Page 17 - Studio International - February 1971

on 14 January. Photo-Graphic Editions Ltd The sociology
(9 Jameson Street, W 8) are exhibiting prints
from their first two portfolios (Victorian of knowledge
Photography and Werner Bischof).
`The Black Experience', a panoramic new Art and technology 22
work by Larry Rivers in collaboration with Joe
Overstreet, Daniel Johnson, Frank Bowling,
Peter Bradley, William Williams and Ellsworth Last March I related the work of the British
Ausby opens this month at the Rice Art Gallery, Society for Social Responsibility in Science to
Rice University, Houston, Texas. 'The Black the question of the artist's social responsibility.
Experience' depicts events and landmarks in the Since then the BSSRS has been active and its
history of the black American people since the
landing of the first slave ships in North America reputation is growing. One phrase in my article
in 1619. Tapes of sounds such as the dipping of calls for qualification: arguing that 'real
The back row are listening to sentimental verse oars in the ocean, music, the voice of Malcolm X, intelligence' was lacking in the society's
on the stereophonic tape recorder. They hear etc., are included, as well as the projection of a meetings, I contrasted what I meant by 'real
three voices reciting different verses, one in each film conceived by poetess June Jordan and intelligence' with the kind of classifying and
ear and one in the middle of the head. According directed by John Chandler entitled `Slavery: The quantifying mental discipline which many
to certain instructions they have to track and Black Man and the Man.' Rivers and his group sociologists bring to bear on social problems. I
reproduce one of the voices. In a similar way the spent seven months preparing the exhibition.
performers on the second row relay what they Rivers's work alone includes vast wood sculptures would now add that there are some social
hear to the solo performer who, alone in the scientists who are making very intelligent and
(among them a slave ship), paintings, drawings
system, is heard by the audience. and mixed media. radical contributions to what is sometimes called
(Gavin Bryars is a Senior Lecturer in the Fine the sociology of knowledge.
Art Department of Leicester College of Art; Several environmental works (by Cruz-Diez, One relevance of such research to art may be
he originally trained as a philosopher.) Le Parc, Sobrino and Soto) not previously seen summed up by a warning recently uttered by the
Programme 4: Gerry Schum in Britain are on show at the Modern Art biologist Brian Goodwin, who was discussing
This programme consists of an interview, lasting Museum, Oxford, together with other new works how the gap between the arts and the Sciences
about five minutes, with Gerry Schum about his and a dozen pieces recently shown in the may be bridged:
video gallery and will include Barry Flanagan's Hayward Gallery's 'Kinetics' exhibition. At the `In this effort, there is a constant danger that
piece from 'Land Art' — Hole in the Sea—as well same time, the Bear Lane Gallery, Oxford, is
as a number of pieces from 'Identifications' — exhibiting multiples from Galerie Denise René. the gap will be bridged by the reduction of art to
probably a selection of the following: Joseph the style of "objective" science, a sort of
Beuys, Ulrich Ruckriehm, Hamish Fulton, The third Brussels International Book Fair "objective" art which is dedicated to the
Gilbert & George, Daniel Buren, Ger van Elk, opens on 13 March. It is open to all publishers of elimination of all human bias or subjectivity in
Keith Sonnier, Richard Serra, Lawrence Weiner. books, engravings and periodicals, as well as to its composition. The detailed exploration of
These will be shown continuously without breaks, the manufacturers of audio-visual equipment. certain visual effects or the generation of purely
editing etc. after the interview with Schum. Exhibitors will include not only publishers from random tonal sequences by computers can
[An article on Gerry Schum's work was included all countries but also professional circles directly expand our range of sensitivity; but they can
in the January issue of Studio International.] involved with graphic art. also become deliberate evasions of the central
Programme 5: Concept issue: an understanding and representation of
Victor Burgin has prepared a script for this The Grabowski Gallery's exhibition (84 Sloane our total being, of our experience and knowledge
programme. It is not yet known what form the Avenue, London SW3) which opened in of ourselves and the world. This is the only
programme will take. January shows some examples of the present
trends in art which have been exhibited there. possible valid goal of art; and it is also the only
The aim is to give the public an opportunity to possible valid goal of science.'1[my italics].
The Angela Flowers Gallery in London held a
postcard exhibition last month which is going on compare contemporary trends. Dr Goodwin does not commit himself to
to Wolverhampton Art Gallery (mid-February to The 1971 Berlin International Art Fair will deciding whether or not science is objective.
mid-March). It includes original designs for be held from 29 April to 2 May. A large number This question is the subject of much debate at
postcards by a number of well-known of European and American galleries will be present. T. S. Kuhn sometimes appears to argue
contemporary artists (Richard Hamilton, David represented. that scientific objectivity is illusory: that, for
Hockney, Tom Phillips, Peter Blake and others). instance, when a major scientific revolution
There is an interesting selection of postcards Corrections occurs a new world is, literally, created. For 'we
Dutch commentary: drawings in Holland by
from artists to other artists (Derek Boshier to Carel Blotkamp Dec. 197o are all deeply accustomed to seeing science as the
Rory McEwen, Diter Rot to Richard Hamilton). p. 249 Captions on the two drawings by Armando one enterprise that draws constantly nearer to
Ian Breakwell will stage an event at the gallery on were interchanged. The smaller drawing dates
10 February from 11.00 am to 7.00 pm in which from /96o, not 197o. some goal set by nature in advance. But need
six heavyweight shovellers will shovel mounds of p. 25o fig. 5: the owners of Gilbert and George's there be any such goal ? Can we not account for
earth in a circle, with periodic breaks for rest until SCULPTURE FOR ART & PROJECT both science's existence and its success in terms
6.00 pm, when large candles will be lit between BULLETIN 20 are Mr & Mrs van Eelen not of evolution from the community's state of
van Ellen
mounds to be extinguished at 7.00. Passers-by knowledge at any given time ?' 2
should be able to see on video. In Gareth Jones's article in this issue, the second Kuhn's arguments have generated much
plate on the first page is upside down. The last line academic heat, but the debate does not seem yet
The Photographers Gallery (8 Great of the tenth paragraph should read : For reasons of to have been aired in the public arena. For
Newport Street, WC2) which opened last month accuracy and facility the new writing paper is machine- instance we find Lord Snow reasserting
produced, the sounds which are drawn being clearly
is the first public gallery in London that will hold seen as man-made distortions within the circles. recently, without any sense of controversy, that
continual exhibitions of photographs. Much of
`Science is cumulative, and embodies its past' 3
what is exhibited will be for sale, as well as In Jonathan Benthall's article for the January issue, (the conventional theory, which Kuhn
photographers' original prints, and a selection of p. 8, last paragraph but two, the last line should read
posters, magazines, catalogues and books. Their `Atget and Leger'. criticizes at length) in support of his treasured
first show, The Concerned Photographer (Robert In the article 'Art on TV' in the January issue the distinction between two kinds of understanding
Capa, Werner Bischof, Leonard Freed, Lewis W. captions to illustrations 4 and 5 on p. 31 were . . . two ways of dealing with experience . . .
Hine, David Seymour and Dan Weiner) opened transposed. two kinds of knowledge ' —the humanist
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