TWELFTH YEAR BLOGDAY and "THE HARD PROBLEM"

Here is how this blog began on 27th April 2003:

My name is Augustine and this is my first blog. I am Natalie's alter egoist. I'm the ventriloquist and she's the dummy.

I'm embarassed that I thought I could keep up the pretense of being a cartoon character with a life of her own. Can there be such a thing as an alter ego?

Appropriately and coincidentally, on Saturday I went to see Tom Stoppard's new play at the National Theatre, The Hard Problem. (I hadn't read any reviews before seeing the play). The 'hard problem' is the mystery of consciousness. At least it's a hard problem for those who have a problem with believing that anything which is not material can exist, those who are absolutely convinced that the activity of a physical organ, the brain, is consciousness.

I don't have that particular hard problem because it seems completely rational to me that non-material things can exist and interact with matter. Does Augustine stand for consciousness while 'Natalie' is merely the body she inhabits, the hand that drew the cartoon character 'Augustine'? Maybe. Why not?

Bravo to Stoppard for tackling a controversial and profound subject on the stage - where better? Unfortunately in this play the characters he created are not controversial enough. It's as if he was afraid to come up with bold leaps of the imagination in case he'd be mocked on one hand by the orthodoxy of science, and on the other hand by the orthodoxy of religion or spirituality. Instead he sticks to safe territory, merely presenting known points of view spoken by mostly conventional characters within a situation that apes the real world but is too contrived to be convincing.

The most annoying stereotype in the play is the female lead, Hilary. She represent the educated, intelligent but naive believer: she believes in God, in morality, in altruism, in motherlove and in getting ahead career-wise, more or less on her terms. In order to embody these characteristics, Stoppard makes her female (of course), young, pretty, excitable and emotional, 'zany' in a cute way. Very Hollywood. To demonstrate her naivety, the playwright has her kneeling at the foot of the bed to say her prayers, after sex. Any original, probing, challenging point of view which might be expressed by a non-stereotypical, non-naive believer is automatically excluded because the Hilary persona is unable to depart from the conventional role Stoppard gives her. The male characters have more to say and are more rounded but they too are trapped in a script that is like a clever academic exercise.

The programme notes by Stoppard are more interesting and include an exchange of letters between himself and Richard Dawkins and an extract of a letter from Professor Armand Marie Leroi, leaving us to draw our own conclusions about where he, Stoppard, stands in the debate. I hope he isn't tired and hasn't lost his pizzaz, his ability to take on perennial philosophical questions and invigorate them in wildly original ways.

There's more to say on the Alter Ego theme but I want to wander away from it now. After the play I walked along the South Bank, always a pleasure, always filled with life and unexpected sights, sounds and smells, especially on a beautiful April afternoon. There's also a very speedy little movie at the bottom of the photos: skateboarders performing at their special hang-out.

  

PROOF THAT I WAS THERE

Shot by a fellow exhibitor, with many warnings from me regarding non-photogenicity.

PARIS SALON DU LIVRE and more

That's where I was from the 19th to the 23rd of March from 10am to 8pm every day, behind stand Number B46. All because I heard about the Salon by chance the week before it opened and, on the spur of the moment, decided I had to be there.



This is a major international book fair and it was extremely unlikely that any stands would still be available - they are generally booked a year in advance. I got on the phone to the organisers and demanded the smallest possible space in the Art Square section where, according to the website, there would be livres d'artiste exhibitors. As luck would have it Stand B46 was not taken. I took it. Too late for inclusion in the already printed catalogue but an online mention was posted. The Old Stile Press generously agreed to share the cost of my coup de tête and I took plenty of OSP publicity along with copies of the three books we have collaborated on: Revelation,  Scenes from the Life of Jesus and, of course, the newly minted Trans-Siberian Prosody and Little Jeanne from France.



Pushing the button which activates my inner robot I sprang into Organiser Mode, booked Eurostar tickets, obtained instructions for collecting keys to my sister's flat in Paris, bought a new lightweight wheelie suitcase to carry heavy books, ordered business cards and ...ah... that's when I noticed my outer robot was not as springy as it used to be. On the way to collect the cards all the way across London, the tube suddenly stopped abruptly and I fell, hard, onto my right side. Sharp pain in the ribs but, lifted up by kind passengers, I went on my way with no further ado. Further ado came later when cracked ribs began protesting every movement they were forced to make before, during and after unpremeditated jaunt to a book fair, of all things unsuited to dodgy ribs. Fortunately I could take advantage of the situation by asking for Assistance getting on and off Eurostar and was hugely impressed by their efficiency in this respect.

Did I enjoy the whole experience? No. Would I do it again? No. Was it worth doing? Yes, absolutely. Reasons why it was not enjoyable: cracked ribs. Freezing cold inside the huge hall (heating out of order). Not the right ambiance for showing/selling this kind of book. Bad/expensive snack food at the fair. Interminable hours sitting and mostly standing. Long daily metro journeys to and fro. Awkward and off-piste position of stand B46 at first.

One of a few (not good) snacking areas.


Reasons why it was worthwhile: excellent contacts established. Meetings with some very interesting and sympathique individuals. One sale and potentially more to come. Sincere, deeply touching comments from many who stopped by. Everyone, regardless of background or age (including adolescents) was familiar with the writings of Blaise Cendrars and admired our version of Trans-Siberian. Fellow exhibitors in the immediate vicinity were without exception friendly and supportive. And, on the third day, out of the blue, a Salon official came over and told me to get ready fast because he was moving B46 to a much better position. Delighted and puzzled as to why this hadn't been done sooner since the space had been free before, I shifted my stuff pronto to the wider area with much improved visibility.

The signs and prints on the left belonged to another exhibitor.


In the past I've had stands at book fairs in America, in the UK, in Germany and in France and I've never ever liked playing the role of sales/PR person for my own work or being in those high-pressure environments. But one thing makes up for innumerable discomforts: the special people one encounters. For this reason I'm grateful to the inspiration which led me to the Paris Salon du Livre 2015.

  Demonstrations of litho printing were given by a master printer.






   Many talks took place during the fair, at very loud volume and often all at the same time.



   School children arrived in vast numbers. (Note Trans-Sib in foreground)

            African poets performed with music and song.

Back home, ribs settling down, I'm gradually catching up with loads of things left undone when I rushed off, hence my poor blogging performance. Isn't it pretentious and silly to think that blogging or not blogging matters one jot to the universe?

In the universe on Saturday, a wonderful visit from the Lucy and the Tom, both of them together this time. No matter how well you think you know blogger friends you've been reading for some time, their physical presence adds details which neither photos or mental pictures can ever fill in. It was my second 'live' meeting with Tom and my first with Lucy: all the fine qualities she expresses in Box Elder were manifest while entirely new ones were added. Tom, temporarily but frustratingly incapacitated by an injured foot, was still in fine form and we three enjoyed much laughter as well as more than one glass of wine chez moi and with lunch at The Junction across the street. Thanks be to real friendship in the real world.



As this Easter day ends I wish you, my friends known and unknown, a springtime renascence. And what could be more life-affirming than the Kemptons' seriously smiling faces.

WONDERFUL MAN PLAYING PIANO IN SIBERIAN BAR

Post by Gilles Porte.


I'm absolutely in love with this old guy and the song he's playing, whatever it is.

LUCKY ME IN LUCY SCARF

A small package arrived a couple of days ago with Destinataire in big bold beautiful handwriting above my name and address . I tore open the un-English soft brown wrapping paper to reveal something I have never in my life received before: an object beautifully made by hand especially for me.

A scarf knitted by lovely Lucy in France, in a palette of colours she knew I would love because she's attentive and noticed the colours that often crop up on Blaugustine, and a quirky shape she knew I would love too, a kind of triangle with long tails that you could wear in lots of different ways. It has a perfect name as well - Baktus /Karius after Norwegian children's book characters, though Lucy is not sure why.

What I am sure of is that there is nothing in the world like a friend who knits a scarf for you and sends it to you out of the blue, just like that. Merci Lucie, merci encore!

Here it is in normal scarf mode.

And here it is in hat and moustache mode, for when I want to tame wild horses in Mongolia.

VIDEO OF PAULO FREIRE

If you need inspiration,  a renewal of faith in humanity or just a recharging of your enthusiasm batteries, watch Paulo Freire, the famous Brazilian educator/philosopher, aged 75, at the end of his life. Observe his eyes, his smile,  his voice...do you agree that he's got access to the fountain of youth?

AROUND THE WORLD BLOG HOP

is the title of a round-robin kind of project which the multi-talented writer, artist, publisher, blogger and good friend Beth Adams has invited me to participate in. It's a growing link-up of visual artists who are each asked to answer four questions, post the replies on their blogs, then nominate another artist who takes up the baton on the following Monday. Although I would not normally join a chain, I'm flattered that Beth invited me and besides, it obliges me to try and pin down some thoughts which have lately been flickering around my head like butterflies, evading my grasp. So I'll treat this as an inner investigation.

1. What am I working on?

Ever since finishing the 40+ relief blocks for the Trans-Siberian book - more than a year of exciting, demanding, concentrated and difficult work, now happily completed and out in the world in its final form - I've been wondering: what's next? I always find it easier to begin new work when the task is tied to some outside responsibility: a deadline, an exhibition, a book, a painting, an event - that is awaited by others. This sense of fulfilling an obligation (even one deliberately chosen by me) is a powerful motivator and confers a discipline that I otherwise lack. When there is no particular destination for a project - then I waver from one possibility to another and it's much harder to get going. So: what I'm working on now is deciding what I will work on now. Uppermost among possibilities is continuing the autobiography, and returning to Augustine, my alter-ego, in some new form.

Detail from The Lesson 1992   78 x 29 x 15 cms  Mixed media construction

2. How does my work differ from others of my genre?

How does Picasso differ from Braque? Van Gogh from Gauguin? Rembrandt from van Dyck? You'd need to go through the whole of art history, examine ancient and modern concepts of art and individuality, analyse specific artists' aims and influences. Nothing is absolutely new under the sun. To find my own voice in art means to shed influences I've outgrown and assimilate others which continue to inspire and strengthen me. A perceptive critic looking at all the work I've done over the years would be a better judge of whatever may be distinctive or innovative in it. Anyhow I don't know what my 'genre' is. I work in a lot of different ways: painting, printmaking, books, 3-D media, writing, comics, etc. and I hope to add more etceteras before I depart this planet.

Augustine and Inertia - 1985 - from the series The Augustine Adventures
 (see this strip larger on the main Blaugustine blog)

3. Why do I create what I do?

Because it's what I know how to do. Because I've never wanted to do anything else. Because it allows me, at least some of the time, to remain a child in a world of adults.

Page from graphic novel-in-progress

4. How does my creating process work?

I suppose in much the same way as all creative processes do. The trigger might be a memory, an observation, a sudden spark, an encounter, a continuation, something heard, or read or seen. The trigger then becomes a desire to give shape, to give birth to the idea. Experiments with different forms, techniques, materials. Many many trials and errors. Allowing chance and intuition to have their say. Establishing discipline, a time-scale. Starting. Stopping. Starting again. Succeeding. Failing. Failing better. Starting again.

 Detail from My Life Unfolds 2012  Accordion book

 That's it.

I will now pass the Around-the-world-blog-hop baton to my friend Phil Cooper, an Englishman currently living in Berlin, whose collages and other artworks impressed me from the moment I first saw them. You're on next Monday, Phil!

CRITICAL MOMENTS REVISITED

 

 The Guardian online has just published this comic strip which I emailed them yesterday morning, in reply to a request in the Family section of the newspaper's print edition last Saturday, for early childhood memories. Here's the relevant Guardian page about their Witness project. Thanks Guardian, we meet again!

Lately I've been thinking that autobiographical material, depicted in some kind of cartoon style, is probably the visual language I feel most at home with. Defining one's own creative voice is a difficult, ongoing process and in my case, complicated by over-exposure to too many influences and languages, both literal and metaphorical. From earliest childhood I absorbed the sounds and inflections of French, Russian, German, Spanish, Portuguese, English and later on, Italian. Alongside this multilingual cacophony (which seemed normal) was a multi-dimensional, restless family lifestyle, never completely at home in any one place. So I suppose it's not surprising that I've always found it problematic to choose just one form of expression, one medium, one direction, one style that I can call "mine" among so many possibilities. But who knows, I might change my mind tomorrow.

ENTHOUSIASMUS

Greek: entheos - divinely inspired, possessed by a god
 
The enthusiasm with which many of us embraced blogging has dwindled with time, as most enthusiasms tend to do. No, I'll rephrase: it's not time which dilutes enthusiasm but one's own inability, or reluctance, or resistance, to maintaining an enthusiasm alive and fresh as it was when you first felt it, for something which lifted you up, moved and challenged your creativity. If boredom or disillusion sneaked in and you allowed them to stay, a chance to go much deeper into that enthousiasmos may well have been lost.

My own blogging enthusiasm, born in 2004, has indeed faded but it is by no means dead. One way the flame can be re-kindled is by the example of some bloggers who consistently, faithfully and skillfully plow their own patch of cyber-land and when a meeting with some of them in real life occasionally happens, it's a significant event. I am very fortunate that blogging has given me the gift of a few lasting friendships, subsequently reinforced by face to face encounters.

So it was that a few days ago I had the great pleasure of meeting Vincent, A Wayfarer's Notes and his wife Karleen. To have the two of them sitting at my table was as easy and natural as if we had known each other for years. When a blog is a reflection of a person's whole self, distilled and offered to the reader in thoughtfully wrought words (with or without pictures) then, if you meet in the real world, the artificiality of most social encounters is eliminated.

I only discovered Vincent's blog fairly recently, led there by some comments he had made elsewhere, and when I began to browse his archive, I was hooked. Something in his approach which particularly resonates with me is summarised in two brief quotes I've pulled out of two  separate posts:

I want to observe what goes on in my life, without tying it down into concepts; to talk about what happens, without naming.

When I sit at my desk trying to tell it how it is, words flee. Only when I look elsewhere, sniff the open air, read the book of Nature, catch the phrase someone utters, aloud or in a book, do I collect clues to define my true state.

During the too-short two hours that Karleen and Vincent spent at my place and through browsing attentively in my blog archive, he collected not only sufficient clues to write an insightful review of La Vie en Rosé but also of 'the true state' of my work in general.

If you haven't yet discovered Vincent's blog,discover it now.

Enthusiasm, enthousiasmus, entheus....welcome back!

GREAT NEW CONNECTION

My New Year is starting off with a bang: not only is the Trans-Siberian ready to leave the station but I've also hooked up with a beautiful Pomegranate....what could be better than that?

Pomegranate Fine Art is Bill Garnett's online gallery and the above link leads to his FaceBook page where today he uploaded photos of some of my etchings from The Creation from the Book of Enoch, an artist's book I made in 1992. You can see details about it here as well as on Pomegranate. I still have a few unique proofs in colour and some black and white double sheets (including text) and these are all now for sale on Pomegranate Fine Art. The colour prints are also displayed on the Printed Editions website. 

Five and a half Hours in Paradise was the subtitle of The Creation from the Book of Enoch.
It's also the title of this image.

Sugar-lift etching and aquatint on painted paper. 37 x 28.5cms. 1992