Robert Fraser: the butterfly, Performance and the Rolling Stones

Another good 60s London piece.

peterwatts1975's avatarThe Great Wen

I’ve often thought that when William Rees-Mogg wrote his famous editorial in the wake of the Redlands court case, the butterfly was not so much Mick Jagger or Keith Richards but the third party in that sorry affair. Art dealer Robert Fraser was convicted alongside the Rolling Stones for possession, but while Richards and Jagger were spared prison partly thanks to the Times editorial, Fraser pleaded guilt and was sent to Wormwood Scrubs. It’s difficult now to think of Richards and Jagger as butterflies; Fraser was the one that got left behind to get broken.

Some of letters and telegrams Fraser received and sent while during his four months at the Scrubs feature in the Pace Gallery’s superb exhibition, A Strong Sweet Smell Of Incense, which runs until 28th March. The title comes from Richard Hamilton’s collage, created as a response to the Redlands bust.

It is displayed alongside one…

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The Image is the Servant

The Image is the Servant

Here’s me at the microphone at an event at Hansom Hall, Leicester organised by David Soden. It is a battle between performers and images taken of them and projected on to screens around the hall. Here’s a short video of one of the performances:

It was a brilliant event that reminded me a bit of the happenings and events of my youth. Mind you, the technology has changed a lot since then with banks of computers rapidly processing images as they are taken but the effect on the senses was surprisingly similar! It was not that far from the projections and light shows of the past!!

The Image is the Servant

The Image is the Servant

Painters Painting, a 1973 Documentary Featuring Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Willem de Kooning, and More

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hovercraftdoggy's avatarhovercraftdoggy

acrobats -balancing on the edge of a building / A stunning black and white photo capturing acrobats at the top of the Empire State Building performing the stunt during the opening of the building possibly on May 1, in the 1931.

A stunning black and white photo capturing acrobats at the top of the Empire State Building performing the stunt during the opening of the building possibly on May 1, in the 1931.

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