[slackline]

Quite a few peeps in and around Sheffield so I thought I'd mention Sheffield Art 08 : Yes No and Other Options which kicks off this evening with the illumination of Park Hill by some bird from Sweden.

[Bubba]

Incineration would have been preferable but thanks for the link - been seeing the posters all around town...

[Jaspersharpe]

Incineration would have been preferable

 

Agreed.

[Dolly]

My favourite excerpt so far from the site is this.

If you can't be bothered to read, then basically a bloke has put some leaves on the floor of the Winter Gardens and called it " an anti-movement for interrupted time"

Roman Ondák’s works often take the form of small symbolic acts that interrupt the regimented patterns of everyday life by opening up spaces in which time flows at a different pace and social exchange is experienced under different conditions.

For ‘SK Parking’ (2001), for instance, Ondák used the exhibition budget provided by the Vienna gallery Secession to rent several Slovakian Skoda cars from friends in his home town Bratislava. Together they drove across the border, and parked the cars behind the exhibition space in the heart of Vienna. There the cars remained, unused, for the duration of the show, as an anti-monument publicly commemorating the interruption of time.

For Art Sheffield 08 Ondák will again realise an anti-monument for interrupted time – the piece ‘Failed Fall’, in the Winter Garden in the town centre. The temperate glass house contains evergreen exotic plants that are not subject to the seasonal cycle. Inspired by this moment of temporal suspension, Ondák decided to both underscore and invert the logic of the garden: for one winter week in February, the interior pavements of the Winter Garden will be filled with dry autumn leaves from average city trees.

Inconspicuously then, autumn invades the space of perpetual summer, as if its remnants had just been blown in through the door. Yet, as the title affirms, it is a ‘Failed Fall’. The last one happened long ago. This one is an echo of the seasonal cycle exhausting itself. Time is out of joint and the place becomes surreal. As an anti-monument for interrupted time, ‘Failed Fall’ surely seems melancholy at heart, yet it equally also testifies to the liberating possibility of radically unravelling the structures that otherwise govern our expectations of how things should work. If even fall can fail, why should we be forced to always succeed?

[Jaspersharpe]

Inconspicuously then, autumn invades the space of perpetual summer, as if its remnants had just been blown in through the door. Yet, as the title affirms, it is a ‘Failed Fall’. The last one happened long ago. This one is an echo of the seasonal cycle exhausting itself. Time is out of joint and the place becomes surreal. As an anti-monument for interrupted time, ‘Failed Fall’ surely seems melancholy at heart, yet it equally also testifies to the liberating possibility of radically unravelling the structures that otherwise govern our expectations of how things should work. If even fall can fail, why should we be forced to always succeed?

I've not read such a load of complete bollocks in a long time. And I read most of what Houdini posts on here. 

[Falling Down]

You might interested in reading about the Sokal affair http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokal_Affair .  Sokal (a physicist) wrote a hoax paper and submitted it to a heavyweight po-mo lit crit conference.  The sort of place where people discuss 'discourse' and 'text' - Baudrillard, Derrida, Foucault et al.  It's an interesting an amusing story...

[slackline]

I wouldn't mind Park Hill being blown up either, would certainly improve the view from where I live.

I do find a lot of the drivel that people come out with to justify their supposed "art" a load of bullshit.  They may as well use The Postmodern Generator, which is in a similar vein to the Sokal affair stuff.

Actually thinking about they probably have used it 

[Jaspersharpe]

"its status as parody does not alter substantially our interest in the piece itself as a symptomatic document."

"They charged Sokal with unethical behavior and suggested they only published the article as it was because Sokal refused to make changes they suggested and it was of relevance to a special issue they happened to be preparing."

"Exactly you twats"

"Sokal argued that this was the whole point — the journal published articles not on the basis of whether they were correct or made sense, but simply because of who wrote them and how they sounded."

 

Roman Ondák would appear to have previous too.

http://www.cca-kitakyushu.org/english/project/ondak_project.shtml

http://www.tate.org.uk/tateetc/issue5/privateview5.htm

http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/exhibitions/ondak/

I'd put him in Room 101 if I had my way.

[Paul B]

I wouldn't mind Park Hill being blown up either, would certainly improve the view from where I live.

I walked up next to park hill the other day and it looked like they were tearing the inner pieces down.

[Jaspersharpe]

Is that not just part of the "regeneration" project?

[Monolith]

You might interested in reading about the Sokal affair http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sokal_Affair .  Sokal (a physicist) wrote a hoax paper and submitted it to a heavyweight po-mo lit crit conference.  The sort of place where people discuss 'discourse' and 'text' - Baudrillard, Derrida, Foucault et al.  It's an interesting an amusing story...

I had an email conversation with Alan Sokal a few years back. I'll see if I can dig out the old email correspondance.

[slackline]

Yes, they tore down the primary school, council offices and the few shops that were remaining way before xmas.

There's very few people living there now, those that are are in the flats at the top end of the area.

Just passed there on the way home and asked some people setting up the lights what time they were going to be turned on and its around 19.00.

[Houdini]

Ondak?

Too much thought - not enough art.  

[Paul B]

Is that not just part of the "regeneration" project?

yeah just did a quick  search and found this

which was quite a funny read, it seems as if there is only a very woolly outline of plans so far, I bet when it was built it was a damn good design for what was required it was just the concept that was flawed (as well as people blatantly ignoring how concrete ages).

[Monolith]

FD - Hotmail appear to have deleted all my old mail when updating their service. I studied Derrida, Baudrillard, Foucault etc. and spoke to Sokal about the proliferation of Cultural Theory degrees. I wish I had the correspondance still, he made some good points.

(For the record, he submitted the paper to Social Text edited by Frederic Jameson. Jameson is a well known academic within the sociology/cultural theory fraternity and ended up with egg on his face for the lack of rigour applied in reviewing the paper).

Sokal's quote: "Anyone who believes that the laws of physics are mere social conventions is invited to try transgressing those conventions from the windows of my apartment. (I live on the twenty-first floor.)"

Classic.

[Jaspersharpe]

it seems as if there is only a very woolly outline of plans so far

From what I've read / heard the majority of people in the area were in favour of demolition. £146m is a lot of cash though and sure enough some people will get rich through the regeneration project even if it's a disaster. As you say the main thrust of the project is not clear although it seems to revolve around the idea that throwing a bit of paint around will ensure legions of middle class punters will be desperate to part with their cash to live there. I really can't see it working although I sincerely hope I'm wrong. For the benefit of the city it would be marvellous if the area was greatly improved as it's been an eyesore for years and for the benefit of me it would be nice as I live near there and the likelehood of my house being robbed will decrease substantially.

[slackline]

I went to an afternoon where they had plans and mock-up models back in September sort of time.  Nothing seemed definite, but some of the designs included knocking holes through big chunks to "open it up".  I vaguely remember something indicating a climbing wall in one of the lift shafts at the high end, which would no doubt be very high, but ultimately shite.  Also an (obligatory) artificial boulder in the grounds.  Spruced up stair wells, and some poncy clading in places

Part of the regeneration included turning the grass/wooded area between Park Hill and the station into a park, not quite sure how games of football would pan out along there 

There was also the idea that the housing would be mixed (private and housing association) and 'affordable'.  The council are big on integrating private and council/housing association dwellings, the area where I live is like that with a clear divide down the middle.  Some sort of idea that it stabilises and engenders community spirit, instead of large swathes of council estates.  It doesn't work in my opinion 

[Paul B]

firstly is the illumination tonight as the program says that the whole thing starts on the 16th of feb?

Re: Mixed use developments, I concur they simply don't work however its built in to planning framework so it will happen until that changes. It's a nice idea that people from all walks of life can live together etc. but theres always going to be stereotyping and some feelings of resentment one way or another (or most likely in both directions).

I wonder what state the structure of park hill is actually in as I can't see it being particularly good and ripe for development. If you look at what people have done with ex council properties in inner London though its clear that you CAN make these places a success with good designs.

[slackline]

firstly is the illumination tonight as the program says that the whole thing starts on the 16th of feb?

Yep its tonight, went past on my way home, they were setting up the lights and I asked what time they were turning them on, and was told around 19.00.  Also detailed in The Metro (but no time given).

I wonder what state the structure of park hill is actually in as I can't see it being particularly good and ripe for development. If you look at what people have done with ex council properties in inner London though its clear that you CAN make these places a success with good designs.

Its pretty shabby, I used to work for the council housing services part time a while back and went round Park Hill fairly regularly, the concrete is falling away from the steel all over the place.  Really needs lots of work, but then I'm no structural engineer so that means diddly squat.  Its a Grade II listed building (and the largest listed building in the UK) so up until now they've not been able to do anything.  No idea how the plans to redevelop it are fitted around this fact.

[Houdini]

I can, I can’t, Who cares? by Jan Verwoert

I followed slacks link and ended up reading the above essay, which was notable for one thing alone:  I learnt a new word, Nivellate - to level.  It stumped the Oxford Concise too, not a wee book.

But that was it, so to answer Jans Q:  not I.


Pull the fucking thing down.  Provide a lot of work for the demo and building industry and the itinerant workers of the UK.  And for God sake make a better job than you did first time.

[Falling Down]

FD - Hotmail appear to have deleted all my old mail when updating their service. I studied Derrida, Baudrillard, Foucault etc. and spoke to Sokal about the proliferation of Cultural Theory degrees. I wish I had the correspondance still, he made some good points.Classic.

Reallt? That's pretty cool.  On the one hand I do actually like some of the po-mo philosophers for mind bending entertainment value and they do have some interesting viewpoints at times.  But I think it's the B-Team and the resulting dross that pours out of some second rate universities that has really undermined what (albeit not much) was orginal and challenging.  Did you do a Cultural Theory degree then? 

[Monolith]

I did Cultural Studies before undertaking my current degree. I admired its interdisciplinary approach to philosophy/sociology/anthropology but was often frustrated at its 'jack of all trades' in applying theory to anything (Sokal's fundamental problem).
In the end, my dissertation was on Derrida and Eisenman's collaboration on the Parc de la Villette in Paris. I wanted to see how (and whether) the disciplines of architecture and philosophy could be reconciled to any 'satisfying' extent. I'm not sure if you're familiar with that collaboration but in short, the answer was no.

[Fiend]

Inconspicuously then, autumn invades the space of perpetual summer, as if its remnants had just been blown in through the door. Yet, as the title affirms, it is a ‘Failed Fall’. The last one happened long ago. This one is an echo of the seasonal cycle exhausting itself. Time is out of joint and the place becomes surreal. As an anti-monument for interrupted time, ‘Failed Fall’ surely seems melancholy at heart, yet it equally also testifies to the liberating possibility of radically unravelling the structures that otherwise govern our expectations of how things should work. If even fall can fail, why should we be forced to always succeed?

I've not read such a load of complete bollocks in a long time. And I read most of what Houdini posts on here. 

Class.

What is particularly impressive about this above the usual art-justification-drivel is that his concept is obvious and there for all to see. Yes the normal flow of time has been interrupted, yes that may have a bit of interest. Big deal, it doesn't need stating the bleeding obvious at great length does it...

[Paul B]

Its pretty shabby, I used to work for the council housing services part time a while back and went round Park Hill fairly regularly, the concrete is falling away from the steel all over the place.  Really needs lots of work, but then I'm no structural engineer so that means diddly squat.  Its a Grade II listed building (and the largest listed building in the UK) so up until now they've not been able to do anything.  No idea how the plans to redevelop it are fitted around this fact.

Well visible reinforcement in concrete = not good (on the way through Paris to font there is an old water tower that im sure one day will collapse onto the carriageway, you can see all of the rebar and none of the concrete!)
Maybe the listing is the reason for redevelopment instead of many peoples preferred wrecking ball.

[Falling Down]

I'm not sure if you're familiar with that collaboration but in short, the answer was no.

  funny.  I did Mechanical Engineering but read Derrida, Deleuze and Guattari for interest and entertainment.  Funnily enough though, I actually understood a lot of Nomadism by G&D because of all the analogies with Alchemy and Metallurgy that I got through my studies.    Shame your e-mail has been deleted....