A STATEMENT BY MICHEL CHAMPENDAL FOLLOWS THE PHOTOGRAPHS
A LETTER BY CLAUDETTE CLIQUET CHAMPENDAL FOLLOWS AFTER THAT
A STATEMENT BY ROBERT DELFORD BROWN FOLLOWS AFTER THAT
THE ART WORKS WILL BE POSTED SHORTLY
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The World is suffering from a stupidly inefficient ordering of priorities.
It is based on exploitation and exclusion.
Rape and plunder. Divide and conquer.
There is no interest in taking advantage of the intelligence and energy of billions of people.
The work shown here by The first Visual Art Band in the world, THE FUNKUPAGANISTAS, is a clear example of the creative energy that people who have never been schooled in visual art can generate.
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My preface is entitled An American in Paris. You probably know that music by Georges Gershwin. It symbolizes the positive image the French share when they think of the Americans: an image of charmers who came to bewitch the ancient capital. This positive image of the Americans for the French people is very far from the negative image of American soldiers under the control of Georges W. Bush, killing people in Irak while devastating their country.
Robert Brown is definitely a charmer and not a warrior! Undoubtedly! But Bob is very critical of the present administration in the United States. Yes Bob, rant against the ultra-conservative neo-colonial idiots who transform the world into a desert full of nothing but merchandise.
Robert appeared in my life in Paris on march 2004. We happened to have the same friend : Mark Bloch, a well known communications artist who lives in New York City also. Bob was staying one month in Paris. Bob communicated with me via the e-mail. We drank a cup of black coffee within a tiny, fancy Parisian museum based in the quarter of Montmartre and devoted to Naive Art. Then I invite Robert to our home which is a large apartment a few blocks from this very Museum. Suddenly I can see Robert's eyes sparkling: my place was convenient for the fufillment of one of Bob's dreams: inviting people for a Collaborative Action Gluing on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Bob shared this hope with.
I replied that I agreed but would have to speak of this idea with my wife Claudette. I spoke with her the very evening of that day. She said yes! Next morning, I phoned Bob at his hotel and, a fortnight later, the show took place.
Twenty one persons came: fifty had been invited. A good score! It took place on Sunday march 21, 2004 from 3 to 5pm. Nine works were completed. Jean Souchay, a professional photographer, took a hundred photographs of this event. Then, at the end of the month of march 2004 Bob went back to New York City.
What can I now write to end this story with pertinence, relevance and significance?
My response to this question is: by saying the truth and nothing but the truth. And the truth is this : the surprise was total FOR ALL OF US: none of the twenty-one participants of this unusual event had imagined it could have been such a feast (they had no habit of such events) and Robert was very astonished by the deep implications of the invited persons. He thought there would be five or six of them acting three quarters of an hour, but they were twenty-one and remained active three hours long ! Nobody knew what was really happening. But everyone was happy. Very happy! Deeply happy ! They all had the impression of working for an enthusiastic collective work! And the result of their work is directly convincing: each of the nine collective paintings produced is much more richer than any of the current one individual painting of any of the most famous historical painters, even made by a Surrealist, a Dadaist or a Fluxus artist.
Because several people act in a much more deeper and expressive way than a single one. Because individualism is far less intense than collective action! And, according to the condition that collective work has to be performed in good conditions for each and everyone, everybody can be happy while being solitary and standing by at the same time.
Each and every human being needs to work alone but within a group that will support his identity and work. This is the main condition to his equilibrium.
And his equilibrium is the essence of his creativity! What you read now is the credo of each democrat. And Bob Brown is a creative democrat. A man against the murderous silliness of globalised neo-colonialism.
Like his compatriot Michael Moore, Robert Delford Brown is against the forces of programmed death. Against what Henry Miller described as The Climatised Nightmare.
Well done, Bob! We do approve you! All the best!
Michel Champendal on monday April 12, 2004 tempsecrire@free.fr
Vous connaissez cet air rafraichissant de Georges Gershwin? Il symbolise l'image positive que les Francais peuvent avoir des Americains : des enchanteurs qui viennent ensorceler la vieille capitale le temps d'une serie de pas de danse incomparable. Cette image positive est a cent lieues de celle, negative, des yankees guerroyant en Irak, comme c'est le cas, helas, actuellement. Et qui sement derriere leurs pas terreur et desolation. Robert Brown s'apparente a un danseur au charme exquis et pas a un militaire madre aux ordres d'un certain G.W. Bush. Et ce sans l'ombre d'un doute. D'ailleurs il ne manque pas de mots durs pour le cow-boy US petaradant, notre Bob, ainsi que pour les maitres de ce pitre, a savoir les capitalistes ultra-liberaux qui transforment le monde en desert peuple de marchandises. Bob a debarque dans ma vie un beau jour de mars 2004. Mark Bloch, un ami commun, new-yorkais comme Bob, nous a reuni par le truchement d'internet. Bob sejourna, tout du long du troisieme mois de cette annee-la, emmi un hotel parisien. Nous nous sommes rencontres autour d'une tasse de cafe ingeree dans un musee montmartrois devolu l'art naif. Puis je l'ai emmene chez moi, un grand appartement situe non loin du pied de la Butte. Et la je vois l'emoi de Bob: cet endroit convient parfaitement a une operation qui lui tient a coeur et dont il s'ouvre a moi illico presto : reunir des gens autour d'une action collective de collage, deux heures durant, un apres-midi dominical. L'idee me plait et je lui promets d'en parler le soir meme a mon epouse Claudette. Elle accepte. Topes-la, voila l'affaire conclue ! Quinze jours plus tard, le dimanche 21 mars 2004, plus d'une vingtaine d'amis et de relations viennent frapper a quinze heures a la verte porte du 16, rue Lentonnet F-75009 Paris, France et, pendant deux heures, concoctent collectivement neuf grands collages. Bob a pris le soin de defrayer Jean Souchay, un photographe professionnel qui realise une centaine de photos de cet evenement. Et puis Bob est rentre chez lui, a New-York City, dans le quartier de Manhattan, les neuf oeuvres sous le bras et en promettant d'editer ce catalogue dont vous lisez en ce moment --- un exemplaire! Qu'est-ce qu'il y a d'interessant a dire sur cet evenement et qui vaille la peine d'etre ecrit? Quel texte qui puisse sortir de l'ordinaire en claquant la porte, comme le notait feu l'excellent editeur et ecrivain Eric Losfeld? Ceci: l'effet de surprise a joue en faveur de cet evenement qui fut une veritable fete! Les vraies fetes sont d'ailleurs toujours spontanees. Nous ne savions pas, Claudette, votre humble serviteur et la vingtaine d'invites surprise presents, nous ne savions absolument pas ou nous mettions les pieds ni ce qui allait advenir. Bob egalement attendait le jour J et l'heure H avec a la fois impatience et surprise. Il se disait que cinq ou six personnes viendraient coller spontanement l'espace de trois quarts d'heure maxi puis se calmeraient rapidement avant que de rentrer chez elles. Tel ne fut d'evidence pas le cas, car vingt et un visiteurs s'acharnerent joyeusement, trois heures durant, serieux comme le plaisir, concentres et determines, sur neuf toiles. Bob en etait sidere voire ahuri ! C'est que nombre de ces participants oeuvrerent avec une joie intense au coeur: celle de participer a une oeuvre collective dans laquelle chacun d'entre eux avait droit a son style. Et le resultat est la: les toiles qui figurent dans ce catalogue sont toutes merveilleusement riches et inventives. Toutes empreintes d'une force que nul artiste, fut-il le plus talentueux et le plus determine, fut-il une figure historique du surrealisme, du dadaisme ou de Fluxus, n'aurait pu atteindre individuellement. C'est que la somme des apports des membres d'un groupe depasse le travail individuel de tout individu. C'est que l'individualisme reste loin en deca du travail collectif concerte, c'est-a-dire realise dans de bonnes conditions de deroulement. Car l'etre humain est a la fois solitaire et solidaire. Il a besoin d'oeuvrer solitairement certes, mais sans trop s'eloigner de la chaleur vivifiante de la solidarite d'un groupe. Telle est la condition de son equilibre et l'essence meme de sa creativite. Cet etat de fait reflete par ailleurs les valeurs fondatrices de tout democrate. Or Bob Brown est un democrate qui, a l'instar d'un Michael Moore, se rebelle utilement contre le fondamentalisme sterilisant des Bush et autres profanateurs ultra-liberaux du monde. C'est la raison pour laquelle Bob Robert Brown est a meme de vous presenter aujourd'hui cette magnifique exposition collective d'action de collage. Bravo Bob ! Nous t'approuvons ! Michel Champendal, le lundi 12 avril 2004tempsecrire@free.fr
Inviting people we like and love to share with us (Claudette and Michel) a cultural activity is one of the objectives we planned when we chose our apartment seven years ago. We immediately thought that the space of that very apartment we own could be sometimes shared with other people. It offered the possibility to welcome shows and concerts and would be the occasion to meet exhibitors and visitors all together, as well as performers and spectators. When, in march 2004, Bob proposed us to materialize this very wish, I immediately accepted this new adventure! Because it was an adventure, as we knew so little about what was really going to happen. The period of time preceding Bob's event appeared to us as the current preparation of any invitation : how could we reach our friends and relationships? How could we organise the space? What could we offer to drink and eat? Will there be enough food and drinks? Would people come on not? And then, in parallel, was Robert's style of life, was his fury to propose his own organisation, was the surprising form of his written invitations and was the following episodes of the event itself and its impact within the United States of America, although it concerned a tiny circle of people. All these and those parameters did give us quite a big boost! And, among this, was I promulgated and inthronised owner of a gallery devolved upon International Surrealism. Wasn't it somehow a bit presumptuous? Anyhow, the Adventure was on and this was the only thing that was worth, that mattered or counted!
When The D-DAY arrived we had the pleasure meeting our invited friends and seeing them getting enthusiastic while practicing the kind of collages Bob proposed. Such an event has been a deep surprise and a joyful delight: it worked out and was a great success! All of our invited and participating friends proposed us to organise new events of that type and wished it could concern either writing and writings or manual occupations and works. Therefore our aim and objective was reached : we now know that such a striking experience is possible! Thank you, Bob!
Claudette Cliquet-Champendal. Wednesday april 21, 2004.
CHER BOB !
Inviter les personnes que lon aime venir partager une activit avec nous, ensemble, cest lun des buts que nous nous tions fixs quand nous avons choisi notre logement ! Nous avons tout de suite pens que cet espace pouvait tre partag avec dautres et offrait la possibilit de recevoir des expositions ou des concerts, exposants et visiteurs ensemble, concertistes et spectateurs ensembleS Cest donc tout naturellement que, quand Bob nous a propos de mettre en application ce souhait, jai accept tout de suite laventure ! Car il sagissait bien dune aventure puisque nous savions peu de choses sur ce qui allait rellement se passer.
La priode prcdent cet vnement sest apparente lorganisation de nimporte quelle invitation : comment toucher nos amis ? Comment organiser lespace ? Que proposer boire, manger ? Allait-on avoir assez ? Les gens viendraient-ils ? Et puis paralllement, il y avait le style de Bob, son acharnement proposer son organisation, la forme des invitations, les suites de cet vnement et son impact aux Etats-Unis (dans un cercle relativement restreint quand mme !)S Tout cela nous dynamisait encore plus ! Et puis je me suis retrouve promue la fonction de gallriste du surralisme international : ntait-ce pas un peu prsomptueux ? Cest gal, laventure tait enclenche !
Le jour j , nous avons eu le plaisir de voir arriver nos amis, de les voir se passionner pour le collage que nous proposait Bob et ce fut une joie extraordinaire : a fonctionnait ! Et chacun de proposer que nous organisions de nouveaux vnements de ce type, qui autour de lcriture, qui autour des travaux manuels : notre but tait atteint et nous savons maintenant que cest possible !
Merci Bob !
Claudette Cliquet-Champendal, le mercredi 21 avril 2003
WE ARE SAVAGES IN A NEW CIVILIZATION. THE CIVILIZATION OF NOUVEAU DADA.
REVOLUTION IS NO LONGER POSSIBLE. WE ARE LIVING IN THE AGE OF GLOBAL TRANSFORMATION.
WE WILL ALL LOSE OR WE WILL ALL WIN.
THE NOUVEAU SAUVAGE COLLAGE/GLUINGS WHICH WILL BE CREATED ON MARCH 21, 2004 ARE GOING TO SUMMON THE VARIOUS SPIRITS, GODS, GODDESSES, GHOSTS, GOOFIES, AND OTHER EMPHEMERAL BEINGS FROM HERE THERE AND EVERYWHERE ELSE THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WORSHIPPING FOR AEONS TO GET OFF THEIR ASSES AND GET CRACKING!
WE HAVE ZOOMED INTO A NEW AGE OF INSTANTANEOUS COMMUNICATION WHERE SOCIOPATHOCRACIES ARE NOT BE ABLE TO FLOURISH, BECAUSE THEY CAN ONLY LIVE IN THE DARK LIKE MUSHROOMS. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THEM TO LIVE IN THE LIGHT.
THE WORLD IS DROWNING IN HYPOCRISY.
WITHOUT TRUTH WE HAVE NO SCIENCE.
WITHOUT TRUTH WE HAVE NO ART
WITHOUT TRUTH WE HAVE NO CIVILIZATION.