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June 30, 2005
Thursday
At the end of yesterday, when I had these ones copied, I wasn't very happy with themóabout putting them up. Of course I kept telling myself "that's good to put up things I don't think are resolved" and anyway I ran out of time so I just had to get them done. Funny thing was that this morning when I was pasting them up I actually quite liked them. I've been trying to think why, and all I can really say is that they are 'changed' by their application to the bollardóin situ. I guess the significance of the beer poster below has only just occured to me . . . intoxication, chance, 'winning'. . . The Grand Saloon has 'casino' (gambling) references (in case that wasn't obvious?). I've mentioned before my interest in the designed artefact's ability to move beyond the designer and begin to take on a (unexpected/unplanned) life of it's own (a monster of sorts). I'll try and flesh out these ideas in a more cohesive critical reflection on this project next weekówhen it's over!
Posted by Luke Wood at 09:31 AM
June 29, 2005
Wednesday
This is the second image. I put these up in town this morning. I decided to try and work with the screen shot, which I'd really only used as a kind of avoidence tactic initiallyóusing the screen to say "all I've done is choose an image here, no design here, move along please". But, as I mentioned in the previous post, it didn't quite work out like that, and there's something I quite like now about the screen shot. Actually I guess this is interestingóPhantom put up some of the first posters 'landscape' . . . the right way around, which makes sense as they had no idea what was coming next. Interesting that they based their decision on the convention thoughóthe text and the screenóover the orientation of the image. I'd like to say something here about familiarity and monstrosity but I'm not sure what it is exactly yet? I'm enjoying the disruption of the screen as a convention, a familiar environment. Is this monstrous in any way though . . . ?
Posted by Luke Wood at 05:40 PM
June 27, 2005
Monday
This is the first poster. A bit of a glitch today though . . . only these 2 got put up (Phantom Billstickers are putting them up)!? Apparently the others will go up in tomorrow morning, so I'm going to be doing it all a day later (last poster will go up on Saturday instead of Friday).
Notes on this first image/poster . . . = hard! Just choosing the image and trying to make it appear 'natural' or uncontrived, but of course I'm thinking about what it looks like already!? Taking the screen shot of the image in photoshop has been compromised by my attempts to "lay it out" by positioning the windows in a certain way . . . is this so bad though? I had a good chat with Aaron about this and agree with him that it doesn't matteróthe artefact's inevitably 'designed', I'm a designer and design 'is' contrivance generally.
Anyway that's not what my project's about I guess. Actually it's probably quite the opposite . . . performance 'is' contrivance . . . what's my point again? I stated that I was interested in this project [1] revealing the process and [2] exploring the 'unfinished' nature of the artefact. I think I need to consider how it's monstrous? Or how either [1] or [2] lead to monstrosity (or not)?
The Image/Design . . .
The image is a picture of Brion Gysin in 1953. I got it from the 'Re/Search' magazine that Neal gave me when I was last over in Melbourne. Gysin was an artist/writer who was heavily influenced by Tristan Tzara's 'Cut-up' method of making poetry. Gysin introduced William Burroughs to the idea, which he tthen eventually employed in his publishing of his manuscript for 'Naked Lunch'.
Of course this methodology had some resonance for me in relation to the manifesto I made for my book Hot Rod Biology last year (a cut'n'paste collection of other people's manifestoes and ideasóunattributed and claimed by me for my manifesto of The Hybrid Practitioner). Gysin and Burroughs were both interested in chance, in the derangement of the senses, in insanity, and intoxication ó in order to move beyond the known and familiar into the unexpected . . . both could be potential 'models' for The Mad Designer.
Regarding the design of the poster . . . I had to scan the image of Gysin in 2 parts. I had been thinking about the idea of using a Google Search as a poster or series of posters, and it was up on my screen. I did move the windows around so that the final screen shot would show/not show what I wanted. I actually really like the image now . . . I guess in part because it's surprising to me (unlike what I might usually do/think of). In that sense especially I'm really not sure what to do or where to go with it from here?
Posted by Luke Wood at 01:08 PM
June 26, 2005
One week poster project
This week I'm going to design a poster for the next Grand Saloon gig. I'm going to make a start today and I'm going to have it finished by Friday. However, I'm going to start putting them up tomorrow morning. So whatever I've got by the end of today will be posted up in the streets 'as is' early on Monday morning. I'll repeat this process every day until Friday morning at which point the 'final' poster will go up.
Why am I doing this? Basically this idea came directly from a conversation I had with Laurene about the differences between 'playing live' in a band and 'designing' stuck away in my office. What I find interesting about live performances is that the process of making is exposed to the audienceóit happens 'at the time'óand perhaps this is why I haven't really been so interested in recording. I'm not really putting too many expectations on this project. I just want to do it and reflect on it over the week . . . see what happens? I like the systematic nature of it!
Posted by Luke Wood at 10:08 AM | Comments (2)
June 20, 2005
Porn and the Unabomber manifesto
The Unabomber's manifesto, a lengthy rant (about the evils of technology, science, corporations, and Leftism, was published by Bob Guccione in this issue of Penthouse. Apparently the bomber sent it to the New York Times and The Post, who were both initially reticent to publish it, so good ol' Bob put an ad in the NY Times letting the bomber know that he'd publish the manifesto. The Unabomber got in touch with Guccioneóthey even talked on the phone . . . apparently Guccione even offered him a column!? It would seem there are 2 world records to be claimed in this issue! A serial killer getting his manifesto published in a magazine with this kind of distribution? Ironically it was his manifesto that eventually lead to his capture, after having been hunted for 17 years by the FBI.
I've been trying to find the Unabomber's original manuscript but haven't been able to? I was interested in the processes he'd employed. He was obviously extremely anti-technology, and what I have been able to find out is that he wrote it on a manual typewriter in a small shed that was his home. The shed had no electricity or plumbing. Of course I wonder how he must feel about his manifesto being such popular web-fodder these days? Digital technologyóthe internet specifically, much like the invention of movable type in the fifteenth centuryóis surely a kind of holy grail for writers of manifestos?
The internet has also been great for pornography! Obscenity, fanatacism, extremity and transgression are common undercurrents in subversive manifestoes . . . I think maybe this is important to my interests in monstrosityósubversion? I want to think more about why I'm attracted to crackpot ravings and the aesthetics of porn (oh I haven't mentioned that I'm designing a website for Anna in which I'm aiming to appropriate the aesthetics of internet porn).
Posted by Luke Wood at 04:42 PM | Comments (1)
June 18, 2005
Wounded for our transgressions
According to this flyeróqouting the Bible on the other sideóJesus, son of God, "was wounded for our transgressions" (Isaiah 53 verse 5). While I have previously discussed monsters in terms of transgression that's not really what I want to talk about here. What I was interested in, when this A4 flyer showed up in our letterbox today, was the language it employed. There's two points of connection here I think . . . manifestoes, and my seminar monster-movie. It had kind of occurred to me already I think that my performance (actually in the movie and in the band) was tinged with something like some kind of 'religious zeal' . . . God only knows why!?
We've been getting quite a bit of this kind of 'mail' lately. I always read it from start to finish because I find it quite amusingóactually engaging. Not for the right reasons though! And I think it's the language that engages me? While I always find it offensive initially, I always end up really enjoying it's over-the-top-ness for chuckle value at least.
When I was in Melbourne Neal gave me a magazine that has some great images of William Burroughs shooting guns. It's with a text written by him which is basically a how-to guide to terrorism! Again I was engaged by the language.
Fanatacism and fear . . . ? I'm not really sure what I want to say about this or how I think it relates to design, but I've been thinking about this in relation to my writing a manifesto. Exaggeration. . . Cameron commented on 'bigness' in relation to my topic, in relation to monstrosity I guess? I don't know how to tie all this up right now, but I feel quite excited about the potential to explore this 'vibe' through making work. Is this yet another tangent? A departure from or modification to the topic? It seems there's already much of this in my practice (esp. band posters ó eg. "With our reverb we will raise the dead"). . . which I hadn't really noticed. I guess that's important? Observing my practice . . .
Posted by Luke Wood at 04:14 PM
June 17, 2005
A Manifesto for Monstrosity
I've been thinking about doing another manifesto for a while now. Reflecting on my work from last year one of the things I still quite enjoy is the manifesto I made for my book 'Hot Rod Biology'. I had since thought that the final outcome of my research might be a manifesto. I guess in this sense I've been waiting to 'have something to say'? It's occured to me recently, since the GRC, that maybe I should just get on in and do this though. I thought it would provide a good opportunity to pull together what I see as the successful aspects of previous projects (failures may have been successful) in a discursive and reflexive way. Thus reponding to Cameron's criticism that I wasn't being systematic enough in my thinking/making. I thought it might also help me 'work through' Dave's question about what my work might mean to either other designers or clients. This really threw me at the time, and I think it's really good Dave brought this up. In this sense I might, through a manifesto, attempt to communicate something of what I have learned, and am still learning. I guess I need to think a lot more about what exactly a manifesto 'is'? Interestingly Jonty and I had been discussing this on The National Grid site. Maybe I'll see if we can spark that up again?
Some things to think about (to move this away from Fear perhaps?). . . Familiarity and the Fantastic, the Ridiculous and the Sublime?
I picked up this little gem in Memphis, Tennessee. It just seemed to make a lot of sense when we were driving around America . . . especially in the south, where there's so much religious quakery, racism, and poverty. That this was the inevitable literary product of America's 'bottom end'óas opposed to what we'd seen in L.A an New Yorkómade a lot of sense.
Posted by Luke Wood at 12:08 PM
June 13, 2005
Fear of fear
I'm really not sure about 'fear' . . . the tangent my topic has taken in the last week or two? I think Yoko's comment on the previous post kinda hit on what I was thinking/feeling but couldn't describe.
I think my use of 'monstrosity' wants to be about something else? Fear might well be a part of it, but I don't think it's a motivating factor for me or the monster. I think my monsters will be more about familiarity, mistakes and failures, the unforeseen and the fucked-up.
I really want to start making some actual work. I'm going to try to write about the McCahon typeface AS a monster for The National Grid, and I'd quite like to use that as a discursive exercise to further explore the monstrous metaphor. I have a couple of projects I want to try out in relation to certain points that came up in the GRC . . . rather than say too much here I think I'll just get on and do them though.
Posted by Luke Wood at 02:02 PM
June 08, 2005
Fear of failure
In my video I stated that "a fear of the unknown" was "the most common and deep seated fear of all". In response to Yoko's comment on my previous post (and my subsequent thought processes!) I'd like to alter the first part of that statement to "a fear of failure".
I think the fear of failure is pervasive? In some people more than others though? Without getting too touchy-feely and personal about this, I'd like to state that I've grown up in a culture of specifically this kind of fear. My father is a very intelligent and talented man who has never ever really tried to do much with his life (hopefully he won't ever read this!?) . . . I'm not criticising him for this, I just think he's always been afraid of aiming too high? I think this has rubbed off on me and my sister. Her more than me. She failed a Pilates exam for the second time recently and has been too scared to tell our father about it. I guess I feel like I've never really 'failed' at much, but I would have to say I've never really aimed very high either? I would tend to consider the possibility of failing and embark on something only once I was sure there was a possibility of my completing it successfully.
I think I'm getting more confident as I get older though . . . this is evidenced by my willingness to front a band I think. I'd never sung in a band before ó first time was about 2 years ago exactly (right about when I decided to apply to do postgrad actually). And now I love it. I get a real kick out of it. Which seems to link into what I was doing in the weekend . . . learning to write HTML coding ó getting over your fears, approaching your anxieties head on . . . the potential to 'crash' ó and hence the excitement.
This relates to The National Grid project. The thing I'm most scared of at the moment! I guess I feel like this a very real chance of failing? That I've never done anything like this before, that I feel totally unqualified and out-of-my-depth, that I'm scared I'm going to let Jonty down, that I'm not smart enough, that I've got nothing to give/say, that no one will be interested anyway . . . is all racing around my head and keeping me up at night . . .
The National Grid scares the shit out of me. I definitely feel like we're creating something we can't control, that is potentially beyond us. I haven't mentioned this to Jonty, I wonder if he feels the same way?
The other thing that scares the shit out of me is this Masters research . . . actually not 'it' as such, but feeling like I'll never finish it!
In my video/seminar I talked about locating Design's fears and anxieties. Maybe Design doesn't have any fears and anxieties. Design isn't even a thing. There is no 'design', only 'designers'. Perhaps, as a designer, all I can really do is attempt to locate my own fears and anxieties?
Actually, getting away from design again, I'm wondering about something I talked with Laurene about ó the fact that I don't really like to 'record' my bands. I had said this was because I didn't find it very interesting listening to my own music, but I'm wondering if I might also be scared of the permanence of a recording? Or of the idea of putting stuff 'out there'. . . that we're only any good as a live band, and that we couldn't capture that in a recording?
Now I'm just afraid this post might never end . . .
Posted by Luke Wood at 02:44 PM | Comments (4)
June 06, 2005
The grid, systems, and getting it wrong
A week later now one commentófrom the GRC panelósits in the front of my mind . . . 'that you need to be ON RAILS to go OFF THE RAILS', or something like that. It was Cameron who mentioned this, along with his suggestion that I need to be really systematic in how I go about this. This was basically in response to the appearance I gave of not having 'made' any work . . . actually Cameron suggested I was just mucking around. And I can see his point . . . that I'm finding it hard to 'start' is only exasperated by my topic. Interestingly, I hadóthrough making the videoócome to the realisation that I might not 'make' monsters, but rather NOTICE them in/of other things. In hindsight I can see the parallel here with what Cameron was saying . . . I can (as John Cage suggests) start anywhere! Of course initially saying that sounds/feels greatóliberating. But then it soon occurs to me that anywhere is also nowhere, and I get that old sinking feeling again.
I guess what I wanted to say here was that I have a tendency to want to wait around for the 'right' project to present itself to me. One which I know is going to work out for meóbe worthwhile. But of course this won't lead me to my monsters . . . in fact this is precisely something I fearówasting my time on something that might not 'work out'. That projects don't 'work out' in this sense should obviously be part of my topic. I'm reminded of the panels critcism of Stuart for not including the projects that 'failed', and then of course the clichÈ that we learn by being wrong. I think what I'm getting at here is that I'm stuck because I can't figure out how to go about 'doing-it-wrong', when actually I shouldn't be trying to do anything wrong . . . I should just be 'DOING IT', and things will inevitably go wrong. In this sense my project is to somehow enable a better 'noticing' of these deviationsóthese monstrosities!
What I was going to talk about on this post was the fact I've spent this weekend beginning to learn to write HTML coding. After a really good discussion with Keith and Neal I'm quite intrigued by this. We quickly talked about the similarities between working by letterpress and writing HTML, specifically the inherent restrictions within both processes. I should point out that I've never designed a website. I've only ever worked in print. And when I first saw a page of HTML code I was horrified and disgusted. How could anyone 'design' in this way? Or, maybe more to the point, why would anyone want too? It seemed so removed from the actual artefact. But then, of course, as Keith and Neal point out, so is working with woodblocks in reverse . . . you have to do quite a bit of work before you can see a result. Anyway I'm waffling . . . all I really wanted to say was that having got over my initial FEAR I'm actually having a lot of fun with this HTML stuff! I've talked to Jonty about designing The National Grid website, and I'm going to try and do a couple of others as well . . .
Posted by Luke Wood at 09:16 AM | Comments (2)
June 04, 2005
GRC No.3
Can't figure out how to get my movie small enough to put on here!? It's 20 minutes long so maybe it ain't gonna happen? Thought I'd put up some stills and write up all the monologue . . .
not really satisfactory, but anyone who's really interested should contact me and I'll burn it as a quicktime movie and put it in the post!
Posted by Luke Wood at 12:00 PM