Philips' Prospective 21e Siecle Records

I can still remember the thrill of discovering a couple of these records in a Parasian flea market almost two decades ago.  From the moment I saw the intricate foil sleeves, I knew there was another sound world waiting to be discovered.  Philips' Prospective 21e Siecle Records was launched in 1967, as a platform for the newly emerging musique concrete and electronic scene.  The covers were printed using polarized metallic inks and still look as futuristic as the day they were designed.  I've tied to research their author but found scant clues.  If you know who designed them, I'd love to know.

Who Is Sleeping On My Pillow

One of my favourite artists, Jockum Nordström, has a new exhibition opening at the David Zwirner gallery at the end of this month.  There's some absolutely stunning examples of his collage based work on show.  The exhibition runs from 29th April to June 12th.  If you're in the vicinity of New York during these dates, I recommend you pay the gallery a visit.

Oscillons

There's something incredibly beautiful about the abstract electronic art created by Benjamin Francis Laposky.  As early as 1947, Laposky used a cathode ray oscilloscope with sine wave generators and various other electrical and electronic circuits to create what he termed 'Electrical Compositions'.  The electrical vibrations shown on the screen of the oscilloscope were recorded using still photography to often startling results.

An Excuse & Three Interludes

I've been a bit busy over the past week, what with Glasgow International Festival Of Visual Art [more of that later], the primitive psycho dunt of the Wooden Shjips and the majestic showmanship of Chain from Chain & The Gang [undoubtedly the best exponent of 'Neo Marxist Diddleyesque Expressive Rock 'n' Roll' working today]. There's not been much time write up anything of note.  Hopefully you'll enjoy these few links.

Sculpture Sonores

This piece of music haunted me as child and I still find it eerie as an adult.  The music is entitled "Manache" by Lasry-Baschet.  It was used as the theme for an ITV children's educational programme which was aimed at five to eleven year olds.  Years later, after an internet trawl, I located a little 10" record of this music.  It's all very odd.  Even the instruments are odd.  Another reason I find this odd, is that one of the musicians is flying through the air.  Not very oddly, I've posted some images for you to enjoy.

Kulchur

As I'm going to spend the next four or five days soaking up some culture at The Glasgow International Festival Of Visual Art, I thought I'd post a different kind of Kulchur for the one or two readers of this blog.  Kulchur magazine formed a vibrant part of the 60's literary scene and was published from 1960 to 1965 for a total of 20 issues. Many of the covers have a stark, serious graphic aesthetic which still holds a strong visual currency.

The Museum Of Everything

From Primrose Hill, London to Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli in sunny Torino, the Museum Of Everything sure gets around.  This collection represents art produced outside the confines of the traditional art world by people not normally associated with the process of making art.  Outsider art was a term coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for 'art brut' (French:"raw art" or "rough art"), a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture.  Personally, I find the term 'outsider artist' misleading as it alludes to a division between those 'in' and those 'out' which by it's very nature has political implications.  This collection, showcases some wonderful examples of art which is both uplifting, intriguing, frustrating, poignant, enchanting, raw and honest made by people at the margins of society.

A Slightly Sinister Intermission

More From The Rayon Muting Archive

Another found image from the Rayon Muting Archive [see previous post]. Again, if you know anything about these images, please get in touch.

The Graphic Work Of Wim Crouwel

I really like these early examples of Wim Crouwel's work.  Although each design is firmly routed in the International Typographic Style , they have an eerie and suggestive quality about them.

Images From The Car Boot Of Sun Ra

Ever since Michael at Stopping Off Place posted these images, I keep going back to them.  The photographs are by Sigmar Polke and Augustina von Nagel.  They remind me of so many wet, hallucinatory, early mornings I've spent searching through piles of discarded consumer detritus, looking for that special object of significance.

The Rayon Muting Archive

These images are decidedly odd. I found them a while back in a Berlin flea market.  All in all, there were several hundred photographs.  The middle image has the word Rayon Muting scrawled on the back.  This is the only clue I can find regarding authorship.  I think the person who collected them had a thing about painted drum kits, as there's about ten or so of these images.  Many of the photographs are odd, very odd, which is probably why I bought them.  A few are darnn right scary.  Again, like the Voïta images, the internet has failed to reveal further information.  If anyone knows anything about them please get in touch.

Blexbolex

Last Christmas, one of my family gave me a small publication by the illustrator Blexbolex.  It really is a thing of beauty.

A Boring But Polite Public Notice

How chuffed am I. This morning, A Sound Awareness was linked to this rather wonderful chap's website.  He's a bit of genius but we won't hold that against him.  In his honour, I'm posting another of his artworks.  He'll probably sue me for using it as he sent me the following terse reply when I emailed him to seek permission for the first image I posted. 

Consider yourself sued.
Your internet disconnected
Your kids auctioned
Your house on e-bay
Your clothes at the rummage sale
Your record collection at the car boot
Sorry,
But laws are laws...

Tom Friedman

There's nothing to see here unless you're superstitious.

Untitled [ A Curse ] , 1992
An 11-Inch spherical space 11 inches above a pedestal cursed by a witch.  


Lovely isn't it.  Just don't stick your head in it.

Eric Framond - Univers 2000

Library music is music made specifically for use in advertising, television, radio or film.  Most of it is rubbish.   This recording is probably my favourite library record.  It's full of dark, twisted, menacing, off kilter jazz, some of it dedicated to Satan, which is nice.  I'd love to know more about where this music eventually appeared, especially the track "Le Robot Casse".  Mr. Trunk has described it as thus, "Possibly a perfect record. Hard, jazzy, psychedelic and odd. And there are lots of ladies squealing behind insistent demonic rhythms which is what we like. Includes "Orgy With Satan" which is a title I am hugely envious of."

Lawrence Wiener

.....thanks to the The National Museum Of Bad Art for explaining the difference.

Things Ed Ruscha Told Me No. 4

Jason Dodge

The Flutes Are Filled With Poison, 2010

blockflutes, comium maculatum, silver

Four Carat Black Tourmaline and Half-carat Ruby Inside an Owl, 2009

It's probably my age, but I normally don't like overtly conceptual art, that said, these little bits of 'thought art' lubricated my imagination.

Linder Sterling