Page 45 - Studio International - May 1968

Facing page, left Encyclopaedias over London Sept 1966
During the Destruction in Art Symposium in London. Photo: Michael Broome
Facing page, centre Extract from Review of a dictionary 1967-8
Facing page, right Skoob tower ceremony, Senate House 1966
'The Tower Ceremony contradicts a general notion about sculpture which
is regarded as definitive—that sculpture is concerned with permanence.
The tower is made to carry a sculptural idea. The proposition is that in
disappearing a sculpture in this way it will be more memorable—and
therefore more permanent than if it was carved in granite or fabricated in
polyester. I think there is a case for art collections to carry evidence objects
—documents by record of certain episodes that will register our changing
attitude to time.' Photo: John Prosser
Film performed at Mercury Theatre Sept 1966
'Two bodies, one male and painted partially black, the other female and
light red or orange are dressed to excess in printed paper, with books and
large headpieces on polystyrene bases, and with paper-covered balloons
round and long—come to stand in front of a film for ten minutes. When the
film ends the figures adopt a slow movement characteristic to each—Black
taking basically three steps forward and three back, taking a new direction
each move and being representative of the formal, ordered and "style"-
conscious attitude; Red is disorderly and dionysiac in contrast, and she
moves in a right-handed spin, but very slowly. Long pauses throughout
the action.
'When they collide eventually... Black makes a slight gesture of disapproval
of the figure he notices, reorganizing one of Red's papers... he moves then
to another space. Red pauses a while digesting, then at length approaches
Black and contemptuously rips a page out of one of Black's books—
retiring then to enjoy another space. The action then proceeds in this order,
to describe an escalating argument. When each or one of the figures
is about nude except for the head, one decapitates the other, and the action
ends. Lights are lowered and film begins again.' Photo: Michael Broome

The Book idiom makes use of these categories doesn't it? How did it What about the Skoob towers? They are a more obviously behaviour-
come about ? istic version of the Book idiom.
The dust-cloud painting had worked through very thin; I'd nothing The Skoob towers are reverse-order sculpture. There's a museum-
further to say with it. I suppose I could have pushed it, made it a inspired notion that sculpture has to aim at permanence.
technology, made big simplifications; I just didn't see the point. I
was looking out for a flat surface though because I'd got a piece of So this is throwing emphasis back onto the behaviour associated with
corrugated asbestos, a beautiful wave-form for the base and it was the work rather than onto the work itself.
suggesting a flat to define that somehow. There was a book lying on They are both there. The site is part of the work and the event is
a table. I'd never read it but it had been around for years. I think it permanent. Only instead of the piece itself you have an evidence
had been given as a prize for good behaviour at school-anyway it was object which is better. We recently held a rehearse ceremony inside
called The Philosophy of the Good Life. Here was something incredible the Law Courts with a tower of the Laws of England-you know,
with that condensation of surface and the black on it I'd been re- acres of legal precedents. The difficulty is, the ceremony would last
acting to in dot form. The Skoob language is instant book. It was a month and I don't think the law would stand by for that.
such a simple thing to put together but all the time-functions are in
it. Very facile and patly cubist it may have appeared (Clem Green- Is that a gesture against the use of precedents?
berg told me anyway) but I was seeing it as in another series, next in Of course. Precedents are invalid in new contexts, I'd have thought,
fact to Finnegan's Wake, Bertrand Russell, Beatrix Potter and Witt- in law. What about compiling half a million pages of them and bind-
genstein. Visually I felt related to El Greco; I made a paraphrase of ing them in goldleaf- what was going on there? I prefer not to make
the Burial of Count Orgaz on an old bar-billiards table with a heap protests. Rather to show what's happening: Here is a sculpture.
of odds and ends, a sponge, books, whisky bottle, fire-guard, and a
flintstone for God. I was taking very little interest in the current scene; Isn't it possible that you, being in a state of permanent doubt, see
it answered none of my initial question so far as I could see at the this as appropriate behaviour, whereas others, hypothetically in a
time. I felt a bit of affinity with Bacon during his scratchy period, state of permanent certainty, might regard this as a dangerous
the Sphinx as possibly a spaniel dog, the cardinals, the glass. I feel course ?
much more laterally related today. I said before, eventpatterns are in conflict most of the time. They
naturally compete for the space. I've been in that kind of certainty
Does it worry you that the implications aren't necessarily apparent and it was a bogus certainty. There are great autopreservative devices
to the observer of a single work? looking after that activity, there is also an insistence, on the part of
Yes. I always imagine when I've done something that the point is another pattern which could have a more interesting future, to occupy
self-evident. When the reaction is a blank I feel obliged to check in the same space. Both might call the other dangerous both could love
again, whether it's my miss perhaps. At least this used to be the way, each other really. But what notice is taken of any observations made
and it has been useful- to see the communication-structure. It only in a gallery, in London anyway ? So where does the collision
needs one person's evidence to validate a work; the public will follow happen, and how late?
by proxy.
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