Page 16 - Studio International - December 1972

From the city pages artists oppose the Government and the kind of newspapers and filing them, with the aim of
society it seeks to foster, and there is therefore building up a library of news-cuttings, which is
inevitably a sense of compromise when such an indispensable aid to newspapers and
accepting money or invitations to exhibit from other organizations. In order to change a society
organizations whose source of finance is as complex as ours, people will need a large store
ultimately Government money. of readily available information, and whilst
To some extent I have managed to resolve criticizing newspapers, we should acknowledge
these conflicts by showing work which that they are doubtless a source of important
represents my political views; which is aimed at and easily obtainable information.
changing society, and which at the same time The visitor entering the larger of the two
seeks to alter the habitual usage of the gallery or rooms was faced by a tall wooden structure in
museum, and the expectations that visitors bring the far corner piled with newspapers and
to these institutions. magazines including a number of foreign ones,
The 'Executive Profile' exhibition taking and black painted boards resting on the floor
place in the Concourse of the Institute of serving as seats and tables. The walls were bare
Contemporary Art, November/December, 1972, except for one which had the slogan SMASH IT
follows two other shows where newspapers were painted in bold black letters, plus a picture of
used. Lenin from the Observer colour supplement.
Like many people I am fascinated by Scissors, paper and glue were provided. The
newspapers. Newspapers are informative; they smaller room contained a filing cabinet and a
distort reality and foster illusions; they serve the tape recorder. Visitors did indeed cut up
interests of governments and big business; they newspapers and stuck these and the collages
record history; their design is fascinating; the they produced on the walls, to my dismay,
comparison of newspapers and journals is an wrecked the pile of newspapers and wanted to
absorbing activity. In my contribution to the set fire to it in the middle of the room, but failed
large 'Arts Spectrum' exhibition at Alexandra to do any coherent work on the filing system.
Palace, August 1971, I managed to work with The present show is closer to the 'Art
these interests. Each day, generally in the Spectrum' presentation than to the work at
morning before the show opened, I went Gallery House. It consists basically of
through the British national press, selecting newspaper cuttings and typed comments. But
pages and cuttings which were pinned onto the whereas the entire paper was used in 1971, now
four walls. Usually I typed a crisp critical the material is limited to the business pages. The
comment on the electric typewriter; and exhibition is part of the ICA's programme
sometimes entire pages were displayed without `The Body as a Medium of Expression', and
comment. For instance, each page of the Sun, special emphasis will be placed on bodily and
Daily Mirror and Daily Mail, which are almost facial expression. The material comes from
identical in size, were placed below each other. The Times, Observer, Sunday Times, Financial
The rather horrifying similarity of content, Times and other newspapers, including some
nudes and advertisements made further produced outside London. Journals like
comment superfluous. Campaign and The Director will be used, and a
Halfway through the exhibition George variety of specialized magazines not on general
Jackson was killed at San Quentin prison. An sale will be featured.
entire wall — the best placed — was cleared of all In planning the exhibition I have deliberately
other material and by the end of the show that steered clear of special investigations. I have not
wall was filled with cuttings relating to that spoken to photographers who work for the City
murder. Red roses from the Rose Garden at pages, nor to City Editors, because I want to
Alexandra Palace were placed against the centre base my comments on the same visual
of the wall to reinforce this act of homage and information that confronts other readers.
protest. At the 'Art Spectrum' show, sheets of paper
The work was presented as a prototype for were placed between the exhibits on some days
centres where people can fight back against the with the request that visitors might add their
powers of the press to distort and suppress comments; many people did so. This aspect has
reality. There is a crucial difference between the been extended, again making a closer link with
internal or private comment that is made in a the Body programme. Profile sheets will be
newspaper, and a public statement shared with available at the ICA reception desk in the form
others. The kind of public activity shown at of a questionnaire. Before collecting a profile
`Arts Spectrum' where people make on-going sheet, the visitor needs to go to the automatic
It is embarrassing these days to be an artist. comments — in a sense re-write the daily press — photographic studio which forms part of the
Artists move around sans pencil; sans paper; can be a valuable contribution to a community. exhibition (similar to the ones installed at tube
sans bags, which might conceivably conceal the In the inaugural exhibition at Gallery House stations), and have his/her photo taken. These
dreaded weapons of their craft. This London, which I shared with Stuart Brisley and prints are then attached to the profile sheet, and
embarrassment stems partly from the Marc Chaimowicz in the spring of this year, two will give us a more rounded idea of the person
unsatisfactory position of the artist as of the six rooms available to me on the second making the comments.
handmaiden to the social system : in particular floor were turned over to the mass-media. These The subject matter is presented in sections.
it relates to the financing of art. The Arts two rooms were titled Controlling Information For instance, grasping — where the executive is
Council and other art-subsidizing bodies derive from Below. The objective was to encourage the posed with hands and limbs outstretched;
their funds from the Government. Now many visitor to take part in making cuttings from accumulating — where executives are seen in
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