Page 51 - Studio International - May 1974

Portable fish farm survival piece no. 3, Haywood Gallery, London

Each new work begins as a simulation of an did not blend well ecologically. The at that time, 'The grounds of Art have to
existing situation. Process, rather than form, is developmental time was too brief. (In Lagoon I change . . .' This appears to be true for the
represented. It is redone many times in drawing learned to blend fresh water and salt water.) grounds of sociology, architecture, politics or
form. Small parts are redone many times to gain However, since the Haywood Gallery staff and food chain research: in fact, this appears to be
familiarity. Considerable time is spent on the director were supportive far beyond the call, the true about the grounds for 20th-century
original site. A work generally does not form up structure worked and the ritual and feasting behaviour in most self-selecting elitist
until I am in intense intimate relationship with aspects were altogether successful. Enough lead disciplines. This is inevitable since the western
the operations in it. time elapsed so that when the fish farm was world view is atomic in nature. Obviously, post-
Portable Fish Farm was first conceived to sit re-constructed in Brussels at the Palais de atomic sensibilities are developing. Is there to be
outdoors. It used earth and water pastures with Beaux Arts it was done as a storage system for found a categorical imperative, Kant's
minimal support systems. Lack of time and carp, tench, rudd and bream. The work then intellectual grail, a magical, alchemical question
funding problems reduced it exclusively to became efficient and acted as a proposal for live that can be asked before committing to an
water pastures for the indoor gallery. The tanks food distribution. action, that will tell if that action is moral ? By
had to be redesigned to hold less water in order At the time of the show, I remember attacking moral I simply mean congruent with a
not to stress the floor supports. Using less water art in its present condition as sterile, a closed collectively conserving ecological world view,
required more elaborate life support systems. system, stiflingly self-referential — that the yield congruent with self-support and small group
The idea of combining salt water, a storage per quantum of effort was pitifully low. coherence, integrated with the larger bio-
system for molluscs and crustacea, and a fresh Although I still hold that position firmly, it no systems and referenced at the level of art into
water breeding and growing system for catfish longer seems valuable to me to attack art. I said human interaction. q

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