_ Rymdinvasion i Lappland is most unlikely to feature in anyone's list of classic movies. However, once watched, it is extremely difficult to forget. Indeed, this Super 8 science fiction epic dating from 1959 really has to be seen to be believed. Despite being a joint Swedish / American production the movie was never actually released in the United States. Instead, a newly shot, alternative version entitled Invasion of the Animal People was unleashed on the American public in 1962. Fortunately my fellow Britons were allowed to experience the original, rechristened as Terror in the Midnight Sun. This is an apposite title for a film set in the snowy wastes of northern Sweden. This world has been turned upside down by the arrival of a spaceship whose crew includes a band of humanoid telepaths and a very hirsute escaped giant. The latter runs amok, much to the consternation of a figure skating American and her uncle plus the latter's scientific colleagues (whose number includes that heart throb of the geological community, the dashing and dangerous Erik Engström). They, together with a band of torch-wielding Sami, see off the extraterrestrial Yeti and his dome-headed masters. See? I said it was an unforgettable film. Terror in the Midnight Sun refers not only to the space visitors. It also alludes to the film's principal song, "Midnight Sun Lament". This terrifying acoustic experience kidnaps the music of that famous folk melody, "Ack, Värmeland du sköna" and sets it to new words by Gustaf Unger and Frederick Herbert. The relocation of this song from the county of Värmland in mid-Sweden to Lappland, plus the urban scenes of Stockholm with which the film begins, underscores the extent to which Rymdinvasion i Lappland presents a wildly inventive interpretation of "the North". It strikes me, therefore, that this unique landmark of cinematic history is a perfect candidate for bringing to a close the Nordic Spaces project in which I have participated for the past four years. This multinational, multidisciplinary exploration of all things "Nordic" could find no more fitting denouement than an icicled, grizzly monster going up in smoke in the company of locals, visiting scientists and a troupe of guests from far further afield. _________
Supplemental 04/01/2012 Aldous Huxley (1894-1963): Man has lived only too frequently on his planet almost like a parasite living upon the host it infests. And whereas many parasites are sensible enough not to destroy their host (as, after all, if they kill their host, they destroy themselves) man, instead, is not one of the sensible parasites. So, he has lived at the expense of his host, to which he caused its absolute ruin. Cited in PAN, No.40, August 2011, p.2 At the end of last year I posted the following, facetious tweet: Today marks exactly X year(s) since something crucial happened. It is very important that we remember this vitally significant anniversary. My apparently inane twittering represented a conscious attempt to poke fun at our collective obsessions with the past. It feels as if every chronological coincidence is pounced upon as an excuse for commemorating something that simply must be recalled. Proof of this will be in abundant supply in 2012. A cavalcade of all things Dickensian will mark the fact that one of England's greatest writers happened to be born exactly 200 years ago. Charles Dickens will be deployed as a cultural flagbearer during the London Olympics. Yet how members of the sporting fraternity will actually pick up a book by Dickens is far from certain... Moreover, before we get carried away with what is remembered, it's always a good idea to ferret out those things that have been conveniently forgotten or suppressed. And what better day on which to consider the overlooked than 1st January 2012? This is because exactly ten years ago something truly momentous happened. But no matter how hard you listen, you'll hear no fanfare or fireworks. There are no pageants or celebratory get-togethers. No back-slapping congratulations and high-spirited toasts. Why? Because the birthday to which I refer is a mournful affair. A decade after its birth this prematurely aged ten-year-old is adrift: "floating without steering or mooring; drifting... [W]ithout purpose; aimless... off course."(1) Adrift. There could be no better word to describe the Euro. This shiny new currency was introduced shortly after midnight on 1st January 2002. As the clock struck midnight "celebratory fireworks exploded above the European Central Bank headquarters in Frankfurt. The Pont Neuf in Paris was lit up in European Union blue, with 12 rays of light to symbolise the 12 nations circulating the euro."(2) The skies are dark a decade hence. Our politicians don't have time to get nostalgic about the past. They are too busy fretting about the future. The tenth anniversary of the Euro is adrift. How terribly appropriate. ____ Notes (1) Collins Dictionary, London & Glasgow, 1987, p.16. (2) Nicholas Kulish, "To be franc, after 10 years the euro has failed to make its mark", 02/01/2012, Sydney Morning Herald, accessed 01/01/2012 at, http://www.smh.com.au/world/to-be-franc-after-10-years-the-euro-has-failed-to-make-its-mark-20120101-1ph5x.html. _ Bayou Arcana is the title of a graphic novel anthology illustrated entirely by female artists. Its imminent release has prompted The Guardian to declare that "a new generation of female artists and readers is radically changing the face of comics."(1) In support of this claim they cite last month's Thought Bubble festival. This six-day event featured the Comics Forum 2011, at which I gave a talk on the Estonian artist, Kristina Norman "from a Dreddful perspective". Lisa Wood, co-founder of Thought Bubble, told The Guardian that the prevailing "comic book culture" tends to leave "many female comic book fans... [feeling] ignored, harassed, or treated with hostility".(2) This struck a chord with me given that I'm currently reading the science fiction novel Stjärnpesten (The Star Plague) written in 1975 by the Swedish writer, Dénis Lindbohm.(3) I have reached page 87, just as "the gates of hell" are about to open. The story so far concerns an as-yet-unidentified entity that has wiped out life on earth. Seemingly the only survivors are a 20,000 strong community that managed to build a hermetically sealed underground city before the "plague" struck. Unfortunately, this band of plucky survivors has swiftly descended into internecine conflicts and is languishing in the subterranean equivalent of George Orwell's 1984. Whilst I am thoroughly enjoying this dystopian distraction, it is striking that every single one of the protagonists so far has been male. The first challenge to this crops up on page 41 in the form of an unnamed female's corpse (p.41). Fifteen pages later appears an unidentified woman who gets pregnant without permission and undergoes a brutal forced abortion. Finally, a couple of mothers, an old lady and a young girl are paraded in front of the cameras and used for propaganda purposes by the dastardly dictatorship (p.84). Fingers crossed that there are some interesting female characters behind those gates of hell... Maybe as an antidote to all this sci-fi and comic machismo I ought to follow The Guardian's advice and read Ursula K Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness published in 1970?(4) With luck by the time I've finished it Bayou Arcana will have been published. ____ Notes (1) Ben Quinn, "Ker-pow! Women kick back against comic-book sexism", The Guardian, 28/12/2011 accessed 29/12/2012 at, http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/28/women-comic-book-sexism. (2) Ibid. (3) Dénis Lindbohm, Stjärnpesten, Stockholm, Regal, 1975. (4) Justine Jordan, "Winter reads: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin", The Guardian, 27/12/2011 accessed 29/12/2012 at, www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/27/winter-reads-the-left-hand-of-darkness. __________ Supplemental 02/01/2012 But we must get the world to rot, because not until all dead organic material has decomposed can we sow the world with life anew. We must bide our time; our long period of waiting. Stjärnpesten (The Star Plague), p. 151 Well, I've now finished Dénis Lindbohm's entertaining novel. Alas, female characters didn't fare any better after page 87. The only properly identified woman was a Satanist by the name of Raader. She is allocated a single paragraph (p. 111). The narrator's meeting with "Lucifer's Alpha" wasn't terribly productive: "When I left her I wasn't any wiser than before I came." Perhaps things might have gone a tiny better for this ark of humanity if they'd opted to share power amongst both men and women? Lindbohm's novel would certainly have benefitted... _ Today is the day of Václav Havel's funeral. To mark this occasion I have been reading his remarkable "Letter to Dr Gustáv Husák, General Secretary of the Czechoslovak Communist Party". This is dated 8th April 1975, shortly before Husák assumed the presidency of Czechoslovakia. He held this post until 1989. His successor was Václav Havel. This is a remarkable turn of events given that the Husák regime imprisoned Havel for his political beliefs. In his letter of 1975, Havel makes a number of fascinating comments about history.(1) For Havel, "true" or "real" history is chaotic. It comprises a whole series of unique, unrepeatable events. It follows, therefore, that only a truly vibrant society – "a society that is really alive" – is capable of appreciating and generating true / real history. The antithesis of this authentic history is what Havel calls "pseudo-history", the author of which is "not the life of society, but an official planner." These apparatchiks substitute "the disquieting dimension of history" with a remorseless succession of "non-events": stilted, stifling and repetitive anniversaries, celebrations, parades, congresses. These are used by governments to maintain the pretence that "history is moving". The result is that, thanks to this substitution for history, we are able to review everything that is happening in society, past and future, by simply glancing at the calendar. And the notoriously familiar character of the recurrent rituals makes such information quite as adequate as if we had been present at the events themselves. This raises a slightly tricky dilemma, however. Václav Havel is likely to be commemorated by a phalanx of "recurrent rituals", including anniversaries, celebrations and perhaps even the occasional congress or two. Maybe his birthday – 5 October – will become "Václav Havel Day". But wouldn't it be awful if this became just another "non-event" in the commemorative calendar? Surely the worst possible way of remembering Havel would be to enlist him to the cause of pseudo-history; to trap him in all the "trappings of state"?(2) With this in mind, any incipient "Václav Havel Day" must be a madcap mix of "the continuous and the changing, the regular and the random, the foreseen and the unexpected". It should be a moment of radical reflection – as much about the present and future as about the past. A true "Václav Havel Day" would be an occasion to bring our societies to account in all sorts of innovative and satirical ways. Put simply: to create true history. This would safeguard us from falling into a nostalgic yearning for a pseudo-past and succumbing to the dead hand of pseudo-history. Václav Havel is sadly no longer alive. It is up to us to ensure that he goes on living in the realm of true history. ____ Notes (1) The following quotations are derived from Václav Havel's "Letter to Dr Gustáv Husák, General Secretary of the Czechoslovak Communist Party", pp. 3-35 in Living in Truth (Jan Vladislav, ed.) (London: Faber & Faber, 1989). (2) Stuart Hughes, "Vaclav Havel funeral: World leaders pay respects", BBC News, 23/12/2011, accessed, 23/12/2011 at, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16304858. Cut Croc (or) Lacerated Lacoste __Earlier this month it was announced that a series of London-based museums would be renewing their £10m sponsorship deals with BP.(1) These initials - BP - are derived from "British Petroleum", the name the company adopted in 1954. Some people feel that it is inappropriate for institutions like Tate or the British Museum to accept money from an oil company responsible for such environmental disasters as the Sea Gem oil rig collapse (1965), the Texas City Refinery explosion (2005) and the Deepwater Horizon well explosion in the Gulf of Mexico (2010). However, as the firm is keen to stress, BP means "Beyond Petroleum". Associating itself with art and culture is therefore good for business. But is it good for society? Recipients of financial support - be it in the form of public grants or private sponsorship - need to guard against undue influence or censorship. A cautionary tale is provided by this year's Lacoste Prize at the Musée de l'Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland. Despite claims to the contrary, it appears that pressure from the sponsor has led to the cancellation of the award.(2) This seems to have been triggered by the Jerusalem-born artist Larissa Sansour and her artwork, Nation Estate (2011-12). Inspired by Palestine's bid for nation status at the UN, Sansour has opted to imagine a dystopian vision of a future world in which the Palestinians have their state in the form of a single skyscraper: the Nation Estate. Surrounded by a concrete wall, this colossal hi-rise houses the entire Palestinian population - finally living the high life. Each city has its own floor: Jerusalem, third floor; Ramallah, fourth floor. Intercity trips previously marred by checkpoints are now made by elevator. Aiming for a sense of belonging, the lobby of each floor re-enacts iconic squares and landmarks - elevator doors on the Jerusalem floor opening onto a full-scale Dome of the Rock. Built outside the actual city of Jerusalem, the building also has views of the original golden dome from the top floors.(3) Executives at Lacoste felt that all this was a far cry from the competition's theme of happiness ("joie de vivre"). Lacoste's sweet little "green crocodile logo" was clearly about to lose its cheeky grin.(4) So the company sought to close the elevator doors on Larissa Sansour's Nation Estate. If this was their intention, then the opposite has transpired. I would never have heard of Larissa Sansour or her thought-provoking sci-fi skyscraper without the helpful intervention of Lacoste. So perhaps private sponsorship isn't such a bad thing after all? ____ Notes (1) Mark Brown, "Galleries renew £10m BP deal despite environmental protests", Guardian, 19/12/2012, accessed 22/12/2012 at, http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2011/dec/19/galleries-renew-bp-deal-protests. (2) "Lacoste Prize cancelled amid censorship row", BBC News, 22/12/2012, accessed 22/12/2012 at, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-16299688. (3) "Nation Estate", accessed 22/12/2012 at, http://www.larissasansour.com/nation_estate.html. (4) "Lacoste logo", accessed 22/12/2012 at, http://www.famouslogos.us/lacoste-logo. MOCA 02/04/2009 An occasional series documenting the first thing one sees in your visitor-friendly museum: the "Do Not..." sign Do Not... MOCA Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles _ _ Miami Art Museum is about to be rechristened. This name change has been prompted by a property developer who has promised to gift the institution art and money totalling $35 million over the next ten years. In return for this generosity the museum will be renamed the Jorge M. Pérez Art Museum of Miami-Dade County. This controversial decision has prompted the resignation of three board members.(1) The feelings of these ex-members of Miami Art Museum’s board are probably as intense as those football fans of Newcastle United who are outraged by the fact that their sporting home is now no longer known as "St James' Park". It is instead "the Sports Direct Arena". This catchy moniker matches the name of the business owned by the club's chairman, Mike Ashley. There are many such examples, from Amex Stadium to KitKat Crescent.(2) But should our museums be co-opted by the egos of rich individuals and the machinations of global brands? Where might all this lead? Tate Starbucks? Courtauld Coca-Cola Institute of Art? Horniman "Happy Meal" Museum? Wallace-Wikipedia Collection? Um, on second thoughts perhaps the Jorge M. Pérez Art Museum of Miami-Dade County isn't quite as radical as it at first seems. Just ask the likes of Sir Henry Tate (1819-99), Samuel Courtauld (1876-1947), Frederick John Horniman (1835-1906) and Sir Richard Wallace (1818-90). All are museumified to such an extent that their names sound dignified and, well, museal. Who knows, the next time you visit the Duveen galleries of Tate Britain or the British Museum they might have been reborn as the Apple Ambulatory and the Google Gallery. No one remembers Sir Joseph Duveen (1869-1939) anyway... ____ Notes (1) Hannah Sampson, "Developer gives $35 million naming donation to Miami Art Museum", Miami Herald, 12/02/2011, accessed 05/12/2011 at, http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/12/02/2528192/developer-gives-35-million-naming.html. (2) David Conn, "Newcastle stadium name-change lacks class and is unworthy of history", The Guardian, 10/11/2011, accessed 05/12/2011 at, http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2011/nov/10/newcastle-united-st-james-renaming. Question What is a museum?
Answer A dumping ground for "all kinds of cultural litter".* * Le Guin, Ursula K. (1971/2001) The Lathe of Heaven (London: Orion), p. 152. Do Not... Lady Lever (01/10/2011) An occasional series documenting the first thing one sees in your visitor-friendly museum: the "Do Not..." sign Do Not (Neglect)... Lady Lever Lady Lever Art Gallery, Port Sunlight Magda Lipka Falck, Anywhere: An Art Guide (2010) Question What is black and white and re(a)d all over? Answer A newspaper (and Moderna Museet) If you’re a fan of photography, now is a great time to visit Moderna Museet. This is because Sweden’s national museum of modern and contemporary art has decided to clear out nearly all of its paintings and sculptures, replacing them with a changing selection of photographs drawn from its own extensive collection. The official reason for this action is to stress that the museum stays true to its reputation for “Movement in Art”. This was the title of a much-heralded exhibition dating from 1961. Visitors to today’s Moderna Museet get a taste of what this show was like through a small commemorative display timed to coincide with its fiftieth anniversary. There is another explanation for Moderna Museet’s photographic re-shoot. Swamping the galleries with photographs is a neat way of retouching the museum so as to allow its new director (Daniel Birnbaum) to politely edit out all traces of his predecessor (Lars Nittve). Think the Louvre after the French revolution minus all the violence. This was indeed a bloodless coup. Yet it is the colour of blood that predominates amid Moderna Museet’s sea of black-and-white photographs. Don't believe me? Well, pop along to the museum and seek out Cindy Sherman’s blouse (Untitled, 2008); Christian Vogt’s Barbara (The Red Series, 1976); Inez Van Lamsweerde’s lace gloves (Petra, 1994); Veronika Bromová’s testicles (Girls too, 1995); Eva Klasson’s Parasites (1978); Annika von Hausswolff’s wingtips (I Am the Runway of Your Thoughts, 2008); Frank Thiel’s crane (City 2/36/A (Berlin), 1988); Hans Hammarskiöld and Carl Fredrik Reuterswärd’s Laser (1971); Tuija Lindström’s Iron (1991); Lars Tunbjörk’s Pictures from Sweden (1991); Nan Goldin’s French Chris (1979); J.H. Engström’s lips (Haunts, 2006) and Irving Penn’s Mouth (1986/1992). Oh, and guess what colour all the articulated trucks were that Annica Karlsson Rixon photographed over the space of five years? That’s right: red. Just like the sofa next to the coffee table covered with books to be read. Does this reddymade (sic) reveal the curators’ favourite colour? Or is black-and-white with a touch of vermilion a marker of photographic distinction? Evidence supporting the latter contention comes from archival copies of such magazines as Life, Se and Die Woche, examples of which are displayed in vitrines. Their covers from the 1930s to the 1960s are formed of black-and-white images juxtaposed with the logo of the journal – all of which are red. So, if photography leaves you cold and if red is your least favourite colour, then it’s probably best to put off visiting Moderna Museet until the revolution is over and normal service has resumed… Do ... Manchester Museum (04/12/2009) An occasional series documenting the first thing one sees in your visitor-friendly museum: the opposite of a "Do Not..." sign* Do ... Manchester Museum Manchester Museum (The University of Manchester) * Instruction seen at Manchester Museum in relation to two bronze sculptures by John Macallan Swan (1847-1910) and Frank Dobson (1886-1963). (Photography was forbidden, though.) My assisted readymade keeps abreast of Marcel Duchamp's splendid Prière de toucher (Please Touch), 1947. Do... Walker Art Gallery (01/10/2011) Do Not... Ta(pple)te An occasional series documenting the first thing one sees in your visitor-friendly museum: the "Do Not..." sign Do Not... Ta(pple)te Tate Modern, London Square in Stockholm dedicated to Wallenberg Today's issue of the Swedish newspaper, Dagens Nyheter features an article entitled, "Humans are like parasites" (Björling 2011). This interesting idea is derived from a statement made by the American artist Andrea Zittel at the opening of a new exhibition of her work. Zittel's view on human behaviour resonated with an item on the previous page of the same newspaper (Söderling 2011). This concerned a dispute between two historians. One is Ulf Zander, the person with whom I collaborated on the article, "Preoccupied by the Past – The Case of Estonia's Museum of Occupations" (Burch & Zander 2008). The other is Tanja Schult. She attended a seminar I gave at Stockholm University earlier this year. After my talk she kindly gave me a copy of her book, A Hero's Many Faces: Raoul Wallenberg in Contemporary Monuments (Schult 2009). It is the existence of this publication that has given rise to claims of plagiarism. Zander stands accused of incorporating translated extracts into his own book, Hjälten: Raoul Wallenberg inför eftervärlden (Zander 2010). A panel responsible for investigating such cases has previously rejected this claim; but now the publisher of Zander's book has decided to withdraw it from sale. Zander plans to reissue an amended version of his book under a new title. He dismisses the plagiarism claim, arguing that the extracts in question concern widely known facts rather than specifically attributable ideas. He also points out that Schult is mentioned both in his introduction and conclusion as well as being listed in the references. (One might add that a similar acknowledgement was not reciprocated in an extended article that Schult (2010) had published in the newspaper, Svenska Dagbladet.) This affair is regrettable, not least because Zander and Schult were originally professional colleagues. Their partnership ended in acrimony, leading Zander to publish Hjälten (The Hero) on his own. Of wider interest is the sense in which this wrangle threatens to overshadow the importance of their research. Raoul Wallenberg's actions during the Second World War saved many Jews from the Holocaust. The commemoration of Wallenberg is therefore not only morally necessary, but also an excellent case to study from a public history perspective. Both Zander and Schult have done much to promote this cause and improve our understanding of the struggle for "ownership" of historical events and personalities. Such legacies of the past are negotiated and contested in the politics of the present. Ironically enough, there can be no better demonstration of this fact that the unfortunate conflict between the academics, Ulf Zander and Tanja Schult. _________ References Björling, Sanna Torén (2011) "Människor är som parasiter", Dagens Nyheter, 08/09, Kultur, p.3 Burch, Stuart & Ulf Zander (2008) "Preoccupied by the Past – The Case of Estonia's Museum of Occupations", Scandia: Tidskrift för Historisk Forskning, Vol. 74 (2), pp. 53-73 Schult, Tanja (2009) A Hero's Many Faces: Raoul Wallenberg in Contemporary Monuments, Palgrave Macmillan Schult, Tanja (2010) "Monument med mänskliga proportioner", Svenska Dagbladet, 27/01, accessed 08/09/2011 at, http://www.svd.se/kultur/understrecket/monument-med-manskliga-proportioner_4157797.svd Söderling, Fredrik (2011) "Känd historiker anklagad för fusk", Dagens Nyheter, 08/09, Kultur, p.2 Zander, Ulf (2010) Hjälten: Raoul Wallenberg inför eftervärlden, Forum för levande historia The sculptor, Gustav Kraitz designed the memorial Hope (1998) on Raoul Wallenberg Walk adjacent to the United Nations building in New York. It features a bronze copy of Wallenberg's briefcase. This element is sited in other locations, including the Beth Shalom centre in Nottinghamshire (below). A paralabel for "Museum and Society" Wolfgang Wagner of Vienna University of Technology was, until recently, editor-in-chief of the open access journal, Remote Sensing. He has now resigned from that post for reasons set out in an editorial statement (Wagner 2011). It focuses on a "controversial paper" that sought to question the science of climate change and which appeared in the July 2011 issue of Remote Sensing (Spencer & Braswell 2011). Subsequent criticism of the article has convinced Wagner that it contains both "methodological errors" and "false claims" (Wagner 2011: 2002). As such he now regrets allowing it to be published. His resulting resignation was intended "to make clear that the journal Remote Sensing takes the review process very seriously" (Wagner 2011: 2004). It is that "review process" that has failed. Remote Sensing is not primarily a journal concerned with climate change. Be that as it may, the three unidentified reviewers of the paper were well-published "senior scientists from renowned US universities". However, it now appears that all three "probably share some climate sceptic notions of the authors" (Wagner 2011: 2003). Wagner is at pains to stress that climate change scepticism is not in itself a reason to deny publication. Indeed, "minority views" make an important contribution to debate, ensuring that science progresses through argument and even controversy. Instead, what made the paper in question unacceptable was the fact that it "essentially ignored the scientific arguments of its opponents" (Wagner 2011: 2003). It was this "fundamental flaw" that was missed by the reviewers. Their failings and Wagner's own lack of oversight prompted the editor's resignation. This affair is the latest in a series of cases in which the nature of academic peer review has come into question (Burch 2011b: 11). One such example concerns a paper I had published in the open access journal, Museum and Society (Burch 2011a). This was approved through the usual system of "double blind" review. However, following its publication the editor of the journal - Professor Richard Sandell of the University of Leicester - received complaints from fellow members of the board. This led Sandell to delete the article. I have since republished the work in its original form and supplied an introduction setting out the background to its "withdrawal" (Burch 2011a; Burch 2011b). The Remote Sensing and Museum and Society cases differ in a number of respects. However, one thing that connects them is the protection granted to the "go-betweens", i.e. the peer reviewers. The identities of the people who forced my paper's removal are hidden. So too are the names of the three biased reviewers who saw to it that a "fundamentally flawed" piece of research appeared in Remote Sensing. Anonymity is central to the practice of peer review. Yet those who undermine this system should surely be identified and asked to account for their actions. They should have the courage and professionalism of Wolfgang Wagner - a man who deserves credit for "taking responsibility", admitting to a mistake and resigning for the sake of the academic system and its contribution to scholarship and to knowledge. _________ References Burch, Stuart (2011a) "A Museum Director and His Go-Betweens: Lars Nittve's Patronage of Neil Cummings and Marysia Lewandowska", Museum and Society, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 34-48, accessed 17 May 2011 at, http://www.le.ac.uk/ms/m&s/Issue%2025/burch.pdf Burch, Stuart (2011b) "A Journal Editor and His Go-Betweens: Richard Sandell and the University of Leicester’s Museum and Society", uploaded 05/08 at http://www.stuartburch.com Spencer, Roy W. & Braswell, William D. (2011) "On the Misdiagnosis of Surface Temperature Feedbacks from Variations in Earth’s Radiant Energy Balance", Remote Sensing, Vol. 3, No. 8, pp. 1603-1613, accessed 03/09/2011 at, http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/3/8/1603 Wagner, Wolfgang (2011) "Taking Responsibility on Publishing the Controversial Paper 'On the Misdiagnosis of Surface Temperature Feedbacks from Variations in Earth's Radiant Energy Balance' by Spencer and Braswell, Remote Sensing, 2011, Vol. 3, No. 8, pp. 1603-1613", Remote Sensing, Vol. 3, No. 9, pp. 2002-4, accessed 03/09/2011 at, http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/3/9/2002 ___________ Supplemental The peer review system is clearly a matter of widespread interest and concern, as can be seen from this recent newspaper article: Colquhoun, David (2011) "Publish-or-perish: Peer review and the corruption of science", The Guardian, 05/09, accessed 06/09/2011 at, http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/sep/05/publish-perish-peer-review-science The wing-tip of the aircraft blazes in the dying light of the setting sun. Night is falling. The day is drawing to a close and with it my time in Scandinavia. In an effort to repress this deeply depressing thought I reached for the in-flight magazine. Only then did I realize that I was racing through the skies in a flying memorial. This was not an intuition that the plane was going to crash. It was instead based on an article entitled, "Norwegian's tail icons" (Blågestad 2011). The low-cost airline, Norwegian has opted to dedicate each of its aircraft to "famous Scandinavians". Their faces appear on the empennage (i.e. the fin or tail of an aeroplane). The list includes Roald Amundsen (1872-1928) – a memorial to whom has featured in an earlier blog posting. His entry in the in-flight magazine notes that he was "one of the greatest polar explorers of all time. The Norwegian explorer was the first person to reach both the North and South Poles" (Blågestad 2011: 110). One person missing from this roll call of famous Scandinavians is Dénis Lindbohm (1927-2005). You've probably never heard of this Swedish science fiction writer. But he features in my own personal canon of famous Scandinavians. Lindbohm would be a doubly-appropriate candidate for a flying memorial given that he wrote Bevingaren (The Wing-Giver). It tells the tale of John. One day whilst out walking in the forest he comes across what looks like a crater left by a falling meteorite. Closer inspection reveals it to be filled with pristine, ice-cold water. Stooping down he drinks from this unearthly spring – and soon realises this fissure was formed by no shooting star. It was caused by a crash-landing spaceship. The watery remains of its unfortunate pilot enter into symbiosis with John. It teaches him things that will change not only John's life but that of everyone on the planet. For this parasitic extraterrestrial is, quite literally, The Wing-Giver. John becomes the first of a new species of para-humans. He hides this fact until the day comes when he climbs to the top of a mountain, unfolds his wings, leans ever further over the edge... "Then gave out a sudden cry, an exultant and almost wild laugh, and flung himself forwards, upwards, straight into the wind, beating down with his wings. And flew. "The ground fell away as he ascended like an express elevator... He climbed like a kite in the wind. The treetops and then the whole landscape disappeared beneath. He couldn't stop laughing in furious jubilation. He literally threw himself upwards into the blue, blue atmosphere" (Lindbohm 1980: 44). _________ References Blågestad, Nina (2011) "Norwegian's tail icons", Norwegian in-flight magazine, no. 4, pp. 108-111 Lindbohm, Dénis (1980) Bevingaren, Vänersborg _________ Supplemental, 02/09/2011 A flying memorial of a different and far more tragic kind took place today. The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team - more familiarly known as "the Red Arrows" - conducted a ceremonial flypast in the skies over Chatsworth House Country Fair in Derbyshire and at a RAF Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire. Both events were dedicated to the memory of Flight Lieutenant Jon Egging. He suffered fatal injuries when his aeroplane crashed during a public event that took place near Bournemouth Airport on 20th August. _________ Supplemental, 23/09/2011 The BBC reports that Flt Lt Jon Egging is to be honoured with a permanent memorial located near the scene of his fatal accident. See Anon (2011) "A Red Arrows pilot Jon Egging memorial for Bournemouth", BBC News, 22/09 accessed 23/09/2011 at, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-15012137. Paralabel for Danish & Nordic Art 1750-1900 Denmark's national gallery - Statens Museum for Kunst - is currently carrying out a major rehang of its permanent collections. In May of this year a suite of rooms reopened under the title "Danish and Nordic Art 1750-1900". A leaflet accompanying the display explains that "[t]his part of the gallery collections unfolds the overall lines in Danish and Nordic art through 150 years." Some of these "lines" are, however, noticeably broader and longer than others. If my maths is correct, nine out of ten works are by Danish artists. Holland, France and Switzerland are as well represented as Finland, i.e. by the presence of a single artwork for each country. So, despite its title, this is not really an exhibition about Nordic art. Even if notions of national identity, taste and interpretation are occasionally questioned, this presentation of Danish art follows the same "line" as that taken by Denmark’s first art historian, Niels Laurits Høyen in an essay from 1863 entitled, "On National Art". An extract from this publication appears on one of the gallery walls (room 218A). It reads: "Believe me! The safest, surest, and straightest road to building ever closer ties with our brothers in Sweden and Norway is to affirm ourselves as Danish, including in our art; to bring our nationality, our country, our myths to bear; to show that we need no borrowed feathers for our adornment." (1) If Høyen were alive today he would surely be delighted to see that, in the year 2011, Statens Museum for Kunst had the audacity to give the title "Danish and Nordic Art 1750-1900" to an exhibition in which 356 out of 392 works are by Danish artists. ______ (1) This text is included in Høyen's Skrifter of 1871 (p. 182) and reads: "Tror mig! den sikreste og retteste Vej til bestandig at komme i nærmere og nærmere Forbindelse med vore Brødre i Sverig og Norge, er at hævde os selv som Danske, ogsaa i vor Konst at gjøre vor Nationalitet, vort Land, vore Sagn gjældende, at vise, at vi ikke behøve at bruge fremmede Fjer for at smykke os med." __________ Supplemental (24/11/2011) This blog posting has been developed further and used as the basis for the following article: Burch, Stuart (2011) "Ude godt, men hjemme bedst: Dansk og Nordisk Kunst 1750-1900", Danske Museer, Vol. 24, No. 5, pp. 9-13 Today - 19th August - is Afghan Independence Day. This marks the signing of the Treaty of Rawalpindi of 1919, an event which signalled the end of British control over Afghanistan. In happier times such an occasion might be a trigger for celebration and rapprochement. Alas, today's anniversary is a literal trigger. Militants have stormed the offices of the British Council in Kabul. The timing of the attack was deliberate: Taliban spokesmen made the link between their murderous assault and the events of nearly 100 years ago. Commemorative events reveal more about the present than they do the past. For proof of this we can look to the year 2019. How will the centenary of Afghan independence be marked? Will it feature musical performances and history assignments written by Afghan schoolgirls? If so, it will be apparent that at least some of the goals of the Western forces have been met. If not, it will probably be because the Taliban have resumed full control. They too will no doubt mark the centenary, but in a manner that will accord with their norms. We can at least take one positive thing from all this: history matters. For as soon as we begin to explore the past we start to address the issues of the present. That both are equally contested is bloodily apparent to the people of Afghanistan and the soldiers that are waging a war in their midst. ___________ Supplemental Listening to the news broadcasts on BBC Radio 4 this morning (20/08/2011) brought home to me just how important anniversaries are when it comes to framing present-day events. Three of the top news stories were given temporal, commemorative frames:
Up until the end of last year it was forbidden for visitors to take photographs at Sweden's Moderna Museet. But now the same practice is positively encouraged: in 2011 photographic images from the museum's collection have replaced all other art forms in the gallery spaces. Visitors are invited to add to this photofest by submitting their snapshots to the museum. These are then vetted before taking pride of place in front of Andy Warhol's cow wallpaper. But traces of the abandoned rule banning photography are still in evidence. Behind the ticket desk can be seen an icon of a crossed-out camera. This is hard to remove: it's integrated into the Barbara Kruger artwork that currently covers the walls of the foyer. The image accompanying this blog posting was taken in late December 2010, just after the ban on the public taking photos was lifted. It shows an easily overlooked "modified readymade". On close inspection it becomes apparent that the sign has been carefully altered. Artfully drawn lines radiate from the camera such that the sign was now intended to mean that photographs could be taken, only without a flash. I wonder where this sign is now? Has it been preserved and accessioned into the museum collection? Just in case this did not happen, I've opted to document it here (click the image above). The photographed sign is a little parasite pointing out the arbitrary nature of museums. This capriciousness isn't very apparent, however, because their subjective and rule-bound nature is disavowed by a carefully maintained mantle of objectivity and properness. Some simple questions: If it is now alright to take photographs at Moderna Museet, why was it banned previously? What did the injunction achieve? Who invoked it and who revoked it - and for what reasons? Why was the rule change not even mentioned? Might the ban be reintroduced one day? _________ Supplemental (03/09/2011) The sign relating to no-flash photography has now been upgraded to a proper-looking laminated panel: "The amount of audio-visual material that Duncan [Makenzie] had stored under MISC was remarkable, even for an inquisitive ten-year old. It was not that he lacked organizing ability - that was the most celebrated of all the Makenzie talents - but he was interested in more things than he knew how to index. He had now begun to discover, the hard way, that information not properly classified can be irretrievably lost." Arthur C. Clarke, Imperial Earth (1975/1982), Aylesbury: Pan Books, p. 16 |
Para, jämsides med.
En annan sort. Dénis Lindbohm, Bevingaren, 1980: 90 Even a parasite like me should be permitted to feed at the banquet of knowledge
I once posted comments as Bevingaren at guardian.co.uk
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Note All parasitoids are parasites, but not all parasites are parasitoids Parasitoid "A parasite that always ultimately destroys its host" (Oxford English Dictionary) I live off you
And you live off me And the whole world Lives off everybody See we gotta be exploited By somebody, by somebody, by somebody X-Ray Spex <I live off you> Germ Free Adolescents 1978 From symbiosis
to parasitism is a short step. The word is now a virus. William Burroughs
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