THREE THINGS
Crushed by the weight of all things, this week sees a sparse blog. Sorry. To mark the passing of Mrs Thatcher, I offer some snippets from the real world. Relevant to us? Relevant to you? You decide.
1.TOXIC
The designer Katharine Hamnett is depressed at the ongoing nuclear arms debate. You can read an interview with her by clicking on her photo above and you can find out more about the world of Trident by clicking on the poster below.
I’ve shown it before and I make no apology for showing it again. Japanese artist Isao Hashimoto has created a series of works about nuclear weapons. This one is titled “1945 - 1998”and shows a history of the world's nuclear explosions. Over the course of fourteen and a half minutes, every single one of the 2053 nuclear tests and explosions that took place between 1945 and 1998 are is plotted on a map.
2. CHANGE THE WAY YOU THINK AND ARE
Here’s great article about Rachel Whiteread too. Here’s an interesting quote:
"What I'm not into is what I call 'plop' art. Making things and just putting them in places for the sake of it. I don't like much sculpture in the street. It really needs a reason for being there, but when it does, it can be a wonderful thing. I don't think art changes the world in terms of stopping people dying of Aids or of starvation or being homeless. But for an individual, seeing a great piece of art can take you from one place to another – it can enhance daily life, reflect our times and, in that sense, change the way you think and are."
3.CANCER
Writer, Iain Banks announced he is "officially very poorly" with cancer and may have only months to live. He commented: "I've withdrawn from all planned public engagements and I've asked my partner Adele if she will do me the honour of becoming my widow (sorry – but we find ghoulish humour helps)." This week there have been one or two deeply interesting articles by and about Banks including, why he refuses to let his work be sold in Israel and supports a cultural boycott.
That’s it. Short and sweet. Nothing else, Nada - Gone.