Page 94 - Studio International - May June 1975

which each film was dealing, was New Contemporaries would seem that no marks at all articulation of heavy-gauge
made evident within the first few 1975 were awarded this year for finish. metal, real sculpture, was to be
seconds, making the rest of the David Annesley, Michael Craig- seen in the garden.
film formularized in much the Camden Arts Centre Martin, Alan Davie, John The painting was rather less
same way as any Hollywood type 25 February-19 March Golding, Patrick Heron and John tricky, often unusually lacking in
movie. What is meant by this is McLean cunningly brought `sophistication'. Razor's Edge
that in films of the Hollywood There is a commonly held together the strength of those (Lombardi, Goldsmith's),
genre one 'journeys' through the fallacy that art students works born out of perversity, employing a very hot colour
beginning, middle and end of a obediently follow trends. The art- inability to handle a medium or range and a richly 'artistic'
process which is known to the student is a member of the sheer crankiness, leaving out all touch to loosely describe what
audience, consciously or avant-garde, and nowhere is the but a smattering of pieces of pure might have been a kitchen still-life,
unconsciously, before they even avant-garde more reactionary, less ego-boosting plagiarism. It appeared by virtue of the fact
arrive at the cinema. With these likely to be doing 'what's would have been very easy to that it came so close to being bad.
landscape films it takes little happening' than within the make this show look good. With It was as though crass phrases like
effort, having seen the beginning student body. The evidence was the massive submission of around `sense of attack' and 'bold
of the films, to predict the to be seen at this year's 'New 700 works from 45 art schools, colour' had been taken and used
remainder. The exception was Contemporaries' at the Camden it is to the credit of all concerned as a formula. Another unusual
William Raban's film, Angles of Arts Centre where an almost that one walked away without the picture was etched into the surface
Incidence, which was more of a devout contrariness dominated a feeling of having looked at the of the painting with (one
dialectical montage, although the bitty exhibition. work of 'gifted' people. imagines) the pointed handle of a
game element which I mentioned William Tucker insists in a Everything exhibited was brush.
earlier was still evident. The film catalogue footnote that unlike the identifiable as either painting or Where was the sense of 'cool'
examined rigorously perspective, old 'Young Contemporaries' sculpture though "object" which usually pervades student
light, colour and rhythm, making (`where most of the work shown would probably best describe a shows ? Even the token hyper-
it more problematic than the other was produced in protest against few Dadaist works. Wooden realist drew on the quality of the
films. the prevailing orthodoxy of the Spoons (McCarthy, Goldsmith's) mark for the success of the
Jane Clark's films, Circle and NDD curriculum'), the new show was a three-pronged chunk of a painting. Careful selection had
Water Reflection, were the most is 'an opportunity for sizeable tree, one branch dressed-down the whole
simply made, and contained commitment' where students, as tapering to a finely whittled exhibition. There were no claims
perhaps the most beautiful images artists, 'take public spoon. The nakedness of the this year to instant no-trouble
of the whole programme. Water responsibility for what they have other two prongs was success, no faked case histories.
Reflection was twelve minutes of made — absolutely, not in the tantalizing. 7 bricks (Crichton- The paintings and sculptures on
reflected water, changing attempt to land a good Diploma Stuart, St Martin's) were details show were produced by working
according to the wind. Circle was grade or a good teaching job.' of Seurat paintings on house- artists.
an image of branches and leaves But purity of purpose isn't the bricks. I wonder why ? Tony Rothon
glinting in the sunlight, seen reason behind the changed Woodbreaker (Homer, Belfast)
through a black mask with a appearance of the annual student was a simple device which
circle cut out of it, the sunlight show : the 'New Contemporaries' gripped a piece of wood while
spilling round the edges. Because was selected by artist-teachers, providing the means for snapping John Armstrong
of their complete lack of action not by students. The result is a it, a hand-winch operated by the
and simplicity of image, one tightly-planned but loosely- artist. Another strange piece Royal Academy
never asked, 'What is going to handled (tatty) look, the look from Belfast was Memorial to 22 February — 31 March
happen next?' as one does often which spells out an honest, Paul Wittgenstein (McIlroy), Merlyn Evans
when watching commercial films. down-to-earth approach to the a piano-shaped object covered
There was a certain distancing and making of art. with paper-flowers. Paul New Art Centre
a sense of non-involvement on the Students themselves tend to Wittgenstein was a one-armed 12 February — 8 March
part of the viewer. However the favour the well-finished concert pianist. A chunky
tedium of these films tended to `professional' look which wooden ironing-board had a The Royal Academy's
reduce one to a soporific state characterized the 'Young fluorescent tube sunk into its retrospective establishes John
that counteracted any possible Contemporaries' for many years surface, the light flicking on Armstrong (1893-1973) as one of
attempts at the deconstruction of till an internal rumble brought-on when the expensively-cast iron the few contributors to English
dominant cinematic codes. a rowdy demonstration complete was lifted. A motorized table-top Surrealism who spoke with an
Although most of these films with fireworks, dented canvasses played tricks on the objects authentic, personal voice.
touched on major cinematic and smashed floor-pieces. It resting on it. Some forthright Armstrong was obviously
problems such as camera
awareness, duration, lack of
narrative and so on, hardly any
seemed to have come to terms
with these problems in a major
way. One felt that they had missed
their point of germination, and so
rendered themselves ineffectual.
None reached a truly experimental
level of awareness. Because they
brush against the real political
problems of the cinema, because
they meet a struggle almost
accidentally, they become
misleading and regarded as
important within 'avant-garde'
cinema. Having said this, let us
hope that the Tate Gallery will
continue to show more
independent films as there are so
few outlets at present for this type
of work, which, in spite of its
shortcomings in this case, is of
great importance in the creation
of an alternative cinema.
Anthea Kennedy

R. McIlroy Memorial to Paul Wittgenstein

242