Thursday, April 28, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
MARCH ISSUE: STRENGTH THROUGH DIFFERENCE THE MALLEABILITY OF HUMAN RIGHTS, EXERT OF AN ESSAY BY BEN CRAVEN
Are human rights a fiction of modern, western liberal democracies that bring us no closer to a shared ethical framework?
Human rights, especially human rights abuses, are often talked about in western media. The term itself can mean different things to different people. This essay will seek to argue that human rights are a fiction of modern, western liberal democracies and that it is in our best interests to not come to a shared ethical framework, even if this were possible. It will also prove that human rights are detrimental to cultural diversity and that their foundations are deeply infused with Christian undertones, making them unappealing, imperialistic and alien to many peoples and cultures. This essay will first cover and critique the Liberal doctrine of John Locke, then assess the significance Christianity has played on the emergence and evolution of human rights. The latter part of this essay will assess contemporary and historical issues to enforce the thesis statement, from diverse areas such as; the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, US foreign policy in regards to the Armenian Genocide and the evolution of Buddhism and eventual emergence of Zen Buddhism in China.
John Locke is credited with being one of the founding fathers of Liberalism, through this he was also an instrumental character in the formation of human rights and the fiction thereof. An avid admirer of Euclid and his axioms, Locke attempted to establish his own in regards to political philosophy, coming to the self-evident axiom “Where there is no property, there is no injustice”.[1] Locke believed that injustices stemmed from individuals in the State of Nature and in subsequent political communities encroaching on another’s property rights. For him, a right to property, along with life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness were to be seen as being intrinsic, inalienable rights of every individual.[2] Locke’s emphasis on the rights of the individual was instrumental in founding the modern fiction of western human rights. However, Locke’s philosophy was drastically influenced by the current political and social climate at the time. During the time that Locke wrote his works of political philosophy, there was a mass emigration of people out of Europe heading towards the New World.[3] Critics of Locke argue that his philosophy of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness extended only to men of European extraction and that Locke would not have dreamed of the same liberties being given to women and blacks. Furthermore, it is argued that Locke believed that his theory of property rights extended to include slaves held in bondage.[4] Locke, therefore, though traditionally held to be a revolutionary force against the monarchs of the Old World, could be viewed as leading a populist movement – his target audience being comprised of industrious white men with high ambitions of becoming successful upon making it to the New World. Such a claim is not without merit, as Locke, amongst other theorists can be linked to the intellectual background to the United States Declaration of Independence.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Monday, December 6, 2010
Wikileaks cable
The Wikileaks cables
ISSUE WHAT WE LEARNED KEY QUOTE READ MORE
Afghanistan
Concern among the US and other foreign officials over the fitness of President Karzai to govern.
"[Karzai is] a paranoid and weak individual unfamiliar with the basics of nation-building."
July 2009 cable published by the Guardian
China
The US urged China to stop a shipment of missile components from North Korea to Iran in 2007, and also expressed concern over Chinese computer hacking.
"The best way to prevent these shipments in the future is for Chinese authorities to take action."
November 2007 cable released by the Guardian
Germany
In 2004, a German citizen was snatched in Macedonia and allegedly taken to a secret prison by the CIA. In a separate cable Chancellor Angela Merkel is labelled "Risk averse and rarely creative".
"Our intention was not to
threaten ... but rather to urge that the German Government weigh carefully implications for relations with the US."
June 2007 cable from the US embassy in Berlin concerning the CIA row
Iran
A number of Arab leaders called on the US to attack Iran to stop its suspected nuclear weapons programme. President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad is also referred to as "Hitler" by the UAE defence minister. In a cable from April 2008 the Saudi ambassador in Washington, Adel al-Jubeir, recalled King Abdullah's "frequent exhortations" to the US to attack Iran.
"[King Hamad of Bahrain] argued
forcefully for taking action to terminate their nuclear program, by whatever means necessary."
November 2009 cable details Arab views on Iran, published by the New York Times.
Italy
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is described as "feckless and vain" and had profited from a "nefarious connection" with Russian PM Vladimir Putin.
"Berlusconi admires Putin's macho, decisive, and authoritarian governing style, which the Italian PM believes matches his own."
January 2009 cable speculates on the relationship between Berlusconi and Putin published by the New York Times.
Libya
Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi relies heavily on his long-time Ukrainian nurse, described as a "voluptuous blonde".
"Gadaffi has been described as both mercurial and eccentric, and our recent first-hand experiences
with him demonstrated the truth of both characterisations."
September 2009 cable on Gadaffi published by the New York Times
North and South Korea
China was becoming frustrated with North Korea's behaviour and was coming round to the view that the Korean peninsula should be reunified under Seoul's control in the long term. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is described by US diplomats as a "flabby old chap".
"We need to solve this problem. It is very troublesome," China's ambassador to Kazakhstan told the Americans.
June 2009 cable published by The Guardian
Mexico
The Mexican army was failing in its fight against drugs cartels.
"Mexican security institutions are often locked in competition... information is closely guarded, and joint operations are all but unheard of."
January 2009 cable published by The Guardian
Pakistan
US and British diplomats feared that Pakistan's nuclear material could fall into terrorists' hands and that the US had been trying to remove highly enriched uranium from a research facility since 2007.
"The UK has deep concerns about the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons."
September 2009 cable published by the Guardian
Russia
The country is descibed as being a corrupt, autocratic kleptocracy centred on the Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. A separate cable describes President Medvedev as "Robin" to Putin's "Batman".
"[Spanish prosecutor Jose 'Pepe' Grinda Gonzalez] stated that he considers Belarus, Chechnya and Russia to be virtual 'mafia states'."
February 2010 cable published by the Guardian
Saudi Arabia
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warns that donors in Saudi Arabia are the "most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide".
"More needs to be done since Saudi Arabia remains a critical financial support base for al-Qa'ida, the Taliban, LeT, and other terrorist groups, including Hamas, which probably raise millions of dollars annually from Saudi sources, often during Hajj and Ramadan."
December 2009 cable published by the Guardian
Spain
Embassy claims Rolls-Royce lost out on a key contract with the Spanish military following lobbying of Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero by Washington.
"Moncloa - the office of the President - overturned the decision and it was announced that GE had won the bid. The Ambassador is convinced that Zapatero personally intervened in the case in favor of GE."
Cable published by the Guardian
Sri Lanka
President Mahinda Rajapaksa was responsible for alleged war crimes, according to a January 2010 cable sent by the US ambassador.
"There are no examples we know of a regime undertaking investigations of its own troops or senior officials for war crimes while in power."
January 2010 cable published by the Guardian
UK
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown was perceived to be "finished" by US diplomats in summer 2008, while the UK also kept quiet about a loophole allowing the US to continue storing cluster bombs on its territory despite an international ban.
"A terrible by-election defeat in Scotland has left the Labour Party reeling and fuelled fears among MPs that Brown's premiership may now be beyond repair."
July 2008 cable published by the Guardian
UK - Royal Family
The Duke of York criticised the Serious Fraud Office probe of an arms deal between BAE and Saudi Arabia and spoke in a rude manner during an official engagement.
"[Prince Andrew] railed at British anti-corruption investigators, who had had the 'idiocy' of almost scuttling the Al-Yamama deal with Saudi Arabia."
October 2008 cable published by the Guardian
United Nations
Diplomats were instructed under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's name to collect DNA samples, fingerprints and credit card details of key UN officials.
"Reporting officers should include as much of the following information as possible... organizational titles; names, position titles and other information on business cards; numbers of telephones, cell phones, pagers and faxes; compendia of contact information."
July 2009 cable on UN espionage published by the Guardian
United States
US State Department asks US missions for list of key facilities around the world it describes as vital to its national security and provides 2008 list.
"BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd., Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom: Critical to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter..."
February 2009 cable published by Wikileaks
ISSUE WHAT WE LEARNED KEY QUOTE READ MORE
Afghanistan
Concern among the US and other foreign officials over the fitness of President Karzai to govern.
"[Karzai is] a paranoid and weak individual unfamiliar with the basics of nation-building."
July 2009 cable published by the Guardian
China
The US urged China to stop a shipment of missile components from North Korea to Iran in 2007, and also expressed concern over Chinese computer hacking.
"The best way to prevent these shipments in the future is for Chinese authorities to take action."
November 2007 cable released by the Guardian
Germany
In 2004, a German citizen was snatched in Macedonia and allegedly taken to a secret prison by the CIA. In a separate cable Chancellor Angela Merkel is labelled "Risk averse and rarely creative".
"Our intention was not to
threaten ... but rather to urge that the German Government weigh carefully implications for relations with the US."
June 2007 cable from the US embassy in Berlin concerning the CIA row
Iran
A number of Arab leaders called on the US to attack Iran to stop its suspected nuclear weapons programme. President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad is also referred to as "Hitler" by the UAE defence minister. In a cable from April 2008 the Saudi ambassador in Washington, Adel al-Jubeir, recalled King Abdullah's "frequent exhortations" to the US to attack Iran.
"[King Hamad of Bahrain] argued
forcefully for taking action to terminate their nuclear program, by whatever means necessary."
November 2009 cable details Arab views on Iran, published by the New York Times.
Italy
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is described as "feckless and vain" and had profited from a "nefarious connection" with Russian PM Vladimir Putin.
"Berlusconi admires Putin's macho, decisive, and authoritarian governing style, which the Italian PM believes matches his own."
January 2009 cable speculates on the relationship between Berlusconi and Putin published by the New York Times.
Libya
Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi relies heavily on his long-time Ukrainian nurse, described as a "voluptuous blonde".
"Gadaffi has been described as both mercurial and eccentric, and our recent first-hand experiences
with him demonstrated the truth of both characterisations."
September 2009 cable on Gadaffi published by the New York Times
North and South Korea
China was becoming frustrated with North Korea's behaviour and was coming round to the view that the Korean peninsula should be reunified under Seoul's control in the long term. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is described by US diplomats as a "flabby old chap".
"We need to solve this problem. It is very troublesome," China's ambassador to Kazakhstan told the Americans.
June 2009 cable published by The Guardian
Mexico
The Mexican army was failing in its fight against drugs cartels.
"Mexican security institutions are often locked in competition... information is closely guarded, and joint operations are all but unheard of."
January 2009 cable published by The Guardian
Pakistan
US and British diplomats feared that Pakistan's nuclear material could fall into terrorists' hands and that the US had been trying to remove highly enriched uranium from a research facility since 2007.
"The UK has deep concerns about the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons."
September 2009 cable published by the Guardian
Russia
The country is descibed as being a corrupt, autocratic kleptocracy centred on the Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. A separate cable describes President Medvedev as "Robin" to Putin's "Batman".
"[Spanish prosecutor Jose 'Pepe' Grinda Gonzalez] stated that he considers Belarus, Chechnya and Russia to be virtual 'mafia states'."
February 2010 cable published by the Guardian
Saudi Arabia
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warns that donors in Saudi Arabia are the "most significant source of funding to Sunni terrorist groups worldwide".
"More needs to be done since Saudi Arabia remains a critical financial support base for al-Qa'ida, the Taliban, LeT, and other terrorist groups, including Hamas, which probably raise millions of dollars annually from Saudi sources, often during Hajj and Ramadan."
December 2009 cable published by the Guardian
Spain
Embassy claims Rolls-Royce lost out on a key contract with the Spanish military following lobbying of Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero by Washington.
"Moncloa - the office of the President - overturned the decision and it was announced that GE had won the bid. The Ambassador is convinced that Zapatero personally intervened in the case in favor of GE."
Cable published by the Guardian
Sri Lanka
President Mahinda Rajapaksa was responsible for alleged war crimes, according to a January 2010 cable sent by the US ambassador.
"There are no examples we know of a regime undertaking investigations of its own troops or senior officials for war crimes while in power."
January 2010 cable published by the Guardian
UK
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown was perceived to be "finished" by US diplomats in summer 2008, while the UK also kept quiet about a loophole allowing the US to continue storing cluster bombs on its territory despite an international ban.
"A terrible by-election defeat in Scotland has left the Labour Party reeling and fuelled fears among MPs that Brown's premiership may now be beyond repair."
July 2008 cable published by the Guardian
UK - Royal Family
The Duke of York criticised the Serious Fraud Office probe of an arms deal between BAE and Saudi Arabia and spoke in a rude manner during an official engagement.
"[Prince Andrew] railed at British anti-corruption investigators, who had had the 'idiocy' of almost scuttling the Al-Yamama deal with Saudi Arabia."
October 2008 cable published by the Guardian
United Nations
Diplomats were instructed under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's name to collect DNA samples, fingerprints and credit card details of key UN officials.
"Reporting officers should include as much of the following information as possible... organizational titles; names, position titles and other information on business cards; numbers of telephones, cell phones, pagers and faxes; compendia of contact information."
July 2009 cable on UN espionage published by the Guardian
United States
US State Department asks US missions for list of key facilities around the world it describes as vital to its national security and provides 2008 list.
"BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd., Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom: Critical to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter..."
February 2009 cable published by Wikileaks
Sunday, October 17, 2010
MARROW OCTOBER ISSUE NOW AVAILABLE
HERE'S A SNEAK AT THE FASHION SHOOT.
Photographer: Lucy Fulford (third year BVA Dunedin School of art, Photography)
Make Up: Sam McCarthy sam.a.mccarthy@hotmail.co.uk
Hair/Designer : Samuel Ralph sammyjon7@hotmail.com (1st Year Bachelor of Design in Fashion, Dunedin Fashion school)
Designer: Sam Thorpe http://pavementparade.blogspot.com/ (1st year Bachelor of Design in Fashion, Dunedin Fashion school
Models: Harveen Dhalwai & Rachel Chin.
Words: Hana Aoake
For this assignment first year fashion design students were permitted a colour palette of black and white and the use of cotton fabrics. Having such strict limitations would leave many with an array of emotions, probably centred on frustration at being so limited creatively. For Sam Thorpe, this challenge presented him with an opportunity to push himself further. The design of his trenchcoat was aimed at emphasizing a feminine silhouette and is reminiscent of the tailored sophistication and glamour of such women as Marlene Dietrich and Jacqueline Kennedy. He also designed a simple shift dress, evocative of dresses worn by the likes of Edie Sedgwick and Twiggy. The look he has created exudes cohesion and femininity. He also appears to have been influenced by designers such as Ossie Clark, Pierre Cardin, André Courrèges,Oleg Cassini and Hubert de Givenchy.
The look created by Sam Ralph illustrates an ability to manipulate and contort proportions, a focus on detail and is an accentuation of a look devised as an embodiment of innovation and the avant-garde. The designer has accompanied the highly embellished jacket with a flattering figure-hugging silhouette, the multi functional belt screaming high fashion. His look is couture, with a clear resemblance to designers such as Martin Margiela and Gareth Puget, yet also highly functional.
Photographer: Lucy Fulford (third year BVA Dunedin School of art, Photography)
Make Up: Sam McCarthy sam.a.mccarthy@hotmail.co.uk
Hair/Designer : Samuel Ralph sammyjon7@hotmail.com (1st Year Bachelor of Design in Fashion, Dunedin Fashion school)
Designer: Sam Thorpe http://pavementparade.blogspot.com/ (1st year Bachelor of Design in Fashion, Dunedin Fashion school
Models: Harveen Dhalwai & Rachel Chin.
Words: Hana Aoake
For this assignment first year fashion design students were permitted a colour palette of black and white and the use of cotton fabrics. Having such strict limitations would leave many with an array of emotions, probably centred on frustration at being so limited creatively. For Sam Thorpe, this challenge presented him with an opportunity to push himself further. The design of his trenchcoat was aimed at emphasizing a feminine silhouette and is reminiscent of the tailored sophistication and glamour of such women as Marlene Dietrich and Jacqueline Kennedy. He also designed a simple shift dress, evocative of dresses worn by the likes of Edie Sedgwick and Twiggy. The look he has created exudes cohesion and femininity. He also appears to have been influenced by designers such as Ossie Clark, Pierre Cardin, André Courrèges,Oleg Cassini and Hubert de Givenchy.
The look created by Sam Ralph illustrates an ability to manipulate and contort proportions, a focus on detail and is an accentuation of a look devised as an embodiment of innovation and the avant-garde. The designer has accompanied the highly embellished jacket with a flattering figure-hugging silhouette, the multi functional belt screaming high fashion. His look is couture, with a clear resemblance to designers such as Martin Margiela and Gareth Puget, yet also highly functional.
New Works by Devon Smith
03 November at 17:30 - 28 November at 00:00
Solander Gallery
218 Willis Street
Wellington, New Zealand
New works by Devon Smith.
Opening function is the 3rd of November.
http://solandergallery.co.nz/
Also showing will be new print work by Alex Milsom and Fleur Williams.
SITE 2010
SITE10 is the showcase for final year Dunedin School of Art Students. The whole school turns into a gallery and is open to the public 12.00 - 4.00 daily from Saturday 20th - Thursday 25th November.
Works include: ceramics, electronic arts, jewellery & metalsmithing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and textiles.
Many pieces will be for sale.
20 November at 12:00 - 25 November at 16:00
Location Dunedin School of Art
Reigo Street
Dunedin, New Zealand
Lets Roar Loudly! Exhibition & Symposium
21st - 30th October 2010
84 Lower Stuart Street, Dunedin
Opening Wednesday 20th, 5:30pm BYO
This group exhibition offers a view of feminism through many lenses. Exploring themes of play, the body, imagination, gender politics and identity the artists seek to foster participation in useful conversations about the role of feminism in contemporary society.
http://letsroarloudly.blogspot.com
AWESOME ALL AGES GIG!!! with The Communist Rainbow Relationship & QTPI
Records Records is shutting down soon :(.
Two great bands from Dunedin shall be playing there on the 22 October · 18:00 - 20:30
One of which is Dunedin's seminal no-wave kittycore band QTPI (http://www.myspace.com/qtpisilentpaws) returning from their brief hibernation period.
The other one is pop band The Communist Rainbow Relationship (http://www.myspace.com/thecommunistrainbowrelationshipfuckyes) (you can also download their single @ http://proxymusic.bandcamp.com/track/two-horse-pony-losers)
Starts at 6:00! Everyone is welcome to enjoy the music!
link to location (http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?hl=en&safe=off&gl=nz&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=393+Princes+Street.+Dunedin%2C+New+Zealand&fb=1&hnear=Dunedin&cid=0%2C0%2C14798786624768505909&ei=U5C7TPaJKIeisQP5zKWFDw&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CBcQnwIwAA)
This will be an awesome gig with awesome vibes!
Two great bands from Dunedin shall be playing there on the 22 October · 18:00 - 20:30
One of which is Dunedin's seminal no-wave kittycore band QTPI (http://www.myspace.com/qtpisilentpaws) returning from their brief hibernation period.
The other one is pop band The Communist Rainbow Relationship (http://www.myspace.com/thecommunistrainbowrelationshipfuckyes) (you can also download their single @ http://proxymusic.bandcamp.com/track/two-horse-pony-losers)
Starts at 6:00! Everyone is welcome to enjoy the music!
link to location (http://maps.google.co.nz/maps?hl=en&safe=off&gl=nz&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=393+Princes+Street.+Dunedin%2C+New+Zealand&fb=1&hnear=Dunedin&cid=0%2C0%2C14798786624768505909&ei=U5C7TPaJKIeisQP5zKWFDw&sa=X&oi=local_result&ct=image&resnum=1&ved=0CBcQnwIwAA)
This will be an awesome gig with awesome vibes!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Interesting Facts about Friedrich Nietzsche
One day while walking on the streets, philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche saw a man whipping a horse because it wouldn’t move. The beast was clearly unable to move, and Nietzsche threw himself between the horse and its tormentor — and fainted. When he awoke, he was never the same again.
Most people would applaud his kindness to the horse, but not Nietzsche. In his eyes he had betrayed his own principles by stooping to pity, a common emotion he believed the enlightened man should avoid.
He apparently understood at that moment that he was not the Superman he preached, and though he was temporarily more energetic and healthy than he had been his entire adult life, it was an energy mixed with insanity as he wrote letters to national leaders claiming to be the world’s savior. Soon he degenerated, mindlessly staring and mumbling, and died 11 years later.
Nietzsche was brilliant but often misunderstood because he used brief, pointed comments called aphorisms that were intended to jolt people and make them think. If taken at face value many of these aphorisms seem hard and cruel. Perhaps for this reason Nietzsche was a popular philosopher in Nazi Germany, where he was used to justify the Nazis’ actions.
One advantage of his aphoristic style, however, is that it is easy to read. Compared with the almost-incomprehensible works of some other philosophers, Nietzsche’s writing is direct, and often funny, especially in “Thus Spake Zarathustra” (1885), his most famous work.
Nietzsche’s philosophy is based on two themes: God doesn’t exist and people are driven only by the desire to obtain power.
Despite all the talk about morals, he argued, morals don’t exist and we shouldn’t pretend they do. Morals are just a facade to cover up people’s real motivation: the desire to control other people and prevent other people from controlling them. He called this the “Will to Power” and claimed that all attempts to construct societies without realizing the centrality of this will to power are doomed.
And since God didn’t exist, he argued, Christianity was just a ploy to keep power in the hands of the majority who resented the few who were more suited to rule.
Another of Nietzche’s concepts is that of the “Superman.” People, he argued, stop short of their potential by needing to be comfortable, or by feeling sorry for themselves. This is why he disliked democracy: it gave power to those who hadn’t proven themselves fit to govern. Man, he said, should become Superman by overcoming his fears, comforts and petty concerns.
Though Nietzche has been used as justification by totalitarians, he was also an inspiration to Sigmund Freud and Jean Paul Sartre. Nietzche argued that people’s expressed reasons for their actions are not their real motivation, and that people can make something of themselves by an act of the will. Freud picked up on the idea of real reasons behind stated reasons to develop psychoanalysis, and Sartre picked up on Nietzche’s idea that man becomes something as he acts.
Most people would applaud his kindness to the horse, but not Nietzsche. In his eyes he had betrayed his own principles by stooping to pity, a common emotion he believed the enlightened man should avoid.
He apparently understood at that moment that he was not the Superman he preached, and though he was temporarily more energetic and healthy than he had been his entire adult life, it was an energy mixed with insanity as he wrote letters to national leaders claiming to be the world’s savior. Soon he degenerated, mindlessly staring and mumbling, and died 11 years later.
Nietzsche was brilliant but often misunderstood because he used brief, pointed comments called aphorisms that were intended to jolt people and make them think. If taken at face value many of these aphorisms seem hard and cruel. Perhaps for this reason Nietzsche was a popular philosopher in Nazi Germany, where he was used to justify the Nazis’ actions.
One advantage of his aphoristic style, however, is that it is easy to read. Compared with the almost-incomprehensible works of some other philosophers, Nietzsche’s writing is direct, and often funny, especially in “Thus Spake Zarathustra” (1885), his most famous work.
Nietzsche’s philosophy is based on two themes: God doesn’t exist and people are driven only by the desire to obtain power.
Despite all the talk about morals, he argued, morals don’t exist and we shouldn’t pretend they do. Morals are just a facade to cover up people’s real motivation: the desire to control other people and prevent other people from controlling them. He called this the “Will to Power” and claimed that all attempts to construct societies without realizing the centrality of this will to power are doomed.
And since God didn’t exist, he argued, Christianity was just a ploy to keep power in the hands of the majority who resented the few who were more suited to rule.
Another of Nietzche’s concepts is that of the “Superman.” People, he argued, stop short of their potential by needing to be comfortable, or by feeling sorry for themselves. This is why he disliked democracy: it gave power to those who hadn’t proven themselves fit to govern. Man, he said, should become Superman by overcoming his fears, comforts and petty concerns.
Though Nietzche has been used as justification by totalitarians, he was also an inspiration to Sigmund Freud and Jean Paul Sartre. Nietzche argued that people’s expressed reasons for their actions are not their real motivation, and that people can make something of themselves by an act of the will. Freud picked up on the idea of real reasons behind stated reasons to develop psychoanalysis, and Sartre picked up on Nietzche’s idea that man becomes something as he acts.
A group exhibition by Deano Shirriffs, Jimi Bellaney & Lars Preisser @ Modaks Cafe
Tūrangawaewae : A Place to Stand. A group exhibition by Deano Shirriffs, Jimi Bellaney & Lars Preisser @ Modaks Cafe
Opening - Friday 24th September 5.30pm - 9pm (ish)
featuring some Art, Music & Booze
exhibition runs till 24th October
Artworks in the exhibition inspired by the concept of Tūrangawaewae
Tūrangawaewae is one of the most well-known and powerful Māori concepts. Literally tūranga (standing place), waewae (feet), it is often translated as ‘a place to stand’. Tūrangawaewae are places where we feel especially empowered and connected. They are our foundation, our place in the world, our home.
Opening - Friday 24th September 5.30pm - 9pm (ish)
featuring some Art, Music & Booze
exhibition runs till 24th October
Artworks in the exhibition inspired by the concept of Tūrangawaewae
Tūrangawaewae is one of the most well-known and powerful Māori concepts. Literally tūranga (standing place), waewae (feet), it is often translated as ‘a place to stand’. Tūrangawaewae are places where we feel especially empowered and connected. They are our foundation, our place in the world, our home.
Embrace Noir
I go back to the scene where the two men embrace
& grapple a handgun at stomach level between them.
They jerk around the apartment like that
holding on to each other, their cheeks
almost touching. One is shirtless, the other
wears a suit, the one in the suit came in through a window
to steal documents or diamonds, it doesn't matter anymore
which, what's important is he was found
& someone pulled a gun, and now they are holding on,
awkwardly dancing through the room, upending
a table of small framed photographs. A chair
topples, Sinatra's band punches the air with horns, I
lean forward, into the screen, they are eye-to-eye,
as stiff as my brother & me when we attempt
to hug. Soon, the gun fires and the music
quiets, the camera stops tracking and they
relax, shoulders drop, their jaws go slack
& we are all suspended in that perfect moment
when no one knows who took the bullet--
the earth spins below our feet, a blanket of swallows
changes direction suddenly above us, folding
into the rafters of a barn, and the two men
no longer struggle, they simply stand in their wreckage
propped in each other's arms.
Nick Flynn
IMAGE: Louise Bourgeois "Triptych for the red room"Etching and watercolor, Collection Xavier Tricot, Ostend.
1/3
A Poison Tree
I was angry with my friend:
I told my wrath, my wrath did end.
I was angry with my foe:
I told it not, my wrath did grow.
And I watered it in fears,
Night and morning with my tears;
And I sunned it with smiles,
And with soft deceitful wiles.
And it grew both day and night,
Till it bore an apple bright.
And my foe beheld it shine.
And he knew that it was mine,
And into my garden stole
When the night had veiled the pole;
In the morning glad I see
My foe outstretched beneath the tree.
William Blake
Photo: Penny Siopis: Three Trees, 2009, ink and glue on canvas, 783⁄4 by 981⁄2 inches; at Michael Stevenson.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
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