Wednesday, August 25, 2010

25 August 2010

today's research:
mobile art pieces:
Ready made Trailer
Mike Kelley's Moobile homestead
Vito Acconci mobile Linear City
Martha Rosler's Library

Portrait of Richard Carew.

Update essay wall.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

The Itinerant Toolkit Edition no.2

The second edition of the Itinerant Toolkit has begun.
The toolkit will be taking up residence at The Plymouth Arts Centre As part of Ambulation. Every Wednesday/Thursday the Keeper will be on hand to answer questions about the project whilst carrying out research and recording changes to the toolkit.
Also keep checking back to see the on-going correspondence between Tim Brennan and Richard Carew as part of a commission by the toolkit.

Friday, August 6, 2010

Correspondence from Tim Brennan to Richard Carew 6 August 2010

Dear Richard Carew,

Many thanks for your letter dated 17 July. Your reflections upon your own motivations of enquiry into our material past are extremely useful in relation to the work I pursue. I can see why you might have reservations as to the naming of my practice as ‘radical’. Indeed one of our more recent humanist scholars, Raymond Williams suggested that any venture that is publicised as being ‘radical’ invariably is not. And so I am taking a gamble here.

My approach has been to enquire into our ‘doing of history’ and to free the material traces of this process (processes) from contemporary categorisation. Examples might involve the following objects that emerge from artistic and historical events are often understood within the terms of sculpture; ‘artefact’ (professional); ‘find’ (amateur/professional) or ‘antique’ (commercial). There is interplay and slippage between their status but ultimately, as taxonomical conventions, they go unquestioned. In 2010, this limits our ability to understand the entire materiality of our lives beyond that of the saleable (commodification). I am therefore calling upon the terms of, ‘Antiquarianism’ as a means to manoeuvre through this problem. ‘Antiquarianism’ for yourself was perhaps ‘radical’ in the sense that it was ‘new’. It is ‘radical’ now, in part because it is ‘old’.

I will indeed consider the use of the walking stick beyond that of its practical function. It is as much a ‘wand’, ‘pencil’ or ‘spade’ etc. as it is a tool for steadying oneself along a walked path. I am looking forward to peering through that which appears obvious ‘to define the outlines of oppressione and conflicte that stande beneathe, before and above’ us.

I feel that we have a close affinity with regard to the above.

Kind regards

Tim Brennan

Friday, July 30, 2010

Correspondence from Richard Carew to Tim Brennan 17 July 2010

Right trusty, I grete you well

I write this missiue to you sir on this, the seventeenth day of July, being the historic anniuersary of my birthe in Fifteen Hundred and Fifty Five, from my seate in Cornwall’s Antonie. I haue obserued your undertakings for some years and haue understoode them in recent times to be of the persuasion of a radikal antiquary, this being of your own naming and productione. It is kind sir, that you thinketh of the political nature of the antiquary but you haue yet to conuince me of the riske and argumente nascent in your practice.

I take this opportunitie to remind you of the uery radikal nature of my own inuolument in things of an historicke and learned nature. To this we can adde my own partaking in the illustrious college of antiquaries to whiche I was elected a member in Fifteene Hundred and Eighty Nine. Throughoute I attempted with zeale to display the devastations of time make so swiftly upon all things and how this affekteth our own being and relationshipe. This projecte was indeede stifled by the sad loss of our princess and the ascending of the prince in Sixteene Hundred and Three. It was with greate misgiuing that our societie had to formerly dissolue lest it be acused of treasonne and so our undertakings needeth to go under the grounde of oure faerie isle.

And it is but unto the grounde that I wishe to draw your attentione. When you walketh out on Plymouthe hawe with your stickes in congregatione understande well that what you see in surrounde is but merely an allusione and that behinde that mirage lies the uery political structure of our times. Reade it well. Use, forthwith the stickes to define the outlines of oppressione and conflicte that stande beneathe, before and above ye. Persevere in establishing what ye haue begun, and continue to employ Labours upon those things, which were worthy of them; that so they might not be drawn into Oblivion themselves, by that which they would rescue from it, and that Time might not rob them of aught more considerable than that which they should restore.


I curry not with smoothing termes,
Ne yet rude threats I blaste:
I seeke no patrone for my faults,
I pleade no needlesse haste.


Your seruante of intereste

Richard Carew

Monday, June 14, 2010

We went walking


Went walking with these fellows last week.
Come along to TRACKS on the 11th September to see what they are planning.

More info here shortly...