Esperanza Spalding & William Blake: Little Fly

Photo by Johann Sauty  esperanzaspalding.com

On the one hand, there is a stunning musician: Esperanza Spalding, the charismatic bassist, composer, and singer, who distinguished herself in the contemporary jazz scene. On the other hand, there is a long gone but not forgotten poet: William Blake, an original, radical, and massively influential artist, who became a key figure in the Romantic movement. Esperanza Spalding’s third solo album Chamber Music Society, released in 2010, includes a track called Little Fly: this is William  Blake’s poem The Fly, from his collection Songs of Experience, published in 1794. 

Two hundred and sixteen years later, the former seems to be very happy, and I have no doubt that the same would apply to the latter just as much: that “Billie Blake Lives” graffiti outside Paddington Station was no accident.

                                                             The Fly

                                                              Little Fly,
                                                              Thy summer’s play
                                                              My thoughtless hand
                                                              Has brushed away.

                                                              Am not I
                                                              A fly like thee?
                                                              Or art not thou
                                                              A man like me?

                                                              For I dance,
                                                              And drink, and sing,
                                                              Till some blind hand
                                                              Shall brush my wing.

                                                              If thought is life
                                                              And strength and breath,
                                                              And the want
                                                              Of thought is death;

                                                              Then am I
                                                              A happy fly.
                                                              If I live,
                                                              Or if I die.

                                                               

Portrait by  Thomas Phillips    Wikipedia

Skies, #3

As a dear childhood friend of mine says, the best time of the year to look at the sky is right now; it’s called autumn, or if you prefer the coming of the September equinox. It is another game the light chooses to play with us, albeit a particularly beautiful one. Even if one thinks that a cloud is nothing but a cloud, and that there are more important things to do than to look at the sky, the light will not let them. It will play around with the shapes one sees, paint them with unique colours, change them constantly, and leave them with a promise; tomorrow it will be back for more. And this is actually the best part: around this time of the year, games are always on for tomorrow. 

Athens, 21.09.2011, 19:32, 19:36, 19:40

For all the Troy Davises of the world

According to Brian Evans of Amnesty International USA, Troy Davis’ execution was “an abuse of power that exposed a justice system devoid of humanity, a dysfunctional destructive force in denial about its own deeply embedded flaws,” while David Zirin in The Nation addressed it as “little more than a legal lynching.”

Amnesty International also brings up the cases of Alireza Molla-Soltani in Iran, Zahid Husain Shah in China, and Lawrence Brewer in the US, who were executed on the same day, and emphasises the need to abolish the death penalty.  As Troy Davis said in his message the day before his execution:

“The struggle for justice doesn’t end with me. This struggle is for all the Troy Davises who came before me and all the ones who will come after me. I’m in good spirits and I’m prayerful and at peace. But I will not stop fighting until I’ve taken my last breath.”

Calls for action & further reading: 

Troy Davis: the fight goes on, Amnesty International UK, 22.09.2011

Not in my name pledge, Amnesty International USA

Leave a message of solidarity, Amnesty International UK

A grievous wrong, Editorial, The New York Times, 21.09.2011

Troy Davis execution goes ahead despite serious doubts about his guilt, Ed Pilkington, The Guardian, 22.09.2011 

Troy Davis executed in Georgia amid innocence protests, BBC News, 22.09.2011

We will not quietly sit by: Urgent new call to stop the execution of Troy Davis

Amnesty International calls for further action to stop the execution of Troy Davis, because sadly Georgia’s State Board of Pardons and Paroles rejected his clemency petition. As Amnesty International argues “we do not accept this decision and we will not quietly sit by.” The execution is scheduled for tomorrow, and as time is of the essence I am posting the new call by Amnesty International below – please take action immediately:

Georgia's State Board of Pardons and Paroles has recently rejected Troy Davis' clemency petition. Davis continues to face execution on Wed., Sept. 21 at 7 pm EDT.

We demand that the Board reconsider its decision and demand that Chatham County (Savannah) District Attorney Larry Chisolm seek a withdrawal of the death warrant and support clemency himself.

Troy Davis was convicted on the basis of witness testimony – seven of the nine original witnesses have since recanted or changed their testimony. He has survived three previous execution dates, because people like you kept the justice system in check! Let Georgia authorities know you oppose the death penalty for Troy Davis! 

New call: Stop the September 21st execution of Troy Davis!

Pop Art and politics: Richard Hamilton, 1922-2011

Photograph: John Reardon/The Guardian

I’ve never felt that I wanted to repeat something, because there’s an excitement in inventing things. Being creative is really a desire for this experience of finding something new. So it’s that newness that I’ve always looked for.

Transcript of the John Tusa Interview with Richard Hamilton, BBC Radio 3

Richard Hamilton, a key figure in the development of contemporary art, passed away last week at 89. In his obituary by William Grimes in The New York Times he is addressed as “a pioneering figure in Pop Art,” while in The Guardian Jonathan Jones calls him “the most influential British artist of the 20th century.”  Perhaps the best known work of Richard Hamilton in this respect is his interpretation of consumer culture in Just what is it that makes today’s homes so different, so appealing? This collage was created for the poster and catalogue of the landmark 1956 exhibition This is Tomorrow, and has been considered as one of the earliest and most influential works of Pop Art.

popartheaven.org

As Lawrence Alloway argues, Richard Hamilton was the only British artist who used Pop Art for political as well as satirical purposes (Lucy R. Lippard with contributions by Lawrence Alloway, Nicolas Calas, and Nancy Marmer, Pop Art, Oxford University Press, 1985). A characteristic example was Hugh Gaitskell as a Famous Monster of Filmland in 1964, which fused the picture of a Labour leader who refused to support nuclear disarmament, with an image of Claude Rains in the 1943 film Phantom of the Opera.  Richard Hamilton’s art continued to make political statements with regard to issues ranging from the shooting of students in Kent State University in 1970 to the Iraq War in 2003. These political works were the subject of the major exhibition Richard Hamilton: Modern Morals Matter at the Serpantine Gallery in 2010.

The 1983-84 installation Treatment Room is a case in point; the form of a hospital bed, suggested by the familiar elements of a pillow and a blanket, appears to be subjugated by an impersonal and rigid structure, which is characterized by the use of metal, and the incorporation of a television screen displaying a speech by Margaret Thatcher. The work effectively interprets the concept of Thatcherism within a context of institutional power, order, and control. And in this respect, Treatment Room is exemplary of the relationship between politics and aesthetics in Richard Hamilton’s work, as well as displays his use of different media.

 Serpentine Gallery

Urgent: Oppose the death penalty for Troy Davis

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is making an urgent call to stop the execution of Troy Davis, which is scheduled for this Wednesday, September 21. 

As Amnesty International argues, the case against Troy Davis consisted solely of witness testimony. Since his conviction, seven of the nine non-police witnesses have recanted or contradicted their testimony, while many of them have stated in sworn affidavits that they were pressured or coerced by police into testifying against Troy Davis. In her article Troy Davis and the Politics of Death, posted in truthdig.com and The  Guardian, Amy Goodman sees Troy Davis as a victim of a judicial form of lynching, and emphasises the importance of stopping his execution in terms of challenging the death penalty. 

Troy Davis’ execution is being opposed by a wide spectrum of public figures around the world, including Nobel Peace Prize laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former US President Jimmy Carter, the Pope, actresses Susan Sarandon and Mia Farrow, and musicians John Legend, Tom Morello, and R.E.M. members Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Peter Buck. 

Troy Davis’s fate will be decided this Monday, September 19, by the Georgia Board of Pardons & Paroles, who will hold a clemency hearing – this is just two days before the scheduled execution. Please take action now by following this link: 

Amnesty International: Stop the September 21st execution of Troy Davis!

The miracles of nature?

 Something extraordinary is happening in the following video: polar bears play tenderly with huskies, and embrace them as if they were their babies. It is amazing how these two very different kinds of mammals have reached such a high level of communication and understanding. Let’s not forget that both polar bears and huskies are intelligent species blessed with remarkable hunting skills, highly developed instincts, and lightning fast reflex responses to potential danger.

Bears are not renowned for being sociable. Moreover, dogs would never allow an animal twice their size to embrace them, let alone one that could devour them within minutes. Or at least this is what we, humans, would think. However, animals once more stand the stereotypes we have arbitrarily set for them on their heads, and prove to be beyond our prejudice. The only thing for sure is that they will never cease to surprise and mesmerize us.

Feel Alive, by Anneke van Giersbergen

 twitpic

Anneke van Giersbergen’s new single Feel Alive has just been released today together with a video, giving a first impression of her upcoming album. The song is powerful and spirited, and at the same time there is an elegant, soothing feeling running through it. “I immediately loved its upbeat vibe,” she writes in her website, “the intense melodic loop and the fact that it enabled me to write both soft and strong vocal lines within the same song.” The video consists of a steady single-shot of Anneke, a choice which fits in very well with the song’s directness, intimacy, and tenderness.

Anneke van Giersbergen has always been special; her style, range, and technique enable her vocals to be ethereal as well as soaring, majestic and yet humble, forceful and at the same time comforting, thus creating a tremendous emotional impact. It is this impact that has given Anneke her exceptional status as a singer, from her earlier days in The Gathering, her subsequent solo work with Agua de Annique, and her numerous collaborations. I have tried to trace this course in a previous post, through a number of characteristic tracks from her carrier. And still, I could have chosen any other performance of hers just as well; everything matters.

And to me, the reason why everything matters is that when she sings, it feels as if there is enough beauty and enough hope to make everything out there worth it; living, growing, and looking forward to the first rays of light on a winter day.

Wild Flag release Romance video

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Today Wild Flag released their video for Romance, a song from their self-titled debut album out on September 13. The album happens to be highly anticipated, which is of course hardly surprising for a band consisting of Carrie Brownstein and Mary Timony on vocals and guitars, Rebecca Cole on keyboards and backing vocals, and Janet Weiss on drums and backing vocals. But this is not simply because of their names, or their background in bands such as Sleater-Kinney, Helium, and The Minders. As collaborators in a variety of projects, and members of bands who have toured together, they share a common musical culture and aesthetic. The formation of Wild Flag may thus be seen as a new reconfiguration in the field of alternative rock music; and most of all,  it is the emergence of a gifted band, rather than simply an array of gifted musicians. It seems to me that it is this element of collectivity that gives their music such an edge. Janet Weiss has actually addressed their formation in an SXSW interview as follows:

I think the intent was to be a band […] I think we started out with the idea of what would be the ideal band we would want to be in, who do we want to play with after all these years, I think we just wanted a dream band. Of course we wanted to write some music and play together, and see how it went, and try things out, but I think the intent was definitely to be a band, a band that’s gonna tour and make records, and be equals, and respect each other, like all the important things that we’ve learned over the years.

Wild Flag - Romance from Merge Records on Vimeo.

That’s how we like

We like what we like
That’s how we like
We love which is you
We’ve got an ear
An ear for what’s romance
We’ve got our ears
Our ears straight on you
You watch us sing
We sing till we’re crying
We sing to free ourselves from the room
We love the sound
The sound is what found us
The sound is the love between me and you

Romance is a fine example of Wild Flag’s sound, and lyrically happens to be an eloquent way for the band to introduce themselves. Here, as well as in their numerous live performances, Carrie Brownstein and Mary Timony have achieved more than the required musical balance, which nonetheless sounds totally natural; their guitars complement each other effectively while at the same time each one maintains its own distinct identity. Rebecca Cole’s keyboards are substantial and multi-functional, taking the lead as well as contributing rhythmically; and Janet Weiss’ impressive drumming is the foundation holding the band firmly together. The result is nothing less than astonishing; solid melodies, storming rhythms, and powerful as well as evocative vocals. 

Sleater-Kinney is one of my best bands of all time, while Helium’s Hole in the Ground has been a favorite of mine; and yet I was not prepared for this band. I do not mean to write a raving review, but Wild Flag does not give me much of a choice. This is such a great time to be alive. 

The lion & the unicorn: Gitta Gschwendtner and refugee poets in London

South Bank, London, 19.05.2011

The Lion & the Unicorn is an installation created by Gitta Gschwendtner, in collaboration with young poets from The Refugee Council, The Refugee Youth, The Refugee Home School Support Project, and The Klevis Kola Foundation, as well as the poets Joelle Taylor, Karen McCarthy Woolf, Philip Wells, and Yemisi Blake. It has been exhibited at the Southbank Centre, and happens to be the most interesting artwork I have seen for quite some time. 

The installation combines audio and visual elements; its main rectangular section is structured as a display of printed poems by young people from refugee organisations across London, and includes recordings of their voices reading out their works. The birds made out of paper, spreading out between the surrounding buildings on strings, complement the main structure with an additional element of dynamism; and in effect, turn the sky into a part of the project.  The work is conceptually strong and imaginative; the installation itself and its subject matter fuse harmoniously in what may be read as a narrative portraying the printed and spoken words of refugees as they literally (poems) and metaphorically (birds) enter the public sphere.

 

South Bank, London, 19.05.2011

The work makes reference to the 1951 Lion and Unicorn Pavilion, which included a flight of ceramic birds, symbolising migration and freedom of speech. The Pavilion’s title aimed to represent the British character: the lion stood for realism and strength, and the unicorn for independence and imagination – both creatures have also been traditional emblems of the country. As the installation thus revisits and reinterprets such core concepts, I would like to return to Jacques Rancière’s pivotal work The Politics of Aesthetics: The Distribution of the Sensible (Continuum, 2004).

 

Rancière insightfully addresses the relationship between art and politics as one involving articulation; as politics in his view centres “around what is seen and what can be said about it, around who has the ability to see and the talent to speak, around the properties of spaces and the possibilities of time” (p. 13), the installation may be seen as a discursively open and inclusive realm with regard to the rearticulation of national identity. Its location is of key importance, in that the artwork addresses the public in a political sense; it potentially concerns the citizenry, rather than only those who may purposefully visit a museum or a gallery exhibition. And in this respect, the work fully displays the merits of art in public places.