SINISTER TOESTABLISH “FIRST/LAST” NEWSPAPER AUTHORITY ·...
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Still from Farewell, etaoin shrdlu, a 1980 film chronicling the last day of hot metal typesetting at The New York Times. SINISTER TO ESTABLISH “FIRST/LAST” NEWSPAPER AT PORT AUTHORITY 1 NOVEMBER 2009 — Recently described as “wheat paste,” D E XTER SINISTER are set to produce a newspaper twice a week for three weeks this fall under the umbrella of PERFORMA 09, New York’s well-regarded bi-annual festival of performance art. To- gether with a hastily assembled staff of in- ternational writers and photographers, the Lower East Side “pamphleteers” will occupy a disused, street-level space in New York’s Port Authority bus terminal on the corner of 8th Avenue and 41st Street, directly op- posite the new New York Times building. According to sources close to Sinister, The First/Last Newspaper (TF/LN) will be “as much about the current state of news me- dia as anything else.” They will host a pub- lic opening of the workspace on TUESDAY 3 NOVEMBER 2009 from 6pm onwards and screen Farewell, Etaoin Shrdlu, the 1980 doc- umentary conceived by Times Linotype op- erator Carl Schlesinger. Schlesinger will offer a small introduction to the film that evening. TF/LN will then appear twice a week for the following three weeks, to be distributed in “various formats” yet to be announced. Like- wise, further events open to the public will be arranged during their three-week operation. In Sinister’s own characteristically melodra- matic words: “You don’t want to start quan- tifying things or you’re dead.” IN BRIEF No sooner has this text been written than it will be full of holes.... Art histories may be measured in time by books (years), by mag- azines (months), by newspapers (weeks and days), by radio and tv (days and hours), by the internet (minutes and seconds). And at the gallery proper — instants! . . . As far as I’m concerned, there are no such things as forms that are more or less up to date. All forms, materials, ideas, and means are avail- able and to be used. Real news is bad news, bad news about somebody, or bad news for somebody . . . . Edgar Poe, a press man and, like Shelley, a science fictioneer, cor- rectly analysed the poetic process. Condi- tions of newspaper serial production led both him and Dickens to the process of writing backwards. This means simultaneity of all parts of a composition. Simultaneity com- pels sharp focus on effect of thing made. The artist starts with the effect. Simultaneity is form of the press in dealing with earth city. . . . In other words, and this amounts to an aesthetic system, the only meaningful way in which art can speak of man and his world is by organizing forms in a particular way and not by making pronouncements with them. Form must not be a vehicle of thought: it must be a way of thinking.... Here I must repeat that the newspaper, from its begin- nings, has tended not to the book form, but to the mosaic or participational form. With the speed-up of printing and news-gathering, this mosaic form has been a dominant aspect of human association; for the mosaic form means, not a detached “point of view,” but participation in process.... No real news followed for 14 years.
Transcript of SINISTER TOESTABLISH “FIRST/LAST” NEWSPAPER AUTHORITY ·...
Still from Farewell, etaoin shrdlu, a 1980 film chronicling the last day of hot metal typesetting at The New York Times.
SINISTERTO ESTABLISH“FIRST/LAST”NEWSPAPER
AT PORTAUTHORITY
1 NOVEMBER 2009 — Recently described
as “wheat paste,” DEXTER SINISTER are
set to produce a newspaper twice a week for
three weeks this fall under the umbrella of
PERFORMA 09, New York’s well-regarded
bi-annual festival of performance art. To-
gether with a hastily assembled staff of in-
ternational writers and photographers, the
Lower East Side “pamphleteers” will occupy
a disused, street-level space in New York’s
Port Authority bus terminal on the corner
of 8th Avenue and 41st Street, directly op-
posite the new New York Times building.
According to sources close to Sinister, TheFirst/Last Newspaper (TF/LN) will be “as
much about the current state of news me-
dia as anything else.” They will host a pub-
lic opening of the workspace on TUESDAY
3 NOVEMBER 2009 from 6pm onwards and
screen Farewell, Etaoin Shrdlu, the 1980 doc-umentary conceived by Times Linotype op-
erator Carl Schlesinger. Schlesinger will offer
a small introduction to the film that evening.
TF/LN will then appear twice a week for the
following three weeks, to be distributed in
“various formats” yet to be announced. Like-
wise, further events open to the public will be
arranged during their three-week operation.
In Sinister’s own characteristically melodra-
matic words: “You don’t want to start quan-
tifying things or you’re dead.”
IN BRIEF
No sooner has this text been written than itwill be full of holes. . . . Art histories may bemeasured in time by books (years), by mag-azines (months), by newspapers (weeks anddays), by radio and tv (days and hours), bythe internet (minutes and seconds). And atthe gallery proper — instants! . . . As faras I’m concerned, there are no such things asforms that are more or less up to date. Allforms, materials, ideas, and means are avail-able and to be used. Real news is bad news,bad news about somebody, or bad news for
somebody. . . . Edgar Poe, a press manand, like Shelley, a science fictioneer, cor-rectly analysed the poetic process. Condi-tions of newspaper serial production led bothhim and Dickens to the process of writingbackwards. This means simultaneity of allparts of a composition. Simultaneity com-pels sharp focus on effect of thing made. Theartist starts with the effect. Simultaneity isform of the press in dealing with earth city.. . . In other words, and this amounts to anaesthetic system, the only meaningful way inwhich art can speak of man and his world isby organizing forms in a particular way andnot by making pronouncements with them.Form must not be a vehicle of thought: itmust be a way of thinking. . . . Here I mustrepeat that the newspaper, from its begin-nings, has tended not to the book form, butto the mosaic or participational form. Withthe speed-up of printing and news-gathering,this mosaic form has been a dominant aspectof human association; for the mosaic formmeans, not a detached “point of view,” butparticipation in process. . . . No real newsfollowed for 14 years.
IN BRIEF
No sooner has this text been written than itwill be full of holes. . . . Art histories may bemeasured in time by books (years), by mag-azines (months), by newspapers (weeks anddays), by radio and tv (days and hours), bythe internet (minutes and seconds). And atthe gallery proper — instants! . . . As faras I’m concerned, there are no such things asforms that are more or less up to date. Allforms, materials, ideas, and means are avail-able and to be used. Real news is bad news,bad news about somebody, or bad news for
somebody. . . . Edgar Poe, a press manand, like Shelley, a science fictioneer, cor-rectly analysed the poetic process. Condi-tions of newspaper serial production led bothhim and Dickens to the process of writingbackwards. This means simultaneity of allparts of a composition. Simultaneity com-pels sharp focus on effect of thing made. Theartist starts with the effect. Simultaneity isform of the press in dealing with earth city.. . . In other words, and this amounts to anaesthetic system, the only meaningful way inwhich art can speak of man and his world isby organizing forms in a particular way andnot by making pronouncements with them.Form must not be a vehicle of thought: itmust be a way of thinking. . . . Here I mustrepeat that the newspaper, from its begin-nings, has tended not to the book form, butto the mosaic or participational form. Withthe speed-up of printing and news-gathering,this mosaic form has been a dominant aspectof human association; for the mosaic formmeans, not a detached “point of view,” butparticipation in process. . . . No real newsfollowed for 14 years.
