2004.10.04 10:47
4 October 1720, etc.
Giovanni Battista Piranesi was born 4 October 1720.
Although very little of his designs were actually executed in built form, Piranesi nonetheless often signed his work with the title of architect. For example, the frontispiece of Le Antichita Romane volume II contains a signature plaque with the architect designation --
www.quondam.com/temp/signature.jpg . When I started working on Prince of Traffic (part 2 now complete --
www.quondam.com/temp/viaappia.jpg ) I had no idea the original print depicted a fantastical view of the Appian Way. It really is something like a funerary "rush hour."
And how about Mount St. Helens "fuming" in the news again. Wasn't aware of the coincidence before, but 18 May 1980, when Mount St. Helens last exploded, was also my mother's 56th birthday. My maternal grandmother once told me about the fire alarm being sounded in Brestowatz, Yugoslavia on 18 May 1924. The Danube had begun to break its banks, thus an emergency call for all men in the region was sounded. "Well, that sure explains Mom."
Personally, I see the recent volcanic activity in Washington State as a sign that 'Happy Birthday Helena Augusta' hit its mark, especially since I (embarrassingly remember that I) forgot my own mother's birthday 18 May 1980.
Death of Marcel Duchamp 2 October 1968.
Birth of Giovanni Battista Piranesi 4 October 1720.
Birth of Le Corbusier 6 October 1887.
Death of Otto I of Bavaria 11 October 1916.
Napoleon's arrival at St. Helena Island 15 October 1815.
2000.10.04
Architecture stripped bare by the Bachelor(s) Stephen
Yesterday, while relaxing, I thought a lot more about my new “art book” project, and I found myself wanting to right away devote all my energy to the project. While the actual “book” will be compiled on a cd, I also saw the whole exercise as the opportunity for me to (finally) write about and indeed display my art (work). Moreover, my texts could be sold piecemeal at /pieces, while my artwork will be displayed at Quondam, plus the entire project is the perfect way for me to organize-record all my artwork.
Because of the Duchamp references in the title, this project is also the best way to introduce myself as architecture’s first Duchamp. Even though I won’t explicitly call mysel architecture’s first Duchamp, the notion will become implicit through the explanation of how I came to art via cad and the Tomkin’s New Yorker article on doing things with hands (dexterity). The explanation text will supply a more subtly described “connection”, esp. since I can include both old and new art. Of course, I will make reference to the Duchampian notion that art is whatever an artist says is art, thus, by extension, a Duchampian architect has to be one that proclaims themselves as such. I could well write a short essay entitled “Is there a Duchamp in Architecture?”
The other appealing aspect of this is that because of the Duchamp theme, my overall presentaion can be as absurdist or slapdash as I want, thus allowing me to use my creativity to the fullest.
When high, I get real excited about this project because I see it as getting me a lot of desirable attention. Of course, that remains to be seen, but it is worth my effort to do the project because at least I’ll be doing something to promote myself and my work, rather than spending time and energy analyzing the work of others. The other reason for me to work intently on this project is because I’ll bring a sense of completion in terms of my long standing plans to organize and archive my artwork.
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