Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1993
12.4 x 8.2cm, 4pp card with a drawing of a fountain by Gary Hincks on the front and internally a poem "(words for a fountain)":
. . .
rising?
falling?
brimming
which perfectly describes the constant movement of the water. VG+.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1993
5.4 x 3.9cm, 4pp card with a typographic design the text ~"Fire Coming On Will Discern And Catch Up with all Things" run together and shaped into a lightning strike. The text is a quote from Hereclitus who also wrote "Thunder Bolt Pilots All Things" - a reference to Zeus the most senior of the Gods. The quote is a threat of what will happen to the unjust and the shape a clear hint at its origin.
This is the second of two cards with the same text and the same design but the font is much lighter than in the previous card. VG+.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1993
5.4 x 3.9cm, 4pp card with a typographic design the text ~"Fire Coming On Will Discern And Catch Up with all Things" run together and shaped into a lightning strike. The text is a quote from Hereclitus who also wrote "Thunder Bolt Pilots All Things" - a reference to Zeus the most senior of the Gods. The quote is a threat of what will happen to the unjust and the shape a clear hint at its origin.
This is the first of two cards with the same text and the same design but the font is much bolder in this one than in the later card. VG+.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1993
14.5 x 11.5cm, 2pp card with a photograph by Pia Simig of a photocopying machine in b/w. Below the image Finlay has added "COPYING_MACHINE-gun" - the sound of an old fashioned copier when set to repeat is somewhat similar to that of a machine gun shooting bullets quickly and repetitively. VG+.
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Ostfildern: Edition Cantz, 1991
21 x 15cm, 3pp announcement leaflet for the release of the limited edition print which is reproduced on the front. VG+ although one punched hole top left as issued.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1993
17.4 x 9.9cm, 2pp card with a vertical text - "LARK with your tiny scissors you shred a huge bale of BLUE" - a concrete poem which is also reflected in the predominantly light blue colour of the card. VG+.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1993
17.4 x 9.9cm, 2pp card with a vertical text - "CLOUDS your incredible capitals crown the tall grey columns of AIN" - a concrete poem which is also reflected in the predominantly grey colour of the card. VG+.
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n.p.: n.p., n.d. (1993)
60 x 82cm, light blue on white silkscreen. The image of a sundial is joined with text in Greek and English - Saint-Just's most famous dictum "too many laws, too few examples". Like many quotations the meaning out of context can be changed - Saint-Just was referring to deaths in the terror, but a modern take might be that we need better people or better behaviour (Virtue perhaps)? A sundial is a good example - once placed and checked for accuracy, its behaviour is true and unvaried. it is a good example.
One of 300 signed and numbered examples (the signature is in pencil, the numbering in ink.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, n.d. (1993)
21 x 8cm, 4pp proposal by Finlay for a sculptural work to be built in Willam Shenstone's The Leasowes in the form of an artist card.
The internal drawing by Annet Stirling is of the proposed stone obelisk which bears a text "From this spot may be seen the works of Walter Somer's forgemasters inadvertent manufacturers of parts for the Iraqi super-gun. Citius elephantem subala celes - sooner could you hide an elephant under your armpit".
This is unusually a political work by Finlay - Sadam Hussain had attempted to build several super gun under the title of Project Babylon. The first gun had a bore of 350 mm (13.8 inches), and a barrel length of 46 metres (151 feet). Finlay wanted the work to be build in the grounds of the house near Halesowen. VG+. ...
Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1993
15 x 10cm, 2pp card with a photograph by Ralph Irving of close up of strawberry plants with a stick noting "Fete des fraises" in a net to stop birds eating the fruit.
Strawberry was the name (Fraise) of 11 Prairial (30 May). A celebration of the greatest of fruits. VG+.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1993
9.8 x 10.1cm, 4pp card with a painting by Gary Hincks of a wheel barrow full of wood. A visual poem.
Interestingly and perhaps the point of the card - the word bouquet comes from the Old French "bosquet" equivalent to bosc wood. VG+.
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Little Sparta: Wild Hawthorn Press, 1993
34.2 x 29.2cm, green on white paper offset lithograph in a folder with a drawing by Annika Sandell of the proposal which is a version of a textual work LITTLE FIELDS LONG HORIZONS that Finlay has utilised in several types of works including artist's books and early prints. The garden is tapered and thus Finlay wishes to create walls with the texts to reflect classical perspectives - thus : "The existing garden tapers as if in emulation of Renaissance perspective drawings. The proposed design exploits this by the division into terraces on slightly different levels with steps between. The theme of perspective is finally given expression in the text which is realised in stone as part of the three dividing walls.". VG in like folder.
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