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

Arthur Lipsett

A few years ago, I found a strange audio collage lp made by a film maker called Arthur Lipsett.  The lp intrigued me to the extent that I contacted the National Film Board Of Canada to find out more.  The films they sent me were simply astounding.  Arthur Lipsett made an impressive series of collaged films during his lifetime , many of which were created using found footage and cuts of film that had been discarded as part of the editing process at the National Film Board Of Canada.   He created a body of work which thematically examined our collective loss of identity and alienation from society using banal and impersonal filmic fragments.  Lipsett sadly committed suicide in 1986, two weeks before his 50th birthday.

David Shrigley

This fellow has a knack of making me laugh, even when I don't want to.

Eino Ruutsalo

This is a short animation by Eino Ruutsalo, a pioneer in Finnish visual and kinetic arts. He was a film-maker, painter and sculptor.  I confess, I don't know much about him but a quick google came up with a plethora of links.

Things Ed Ruscha Told Me No. 3

Emperor Tomato Ketchup

Shûji Terayama's Tomato Kecchappu Kôtei [1971] is quite frankly one of the most disturbing films I have ever seen. Deeply distrubing. I'm not sure if this clip is actually part of the film but I remember it being shown at the same time. There is something not quite right about the music, part Yma Sumac, part Faust, improvised in the bowels of hell.

The Thought Forms Of Annie Besant

These images perplex me.  Annie Besant was a prominent Theosophist, social reformer, political leader, women's rights activist, writer and orator.  She advocated national education, womens' right to vote, and birth control in an age when these concerns were very much social taboos.  In 1888, she supported a number of workers' demonstrations for better working conditions, helping to organise female workers at the Bryant and May match factory in east London. The women complained of starvation wages and the terrible effects on their health of phosphorus fumes in the factory. The strike eventually led to their bosses significantly improving their working situation. Later in life she searched for spiritual enlightenment and embraced Theosophy, a religious movement founded in 1875 and based on Hindu ideas of karma and reincarnation.  The following images are illustrations which she created in order to to visually illustrate and understand the nature and power of human thought.

Things Ed Ruscha Told Me No. 2

A Sound Awareness Gets Blogged

I was delighted this morning to find that Acejet170 had mentioned A Sound Awareness in his blog.  I've read this blog avidily for years.  It's a great little blog on all things typographic and well worth a few minutes of your time.  I was also rather thrilled that my favourite blog, Unmann-Wittering, had given A Sound Awareness a somewhat positive and unexpected review, which can be read here in full. Helsinki indeed!

J.R Geigy AG

I picked up this book at the start of last year, it's entitled "Corporate Diversity- Swiss Graphic Design and Advertising by Geigy 1940-1970". It's a wonderful book, beautifully presented, carefully researched and published by those very design conscious people at Lars Muller. The book illustrates the development of Geigy Pharmaceuticals design 
studio. I love the simplicity of many of the designs, it's all very Swiss and very precise. 

Ruth White

Ruth White [b.1925] was an early avant self-taught electronic music pioneer. Her first recording was an occult-electronic impression of the Tarot deck called "7 Trumps From The Tarot Cards And Pinions". Her second lp, "Flowers Of Evil", from 1969, is widely regarded as her masterpiece. "Flowers Of Evil" contains readings from the poetry of Charles Baudelaire set to a frighteningly eerie electronic score

The Graphic Work Of Julian House

Julian House has the uncanny knack of producing designs which I could look at for hours.  I've two framed silkscreen prints by him in my living room which I never tire of looking at.  His best work references many of the things I love, Saul Bass, Max Ernst, Lewis Carroll, Jan Lenica, Stan VanDerBeek, Bernard Lodge, Pierre Clémenti, Jeff Keen, the list goes on.  Recently, Mr. House has been busy making films for the band Broadcast and the label he co runs called Ghost Box.  Hopefully, someday, someone will release these films on dvd.  The film "Winter Sun Wavelengths" is absolutely fantastic. ......and will someone be kind enough to bundle up his Ghostbox graphics in a little bound book.  Till that day.....

Things Ed Ruscha Told Me No.1

Ronald Clyne At Folkways

A couple of weeks ago, I was delighted to find a long overdue publication documenting the graphic work of Ronald Clyne on my doorstep.  As a record collector and avid fan of his graphic design I’d often wondered why his work was so neglected and undervalued.  Between 1951 and 1981, he designed over 500 LP covers for Folkways Records label.  His work combines a simplicity of design with colour and form.  Luckily for us, the wonderful people at Unit Editions have published a newsprint booklet documenting some of his best work.