Page 43 - Studio International - December 1973

Feedback black painted area, save for his hand CONTENTS
and brush. The photographs are bled
off the page and their scale is such
More book-art : Telfer Stokes that the area painted is also the area of
has recently brought out a new the page one is looking at. The
paperback volume, Foolscrap, to companion book /T/S//S/T is
follow his Passage of last year concerned with words but by
(see Feedback January 1973). contrast in a non-narrative way.
Foolscap costs £1.50 and is also In fact two-word phrases chase each
published by Weproductions (but other, in the following fashion :
available from Nigel Greenwood, FULL UP/UP TIGHT/TIGHT FIT/
Bernard Jacobson or Compendium FIT IN/IN SIDE, etc. A list of the
Bookshop), its concerns are similar artist's books is also available.
to the earlier volume, processes or A new magazine, entitled ONE,
passages of time are documented by available at 15p plus postage from the
successive photographs of the Editor, 'One', 30 Church Lane,
objects which participate in, or London N8, was launched in
demonstrate these processes. The October. It is attractively designed,
most conspicuous example in this apart from a jarring jumbling of
volume is the series of photographs of typefaces in some of the headings,
cress( ?) seeds grouped on a 'page' and contains some good articles
to form numbers, and which notably 'Chance and Order' by
germinate as one proceeds through Kenneth Martin, in which he
the book, so that their configuration describes his artistic development
is distorted and finally obscured by a and the modes of construction of
mass of shoots. These photos are on recent sculpture and paintings, and in
the right-hand side of the page passing makes some fresh sculptural
opening, and at first one is not observations on a humble object, the
particularly conscious of the left-hand matchbox ; two of his recent
side, however, as the sequence paintings are illustrated. The editor of
progresses one suddenly becomes ONE is Barry Martin and in his
aware that the left-hand page is a prefatory note he says that 'it is hoped
photograph of the underside of the that this art magazine will be seen for
preceding 'page' since it has what it is, namely as a search for
gradually been permeated by thin truth in these complicated and
rootlets; a strange illusion is thereby commercial times.' Wholly laudable
set up. As in Passage the latter part of aims, here's hoping it will survive, and
the book reproduces a series of remain as inexpensive; if the first
consecutive frames from a still film, number is not a loss-leader it is a
but in this case, since each frame is model of what can be achieved on
not quite as wide as a page what one assumes is a small budget.
opening, and since the strip of Another contributor, Bill Tucker,
images effectively flows over from makes some disparaging remarks
one double spread to the next, the about contemporary British
effect of turning pages bearing out of criticism in 'Morality and Criticism'.
phase but practically identical He says that 'what is needed now is a
images is to generate movement of a great cry of affirmation of the
different rhythm to this activity, and centrality of art in human experience;
in a manner contrary to the of the fundamental primacy in terms
flicker-book principle, in which the of feeling of the formal structure of
image changes its form but not its art', and goes on to enthuse over
placing. There are many ways of the quality of Adrian Stokes' writing,
regarding these and the other while regretting that he and some of
images in the book, and this is one of his great forbears did not have 'the
the reasons, coupled with the intimate association with the leaders
quality of the production, for its of progressive art in their own time
continuing fascination. enjoyed by the great French and
One of the two Flikker books American critics'. Richard
(published by Alecto International Wolheim's selection from Stokes's
in 1972 at 45p) which seem more writings : Image in Form (Penguin
than just toys, was that by Roy 1972 £0.60) published commendably
Grayson (the other was by Derek in the writer's lifetime (just), instead
Boshier) in which photographs of appearing, as so often happens, as
were used to describe the activity of a tombstone of appreciation, is
blowing up a balloon (and in effect referred to by Tucker, and he
to obliterate the blower). Last year reveals an interesting and apparently
he conceived and himself published rewarding technique for reading this
two other paperback booklets in particular book, he is also: I think,
large editions, and therefore at a unduly pessimistic about its impact
low price, namely Painting Book and upon younger artists. Other articles
IT IS/ IS IT, available at £1.00 and include one on Oltiski, another on
£0.50 respectively from : British sculpture, while more are
Roy Grayson, 54 Barnmead Road, occasioned by some recent
Beckenham, Kent. Painting Book exhibitions including 'Pioneers of
(a narrative book) is a series of Modern Sculpture' which is discussed
twelve black and white pictures both by Tucker and by John
apparently of a black-clad man Golding. Uncharacteristically for a
painting a white area black, so that little magazine this 24 page issue of
the painter, at first silhouetted ONE, by its tone and content,
against the unpainted white area, declares its concern with mainstream
eventually merges into the completed progressive art. Clive Phillpot
Feedback/Clive Phillpot 239
Vision/Malcolm Le Grice 240
G raphics/Andrea Adam 240
Books/John Walker 240
News and notes/compiled by
Paul Martin 241
Museum of Solidarity, Chile/Tony
Rothon 242
Merlyn Evans/J. P. Hodin and
Norman Ackroyd 243
California report/Ann Thornycroft 243
Art fairs — vanity fairs 7/Georg Jappe 244
Paris : Festival d'Automne and the
Biennale 1973 246
UK reviews/Judy Marie, Rosetta
Brooks, Cara Montgomery, Tim Hilton,
John Walker, Anthony Everitt, Lynda
247
Morris, Simon Wilson
Selected gallery guide 252
Four/Lucy Lippard 254
Norman Ackroyd is a print-maker, who
recently exhibited at the Arnolfini Gallery,
Bristol ...Andrea Adam is London
correspondent for Oui magazine ... Rosetta
Brooks is a freelance writer ...Anthony
Everitt is art critic for the Birmingham Post ...
Timothy Hilton is a contributing editor to
Studio International ...J. P. Hodin is a critic
and writer ... GeorgJappe is art critic of the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Malcolm
Le Grice is a film-maker and teaches at St
Martin's School of Art, London ... Lucy
Lippard is a writer, critic and historian ...Judy
Marie is a freelance art critic ... Paul Martin is
an artist living in London ... Cara Montgomery
is a Californian art critic, at present living in
London .. . Lynda Morris is a freelance writer
and art critic ... Clive Phillpot is Librarian at
Chelsea School of Art ... Tony Rothon is an
artist and writer, living in Madrid ... Bud Shark
is an artist and teaches print-making at the
Slade ...Ann Thornycroft is a freelance writer
living in Los Angeles ... John Walker is an
artist writer and art librarian ... Simon Wilson
lectures on art at the Tate Gallery, London.
Items for inclusion or review in the
Review' section should be sent to
Studio International, 14 West Central
Street, London WC1, with the
envelope marked 'Feedback, 'Vision,
'Graphics', 'News and notes', 'Focus,
as appropriate.
239