a mundane afternoon

After the recent ragings on art, the use of art, the burning of art etc etc I had said that I would go to some art galleries and maybe write something about it. So I went to the Tate Modern yesterday and after spending a mere half an hour looking at art, anti-art and whatever else I spent most of my time sat on a bench trying to puzzle over what it was that I wasn't getting about the whole art thing.

I think the problem of art, for me anyway, is not so much art in itself but the gallery. I find art galleries increbildy sterile and banal places. While wandering past Man Ray's 'Indestrucible Object' I thought "Oh that, there it i ins, I like that," and then wandered on.  In the gallery it was just an object amongst other objects; it seemed to have no life or vitality. Despite my liking for surrealist art I spent no more than 3 minutes in that room and then off I went. I was impressed by some of the pieces but their placing just seemed wrong.

I prefer to 'find' art, to come accross it randomly in places that it is unexpected. There was a wonderful exhibition on Wenceslas Square whilst I was in Prague (unfortunately I can't find the photos). One morning, after getting off the metro and pushing through crowds I came accross a giant insectoid creature with a rider upon its back that had been made from scrap metal.  There placing wasn't so much posturing but something that interrupted the usual ambience of the square. There were other pieces that were oversized and often strange that all brought a strange and dynamic twist to the place in which they had been installed.

My favourite gallery is owned by my favourite surrealist puppeteer and film maker, Jan Svankmajer. Galerie Gambra is impossibly hard to get to, tucked far away behind Prague castle and with only a tiny sign in the window. Gambra is a small terraced cottage that consists of two small rooms downstairs that are litterally cluttered with art from floor to ceiling. There is no clinical use of space but the walls are flooded with paintings and sketches. Scultures lie in piles and paintings are not ordered but have to be hunted through. Svankmajer and his wife still live and work upstairs and the place has a very lived in feel. Despite its diminutive size I could easily spend much more time there than at the Tate Modern.

I don't think I shall visit any more galleries whilst I am in London, unless there is something that I particularly want to see. I don't particularly hate them, if I did perhaps I would visit again, but they have absolutely no affect whatsoever on me. They are simply another of brand of tourism, and not a particularly good one. I shall stick to stumbling over art and being surprised by it rather than going out seeking it.

Anyhow, to remove myself from my state of ennui I went to the bookshop (strangely enough I always like the bookshops in galleries) and spent almost all my money on some books by my favourite Frenchmen. Needless to say I was muchly cheered up.

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Stick it in there

Did anyone see Channel 4's '101 Embarassing Disasters' last night? Why do men insist on sticking their cocks in places that they shouldn't be? Admittedly there were a few women on there; such as the woman who got attacked by poison ants after smearing honey on her cunt which she wanted her cat to lick off (arf arf), but the majority of the injured persons were men. People like the guy who stuck his cock in a swimming pool pump and was trapped for hours, the gay guy who put cement up his ass, the guy who died after putting home made electrodes on his cock and (my personal favourite) the guy who liked to eat the heads of his daughters dolls and shit them out while having a wank. Charming, you must admit.

I had thought that the desire to stick things in places that they shouldn't be was something that faded after childhood. I myself liked to put my finger in random places, sometimes while ejecting a video from the player I would stick my finger in and pull it out really quickly, narrowly missing getting it stuck. Until I did get it stuck and then it fucking hurt and the video had to be taken apart to release my finger. Nowadays I try not to put my extremities anywhere particularly random.

It seems that a fair few men haven't had such experiences with their fingers and stick their cocks into anything they can get their hands on, goats, horses, lampposts, melons, vacuum cleaners, cars and swimming pools. I don't get it.

The only sexual injuries that I have come across (not involving me, as if I would be involved in sexual injuries) have been to do with men. I had a friend who broke his cock and another who tore his bum hole (though that wasn't to do with sex, he said it was because he did a really big shite), but I don't think any of my female friends have had serious sexual injuries.

Serious philosophical question: What is it about the nature of the cock that it desires to be placed into any hole available?

(If you are going to answer you're not allowed to use the words Freud, unconscious, masculinity or testosterone; or use any reasons that are cliched or used by psychologists (see Mark k-punk's post on TV psychologists) in fact probably don't answer it at all).


Internet is being installed on Thursday. Perhaps some serious posts then.

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Random update

Well, I'm still not connected to the interweb and since people are still visiting glueboot and there's nothing new really been posted I thought that I'd make a random update using the new bullet point feature that blogger has:

Observations

• London stinks... and more than that, London makes me stink (more than usual anyway). There's a film of sheen covering my body all day long. I do not even get any release at night as even with the window open, no quilt and no clothes I remain completely filthy.
• I can't sleep in London. It's too sticky, too noisy and I'm absolutely sure that people can see me through my blinds (London induced paranoia perhaps). So my quilt gets thrown to the floor in a fit of annoyance and then paranoia sinks in and I'm sure that I've become that angry naked girl that people watch.
• If there is a hell then it will take the form of a recruitment agency. Recruitment agencies employ the most slimy and contemptuous people in all the world. How many more times do I have to argue that 'yes, I can use a computer,' 'yes, even though my degree is in philosophy I am capable of opening a file in word.' Upon the walls of said agencies there are such words emblazoned as 'success,' 'adventure,' etc etc. I hate buzz words and they are everywhere... damn damn damn damn
• Old Turkish gadges are attracted to me and want to make me their young wife. This is not simply flirtation but overt gratuitous sleaze. I can cope with it from time to time but not when a greasy fat man grabs my hand and starts to rub the palm of it with his fat fingers in some wierd mating ritual.

Happier observations

• I've met quite a few bloggers now and I'm pleased to say that they're all very much like their blogs. Which is a good thing I think. It's a very strange thing this blogging business; it seems to be productive of much more than just mindless net ramblings (that applies to me, not anyone else!) We shall see what else happens.
• My new landlord is very nice and is going to do a handwriting analysis for me and take me for a ride on his motorbike (very exciting, I love bikes... one day I'll get one).

Upcoming on glueboot

• A lot of posts on Bataille on Eroticism, including my 'fieldwork' research
• Maybe a post on Deleuze and Guattari, or maybe not
• Regular updates on whether I've managed to find a way to stay clean or not
• Yet another post on philosophy

That's all for now. I have finally gotten my computer but not my monitor so it's hooked up to the TV which makes it impossible to read. Internet will be hopefully installed next week but I'm waiting for the bastard bank to extend my overdraft so I can stop being a pauper and can pay for it.

Until then....

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glueboot

Glue

1.

a)A strong liquid adhesive obtained by boiling collagenous animal
parts such as bones, hides, and hooves into hard gelatin and then
adding water.

b) Any of various similar adhesives, such as paste, mucilage, or epoxy.

2.

An adhesive force or factor: Idealism was the glue that held our group together.

Boot

1.
Protective footgear, as of leather or rubber, covering the foot and
part or all of the leg.

2.
A protective covering, especially a sheath to enclose the base of a floor-mounted gear shift lever in a car or truck.

3.
Chiefly British. An automobile trunk.

4.
a) A kick.
b)Slang. An unceremonious dismissal, as from a job. Used with the.
c)Slang. A swift, pleasurable feeling; a thrill.

5.
A Denver boot.

6.
A marine or navy recruit in basic training.

7.
Computer Science. The process of starting or restarting a computer.
boots

8.
An instrument of torture, used to crush the foot and leg.



glueboot

1.
&*&*%£$*%()^&^&&*"")£*$()%_^&($*"&$(£)_*!(£$&%()_&**($£)()"$!!!!
(((£$"%%^^&&*&*($$$$""$"*(%*$(%$(&^$(£)$()"($£"()

2.

_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_______________________________

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Closing for Relocation

I'm not going to be about for a while. My graduation is this week and I have my parents visiting so I'll be doing too much drinking for blogging this week. I'm staying with friends for the next few days and then I'm off to London on Thursday. We don't have an internet connection in our new flat yet so until we do I won't be able to update my blog too much. I will be able to check my emails though so if anyone wants me for anything or for drinking you can get me at SiobhanMcKeown@hotmail.com

Bye for now!!

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Burning and Packing

I own a lot of shit. What a nightmare. I've got four piles; stuff to take to, stuff to give away, stuff to send to Belfast, stuff to throw out. Currently the biggest pile is 'stuff to take.' I'm trying to be fairly ruthless but there's no way I'm leaving my books behind and there's a hell of a lot of books.

Throwing things away is strange; this is crap that I've accumulated over the years and most of it I never look at so it's getting chucked. It's strange to throw away things that once seemed important, but they're not important anymore and I find little sentimental attachment to them.

Anyway, I'm having a break and doing some compiling for my Summer Burn CD. I'm trying to make it suitable for summer listening but I'm chucking in a few darker tracks as well. Here's what I've gotten so far:

Beethoven - Symphony No. 9 - Presto
DJ Format - Ill Culinary Behaviour
Dr. Octagon - Blue Flowers
Gang Starr - You know my Steez
Curtis Mayfield - Freddy's Dead
Kruder and Dorfmeister - Bug Power Dust
The Orb - Little Fluffy Clouds
Orbital - Halycon Live
Autechre, Kraftwerk, Photek, Orbital, Aphex Twin - Coal In Ghost Out
Andy C & Shimon - Bodyrock


Now I'm stuck. I'm considering throwing some Aphex Twin after Coal in Ghost Out, but on listening to it it's getting very dark towards the end. M I'm a little unsure about the Beethoven but it makes me go all jittery and jump about so it must make other people like that too. I think that Bodyrock is a good one to finish on so that's definately going to last.

Hrmmm... you'd think that with 40 gig of music I'd be able to find a few more tracks.

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RIP Marlon Brando

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Good news for glueboot

I was pleased to read on the Warwick website that there is a course entitled Philosophies of Difference which examines Deleuze and aesthetics. Very pleased about this, I didn't think that I'd be getting to take any modules on Deleuze. I imagine that I'll take the one on Heidegger and Levinas as well as I'd rather study Heidegger & Levinas than Heidegger and Husserl.

After being thought to be a waster during my school days its strange to realise that I can't wait to start studying again.

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Reality TV Breakdown

I have been watching Big Brother, I'm sure most people have seen at least one episode. I found it extremely entertaining at the beginning although its gone down hill a bit (though that may be because I'm not really watching it so much). Endemol seem to have the formula a bit better this time, they must have realised that what is most interesting about any system is not so much the system but the break down. Systems in themselves are fascinating but equilibrium tends to be an incredibly boring state. Last years Big Brother was in a state of consistent equilibrium, one might argue that it was like watching an entropic system. This year things are consistently on the limit, always on the verge of a breakdown.

None of the contestants are particularly interesting by themselves, in fact they're fairly generic. Each of them conforms to some sort of stereotype; the overly camp guy, the well turned out gay guy, the body builder, the wannabe gangster, the ditzy art student etc etc. However, put them in a confined space with no exterior forces exerted upon them and their dynamics begin to change and they begin to self organise. As a group they become more interesting than they would individually. Bodies flow towards different attractors, bifurcations occur that cause mass rupture (such as the incident when the security guards had to be brought in). As the system seems like it might be heading towards some sort of stability the producers add a new body into it in the form of the new contestant. The dynamics constantly change, with people hating each other one moment and chatting away the next.

The best reality TV show that's been on TV is, in my opinion, 'The Experiment'. It was an attempt to recreate a psychology experiment that was done when two groups were put into a prison, one taking on the role of guards, the others as prisoners. The guards that they chose were all pretty wet and they had prisoners who were all pretty hard; a martial arts experts obsessed with Orwell and an ex-crack addict among others. Inevitably the experiment (like the Stanford Prison Experiment) went wrong. Without exterior forces the system began to organise in such a violent way that it broke down and it ended up being cancelled. Ruptures occurred around the strongest of the characters who directed the flows according to their own desires and ended up overturning the power balance. The dynamics of this group was vastly more interesting than those of Big Brother but the premise is still the same; systems are at their most interesting around a point of rupture or at a breakdown. It tends to make for good TV, hence the mismatched personalities in such shows as Big Brother and Wife Swap. Though really, there's only so much reality TV that one can take. Now that they've realised that rupture is interesting I hope that they realise that too much of anything can make it banal. I'm hoping that they'll realise this in the end and put something else on TV.

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