Page 25 - Studio International - February 1970

obligation to inform me of this fact and ask me if I As for apology, I delivered one to Mel Bochner in Renaissance ! We regard this intrusion by the police
was willing to assume the risks involved. (Co- person before the exhibition closed (presumably I department in the visual arts as an impertinence
incidental with this should have been the informa- was the 'someone' who first informed him of the and a further arbitrary abrogation of our civil
tion that the work could not be adequately `damage'). His most evident response then was liberties. We as producers of works of art are not
guarded). Knowing that mine and others' works curiosity as to what exactly the 'mindless wielders prepared to accept policemen as aesthetic arbiters.
were of a fragile and possible controversial nature of magic markers' had written. At the time I took We are not concerned about the court proceedings:
made it imperative. Why then was it not done? this as confirmation of my interpretation of the what concerns us is the principle of police as cultural
Most revealing of the attitude implicit in this work in question (i.e. of its 'conceptual' nature). arbiters. We laugh at the fat cats of the Russian
omission of responsibility was that not so much as writers' union toeing the police state party line,
a note of regret (apology?) was included with the but failure to remedy what is happening in
returned piece. Does this mean that the purveyors Memorandum on art and psi Sydney is tantamount to accepting the same condi-
of our culture do not think it is art enough to There seems to be a good deal of interest nowadays tions here. Therefore we appeal to the public to
matter? Or that since it was only thirteen sheets amongst artists, scientists, and students in the refrain from money donations to the government
of ordinary graph paper it would be easy enough question of psychic behaviour and its relation to art gallery—and to withhold their support from the
to do over? Can anyone still hold dear that old creative activity—the link between art and psi. Capt. Cook centenary celebrations. In this way
puritan ethic that value is a direct function of There are certain points at which these areas meet, you, the public, can help us, the artists, to maintain
physical effort expended? If so, I can only remind overlap or run in parallel. We address this our creative freedom. To fellow artists we appeal
the museum, time is not money. memorandum to those persons seriously or pro- that they should register their abhorrence of police
At any rate, the situation does not change. Every- fessionally concerned to explore these relationships. department interference by abstaining from
one peripheral to the artist gets something from For observation and research to take place it is exhibiting in any Capt. Cook centenary exhibitions
what he does. At one time he was always left imperative in the first instance to be able to experi- and state government sponsored shows, and that,
`holding the bag'. That was O.K. because he ence psychic events at a deep level of participation. as the motivation of the present prosecution is
could refill it. Now, the bag is gone, too. This calls for small groups of people working grossly political, they abstain from shows and
Sincerely, together regularly over a sustained period of prizes organized by big business firms—because
Mel Bochner time, and for each group to feed its reports and big business firms are part of the power structure
126 Chambers Street speculations into a countrywide network. Pooled who benefit from the abrogation of our civil
New York information may then generate new ideas and liberties. For the same reasons we appeal to art
approaches. Each team would find its own mode critics to refuse to review such exhibitions. We
Charles Harrison writes: I don't wish to duck of operation but we would like to suggest at once hold it as self evident that the visual arts contribute
responsibilities, (and can't speak for the Kunsthalle that cybernetics provides a discussion which can to the self-awareness and understanding of every
or ICA) but as the organizer of the ICA showing usefully accommodate these matters. It can citizen; imposed limitation of the visual arts is an
of 'When Attitudes become Form' I feel con- strengthen the bridge between art and psi by amputation of the spirit of man. We all surrender
fused both by Mel Bochner's protest and by the providing terminology, axioms and models. Mat- certain liberties for the social good; but any
reasons he gives for his indignation. The full title ters of process and system, communication, pre- limitation on creativity cannot be benign if it
given for the work in question in the catalogue of diction, and control, for example, can be brought imposes restrictions on society's capacity to receive
the exhibition was 13 Sheets of 8/' Graph Paper together from both fields within a common enrichment from works of art. This society is asked
(from an infinite series). Mel Bochner feels that he has theoretical framework. to forego ...for what social good? As far as we can
sustained a real loss. We must therefore assume Our present purpose is to generate new insights see the police department are the only beneficiaries;
either that, the series being (physically i.e. impos- into the art-psi relationship by encouraging small and society loses. Finally, we ask that you should
sibly) complete, the six defaced sheets are irre- O & R teams to form and participate in a network. write to your parliamentary representatives and
placeable or that, of the whole hypothetically APPORTS (Art and Parapsychology—Observa- the chief secretary asking that action should be
complete series, only thirteen specific sheets were tion and Research Teams) are now being set up taken to remedy these depredations by redneck
eligible for presentation in the first place. There at an informal level in several art schools in petty police officials on our basic cultural freedoms.'
was nothing about the work or in the information London and the provinces. We would like to invite Richard Larter
relating to it to suggest the latter. The only you to set up a small APPORT from amongst Garry Shead
alternative assumption, it seems to me, is that as your colleagues. Once an embryonic network has Gary Catalano
the series is indefinite in number the choice of been established a general APPORT meeting Signed on behalf of the Artists Action Committee
specific sheets for presentation is arbitrary. If the might take place at which questions of information c/o Watters Gallery
choice is arbitrary can Mel Bochner not choose a storage, roster of demonstrators and so on could be 109 Riley Street
different thirteen next time he shows the work (or discussed. East Sydney 2010
at least a different six) ? No one will know the If you are interested in these matters or require Australia
difference unless Mel Bochner tells them; and if he further information please write to me at Coalway
feels it's necessary to tell them, why didn't he tell House, Coalway Road, Wolverhampton, or tele-
them in the first place that the sheets were phone 0902 36754. Information requested
`special' sheets (as opposed to 'from a series') ? Roy Ascott I am collecting data for a Directory of Northern
Mel Bochner asks: 'Can anyone still hold dear that APPORT Art Galleries and Studios which is to be issued by
old puritan ethic that value is a direct function of the Mid Northumberland Arts Group. This is
physical effort expended?' This question seems to intended to be a companion publication to the
be beside the point. Mel Bochner has set himself up Police action in Australia Group's recently issued Directory of Northern
for the question: 'Can anyone in his position still As so many of Australia's artists are English emig- Writers and will, I hope, list every art gallery and
hold dear that old materialist aesthetic that value rants, we feel that we should warn you about the studio in the six northern counties of Cumberland,
(and he seems to mean money in this case) is a depressing situation of artists in Australia. The Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmor-
direct function of physical form perceived?' attached statement outlines the more recent land and Yorkshire.
Would he really wish his art to be judged in terms examples of the belligerent and ignorant censor- The well-known galleries (mainly municipally
of its physical substance alone? Hasn't he confused ship of the arts. Your recording of our protest owned) are to be found in standard reference
`art' with 'presentation' ? Of the three questions in could at least warn those English artists and art works, but it is the smaller, and often more
Mel Bochner's third paragraph I would skip the students thinking of visiting Australia. recently established galleries, together with those
first (this is, after all, a 'matter of principle' and `During the last few years in the state of N.S.W. artists' studios which also perform the function of
not of specifics) ; answer 'Yes' to the second; and Australia, the police department has manifested a gallery which we are anxious to trace. Any of
`Not I, but so what?' to the third. itself as an arbiter in the visual arts. We had the your readers therefore who know of such a gallery
I note that in a covering letter to the one printed case of the Sepik wood carvings—the paintings of or studio would be doing a very real service if they
above, Mel Bochner has suggested that prior to Michael Brown— Oz Magazine—and the stage show were to send me details of names and addresses.
publication of his protest it should be shown to me "America Hurrah". Now we have four men Yours faithfully
and that his 'document' should be withdrawn from arrested in a bookshop for selling prints of three George Stephenson
publication if I feel that the situation can be drawings by the nineteenth-century artist Aubrey Director
`rectified'. I am further confused. Is he protesting Beardsley and a print of a photograph of the statue Mid Northumberland Arts Group
over a matter of general concern or is he requesting David by the sixteenth-century sculptor Michel- Northumberland County Technical College
compensation? Obviously not both since he sees angelo—these the police department regard as College Road
protest and compensation as alternatives in this obscene publications. Just wait until some police- Ashington
case. What is it he is so anxious to protect? man actually buys any standard art book on the Northumberland
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