Danchev, A. (ed.) (2011) 100 Artists’ Manifestos from the Futurists to the Stuckists. London. Penguin.

This is an interesting book to browse, full of new discoveries each time. It is slightly mis-titled, as some of the writings were not originally intended as actual manifestos, but are drawn from other artists writings - catalogues and exhibition statements etc. but much to the same effect. In that respect, I wish it had gone further, or perhaps that would be another book - compilations of artists writings gleaned from exhibition catalogues. The book also stops short of more up to date and contemporary writings, but perhaps that is because people think less about manifestos today - less artists groups, more individualism?

In general, it seems artists get rather carried away in writing manifestos, and create documents of change outside the scope of their artistic practice and into political and social revolution. Why not be ambitious. We all have our role to reframe society.

I was struck by the writing from the early 20th century, the time of the Futurists and Dadaist. So much of that artwork still reverberates deeply into contemporary culture, and consciously in art schools and art practice. We as artists are still very much working through those ideas. And yet there is a disconnect between historical intentions and translating them into the now. So much of the impetus then was reacting against the past, against the heaviness of tradition and institutions, whereas today, although it could be argued little has changed, in fact almost everything has changed. We may still be reworking the artistic ideas, but the intellectual arguments are not the same.

I was reminded of our local communist. He lives almost opposite me and is a local character who regularly sell pamphlets outside Tesco's and campaigns for revolution. His brand of communism is a sort of real, old, slow version. Once in a fit of Christmas spirit I bought a pamphlet from him. It made fascinating reading, that he was complaining about the current Labour party, using quotes from politicians in the 1920's to back up the case and supposedly reveal the truth behind what Ed Milliband really means when he talks. Certainly background and provenance have a part in political leanings, but it becomes ridiculous to imagine that antiquated utterings bridge the gap of decades, World Wars, and everything else that has happened.

Similarly with the Dada Manifesto of 1918 by Tristan Tzara. Like novels of previous times, it should be read in the light of the time. We can only read in the present, but I do think that I have encountered some art lecturers who speak of such ideas as if they were written today. We can glean from the past, translate it, learn from it, be inspired, but I realise that is not the same as mistaking it for current debate.

28th July 2014


...................................................................................................................................................................

M is for Manifesto

Sudjic, D (2014) B is for Bauhaus: An A-Z of the Modern World. London. Penguin.

http://eleanormacfarlane.blogspot.co.uk/p/links.html

Quite often when reviewing books for The Good Book Guide I am sent something very relevant or pertinent to art - practice and MA. B is for Bauhaus is a series of comments, loosely based in dictionary form, about design and culture in general.

M is for Manifesto
M is for Museum

These chapters discuss architecture and the poetics of space, ideas about public display and the relationship between individual practitioners and the wider context. Architects do not write manifestos in the way that they did - in the 1920', Le Cobusier's Towards a New Architecture (Vers une architecture) was perhaps the most influential aesthetic manifesto of the time, considering the effect it had on so many millions of lives and the homes they lived in. Perhaps it's unfair to blame one man for all harsh socialist housing schemes of the 20th century, but I know Cumbernauld a bit, the central Scotland town built really as a Brutalist 1960's experiment (featured in the film Gregory's Girl, 1981).

Grey and uniform, the houses are small and bit mean. Some look like garages with tiny windows at the front. It's the sort of place with little hillocks of grass dotted with teenagers. Some people love it and say it has great community spirit. Some hate it but visit for the giant supermarket. Architecture students visit and study the place. Beautiful it is not.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/columnists/the-brutal-truth-about-towns-like-cumbernauld.16923549

http://www.scotbrut.co.uk/category/location/cumbernauld/

http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com/2012/06/cumbernauld-town-centre-a-largely-deserted-dead-mall/

28th July 2014