What is art?

It is a good question. Some questions just are there and have thousand billion of different answers to them. Yesterday I was at a vernissage on Gocart (it stands for Gotland Contemporary Art) it oould also be short for Go c art (Go and see art). There was a performance by Dryckesbröderna, two female artists in the making. They told about their travelling around the small island of Gotland, Sweden between cheers "skål".

Here's  their homepage
http://dryckesbroderna.tumblr.com  The drinking brothers  (in swedish)

So i figured to tell some travelling story too. I have taken some pictures of my time on Gotland as well.

 Here's on my way to Art-school looking at the clouds.

Passing by ringmuren. It is a photo of the reality so it is not art is it? If I made a painting of this wall thingy would it become art then? Who knows?

The world is art - the word is art

Freddie Mercury

When I think of a Queen song, the song that comes into mind is Bohemian Rhapsody, iconic harmonies and the wonderful singing master. I recorded that song from the radio on a tape when a was little. Today was Freddie Mercury's birthday. No more amongst the living but his songs will live on for all time.

I love the small song too Love of my life. The guitar play by Brian May on this tune is great to hear.

 
"Don't stop me now" is also a wonderful song and that it then the line continues 'cause I'm having such a good time. 

Fabulous muzic. Full of life, stories, harmony.
Cheers!

I should stop writing now. Leave on a high note. It just gets to me that my uncle had the same, not the same? similar, fatal ending to his life as Freddie. That disease is so real and so many get it and it's important to acknowledge it. Jonas Gardell has written a book about the early 70's in Stockholm "Torka aldrig tårar utan handskar" - don´t swipe off the tears without gloves on. It got to be film 2012 by director Simon Kaijser. That got to me.  Spoiler alert... characters dying.
There is a more aware society nowadays perhaps. Stay safe.  I will.

"Only the good one die young" what song is that?

art and culture, I don't know

The lecturer gave the class the assignment of making out a "kulturmanifest" a pamphlet of culture like the Futurists used to do daily. To think about what is culture, what is art and so on. 

Art is for humanity. There always will be culture, art and poetry because its the way to communicate feelings amongst each other. It a pity that its so much workers in the culture section that doesn't get paid, its like in Sweden a few "famous" wellpaid workers in the culture while there are thousands of artists that struggle, unknown to the public, not getting a decent pay of the day, having to take other jobs to get by. Why is it so? The culture that humanity thrives upon, that is so important is for but a few to get by on when there are so many others standing in line, not just waiting but fighting for to get a place in the spotlight not getting any space because of the media covering but a few shining stars. 

It's a lucky few that have become someone known to the public. 

Kevin Spacey on crucial Impact of the Arts (YT-vid sett 3 sept 2014) Kev talade om det på Art Advocacy day 2011.  I made a small transcript and a worse translation to swedish. Art and culture is for one and all.   

In a world that gets smaller by the hour there has to be culture and freedom to the artists 

"Art and creativity is one of the most signifikant ways that humanity uses to fight against and lift itself out of the muck the dirt and the grind and the horror and the unfairness of political persecution, rasist attack, hatred, intolerance and downright cruelty but luckily to support our cause there have been a long and distinguished line of some of the most important figures in the united states and the world political history who have managed to lay a rest... eloquent work 

pres Kennedy.  as well as in the arts.

"..there is a connection hard to explain logically but easy to feel between achievement in public life and the progress in arts the age of Lorenzo ... was also the age of Leonardo Da Vinci. The age of Elizabeth was also the age of Shakespeare. In America artists quite often contribute not to our size but to our spirits not to our political beliefs but to our insight not to our self-esteem but to our self comprehension.

   There is the great poet Robert Frost who saw poetry as the means to save power from itself when power corrupts, poetry cleanses for art establishes basic human truth. which must serve as the touchstone for our judgement we must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda it is a form of truth. the highest duty of the writer, the composer, the artist is to remain true to themselves and let the chips fall where they may and the nation obtains mission of art invites the fade of having nothing to look back to with pride and nothing to look forward to with hope. 

   I look forward to an america that will not be afraid of grace and beauty.  I look forward to an america which will steadily race the standards of artistic accomplishment and enlarge cultural opportunities for all of our citizens and I look forward to an america that commands the respect throughout the world not only for its strength but for its civilisation. I see little of more importance to this country that its future and our civilisation than the full recognition of the place of the artist." 

   1933 Eleanor Roosevelt. Artist unemployed.A bill passed in congress national culture act. Eisenhower. 1958.

The create industry important for industry, import/export. in the US 

many art institutes are suffering today Act now for the culture and art to not be diminished. 

president Kennedys ord på svengelska

det finns en länk som är svår att förklara logiskt men lätt att känna mellan framgång i offentligheten  och den rörelse i konsten i Lorenzos tidsålder som också var tiden för Leonardo Da Vinci. Elizabeths tidsålder var detsamma som Shakespeares. I Amerika har konstnärer ofta bidragit inte till storlek men till spirit, inte till politiska åsikter men till vår insikt inte till vår självkänsla men till vår själv kännedom. Den store poeten Robert Frost såg poesi som det sätt att rädda makten från sig själv när makten är korrupt, poesin rensar för konst etablisserat en grund för den humana sanningen. som måste serve as the touchstone för vårt tanke måste vi aldrig glömma att konsten är inte en form av propaganda utan en form av sanning. Den högsta tjänsten för författaren, kompositören, konstnären är att de förblir sanna mot sig själva och låter chipsen falla var de vill och nationen obtains en konstagenda som bjuder in de som har inget att se tillbaka på med stolthet och intet att se tillbaka på med hopp. (Sen är det amerikanskt) var inte rädd för grace och skönhet. Jag ser fram emot .. ett land som stadigt höjer standarden för konstnärliga utsmyckningar och förstorar kulturella opportunister för alla invånare och I ser fram emot ett land som kommenderar respekt genom världen inte bara för dess styrka utan för dess samhälle. Det finns litet som är mer viktigt för detta land att dess framtid och vår befolkning än ett fullt erkännande av konstnärens plats.

I searched what to do

... and this is what a buisness man would do. 
"You know the logic we were told always to follow:
Analyze the prospective market and choose segments with the highest potential return.
Develop and optimize a plan for success.
Calculate the costs of achieving it.
Proceed down the most efficient path possible.
While it makes enormous sense in a predictable setting—say a booming economy—it doesn’t in the face of the unknown because you simply don’t know what could happen. If you use this logic there all you end up doing is making projections…on assumptions… that are contingent on guesses.

That’s just silly.

So, what do you do?
Use the model of Act. Learn. Build. Repeat."  (Taken from Forbes webpage)

- And what are you gonna do?

- I dunno, I dunno 

- Tell a tale, make a business plan, do a comic, make a dream come true, 

- I don't have a plan,  I got studies, that is learning and that is taking time whatever 
  I got no time for this shite. 
- Let's find a man and get done with it, thats a plan... 
- O er, no time for that dream on babe

To be Continued... 

A funny man passed away

11 august 2014 Robin Williams
He was something else in Good Will Hunting(1997), the psychiatrist role that gave him that Oscar award. I saw some of the comic genious that was mr Williams as he was interviewed in Inside the Actors studio by James Lipton. The actor was a funny man being inteviewed. He was actor in One hour photo(2002) and making all sorts of voices as the Genie in Disney's Aladdin(1992). The first film that I reckon have seen him in though is Good morning Vietnam(1987), he owned the part as a fast talking radio reporter.
It was sad news to hear about him passing today because he has given me as well as many others some laughs through the years. Crying from laughter and now as the tragedy sinks in there are prayer for those who have hard times, believe that there comes sunshine. I will.

My top 3 Robin Williams films:
1989 - Dead poet's society

1998 - Patch Adams

1998 - What dreams may come

Uplifting news

- I am appalled by the GMO its gene manipulated organisms everywhere in front my eyes because I am studying it as a subject for now. Did you know that most of the corn and cotton and farmers in the US of A is making GMO crops?
- No thats old news they've done it for years.
- But now it has been shown the effect on the habitat around, the more pesticides and the GMO spreads into the wild and the bugs, insects evolve and its all a nature chaos caused by humans again. Thought we were doing good with richer food by manipulating it but it has a effect of giving blood diseases. It is no good.
- Tomorrow it will be forgotten
- Well at least I can read about it here later on.
-You think so? Never go back my friend. Never look back.
- Only look forward to that world going to the inevitable doomsday? Like the Vikings called it Ragnarök. or in english Rag-na-roek. If there was a way to you know to do something.

Have you ever heard of such a thing? uplifting news? There was once a band called Bad news.

The people's poet

En youtubevideo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HW79irfSdQ 

A cameraman has filmed Rik Behind the scenes during the shooting of Murder Mysteries: The White knight Stratagem (2001) 

Rik has a smoke and speak to the cameraman after a girl has fixed his hair.

Rik                 - What you fuckin do?

Cameraman  - Dunno

Rik                 - You don't know. Viewers. You don't know who the cameraman is.

Cameraman  - Noone..

Rik                - You dont know why you are being made to see these things? Nor do I. You're seeing me, I can't even see 

                        you. I may be dead By the time you watch this, very possible are, you dont know who's the man who's                                   

                       making things he wants you to see. Destroy your television set now. You must listen to no orders. That's all I 

                       can tell you at this point of humanity. Believe me

Girl              - ..there

Rik              - Did that sound pretentious?

Girl             - Really quite

Cameraman - I didn't really understand it.

__

When the comedy giant Rik Mayall passed away 9 june 2014 I saw it as a duty to find out who s that man? Why does he get so much attention? Now that he is dead. And surely enough I soon found out that its the pass of a great actor and history changer, a part of comedy history in Brittain mostly. The Alan B'stard character thaught me that Rik was playing with the politics through being an utter bastard. At the time Margaret Thatcher was in power of the UK and she did badly so to have this Alan B'stard character shine a light upon the schemes that are happening behind the curtains of parliament was a groundbreaker for brittish public. A mean bastard wouldn't go far in the swedish comedy - we love the happy faces, the really queer things. But Sweden is a small town compared to Brittain.  

 I come from little Sweden so it was to my delight to see the Rik Mayall in a video short with the swedish comedy elite in an ABBA spoof video during the Eurovsion 2004. As foreigners you don't recognize Robert Gustafsson as Rik’s assistant. Sissela Kyle(legendary swedish comedy woman) as the telephonista. You might recognize Mikael (who has reached global famousity for being in the Millenium trilogy) sitting in the sofa next to Cecilia Frode(wonderful swedish comedy woman). As swedes we laugh at just seeing Robert Gustafsson because he has always pulled faces through his long fruitful career(mind you he is Swedens today greatest comedy man). The Loa Falkman(royal opera singer) also joins in the ABBA tribute as coach for the puppetshow. I saw The ABBA tribute video feauturing Rik Mayall and then because of that Rik Mayall presents Dancing Queen(1993),

 he did with Helena Bonham Carter amongst other chums. Followed by the tv-program of Rik Mayall presents Micky Love(1993) the depraved the alcoholic the horrible nothing at all like that sweet character Neil in Dancing Queen. 1995 there was also Rik Mayall presents Briefest Encounter, 

I love the Rik Mayall presents films its a great body of work and the man has gotten the opportunity to play very different personas or some what versions of himself. Thats what actors do. They do versions of oneself. You cant obliterate yourself ever. You got yourself to live with until the day you die.

Through his career Rik Mayall have openly in his plays talked about death a great deal. It’s all fine because he's not dead at the time then at the Bottom Live 4 “An arse Oddity” tour when they bury the parrot its all so funny.

The young ones(1982-1984) But as he was the poet Rich he did have the speech of if he did pass away the kids would say the poets dead but how can he be dead when we still have his poems? As a matter of fact deeply human feelings gets touched upon with light heart twinkle in the eye becase you have to have a laugh in life whatever there is to it?

I love the Comic strip films also. Fistful of travellers cheques(1984) is this example, its like a spoof of Good, bad and Ugly or any Clint Eastwood western. Rik plays a western film lover in cosplay throughout on holiday. 

The Comic strip gang have done a number of films through the year, mostly of them half films, but some long films as well. Each film holding its own theme, whether it'd be War(1983) with some american accents, The Beat generation(1983) in black and white or Summer school(1983) crazy caveman style

The kids stories he did as well. Grim tales at the same time as he was The new statesman(1987-94). Storytelling of childrens books he was great at. Must have, could have practiced that with his own kiddies or was he such a characterdriven person private too? He did have a quiet side. Like we all do. Who in the heck would be so energetic always? One thing I don’t like about him is the smoking. I just dont care for smokers. Otherwise he seemed great. Read in the news today that Michael Douglas tries to get his wife Catherine Zeta jones to give up smoking. That is brave. Smoking is hard to get rid of as it gets to become a part of you but people can stop, its just to stop by making the decision to do so. Decide for yourself what you want to do. Now I come to the very odd conclusion that I cannot appreciate smokers body of work because of the fact that they smoke? Then I would have to say goodbye to all the greats I liked before Leslie Howard, Bobby Darin, heck that Babe ms Henrietta. Bette Davis I meant she was in bondage film long time ago with Leslie Howard, what about Olivia? what about her name was I see her so clearly being interviewed by Dave Letterman or Johnny Carson? Long time no seen. She(Bette Davis) did a great impact on me. and the way she talked about the different time and age that she was a virgin when she got married and to get married is not for that. its for the companionship. it is for the family values. I like that Rik did not become a sell out. He held his private life private. That is important to decide upon in the beginning of a career. The public gets nothing of me but only my character. And then the interviewers try to get the personal out there. The juice is all they want.

All I want is the comedy. More shows. More of the performer. It does not matter what he does on a everyday basis but the performance yes sir. Give me another show. Give me another year. Give me another laugh. Give me. What can I give to you? 

transcript of part of Rik Mayalls speech getting a doctorate at University of Exeter in 2008

“Failed to go to drama exams. One 11+ 3 O levels and a doctorate. No wait, unbelivable. Imagination and charity. Now my young friends it is Time to start enjoy your life. Start celebrating ur success. In the real nasty sexy world out there. In return five mantras to carry with you through your lifes What helped me to survive be happy. Not only to survive but to be happy. All men are equal therefore noone can ever be your genuine superior. 2 it is your future it is yours to create. your future is as bright as you make it. 3 Change is a constant of life so you must never ever loose your wisdom your wisdom that you nurtured and enriched here at Exeter university 4 If you want to live a full and complete human life you have to be free. Freedom is paramount 5 Love is the answer. So my friends there's my present to you, you just make sure you always got those five things Equality, Opportunity, Wisdom, Freedom and Love, yeah? (repeat) and you'll be alright, with that and a little bit of good luck. so good luck, congratulations and good luck my young friends, you go out there and have yourself a fucking good life. Bon voyage my young friends. Bon voyage.”