Allotment work and Idea 142 is Human Rights

Keep those cherries

Second cage

Yesterday although the weather wasn't great I spent a bit of time on the allotment, tidying, weeding and clearing as well as putting the second fruit cage up, this and the netting on the Cherry tree (number 1) will ensure that we get some fruit at least.
The cage is another one purchased from Amazon and  produced by Gardenskill Ltd

Getting clear

Birds of course love to take nice ripe fruit and I'm not alone in battling with them (not physically) I anticipate losing some fruit but would be nice to enjoy home grown cherries.
Luciano who was the previous tenant of the other half of my plot has now removed some of his decomposing leaf mould he's a big fan of adding the leaves to aid warmth and soil composition. I'm now starting to turn over some of the soil and remove weeds although it is hard work I've got a got of plants without  homes and this new area is going to be useful as it has a fine aspect for the sun.

Idea 142 is Human Rights

Looking at the idea of Human Rights feels timely in a world where governments are warning that there are limits to the amount of privacy that citizens can expect while security forces battle to keep safe the populace and the amount of Government surveillance is being discussed following the whistle-blowing of Danny Ellsberg.
Crofton notes in his book that there is to a certain extent an expectation of  basic 'Human Rights'.
Much of the thinking around Human Rights  comes from the changes made after the American and French Revolutions.
Human Rights are even expected to be observed during war and Geneva conventions are an attempt to document this.
The UN's declaration of Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights are significant in ensuring the worst excesses are constrained.
Here's the story ...

The joy of bonfires and idea 141 is Justice

I had forgotten what fun it is to have a bonfire, yesterday as I started to clear my extra allocation of   land  it came back to me - surprisingly hot as it burnt.

Big Idea 141 is justice

Justice can be considered as the  fairness of a situation and is linked to  fair treatment another view: 'Justice' (ideally) is the action, or course, that will restore equilibrium to a situation. It's often confused, or conflated, with punishment; but that is really the idea that two wrongs make a right - 'An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.' which is in the realms of 'Divine Justice' ( the moral standard by which God judges human conduct - oh dear).

The article in how stuff works is also illuminating- do we practice justice? Probably not we all have prejudices, but recognising this can be  empowering.

The idea of Justice is fundamental to the way that free and fair societies operate, if you think about children crying 'it's not fair' you'll realise how basic an expectation of justice is to most of us.
Why has she got more than me?
So Plato's capturing of 'Just deserts' in The republic epitomises the concept, Justice has two forms:
1) The Justice delivered by the legal system - where people are judged fairly and Justice is handed out in a consistent and even manner.
2) The Justice of a fair society, this has a more political dimension and brings with it ideas of equality and treating people equally.

More OPEN Ealing Art (Cubism) and Idea 140 Equality

Cubism is (I think) where the disjoint between 'modern' art and representational work occurs, it was great to have a look at it with the Modern Art course I attend.

Before Perspective

What I've taken on-board so far from the course is that (I suppose obviously) is that paintings are an abstraction the idea of representing 3 dimensional objects in a 2 dimensional medium is always going to be a challenge - if you look at paintings (for example) from the 15th Century it is clear that   there is no 'perspective'.

Early perspective

With the rules of perspective anew grammar for the world of art arrived but it is worth thinking about this, it is a series of conventions an rules that we are taught and learn, other times and other cultures have a different grammar  and history of representation.


'Picasso's Factory, Horta de Ebbo'
 

So Cubism came along and blasted a whole in what was the 'fourth wall' of visual grammar  -in a world where photography could replicate the 2 dimensional it tried to tell us more about the objects, it may not always be visually pleasing but as Nick Pearson tells us repeatedly works of art look to solve the problems artists perceive.
Here's a wild guy talking about Cubism (interesting stuff about his name)-



Idea 140 Equality

 

Like many of the political ideas Equality is a work in progress, it is easy to be smug and consider that each step we take is the last that needs to be taken, like our earlier consideration of  'Liberty'  the US constitution  thought that it would deliver equality but it took sometime before race and gender issues were addressed and some issues remain. Equality may impinge on 'rights' and it is a negotiated area that must take account of public acceptance.

Here's a young man talking about sexual equality (from a  perhaps religious point of view).

 

 





Pinta Art Show and Idea 139 is Toleration

As I signed up with the Saatchi gallery when I visited I get a few emails and one of these included a complimentary entrance to the Pinta show at Earls Court, if you get the same offer I'd urge you to visit.

Where the Pinta show is

Not sure the exact story around the cause/reason for the people exhibiting, seems to be something to do with the Iberian influenced world Spain, South America and Miami cropped up amongst the galleries represented.
It is a very eclectic event and for me the works were shown in a very comfortably  put together space without too many people or distractions -  the downside was the sensation overload caused by so much stuff from Op art to some fantastic photography  pretty much all by people new to me.

One curiosity (of many) were what seemed to be a proto Gilbert and George characters working in tapestry and including images of their dachshund dog!
Highlights of Pinta were 'finding' the artists:

By Álvaro Barrios

Jesus Soto Optical and Kinetic artist
Luis Tomasello - great works between 2 and 3 dimensions.
Mathias Goeritz - was a well-known Mexican painter and sculptor of German origin with (for me) a touch of the Mondrians.
What was great for me was a painting by the Colombian Álvaro Barrios which made me want to see more of his work.
On the subject of perception - I like this site

Big Idea 139 is Toleration

Toleration as it is now practiced in much of the 'developed' world has not arrived overnight.
Toleration is in fact pretty much a gift of the enlightenment - The French philosopher and  author  Voltaire (François Marie Arouet - 1694–1778), . coined the phrase that is actually something like

..what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write.” but is misquoted as ( in this form often used by my grand-dad Tom Beesley)

 I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

Toleration is of course a mediated condition and requires a somewhat civilised atmosphere to have it practiced effectively.