevenSMarch / April

Debra DaWeSMay / June

A new generation of Australian artists. A new biennale event exhibiting pro-gressive Australian art.

Monika Behrens• Boatpeople.org• Jessie Boylan• Brown Council• Sapna Chandu• ZHEN• Bindi Cole• Eva Fernandez• Ann Fuata• Jane Korman• Keith Lim• MISO• Paula do Prado• Roberta Rich• Carl Scrase• Dario Vacirca• Paul Yore• Michael Warnock

Image: Anigozanthos flavidus Artist: Eva Fernandezweaustralians.org presents

Federation Square » NGV Studio• The Atrium• Fracture Gallery• NO Vacancy• The Big Screen

Visit www.weaustralians.org for program details

Inciting new ways of representing contemporary Australia

4th - 28th of April 2012

Curated by Sapna Chandu & Produced by Ilana Russell

GUEST EDITORS Natasha Bullock & alexie Glass-kaNtor PRODUCER Nick GarNer EDITOR anD aSSISTanT PRODUCER BroNwyN Bailey-charteris aRT DIRECTOR elliott Bryce foulkes PRODUCTIOn COORDInaTOR roByN stuart RESEaRCH anD EDITORIaL aSSITanT MoraG deMpsey SUB EDITORS JaNe soMerville & harry wyNter DaS 500 EDITORIaL TEaM EDITOR huGh Nichols aSSOCIaTE EDITOR aNGela BeNNettsSUB-EDITOR, MELBOURnE celia BriGhtwell SUB-EDITOR, BRISBanE Grace wiNzer

PRInTInG spotpressDISTRIBUTIOn stuart's loGistics

dasSUPERPAPER Issue 22March 2012. 10,000 copies.

© 2012 authors, artists, coNtriButors aNd rococo productioNs.

all riGhts reserved. reproductioN without perMissioN is prohiBited.

ISSN 1837-0373 PrINt PoSt APProved PP:255003/10007

EnQUIRIESwww.dasplatforMs.coM coNtact@rococoproductioNs.coM www.rococoproductioNs.coM

THanKS das superpaper would like to thaNk all coNtriButiNG writers, artists & Galleries for their GeNerous support.

10 Michelle USSheR PICTORIAL

14 NataSha BUllock & alexie GlaSS-kaNtoR INTERVIEW BroNwyN Bailey-charteris

16 toM NicholSoN INTERVIEW aNNeke Jaspers

22 tiM SilveR PICTORIAL

28 Pat BRaSSiNGtoN PICTORIAL

32 SUSaN JacoBS INTERVIEW pip wallis

37 NicholaS FollaND INTERVIEW lisa slade

42 RoB McleaSh PICTORIAL

50 Max PaM & RoBeRt cook CONVERSATION

57 MaRco FUSiNato PICTORIAL

62 Rococo SHORT STORY christos tsiolkis

67 Rock MY WoRlD IN-PAPER ExHIbITION CuRATEd bY SuPERkALIdESCOPE

77 DiviNiNG DaviD dAS500 J.d. reforMa

78 tiNY, aD hoc tecNoloGieS dAS500 astrid loraNGe

22ParallelCollisions:12thAdelaideBiennialofAustralianArtisanchoredintheexpressiveandfrustratingconceptualisationoftime.Theexhibitionexploresthetemporalityofthecontemporary,howideasemerge,convergeandre-formovertime,echoingthroughouthistorytorevealpointsofsimilarity(parallel),contact(collision)andencounter(trespass).

ParallelCollisionsproposesmultipleandparadoxicalhistories:aburgeoningsetofcoordinatestomapoutthemultifariousconditionsofthecontemporary.WeinvokeWalterBenjamin’sideathatmomentsofthepastcanbeblastedoutofthe‘continuumofhistory’andreinterpretedandreinvigoratedtobuildanewfuture.1

Wealsoaskourselvesthequestion:Whathappenswhentheartworkleavestheauthorandgainsitsownmomentumandidentityinspaceandtime,travelingwithimpunitybeyondthereachoforiginorintention?

ErnMalleyisoneofAustralia’smostfamouspoetsyetheisacreationoffiction,or,moreaccurately,satire.WithitsrootsinAdelaide,itwastheErnMalleyfabricationthatprovidedadeparturepointfortheevolutionofParallel Collisions.ThegreatestAustralianmodernisthoaxisMalley’sstoryandthenotionofthe‘blackswanoftrespassonalienwaters’isrichlyrepresentedinthecollectionoftheArtGalleryofSouthAustralia.Fromthisinitialresearchwestoletheideaoftrespassbutdidawaywiththeblackswan.TheErnMalleyaspromptisnotsomethingwehaveemphasisedpublicly,however,forthiseditionofDasSuperpaperwebelieveitisarichveinthroughwhichtheworksoftheartistsandwritersincludedcanbecontextualised.

Inthisissuethethreeconversationsfacilitatedbetweenartistsandcurators–TomNicholsonandAnnekeJaspers,NicholasFollandandLisaSlade,SusanJacobsandPipWallis–meanderthroughtimeandplace.Theyriffontheparallelsandcollisionsthroughwhichhistoryandthearchiveandcollectionsdovetailintospeculation,

fictionandtheunmonumental.RobertCookvsMaxPamisacollaborationundertakenforthebiennialandinthisconversationourprotagonistsaredisarminglycandidaboutthewaysinwhichtheynegotiatetheirpractices.

ThefivepictorialfeatureshighlightnewandexistingimagesfromPatBrassington,MarcoFusinato,RobMcLeish,TimSilverandMichelleUssher.Theseworksshiver,disintegrateoramassmaterialtocreatearichmosaicofinterlockingtemporalitiesthatexploreoursubjectiveexperienceoftime.ChristosTsiolkashasofferedastorythatsitsambiguouslybetweenfactandfiction,itsdepthofresearchandevidenceisadecoy,deliberatelymisleadingtheviewerintoanassumptionthatfictionisfact.

naTaSHa BULLOCK & aLExIE GLaSS-KanTOR

1 Walter Benjamin, ‘Theses on the philosophy of history’ (1940), in Walter Benjamin: illuminations, ed. Hannah Arendt, trans. Harry Zohn, Fontana, London, 1992, pp. 245–55.

Parallel Collisions

•||• FRONT cOveR LEFT : Pat Brassington Bloom, from the series Anxious Bodies (2003) Pigment print, 78 x 59cm, Courtesy of the artist and Stills Gallery, Sydney; Arc One Gallery, Melbourne; and Bett Gallery, Hobart

RIGHT : Rob McLeish Lock up your concepts (2011) stainless steel 186 x 94 x 5 cm Courtesy of the artist and Neon Parc, Melbourne

BAcK cOveR LEFT : Max PamYemen (detail) (1993)silver gelatin print, 50 x 60 cm. Courtesy of the artist

RIGHT : Foster & Berean The Doing and Undoing of it All (detail) (2009) , steel, glass, enamel, Courtesy of the Artists and Murray White Room, Melbourne. Photo Credit: Christian Cappurro

8

Michelle UssherPictorialMichelleUsshercurrentlylivesandworksinLondon.Arelationshiptodiversemethodologiesenablesapeculiaralchemyofimaginedformstocombineinherart.ThevisualspaceofUssher'sworkisoneofdoublingsandillusionsthatmeditateontheimpermanenceofbeing.Images,textandobjectsilluminatethethresholdbetweenmemoryandperception.

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•|Michelle Ussher

Because you are the painting from 1904 (2010)

Oil on Paper65 x 49 cm

|•Because you are the

painting from 2010 (2010)Oil on Paper65 x 49 cm

All images courtesy of the artist

and Kalimanrawlins, Melbourne

10 11

•|Michelle Ussher

A hologram of a mirror (holding the head) (2010)

Oil on Paper52 x 40 cm

|•A hologram of a mirror

(blackhole) (2010)Oil on Paper49 x 65 cm

A hologram of a mirror (2010)Oil on Paper49 x 65 cm

All images courtesy of the artist

and Kalimanrawlins, Melbourne

12 13

Alexie&NatashaInTERVIEW BronWyn BAiLey-CHArTeris

Acrossfourphysicalplatforms,Parallel Collisionspresents21commissionedworksbysomeofAustralia’sleadingartists,21originaltexts,adesigner,anarchitect,twocuratorsandaninstitution,formingaconnectivetissuethatattemptstounderstandoursubjectiveexperienceoftime.

NatashaBullockandAlexieGlass-Kantorarethecuratorialduobehindthisyear’sAdelaideBiennial,ParallelCollisions,andtheymetwithDasSuperpaper’seditortodiscusstheshowsevolution.Thefollowingaresomeofthehighlightsofthatconversation.

CanyougiveussomebackgroundtotheadelaideBiennialofaustralianart?

TheAdelaideBiennialistheonlybiennialdedicatedtoAustralianartandisanimportantplatforminthedevelopmentandpresentationofnewworkbylivingartists.TheArtGalleryofSouthAustraliaestablishedthebiennialin1990andtheexhibitionbeganastheflagshipeventofthevisualartsprogramoftheAdelaideFestival.

HowwouldyoudescribeParallel Collisions?

Parallel Collisions isboththetitleandtheconceptualframeworkofthebiennial.Weenjoythecontradictorynatureofthetitle.Parallellines,afterall,cannotmeetwhenconsideredinpurelyspatialtermshowever,withtheaddeddimensionoftime,collisionbecomespossible–whensomethingthatwasonceinoneplaceshiftsinposition,andhenceinmeaning,overtime.PresentedacrosstwophysicalplatformsattheArtGalleryofSouthAustralia–theElderWingofAustralianArtandthetemporaryexhibitionsgalleries–thebiennialbringsthepastintodialoguewiththepresent.Forthisexhibitionwedecidednottoemployasurveyformat,insteadwetriedtoworkmorepropositionally.Weusedthewords‘parallels,collisions,timeandtrespass’askindsofprompts.Whenwemetwithartists,weusedthesewordsasawayofstartingaconversation.

Canyouexpanduponhowthesiteofthebiennialimpacteduponyourcuratorialstrategies?

TherearetwoentrancestotheArtGalleryofSouthAustralia.ThemainentranceisthroughtheElderWingofAustraliaArt.Thesecondentranceistothewesternsideofthebuildingandleadstothetemporaryexhibitiongalleries.Regularvisitorstothebiennialmayneglectthemainentrance,alongwithitsassociated

collectionspaces,inseekingoutthetemporaryexhibitiongalleries.HencebyinitiatingthebiennialinthevestibuleweaskpeopletoengagewiththecollectionandtheincursionsperformedintheElderWingastheirintroductiontotheexhibition.Thisprovidestheopportunitytofoldintotheexperienceoftheexhibitionatexturedexplorationofcontemporaryartwiththecollection,creatingagenerousandrichsetofconnections,readingsandassociation.

AgoodexampleistheworkofRosemaryLaing.IntheElderWingLaing’sgroundspeed (rose petal) #17(2001)islocatedacrossfromJohnGlover’spaintingA view of the artist’s house and garden(1835).Laing’slayingofpatternedfloralcarpetintheAustralianbushisanodetothepainter’scolonialimagination.JohnGloverimmigratedtoTasmaniain1830bringingwithhimplantsfromhisnativecountry.WhatLaing’simagedoesisdisturbtheorderofthingsbyreshapingthesymbolismembodiedinthistraditionofcoloniallandscapepaintinginAustralia.Laing’simagesdosomethingsimilardownstairsinthetemporaryexhibitiongallerieswithtworecentphotographsfromthe leakseries.Theseimagesfunctionasavisualcollisionbetweentheideaofapastoralidyllicpastandpresent-dayurbaninfection.BypositioningLaing’sworkacrosstheparallelstructureoftheexhibition,wehopetoamplifythecurrentsthatflowbetweenthecollectionandthecontemporaneous.

andhowdoesthearchitectureoftheaGsabecomeinvolved?

Thearchitectureofthebuildingcreatestheparallelstructurewithintheexhibition.Inthiswaythearchitectureoftheinstitutionbecomesvitaltotheexhibition,bringingthepastintoconversationwiththepresentquitephysicallyandmaterially.Intermsoftheinternalspatialdynamicsoftheexhibitionanditsarchitecturalelements,wecollaboratedfromtheoutsetwithJanVanSchaik,fromMinifieVanSchaikArchitectsonthearticulationofthetemporaryexhibitiongalleries.Wecallthispartoftheexhibitionthetrackingshot.Thetrackingshotisinspiredbythecinematicdeviceofshootingascene,oranentirefilm,inacontinuousshot.AnexampleofthisisAlexanderSokurov’sfilmRussian Ark(2002).Wallsorpartitionsareusedaseditstosituatetheviewerinrelationtoobjectsandexperiences,andtomovetheviewerthroughthe

galleryinonedirectioninaprocessofdiscovery.ThisjourneyseekstoemulatethefeelofSokurov’simmersivefilm.

iseecuratorialpracticeasanevolvingbalancingactbetweeninspiration,ideationandimplementation,whatdoyoubothseeasthemostimportantprinciplesofgoodcuratorship?

Oneofthemostimportantprinciplesofgoodcuratorshipisanongoingdialoguewithartists.Webelieveinhonest,clearcommunicationandtransparencyacrossalllevels.Thishastobeabenchmark.Therealsoneedstobeaninterestinartiststhatisequaltoaninterestinaudiences.Itcan’tbetooheavilyweightedonewayortheother,becauseacuratorisattheinterfaceofideasandaudiences,andyouhavetohaveapassionforboth.Youhavetobeawareofwhoyouraudienceisandhowasacuratoryouareprovidingorfacilitatingwaysintothework.

Canyoutellusalittlemoreaboutyourchoiceofartists?

Thechoiceofartistsforthebiennialwasdeterminedbytheartist’sideas.Animportantaspectofbothourpracticesofexhibition-makingistherichpotentialofcross-disciplinaryandintergenerationaldialogue.Soit’sgreattohavePatBrassington,RosemaryLaingorShaunGladwellinthisexhibitionalongsideanewgenerationincludingSusanJacobsandRobMcLeish.Thisissomethingthatisquiteexcitingforus.

Therearealsosomeunexpectedcollaborationsinthebiennial.RobertCookisprimarilyknownasacuratorfromtheArtGalleryofWesternAustraliaandwritingishisartisticpractice.MaxPamisadocumentaryphotographerwithanimportantreputationbutmaybeonethatisn’tnecessarilysynonymouswithayoungergeneration.Theopportunityinthisshowtohavecollaborationslikethis,whichareunexpected,andtoseesomeonelikeRobertCookinacompletelydifferentcontexthasbeenreallyrewarding.

Couldyoudescribefurtheryourprocessandrelationshipswiththeartistsandcollaboratorsintheleaduptotheexhibition?

Fromthebeginningwebothfeltstronglythatweshouldworkwithanexpandedcuratoriummodel,bringingcollaboratorsfromdesign,architecture,andthecuratorialdepartmentsat

theAGSAintotheprocessofdevelopingandrealisingtheexhibition.Wealsoknewthatwewantedtheartists’workandideastoguidetheshapeoftheshow—wedidnotwanttotakeanillustrativestanceandweaimedtoencourageagenerativeapproach.Wetriedasmuchaspossibletoputanypreconceptionsorpersonalbiasasideandtoletoursharedconversationswithartistsdefinethetextureandtimbreoftheshow.WewerefortunatetobeabletobringfourteenoftheartiststoAdelaideinJune2011forasitevisitandthisenabledadepthofengagementwiththecollectionandthegalleryspacesandforamoreunpredictablesetofresponsestoevolve.ThearchitectJanvanSchaikandthegraphicdesignerDanielPetersonfromFabioOngaratoDesignalsojoinedusonthisvisit.Ourobjectiveinhavingthemparticipateinthiswassothattheycouldcontributetotheconversation,becomingcomplicitintheprocessandbringingintoplayobservationsdrawnfromtheirareasofexpertise.Insightsofferedbyourcuratorialcollaborators,LisaSladeandNiciCumpston,havealsosupportedanevengreaterlevelofambitionintheapproachestakenbytheartists.

Fromapersonalperspectiveandputtingasidethetheoreticalorcriticalintereststhatweshare,wearebothinspiredbyourrelationshipswiththeartists,ourcollaboratorsandourfriendshipwitheachother.Wealwayswantedtocurateanexhibitiontogetherthatneitherofuscouldachieveonourown.Thisshowhasforcedustobehonestandtransparentwitheachotherandwehavetriedtokeepthattonewithallourcollaborators.Someonerecentlyobservedthatwerarelycompromisebutalwaystrytoworkthroughoptionstoseekthebestoutcomeandachieveasharedvision.

An experienTiAL proposiTion inspired By ArT, CinemA And LiTerATure, THE 2012 AdELAIdE bIENNIAL expLores THe WAys in WHiCH ideAs emerge, Converge And re-Form THrougH Time. From A FLoATing

isLAnd oF 2000 CuT-gLAss oBjeCTs To An expLosive LigHT insTALLATion THAT CLoCks in reAL Time HumAn BirTHs, deATHs, THe expAnsion oF THe universe And dying sTArs, THis BienniAL Considers THe

TemporALiTy oF THe presenT As iT pArALLeLs And CoLLides WiTH THe pAsT.

14 15

[annEKE JaSPERS]Yourpracticeisinformedbyastronginterestinsocialhistoryandacommitmenttointensiveresearch.oftenthismanifestsintheinvocationofforgottenorinvisibleaspectsofthepastthroughyourworks.isthearchiveapointofdepartureforyou?

[TOM nICHOLSOn]Ifeelambivalenttowardsthearchive.Italwaysrisksbeinganevasionoftheproblemsofthepresent,andaretreatfromliving.Iamalsoskepticaltowardsitsauthority(andtowardsitsbeauty).NonethelessIamconsistentlydrawntothearchive,andspecificallytothearchivalimage,tothedifficultrelationshipbetweenthemutenessofcertainarchivalimagesandthenarrativestheycanyield.

Toansweryourquestionthroughaconcreteexample,thevideoworkMonument for the flooding of Royal Park(2008)beganwithasite,thevastopenspacesofRoyalPark,inMelbourne’sinnernorth.Ihadlongbeenfascinatedbyitasaspaceandalsoknewsomethingofitshistory,astheplaceofBurkeandWills’departureandthelocationofthehugeWW2militaryencampment,CampPell.ItwaswiththesiteastheprimaryimpulsethatIbegantoworkwitharchivalmaterial,andspecificallywitharchivalimages.Thearchivalimagesgeneratedakindofimaginaryspaceinwhichtheworkbegantotakeshape:theideaofnardoosporocarps[aquaticfern]beingdisseminatedthroughouttheParksothatwhentheParkfloods,itswideopenspacesarecoveredinnardoo,which,asthefloodwatersrecede,becomesavastredfieldoverlookingthecity’sskyline.Thearchivebecameacatalystforformingsomethingintothatsite,inthiscaseanimaginaryform,akindofmentalimageofahorizontalredmonochromethatyoumightbearasyouwalkaroundthatspace.

Monument for the flooding of Royal Parkisprospective.Itdescribesaformthatisyettocome.Ihaveoftenfoundmyselfdealingwiththearchiveasaprospective

space.WhetheritisthefuturebloomofnardooinRoyalParkortheformofthepoliticalposter,withitscharacterasanannouncementtowardthefuture,Iamattractedtothearchiveasawaytoaddressthefuture,thenotionthatthepossibilitiescontainedwithinourpastareyettobe.

[aJ]Youmentionedbeingdrawntohowthearchiveframes(orobscures)therelationshipbetweenimageandnarrative.Theconjunctionofimageandlanguage–writtenorperformed–isarecurringfeatureinmanyofyourworks.Whatisitspecificallyaboutthepointofcontactbetweenthesetwoformsofexpressionthatinterestsyou?

[Tn]Partlyitisaboutpictures,thewaythataninterestingpicturedisclosesitself.Thoughtherearemanygreatnarrativepicturesinthehistoryofart,Iammostlyattractedtoimagesfortheirrefusaltotellstraightforwardly.ThehistoriesIaminterestedinalwaysseemtocomeintosomekindofconflictwiththischaracterofimages,theirrefusaltotell,theirmuteness.

Myrelationshiptoimagesisconflicted,characterisedontheonehandbyaloveofwhatcompleximagesdo,andontheother,byaresistancetothewayimagesfunctioninourpublicrealm–thesaturationofimages,thebarrennessofanimagecultureinwhichimagessimplyshowwhattheymean.Myconstantdesiretomakeimagesrubsagainstaconsistentimpulsetobanishshowing.

InthecontextofAustralianhistory,thiscomplextakesonaparticularcharge.Therecentproject,Drawings and correspondence(2011),evolvedintoaconfrontationwithaquestionthatisoftenpresentinmyworkwitharchivalforms:howtomakearepresentationofthehistoryofourviolenceanddispossessiontowardsAboriginalpeopleintheplacewhereIlive,ahistoricalexperiencewhichresistspicturing,anexperience

numerous mATeriAL Forms Converge WiTHin Tom niCHoLson’s prACTiCe, Among THem drAWings, pHoTogrApHs And prinTs, videos, puBLiCATions, BAnners And sCripTs. in THeir diFFerenT ConFigurATions

ACross projeCTs, THe FunCTion oF THese mATeriALs As vesTiges in reLATion To some Form oF ACTion or evenT is ConsisTenTLy undersCored. neverTHeLess, niCHoLson’s Works TypiCALLy ConFound THe noTion

oF THe doCumenT As pureLy An AFTermATH By empHAsising iTs generATive poTenTiAL, And FrAming sCenArios WHere THe reTrospeCTive And prospeCTive CoinCide.

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Tom NicholsonInterview

annEKE JaSPERS

|•Tom Nicholson

Double page from Monument for the flooding

of Royal Park (2008-9)Off-set printed artist’s book,

245 x 170mm, 96ppDesign: Brad Haylock Published

by Schwartz City, 2009.Photograph: Christian Capurro

Courtesy of the artist and Anna Schwartz

|•Tom Nicholson

Drawing and correspondence (2008-2011)

Charcoal drawing on paper, two sheets,

140 x 100cm and 120 x100cm.Photograph: Christian Capurro

Courtesy of the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery

16 17

whosecentraltrajectoryistheattemptateffacement,‘finality’astheBoardfortheProtectionofAborigines(BPA)putitinthelate19thcentury.ThewaysIhaveusedimagesandlanguagehavebeen,variously,attemptstorespondtothatproblemthroughforms.

InDrawings and correspondence –andintheforthcomingprojectfortheAdelaideBiennial–Ihaveworkedwithspecificimagesfromnineteenth-centurycolonialism,imagesthatmanifestastrangeblindnesstotheworld,thatbecomeassertionsofcolonialsovereignty.InbothcasesIhavefoundmyselfinhabitingtheseimagesthroughveryslowandprolongedprocessesofre-drawing,attemptingtoopenoutaspacewhichIwoulddescribeassomehowbehindthatimage,orbeyondthatscreen.It’sanattempttomakeapicturewhosesubjectisnotshown,tomakefigurativeimageswherethenarrativeliesbeyondthefiguration.Thatattemptreliesheavilyonhowotherlanguages–textbutalsothelanguageofactions–animateourrelationshiptotheimage,toitslatentorspectralmeanings.

[aJ]Withinyourpracticemorebroadly,re-drawingissituatedalongsideothermethodsofappropriationandremediation–transcription,forinstance,andre-photography.i’minterestedinhowthisrelatesbacktoyourearlierdescriptionofMonument for the flooding of Royal Park aspropositionalorspeculative.Whatdoestheprocessoftranslatingandre-animatingextantmaterialsenableinthisregard?

[Tn]DuringthelongprocessofmakingthedrawingsforDrawings and correspondence,IbecameawarethatIwas‘inhabiting’theimagesoffalsifiedAboriginalartoriginallycreatedbyCarolineLeSouef(some-timeartistandthewifeofAlbertLeSouef,directorofthenineteenth-centuryMelbourneZooandlong-timememberoftheBPA).Iwasverypainstakinglyre-drawingherimages,ascapturedinasingleanonymousarchivalphotograph.Inotherwords,thoughtheprojectwasconceivedasakindofcriticalengagementwiththeimage-makingoftheLeSouefs(andAlbert’sparallelinvolvementintheBPAandtheviolenceofits1886AboriginesProtectionAct),thatprocessofdrawingplacedmeinhershoes.Itimplicatedmeintheirproject.Ilikedthataboutthatdrawingprocess–andIthinkthesameistrueofmyre-drawingofHJJohnstone’sEvening Shadows backwater of the Murray, South Australia(1880),whichispartoftheprojectfortheAdelaideBiennial.Itendtotrustprocessesaroundthearchivethatcomplicatemyposition,processeswithoutexonerations,whereafoundimagecloaksmeatthesametimethatIattempttore-animateit.Iaminterestedinwhathappenswhencriticalworkbeginsfrombeingimplicated.Ilikethewaythatcertainimages–andre-workingthoseimages–bearthesekindsofcomplications.

Inamoregeneralsense,imagesareinterestingformanyreasons,butoneofthemistheirout-of-timeness.Goya’sseriesThe Disasters of War(1810–1820)feelslikeithasthedirectnessofthemostimmediatepressimage,thekindofimagewemightseefromCairo,postedonthewebthesamedayitwastaken.ButGoya’simageswerefirstpublishedmorethanfivedecadesaftertheeventstheysopowerfullydescribe.And,ofcourse,weencounterthemmanydecadesafterthat,inacontextwherehisimagesfeedourthinkingaboutIraqasmuchastheydoaboutthePeninsularWarinSpain.Partoftheout-of-timenessofimagesisthattheycontinuouslyprecipitateouractions,andinthissensetheyareinvolvedintheinvisiblechainsofactionsandtheirconsequencesthatisthelanguageofactionsandactivism.Ifindmyselfregularlysettingthislanguageofactionsagainsttheaddressofanimage.Insomecasesthereisasimplephysicalityinthisrelationship–theencumbranceofanimagethatiscarried,oraflagbeingwavedwhicheffacesorengulfsthepersonwhowavesit.Morespecifically,though,thiswayofworkingisalsoawaytoanimateanimagebyaslowprocessofrenderingitinvisible,bydissolvingitintotheworld.Thisispartofmylongstandingattractiontotheprocessofpublicdistributionorleafleting,toposteringand,inrelationtotext,totheactofreadingaloud.Theposterdissolvesintothecity.Theimagebecomessubjecttothesameinvisibilitythatmarksthewayourmostpotentactionsinturngeneratechainsofactionsortransformationswecanonlyeverapprehendthroughimagination.

[aJ]inasense,theout-of-timenessofimagesfindsacorrelationinthestructureofyourprojects–inthewaytheytendtofragmentthesingular,self-containedartobjectintoaseriesofprovisionalandsometimesradicallydispersedformations.Gesturesofpublicdistribution,liketheonesyoudescribed,mightbeframedinrelationtoanumberofother‘parts’oractivitieswithinasinglepresentationcontext;oneworkmightalsoevolveoverseveralyearsanditerations.Beyondfiguringacertainrelationshiptoimages,whydoyouchoosetopracticeinthisway?

[Tn] It’sagoodquestion.WithmyMaoistself-criticismhaton,IwouldsaythemultipleiterationsarenecessarybecauseIrarelyfindawaytoresolveaprojectthatsatisfiesmethefirsttimeround!Inapragmaticsense,IalsotrytouseeachtimeIaminvitedtoexhibitaworktogenerateanewformand/oranewunderstandingoftheworkbytryingadifferentconfiguration.Thisispartlyanattempttopreventmyrelationshiptoasetofformsfromeverclosingover.

Butyourquestionisaskingsomethingdeeperthanthis,somethingImustsayIhavespentacoupleofdaystryingtorespondtoinmyhead.You’rerightthatveryoftentheworkresolvesintomultiplepartsandprocesses,settingupdelaysbetweenelementswhichcannotbeencounteredtogetherinasinglemomentorinasinglefieldofvision.IfIweretotracethis

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|•Tom Nicholson,

Action for 2pm Sunday 6 July 1835. (2005)Left poster from a postering action

over 10 consecutive nights, 2,000 pairs of off-set posters,

each 59.6 x 84cm.Courtesy of the artist and Anna Schwartz

Tom NicholsonVideo still from

Monument for the flooding of Royal Park (2008/2011)8mins 30 seconds. Silent. SD.

Courtesy of the artist and Anna Schwartz

18 19

characteristicbacktoaparticularmomentitwouldbeseeingClaudeLanzmann’sShoah(1985)inmyfinalyearatartschool.Iwatchedthefilminasinglenine-and-a-halfhoursitting.Asafilmitisself-evidentlyasequenceoffigurativeimages.Butitiswordsthatbearthefilm’ssubject,asLanzmannrelentlesslyaskshisintervieweestodescribetheirexperiencesoftheholocaust.Theimaginativeefforttovisualisewhattheintervieweesdescribebecomesanextraordinaryaccumulationintothebodyofthefilm’sbeholder.Thataccumulationisimmenselypowerful,fillingupthebodywiththehorrorofthathistory,butalsoemptying,creatinganabsencewithinthefigurativeimagesofthefilm.Itisanabsencethatneverallowstheimagetoworkstraightforwardly,whichalwayshastheimageinrelationtoapresencesomewhereelsethatcannotbeshownorrecovered.

IamnotsovainthatIwouldcompareanythingIhavemadetothatgreatfilm!ButIdothinkthatthepersistentcharacteristicyouhavedescribedinthework–andIhaveneverreallyidentifiedthisbefore–comesfromthesheerforceofthatexperience,andfromLanzmann’swayofmakingfigurativeimagesthatdotheimportantworkofrecountinghistoricalexperienceswhilesimultaneouslyinsisting,throughaprincipleofslowaccumulation,ontheincompletenessofthoseimages.Lookingattheimageisalwaysinterlacedwithimaginingsomethingthatisnotthere.

[aJ]althoughwearrivedatthispointbywayofthestructuralcharacterofyourworks,woulditbefairtosuggest–asanotetoendon–thatsomeoftheseideasrelateconceptuallytoyourprojectfortheadelaideBiennial?accumulationintensionwithincompleteness;theindexingofanimage’smeaningtoanothertimeorplace;thequestionofhowwerelatehistorytoourpresentthroughmemorialisinggestures…

[Tn]Yes,therearecertainlyechoesofthosestructures.Evening shadows(2011-2012),theprojectfortheAdelaideBiennial,respondstoapaintingintheAGSAcollection,HJJohnstone’sEvening shadows,actuallythefirstpaintingtheGalleryacquired.Theprojectrespondstothestrangelifeofthispainting–whichisnotonlytheGallery’smostreproducedpaintingandmostpopularpostcardbutalso,arguably,Australia’smostcopiedpainting.FormanyyearsartstudentsinAdelaideweremadetocopythepainting,usuallyfrommemoryfollowingvisitstotheGallery.

HJJohnstonepaintedtheworkinLondon,afterhehadmovedbacktothemothercountry.Althoughitisaverycrisplynaturalisticimage,itisfinallyakindofprojection,afantasyimagepaintedfromtheimperialcapitaltobesentbacktothecolonies.Thatispartofitsgenericquality,andalsopartofitshackneyedallegory(orfantasy)ofaquiet,inevitabledisappearanceofAboriginalpeople,conveyedthroughthefemalewhocrossestheMurrayatthecentreoftheimage,and

throughthemetaphoroflight(thepaintingshowsthatshorttwilightmomentbeforelightfadesintodark,butalsohasthatfemalefigurewalkingtowardsamiamia,situatedinthepainting’sdarknessnexttotheembersofadyingfire).

TheprojectfortheBiennialattemptstore-animatethisimagethroughasubsequenthistoricalevent,the1939CummeragunjaWalk-Off,inwhich200AboriginalmenandwomencrossedtheMurrayRivertoprotestagainsttheconditionsattheCummeragunjaMission,situatedontheNSWsideoftheRiver.AsaprojectitsharessomethingwithDrawings and correspondence,inthatitre-worksa19thcenturyimagewhichisdeeplyinvolvedwiththeprojectofdispossession,apictorialfantasisingandrehearsedmourningthatistheimaginarycounterparttodispossession.Theprojectattemptstocreateaconfrontationbetweenthisimaginaryandtherealityofresistance,bothfiguredthroughthesamebasicact(crossingtheRiver),butwhichotherwiseoperateasakindofdisjunction.

Thefinalcomponentoftheprojectisaposter‘advertising’thewalkoff,whichpeopleinAdelaideareinvitedtotaketodisplayatthefrontoftheirhouses–intheirfrontyardsorintheirfrontwindows.Inthissense,theprojectattemptstoworkacrossthespacesofthehomeandthemuseum.ThehomeisboththedomainofEvening shadows(allthosepaintedcopiesinpeople’slivingrooms,allthoseposterssoldattheGalleryshop)butalsothedomainofthemostintensenon-Aboriginalanxietiesabouttheinjusticesburiedwithinourimaginary(‘yourbackyardswillnotbesafe’).Ihopetheposterworksbothasanimprobablememorialformtothatcourageousandimportantactof1939,butalsoasanambiguousandunsettlingexhortationtowardsthefuture.

•|Tom Nicholson,

Stills from Documents from a banner marching project

2004-2007 (2004-2007)

Video stills from an installation of traces from dawn banner

marches held in Melbourne, Sydney, and Kellerberrin: three channel

sd digital video and Super 8 transferred to digital video, silent;

banner marching frames; one unfolded digitally printed banner on synthetic canvas, 520 x 310cm;

three banners rolled up, 320cm x 20 cm diameter.

Collection National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.Courtesy of the artist

and Anna Schwartz Gallery

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Tim SilverPictorialForSydneybasedartistTimSilver,timeistheconceptualandmaterialkernelofhispractice.Madefromentropicingredients,Silver’ssculpturesusuallybegindyingthemomenttheyareborn.TheydenouncethestrivingtowardspermanencethatsculpturehashistoricallyembodiedandintheirdegradationSilver’ssculpturesembodythehumancondition.Photographsbearwitnesstothismaterialandmetaphysicalprocess.

•|Tim Silver

Untitled (bust) (Mahogany Timbermate Woodfiller) #1 (2011)460 x 580 mm each (image and paper size)

Archival inks on archival paper

|•Tim Silver

Untitled (trauma 4) (2011)cast pigmented polyurthane

43 x 35 x 18 cm

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•|•Tim Silver

Untitled (bust) (Mahogany Timbermate Woodfiller) #2 (2011)

460 x 580 mm each (image and paper size)Archival inks on archival paper

|•Tim Silver

Untitled (bust) (Mahogany Timbermate Woodfiller) #3 (2011)

460 x 580 mm each (image and paper size)Archival inks on archival paper

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•|Tim Silver

Untitled (trauma 6) (2011)cast pigmented polyurthane

96 x 65 x 27 cm

|•Tim Silver

Untitled (bust) (Mahogany Timbermate Woodfiller) #2 (2011)

460 x 580 mm each (image and paper size)Archival inks on archival paper

26 27

Pat BrassingtonPictorialPatBrassington'simagesareatoncecharmingandmenacing.Theyrouseasenseofdisquietastheysubtlyandhumorouslyscratchattheunderbellyofthehumancondition.Inheruniqueway,Brassingtonblurstheboundariesoftherealandimagined,strippingphotographyofitsauthority,bestowingitinsteadwiththelogicofdreamorfantasy.

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•|•Pat Brassington

The pressings (2011)Pigment prints

85 x 115 cm eachCourtesy of the artist and

Stills Gallery, Sydney;Arc One Gallery, Melbourne;

and Bett Gallery, Hobart

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[PIP WaLLIS] TheworkyouareplanningfortheadelaideBiennial, Snake Drawing,respondstoworksinartGalleryofsouthaustralia’scollection.

[SUSan JaCOBS]Theideafortheworkistomakeadrawingwithalivesnake(withinanexpandednotionofdrawing)sotheworkitselfwillinvolveavideoandasculpture.Thevideowillbeshownamongstsomeofthepaintingsinthecollection,intheElderWing,andthesculpturewillbepositionedcloseby.Thevideowilldocumentvariousattemptstodrawwiththesnake,orhopefullyseeitmakemarksonabedofsand,whichhasasiliconecatalystinit.Thesandwillthensetandabronzecastwillbemadefromit.

Oneofthemaindriversbehindtheworkwastosetupaparameter,aphilosophicaloneasmuchasaphysicalthing;it’saparameterforsomethingtohappen.Ratherthanachanceeventbeingframed,it’saframeforachancetohappenwithin,soit’sabitofaconundrum,abitofacontradictioninaway.AtonestageIwantedtoholdthesnakeinonehandandthecamerainanother,totrytomergesubjectiveandobjectivepointsofview…butthatdidn’thappenonthedaybecauseIlostself-consciousnessofwhatthedrawingwaslookinglikeorwhatIwantedittodoandIjustbecamesoconsciousofwhatit(thesnake)wasdoingtome.

[PW] Thebalanceofcontrolandchancewithinparametersplaysoutofteninyourpracticebutthenthere’ssomethingelseinSnake Drawingthat’squiteapart,whichistheperformativityandtheactualpresenceofthebodywhereasoftenit’sanimpliedbodyinyourwork.

[SJ]Yesit’sdefinitelygestural.That’sreallyinterestingtome.Iguesstheonlytimethere’sbeenabodyinanotherworkwaswhenIfilmedaninversionofYvesKlein’sLeap into the void.Ijumpedfromatrampolineonascaffold,intomyhouse(whichisanoldstablesimilartothespaceintheKleinimage)(Security. Illusion.2009).Itendtostrugglewithbeingvisiblein

TheSerpent'sStorySusan Jacobs

InterviewPIP WaLLIS

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•|•Susan Jacobs

Snake Drawing (production still)(2011)

Photo: Scott Miles

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wasdrawingrelationshipsbetweenthedynamicsofthespaceandthecontextoftheshow.WhenIwasreadingaboutthematerialqualitiesofbismuth(oneofthemetalsused)Icameacrossanewageideaofbismuthasanagentforaidinggrouprelationshipswhichwasanuncannyfindconsideringthatprojectwasdealingwithcollaborations.

[PW]...thepsychologyofmaterials?

[SJ]Yeah.Itakethingslikethaton,butwithagrainofsaltbecauseIdon’twanttogodownthenewagepath.Iliketoembracehappyaccidentseveniftheyseemlikeloosetangents.Ifyoulookhardenoughyoucanmakeassociationsbetweendisparatethingsandmaterialscancometoembodysensationsandideas.Particularlywiththatproject,therewereparallelsandanalogiesthatwereforminginhowtorespondtothatworkingcontext.TheworkinStudio12atGertrudeContemporarywasreallyaboutenergy,differentformsofenergythatmightbeinthebody,orinaspace.Theslowreleaseofthoseballbearings(intothesmallspacebuiltinthethresholdofthestudio)wasaboutpotentialenergy(whentheballswerestatic)convertingtokineticenergy(whentheymovingthroughamagneticallypoweredtriggerdevice).Iwasthinkingofthesporadicnatureofitasaparalleltothewaythestudiopracticeoftenneedstobe.

[PW]Wemightthinkaboutanalogyassomethingthatinfersthepotentialbodyinthespace,yetoftenyourworksarerelyingonunseenforcesthatexistindependentlyofourinteractionswiththework.

[SJ]SometimesIthinkitmoreabouteyesandaboutlookingthanbody.Maybemoresorecently,reallysharpeninghowwelookatthingsandhowthatisbroughtaboutthroughaphysicalsenseofencounter;walkingtohavetodiscoversomething,ormissingitcompletely,andthenhavingtochangethescaleordistancesothatyoursightlinecapturesatinylittlemoment.Iwanttosharpenthewaythingscanbefound,Iwantittobeapositiveengagementwithbeingresourcefulandlookingandfindingsomethingmorethanwhat’seasilyaccessible.

[PW] aretheretextsorevenartworksthatyoucontinuetorevisit?

[SJ]There’sabookcalledDrawing Through Process,whichisanexhibitioncataloguefromashowinLAinthelate90’s.Therearetwotexts,onebyPamelaLeethattalksaboutdrawingthroughprocessand60’sand70’sprocessdrivenpractices;Smithson,Matta-Clark,NancyHoltandMelBochner.I’vebeenlookingatEvaRothschildlatelybecauseofhersnakework.Ionlyjustdiscoveredoneofherworksthatshedidwhereshephotographedpeopleholdingasnake.

[PW] YoumentionedthatalotofworksintheartGalleryofsouthaustralia’scollectioninvolvingtheserpentareofwomen...

[SJ]...bymen…

[PW]yes,iwonderhowgenderedspaceisplayingintotheworkthatyouaremakingfortheBiennialandmoregenerallyinyourpractice

thevideoinaway.Inthiscase,Ijustwantedittobehandsandsnake,butIwantittobemyhands,becauseIwanttomakethework.AndthesameappliedfortheKleinwork–whoelseisgoingtodoit?Itwouldseemlikeanarbitrarydecisiontogetsomeoneelsetodoit,soitisjustmoredirecttodealwithitmyself.

[PW] Theserpentisheavilyladensymbolically.

[SJ]Ithinkthat’ssomethingthatisquitedifferentformetobeworkingwithandthathasbeenanewstruggleinaway.Idon’twanttolockitdowntoomuchbutIaminterestedinhowthesymbolicassociationswiththeserpenthaveshiftedthroughtime.ThesculpturesIamworkingamongstintheAustraliancollectionatAGSAarefemalemythologicalfigures;BertramMacKennal’smaquetteforCirce,andoneinmarble,Ithinkit’sDaphne.

ThemainoneisCirce.She’sgotsnakesaroundherhead,anklesandfeet.Daphneisbeingbittenontheanklebyasnakebehindher.Theyareveryvertical–thewomenarestanding,they’rerobustandthey’rebronzeandmarble.Thesnakeinthevideo‘Emerald’wasapregnantOlivePython–shewasdefinitelyapotentforcetoworkwith.

Ilookedatthesandwhenshecrawledoveritanditwasalandscape.Itwasliketheideaofarecliningbodyinthelandscapeandalltheselittlethingsstartcomingoutthatweren’tnecessarilyintended.It’llbeinterestingtoseehowitisread.I’vehadpeopleinthepast,withacoupleofworks,say‘yourworklooksverymasculine’or‘itlooksveryfeminine’.Ifindthatfascinating.

[PW] Becauseofthematerialassociations?

[SJ]Maybeitisaboutsize(laughs),maybeitisaboutbrutalorresistantmaterials.Amita[Kirpalani]oncesaid‘stubbornmaterials’,Ireallylikethatbecauseitissotrue.Ireallylikeworkingwiththingsthatyouhavetopush;thataresortofdumb,butthenwhenyoupushthemtheybecomerichbutareoftenstillmute.Maybeit’sthearchitecturalormoredestructiveelements,orworksthatcomeaboutthroughintervening,cuttingintowallsandmakingholes.Maybeit’sbrutalismthatpeoplethinkofasverymasculine.Ithinkthingscanbebrutalandsubtleatonce.

[PW]Justthinkingaboutthatpsychologyofthematerials,doyoueverfindanarrativeplayingoutinyourwork?

[SJ]Sometimes,butIdon’tlikeittobecomeoverlynarrative.SometimesifIseeitdevelopingIwilltryandcutitoffandreshapeitalittlebit.

[PW] isupposeiamthinkingparticularlyabouttheworkdevelopedfortheBiennial,becauseitisrespondingtonarrativedrivenworksanditisdealingwithsomethingthatissoheavilysymbolic.iknowthatyoutalkedbeforeaboutcircumnavigatingthat.

[SJ]It’snotsomethingthatIseekout,butifitissomethingthatisoccurringasapartofthisworkthenIguessIfeellikeIhavetoletthatbewhatitis.Inthesamewayas

Workinginasite/context-specificway,likeIdidforNew10atACCAoratGertrudeContemporaryinfortheOpening Linesexhibition,theformoftheworkwillrespondtoitscontext,beyondthephysicalcharacteristicsofaspace.IcouldneverhaveimaginedmakingaworkinthecontextoftheArtGalleryofSouthAustralia,withacollection,buttheideaalsofascinatesmebecauseIhaveworkedbehindthesceneswithmuseumcollectionsalotinthepast.Icanimaginelookingattheroomandthinking‘itdoesn’treallylooklikemywork’,butthere’snoreasonwhyshoulditlooklikeanythingI’vepreviouslymadebecauseit’sanewcontextforme.I’llbecurioustoseeit.

[PW] Materialexplorationsandthepropertiesofmaterialsaresocentraltoyourpractice;dothematerialsoftencomefirstinthework?

[SJ]Sometimes,iftheyarereadilyavailable,likethingsthatIcarryaroundforalongtime.Sometimesthingswillstayaroundforyearsandtheywillcometolightwithanewmindsetandyouseeitagainandithasanewpotential.Oneofmylecturersatartschoolsaidareallyvaluablething;shesaid‘everythingyouneedforyourwholepracticeisinyourstudiorightnow’.SomeofthosematerialshavechangedbutIstillhavesomeofthatstufffrombackthenandshewassoright.You’realwaysgoingtopickupnewthingsandbringthemintothemix,buttheprincipleofwhatshesaidIreallyheldontobecauseyoudon’treallyneedthatmuch,youjustneedtobeopentobeingresourceful.Materialsoftencomefirst,butwithsomeideastheycomelater.Thisisoftenthecasewithlargerscaleinstallations,likeUbiquitous Slopes,2008atUtopianSlumps,whereitwasareallycrystallizedimage,aninstantaneousthing-likewhenyouhavemomentswhenyoujustlinesomethingup,likeasightlineinaroomoralandscapeandyoucanseeelementshavingaconversation.

[PW] iwasthinkingaboutthatobservationintermsofwhatmightbereadasascientificinterestinyourwork.ithinkofphysicsasperhapsthemostpoeticofthesciencesbecauseitdealswithunseenforcesthatalmosthaveatranscendentalquality.

[SJ]Iwasneverreallygoodatscience;IwasokatbiologybecauseI’minterestedinanimalsandnaturalthings.IneverreallyunderstoodphysicsbutI’velearntitthroughaheuristicwayofworkingwithmaterialsandstructuresandthinkingabouttheactofmakingasbeinganembodiedphilosophyordrawing;anacquiringofapalpableunderstandingofphysicsandthedynamicsofspaces.Sometimesitfeelslikeananalogy.ParticularlywhenIstartedresearchingintomagneticfieldsforBeing Under No Illusion,showninNew10atACCA,thereweremetaphorsintheoperationofmaterials,inthescalerelationshiptothedynamicofthearchitectureandhowthisapparentlylevitatingroomwasheldupbyadynamicthatwasconcealed.Itwasaboutcreatinganillusionwhereasthemagnetshaveaninherentillusionalqualitythatisabsolutelypractical.Iwasthinkingaboutthepracticalityofphysicsasbeingsomethingthatwetrustisthere.I

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niCHoLAs FoLLAnd’s FLoATing isLAnd oF 2000 CuT-gLAss oBjeCTs insTALLed in THe eLder Wing oF AusTrALiAn ArT AppeArs, AT FirsT gLAnCe, To Be THe pArAgon oF A pArALLeL CoLLision. in THis inTervieW WiTH LisA sLAde, projeCT CurATor From THe

ArT gALLery oF souTH AusTrALiA, FoLLAnd expLores His FiT WiTHin THe ConCepTuAL FrAmeWork oF THe 12TH AdeLAide BienniAL oF AusTrALiAn ArT.

Nicholas FollandInterview

LISa SLaDE

[LISa SLaDE] TheworkyouhavemadefortheadelaideBiennialandseveraloftheworksthatprecedeit,performatypeoftrespass.Thisoccursbothmaterially,inthewaytheworksassaultthetraditionalformandfunctionofdomesticobjects,andspatiallythrougharchitecturalincursion.TrespassisakeythemeintheBiennial,onethathasinformedtheconceptualdevelopmentoftheexhibition.infactduringthepreliminaryexhibitionplanning,‘theblackswanoftrespass’waspartoftheexhibitiontitle.Canyouelaborateonwhattrespassmeansforyouinyourpractice?

[nICHOLaS FOLLanD] Thereareanumberoftermssurroundingtheexhibition,suchastrespassandcollisionthatcouldimplysometypeofassaultorinvasion,butformetheyalsosuggesttemptation,anticipation,orevenananxietyofsorts.Thelineofdemarcationthatnominatesaruleoftrespass,orthepointofcontactthatsignalscollision,telluslittleofhowcloseweregularlyventuretotheselimitations.Weliketogoclosetotheline,perhapseventotouch,andweunderstandtheimplicationofgoingfurther,butwecan’tknowforsureuntilwedo.

Ithinktherearetwonotionsthatdrawmetotheideaoftrespass.FirstlyI’minterestedinthatline,andconstantlyfrustratedbyattemptstolocatetheworkonit.Tryingtofindapointbetweentwoworldsortworealitieswheresomethingcanexistprecariously,withthesurfaceofboth,acknowledgingeachother,reliantoneachothereven;apointwheretwopotentiallydiscreetandopposingnotionssupportoneanother,butalsowheretheymustmakeway.ButI’malsointerestedinwhathappenswhensomethingpassesovertheline.Whatcanoneworldrevealaboutanother?WhatdoIdowiththatthingthatcrossesintomyworld,andwhatdoIdowithmyselfwhenIcrossover?

Apointonthelinemightinfactbeimpossible,butalocationjustontheedgecanbeenoughtoalertourexpectationsandassumptions,creatingananxietyoranticipationthatwecan’tquitegrasp.Likeaghost,or

amirageofsorts,athingwhosepresenceisallusive.ThetitleofmyworkfortheAdelaideBiennialisUntitled (Jump-Up),withjump-upbeingatermusedtodescribeasmallriseinanotherwiseflatlandscape.Anunnamedanomaly,outofplacewithintheexpectationofgeography,itcouldbeseenasanimposter,orattheveryleastthatitsexistenceisquestionable. 

[LS] The‘blackswanoftrespass’isaphrasetakenfromthefinallineofanernMalleypoemtitledDurer: Innsbruck, 1495(andlaterusedbyHumphreyMcQueeninthetitleofhistreatiseonaustralianModernism).MalleywasthefictivesurrealistpoetandlovechildofconservativeaustralianpoetsJamesMcauleyandHaroldstewart,whoinventedMalleyasatypeofcreativeprotesttoavantgardewriting.ThespectreofMalleyasbothheroandhoaxleadsmetoconsiderthethemeofheroicfailure,arecurringsubjectinyourwork,seeninsculpturalinstallationslikeMountHopeless,aeulogytoexploreredwardJohneyreandhiseffortstoreachCentralaustralia.Furthermore,yourworksseemtophysicallyflirtwithfailure.isthisidea/realityplayedoutinyourinstallationfortheBiennial?

[nF] Idon’tknowanythingaboutmodernistpoetry,butIknowalittleaboutErnMalley.AndIsuspectthatmuchofthegeneralfascinationwithMalleyispreciselybecausehesitsclosetothatlineoffactandfiction,successandfailure,heroorhoax.HeapparentlydoesnotexistbecauseheisthecreationofJamesMcAuleyandHaroldStewart,butIknowevenlessaboutthem.Thisishistory,pronetoslipperyandselectivetranslation,andthissameallusiverealitygivesmepermissiontoselectanddistorttheversionsofhistorythatIcomeacrossinmyresearch.

Historically(willyoutrustmeifIsaythatnow?)wehaveimmortalisedthosewhotrybutfailasmuchaswedothosewhosucceed,becauseinsomestrangewaythosewhosufferthemostintheirquesthavetriedthehardest,andhaveputupthetruechallenge.Oneofthe

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[SJ]Idon’tthinkofmyworkasbeingparticularlygendered,butitisimportantformetodealwithstrongorphysicallychallengingmaterialsandprocesses.Certainaspectsofsculpture,theheavy,hardworkshopstuffwasdauntingtomewhenIwasatartschoolandtheculturearounditwasalwaysveryblokey,notthatitislikethatnowatall.Butintermsoflearninghowtobuildandevendoinginstallationworkingalleries,therearenotreallythatmanywomendoingit.That’sbeenimportantformetolearn,formyself.Iwasneverreallythatconsciousofitearlyon,butit’simportantformetohavethatknowledgeandexperience.It’sself-affirminginawayandprobablyirrespectiveofmygender.WithSnake DrawinginthecontextoftheAGSAcollectionworks(bymaleartistsdepictingwomenwithserpents,)therewillbeashiftinthedynamicofartist/subject,whichIguessconsidersrepresentationofwomeninartandmarksseveralaspectsofanhistoricaltrajectory.

[PW]i’verecentlyreadabookbyMatrix,thefeministarchitecturegroupintheUK,andalotofessaysinitsimplypointtothewayspacecontrolsmovementparticularlyforwomenandtheactivitiesthatwomendo.spatialpracticelikeyoursorKatielee’s,perhapsdothis‘pointing’atmeansofcontrol.

[SJ]It’sareallyreciprocaldynamic;wecontrolspacebutitcontrolsus.Intermsofthepractice,it’smorethananovertlyfeministstatement,althoughIdon’tfeellikeIneedtodriveitparticularly,becauseit’senoughthattheseconcernsareinherentlypresentinthework.Withinthatthereareobviouslygoingtobedifferentlayersthatspeakindifferentvolumesdependingontheaudience.Ifyouwanttolookatitinasimplisticwayyoucouldmissitcompletelybutifyouwanttoengagewiththingsonamorecomplexlevelyoucanfinditandextrapolateit.Ilikethingstobestrongbutopen.

\•Susan Jacobs

Snake Drawing (production still)(2011)

Photo: Scott Miles

•|Susan Jacobs

Half Specific Not Half Obvious (iron crow ball chain) (detail)

(2011)Photo: Jake Walker

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mostrevealingpassagesthatI’vecomeacrossinexplorer’sjournalsisinthelastnotespennedbyRobertFalconScottbeforeheperishedintheAntarctic.Hewrites:“Havedecideditshallbenatural–weshallmarchforthedepotwithorwithoutoureffectsanddieinourtracks”.Unfortunatelythemarchnevertookplaceandtheywereconsumedbytheicewheretheylay,buttheymadeaconsciousdecisionnottotakethepoisonthattheyhadreadyforsuchmiserablecircumstances,buttobetakenbythelandscapethathadalreadydefeatedthemtimeandtimeagain.Theyhadhopedtoenduresufferingthrougharomanticnotion,andtobefoundstilldeterminedindeath.

Itrytocreateimagesthathinttowardaworldjustbeyondthathorizon,perhapsaworldthatrisksfailure,creatingspeculativelandscapesofdesireanduncertainty.Ican’ttakeeveryonealongtotheSouthPole,butwithbalancedgestureImightcreateaplacewhereyourownconflictwithfactandfiction,heroesandhoaxerstakesyouclosetothatline.

Blackswansontheotherhandspeakmuchmoretomeofthefantastic,understoodasnothingmorethanmythologicalcreaturespriortothediscoveryofAustralia;theirexistencemusthaveinspiredthepossibilityofthefantasticinthemindsoflogicalandsensiblepeople.Ithinkthatwhatattractsmetothenarrativesofexplorationisthattheydocumentasearchingdesireforthenextblackswan.

[LS] Despiteitscontemporary,internationalappearance,yourworkisoftenunderpinnedbydistinctlyaustraliancaresandconcerns.ByinstallingtheworkforthebiennialintheelderWingyouareperformingaparallelcollisionwithaustralianarthistoryandtherebyembodyingtheexhibition’scentraltenet.Whatdoesthismeanforyouandyourwork,particularlygiventhattheartGalleryofsouthaustraliaisthegallerythatyouhavegrownupwith?

[nF] TheElderWinghousesamazingdocumentsofcolonialconcerns,withimagesofcostumedfigurespinnedontoimpossiblelandscapes,slowlyadaptingthenewworldintheimageoftheoldworld,andsearchingforavocabularytodescribetheirexperience.IfindithardnottolookforwhereIfitintoallofthis,asmyEnglishancestors,CharlesandCharlotte,sailedintoHoldfastBayontheResourcein1839(andmymiddlenameisCharles).

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•|•Nicholas Folland

Floe (installation view, Samstag Museum) (2009)

Domestic crystal glassware, woven nylon thread410 x 450 x 180cm

38 39

Thisisafascinatingandfrighteninggallery.However,itisnotsimplyawhitecubehousinghistoricalworks,butasignificantheritagebuilding,salonhungandrelativelyunchangedfromthedayitopened.Thisisnottodismissthemostrecentrenovationsthatspectacularlyilluminatetheinteriorandrevealpreviouslyundetectedfrownsontheforeheadsofthecolonialelite!Butwhileitrepresentsadistantpastitalsodepictsthosewhoimaginedthefutureoftheplacethatweoccupy,whodreamedofa‘civilised’andperfectutopia,reflectedinthedecadenceofthebuildingitself.

Soitcouldbearguedthatthisgalleryisashrinetodreamersandthosewithimaginations.Thosewho,alongwithearlyexplorers,sawthatblackswanandbelievedittobeasignthatthenewworldcouldbewhatevertheywishedittobe.Theworldoutsidethesewallsmightnotconformexactlytotheirvisions,butwithinitsconfinesthereisasuggestionthatanythingmightyetbepossible,beyondimagination.I’mnotsointerestedintheindividualnarrativesasIaminthecollectivedeterminationthatispresentedhereintime-frozenform.Itsetsascenewithaveryspecifictone,andprovidesanaudienceexpectantoftheunexpected.

[LS] Despiteyourengagementwithfiguresandtoalesserextentlocationsthatrepresentwhatcanbedescribedastranscendentfailure,yourworkisneverthelessseductivelyspeculativeandromantic.The‘whatif ’intheBiennialinstallationdrawsitsinspirationfromthetropeofatlantis,thatmythicalunderwaterparadise.asyoupointoutinyourartiststatement, theantipodesandatlantishavequiteabitincommon.Bothweremortgagedtotheeuropeanimaginationasrepositoriesofdreamsanddesires…placesfullofpossibility. 

[nF] IfIweretodepictAustraliawithinthisgalleryitwouldstruggletoescapeafeelingofaknownplace,familiartothemajorityofusasthetangiblelocationofhome.However,myworkisanabstractionoftheMediterraneanislandofSantorini,orAncientThera,oneofmanysmallislandsscatteredacrosstheoceansthathavebeensuggestedaspossiblesitesforancientAtlantis.ThechancethatthisisAtlantisisslim,and

althoughitappearstohaveoncebeenthelocationofanadvancedandsuccessfulcivilizationthathassincevanishedintotheseawithouttrace,itisnotlocatedintheAtlanticOceanwherewemightexpecttofindanislandwithsuchaname.Itis,however,literallyontheothersideoftheearthfromAustralia,theoppositesideoftheworld,wherewemightpresumetheworldtobedifferentfromourownAntipodeanshores.

ThenarrativeofAtlantismusthavebeenwellknowntomanyoftheearlytravellerswhoventuredtoAustralia’sshores.Depictionsoffactualandfictivejourneyswerepopularreadingthatwouldhavemergedinthemindsofthereader,astheyapparentlydidinthemindsoftheauthors.SolikethespeculationofAtlantis,thepromiseofAustralia,whethertrueornot,wasasyousay,fullofpossibility.

Thedifferenceforusacoupleofhundredyearslatersthatweassumetohavediscoveredmostofwhatistobefoundontheearth,andinourinformedperspectiveAtlantisremainsamyth.Asabasicnotionitpartnerstheheightofsuccesswithtotalfailure,andparadisewithinevitabledemise,butasalocationofdesireitstillreliesonourimaginationtotakeform,andisopentoavarietyofdiverseinterpretations.

Santorinioffersaframeworklayeredwithenoughassociationandspeculationtobringwithitasenseofmysteryandwonder.Itisultimatelyafootnotetothework,unstatedinthetitleandhopefullyunnecessarytoanappreciationofthepiece,butwiththepotentialtofurtherobscurethelinebetweenwhatweknowtobetrueandwhatwedreamtobepossible.

|•Nicholas Folland

Mt Hopeless (hotrocks) (2001-05)Granite boulders, hot-rod heating system

Dimensions variable

Floe (detail) (2009)Domestic crystal glassware,

woven nylon thread410 x 450 x 180cm

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∏ob McLeishPictorialBasedinMelbourne,RobMcLeishhasexhibitedwidelyinthelastfiveyears.InI've Been Looking For Forever, Do You Ever Think I'll See?heworkswithapristineimageoftheswimmingpool,whichhethendebasesusinggesturalmarkmaking.HumourandironyarecentraltoMcLeish’svisuallanguage,onewhichdrawsupontheimageryofpopular,consumerculturetoperformatypeofnihilistidealism.

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•|•Rob McLeish

I’ve Been Looking Forever, Do You Ever Think I’ll See? (2011)

Pencil and Collage on Paper Dimensions Vary

•|Rob McLeish

Lock Up Your Concepts (2011)Stainless steel,  186 x 94 x 5 cm

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•|•Rob McLeish

‘I’ve Been Looking Forever, Do You Ever Think I’ll See?’ (2011)

Pencil and Collage on Paper Dimensions Vary

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•\•|Rob McLeish

‘I’ve Been Looking Forever, Do You Ever Think I’ll See?’ (2011)

Pencil and Collage on Paper Dimensions Vary

|•Rob McLeish

Automatic Faggot For The People (2010) Stainless steel, 120 x 25 x 16 cm

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AfterburnerwasnotjustanalbumbyZZTop

Max Pam & ∏obert Cook

Conversation[ROBERT COOK] HeyMax,we'vedoneafewprojectstogethernowandwe’vegotacool,easyandrespectfulworkingsynergy.Tostartthisinterviewthough,let'sdealwithwhatseemstomeakeydifferencebetweenusandourapproachestotheworld.Fundamentally,it’sthatyou’velivedanactiveliferoamingovertheplanetandI’velivedanactiveliferoamingaroundinsidemyhead.YouflippedthiscountrythebirdwhenMelbournesuffocatedyou,andwhenlifesuffocatesmeIjustgodeeperinside.It'snotsomethingwe'vediscussedbefore,buthowwasthissenseofadventureorimpulsetoreallychangeyourcircumstancesinstilledinyou?It’skeybecauseitiswhatdroveyourpracticeforsolong.Imeanyourworkisaproductofakindofextroversioninaway,awilltoimmerseyourselfinotherplacesandlives.

[Max PaM] Myworkisanextroversion,butmoreimportantlymyworkissortofvalidationofthequestingfantasistthatItrulyam.Didthatreallyjusthappentome,thatmomentwhenlifehijackedthescript,snatcheditawayandgavemesomethingcompletelyrealwithbothbarrels?ItusedtohappenoftenenoughwhenIwastheyoungfantasist,surfingBellsBeach,orBulkoBay.Allofasuddentheskinnyandmediocreboysurferwouldceasefollowingtheploddingscriptoftheeternalwannabesurferhero.I’minthecorrectspot,theswellcomesatmeoutoftheBassStrait,big,cold,greenandblue,backlitbyasettingsun,reducedbydeepwaterandconvertingtoperfectionthemomentithitstheshallowsonthepoint.It’sBulkoBayatitsbestandI’mslightlyonthewrongsideofthepeak,whichmeansifyoumakeitthroughthetake-offyoubecomeanothersurfer,theoneyououghttobe,thepersonwhocandonowrongonawave:thefastcarvingturns,theslashingcut-backs,theslo-moflyingsaucerdiscodrainpipemomentdeepbackinthegreenroom.Itjusthappenedlikethatsomedays.Butwhoborewitnesstoit?Didmyfriendsinthewateroronthebeachseeit…no!SobythetimeIwasindependentenoughtofleenorthoftheequatorImadedamnsuresomeonewouldbearwitnesstomyownprivatebig

Wednesdays;theworld’smosteffortlesslybeautifulgirlholdingme,thecrazedhadjipointingtheRusskimachinegunatme,thedefectivebongwhichhasjustsetthebeardofAbdullahalight.Youownacamera,youhaveitwithyou,youreportonthemomentlifehitstheafterburnersandtakesyouwithit.Well,mostofthetimeIfantasiseaboutitbutthenallofasuddenitdoeshappenandIhaveaphototoproveit.

[ROBERT COOK]Iloveitthatyou’vebroughtuptheideaoffantasyinrelationtoyourwork.Imean,givenhowyourpracticecomesoutoftheworldsofArbus,Sander,Frankandco.I’veneverreallythoughtofinthatway.Yet,asyoupitchithere,Icanseetheprocessofconstructingthepossibilityforexperiencescomingfromaplaceof(exactlyasyousay)questingfantasy,andthenthe‘lockingin’thosemomentsbeforelifeswampsthemasbeingquintessentiallyfantastic.Iwonder,then,doesthatconnectionofthecollisionoffantasyandrealityneedtobepresentforyoutoshootinthefirstplace?Aswellasbeinggenuinelyinterested,IaskthistoalsotodefermyownrelationtofantasyasapparentinourNarcolepsyproject.

[Max PaM]It’snotjustaboutmeoryou.Itisasmuchabouttheubiquityoffantasy,thesharedhumanconditionweallacquirefromanearlyage.Wederivepleasureconsumingthefantasiesofothersandinvitingothersintoours.Playtimewithotherkids.That,prettymuch,iswhatI’vebeenlookingatforyearsnow,asavoyeurwithacamera.Themethodologybeginsasanescapistprocessforme.Itispartofalongitudinalstudycalledliving,somethingweallsharetothepointofdeath.I’mphotographingmylifewhenthemoodtakesme.Howphotographyfunctionsinmylifeisasacatalysingmedium.Animportantelementthatbothinvitesandconfirmstheenduringpoweroffantasyinthemoment.Fantasycanblowupinyourface;evenbettermaterialfortheactofphotography.But,there’sthequestion-dowetakefantasytoofar?Ofcoursewedo.Whatistoofar?Wedon’tknowtillwegetthere.

|•L Eko (2000)

R Jasmine (2007)

•/•L Nia (1995)

R Eko And The Human Eye (1990)

•//•L Pills New York (2010)

R Bitch (2006)

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[ROBERT COOK] Okay,sowe’reatthatplace.YouandI.Maybe.Ofpushingittoofar.We’vemadeabookaboutaguywhoaskspeopletoburyhim.Well,that’sasegment,akeyone.It’saplacewherefantasytakesourbanal,complicated‘hero’waytoofar!Andbeinginthisspaceofproduction,frommyangle,hasbeenmakingmetenseforalmosttoolong.Theenergyofthefantasyhasbeenpainful.Thenthefracturednatureofthewriting,thewayitneverclosesorsettles,iscontinuallyjarringtome.Thefantastictransformationofaspectsfrommylifehauntsme,andhaspossessedandamplifiedpartsthatalreadywerechallenging.ItisazoneIshouldhaveleftwellalone,orclosedupgoodandtightinakindofnarrativeRealism.Thatisinterestingtome,howthisprojecthastakenusbothfromtherealtothefantasticandkeptthelatterelementsouncomfortablyalivealmostasaforce,acurrent,adestructivemonsoon!

[Max PaM] It’ssoperverselycompellingtofollowtheself-destructivetrajectoryofyourun-namedherointhenovella.FormeheistheNicolaSixof2011.Nicola,thecreationofMartinAmisinhisnovelLondon Fields,plotsherownmurderforthe5thofNovember1999(herbirthday)andgroomsaporkvindalooeating,dartplaying,rapistlagerlouttocarryitout.Yourherorecruitsabunchofmulletheadhomophoberefugeesfromabeercommercialforhisliveburial.WhilsttheentirecastofLondon Fieldsisfreakishlyloathsome,manyoftheplayerswhopopulateNarcolepsyareweirdlyattractive.WhatItakeawayfromreadingyourworkistheperformativeenergysuggestedinthewriting.LikeimaginingaButohtheatreperformance.LikeYukioMishimastarringinhiscollaborativeworkwiththephotographerEikohHosoe.Likethelastchapterofthebooktheycreated:Barakei (Ordeal By Roses).InthesecondeditionofthebookMishimaaskedfortheclosingchaptertobetitledDEATH.ShortlyafterthecompletionofthebookmodelforthiseditionMishimadisembowledhimselfandarrangedtohavehisheadcutofbyasamuraiswordwieldingaccomplice.Hosoe,hisstyle,hiscontent,washeavilyinfluencedbyTatsumiHijikata,oneoftheoriginatorsofButohperformance.IknowthatButohhashadanenduringimpactonyourcreativepractiseandIgetastrongsignalofinterpretationfromthisinterestandthewayyouenfoldthatinterpretationintoyourwriting.

[ROBERT COOK]IthinkwhatIlikeabouttheJapanesestuff,especiallyButoh,istheformalcontrolthatstructuresintenseemotionalstatesandthewaythisholdsopposites(man-female,body-mind,obedience-revolution)painfullytogetherinasinglestate.Itreallyissuperexcitingtenseenergytome,andabigshiftfrommypreviousloveofmoresweepingandtraditionalromanticpositions.And,personally,thoseJ-modelssuitmymoreaestheticallyuptightand(wilfully)blandcharacter.However,Ihaven’treadmuchAmis,butwilltrackthatonedown.Hewasalwaysatadtoosneeryformetoenjoyspendingreadingtimewith.So,yes,Ilikelikability!AndIguess,everyoneinNarcolepsyisanimaginativeversionofmyselfsoIamkindaontheirside!Evenwhentheyaretreatedwithfrustration,Igetthem.WhatIdon’tsee,though,isajourney.Stuffhappens,actionsleadtootheractions,butIdon’tseeitasajourney.Iseeitasasetof

stupidmeaninglesslifethingshappeningandthatwillcontinuetohappen,anawfulprocessionofself-defeatingbehaviours.Infact,Iembracethatandcelebrateiteven.Maybe,though,IfeltIhadtomakesomeatleasthintofanarctobringpeoplealongwithusonthisnon-journey.And,inthatIfeeltherewehavetheexactrightsynergywithyourphotosasrelicsoffantasythatcarrywiththemthetraceofyearningforsomethingmorethanfleshcancontain.WhichiswhyIthink,asidefromthetonalityunitingthem,thisweirdprojectworksonareallyunusualandunexpectedlevel.Sayyou?

[Max PaM] YouarerightaboutAmis,hedoestakesneeringtoawholenewleveloftoxicity,butthensneeringisabitofabloodsportinthegreenandpleasantlandofShakespeare.

Whenweworktogetherweworkfast,ideasfindtraction,it’sabitsavagehowquicktheideascomethroughtextanddrawingsandphoto-collage.Withustheresultmustalwaysbereducedto2pages,2pages,2pages.Therhythmof2pagesclashingwitheachotherortradingoffeachotherorvalueaddingeachother.Weareonlyeverasgoodasournext2pages.Dotheyworkornot?It’sbrutal.WhenthesumtotalofallthedoublepagesinNarcolepsy arerenderedasasortofepicballadwithacoverwrappedaroundit,wehaveourresult.Functionallyitisallaboutthedoublepageexperience.Theymustworktogetherlikestanzasinanepicpoem.

Aswegotittogether,IfoundalotofinspirationinlookingattheFagazineBUTTMAGAZINE.Howthedesignersplaywithbodycentricissuesofimaginingthemintextandimage.Theyplayitbeautifully,seducingthereaderwithpinkpaper,uncoatedpaperstock,coarsescreens,monochrometints,foilingwork.

Anotherthingjoiningusisthatwebothlovemassprintmedia,socheapitwalksofftheshelves.Peoplereaditbutmorelikelytheyconsumeitsdesignandimagestostoreawayintheuniversebetweentheirears.WedothatwithNarcolepsy:weofferittovisitorstotheAdelaideBiennialsocheapit’sfree.InabsolutetermsIfeelwearenotnecessarilyartistsandreallynotmediapeople.ForsureIknowwearebothswornBIBLIORATS.

[ROBERT COOK] Yes,you’reright.EversinceIwasakidmagazineshavebeenthemostsignificantartform(combiningdesignwithphotographyinoneglossyform).Tome,theyarethespaceoffetish,thefetishoftheeveryday.IwouldspendweeksgoingovereverydetailofRunner’sWorldasakid,justsoakingupthepages,thelifestyles,thetacitpoliticalHabitus!AndnowIamalloverissue11ofGoOut,aJapanesecampinggearmagazine.IhatecampingbutIlovethemagbecauseofhowitvisuallytreats‘gear’asanartform.Loveit.Andyes,Ithinkthatiswherethefuryandthepoetryofourweirdcollaborationworks,whereitdrawsitsheat.Itisinthezoneofthefetish,bothintermsofcontentandintermsofproduct.Itthrobs.Iamhappywiththat.Pained,buthappywithhowthisfantasyhasbecomesorealandsomuchapresenceinourlivesandproduction.

Marco FusinatoPictorialMarcoFusinatoisamultidisciplinaryartistandmusicianbasedinMelbourne.HehasexhibitedextensivelywithinAustraliaandinternationally.Fusinatooftencontemplatesthenatureofrevoltbyrecontextualisingmaterialsfromavastrangeofcontexts.Theresultisacontemporaryformofagitpropusingperformance,photographyandlightandsoundinstallation.

|•Marco Fusinato

Parallel Collisions (detail) (2008) mixed media on paper

24 page score, 42 x 29.7 cm eachCourtesy the artist

and Anna Schwartz Gallery

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•/•Double Infinitive 2 (2009)

White UV halftone ink on black aluminium

250 x 625 cmPrivate Collection

Double Infinitive 5 (2009)White UV halftone ink

on black aluminium250 x 500 cm

All images Courtesy the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery

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•|•Aetheric Plexus (2009)

13200 watts white light, 105db white noise, alloy tubing, Par

can 56 lights, double couplers, Lanbox LCM DMX controller,

dimmer rack, DMX mp3 player, powered speaker, sensor,

extension leads, shot bags880 x 410 x 230 cm

All images Courtesy the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery

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Theauctionofthepainting A Lady Escorted into the Garden bytheminoreighteenth-centuryPortugueseartistAlfonsoRigasdelaGuerracreatedasignificantstirinartcircleswhenitwasrecentlysoldfor€3.2million(see‘UnknownWorkSetsArtWorldHeartsRacing’, Guardian,17 May 2006). Though the price itself was relatively insignificant when compared to theastronomicalsumsfetchedbymorefamousworks,itneverthelesswasanastonishingsumforapaintingthathaslittle,ifany,internationalprofile.Itisnotmyintentionheretocommentontheworkingsoftheinternationalartindustry.ButIdobelieveitisnecessarytomaketheonefollowingobservationbeforeIbegin:sincethe1980s,anybeliefinthe‘revolutionary’potentialimbuedinthetraditionalhighartscannolongerbeatenablecriticalposition,iffornootherreasonthanthemoredemocraticdigitalmediatechnologiesallowforadispersalofmessageandimagethatwouldhavebeenunimaginabletoanartistofevenahalf-centurybefore.Butitis not only the internet that has exposed the elitism of art practice. Artists are neither a‘proletariat’nora ‘vanguard’,andtheydonotmakesuccessful ‘revolutionaries’.Iftheyhavebeen,ithasonlybeenforamomentbeforethefiringsquadorthegulagortheconcentrationcamphasseentotheirignobledemise.Someofthemorefortunatearetakenupasapermanentclass of bohemian émigrés by whatever cities happen to be the cultural centres of theirmoment.Intheend,allareforcedtorelyonthekindnessofthehaute-bourgeoisstranger.Wecan only but wish them luck. The sword, we well know now, post the twentieth century, isindeedmuchmightierthanthepen.

ItisbynecessitythatImakethisobservationbecauseiftherewasanythingknownatallaboutdelaGuerra,itwashispatheticendbytheguillotineontheJacobinscaffoldsofParis.Thatbiographicalendnotewas,untiltherecentauction,theonlyknowledgeofdelaGuerrathathadcomedowntousthroughhistory.Weowehiswork,letalonethemanhimself,morethanthat.Letusrescuehimfrompoliticsandreturnhimtoart.

TheyoungAlfonsowasagrandsonof conversos intheInquisitionandhewasneverallowedtoforgettheHebraicstrainthat‘sullied’hisblood.Hisfatherwasahighlyplacedadministratorintheroyalcourt,buttheyoungdelaGuerra’slifewaspunctuatedbymomentsofexilewhenthe bishops were aroused to further purges of those whose ancestry screamed heresy andinfidelity.Intheend,wecandiscerninsomecorrespondencebetweentheelderdelaGuerraandhisson,thefather’slifeendedinnearpovertyandcompletebanishmentfromsociety.Itwas no surprise then that the young de la Guerra, who had already at the Universidade de

∏ococoby

ChristosTsiolkas

Coimbra shown remarkable aptitude in philology and philosophy, as well as mastery of thetechniquesoffineart,founditappropriateforhisadventurousspirittoheadoutfortheso-called New World. In 1761, at the age of twenty-seven, after five years plying his trade as aportraitpainterinthecourtsofFrance,SpainandWestphalia,hesailedforRiodeJaneiro.

ItwasdelaGuerra’sgoodfortunetohavebeenayouthattheuniversitywhenitcameunderthecontrol and tutelage of that most remarkable of Enlightenment figures, Sebastião José deCarvalho e Melo, the first Marquis de Pombal, whose administration of the rebuilding ofLisbonafterthegreatearthquakemadehisnamefamousthroughoutEurope.MostimportantfortheyoungdelaGuerrawastheMarquisdePombal’sfierceanticlericalismthatculminatedin the removal of the Jesuits from the Portuguese court and from their stranglehold on theuniversities. For de la Guerra, forced to watch his father humiliated by the dogmatic anti-SemitismofthatbreedofCatholicbrethren,itmusthavebeenanintoxicatingmoment.EarlylettersbacktohisparentsinLisbonshowhimbeginningtotacklethereligiouschallengeofProtestantism and concurrently struggling to read Plato in the original Greek (his workevidencesthathemistranslatedquitepromiscuously).Moreimportantly,inthedozenorsodrawings and canvases of his that survive from this student period, we see him rejectingofficiallysanctionedreligiousartforhisfirstforaysintoportraitureandlandscape.Ofthese,theonlyoneofanyimportanceisalovelyminiatureoftheMarquesadeCabanas,byallreportsone of the loveliest of noble women in Europe at that time. That a young student like de laGuerrawasgrantedthefavourofhavingsuchanaristocraticwomanastheMarquesaposeforhim says much about the waves of change initiated by the European Enlightenment.Nevertheless,Portugal’spowerwasbeginningtowaneintheworld,thelossofterritoriesandprestige had hurt the nobility, and de la Guerra was not alone in choosing to abandon whatmusthaveseemedthedecadentexhaustionofoldEuropefortheexcitementoftheNew.Letusremember,hewasayoungman,adventurous,firedupbytheabandoningofcenturiesofdogmaandhatred.

Knowing the above about de la Guerra, we may be, on first viewing, surprised by theconservatismof A Lady Escorted into the Garden.Thetwofiguresinthepaintingareinstantlyrecognisableasanaristocratictrope:anoblemanandanoblewoman.Theyaredressedinthemostflamboyantofmid-eighteenth-centuryEuropeanfashion.Shesportsaridiculousghostlygrey pompadour, her gown is all satin, beads and lace. His skin is painted white and hispantaloonsareshinyandsilken.Themostincongruouselementoftheirdressmightbethat,though they are set in a typically Rococo Arcadian locale, she wears thin elegant pale-pinkdancing slippers and he has on calf-high dress boots, the leather strapped through ebonybuttons.Theyarealsobothwearinggloves,thoughthatmaybebecausedelaGuerrahasthegentlemanleadhisladybythehandintothegarden.

The protection of cloth refutes any charge of licentiousness that may have attached to thesubject. Though the man and the woman look as if they may have stepped out of a tableaucreated for the French Sun King, the painting itself was executed in Brazil. The more wecontemplateit,themorewebecomeawarethattheArcadiathemanandwomanhavesteppedintoisnotonerecognisablyEuropean.Whatinitiallyappearstobeinnocuousandderivativeshowsitselfunderamoreacutegazetobesomethingelseentirely,somethingthatIbelievegives the painting a vitality that reaches across the centuries. In A Lady Escorted into the Garden weseetheEuropeansliterallyenteringtheNewWorld.

Thedensegreenundergrowth,thegnarleddeformedgiantlimbsofthetrees,thereddishglareofthesun.Thetepidcoupledonotbelongtothisuntamedbeauty.IwasastudentinBuenosAiresinthelateeightieswhenIfirstencounteredthepainting.ItwashanginginasmallalcoveintheMuseodeBellasArtes,partofanexhibitionontheLatinAmericanlandscape,noteven

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partofthepermanentcollection.Irememberrespondingtothevividsensualityofthecolours,theboldgreens,thebloodybluesandreds,butIwasaffrontedbytheinsipidfacesofthecouple.Thereseemedtohavebeennocare,noattentionpaidtogivingthemlifeorvividness.IhadstudiedtheperiodandknewofdelaGuerra’sexecutionattheTerror,butthepaintinggavenosenseofthetumultuousrevolutionaryhistorythatformedtheartist.Idismisseditinstantlyasanembarrassingandnaivework,derivative,justanotherreactionaryandscarredattempttomakeoverthenewAmericanlandscapeinOldEuropa’simage.Irecognisenowthepovertyofmyreaction,howunforgivablemyaccusationofmyopiawastodelaGuerra,preciselybecauseI was unaware of my own short-sightedness.  A Lady Escorted into the Garden  demands wetrustourinitialfirstreactiontothework,toignorethehumansubjectsandtofocusoureyesontheworldtheyareentering.Thisstrange,unknown,disquietingandsublimegardenisbothnovelandatthesametimeareturn.ThegardenofthepaintingisnotsomeblandlytheatricalrenderingoftheElysianFieldsforthedelectationoftheFirstEstate.Itisnomerebackdrop.Itissomethingancient.ItisthefirstGarden.

It is possible that I did not spot the serpent on that first, dismissive glance at the painting.What I did notice, what I expect every first-time viewer of the landscape observes, was therush of lavender of the young buds on the forest floor, the bruised lemon colouring of thecanopyofleavesthatclosetoasavageauraaroundthecouple.Theseleaves,thebrandy-huedtrunks and limbs of the rainforest trees, they are still shocking even after the passing ofcenturies.DelaGuerraisachildoftheRenaissanceandtheEnlightenment,sotheveinsandtexturesoftheleaves,thesolidityandglimmeringstrengthofthetreesaredepictedinfaithfulrealisticdetail.Buthowthecoloursshine,howtheydance,howtheymockthesedatenessofEuropeanlight.Howcanoureyespayanyattentiontothepaleridiculouscoupleostensiblyatthecentreofthecanvas?Itistheworld–thenaturalNewWorldaroundthem–thatisonlytrulyalive.EvenasIwritethis,asIrecallmyfirstencounterwiththework,Ialsorememberthejoltofanger,thedesiretoscrapethecouplefromthecalico,tomaketheoilscrumbleawaytilltheydisappearandonlyBrazil–anakedbutunsoiledBrazil–isleft.IwouldnotbethefirstcritictoberemindedofVanGogh’suseofcolouraswecontemplate ALadyEscortedintotheGarden.ClosetoacenturyandahalfseparatestheBaroqueRenaissanceexecutionofdelaGuerraandtheabandonmenttoanequallyBaroqueimpressionismbytheDutchmaster,buttheybothshareanecstaticdelightinthenaturalorder.Theirpigmentisfireonthecanvas.

Butthemoreonereturnsto A Lady Escorted into the Garden themoreone’sattentionisdrawnto the serpent and the monkey. The serpent, black, its skin glistening in a blade of sunpenetratingthroughthethicktrees,iscoiledaroundthebronzedgnarledlimbofajacarandatree.Itis,ofcourse,onanobvious,immediatelevel,asymbolofthefirstgarden,ofEden.ItisahintthatthefragilearistocraticidyllofthecoupleisabouttobeshatteredthroughtheFallofrevolution.ItismyintentiontoarguethatindelaGuerrawefindanastonishingforesight.ItisasifhisearlyyearsspentpaintingportraitsofthegentlemenandladiesofWesternEuropehavegivenhimapreciseinsightintothetwilightofthenobleera.Inamoremodernparlancewemightsurmisethathisdualoutsiderstatus–a converso,achildofapauper–gavehimtheabilitytostandoutsideofhisclassandgraspthesubterraneantremorsandwrithingsofsocialchangeandupheaval.IconfessIlookuponsuchanargumentwithmuchfavour,asitdoestallywiththefewbiographicaldetailswehaveoftheartist’slife.Whatisimportant,however,istheworkandhowtheworkspeakstous.

Theserpent’sheadliesstill,asleepinitstree.Thereptile’sheadfacesawayfromthecouple,towardsthatwhichliesoutsidetheframe.Thissnake,inthisgarden,isnotinterestedinthehumansubjectsatthecentreofthepainting.Thesleepingserpent,loopedoverthetreelimb,occupies the top-right corner of the painting. At the bottom-left corner, there is a smallmonkey,alert,onitshaunches,staringstraightatus,butseeminglyreadytoleapawayinflight

atanymoment.Werecogniseitnowasauakarimonkey,evidentfromthespindlygreyshorthairsonitsredrawbaldhead,fromdelaGuerra’sexpertrenderingofitslong,fine,gold-orangefur. Its eyes are wary, penetrating and suspicious. In our anthropomorphic gaze we mightunderstandtheseeyesas‘human’.HereagainwearealsostruckbydelaGuerra’sincredibleprescience.AcenturybeforeDarwinsailedonthe Beagle intotheNewWorld,itisasifdelaGuerraisexhibitingforusthetruthoftheGarden.Theserpentandtheapeweretherebeforeus,andasoureyesshiftbacktothelazysmilesandblandfeaturesofthehumancouple,wesense that the serpent and the ape will be there once we are gone. It is no wonder that thepaintingdisappearedforsuchalongtime.Itisstartlinglyblasphemous,almostmoderninitsaudacity.Itisnowonder,aswell,thatitstillhassuchresonanceforuscontemporaryviewers.WhatdelaGuerracouldnotforesee,couldnotguess,wasthatthetreesandshrubshepaintedsolovinglywouldalleventuallydisappearintheinsanelustofhumanstostriptheearthofitsore, that the uakari monkey was right to look upon us with misgiving. It too now facesextinction. That silly, superficial, dull couple will not be vanquished without bringingeverythingelsedownwiththem.

€3.2millionwouldhavemadetheradical sans-culotte delaGuerrafurious.Itisamadness–butgiventhatmadness,itisalsoabargain.

Ifnothingelse,thenotorietyaroundthesaleof A Lady Escorted into the Garden willhopefullyencouragegreaterattentiontobegiventodelaGuerra’sotherwork.Forthemostpart,thereisnothinginterestingtobefoundinhisearlyEuropeanportraiture.Thereisadistinct,almostmalicious, truthfulness in some of the work – no wart, no scar, no meanness in the eye orthinnessoflipisallowedtogounrepresented–butoveralltheworkisderivativeandindicativeofayoungartistattemptingtoshakehimselffreeofslavishadherencetothegenerationbefore.Unfortunately, many of the Brazilian works have been lost or destroyed. Of those that doremain,theCentrodesCedoesArtesBrasileianoesinSaoPaulohasanintelligentlycuratedpermanent exhibition with truly engaging and interesting curatorial notes supplied inPortuguese, Spanish and English. There are also some very beautiful sketches and smallcanvases of working men, slaves and colonial administrators in the National Gallery ofKingstoninJamaica.ThedebtsowedtotheRenaissanceareagainevidentbutthemajorityofthese works eschew a reliance on Biblical or Classical mise en scène to instead open up anauthenticrenderingofearlycolonialtownships.IawaitfuturecriticalandbiographicalworkonthelifeandoeuvreofdelaGuerra,inparticularhisuniquenessamongstcolonialartistsinnotwishingtosubjugatetheNewWorldbytheaestheticconventionsoftheOld.

I cannot end without mentioning, with some sadness, a work of the artist that was nevercompleted.AssoonasnewsoftherevolutioninFrancereachedBrazil,delaGuerraabandonedhisnewhomeandsailedimmediatelyforEurope.ItissaidthathejumpedonboardaFrenchvesselthathadbeentakenoverbymutinousrevolutionaryFrenchsailorsandthatitwaswiththem that he arrived back in the Old World. In Paris, de la Guerra began painting muralscelebratingthenewdawnandquicklybecameanassociateoftheJacobins.Hehadbecomedeeply antagonistic to the slave trade while in the Portuguese colonial territories andimmediatelyonarrivinginParis,infeveredexcitementandrevolutionarypassion,wrotehishighlyinfluentialtractagainstslavery, Contre l’humanité.Healsobeganworkingonaseriesofcharcoal sketches, which were to share the same title. Those that still exist, largely in thecollectionoftheRijksmuseuminAmsterdamaresomeofthemostconfrontingandprofoundlyaffecting testaments to the inhumanity of the international slave trade. Rendered all frommemory,fromwhathewitnessedattheslaveauctionsintheAmericas,thesketchesportraywretchedmen,women,children,shackled,lyingintheirownsickandexcrement,awaitingtobetakentomarket.DelaGuerraplannedacanvasthatwouldtakeuponewholewallofthemainballroomintheVersaillesPalace(thiswasstillwhentherewereplanstohavethepalace

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converted into a gallery dedicated to the people’s history). Unfortunately, as the revolutionentered its most authoritarian stage, de la Guerra increasingly fell out with the Jacobins.Never having forgotten the anti-Semitism suffered by his parents, he was fiercely anti-religious and scornful of Robespierre’s attempts to reconcile Christianity with forms ofspiritual worship gleaned from the ancients. Recklessly, de la Guerra’s atheisticpronouncements became increasingly vehement and he was arrested and sentenced to theguillotine.1 Afterhisexecution,anyofhisartworkthatremainedwasquicklydestroyedexceptforthosefewsketchesfor Contre l’humanité.

I have in front of me a reproduction of de la Guerra’s  Em Escravo. It is composed of blackcharcoalmarksonwhitepaper.Thetitleissimpleandbrutallyhonest:aslave.Theyoungmanhasthemarksofthelashacrosshischestandshoulders.Hisheadhangslow,heisstrippedtonakednessandheclumsilyattemptstoprotecthisgenitalsfromourmercenarygaze.Hisbodyisemaciated,hisfeetbloated,coveredwitheruptingsores.Isitthatwearestillundertheswayof imperialist racist memory that his wary, frightened eyes remind us of the ape in  A Lady Escorted into the Garden?Orisitthatthisisexactlywhattheinstitutionofslaverydid,reducethehumanbodyandhumanspirittotheanimalworld?

Ipreferanotherunderstanding.

DelaGuerra’sworkisareminderthatthenaturalworldisofequaltothatofhumansociety.ThetragichelplessnessintheAfrican’seyesismirroredinthedevastationthatwastocometothe Amazonian rainforests in wake of the Europeans’ arrival. The serpent in the Garden is,then,notthesleepinginnocentreptile,butthecavortingfoolishcouple.DelaGuerra’spaintingasksustoreflectonthepossibilitythatwearenoworseandnobetterthantheanimallifeinthe Garden. No better, no worse. We still find this almost impossible to believe. The €3.2millionsuggestshowlittleweunderstandofwhatdelaGuerraisstilltryingtosaytous.

1 most recently the French art critic and academic Angelique Circa has suggested that part of the increasing jacobin antagonism to de la guerra came from the radical conclusions of his fierce anti-slavery and anti-racist views. His advocacy of miscegenation, the liberation of colonial subjects and restitution for African and American slaves was possibly a bridge too far for even the most egalitarian of the revolutionaries. There is certainly evidence that after the napoleonic putsch de la guerra’s work was extensively destroyed. We owe the survival of his treatise, Contre l’humanité, to its popularity amongst abolitionists in Holland, Britain and the united states. see ‘Citoyen noir?: une histoire d’une non-histoire’ inArt et Couleur: Études en Subjectivité.

Rock My

WoRld

CURATEDBYSUPERKALEIDOSCOPE

TiMeWillTellanDCannoTBearGUeDWiTH.By now we know certain truths about our world and the popular culture we inherit. We know that video seriously injured the radio star, that hypercolour wasn't proof of magic, that Y2K simply was not, and that the internet would in fact permanently alter the way we communicate and interact. 

Rock My World,curatedbysuperKaleidoscope, presents a group of artists whose work responds to pop culture of the 20th and 21st centuries. Artists included comment on ideas such as fandom, desire, communication, isolation and connectivity. using witty, poetic and unsettling imagery, and often weaving new fictions from that previously presented as fact, each artist offers a sense of creative resistance, reflecting their engagement with the times in which we live. 

The works in Rock My World reveal a distinct transition in the way that  popular culture is propagated; from nostalgic television screen paintings reminding us of late night Rage sessions, to screensavers that investigate the virtual space one occupies when interacting within online environments.

To look at pop culture now, so affected by the speed and fluidity of modern technology, is to look upon it in its most democratic and yet trivial state. The constant addition, destruction and reinvention of popular ideas and their dissemination on a global scale, means that the opportunity for comment, criticism and just plain silliness is larger than ever. In response to this pop chimera, artists such as those presented in Rock My World, face the complex task of responding in an environment that is shifting constantly against a background noise of hyper-interactivity. 

KIM FaSHER & SaRaH MOSCa

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The Popular Front (2011)Digital video, black & white, sound, 16:9 (Stills)Dur: 2.24 minsCommissioned by Artbank Image courtesy of the artists

SodA_JERk

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Keep on trucking – Joseph Beuys and Henning Christiansen in concert (1985/6)Mixed mediaPhotograph: Paul Green, Images courtesy of the artist

Guard (2009)Installation with HD video, sound, ed 1/1 + AP (Still)Video Dur: 4:30 minsImage courtesy of the artist and Galeria Leto, Warsaw.

kEN UNSWoRTH

koNRAd SMolEÑSki

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FUN HOUSE (2010)Multi-channel video installation, surround sound.High Definition Digital Video, 16:9, infinite loop.Image courtesy of the artist and Galerie Pompom, Sydney and Tristian Koenig, Melbourne

_TV (2011)Single-screen multi-channel (switchable) video, stereo sound.High Definition Digital Video, 16:9, HDMI switching unit, remote control.Images courtesy of the artist. Galerie Pompom, Sydney and Tristian Koenig, Melbourne

HEATH FRANco

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You (2010)Screen saver, dimensions variable (Still)Dur: 0:06 minsImage courtesy of the artist.

JUSTiN BAlMAiN

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To view video works and to download Justin Balmain's screensaver You please visit www.superkaleidoscope.com.

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|• David Capra The Ecclesiastical Banner Project (2011) Image courtesy the artist.

Divining DaviD

dAS500 J.d. reforMa

When in doubt: give.

That’swhatBjörksays,andI’minclinedtoagreewithher.Unlikesuspicionorcynicism–degenerativepastimes–thestateofdoubtcaninducethepeculiarlywonderfulsideeffectofgenerosity.Thethirstyfieldoftheemergingarts–itselfanactofdeterminedagnosticism– isalmostentirelyirrigatedbythegenerosityofdoubt-filledartists.AndDavidCapra,inamannerofspeaking,isasignificantbenefactor.

Overthepastthreeyears,hehasconsistentlyproducedaseriesofworkscalled“gemstonemanifestations”:roughlycrafted,multicolouredpiecesofplasticinethatcloselyresembleournationalgemstone,theopal.TheseareoftensetwithinBaroquebroochorpendantsettings,andappearregularlyandapparentlyrandomlywithintheevolvingcontextofhisexhibitiveworks:mostmemorablyamidstthetraysofteaandbiscuitsattheartisttalkforhisexhibition, Shundaba atDepotIIGalleryinSydney.

Theirconceptualoriginslieinreportedinstancesofspontaneousmanifestationsofgemstonesandgolddustfromthesky,asdocumentedbymembersoftheCharismaticMovementinChristianchurches.ThankstothedivinemediumoftheInternet,manyoftheseoccurrenceshavebeendocumentedinvarious,albeitunverifiable,sourcese.g.personalblogs,YouTubevideos,andChristianchatforums.Arthaslongbeenassociatedwiththelanguageoffaith,bothinpracticeanddepiction,soIfindthisgreynessstrangelyappropriate.

Incidentally,Capra’sfavouritefilm, The Wizard of Oz (VictorFleming,1939),opensuponDorothy’sgreyandsepia-tonedhomesteadinKansas.BeforebeingwhiskedawaytoTechnicolorwonderland,sheencounterstheeccentricProfessorMarvelwhoprofessesto“neverdoanythingwithoutconsultingmycrystalfirst”.Contrarytotheoccultistimagerythatthewordconjures,divinationissomewhatintrinsictoeverydaylife.OurtemperateclimatemeansthatmostAustralianswillsimplyneverexperiencethespontaneousmanifestationsoftornadoesorgemstonesthatourdistantAmericanneighboursmustdailyendure.Butartists,evenAustralianones,arenotimmunetodoubt–evenlesssotodrought.

Perhapsthat’swhyIfindDavidCapra’sgemstonessoappealing.Makingartcheaplywithwhatismostavailable–inthiscase,plasticine–isnotanewidea.Noristhepredictableaesthetictrajectorytowhichsomanyartistsseeminglyaspire,dictatingthatascareersshine,sotoomustone’smaterials.Intheirsoftandunfiredstate,unpolishedsaveforafewoftheartist’sfingerprints,theseworksrepresentstheantithesisofthewaythatvalueisconventionallyconstructedinart.Caprahimselfhasdescribedthemasugly–likeatax-freeopal,Imightadd.

Attheendofthefilm,inasceneentitled“HeroicRewards”,theoracularwizardinformseachoftheprotagonists,moresagelythandivinely,thattheyalwayspossessedtheabilitytoovercometheirself-doubt,andthatallthatwasneededtoremindthemofthiswastheirfaith(andsomeredshoes).Ofcourse,inthenatureofnarrativestorytelling,thisrevelationcomesaftertheirlongandarduousjourneytotheEmeraldCity.

MaybeonedayDorothywillalsoyearnforapairofopal,diamond,sapphireandemeraldshoes,togowithherrubyones–inwhichcaseImightsuggestthatsheneedn’ttravelanyfurtherthanParramatta.

Colleen AhernDo You Believe In Rapture (2010)

from Of Skins and HeartOil on paper, 760 x 560 mm

Louder Than Love (2010)from Of Skins and Heart

Oil on paper, 760 x 560 mm

Transporting (2010)from Of Skins and Heart

Oil on paper, 760 x 560 mm

collEEN AHERN

Clockwise from Top

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|• gertrude stein

Tiny, aD hoc Technologies

dAS500 astrid loraNGe

A grAmmAr hAs been cAlled A list of WhAt is to be done With it.1

Inthetwentieth-century,muchphilosophicalthinkingcametoreadlanguageasthecriticalconcernofmetaphysics.Epistemologicalandontologicalquestionswerequestionsofsyntax:howpropositionsaremadethroughandbylanguage,andhowtheselanguage’dobjectsconstitutelivedreality–realityofthesubject,realityoftheobjectandrealityoftheworld.Analysisoflanguageattemptedtolocatethewaythatthesepropositionsaccountforaworldthatislived-in.

Thelinguisticturninphilosophical,psychoanalyticalandcriticalthinkinghassometimesmeantthat‘consciousness’hasreplacedamoreambiguouscategoryof‘experience’todescribeaspecificallyhumanworld,andlanguagehasbeensothoroughlyattachedtothisnotionofconsciousness,thatisseems,infact,tobesynonymouswithconsciousness.Andso,languageisseenastheprimaryconditionforbeingaconscioushumansubject.Accordingly,speculativethinkingsnagsandloopsbacktothisfirstandmostdeeply-rootedparadox:howcanweuselanguagetospeakaboutthingsthatareconditionedbylanguage?Suchfeedbackingmakesforwonderfullyseductiveandutterlyrevealingthinking-writing,buttheriskisthatlanguageisimaginedasbeingembeddedsomewheredeepinourhumanity,actingasalittlemirrorthatcatchesandreflectsshareddesireforessentialmeaning.Awaytoavoidthisriskistothinklanguagenotatthelevelofatotalsymbolicsystem,butattheverymomentofsymbolicinterface,whereonethingevokesanother,onethingispresentalongsideanother,twoincommensuratethingsco-exist.Thisthinkingarguesthatlanguageisinfinite,heterogeneousandantiessentialist.

One,twoandone,two,nine,secondandfiveandthat.2

Languageisanadhoctechnology,whereadhocreferstoitscircumstantial,occasionaluse,andtechnologyreferstoitsmodular,recombinatoryandreiterativecapabilities.Thereisno‘language,’inanabstractsense,onlyeverlanguages-in-use.Becauselanguageactivelyproducesmeaning,aprocesswemightcallsignification,languageisnotmerelythecontainerormediumforsignificationbutissignificationitself.Meaningsthathaveenduredandhavenaturalisedasfactscanonlybeinterrogatedbylookingtothewaysthatlanguagehabitsareenforcedatthelevelofsocial,culturalandlegalprocess.Eventhenotionofmeaningmustberecognisedasahabit:weoftenassumethatmeaning(orthemeaningfulnessofameaningfullife)isintrinsic,butmeaningmustbemade,andonesuchwayisthroughlanguage.Iflanguageisanadhoctechnologytherearecircumstantialreasonswhylanguageisnaturalisedincertainsignifications.Languagelendsitselftosuchcampaignsbybeingsuggestive,butitalsolendsitselftoopposingorresistingsuchcampaignsbybeinggenerative.

Myinterestinpoeticsisnotsomuchareificationoftheaestheticobjectknownasthe‘poem,’butthecommitmenttoamethodforreadinglanguageatthelevelofthesmallestshiftsinsignification.Attentiontohowlanguageismade,andforwhatreasons,isofcourse,anentirelypoliticalact.Andattentiontohowlanguagecanbere-arrangedandre-signifiedisanentirelyphilosophicalact:againstanycallforanessentialorsingularmeaning.

Aletterwhichcanwither,alearningwhichcansufferandanoutragewhichissimultaneousisprincipal.3

AstridLorangeisaPhDcandidate,researcher,teacher,poetandbookindexerfromSydney.

1 gertrude stein, “Arthur a grammar,” How to Write2 gertrude stein, “sugAr,” Tender Buttons3 gertrude stein, “muTTon,” Tender Buttons

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