Page 24 - Studio International - October 1972

Feedback concerned with social and political themes, as a scene-setting piece for the symposium. Many
well as aesthetics. The ideas of Max Raphael are of the articles are fairly technical and are
discussed, as are those of Herbert Marcuse (one concerned with practical applications of the
source of the latter's views being his contribution computer to the production of artworks or to
to On the Future of Art, essays introduced by research into perception. One of the
Edward F. Fry, published in New York by The contributors is Gustav Metzger who writes
Viking Press in 1970 at $7.50); for a change, in about science, technology and society and his
an article which discusses art and politics, there large scale sculptural project which employs a
is no denunciation of particular styles. computer. He is also editor of PAGE Bulletin of
Also in this volume is a new translation of the Computer Arts Society (£1 or $3 per year
[It is intended that this column will draw Theo van Doesburg's 1919 article 'From from Alan Sutcliffe, ICL, Lovelace Road,
attention to articles in other magazines, to new "Nature" to "Composition" : Observations on Bracknell, Berkshire) which appears eight times
magazines, to exhibition catalogues and other the Development of an Abstract Painting', which a year. While it is often little more than a
publications that are not normally discussed or is accompanied by eight sequential illustrations, well-printed folded sheet, each issue is densely
reviewed widely, as well as to other media of the first of which is a photograph, the rest being packed with a large amount of diverse
communication relevant to the visual arts, paintings. The text is really more relevant now information and news about art and computers
regardless of origin. If it is to be useful, however, than the illustrations, since, taken as a series, from all over the world. The Computer Arts
much depends on feedback to 'Feedback'; copies they suggest a very literal interpretation of Society has branches in the USA and the
of publications will be welcomed, and will be abstraction. The text/commentary refers to a Netherlands, and an early issue of PAGE, guest
considered for inclusion along with news from process which commences with destruction edited by the latter, was published to coincide
producers or consumers. Items should be sent to (fragmentation) and ends with an harmonic with the release by the Dutch Post Office of
Clive Phillpot, ' Feedback' , Studio International, reconstruction; van Doesburg also makes an some attractive stamps with computer-generated
37 Museum Street, London WC1 . Clive Phillpot illuminating aside about the difference between designs.
writes this column in his personal capacity, and his a photograph and a painting of the same subject,
views should not necessarily be taken to represent which parallels points made in Bohm's article. Returning to that part of the spectrum of art
those of the body for which he works.] Bornstein himself has an article entitled propounded by and most frequently illustrated
`Toward an Organic Art: Ecological Views of in The Structurist, it is worth drawing attention
The eleventh issue of The Structurist appeared Man/Nature'. This is a stimulating discussion to the excellent catalogue of the Arts Council
recently. It is published annually from the which reviews the origins of the organic idea, touring exhibition of the work of twelve artists
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada, glancing at philosophy and art history, working in England along related lines and
costs $4.5o, and is edited by Eli Bornstein. The particularly of the Romantic period but also of entitled Systems (see 'Notes on the context of
articles are freely contributed by the authors and this century, and touching on a variety of "Systems"' by Malcolm Hughes in the May
artists, and while most of these are invited, interconnected and important topics. 1972 issue of Studio International for the
unsolicited manuscripts are also considered for The last article by Ian McHarg, chairman of background to the catalogue). This is another
inclusion. There are no advertisements. the Department of Landscape Architecture and very well produced publication, with a first rate
The Structurist was founded in 1960. The Regional Planning at the University of introduction by Stephen Bann and clear
name 'is meant to suggest formative, organic, Pennsylvania, entitled 'Architecture in an illustrated discussions of their work by each
integrative ideas/principles/processes/ Ecological View of the World' is both lively and artist; at only £o.80 it is very good value.
approaches. The structurist artist as "a builder" closer to ecology proper. A short piece by Frank Catalogues of several exhibitions which
is concerned with the building/growing Lloyd Wright on Organic Architecture, include works by some of the progenitors of the
processes of creation in Art and Nature', and not reprinted from The Future of Architecture, 1958, 'Structurist' and 'Systems' artists are now
with adherence to particular 'isms'. Light and endeavours to clear up some misunderstandings, circulating. There were two exhibitions of
order emanate from the pages of the eleven and Ronald Jones on the Golden Section and Russian art in New York State last year; the
issues, from the type on the page, the Jill Purce on the Spiral in Art provide compendia catalogue of the first, Russian Art of the
photographs, and the works reproduced, to the of sources on their respective topics and Revolution, is published by Cornell University
articles themselves. Early issues included works jumping-off points for further thought. and includes a brief introduction, a chronology,
and statements by Charles Biederman. brief biographies of the twenty artists
Number i t is entitled 'Issue on An Organic The latest issue of bit international, number represented which include excerpts from their
Art: Ecological Views of Man/Nature', and like seven, also concerned with interdisciplinary writings, and black and white reproductions of
most of the previous issues it is largely activities, has also appeared after a longish the 63 works — some good things from the
future-orientated. An equally relevant title interval; it is a very substantial number, 169 Busch-Reisinger Museum, Harvard University.
would be that of the first article (by David pages, and is devoted by contrast to a 'dialogue The second exhibition 'Russian Avant-Garde
Bohm): 'Fragmentation and Wholeness', since with the machine'. The magazine is published 1908—I922' at the Leonard Hutton Galleries
this theme permeates nearly every other article. by Galerije grada Zagreba, Katarinin trg 2, was larger, and so is the catalogue. A high
David Bohm is Professor of Theoretical Physics 4I000 Zagreb, Yugoslavia, it costs £I .15, is proportion of the I20 exhibits are illustrated,
at Birkbeck College, London University, but his edited by Bozo Bek, and also contains no mostly in rather lurid technicolour, and there
article is by no means merely concerned with advertisements. Most of the articles derive from are several photographs of the artists. John E.
modern physics for the artist; its central concern the papers read at the I969 Zagreb symposium Bowlt contributes a short historical survey which
is the need for a new but adaptable world view Computers and Visual Research. Each of the 20 incorporates several translations from Russian
that will facilitate a reversal of the processes of papers is in Serbo-Croat but with a parallel sources, some of which are unfamiliar. The
fragmentation in our society. Linguistics translation in either English or German, catalogue also includes a chronology, and a
provides a convenient approach to the problem, predominantly the former; contributors hail useful list of definitions and explanations of ten
which involves art, science, mathematics and from Germany, the Netherlands, Japan, the of the abbreviations and acronyms that were
ultimately metaphysics. This article sets a high UK, USA, Canada and Yugoslavia. spawned after 1917. Larionov and Goncharova,
standard for those that follow. There are fewer wide-ranging articles in this Malevich, Rodchenko and El Lissitzky are well
represented.
'A Free Art for Free Men' by Willis Truitt magazine. Vera Horvat Pintaric's 'Today's
complements Bohm's approach since it is Research and Tomorrow's Society' is in effect CLIVE PHILLPOT
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