In decline

On a recent visit to Sydney I was struck not only by the unsustainable growth of the metropolis, but in particular by the 'dehumanizing' experience of the M5 motorway tunnel, where one is shot down into the darkness (I must admit the first 300 metres caused by leaving on my sunglasses) and propelled like an electron in a particle accelerator toward an uncertain future accompanied by a soundtrack of engines, exhaust pipes and roaring extractor fans.

Late last year I came across a delightful blog that intersected with this experience and it seems like a fitting start to the new year to bring it to your attention. In decline is described as "straddling the line of decay and eroticism" and lists as its interests industrial decay, wastelands, machinery, disorder and of course the erotic. A recent post:

Spare Ass Annie

When I became captain of the town, I decided to extend asylum to certain citizens who were persona non grata elsewhere in the area because of their disgusting and disquieting deformities. One was known as Spare Ass Annie. She had an auxiliary asshole in the middle of her forehead, like a baneful bronze eye. William S Burroughs

Force of Resistance, Stress, Heat, Collapse

Deformity is contrary to expectation. Horror of the dysmorphic invokes the notion that formal conventions are somehow correct and keeps with the classic aesthetic principles. The revolting appearance of a functionally specific aperture, wets the appetite.

Simple deformity breaks no internal rules, it is aberrant for compromising only exceptions. One can violate conventions without appearing deformed, it is only understood as the violation of what is expected or accurate.

Eric Tabuchi, Anatomy, 2006, Photography

NOTE: Sadly this blog has been recently removed...I have decided to leave this post anyway as an inspiration to myself if not others...

touched



This extraordinary 122-track album featuring some of the world's greatest and most forward-thinking artists (including emptywhale) has just been released with the purpose of raising funds for UK based Macmillan Cancer Support. For 6 quid you can't go wrong...through Bandcamp. Happy holiday listening...when you get sick of listening to Bing sing "I'm dreaming of a..."

Joseph entertaining the baby Jesus

Bob Georgeson, Joseph entertaining the baby Jesus, Date ?, Photomontage

I have never been a great fan of Joseph Beuys, or Jesus for that matter. For me there are similarities in that perhaps both have tried to 'pull the wool' (felt?) over people's eyes. Beuys's claims to be an art 'shaman' is not reflected in the self indulgent drabness of his art, while the pomp and ceremony of the church does not really 'deliver us from evil' or offer any salvation...perhaps the library (archives?) in the background are a better path to enlightenment...

Other titles for this work are 'Religious Cymbalism' or 'The Immaculate Conceptual'. OK...I will stop! Enough is enough...apologies to van Eyck. Merry Christmas...