Old stamping ground

The recent journey west culminated in another kind of journey with a visit to the Art Gallery of South Australia where I managed to catch up with some old friends and make some new ones as well. This beautiful institution is where my love of art started and many hours have been spent within it's galleries. One thing I like about being there is you 'feel' like you are in a great art gallery, and with the major Turner from the Tate show on at the time, in the presence of a great master. And what a knockout of a show, beautifully presented and lit, chronologically laid out, with the end result being that you are left in no doubt at all about Turner's place as one of the greatest painters ever. The works just shimmered off the walls. And a nice surprise to see a Turner from the National Gallery of Victoria as well. I have spent many hours admiring this work and trying to see it from the perspective that Turner did and when I finally did 'see it' it was a moment of enlightenment in the appreciation of art. This may be a garbled stream of consciousness but hey, it's been that sort of week...

J.M.W Turner, A mountain scene, Val d'Aosta, c.1845, oil on canvas, National Gallery of Victoria

On the way to the Turner an obligatory stop at the Dusan Marek wall to pay homage to the man who started me on the surrealist path, and to acknowledge the role my mum played in introducing me to him...

 

With my new interest in video, it was a timely reminder of the fact that Marek was experimenting with film way back during the 50's when I was still a toddler. More recent video work of Adelaide artist Bridgette Minuzzo was of interest...

 Bridgette Minuzzo, Of light and clouds, 2013, Digital animation

Also spotted Tim Johnson, who would probably be arrested today for filming on the streets mini-skirted girls and women dealing with gusts of wind...

Tim Johnson, Public fitting, 1972, 16mm film

Particularly liked this work from Burma. Kinda drove it all home in a fatalistic way...

Death, Third of the Four Sights seen by Prince Siddharta, c.1900

Makes one wonder what the other three sights were...I am sure it wasn't the video nearby from Russian collective AES+F...

AES+F, Sacred allegory, 2010-11, 3 channel video

I have no idea at all what AES+F are up to in their work, either at this size or the giant installation tableaux at MONA in Hobart, but whatever it is, they do it technically very well, and certainly take this weeks prize for 'weirdness'...and then in the last gallery on the way out my favourite work when I was a child...

 William Adolphe Bouguereau, Virgin and Child, 1888, oil on canvas

Now, I wonder where my interest in sex, death, the church and eroticism stems from?

Descent into Hell

 

Here's the cover to the new album...now all I need is some sounds and images to go with it...

Night nurse

Bob Georgeson, Night nurse, 2007, Photomontage

Chance Encounters

Third cultural stop was La Trobe University Visual Arts Centre in Bendigo where we 'did a job' on an installation by Bruce Mowson and Elliot Howard called 'The Listening vs Striles of Ming'. A series of different boxes, mostly on casters, sat randomly in the VAC Gallery. While reading through the 'artist's statement' (which incidentally was sending my blood pressure up around the 200/140 mark) the delightful Gail McNaulty (VAC Events and Admin Co-ordinator) explained the work was interactive and that the public was invited to 'move things around'. I asked if there was a sound and light component we could play with as well but sadly no.  

But first to the health hazard of  the 'artist's statement'. I quote:

"The sculptural products are the end result of an extended period of collaborative studio work by Mowson and Howard. During this period Mowson and Howard have developed a way of working that encompasses, amongst other things, fabrication, discussion, design, critical reflection, material selection and testing all of the above. There are also other complex factors in play that may include the friction produced between adjacent and slowly brewed subjectivities, the disarming affective qualities of noise meeting cheek and the divining of ephemeral political, libidinal and golden forces. Through the working process they are pleased to have stumbled upon certain key effects that include a favela-glance, a disco-touch and an amoeba-noise."

This was enough to set me off, in this rare opportunity to make some (what I call) easy art. So, five minutes later and we had rearranged the boxes into a wall that divided the gallery in half. I asked Gail if we could turn the lights off to 'complete the piece'. After some discussion with the Managing Curator Paul Northam the switch was found and turned off. Unfortunately skylights prevented the darkness I was hoping for. Paul commented that no one had done anything like this before to which I replied that "the wall represents the alienation that exists between much contemporary art and the public, and that the lame drape inside a 'cage' represented the burka and the alienation of asylum seekers and the status of women in some Muslim societies". The darkened room simply added to the overall theme. He, to his credit, saw the joke immediately and much fun and merriment was had by all, he appreciating the chance to talk art rather than administration for a few minutes.

Mowson, Howard and anonymous waves, The Wall, 2013, mixed media

Mowson, Howard and anonymous waves, The Wall, 2013, mixed media

In an atrium opposite the installation sat a site specific work by Phillipino artist Jan Leeroy New that I thought a nice contrast, if not relief, from what stood opposite. Lovely use of recycled materials into a form that had meaning...enough said...I am sure you are getting the idea by now.

Jan Leeroy New, Carapace, 2009, mixed media

And finally on the way out spotted ceramics by Vanessa Lucas. whose black jug has to be the sexiest jug ever conceived. Exclaiming "Vanessa's jug!" brought Paul and Gail out again who asked do you know Vanessa? "We should" I replied, "she was bridesmaid at our wedding!" Vanessa will be showing her meticulously crafted creations in Malmsbury, Victoria during May. More details on this later... 

I did notice on the way out the lights had been switched back on...

Realization

Bob Georgeson, Realization, 2011, Photomontage

Now really, you weren't expecting a female Pieta with lesbian overtones were you? No, this subject's far too serious for a cheap shot at the church. Forget the resurrection and join me in a loud guttural primal roar at the stupidity of mankind...we really are slow learners. Easter Sunday 2013...

Gabriella Cigana

Dropped in to the Raglan Gallery in Cooma on the way westward recently to see the 'Monaro Art Express' show by senior secondary school students from the region. There is always an element of freshness and originality in these shows where creative freedom is given reign without the fetters of too much knowledge or the corruption of a tertiary art school influence. Many budding young artists bode well for the future of the arts despite the best efforts of the present government to destroy them. Standout was the photography of Gabriella Cigana whose four works encompassed so much of the pain of growing into adulthood. Inspiring stuff...

Magdalena

Bob Georgeson, Magdalena, 2013, Photomontage

Can't wait for the Resurrection! And after around 3000 kilometers I am back in the studio...all I can say is "Jesus! It's a big country..."

Antithesis

Bob Georgeson, Antithesis, 2013, Photomontage

Griet Menschaert and Kasum Kasumov

If you are passing through Utrecht later this month check it out...

Moroccan Tape Stash

Came across this one thanks to UbuWeb: http://moroccantapestash.blogspot.com.au/ and a nice break from the intensity of the last few weeks...Great stuff! Enjoy...

Now what?

Bermagui harbour

All over bar the shouting now. The gallery is empty after a big week with around 650 visitors coming through, most of them positive and engaged by the work. And some great conversations and discussion and possibilities for future collaboration. I managed to stumble my way through the floor talk without making too much of a fool of myself. I shall miss the interaction of being part of the wharf community. But it is time to get the new project up and running, well, after a short break anyway. Actually short is not exactly the right word, after all driving a couple of thousand kilometers halfway across Australia to visit relatives is hardly 'short'. Brief break might be a better choice of words...

The Sculpture on the Edge event closed with the fire sculpture picnic on the headland, and what a great night of camaraderie between the artists and the public. Sculptures made by local school children were ritually torched, and the main piece by Chris Polglaze was spectacular. Using green bamboo as a frame the sculpture went off with loud bangs as the enclosed air pockets exploded like fire crackers as the sections burned. I feel privileged to live in such a creative and vibrant community, not to mention bloody beautiful as well.

The kid's sculptures go up

 

Chris Polglaze, Pyrotechnic sculptor and all round nice guy

 Up she goes! 160 explosions!

So, what next? anonymous waves website is the first priority. And then continuing with the collaborative collusion. Eventually I would like to start bringing the work out of the virtual environment and back into public spaces, so light projections and multi-media events are the new challenges. After a few sales I can invest in a HD camcorder and start shooting some of my own footage. Generally I feel enervated and encouraged by the exercise. After a long and difficult period of self doubt and frustration, I now know that there are a few people out there who not only like my art, but understand it as well...to them I say thank you...

Lot and his daughters

Bob Georgeson, Lot and his daughters, 2010, Photomontage

One from the current show that sold today! Yay! Halfway to getting a HD camcorder I hope? And an interesting day with a lovely, and very pious lady who has had more than her fair share of troubles with a sick husband and two mentally ill sons in tears over my 'And all this shall be yours...'

We had a long and very fruitful conversation about what I was trying to achieve and her 'faith' and the strength it gave her as an individual in what is a very difficult situation. A little moment where the love of humanity overshadowed differences of opinion. Honoured, then humbled...

Sitting on the dock...

The view from the gallery door

I am sure there must be other galleries in the world that look over working fishing ports, but for me it has been a unique experience for another reason. It is the first time I have had to man my own show, so represents an opportunity to interact with the public that has previously been denied. But first back to the wharf. A glorious autumn morning, the sun shimmering off a quiet Tasman Sea, cormorants and pelicans wait for boats to return in the hope of getting some tasty fish frames. A few people mill around the cafes, but generally it is quiet compared to the bustle of last weekend. Workers maintain a launch, fishermen check a net for wear, sandblasting can be heard in the distance from the shipwrights yard as a trawler is repainted and repaired.

And in the gallery the soundtracks from the looped videos play on. I have featured The Lunar Machine, Eye Candy, That Grey Place We Go and Sunk. With a total playtime of 15:50 and me sitting in the gallery around 6 hours a day that means I have listened over 100 times in the time the show has been on! And still another 5 days to go...fortunately Erik Satie, emptywhale and w.out are very listenable.

Response has generally been positive. Comments about the show being different from the usual spotted gums and coastal landscapes are frequent, as well as the topical papal succession and the issue of child abuse in the church. Most people laugh or are amused by the erotic/religious juxtapositions. A few walk out fairly quickly. One woman yesterday, without going into details made it known that she had personal experience of abuse in the church. I hope I do not trivialise the issue with my little surrealistic jokes. But the highlight so far has been the enthusiasm of Graham from the fish shop downstairs. Here is a man who has spent his whole life cleaning fish and who has little knowledge of art waxing lyrically that it is the best thing he has ever seen and insisting on bringing the other staff up to see it. Makes it all worthwhile...  

The hang

A few pics from the current exhibition...

Everything

Bob Georgeson, Everything, 2009, Photomontage

A sneak preview of one in the forthcoming exhibition...

Humility

Bob Georgeson, Humility, 2010, Photomontage

With papal succession in the air what more appropriate time to bring this one out of the closet (sic). It will be part of the forthcoming exhibition mentioned last post, and will be for sale at a ridiculously cheap discount price considering the years of research that went into it's creation. You really have no idea of how many girlie magazines I had to look through to find that pair of legs! Brothers and sisters save my sole...a new Pope is coming! I might have to give up all this online crap and get out the scalpel and cutting mat again...

Exhibition coming up...

 

The exhibition is called anonymous waves: bob georgeson - past & present. Runs from Saturday 2nd March - Monday 11th March as part of the 2013 Sculpture on the Edge event. The venue is Shop 7 Art Space upstairs at the Fishermen's Cooperative Bermagui Wharf. Hours 10am til the Horse & Camel Wine Bar closes...

Here's the blurb: Firmly committed to the surrealist aesthetic Bob Georgeson uses subversive, sometimes controversial, and often humorous ideas, images and themes to explore the intersection between reality and desire. From working mainly in photomontage in the past he is now increasingly exploring new technologies, in particular video art, and working primarily and collaboratively online in the public domain.

There will be a floor talk on Wednesday 6th March at 11am called: Art in the digital domain 

 

Adult themes and nudity

Sunk

I like this one that just seemed to evolve from one idea being explored and then another direction becoming apparent through chance encounters. w.out was active on the Archive circa 2004/5 which would make them one of the pioneers. What has happened since then I do not know, but if anyone does know, please let me know because I would be keen to explore new territories with them/him/her/it? And if you are interested in collaboration in the public domain please get in contact by emailing: surrealdada@gmail.com

You can get the HD and downloadable files here...http://archive.org/details/SunkPoem

12 months on...

Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo

I realized the other day that it has been a year since I started this blog. What started out originally as wanting a web presence for my art and thinking that a blog might be marginally more interesting than a static image repository has transformed my whole way of thinking about art and how I want mine to be displayed. With a growing dissatisfaction with exhibiting in the physical world I have learned that there is new world out there of like minded people all pushing the boundaries of not only their own knowledge and skills, but also developing new relationships and interactions for audiences to experience.

So, from small beginnings with no expectations, over 9000 pageviews, 1000 profile views, 130 posts, 10 videos, 882 video views on the Internet Archives and the creation of the anonymous waves Netlabel what am I going to do to celebrate this evolutionary and revelatory year? By having an exhibition in a gallery...What! I kid you not...More on this soon...

PS Thought the photo a nice metaphor for what's going on in my life...

4 postcards from Bega

 

 

Now that the main holiday period has ended I thought I would do my bit to promote the advantages of off-peak travel to this beautiful part of the world. Don't be put off by the major development at the back of the private hotel. They don't work at night...just make sure you take a torch with you if you go to the bathroom. There are plenty of alleyways and discrete backs of buildings should you feel the need for a quick one. The town is wonderfully devoid of graffiti, and you won't be bothered by crowds at the many exclusive shopping areas...Bega awaits you!

coasts

This one differs from the previous mashups in that it is a meditative piece using my own footage, but again features the atmospheric soundscapes of emptywhale. It is also the first work to be featured on the new anonymous waves netlabel: http://archive.org/details/coasts

The netlabel is evolving into collaborative projects combining art, music, poetry et al by creators who believe in the altruistic if not subversive nature of working in the public domain, and who have the desire to learn, expand and develop creative pursuits and products that present a unique experience for not only themselves but the audience. More on this soon...and if you want to be involved contact us: surrealdada@gmail.com

anonymous waves - new headquarters now open!

 

We are proud to open our new headquarters at 169 Carp Street in Bega. Opening hours are 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday. Homeless persons shelter operates from 7pm until 7am seven days a week. Feel free to drop in and meet the friendly staff. Take a seat at reception and someone will saw you shortly...experience free art, free music, free advice and freedom..

emptywhale and anonymous waves - a collaboration (of sorts)

For the HD version and downloadable files go here...

Apologia: This one represents the closest I (we?) have come to online collaboration, and the first video where I actively tried to work in with the music in terms of the atmosphere it creates, without wishing of course to make a music video per se. Art always comes first! In discussions with emptywhale about process we agree that once a creation is in the public domain one relinquishes control over how it might be used other than the Creative Commons licensing that stipulates it is not to be used for commercial gain, and acknowledges the original source. We agree that collaboration can lead to opening new doors that might not have previously been considered or explored. And there is no approval process in place, although in making this I have been very conscious of what emptywhale will think. Our desire for approval from others is a very strong emotion! The start point is mutual admiration for each other's creativity, and the desire to learn...

So, what exists remains...

anonymous waves comes from a line in the poem "Anecdote" penned by Francis Picabia in 1918. It reads:

You see, I am crazy to imagine it
I am a man with nimble fingers
Who wants to cut the threads of old pains
False folds in my anxious brain
History in arabesques memories
I am only happy on the open sea
Where one goes further
On anonymous waves.

I had done an earlier interactive visual poem with anonymous waves as it's title but have now decided to make this my new pseudonym, and the launch of an umbrella for new projects, including new media, public domain activities, online collaborations, interventions, the creation of a Netlabel and the gradual archiving and replacement of this blog. Time to move on...

Leg Show

Been working on another video lately using soundscapes by emptywhale but this one sort of popped out of the blue yesterday using some older footage that had remained dormant until now...

Tunnel vision

Bob Georgeson, Tunnel vision, 2013, Photomedia

I have been thinking about ambiance a bit lately and wondered if there was such a thing as ambient art, and reflected on many people's desire to use art as wall decoration or filler, and how we don't really interact with this on a daily basis. It is very much part of our surroundings...

So, did the obligatory Google search, and came across this company that call themselves Ambient Art (based in Australia I am sad to say). The blurb goes like this:

Have the view you have always dreamt of!

Hundreds of people everywhere are transforming their homes with the help of Ambient Art!

So what is Ambient Art?

• Ambient Art is a portable indoor/outdoor PVC mesh screen
• Filters the sun but still lets air flow through
• Hides unsightly views (like the garage shed or nosey neighbours!)
• Easily erected in just minutes
• Wide range of ready-to-go images for you to choose from
• Your design can be changed to suit your moods or seasons
• Customised images (your high quality photo) available by request
• Creates a unique ambience for your balcony/deck/entertainment setting

You can choose from our ready made views where you'll find everything from tropical islands to Japanese gardens or send in your own. No longer any reason to leave your holiday dreams behind!

I am obviously in the wrong business...

You don't love me

Ambient addendum

The man across the road obsessively uses his petrol driven blower to remove leaves from the concrete slab in front of his house. A neighbour shatters the afternoon peace on his ride on mower. He mows every Thursday afternoon regardless of whether the lawn needs it or not. Wattlebirds squawk as they aggressively chase a spinebill through the garden. Up the back kids laugh and squeal on the new trampoline they got from Santa. The breaking surf can be heard in the distance. My computer gently drones away in the background. This the soundtrack to our lives...

I was thinking about these things yesterday while listening to, and penning the post on, emptywhale's latest release 'That Grey Place We Go'. I marvel at their ability to create these works of art, to develop the structures and moments that have the capacity to take you unexpected places and thought patterns that seem to emerge from nowhere. I wonder for a moment about the technical aspects of who using what can make these sounds, then decide it doesn't matter how, all that matters is now...

I am a relative 'newbie' when it comes to the ambient genre, although accepting I have probably listened inadvertently to 'ambient' music in the past without realising it. And what is ambient, or any classification of music anyway? My first love has always been jazz...but who can define what that means anymore? And, shock horror, I have even been listening to some classical sounds lately! And in cyberspace threads start to appear...

I had accidentally come across Erik Satie on UbuWeb in the same way as I had with emptywhale on The Internet Archives, and had used music from both as sound tracks to some recent video work. It turns out that Satie is considered a precursor of ambient music. He also wrote the music for Rene Clair's 1924 dadaist film 'Entr'acte'. The film was scripted by one of my main influences Francis Picabia, and starred, among others, Marcel Duchamp whose 1957 talk 'The Creative Act' I had used as soundtrack for another video, a video that was greatly influenced, at least visually, by Brian Eno, the father of ambient music.

In recent discussion with emptywhale about possible collaboration Chris had followed his own path in finding out more about Herbie Hancock, whose 'Funk Hunter' I had rather lazily used in another video, but had never been happy with, wanting a more menacing effect. He had come across, and really liked, a 1974 Miles Davis track called 'He Loved Him Madly' written as a tribute to Duke Ellington. It turns out that it was a major influence on Brian Eno.

And so on it goes...I am a HUGE Miles Davis fan, never tiring of listening to his music, and drawing constant inspiration from his adoption of change as part of the creative process. His capacity to always push ahead, try new things, and yet remain true to his discipline propels me to write this post, not for you dear reader if you have ventured this far, but as a reminder to myself to build on the new directions in my work that developed through 2012. I will always have a soft spot for eros and thanatos, but in 2013 my hand reaches out for the handle of a new door...

That Grey Place We Go

Dark ambient outfit emptywhale have just released the second album 'That Grey Place We Go'. You can download it for free (yes, that's right folks, for free!) from the Haze netlabel website here, or if you prefer The Internet Archives here...

A brilliant follow up to 'fearscapes'...six delicious soundscapes of meditative magic that suggest that the 'Grey Place' is not so much a destination but a metaphor for the world we inhabit. Highly recommended if you like your music atmospheric and thoughtful, and with a hint of self-deprecation thrown in to keep you sane...maybe...

Well, I did say...

...I was going fishing. A nice catch of our favourite table fish. A 45 cm Flathead with 5 plate sized Tailor. Yum! The Flathead was caught on a soft plastic lure, the Tailor on a metal slug at a slow troll in the tinnie. Definitely my preferred form of angling. This post for CK in  the UK :-)

Renunciation

Lets kick off the new year with piety! Why? Am I feeling guilty about too much indulgence over the silly season? Of course not! Don't be silly in even starting to think so. It is simply because it all gets more depraved from here on in...

Postcard c.1920's?

Philip Hermogenes Calderon, St Elizabeth of Hungary's Great Act of Renunciation, 1891, Oil on canvas, Tate, London

An interesting comparison between the gravures interpretation against the subtlety of the original painting. If you don't know the story here is the Tate's description: 

"Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231) was the wife of Lewis, Landgrave of Thuringia. After his death in 1227 during one of the Crusades, she entered a convent and devoted herself to good works. Before becoming a nun, she passed through a spiritual crisis, torn by the need to renounce the world, and therefore her children, in order to fulfill her desire to serve God. Pressed by a domineering monk, Conrad, whose natural affections had been starved by celibacy, Elizabeth finally vowed that 'naked and barefoot' she would follow her 'naked Lord'. Calderon's picture shows this moment of self-abasement.  

Calderon took his subject from a play by Charles Kingsley, 'The Saint's Tragedy', first published in 1848. It was based on fact."

Poor Elizabeth...dead at 24, sanctified sure, but ending up the salacious subject matter of late 19th Century 'Salon Art', where the plethora of nude women in subservient poses is as much of a crime as her very brief life. More details about Elizabeth from Wikipedia...

...and on that note I am off to listen to the latest emptywhale release 'That Grey Place We Go'. Happy New Year...