paul robertson, Author at Unoriginal Sins

02 Apr THE DIVIDED MEADOWS OF APHRODITE. 1975.

Posted at 09:57h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975
15 x 10.5cm, 2pp. A drawing by Gary Hincks of the deck of an aircraft carrier is labelled with the Greek and the English quotation - the divided meadows of Aphrodite. As discussed elsewhere on this site (a blanket in the object multiples section) this does not only reference the verdant landscapes of the classical Greerk gods but also is a sexual metaphor for the goddess' labia. The drawing shows the red path where the planes take off and land on - which is clearly a visual reference to the vaginal opening. VG+

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30 Mar MARINE PROTOTYPES. 1975.

Posted at 10:01h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975
14.7 x 11cm, 2pp. Two photographs are shown - one of a harbour with a boat (LH 62 - a trawler) and below it (by Vic Smeed) a commercial image of four modern irons with model numbers and the brand name Sunbeam in front of them. The visual correspondence is in the shape of the front of the irons and the prow of the boat. And the numbers on both images allow Finlay to suggest that the subject of the photographs are prototypes of each other. VG+.

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29 Mar ZUM TOTLACHEN. KINDHEITSERINNERUNGEN. 1975. SIGNED BY BOLTANSKI.

Posted at 10:04h in EPHEMERA

Dusseldorf: Stadtische Kunsthalle, 1975
21 x 15cm, 1pp announcement leaflet for a performance by Boltanski with "his talking doll" - one of the first of such performative works by the artist where a besuited and be-hatted artist discussed "childhood memories" in a faux ventriloquist act. Interestingly young people under 10 are specifically invited to attend. On the back Boltanski has signed the leaflet to Berg thanking him for is support. VG+. although formerly folded.
JOINT WITH:
Hand addressed envelope from Boltanski to M. Berg sent from Germany.

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28 Mar CHERRY STONES. 1975.

Posted at 10:09h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975
10.1 x 14.7cm, 2pp. A photograph by Paterson of two model rockets (with wings) coming out of thick cloud (cotton wool) is identified as two V1s of the Kirschkern (Cherry Stone) project. The V1 was the much feared German "flying bomb" that was used indiscriminately against the British population in and around London during the blitz
Much like a cherry stone that one bites onto without warning, these bombs would fall without warning (if you heard the sound of them falling then you were safe as the auditory waves followed the missile's path because of speed - cf the theme of the wonderful Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon)> A cherry stone might hurt your crunching teeth and the German codename for the missile project reinforces that consideration. VG+.

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25 Mar SAVED BY HELICOPTER. 1975.

Posted at 10:48h in Object + Paper Multiples

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, n.d. (1975)
12 x 12cm., olive green and black on white ceramic tile. The image is a newspaper story of how the Morning Star ran aground and that a boat called the Twilight came to the rescue. Clearly the story appealed to Finlay due to the coincidences of the names. One of 100 published. Very scarce.

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20 Mar THROUGH A DARK WOOD. MIDWAY. 1975. MEDALLION.

Posted at 12:52h in Object + Paper Multiples

Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975
3.5cm, dia. copper and brass plated aluminium medallion with chain. With a design by Ron Costley (which originally was created for the exhibition Heroic Emblems) of the smoke issued by the aircraft carriers to reduce visibility to enemy planes and helicopters during the battle of Midway The text borrows from the opening lines of Dante's 'Divine Comedy': 'In the middle of the journey of our life ('Midway'), I came to myself in a dark wood". The dark wood here is a smoke, This is based on a Costley drawing for the book "Heroic Emblems" and is one of four Finlay medals based on those original collaborative illustrations.
All of the Heroic Emblems showed modern machines (mostly of war) in reference to Classical myths. With original box and 14.5 x 14.5cm, 1pp (folded twice) leaflet with a commentary by Stephen Bann. Edition size not known but very hard to find.

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20 Mar BUTLER THE WORLD’S MOST GRACIOUS MAN. BYARS. 1975. UNIQUE MAIL ART.

Posted at 10:00h in James Lee Byars

16 x 8cm, 6pp. Single folded printed card. Unique mail art work sent from Bern to James Butler by Byars in August 1975 (from postmark) comprising a breakfast menu from the hotel (Guten Morgen/Bonjour/Good Morning/Ohayo Gozaimasu/Buenos Dias/Buon Giorno/Boker Tov printed on the front) and on the open middle pages with the food options Byars has written across the top in his starry handwriting :"BUTLER THE WORLD'S MOST GRACIOUS MAN. BYARS" and on the back panel "WITH SOFT SEATS AND A 2 O'CLOCK CHECKOUT TIME EXQUIS INTELLIGOUT" (sic). JOINT WITH 9 x 17,3cm, pink mailing envelope hand addressed by Byars with return hand written address. A mailed and franked example./ Unique work....

19 Mar A MILLION RANDOM DIGITS WITH 100,000 NORMAL DEVIATES. 1975. UNIQUE APPROPRIATED BOOK

Posted at 20:59h in James Lee Byars

NYC: The Rand Corporation, 1975 27 x 20.7cm, 200pp. black boards. An appropriated book which Byars has claimed as his own by signing the first black end paper with his name and the date in his starry letting. Given as a gift the book is a listing of supposed random numbers which clearly appealed to Byars interest in the immaterial and the universal. Fine condition. Unique....

18 Mar ARTREACH FILM SERIES. 1975?

Posted at 16:57h in Jud Yalkut

N.P. (Columbus): Artreach, n.d. (1975) 28 x 21.5cm, 1pp leaflet/small poster for a film series of experimental film that included Yalkut ("Titles to be announced") and Gail Gregory, Brian Lewis, Jeff Wright and others. VG....

18 Mar ONE-MAN SHOW BY JUD YALKUT. 1975.

Posted at 16:53h in Jud Yalkut

NYC: Millenium Film Workshop, Inc., n.d. (1975) 28 x 21.5cm, 1pp small poster for s showing of TURN TURN TURN, SELF OBLITERATION and AQUARIAN RUSHES by Jud Yalkut. The filmmaker was present to discuss the work. VG....

18 Mar A MIXED MEDIA PERFORMANCE IN ISOBE’S FLOATING THEATER. 1975.

Posted at 16:51h in Jud Yalkut

Oneonta, NY: SUNY Oneonta, n.d. (1975) 28 x 21.5cm, 1pp small poster with a design that look a little like Yalkut's style. The work shown was "Dream Reel" by Jud Yalkut. VG. ...

17 Mar PANZER AM WALDRANDE. 1975.

Posted at 10:16h in Artist's Postcards

Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975
13.2 x 10.5cm, 2pp. A line drawing by Jim Nicholson of a forest scene with poppies in the foreground is given the title by Finlay of "Panzer at the forest edge" in German. The camouflage of the tank seems to be perfect as one cannot see it in the drawing (in fact it is not there).
Perhaps the poppies - a flower associated with remembrance of war dead - are there to remind one of a destroyed tank (and there are references to such a rout of the German armoured force in the literature where 14 tanks were destroyed at 'the edge of the forrest" but that may be coincidence. IN any case one of several cards that uses the idea of tanks in a landscape as a momento mori. VG+.

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