File spoon-archives/surrealist.archive/surrealist_1996/96-06-11.135, message 114


From: STUART INMAN <S.Inman-AT-greenwich.ac.uk>
Date:          Tue, 4 Jun 1996 18:58:44 GMT
Subject:       Re: electronic exhibition


Here's my first thoughts on the electronic exhibition.

1. Before we can proceed with involving others we must have a solid 
proposal as to the scope and purpose of the exhibition. What are its 
parameters? Who is to be included? This is a difficult question, 
somewhere between an all inclusive approach which undermines the 
signifigance of it being a SURREALIST exhibition and a narrow and 
exclusive approach which is probasbly also horrendously sectarian, 
should be a territory that we can make our own.

2. There are surrealist groups, independent surrealists, and people  
who do not call themselves surrealist, but are sympathetic in their 
attitudes and in their work. All should be capable of inclusion, but 
we need a strategy of inclusion. The last exhibition at Hourglass, 
"Curiouser and Curiouser"  was not strictly surrealist, but was 
"Surrealism and friends". The Chicago Group have done exhibitions on 
this basis, as have many others, so there should not be any problem 
as such. One simply needs to give a sense of how the exhibition is 
situated in relation to surrealism and that it is not a purely 
opportunistic thing.

3. What IS the purpose of the exhibition? A theme would be a good 
idea, or a series of interlinked themes which could relate to the 
pavilions. Chicago are planning an international exhibition 
"Wildfire", on an ecological theme. We can think of the great 
exhibitions of the past, EROS, L'ECART ABSOLUE etc.

4. Money was mentioned. I have to say that the equivalent of $50 
would be difficult for me at present. Was this a purely hypothetical 
amount or was it based, however vaguely, on an estimate? 

5. Poetry and theoretical texts should be included, some perhaps 
arranged thematically. Again, this is something that has a precedent 
in the great exhibitions of yesteryear. We can connect with that past 
without being slaves to it.

6. I will give a list of public addresses of all the groups known to 
me. They are the addresses in the International Bulletin among other 
places.

7. I would like to see included a critique of the electronic media. 
Clearly we are not Luddites, but there is a sense of a critical 
position in our discussions, one opposed to post-modern enthusiasm 
and cyber-babble. (I will post a cyber-babble dictionary if you like).

I will send this, with a selection of the correspondence on this 
subject to Leeds for their response. One member of the group, Bill 
Howe, is on email, but he is a new boy to the medium and not really 
getting the most out of it yet. I will also write to Tony Pusey for 
his opinion. I can contact the Czechs, I need to write to them 
anyway. It occurs to me that where copyright problems do not exist 
and good reproductions of works do exist, there are few problems in 
getting material form publications. For instance, I have catalogues 
of the Czechs work which although already published have not had a 
wide exposure.

We need to speak to Lynn of the Surrealism Server. I had assumed she 
was listening in, but if so, she has been very silent. We need to get 
some feedback from Paris fairly soon, as they will be crucial to the 
exhibition. Jean-Jacques and Marie-Dominique should be in their new 
flat by now (?)  

So, as soon as we have something like a coherent, but open structure 
to this plan, we can proceed. And it could be good.

Stuart



















   

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