Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1976
15 x 10.5cm, 2pp. A photograph by Dave Paterson of an installation of the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art Sundial and an explanatory text below to explain the work in metaphysical and classical terms. VG+.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1976
15 x 10cm, 1pp. A line drawing by Laurie Clark of a ship steering towards the viewer with its name on the prow: it can be seen to be a model because of the large faucet to be found in the background.
Finlay was fond of making and playing with toy boats from early in his career. VG+.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1976
11.3 x 16.6cm, 1pp. A photograph by Carl Heideken shows an actual chocolate soldier marching while carrying a heavy gun. Finlay equates this to the German Panzergrenadier who were the basic troops of the Panzergrenadiertruppe, their uniforms were often brown, famously the enlisted men were given chocolate bars (Scho-Ka-Kola) as part of their "Front Fighting Packages" when supplies arrived.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1976.
15 x 10.5cm, 2pp. A photograph by Carl Heideken of a Oerlikon cannon below which the word LYRE has been added by Finlay. On the reverse of the card there is a Hereclitian quotation from Edward Hussey's book on the PreSocratics: "Applied to a lyre, harmone might refer to the structure of the unstrung lyre, or to that of the strung lyre whether tuned or not, or to that of the lyre tuned in a particular mode."
Visually an Oerlikon cannon's ammunition looks somewhat like the strings of a harp (lyre) so Finlay sees a visual correspondence between the gun and the musical instrument (both also make noise) and the classical quote notes the synthesis of the visual beauty of the weapon/instrument with its function. VG+.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975.
22.2 x 14.6cm, 8pp (single card folded twice) . A "calendar" designed by Laurie Clark for Finlay with each of the months being given new symbolism. For example, January has a drawing of "black bees and white bees", March is "glider-days", October - blue swan lake and December - the silent hive.
The use of symbols for each month is reminiscent of Le Calendrier Republican that was introduced on 24 October 1793 by the National Convention where the names of months were replaced with objects relevant for that season or month with the year beginning in March. Finlay/Clark's is less radical in that the names and dates of the months are not replaced but the symbolism is similar if more modern.VG+.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, n.d. (1975)
11.8x 15.1cm, 2pp artist postcard with a reproduced painting by Manduca of an air craft carrier. J. M. (Edmund John Millington) Synge was an Irish playwright, poet, writer, collector of folklore, and a key figure in the Irish Literary Revival who wrote the bleak and realitic play The Playboy of the Western World. VG+. ...
Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975.
20 x 15.2cm, 2pp. A photograph of an installation in the Stonypath (later Little Sparta) of a ground stone that reads "See POUSSIN, Hear LORRAINE." in front of a small lake. Both names are painters, the first tending to paint arcadian scenes, the other views of rivers and sea ports. Photo by Michael McQueen, the sculpture who worked to Finlay's instruction was John Andrew. VG+.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975.
20 x 15.2cm, 2pp. A photograph of a garden sculpture depicting the world's first ever nuclear submarine - USS Nautilus. The work is in concrete and an abstracted shape of the hull and towers. Photo by Michael McQueen, the sculpture who worked to Finlay's instruction was John Andrew. VG+.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975.
15.2 x 20cm, 2pp. A photograph of a garden stone plaque with Albert Durer's well known monogram. Title of the work is after Durer's famous watercolour painting "The Great Piece of Turf" from 1503 which shows a bunch of wild flowers. The placing of the plaque is like most sitings in Stonypath (now Little Sparta) great considered and the photograph shows how it is next to a group of uncultured wild plants. Photo by Michael McQueen, the sculpture who worked to Finlay's instruction was John Andrew. This was the first of three cards which all show garden scenes. VG+.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975.
10.5 x 15cm, 2pp. The last of a series of "National Flags" created by Finlay - here a blank, white rectangle represents purity and perfection - hence the flag of a utopia. VG+.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975.
10.5 x 15cm, 2pp. The last of a series of "National Flags" created by Finlay - here the red flag (of war) has three tanks (rampant?) on it. In myth Viking warriors either go to Valhalla (a vast feasting hall overseen by Odin) upon death, or the fields of Fólkvangr hence this fictitious nation is warlike and requires such an angry flag. VG+.
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Dunsyre: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1975
9.9 x 22.5cm, 4pp Folding card printed only on the inside. Left and right respectively are found:
TEA-KETTLE-DRUM and WATER - LILY - CUP
in a slightly archaic font. The colours of the words alternative black and russet red.
The two groups of three words are able to be combined in any three ways - on the left it can be Tea kettle, Tea drum (a place to store tea) and Kettle drum (a type of drum) on the right Water lily, Water cup and Lily cup (a part of the flower). Additionally the complex words Tea kettle drum and Water Lily cup are in themselves things and have a visual resemblance to each other.
Finally it may be that the mention of the drum recalls the French Revolutionary Army and Bara, the martyred drum boy. The French crown was long associated by the fleur-de-li, a lily. And of course the head of the king (lily cup) was removed when he was legally murdered by the new Republic.
Simple and complex like the best of Finlay and ultimately a "text visual" as opposed to a "visual poem".
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